July 18, 2004

DR SALEEM AKHTAR is not rudely cynical as critics, especially literary critics, are perceived to be. He displays a wry sense of humour that spices up a serious conversation but it doesn’t let him stoop from his stature. A renowned scholar and critic, specializing in psychoanalysis, Dr Saleem Akhtar who recently turned 70, has retired as professor but still teaches literary criticism and research at the Government College University, Lahore, with great fervour. He has authored 60 books and continues to write prolifically.

“Technically, literary criticism cannot be classified as this being the criticism of poetry or that of fiction or criticism itself,” he opens a chapter with these lines in his book Daastan aur Novel. A critique is a critique and that means that a human is distinguished by his education, profession and status. Criticism is also distinguished by the choice of topics or personalities it is written about.”

Though Dr Saleem has written poetry and short stories (a collection of his short stories, Nargis aur Cactus is out in the market), his critiques in psychoanalysis and his monumental work, Urdu Adab ki Mukhtasir Tareen Taarikh are valuable contributions to Urdu literature.

Ever since he developed the reading habit early on, he had a keen interest in the psychoanalytical aspect of literature — an area that always fascinated him. Dr Saleem read extensively and this habit, he remembers, kept his sanity intact. “I had a bohemian lifestyle before marriage. I would roam the streets aimlessly with a book in my hand, setting out early in the morning and turning in late at night.” The year 1962 was a turning point in his life when he got a job as a lecturer in Punjab University and married. With the birth of his first baby daughter, Dr Saleem realized that it was time to settle down and assume family responsibility.

Dr Saleem Akhtar recalls, “When I started writing critical essays and stories, my writings became controversial as one of my main topics was abnormal psychology. I also wrote about female sexuality which created quite a stir. I lived in Multan at that time. It was a small town that could not stomach such writings. People used to point fingers at my wife and I when we walked down a street. My wife did not wear a veil which also used to raise eyebrows. People used to tell her to wear a veil, as it was not considered appropriate for a woman to venture out without it. Through my stories, however, I never attempted to sensationalize the characters experiencing abnormality. On the contrary, I tried to explore the pathos hidden in such people whom we do not understand or refuse to acknowledge,” he says.

Dr Akhtar’s stories have dealt with human psychology and touched upon the lives of those who live on the fringe of society. A significant book by him, Aurat Jins kay Aainey mein explained female sexuality and the psychoanalytical aspects of her nurturing and development. Researching for his PhD on literary criticism with reference to psychoanalysis, he discovered that Mirza Ruswa, who authored the famous novel Umrao Jan Ada, was one of the first writers in Urdu to have delved into psychoanalysis in portraying his characters, especially the protagonist who had landed in such misfortune. “Story-telling or novel writing need to delve deep into the psyche of the characters to be able to expose their feelings, personality and minds. To attempt this, the writer need not have read Freud or psychology,” he adds.

For a critic, however, it is mandatory to absorb the school of thought that he believes and administers. Dr Saleem Akhtar read Freud and Jung extensively which he made use of when critically analyzing writings by eminent writers. He explored various aspects in psychoanalysis in Josh Malihabadi’s poetry, Ghalib’s expression of emotions, especially love. “I wrote a critique on Iqbal which became the cause of vexation for my department. I was eventually transferred from Government College,” he says.

He considers Saadat Hasan Manto as one of the most vivid writers in Urdu. “Sadly, though the progressive writers made tremendous contribution to Urdu literature, their writings were banned and they were tried in courts and so people were deprived of reading such good and worthy literature,” he laments.

“The progressive writers wrote prolifically and promoted a literature of protest but such writings are not new. Sufism was also a form of protest. Progressive writers wrote against the atrocities committed by the zamindar, the jagirdar, the bureaucracy and corrupt leaders,” he says. “However, disillusionment seeped in once they were left with shattered dreams.” Dr Akhtar who has hailed the writings of Ehtasham Husain, Mumtaz Husain, Ali Sardar Jafri, Akhtar Raipuri and Aziz Ahmad holds them in high respect. “It does not matter whether the movement exists anymore or not. What counts is the idea behind it which is to believe in humanity. These writers believed in the virtues of telling the truth, justice and equality which are mandatory for peace in any society. If you believe in literature for the sake of life, then you are a progressive,” he says.

Dr Saleem Akhtar is distraught by the present state of affairs in which English supersedes our mother tongue. “I am proud of the fact that I have taught Urdu. My bread and butter has been, and still is, teaching and writing in Urdu. But it is a pity to see how people have been put off by their own language and culture. How do you expect a child to know his language and feel proud of it if he is not allowed to speak in Urdu in school. Only speaking in English is emphasized,” he reacts irately. He fears ten years down the line his grandchildren would not be able to read his Urdu books.

“This generation is the green card generation that learns English to be able to get a decent job in the US.”

He has reason to be proud of his language and he fiercely defends his reasons. “Urdu,” he states, “has an edge over other languages because one finds as many pronunciations and sounds as possible. Urdu has the ability to absorb any word or sound which is a remarkable thing. The larger credit goes to our vocal chords that can produce any kind of sound.”

“It is a pity,” he laments, “that we don’t feel proud of our language and culture. Had Urdu been enforced as a national language right from the beginning, we would not have faced this situation today. Quaid-i-Azam had announced for the first time in Dhaka that Urdu will be the national language of Pakistan. He was responding to a question asked by Mujibur Rehman. Many regional languages today contribute to the language which enriches it further and this pumps life into the language.”

Though Dr Akhtar makes balanced statements as a true critic should, his views about the standard of literary criticism seem cynical. “The role of a critic these days is to write patronizing reviews and prefaces for books published by all sorts of writers. Thus they are not able to say or write openly about the quality of a writing or a book. Evenings with writers and book launchings are arranged with such exuberance that critics are obliged to write flattering reviews and prefaces. Such things do not let the critic speak his mind openly,” he adds.

His famous book, Urdu ki Mukhtasir Tareen Taarikh, unleashed controversy as many writers were annoyed with him for not having mentioned their names in the book. “First, it was not humanly possible for me to have read the work of each and every writer in Pakistan. Besides I had decided not to include irrelevant books just to make people happy. A writer complained to me that I had mentioned some other writer’s name with respect and not his. I had no idea my book will receive such a response. No wonder our literature and writers are infested with such unimportant controversies.”