By Rafat Nayeem Quadri, for TCN,
Ahmedabad:
Lehron se darr kar nauka paar nahi hoti,
Himmat karne vaalon ki haar nahi hoti,
Nanhi cheenti jab daana lekar chalti hai,
Chadti deewaron par se sau baar fisalti hai,
Mann ka vishwaas ragon mein sahas bharta hai,
Chadkar girna, girkar chadna naak ragardta hai,
Aakhir uski mehnat bekaar nahi hoti,
Himmat karne vaalon ki haar nahi hoti,
She was in a hurry. She had to leave for Delhi to help a petitioner to file a case on behalf of her NGO. She is the same lady who would not board a bus or reach her house from the bus stop alone. As if wings of liberation and confidence have been attached to her body, she is a different person today.
Meet Noorjahan. A typical Arian, Noorjahan is pleasant, determined and full of energy to work. Today she is Coordinator at Anhad Gujarat office and state convener of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Aandolan.
Life was as usual like any other Muslim girl with Noorjahan when she had entered 18th year of life. She had just finished her 12th class with Arts in Himmatnagar, Ahmedabad where she lived with her parents and siblings. As decided by parents she was married to Abdul Hameed Diwan.
Noorjahan Diwan — Gujarat convener of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Aandolan
‘My in-laws were co-operative and nice to me, my brother in law Prof Akhtar Diwan who teaches at F D College in Ahmedabad encouraged me to continue my studies after a good gap when I had already had two children, Tahmeena and Mujahid.
I joined Mahila Arts College at Himmatnagar. I used to leave my little children with my parents and would go to college. I used to regularly come and stay with my husband at Juhapura also. Here I would work and take care of children, husband and in-laws but would study in the nights. This went on for two years. But I couldn’t complete my third year, its regret is always with me though I shall try to complete it privately some time.’
‘I as a child loved to become a lawyer. Perhaps, my deep desire of becoming something kept me motivated always although it was not pronounced and loud. Life was going in a typical lazy manner where you do nothing yet waste the whole day saying that you have household work. Years rolled on, I was just taking care of children and my husband. In between we stayed for few years in Surat also where my husband had some decent job. I learnt a computer course there. But my husband wanted to come back to Ahmedabad and thus we were back here with all sorts of new expenditures and responsibilities since we were living in a separate rental house and not with in-laws.
My third child Musarratjahan was six months old when my life started changing…I was in the midst of the carnage that struck city of Ahmedabad and a crying Gujarat with no one to reach to… I had seen lot of misery and helplessness. Muslims were marginalized, executed and hated… hatred is still on, justice has still not been delivered to the victims and survivors. But there are many who have come out of the deep slumber of ignorance and bizarre pessimism. I was one of them…I have since then moved on, never to stop again, do the best that I can, I shall not only give time to work for the cause of women from my community but women of all types. My dream is now to bring out women to fight for their cause, all those who are ignored, marginalized, exploited and need help. I want that this chain of help must become bigger and bigger and we must all unite. Fight for others’ cause also so that others fight for our cause !!”
Did your husband impose any restrictions on you? How did your in-laws react to your transformation in your journey?
Noorjahan (smiled and then said): “Oh yes, loads from my husband — he beat me a few times, he was angry, he did not speak to me for six months at one point of time… there was sort of no co-operation from him. Yet, he loved me and I too cared and loved him, so now it is a thing of past. He understands me now and takes pride in what I do.
My sister-in-law and mother-in-law were both nice to me and gave me silent strength to move ahead without feeling any guilt. It gave me courage…the lady power you see… Although we have our own financial difficulties, I still want to work with NGOs. My husband had to lose both his rickshaws since he couldn’t pay the installments of the loan and today he drives a rickshaw which he has taken on hire. But, I feel very happy to be of help to others and to prepare my Dalit and deprived sisters from all communities to come out of the shackles.
How was the reaction of the society, neighbours etc?
Noojahan: They were hostile. Young boys standing at the corner of our ‘galli’ (lane) would throw pranks and laugh in satire as they would comment ‘ye dekho ye madam purse laga kar jaane kaha jati hai roz subah se shaam tak. (look at this madam hanging purse she goes out from morning to evening. God knows where). But, I never entered into any argument with them. I wanted to reply them with the work and its results. Soon, it was showing. People would come to my house which had turned into an office, seeking information and addresses. I knew the boys out there were repenting and they were silently saying sorry to me. Now, they take pride in me they wish me good luck and on the whole it is a healthy positive ambience around.
How did you come out?
Noorjahan: When the 2002 was happening I was suffering from Thyroid and needed immediate medical help. When I went to Vadilal hospital with my sister-in-law I found young people with their eyes and lips full of hatred for us, the Muslim women visiting the hospital in burqa and purdah. In fact one of them said ‘ye dekho chhota bomb aur bada bomb’. I was aghast I couldn’t believe why there was so much hatred in the air, so many were getting killed…oh it was terrible. But, I also can’t forget when a young Hindu boy dropped us on that tense day of the first week of March in 2002 near Vishala circle and didn’t take even money. How can I forget the doctor who was a Hindu and attended me so well on that very same day at Vadilal. So, hatred and love, compassion and understanding co-exist. We just have to translate all the anger and hatred into love. We is not any one community or few people …it means efforts of all of us, attitudes of all of us.
One day during the week, some men form some NGOs visited our vicinity and asked for some help of clothes, food etc for the relief camps which were coming up in emergency.
Not only that I gave what I could but also mobilized the collection from our area next day. I myself went to one such camp and since then I am working for all those who need help.
In the process I was trained for small legal practices like filing of FIR, communication skills and much more. Some leading women from NGOs helped me groom myself and give my best.
Thus, I joined Aman Samuday and today I am with Anhad as Gujarat coordinator. I go to Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai alone, no fears no tension.
Why did you stop wearing burqa?
Noorjahan: When I realized I was being treated with hostility or at least people were not co-operative and entire atmosphere was full of tension, there was no point in wearing burqa anymore. I quit it.
What was the turning point in your life?
Noorjahan: I had stepped out of the house, was in the mainstream working for others, meeting lot of people, visiting police stations, leading from the front for lot of victims and all that. During one such moment there was an occasion when we had to accompany young children to Madras for their schooling since their fathers were arrested under POTA and there was an utter chaos. I was in the crew to take them. But, my husband protested; he didn’t want me to do this. I did not listen to him. A night before leaving for Madras he beat me a lot, I did not cry. I went to Madras the next day when I returned he did not speak to me for six months or so. That was my turning point. It was the last bashing he did on me.
What are your children doing now?
Noorjahan: My elder daughter is in final year of BA, son studying for electrical diploma from ITI and the little one is in Delhi studying school for past six years. I had to leave her there despite heavy protest from the family because I wanted that she is properly looked after. Since my work takes me to Delhi often I pop in to see her and my husband also visits her frequently.
(Rafat Nayeem Quadri is the Editor of BILKUL, Gujarat’s First English Fortnightly. She can be contacted on M: 90999 27424 and [email protected])