January 1, 2002

THE year saw a new and encouraging — albeit not strong as yet — trend in Urdu publishing. From poetry and religion, some authors moved on to expand the scope of their writings. Some notable books on other subjects, specially the specialities of the social sciences, were published in Urdu. Many of them were of course translations of English works.

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan aur Aligarh tehreek (Aligarh Old Boy Association), a doctoral thesis of Dr Syed Mahboob Shah, proved to be a book which attracted a lot of attention. It was reviewed in these columns (Oct 23, 2001) and elicited a controversy as was evident from the opinions published in later issues. Some writers challenged Sir Syed’s role as a reformer and critically examined his pro-British leanings.

Leaving aside the controversy, one cannot, however, deny the fact that it was none other but Sir Syed among the Muslims who firmly and courageously fought against the bigoted retrogressive mullah and the intolerant fossilized minds of the common Muslims of those times.

In view of the present social conditions in Pakistan — the prevailing intolerance and the spree of sectarian killings are shocking — the country does need more enlightened leaders like Syed to release free and scientific thinking in society. Similarly the controversies regarding men and matter taken as sacrosanct for long in our society should be welcomed. It was thus a positive development that a book on Sir Syed should have triggered a debate.

A rebel of the Sir Syed school of thought, Maulana Hasrat Mohani, who was a poet, a politician, and a revolutionary, also found appropriate projection in Ahmad Salim’s book Hasrat ki siasat published by Pakistan Study Centre, University of Karachi. Hasrat was the subject of another book, Hasrat Mohani aur inqelab-i-azadi (OUP), which highlighted his political role and was written by Nafees Ahmad Siddiqui.

Wading through the piles of Urdu publications of 2001, one finds that these exceptions apart, poetry, fiction, autobiographical books, led by religious treatises, continued to top the publishers’ agenda.

With the gradual rise in literacy, readership has been growing and people’s interest in books is on the rise. This is demonstrated by the large crowds which flock to the Kutab melas and Sunday bazaars where new and second-hand books are available for a modest price. Publishing has emerged as a flourishing business in major Pakistani cities, particularly in Lahore, and computer calligraphy has been a major factor in this phenomenon.

In the area of critical writing, let me start with Ghalib, whose poetry has traditionally opened new vistas for an inquiring mind. A notable contribution in the study of Ghalib came from Partau Rohela, who translated his Persian letters into Urdu. First, discovered by noted scholar Wazirul Hasan Abidi at the Punjab University Oriental College in 1960-61 titled Sabad-i-Baag-i-Dodar, it is supposed to be Ghalib’s last manuscript dated 1866.

A re-print of the valuable book Mahasan-i-kalam-i-Ghalib by the noted scholar Dr Abdur Rahman Bijnori, taken as the first genuine attempt in the study of the poet, was published by the Bijnori Trust. Another book Nukta joo Ghalib by Mashkoor Hussain Yad, adopted an innovative approach by comparing Ghalib’s couplets with those of the Persian poet Bedil.

Other literary publications were Fikr-o-fun ke moharrekat (Aahang-i-Nau), a collection of critical essays by Azher Qadri, Apni aag ki talash (Sang-e-Meel)by Prof Fateh Muhammad Malik and Adab our naqd-i-adab (Javedan)by Dr Ahmad Rifai.

Prof Rasheed Ahmad Siddiquis’ last Khutba Azeezan-i-Aligarh, delivered only a few hours before his death, was first published in book form in 1990 from Aligarh. It was published in Siddiqui’s own handwriting by Maktaba-i-Danial, Karachi.

Of the fiction and poetry published in 2001 some stand out for their distinct style and contents. Shamsur Rahman Farooqui’s collection of stories, Sawar aur doosray afsane (Aaj ki Kiatabein), is an indepth study of our cultural past blended with fiction. To some of the author’s detractors, it was non-fiction. Afsurda sitaron ka hajoom is a posthumous collection of stories by the late Riaz Raufi, a progressive writer of yesteryear. The stories recalling the nascent years of the progressive writers movement in Pakistan were compiled and published by Raufi’s daughter in Karachi.

