Tehrik-e-Niswan Tehrik-e-Niswan ( ur, ) (The Women’s Movement) is a women's organization in Pakistan. Tehrik-e-Niswan was formed in 1979 in Karachi, Sindh by Sheema Kermani. Tehrik-e-Niswan was founded in 1979 to use the performing arts as a medium for giving ...
Cultural Action Group (Women's Movement). She is also an exponent of
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of S ...
dance. She is also a renowned classical dancer, choreographer, dance guru, theatre practitioner, performer, director, producer, and TV actor based in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
,
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 advocates on culture,
women's rights
Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
, and peace issues.
Her pioneering contribution to the promotion of culture and theatrical performances in Pakistan since 1978 have led to international acclaim.
Early life and education
Kermani was born on 16 January 1951 in
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...
in an
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
family. Kermani's father was a retired
Brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
from Pakistan Army and a Chairman of
Karachi Electric Supply Corporation
Electric (KE) ( ur, ) (formerly known as Karachi Electric Supply Company / Karachi Electric Supply Corporation Limited) is a Pakistani investor-owned utility company based in Karachi. K-Electric is a privately owned and vertically-integrated e ...
. Her education was at convent schools where her father used to get posted.
Career
When she was 8 years old, Kermani started to learn piano and
Western classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
. From the age of 13, she began to learn classical Indian dance from Mr. and Mrs. Ghanshyam (a couple from
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
, who had set up a center for dance and music in Karachi). She later joined their institute as a member of their staff and performing troupe. Kermani was the only dancer in Pakistan throughout the years of
General Zia-ul-Haq
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, (Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial law i ...
's martial law, when dance was banned and came to be seen as an activity highly disliked by the state and the clergy.
She received her early education from Presentation Convent Rawalpindi. After doing
O-Level
The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-depth ...
from
Convent of Jesus and Mary, Karachi
The Convent of Jesus and Mary, Karachi is a private Catholic primary schools for boys and girls and a secondary school for girls only, located in Karachi, Pakistan. Founded in 1952, the school is owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi. ...
Karachi Grammar School
Karachi Grammar School ( ur, ) is an independent, English-medium school located in 3 different campuses across Karachi. The main and oldest campus is located in Saddar, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is a highly selective, coeducational day school ...
and then proceeded to
Croydon College of Art
Croydon College is a large further and higher education college located in Croydon, within the London Borough of Croydon. Its origins can be traced to a School of Art that was established in 1868, which subsequently merged with Croydon Polytechnic ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
to study
fine arts
In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...
. She holds a degree of Bachelor of Arts from the
University of the Punjab
The University of the Punjab (Urdu, pnb, ), also referred to as Punjab University, is a public, research, coeducational higher education institution located in Lahore, Pakistan. Punjab University is the oldest public university in Pakistan. ...
,
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 city. ...
, and a Masters and M. Phil Degree in History from
University of Karachi
The University of Karachi ( sd, ; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (whic ...
, where she is presently enrolled for PhD.
She realized that women in the Pakistani society were not able to get equality in the society so she started a movement called 'Tehrik-e-Niswan' (Women's Movement) and raised her voice for their rights, health issues, education and equality.
Kermani started learning Bharatanatyam in the mid-1960s. Her first solo performance was at Pakistan in 1984. In 1988, she proceeded to India on an ICCR (Indian Council of Cultural Relations) scholarship and studied
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of S ...
under
Leela Samson
Leela Samson (born 6 May 1951) is a Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, instructor, writer and actress from India. As a soloist, she is known for her technical virtuosity and has taught Bharatanatyam at Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra in Delhi f ...
,
Kathak
Kathak ( hi, कथक; ur, کتھک) is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. It is the classical dance from of Uttar Pradesh. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern Ind ...
under Ram Mohan and
Odissi
Odissi (), also referred to as Orissi in old literature, is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the Hindu temple, temples of Odisha – an eastern coastal state of India.Mayadhar Raut
Guru Mayadhar Raut (born 6 July 1930) is an Indian classical Odissi dancer, choreographer and Guru.
