Hajra Masroor

Hajra Masroor is a Pakistani writer who established her reputation through short fiction stories known as afsana in Urdu literature. She remains recognized as a pioneer of feminism in the subcontinent and a torchbearer of the Progressive Writers' Movement.

Early life and education

Hajra Masroor was born on 17 January 1930 in Lucknow, British India. Her father, Dr. Tahawwar Ahmad Khan, served as a medical doctor in the British Army. Because he died suddenly from a heart attack at the age of 38, her mother, Anwar Jahan Begum, raised the family. Anwar Jahan Begum was herself a published writer.

She grew up alongside five sisters and one younger brother, Khalid Ahmad. While her sister Khadija Mastoor became an accomplished novelist, Khalid Ahmad pursued careers as a poet, playwright and columnist. Masroor began her writing journey during her early childhood.

Following the independence of Pakistan in 1947, she migrated to Pakistan with her sisters. The family eventually settled in Lahore.

Career

Masroor began producing short stories at an early age. Her work appeared in various literary magazines and received high appreciation from Urdu literary circles. She utilized a down-to-earth style of writing that relied on simple yet effective prose. Through her bold imagination, she wrote short stories in a non-traditional way.

Her early collections of short stories include Chirkey, which was published in 1944, as well as Hai Allah and Chori Chuppay. She also authored the book Woh Log, which contains her collected plays. In addition to her literary volumes, she wrote the script for Suroor Barabankvi’s film Aakhri Station.

Her bibliography features several notable titles such as Chand Ke Doosri Taraf, Tisri Manzil and Andhere Ujale. She also wrote Sargoshian and Charagh Ki Lau Per. Through these works, she raised social, political, legal and economic rights for women to ensure they were equal to men.

Masroor worked as an editor for the literary magazine Naqoosh alongside Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi. Qasmi maintained a friendship with both Masroor and her sister. She remains a significant figure in the history of Urdu fiction.

Personal life

An Urdu writer reported that Masroor was once engaged to the famous poet Sahir Ludhianvi. According to this account, the engagement ended after she criticized him for mispronouncing a word during a literary gathering. She later married Ahmad Ali Khan, who served as the editor of the daily Dawn for 28 years. The couple remained married for 57 years until his death in 2007. They had two daughters.

Masroor died on 15 September 2012 in Karachi, Pakistan.

Awards and recognition

The President of Pakistan presented her with the Pride of Performance Award in 1995. She also received the Aalmi Frogh-e-Urdu Adab Award.