ILF 2014: Evoking a sense of sympathy

Faryal Gauhar narrates stories of loss and suffering.

ISLAMABAD:

Living up to her reputation as a versatile performer, Faryal Gauhar had the audience in stitches with parodies of politicians, just moments after she had moved herself and a few of them to tears while narrating a passage from her book, at the first session.

“In conversation with Faryal Ali Gauhar,” the actor, director and writer, who describes herself as schizophrenic, stands out for the extraordinary sympathy she shares with women living in the shadows of the Karakoram mountains to the Arabian Sea. She highlighted the issue of girls who throw themselves into the Hunza River to escape marriages arranged with illiterate shepherds, coming across as deeply vulnerable when she acknowledged that she would never even contemplate marriage after having survived abuse and violence twice over.

The creation of Attabad Lake in Hunza, which she feels is an apt analogy for a country whose destiny is defined by its geography, sparked her creative spirit. She plans to shoot a film in the area about a fugitive who is looking to escape into a new life. The premise of the story is inspired by women who told her that they have been provided with a window to look into the world, but there is no door through which they can enter it.

Listening to her narrating from Ismat Chughtai’s novella, “Wild Pigeons,” it became clear why it resonated with her; the story begins with the death of a lover. She shared how she had lost the man she loved to the Sahara Desert two weeks before they were to be married.

Her razor-sharp observations, dissecting the duplicity inherent in international commitments and in dispensing development aid evoked a chorus of assent. An audience member captured the general sentiment when he said the session had been highly entertaining and saddening at the same time.

The session was moderated by Ritu Mennon, the publisher of the book by Faryal set in war-torn Afghanistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th, 2014.