UNVEILING THE MIND: A JOURNEY TOWARDS BECOMING A BEING

Abstract

This paper charts the brave journey of Safia, a Muslim woman who
endeavours to demolish all the stifling boundaries and injunctions which bind women in
order to bring them together and develop a sense of unity among them that they can
fight together and build a world of ‘beings’, free from prejudices. Safia is the
protagonist of Noor Zaheer’s My God is a Woman and the later being an active
researcher and social worker is aware of women’s marginal existence in this
contemporary cant and hypocritical male dominated world. Zaheer through her work is
speaking out for women. I have attempted to graph how the novel brings into light the
fact that irrespective of religion, caste and class women meet resistance and resentment
yet the perception of reality which is formed by experience, that is by space and
education marks the difference in their approach. Safia’s private space is though
overtaken by patriarchy for some time, she does not submit to its dictates forever. The
moment Safia comes in contact with the catalyst Abbas, the layer of dominance over her
is shattered and her mind is unveiled. The notion of equality which always existed as a
mental state now starts occupying the external space too. Education brings awareness
and awareness in turn awakens the desire to know. Thus the heightened consciousness
of gender being a mere constructed captive constraint, the knowledge of the common
condition and strength of will together make Safia not only liberate herself from the
stifling cage of patriarchy but also give voice to silence born of oppression, hardships
and domination.