Alys Faiz (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

:; September 1915 – 12 March 2003) was a Pakistani poet, writer,

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

, human rights activist, social worker and a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

. Alys was born in London, but she later became a naturalized citizen of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. She was the wife of

Faiz Ahmad Faiz Faiz Ahmad ''Faiz'' (13 February 1911 – 20 November 1984; Urdu, Punjabi: فیض احمد فیض) was a Pakistani poet, and author of Urdu and Punjabi literature. Faiz was one of the most celebrated Pakistani Urdu writers of his time. Outsi ...

and the mother of

Salima Hashmi Salima Hashmi ( ur, ; born 1942) is a Pakistani painter artist, former college professor, anti-nuclear weapons activist and former caretaker minister in Sethi caretaker ministry. She has served for four years as a professor and the dean of Nati ...

and Muneeza Hashmi.

Early life

Alys George was the daughter of a London bookseller, and she joined the Communist Party as a teenager. She and her sister, Christobel, were active in leftist circles in the 1930s and were close to Indian intellectuals based in London. Alys served as an unofficial secretary to

Krishna Menon Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon (3 May 1896 – 6 October 1974) was an Indian academic, politician, and non-career diplomat. He was described by some as the second most powerful man in India, after the first Prime Minister of India, Jawa ...

, the secretary of the Free Indian League. Christobel married ''Dr. M.D. Taseer'' and joined him in India where he was the principal of a college. Alys traveled to

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

in 1938 to visit her sister, and, when World War II broke out, she decided to make the subcontinent her home.

Marriage and life in Pakistan

The

nikaah In Islam, nikah is a contract between two people. Both the groom and the bride are to consent to the marriage of their own free wills. A formal, binding contract – verbal or on paper – is considered integral to a religiously valid Islami ...

(marriage deed) between Alys George and Faiz was solemnized by

Sheikh Abdullah Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah (5 December 1905 – 8 September 1982) was an Indian politician who played a central role in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir Abdullah was the founding leader of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (later re ...

in Srinagar in 1941 at

Pari Mahal Pari Mahal or Peer Mahal, also known as The Palace of Fairies, is a seven-terraced garden located at the top of Zabarwan mountain range, overlooking the city of Srinagar and the south-west of Dal Lake in the Indian union territory of Jammu an ...

, the summer palace of Maharaja

Hari Singh Maharaja Sir Hari Singh (September 1895 – 26 April 1961) was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Hari Singh was the son of Amar Singh and Bhotiali Chib. In 1923, following his uncle's death, Singh became ...

and where ''M D Taseer'', then the principal of S.P. College was living.Upon marriage, Alys converted to Islam and Faiz gave her the Muslim name "Kulsoom". Alys Faiz joined

Pakistan Times ''Pakistan Times'' (1947–1996) was a Pakistani newspaper, originally established by the leftist Progressive Papers Limited based in Lahore, Pakistan. Historical background It was owned and operated by Mian Iftikharuddin, a Punjabi politic ...

newspaper's editorial staff in 1950 where

was already serving as the newspaper editor. She looked after the women's and children's section of the newspaper.

Family

She was the aunt of

Salmaan Taseer Salman Taseer ( Punjabi and ur, ); ( 4 January 2011) was a Pakistani businessman and politician, who served as the 26th Governor of Punjab from 2008 until his assassination in 2011. A member of the Pakistan Peoples Party since the 1980s, h ...

, the son of her sister Christobel. Alys had two daughters with Faiz:

and Muneeza Hashmi. The artist Adeel Hashmi is her grandson.

Her legacy

After her death, ''Habib R. Sulemani'' wrote in '' The Dawn'' newspaper, "During my decade-long stay in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest ...

, as a silent observer of the literary-scene, I was fascinated by her life-story which made me believe that women are stronger than men and have an immense power and talent for reconciliation and bridging the gaps between two families or nations. Alys gave courage to many western women who were married to Pakistanis and now live here as citizens. Alys gave many sacrifices. Faiz Ahmad Faiz's life and poetry have influenced hundreds of thousands of people in one way or the other, but Alys has shaped his life and poetry. A study of Faiz, as a person and a poet, cannot be complete without a study of Alys. Rather I should say she needs a special treat on her own right as a writer and a poet. A recent dramatic Production 'Chand Roz Aur Meri Jaan' focussed for the first time on the inimitable chemistry between Faiz and Alys. 'Chand Roz Aur Meri Jaan' presents the hitherto unknown aspects of their life together with the help of letters exchanged between them, particularly during 'Rawalpindi Saazish' days. In one such production at Amritsar, renowned theatre actress Suchitra Gupta portrayed the role of Alys with Danish Iqbal. So, apart from a few newspaper articles and interviews in books, this production is the first ever attempt to pay tribute to the silent role played by Alys in shaping the life of Faiz."

Death

Alys Faiz died on 12 March 2003 in

at a hospital at the age of 87. She had been unwell for some time and was confined to her house after suffering a fracture of the hipbone in a fall. She was taken to the emergency department of a local hospital for treatment and did not survive. She was buried in the Model Town,

graveyard by the side of her husband

who had died earlier on 20 November 1984.

References

External links

Faiz Ahmed Faiz
A biography of

, Retrieved 5 June 2016
Mushaira.org entry
Retrieved 5 June 2016
Alys Faiz talking about life in Lahore and her memories of Partition
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faiz, Alys 1915 births 2003 deaths British writers Pakistani women poets Pakistani women journalists Pakistani human rights activists Pakistani social workers Naturalised citizens of Pakistan People of British India 20th-century poets English emigrants to Pakistan Faiz Ahmad Faiz 20th-century Pakistani women writers 20th-century Pakistani poets British Muslims Converts to Islam