‘I write to challenge stereotypes and norms…’: An interview with Mafazah Sharafuddin

✍ Aysha Tanisha
March 8, 2018

Poets are an asset to the society. Many a poets have vindicated the age-old saying, ‘Pen is mightier than the sword’, by challenging norms and addressing grievances. Poems are synonymous to eye-openers. Reality-checks via poems could be the upcoming recipe to mend a society that prevails on undercurrents of hypocrisy and insensitivity.

Mafazah Sharafuddin, the youngest among the three children of Sharafuddin Soofi and Sameena Afshan couple, is a teenage poetess, whose formal debut into the literary world took place with the recent release of the anthology of poems Labyrinths of Emotions. It is a compilation of poems she wrote when she was 13 and 14 years old. It spans over a variety of subjects including social issues, mental health and general struggles faced by adolescents. She says that her poems are mainly expressions of her thoughts that she can’t put into coherent words. 

Mafazah Sharafuddin is now a grade 11 student at a private college in Mangaluru and aspires to become a clinical psychologist. Apart from writing poems, she is passionate about reading. She is multi-talented with interest in fine art and public speaking as well.  Here are a few things Mafazah Sharafuddin said in her exclusive interview to coastaldigest.com.

CD: What is the importance of poetry in today’s society?

MS: In my opinion, there’s a grace to poetry that no other form of writing has. I think poetry challenges you to look for meaning in mundane, everyday things and that’s the sort of observation and contemplation we need.

CD: Do you have a cause that is close to your heart or a particular theme that structures your poems?

MS: Well, not one thing in particular. I’m a feminist. I also stand against racism and colorism. The condition for women all over the world hasn’t been ideal for a very long time. In India especially, we can see the whole hype on fairness’ creams and other products. We are basically told that dark equates ugly. In Hollywood too, we can see that the protagonists are mostly white. The patriarchy perpetuates these ideals for women to live by. That a women must have a voluptuous body, yet a skinny waist, that a woman should rip her body hair off in a very painful procedure on a monthly basis to look ‘attractive’. In my opinion, it shouldn’t be necessary to fight for women’s rights or black rights. People shouldn’t be deprived of opportunity based on trivial aspects of their existence. 

CD: Do you touch upon social issues that our society is grappling with, in your poems?

MS: I like to believe that I write to challenge stereotypes and norms that society pushes on people. I feel very strongly against the social culture that tells you what is ‘normal’.

CD: The poems you write convey disdain to certain social constructs. What is it that you are dismayed with and what made you turn to writing poems?

MS: The truth is that when I started writing I was just eight-year-old, meaning I didn’t have an understanding of social issues and such. But I read a poem I wrote from then, saying something like dark spots don’t make you any less beautiful. Part of the reason I’m so against these so called social constructs is, I think, remnants of that childish stubbornness that refuses to accept what I didn’t understand. Then again, there is the part of me that grew up and saw how much damage these mindsets cause in the real world, and I say without a doubt that I will stand against every illogically discriminating thing I come across. As for why I turned to writing, I’ve always been fond of literature, poetry in particular, and when I was a child I chose poetry as a way to express myself, which I continue to do today. 

CD: What got you writing? What about poets that inspired you, do you have any?

MS: My primary school teacher is actually the one who first asked me to write. More than people, however, books are what kept me writing. Poems like The Haunted Palace by Edgar Allan Poe and My Beth by Louisa May Alcott are what I recite under my breath when I’m distressed. I think literature has played such a huge role in creating the person I’m today, that I can say that it’s quite possible I wouldn’t have this book published without it. 

CD: Are you planning to write anything other than poetry?

MS: I do plan on writing prose but I get too caught up in detail to follow a complex plot. Maybe in a few years my mind will mature enough for it. 

Also Read: Mangaluru: Young poetess Mafazah Sharafuddin’s Labyrinths of Emotions released

Comments

Navaneeth Shetty
 - 
Thursday, 8 Mar 2018

Impressive achievement at an early age. she made mangaloreans proud. at a time when young girls and boys spend time on social media, smart phone and romance, this girl has exhibtted a rare emotional maturity. A leader in the making. 

Naren Kotian
 - 
Thursday, 8 Mar 2018

Hahhaha… initially when I clicked on the link I noticed a quote from Salman Rushdie. It was like ಶಿವ ಪೂಜೆಲಿ ಕರಡಿ ಬಂದ ಹಾಗೆ… I felt pity for both Rushdie and the hijabi poetess. But when I refreshed the story Rushdie’s quote got disappeared. I realized that CD team got threats from Khumeini’s followers from Iran. Anyways congrats to the young girl. Let her develop enough courage to write against social menace like love jihad, land jihad, media jihad,…. and last but not least the poetry jihad :p

Dr.Shafeeq
 - 
Thursday, 8 Mar 2018

MashaAllah...young talent. Needs full support from society so that she in turn can encourage others to follow the steps. Good Luck

Fatima Ali
 - 
Thursday, 8 Mar 2018

Happy women’s day Ms Mafazah Sharafuddin! Congrats for the deubut book! Where it's available in Udupi?

