March 30, 2008

IN an ideal world everyone would choose to be happy and enjoy peace of mind, but in reality those goals are difficult to achieve. Those who are content with life attract others to themselves because their vitality is attractive and appealing. People feel relaxed in their company and find their mood infectious; they are able to join in the calm and enjoy the laughter. There is no doubt that laughter provides much needed relief from the worries of day-to-day living. And the fact is that there are many ways to find happiness. Perhaps one of the simplest ways to do so is to have a good laugh.

No one ascribed to that theory with more gusto than Shafiqur Rehman. A versatile personality, a general, a doctor and an extraordinary humorist and fiction writer, Rehman has also written a travelogue and had the flair for comic poems. Born on November 9, 1920, he passed his MBBS in 1941 from King Edward Medical College and joined the Indian Army Medical Corps the next year. He attained a higher medical degree from Edinburgh and rose to the position of Major General. After retirement, he served as Chairman of the Academy of Letters from 1980 to 1986. He dies on March 19, 2000 in Rawalpindi.

Dr Rehman dressed meticulously and possessed colonial mannerisms. He has a unique way of telling joke, which simultaneously bestrewed a smile on the face of the readers and the listeners.

General Shafique is a legend in Urdu literature, the work and his characters he created in his stories would remain a source of joy, fun, gaiety and happiness. He started writing humour during his school days. He wrote 11 books, namely Kirnein, Shagoofay, Lehrein, Maddojazar, Parwaz, Himaqatein, Puchthaway, Mazeed Himaqatein, Insani Tamasha, Dajla and lastly, Dareechay.

His first collection of short stories entitled Kirnein was completed even before he joined medical college and was published in 1938. It contains seven short stories, all revolving around handsome and athletic young men who are involved in boundless romances, as the fragrance of love penetrates their soul. All of them are content with the world and lived life in their own style; each is surrounded by love, peace and romance. They belong to well-off families and have attractive personalities. There is even an element of narcissism in their personalities as they seem to be quite conceited. The heroines of Kirnein are gorgeous and have a number of suitors, thanks to their beauty.

All the stories are a delight to read and engage the interest of the reader immediately. The reader takes a voyage into a beautiful world full of dazzling colours, innocent love and the vibrant music which soothes and entertains the reader.

His travelogues, on the other hand, fill the reader with a burst of energetic, free-spirited zest and make him or her want to run quickly through the text. Barsati is a travelogue, written in his earlier days, which reflects the author’s profound knowledge of the history and geographical features of the countries he visited. It also reveals deep-seated observations about various people and places.

The most striking feature of Dareechay is the emergence of some of Dr Rehman’s most delightful characters. The work comprises of nine chapters; the first two chapters entitled ‘Interview’ and ‘Istafsar-o-Jawabat’ contain remarkable jokes, which have since become an important part of the author’s enormous contribution to Urdu literature. The third chapter ‘Taaruf’ describes the character of Janab Fikar Tonsi; a shy young poet, who is also a famous intellectual scholar of the sub-continent.

The following chapter ‘Aksay Taqdeer’ criticises the subject of astrology and the people who believe in it. The chapter ‘Do Mizha Nigar’ is regarding the works of famous comic poets Zameer Jafri and Ibn-i-Insha. In it the author states that Insha was the all rounder of Urdu poetry and whenever required, he also did wicket-keeping. His sumptuous poetry gives the surety of different mode of writings.

In last two chapters of Dareechay, namely Ghar ka Bhoot and Afwahei, were originallypublished from Vienna, Austria. The story of Ghar ka Bhoot is very interesting and informative. In it the author beautifully sketches the Indian province of CP which is situated in Central India, far away from the Punjab. The beauty of the area makes it very attractive: jugnoos light up the area at night while vibrantly-coloured flowers, fruit-laden trees, melodious birds and even creatures like snakes, tigers, lions and scorpions give a splendid picture of the region. The weather is so pleasant; rain continues for many days. In spite of the splendidness of the area, there are some dangers that are related to old buildings and the people who once lived in them.

Sadly, the latter part of the author’s life was lugubrious because of the loss of his loving eldest son Khalique-ur-Rehman, who was also known as Saintly Joe. In 1981 his son committed suicide and was found dead on a railway track. He was a very simple soul, saintly in habits and a truly magnanimous being. For this reason he had come to be nicknamed Saintly Joe. Dr Rehman kept on smiling as usual after suffering this devastating loss however his smile had visibly shrunk.

His writings mesmerised readers because his stories and characters are the stuff of our dreams. Many of us grew up with the memorable characters of Shaitan, Hukoomat Appa, Maqsood Ghora, Razia and others. Pakistan has produced very writers yet Shafiqur Rehman stands out amongst them for the simplicity, candor and lucidity of his expression. He used simple language to create characters and situations which were funny, profound and true to life. His writing was always natural, crisp, effective and sparkling with humour. His writings flowed naturally and his command over the Urdu language was flawless. Dr Rehman was indeed a major writer of fiction who made valuable contributions to Urdu literature.