Attiya Dawood

Attiya Dawood (Urdu: عطیہ داؤد born April 1, 1958) is a Sindhi poet, writer, feminist and activist. She was born in Moledino Larik (a small village in Naushero Feroze, Sindh, Pakistan) She has been hailed as one of the most important feminist Sindhi writers of her time. Attiya uses her poetry to highlight the oppression of women in Sindhi society in the name of tradition. She has been writing poetry since 1980. Attiya Dawood was born in Moledino Larik; a village in Naushero Feroze. Attiya was born to her father; Muhammad Dawood's third wife Arbab Khatoon. Attiya's father, Muhammad Dawood Larik was a Hafiz and a poet who ran away from home to become a school teacher. He died at the age of 60 in 1965 when Attiya was 6 years old. During the 1970s, Attiya's family moved to Karachi where she took admission in a college. During this time, she struggled a lot, socially and financially and had to work in a towel factory to bear the expenses. She started writing poetry when she was introduced to Ahmed Saleem by her friend Rupa. From there, she became a member of Sindhi Adabi Sangat. Since the 1980s she has been writing poetry regularly. Attiya published her first poem when she was in 8th grade. Attiya Dawood, originally Attiya Larik, changed her name to Dawood in the early 70's when she published her first poem in a Sindhi-language newspaper. Attiya had received a negative feedback from her family, particularly her brothers over publishing a poem. In retaliation, She decided to change the title Larik, as it was her brother's name and decided to switch to Dawood, which was her father's name. Attiya holds an M.A in Sindhi Literature.