Sisters in storytelling: Women Wide Awake explores folklore from Pakistan
CBC
From women and witches, to sea monsters and mystical saints, a book by two sisters explores the rich folklore of the region of Sindh, Pakistan.
Women Wide Awake is a collection of stories, poems and visual art by Nimra and Manahil Bandukwala, sisters who grew up in the area and longed to explore themes of stories many might have grown up with in the region.
The sisters joined CBC K-W's The Morning Edition host Craig Norris to speak more about their inspirations and hopes for their work. Nimralives in Cambridge and Manahil lives in Ottawa,
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Audio of the interview can be found at the bottom of the article.
Craig Norris: What is the meaning behind the title Women Wide Awake?
Manahil Bandukwala: The title came about after we researched our folklore and realized that a lot of the stories we were finding focused on women. The opening seven stories are of the seven queens: the seven women whose stories are still influential in Sindh today.
And we just loved the idea that women were so central to the narratives of folklore. That kind of became, unintentionally when we started our research, a focal point of the book.
Craig Norris: Contextualize this for us. Are these stories that you grew up with?
Nimra Bandukwala: Actually, no, because our family was from the Gujarat region. During the partition of India and Pakistan, they moved to Sindh. So there's a dire lack of an understanding of narratives in Sindh, so that's why we started this project.
We realized we grew up there, lived most of our lives there, and yet had no knowledge, or very limited knowledge, of the local stories, traditions and folklore.
Craig Norris: What was it that introduced you to these stories?
Nimra Bandukwala: Initially, we had connections because of growing up there. Our aunt connected us with a local musician who incorporates some of the stories in his music.
And then, I mean honestly, it was the hospitality of the people. We went to interview him. He connected us to someone there and then they connected us to someone else. And, you know, people were so open and interested in sharing these stories that just going there and talking to people led us on this beautiful journey.
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