Anantnag, Mar 13 (JKNS): Emerging writer Arizoo Riyaz, of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, has released her debut short story collection titled Nafas-e-Qalam.
The book marks the arrival of a young but uncompromising literary voice that seeks to confront social hypocrisies, question rigid cultural norms, and provoke deeper reflection through powerful storytelling.
A graduate of Aligarh Muslim University, Riyaz draws inspiration from the university’s rich intellectual and literary legacy. For decades, AMU has nurtured writers and thinkers who have challenged conventional narratives and shaped modern Urdu literature.
Arizoo believes her writing stands within that tradition of fearless expression one that includes influential voices like Ismat Chughtai and Saadat Hasan Manto, whose works boldly exposed uncomfortable realities of society.
Reflecting on her journey into writing, Arizoo says literature for her is not merely a passion but a deeply personal necessity.
“Writing is not my hobby. It is survival. Silence suffocates me. If I do not write, I would die, and that’s not a metaphor” she says, describing the intense emotional and intellectual drive that fuels her work.
Her debut collection Nafas-e-Qalam brings together a series of afsaane (short stories) that explore the contradictions embedded in contemporary society.
The narratives move through themes of hypocrisy, moral selectivity, social conformity, and the invisible pressures imposed by culture and tradition. Rather than presenting simple answers, the stories confront readers with uncomfortable questions about the realities they often overlook or choose to ignore.
According to Arizoo, the book deliberately avoids the comfort of predictable storytelling. Instead, it aims to provoke thought and spark conversation. “This book does not sedate. It unsettles. It questions what we blindly worship and exposes what we politely hide,” she notes.
Through her writing, Riyaz emphasizes that literature should serve a larger purpose beyond entertainment.
She believes storytelling must engage with the realities of society and encourage readers to think critically about the structures around them. “Literature should disturb the comfortable, provoke the numb, and challenge the powerful,” she says, adding that discomfort is often the first step toward awareness and meaningful dialogue.
With Nafas-e-Qalam, Arizoo Riyaz introduces herself as a writer willing to confront uncomfortable truths and challenge inherited narratives. Her debut work signals the emergence of a voice that seeks not just to tell stories, but to question the very frameworks through which society understands itself. (JKNS)
