Ismat Chughtai was one of India's most prominent 20th century writers. She was one of the pillars of modern Urdu writing along with the likes of Saadat Hasan Manto, Krishan Chander and Rajinder Singh Bedi. Chughtai's work scandalized the reading public of the day as it unabashedly exposed the hypocrisies of a society entrenched in patriarchal mores. She raised controversies by writing about same sex desire, thus bringing a new sensibility into modern writing and enriching subcontinental literature with a powerful female voice.