KARACHI: “Toofan Ki Aahet”, a novel by noted fiction writer Mustafa Karim, was launched on Saturday with senior writer and poet Khaleeque Ibrahim Khaleeque in the chair.

The novel portrays the eventful years of 1756-57 in Bengal with Murshidabad its capital, and the heroic struggle of Sirajuddaula struggling to retain the independent status of Northern India from the expansionist East India Company. A Marxist in his views, Mustafa Karim paints his characters in true colours with both their strengths and weaknesses.

The speakers included Fatima Hasan who conducted the proceedings, Mahmood Wajid, Mobin Mirza, Saher Ansari, Zaheda Hina and Naqqash Kazmi.

Khaleeque Saheb in his brief discourse said though the novel was “historical”, it did not distort facts like some “popular” writers of the past.

Renowned physician, Prof SM Rab, who was chief guest of the evening, drew a parallel between the present traumatic events in Iraq and the Middle East and of those that happened 250 years ago.

A good conversationalist as he is, he asked the audience in a light vein to be careful in their judgments and must not allow another Mustafa Karim to emerge hundreds years down the lane and write another ‘Toofan ki Aahat’ depicting the political upheavals taking place now.

He paid tributes to the Progressive Writers Movement terming it a golden chapter in the history of literature in Urdu.

Zaheda Hina, in her speech, dealt with the causes which led to the fall of the Mogul Empire, and eulogised Sirajuddaula who, she said, was a great son of the soil and a visionary leader adoringly remembered by Bangla writers, mostly Hindus, but almost sidelined by Urdu writers.

Recalling some earlier masterpieces — ‘Dara Shikoh’ by Qazi Abdussattar, ‘Jab Aunkhen Ahen Posh Huain’ by Aziz Ahmad and other writings — she said that after a longtime a good historical novel had appeared.

But Mahmood Wajid had doubts about it being ‘historical’, this genre in most cases loaded with emotions and the outcomes of wild imagination having nothing historical about them”.

Quoting eminent critics of the West, Wajid accepted it as a chronological novel. He said that since it was very difficult to keep a delicate balance between history and fiction, the novel carried more history and less creativity.

Prof Saher Ansari praised the novel “based on a very important phase of our history, well researched and written in fluent prose”.

He also referred to ‘Aag ka Darya’ in that context written with a sense of history.

Mobin Mirza admired the novel but pointed out some lapses; for instance some characters quoting couplets from poets not popularly known in those days.

Earlier, Fatima Hasan, introducing the book and the author, said that Mr Karim, a doctor by profession, had visited Murshidabad to collect impressions about the place, and had gone through historical record in British libraries.

Mustafa Karim thanked the guests and appreciated the writers who critically read the novel and expressed their opinions.— Hasan Abidi