Politics of purdah (1) Zainab Maqbool (Shaista Zainab)
And I encountered the politics.Of Purdah.Purdah -that enveloped them from head to toe.Revered them the most ; among others.And evinced : staunch faith , righteousness, piety .Faith- sadly ; that God even can’t weighAnd, measure in the folds of purdah ; as he is disinterested.Purdah – that covered their physical frame .And why would one not revere these appearancesAppearances – that are deceptive ,As the misnomer ‘ burka ‘ for it .Where the nubs leading to it lay naked ! As the shingles of the world !The eyes !The heart ! The eyes that shut on truth to cherish fakery.The heart that leaps and treads on the unexpected; Nakedly disgraceful !I remember the eternal sadness in Rahi ;Long ago;Who envisioned: “No purity of heart by zam- zam but by Taqwa”Which emphasises the original meaning here of – Purdah.- Batin purdah .I read him saying : ‘zahir ‘ Purdah is only meaningful thence.