Early life and background
Raut was born in the village Kantapenhara a Ahir family in Cuttack district, subsequently he received his dance trai ...
and Aloka Pannikar. She also conducts theater workshops under the guidance of theater director Prasanna Ramaswamy in Karachi and heads a cultural organization, Tehrik-e-Niswan in Karachi.
2017 appearances
On 19 February 2017, Kermani appeared at the
Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
The Shrine of Lal Shabaz Qalandar ( ur, ; sd, لال شهباز قلندر جي مزار) is a shrine and mausoleum dedicated to the 13th century Muslim and Sufi saint, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. The shrine is located in Sehwan Sharif, in the Pakista ...
in
Sehwan
Sehwan ( sd, سيوهڻ شريف, ur, ; also commonly referred to as Sehwan Sharif or ''Noble Sehwan'') is a historic city located in Jamshoro District of Sindh province in Pakistan and on the west bank of the Indus north-west of Hyderabad. The ...
after the barbaric
suicide attack
A suicide attack is any violent Strike (attack), attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has suicide, accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have oc ...
and performed a dhamal (a Sufi dance form). She gave a passionate performance and told the media that nobody can stop music and dance.
She performed at the Faiz Aman Mela, Lahore where she paid a tribute to
Asma Jahangir
Asma Jilani Jahangir ( ur, , ''ʿĀṣimah Jahāṉgīr''; 27 January 1952 – 11 February 2018) was a Pakistani human rights lawyer and social activist who co-founded and chaired the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Jahangir was known ...
. She said we can bring peace, harmony and equality by loving each other and by sharing the message of love with each other.
2022 appearance
In February 2022, she appeared in the music video for the song "
Pasoori
"Pasoori" (, ) is a Punjabi and Urdu-language single by Pakistani singers Ali Sethi and debutant Shae Gill. It was released on 6 February 2022 as the sixth song of season 14 (episode two) of ''Coke Studio Pakistan'' and was subsequently release ...
" as part of Season 14 of ''Coke Studio''. This special performance was covered by the leading Indian print media, including ''
ThePrint
The Print is an Indian online newspaper, owned by Printline Media Pvt Ltd. It was launched by journalist Shekhar Gupta in August 2017.
History
Printline Media Pvt. Ltd, founded by journalist Shekhar Gupta, was incorporated in New Delhi, India ...
* In 2019, Taimur Rahim (a documentary film maker from Pakistan) made a short film (named: ''With Bells On Her Feet on the life'') based on the life of Kermani. The documentary focused on the classical dancer's life and fight for social justice during
Zia-ul-Haq
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, (Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial law in ...
's regime and it was released in South Asian Film Festival of Montreal (SAFFM). The film bagged two accolades – Best Short Film and the Audience Choice Award.
* In 2013, Kermani received ACHA Peace Star Award from
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
-based Association for Communal Harmony in Asia (ACHA) on her life-long contributions for peace, communal harmony and women's rights activism, particularly in South Asia. The ceremony was held at the
Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi
The Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi is a council for the promotion of arts and culture in Pakistan, and one of the busiest in terms of organizing events. It is the country's oldest NGO (non-government organization) for the promotion and develop ...
, organized in cooperation with the Pakistan Peace Coalition and the
Pakistan Institute of Labor Education and Research Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & ResearchPILER was founded on 1 May 1982 by a group of concerned individuals from the trade union movement, academia and various other professions. Prominent among thfounding membersincluded Dr. Zaki Hassan, N ...
.
* In 2012, Kermani received Women of Inspiration Award from Wonder Women Association on her struggle and devotion for well-being of Pakistani women and her passion for gender equality.
* In year 2005, Kermani was selected by
PeaceWomen Across the Globe
PeaceWomen Across the Globe (PWAG), previously known as 1000 PeaceWomen, is an organization based in Bern, Switzerland that aims to increase the visibility of women promoting peace all over the world.
as one of the most influential women of Pakistan, and was nominated for
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...
on her services and contributions for
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of S ...
dance, as well as, for her pioneering contribution to the promotion of culture and theatrical performances in Pakistan.