Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 42 VTMBH Article: Article Order 1 VTMBH Article: Title Nirma, the courtesan, in New York VTMBH Article: Author Ifti Nasim VTMBH Article: Publication News Pakistan VTMBH Article: Original Language Urdu VTMBH Article: Translator Rehan Ansari VTMBH Article: Section edits VTMBH Article: Blurb Recently Nirma, a movie star from the Pakistani film industry, performed a dance in New York that has provoked the Pakistani community in all sorts of interesting ways. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Recently Nirma, a movie star from the Pakistani film industry, performed a dance in New York that has provoked the Pakistani community in all sorts of interesting ways. Pakistani papers are carrying headlines about the brazen nature of the dance, and male columnists are falling over each other in disapproval. It is the sexual aggressiveness of Nirmas dance that has the Pakistani community chattering excitedly and the columnists muttering negatively. Regardless of the response, is a pleasure to see the communitys lively response to a public event; since September 11th there has been so much fear and anxiety. Some of the columnists remarks reminds me of the legend of the cleric who, while lecturing against brazen women, described a scantily clad female form in such great detail than an audience member wondered when disapproval ended and approval began. As for the disapproval of Nirmas aggressiveness, I am afraid they must realize that Nirmas dance is nothing unusual, for New York or traditional South Asian art. In New York there are many performers who play with gender roles, and ideas of domination and submissiveness. So what if Nirma, from Pakistan, has crossed sexual boundaries? The Persian roots of the name Nirma mean one who has the qualities of both man and woman. Perhaps for the males in the audience, Nirma appealed to their feminine sidethus, the outrage. But why be upset with a performance so steeped in tradition? In the epic love story from Punjab, Heer and Ranjha, still popular today, there is the couplet in which Heer sings she has desired Ranjha for so long that she has become him. I feel that Nirma has turned the tables on her male audience. For a while now, we have been content to see the woman be the dancer in films and on stage. She is the spectacle. Nirmas supremely confident dance in New York made a spectacle of the men who are dancing around in outrage. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-11-06 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 103 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Nirma, the courtesan, in New York 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. Recently Nirma, a movie star from the Pakistani film industry, performed a dance in New York that ha Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-11-06