ENUM NASEER - How the Aurat March is questioning motherhood and the private domain in Pakistan
There is an old
Punjabi proverb ‘aata gun’ni aen tay hilni kyun aen?’ which loosely translates
as: why must you move when you knead the dough? It conjures up a very
specific image: a woman sitting on the kitchen floor, with a huge silver parat (circular
tray) in front of her – inside the tray, a precise mixture of flour and water.
Fists rolled into balls, she kneads the dough mechanically, throwing her body
into the movement. Even though the woman is apparently fulfilling her ‘duty’ in
a private space, she is also being monitored and surveilled. And then, someone
– oblivious to or apathetic to her efforts – very obviously waiting for her to
manifest her destiny in the form of a well-cooked roti, turns around and
irritably asks her: aata gun’ni aen tay hilni kyun aen?
As a proverb, the
question is ironic – used in response to an illogical demand: how can one
prepare rotis without kneading flour or moving? It highlights irrationality in
responding to a wide range of absurd demands or critiques, and is particularly
evocative given that the preparation of rotis is so common in Southasian
households. But as a cultural text the proverb is also an insight into
collective thought and a commentary on entitlement and the gendering of spaces. When women march for
their freedoms once a year at the Aurat March – a series of protests in
different Pakistani cities to observe International Women’s Day – the
backlash ranges from: Why not have a modest resistance instead? Why must the
slogans be so bold and belligerent? Why must there be so much hatred for men –
don’t you have to live with them? ... https://www.himalmag.com/taking-the-zenana-to-the-streets-2020/?utm_source=NewsletterSubscribers&utm_campaign=12fb7c9132-Newsletter+May+10_Survey_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_949b3d6c7a-12fb7c9132-195536737