Aek deevar ki doori is a novel from Javed Shaheen, poignantly describing the irony of the families divided from within in the wake of the massive emigration to the West. Sheesha toot jaye ga (Takhliq-i-Adab) is a novelette by Maqsood Elahi Shaikh living in England, which portrays the tragic dilemmas of the immigrant families whose younger generations have adopted the liberated way of life of the West, while the elders remain stuck in their cultural past, consequently facing serious emotional shocks.

A novel by Ikramullah, author of several other books, Sae ki awaaz (Sang-e-Meel) is a fascinating portrayal of Lahore in the decade of the late 40s. Mustanser Hussain’s novel Qurbat-i-marg mein mohabbat and his fictionalized travelogue Chitral dastaan (Sang-e-Meel) are some other notable publications of the year. Also readable is a thin volume of short stories by Azra Abbas, well known for her prose poems, titled Rastey mujhe bulatain hain (Scheherzade).

There was a burst of translations which enriched Urdu literature and introduced writers from other languages to Urdu readers. Some of the most notable were Chalta purza, a Spanish novel translated into Urdu by Salimur Rahman, Mashriq-o-maghrib ke afsanay (Academy Bazyaft) by Humra Khaleeq, Takabbur-o-taassub, the Urdu version of Jane Austen’s Pride and prejudice by Shahid Hameed, bilingual editions of Shakespeare’s Othello (Alhamra) by Sajjad Zaheer, Bernard Shaw’s Cleopatra translated into Urdu by Tanvir Hussain and a few other works to cater to the demands of a selective readership. Also one may add Hala (Alhamra) to this list, a novel by the Latin American writer Carlos Fuentes translated by Asif Farrukhi.

Autobiographies and reminiscences of the bygone years are more in demand than even short stories as booksellers would vouchsafe. The most readable were Khoyay huoon ki jnstujoo by Shohrat Bokhari, a noted ghazal poet who died recently. It is an absorbing book, recalling a forgotten past and the notables who enriched it. Dar dar thoker khae (Fiction House), the life story of the noted historian Dr Mubarak Ali, Yaadon ki dhanuk by Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry and Mulaqatein by Intezar Husain which are recollections of his close association with contemporary writers. Hameed Akhtar compiled the proceedings of Progressive Writers Association’s literary sittings held at Bombay (now Mumbai) during 1945-46. He took much pain to dig out the material from the dusty files of a forgotten past.

Shafi Aqeel has compiled the newspaper columns of the famous satirist Majeed Lahori, which were published under the title Harf-o-hikayat.

Those who remember Molvi Abdul Haq’s and Shahid Ahmad Dehlavi’s pen sketches will find Dr Aslam Farrukhi’s collection of sketches, Aangen mein sitarey, equally engaging.

A subject which attracted writers was the study of the history of cities and their development. In this context, three books may be mentioned: Chanab Club, which is the story of Faisalabad (formerly Layallpur) compiled by Ashfaq Bukhari, Sheher-i-adab Cawnpur, by Dr Sayed Saeed Ahmad and Lahore kay minaar by Shahzad Ghafer.

Islamic books, specially the classics, remained as much in demand as ever. Among the new titles which were published, subjects such as Islam aur science, Islami shadi and Islam aur Riasat were found in abundance in the bookshops at the Urdu Bazars of Karachi and Lahore.

Poetry collections also continued to be popular with publishers though their low sales at the counter testified to their poor standards and the discerning tastes of the readers. Strangely, the popularity of poetry seemed to be confined to the launching ceremonies of these books of poetry.

Three collections should, however, be mentioned because they departed from the tradition in their contents and poetic diction. Marsia-i-marg-i-zameer (Javedan) by Aqeel Ahmed Feza Azmi was a long poem lamenting the social and political decay in Pakistan. The satire running through the lines is pungent. Purani numaish (Scheherzade) by Harris Khaleeq, a young and bilingual poet with two earlier poetry collections to his credit, was a close study of different sections of the people — from the elite to the slum dwellers. Azhar Ghauri kee nazmein (Multimedia Affairs) was a huge volume of free verse written in a radical style and with an unconventional philosophical approach to human behaviour.

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