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coastaldigest.com news network
June 21,2020

Mangaluru, June 21: The first ever repatriation flight from Saudi Arabia’s Dammam Karnataka’s Mangaluru under Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) today brought home around 165 stranded passengers. 

The IndiGo flight took off from Dammam International Airport at 11 a.m. (Saudi time) and landed at Mangaluru International Airport at 6:30 p.m.

The stranded passengers included pregnant women, senior citizens and those who are in need of emergency medical treatment are on board.

The passengers were screened at the Airport before being despatched for institutional quarantine in special buses. 

Even though a few charter flights arranged by a couple of NRI entrepreneurs have already repatriated hundreds of stranded people from Dammam to Mangaluru, the government of India had not operated any repatriation flight under VBM on this sector so far. 

Saudi Kannadigas Humanity Forum (SKHF), an NGO which came into existence to help the stranded Kannadigas in Saudi Arabia during covid-19 lockdown had been successful in persuading the government of India operate a flight on Dammam-Mangaluru sector under VBM. 

SKHF has also set up an online portal for those who were in need of emergency repatriation. In today’s flight around 100 passengers have obtained seats through SKHF.

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Comments

Mohd Nadeem
 - 
Tuesday, 23 Jun 2020

Sir i also want to travel india lucknow from saudi arabia dammam and i already issued exit visa by my company but my company tell me you buy tickets and go after that i ask to someone travel agents for booking but they says currently not open booking after that i told my company's about that all situations but they didn't take any action so please sir give me authentic information how to book a flight ticket thank you. 

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Media Release
January 18,2020

Mangaluru, Jan 18: ‘Ride For Rotary’ convoy of motor vehicles will be flagged off from Hotel Ocean Pearl Inn at Bejai-Kapikad, Mangaluru on 19th January, 2020 at 8.30 a.m.

Mangaluru has been chosen as the starting point for the convoy route this year which will cover Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. 38 Rotarians from 14 countries are participating in 2019-20 Ride For Rotary, which is the fourth edition of the event. They will traverse through Madikeri, Mysore, Wayanad, Ooty, Coimbatore, Munnar, Thekkady and Allepey before terminating at Kochi on 29th of January, 2020.

2019-20 Ride For Rotary includes 28 motorbikes and 5 cars. The participating nationalities are India, Norway, Sweden, Canada, France, Germany, USA, UK, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Poland and Belgium. They belong to ages 21 to 78, with 78-year old Otto Rieve from Canada being the senior most enthusiast. Swiss national of Indian origin Raj Patholi and Mangalorean Abraham Zacharias are among the riders. Delegates who have already reached Mangalore visited Bantwal on Friday to attend a gala dinner hosted by the Rotary Club of Bantwal.

Ride for Rotary is a charity event conceived by Rotary District 3181 which comprises of the revenue districts of Mysore, Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada and Chamarajanagar covering 85 Rotary Clubs in 9 zones. Rotarians from across the world will come together for twelve exhilarating days. They will traverse through the meticulously arranged routes, enjoy the natural beauty of the places and experience the varied cultures and cuisines of the region. Ride for Rotary connects people and places like no other - Rotary Connects the World.

The proceeds from the event go to The Rotary Foundation, a charitable organisation that works tirelessly for the upliftment of the society.

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News Network
March 18,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 18: Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar on Wednesday met the Director-General of Police in Bengaluru and demanded police protection for Madhya Pradesh Congress MLAs and the removal of BJP workers from the hotel in Bengaluru, where the legislators are currently lodged.

"The (Madhya Pradesh) legislators have come here and have requested police protection, that is all. Let the police give them protection, our candidate (Digvijaya Singh) has come, let him meet the legislators. Why are BJP workers protecting them? We know that they are under threat and hence we need to vacate them (BJP workers)," Shivakumar told reporters here after the meeting.

"We will give protection to our men and that is why we are telling them they cannot stop us. They should be in a free and fair position. I have communicated to DGP that BJP needs to vacate," he added.

Earlier today, Congress' Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh and former chief minister Digvijaya Singh was placed under preventive arrest after he sat on a dharna near Ramada Hotel here, allegedly for not being allowed by police to meet the 21 Congress rebel MLAs lodged in a hotel.

"I am a Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh, voting is scheduled for March 26. My MLAs have been kept here, they want to speak to me, their phones have been snatched, the police is not letting me speak to them saying there is a security threat to MLAs," Singh told reporters.

Singh who sat on the dharna with a face mask on said: "We were expecting them to come back, but when we saw they're being held back, messages came from their families...I personally spoke to five MLAs, they said they're captive, phones snatched away, there is Police in front of every room. They're being followed 24/7," Singh said.

The development comes amid the political crisis in Madhya Pradesh after the exit of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Congress party.

Scindia's departure was followed by 22 Congress MLAs resigning from the party as well as from the state legislative Assembly.

The resignation of these MLAs has left the Kamal Nath government below the majority mark.

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