Upcoming Events
South ASian Sisters sponsors 3rd i's Ninth Annual San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival Nov 9 - 13, 2011
3rd i's SFISAFF 2011 will present 16 programs featuring films from India, Pakistan, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka,Tibet, and the US. Highlights include: a special Focus on Sri Lanka, with filmmaker Asoka Handagama in attendance; South Asian Americans shine this year, with 7 programs featuring films by American filmmakers (4 programs showcasing Bay Area talent); as always, docs and indie-narratives take centerstage, and our Saturday Night at the Castro takes Bollywood in a whole new direction. For more information on the complete festival program, please visit our website at: www.thirdi.org
South ASian Sisters Book Club
Sunday, November 20, 2011 @ 4pm, location TBD.
Our next book will be My Feudal Lord by Tehmina Durrani.
Description:
Born into one of Pakistan's most influential families, Tehmina Durrani was raised in the privileged milieu of Lahore high society and educated at the same school as Benazir Bhutto. Like all women of her rank, she was expected to marry a wealthy Muslim, bear him many children and lead a sheltered life of air-conditioned leisure. When she married Mustafa Khar, one of Pakistan's most eminent political figures, she continued to move in the best circles, and learned to keep up the public facade as a glamorous, cultivated wife, and mother of four children. In private, however, the story-book romance rapidly turned sour. Mustafa Khar became violently possessive and jealous, and succeeded in cutting his wife off from the outside world. For the course of her 14-year marriage, she suffered alone, in silence. This is the story of Tehmina's rebellion from an unhappy marriage. As a Muslim woman seeking a divorce, she paid a high price. She signed away all financial support, lost the custody of her children, and found herself alienated from her friends and disowned by her parents. The book, which she originally published herself after publishers in Pakistan refused to do so, shocked Pakistan society. She had succeeded in reconciling her faith in Islam with her ardent belief in women's rights.
One minor caveat about the book -- it wasn't published in the U.S. so it's not available for e-book download or in most local libraries. There are numerous used copies available for very cheap on Amazon -- ($2)Happy reading and hope to see you at the next meeting!
Want to join book club? Email: sasistersbookclub@googlegroups.com