This anthology has stories based on female sexuality and femininity, middle-class gentility, and class conflict. It presents the problems of women irrespective of thier religion but the primary focus is on Muslim women. \n \nIsmat Chughthai was an Indian Urdu novelist, short story writer, and filmmaker. With a style characterised by literary realism, Chughtai established herself as a significant voice in the Urdu literature of the twentieth century, and in 1976 was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. \n \nTranslator P. Sathyavathi taught English and is a popular Telugu short-story writer. She won the Central Sahitya Akademy award for her writings.