Ismat Chughtai: Google celebrates 107th birthday with a doodle

New Delhi : Google on Tuesday celebrated 107th birthday of famous Urdu writer Ismat Chughtai with a doodle. "The grande dame of Urdu fiction would have been 107 today" Google wrote in a blog post explaining the doodle. 

Ismat Chughtai was often tagged as courageous and outspoken from an assessment of one of her early controversial stories, 'Lihaf' (The Quilt) written in 1942 that has come to define her reputation. Her writeups used to fish out scandals, feud, gossip and other issues from the realistic world. 

Published at the outset of her career, Lihaf was based on a well-circulated rumour about a begum in Aligarh who was said to be having an affair with a female help.

The ninth of ten children, Ismat Chughtai was mentored by her second-oldest sibling, Azim Beg Chughtai, who wrote short stories.

Her writups were mostly inclined towards realistic, challenging female characters. Ismat Chugtai was also awarded the prestigious Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1976 in recognition of her literary accomplishments and her fearless dedication to her beliefs.

"In 1980s and 1990s, a new generation of Indian writers picked up where Chughtai left off," the Google Doodle statement points out. "Today, she continues to be regarded as a national feminist icon."

Chugtai passed away in October 1991.