Journey of self-discovery: ‘Who Am I? Voices of Women’ launched

The book has interviews with 20 Pakistani women.

LAHORE:

“My book is about a journey of self discovery. It asks a simple question; who am I? At times, it was a cry of longing or a demand. Sometimes, it was a lament,” said Moneeza Hashmi on Thursday.

She was reading excerpts from her book Who am I? Women Voices at its launch at Alhamra Arts Council. The book has been published by Sang-i-Meel and includes transcripts of interviews conducted by Hashmi of 20 women in Pakistan.

The book includes brief introductions by the author before each interview.

A foreword by writer Bapsi Sidhwa is also included in the book.

The launch was attended by prominent literary figures including Mustansar Hussain Tarar, Zehra Nigah, Navid Shahzad and Salima Hashmi.

Hashmi said she faced a difficult task while short listing the interviews to be included.

“The voices in the book are of 20 women who shaped the world around them,” she said.



Hashmi said the title had eluded her for long.

“It was in the early hours of summer 2010 when the full weight of the momentous task I had undertaken dawned on me,” she said.

“The process of writing the book required me to recall every detail of the interviews I had conducted,” she said.

“I recalled each interview step by step to recreate every moment and reconstruct the past,” she said.

Reading a comic essay which author Mustansir Hussain Tarar had dedicated to Hashmi, he narrated anecdotes leaving the audience in laughter.

He spoke of Moneeza Hashmi, whom he often saw strolling in the Model Town Park, adding that she reminded him of his own daughter who was determined to prove her mettle beyond the name of her father.

The last interview in the book was with poet Zehra Nigah, who was also present at the launch.

“Moneeza dedicated several years of her life to Pakistan Television Network where she worked tirelessly,” she said.

Nigah said Hashmi’s unique manner of conducting interviews was also received well by the audiences.

“She draws a complete picture, helping the reader develop a perspective before proceeding to reading the interview,” she said.

“This publication is more than a collection of interviews. Moneeza has captured the voices of women, their struggles and their challenges,” said actor Navid Shahzad.

Shahzad termed interviews as portraits of steel magnolias.

The book includes interviews Bapsi Sidhwa, Benazir Bhutto and Bano Qudsia.

However, she regretted that interviews could not include any woman from Balochistan.

“Those silences speak louder than any of the voices included in the book,” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2014.