Urdu Journals for Muslim Women in Colonial India: Paradigms of Modesty and Domesticity

Abstract

This paper aims to study the Urdu newspapers, journals and periodicals which guided Muslim women in term of modesty and domesticity in colonial India. The study of women journals in colonial India presented several problems as these Urdu women journals were rarely mentioned in the history of Journals and Urdu literature. The British press ignored them in the archival records as they were more interested to print their own administrative reforms. There were three popular journals of Muslim community in British India- Tahzib-a- Niswan, Ismat and Khatoon as the purpose of its publication was highlighted on the first page of every journal. Modesty is considered the most important aspect of a women’s life and it is the utmost effort of Muslim societies to inculcate this modesty in women life. These Urdu journals in colonial period served as the tool to convey the message of modesty to Muslim and made women into ideal women for a Muslim home. Social and cultural issues which Muslim women dealt with generally in the Muslim world and particularly in India under colonial rule were also discussed. The insecurity among Muslims was very high as they wanted to maintain their own cultural traits like Purdah and domesticity. These Urdu women journals were started by males as their mind set would become the trait of female education and training. Religion was the most dominant part of female education. It seems that religion was only workable in the case of a Muslim woman. The copies of Muslim women journals are part of British library (London) periodicals section and Rekhta archive. Analytical method is applied on this research. There were two types of reformers, one conservative and the other liberal. So, the women magazines were also divided in these categories. This paper highlights the services of both groups in educating modesty to Muslim women through Urdu periodicals. Women journals are still used to convey the modest values and domesticity in a Muslim country like Pakistan.