November 30, 2008

Reviewed By Humair Ishtiaq
 

HONESTLY, we are too close to the times in which Faiz Ahmed Faiz plied his trade to even try to sit in judgment over settling his place in Urdu literature’s hall of fame alongside the classical elegance of the likes of Meer, Ghalib, Iqbal and the rest. That he will have a place is not under debate though.

To ascertain someone’s literary status is, in any case, a tricky undertaking. More so, when the man in question and the jury happen to belong to the same era. This perhaps explains the passion of literary circles to continue debating how and where the future historian will treat and place Faiz in comparison with, say, Josh Malihabadi.

The literati used to be divided over who among the two modern-day greats was the greater. However, with time, Josh seems to be losing the debate, giving credence to Mushfiq Khwaja’s assertion that while Josh was the greatest poet of his time, ‘the same cannot be said of his poetry!’ Regardless of what the verdict might be on Josh — or, for that matter, on Noon Meem Rashid and Meeraji — Faiz remains a class act who seems to be gaining strength with the passage of time. And, indeed, there are reasons for it.

He had the capacity to universalise his creative output by taking up fresh subjects while keeping in touch with the classical idiom of Urdu poetry. This made him popular among even those who were diametrically opposed to his political and social beliefs. Even when Faiz spoke of his ideals, he used the traditional idiom of ‘mehboob’ to bring home his point without putting anyone off.

This is something that cannot be said of his contemporaries. Those who followed him tried their hand to varying degrees of success, but it is something that takes nothing less than a Faiz to do it. And therein lies his greatness.

The literature being generated about him today will form the basis of future research which will give way to a dispassionate, unbiased verdict in the long run. The quality and probity of today’s work, as such, holds the key to a future assessment. The critic of tomorrow will, indeed, be indebted to Agha Nasir for his recent work on Faiz, Hum Jeetay Ji Masroof Rahey.

It is one of the best works on the poet and goes a step beyond the highly readable account penned by the late Dr Aftab Ahmad titled, Faiz Ahmad Faiz: Shair Aur Shakhsiat (Maktaba-i-Daniyal, Karachi.) The path Agha Nasir has chosen is, indeed, groundbreaking. He has taken the reader beyond the man and his poetry by providing him a glimpse into the circumstantial reality of the times and the thought process that together led to the birth of literary gems.

Take, for instance, the famous poem titled Hum Jo Tareek Rahoon Mein Marey Ga’aay. While it has used captivating imagery to spellbind the reader, the poem was actually conceived by Faiz during his detention at Montgomery Jail in 1954 as his response to the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenburg, an American couple that was given the death sentence for having spied for the Soviet Union.

 

Faiz had the capacity to universalise his creative output by taking up fresh subjects while keeping in touch with the classical idiom of Urdu poetry. This made him popular among even those who were diametrically opposed to his political and social beliefs.

 

While the poet is praised the couple for having sacrifised their lives at the altar of their beliefs, the imagery, idiom and diction of the poem is such that the reader need not know the context to be able to enjoy it. Indeed, not many would have known the context anyway. By providing the context, however, Agha Nasir has added to Faiz’s stature as a poet by attesting his skill of using momentary inspiration to generate timeless poetry.

That Agha Nasir had the good fortune of having a close association with Faiz is quite evident in the text, but it has a very positive ambience about it which does not tax the sensibilities of a cultured reader because Agha had the good sense to keep the focus on the subject. It is not always easy to avoid the temptation of basking a little in reflected glory, but Agha has done just that and for that alone he deserves a round of commendation.

Besides, when personal feelings are intense and emotional, it becomes a challenging task not to lose one’s objectivity. It again goes to the credit of the writer that he has been able to walk the forbidding path, which must have been riddled with frightening potholes, with grace and integrity.

There is just one thing in the book, however, that may bug the reader a bit. Though elaborately categorised in 17 distinct segments, and with fresh backdrop specific to each piece of poetry that Agha Nasir has picked, the text tends to become repetitive while trying to capture the whole political, social and family background time after time after time. A little more time on the editing table would certainly have taken care of the issue. Having said that, it is nothing more than a minor flaw in an otherwise captivating work for which the writer deserves due accolade.

Faiz the person, as is common knowledge, was an easygoing character, almost bordering on lethargic. But Faiz, the poet, was just his opposite: revolutionary, optimistic and, indeed, a staunch romantic. Even when he lamented the adversity of ‘today’, the light at the end of the tunnel always remained well within his sight. The book comes as a confirmation of this. The historian of tomorrow will be as grateful to the writer as is the reader of today.

 

Hum Jeetay Ji Masroof Rahey
By Agha Nasir
Sang-e-Meel Publications, Lahore.
ISBN 10-969-35-2153-6
Pp349. Rs750