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January 8, 2002
REVIEW: A medley of ideas
GOING through the thoughts and observations of other people is usually a delightful experience, particularly so if the writer is a knowledgeable person with a wide range of interests. Sometimes, freshness in the thoughts expressed or some kind of novelty in the observations made, happens to be a source of endless interest for the reader. And, in other cases, it is the sharing of perceptions and personal experiences that one finds meaningful.
In Urdu, not much has been written that could be categorized under this genre of literature, which exists mostly in the form of essays and letters. Among the few who gained prominence in this field were Mehdi al-Afadi, Abul Kalam Azad and Niaz Fatehpuri. Besides their thoughts and personal experiences, the writings of these authors are characterized by an individualistic style, each having a distinct flavour of its own. In recent times, Dr Wazir Agha and members of his group have made laudable efforts to produce and popularize this kind of literature which they call ‘Inshaeeya’.
The essays included in the book under review fall under two categories. Most of them are autobiographical. Some of them are what is often described as a ‘loose sally of the mind’ on various abstract themes. ‘Lamhey’ is a good example of the latter. Focussing on the subject of ‘time’, the essay has dilated upon it from different dimensions.
The author is a man of diverse interests ranging from gardening to music and literature. He has spent his life in places as far apart as Britain, Canada, the US, Turkey and, of course, Pakistan. Obviously, he has a lot to say about places, people and the arts which he has done in this book with a scholarly pen. Most of these essays have been written between 1947 and 1957.
There is an interesting article on the village life in England entitled ‘Inglistan ki yaden’. As the author has rightly pointed out, those outsiders, who spend their time mostly in London or other large cities where they have a cosmopolitan lifestyle, fail to discover the real English life, which is different in many ways. The author, who lived for several years in an English village, maintains that the real life in Britain is far from what is projected through the movies and the media, which convey the impression that every one there spends his evenings in the ballroom and that it is an entirely irreligious society.
And then the writer introduces the reader to some of his neighbours. There is the 50-year old Mrs Wilson who has never been to London although it is only 55 miles away from her village. She has six daughters and a son but would still welcome more children ‘if God so desires’. Her husband is a farmer and both of them love their children immensely.
The Scots are better educated and more prosperous. The husband teaches at Cambridge while the wife represents the village in the county council. However, when Mrs Scot is in the kitchen or performs her daily chores, there is no difference between her and any other woman in the village. They have a large house, one portion of which looks modern and the other is old-fashioned. They have a splendid garden too. All the children are married and live separately but they visit their parents along with their own children every Sunday and the Scots have a nice time.
So, the people in the village, rich and poor, are simple, similar in tastes and loving. International politics affects their lives only to the extent of fluctuations in the prices of essential commodities.
‘Mazhab aur ham’ is a thought-provoking article, particularly under the circumstances in which we are placed today. According to the author, a few centuries ago Christianity came in conflict with science when scientific knowledge disproved a number of biblical beliefs. Lack of interest in religion in the western society was at its peak in the latter part of the nineteenth century. However, after that phase was over in which the physical sciences had dominated the world of knowledge and those sciences emerged to the fore which questioned all theories sceptically, such as theoretical physics, people began to return to religion. But now they were not as dogmatic in their religious beliefs as they had been earlier. This gave birth to tolerance and even a recognition of the truth or greatness of other religions as well.
In the end, the author concludes that a need would always be felt for a religion which is not rigid, gives a fellow feeling and imparts spiritual satisfaction. He also maintains that the main issue now is that, in this rapidly shrinking world where interaction between the followers of different faiths has become closer and more frequent, how can we get rid of religious intolerance without being irreligious.
The influence of the West on various aspects of our culture, has been discussed in ‘Taraqqi aur tafranj’. In this interesting discourse, the writer has tried to differentiate between what he terms as the result of progress and what has been adopted by us just in imitation of the West.
The author has been deeply interested in the study of our classical music. As such, a number of articles discuss various aspects of music, often with reference to western music.
It is sad to note that a good book of considerable worth has been brought out in haste. The list of contents mentions the prefaces of the first and the second editions but these are missing altogether from the book. There is an ‘Introduction’ written by the late Salahuddin Ahmad, editor of Adabi duniya who died a long time ago. It would have been better if an updated biographical note on the author had been included.
However, the most regrettable aspect of this production from a noted publishing house, is the terrible proof reading. Errors of this nature are abundant and in places make the text ridiculous.
Nuskhaha-i-wafa
By Dr Dawood Rahbar
Sang-e-Meel Publications, 20 Shahrah-i-Pakistan, Lahore Tel: 042-7220100.
Email: smp@sang-e-meel.com
320pp. Rs250
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