Fakhar Zaman is a well-known literary figure. He is a poet and fiction writer. A selection of his poetry Zawaal di Ghari has recently been published by Classic, Lahore. The blurb states that Fakhar Zaman is a man of letters, poet and intellectual of international repute. He has published forty books in Punjabi, Urdu and English. The government of Pakistan and government of Indian Punjab have conferred on him literary awards. Some of his books were banned by Ziaul Haq’s dictatorial regime. He served in the People’s Party government as a minister and senator. He also headed the Pakistan Academy of Letters as its chairman twice. He is currently chairman of World Punjabi Congress and Alami Sufi Council. The blurb also informs us that ‘Fakhar Zaman is working these days on a voluminous novel in English language which will be published early next year’.

The selection fairly represents his poetic output spanning over several decades. An undeniable fact about his poetry is that it’s underpinned by peculiar notions of language and modernity. He believes that Punjabi language as currently used by its urban speakers be employed by poets for their creative expression. There is no dispute about the need for literary language to be as close to natural speech as possible. But if stretched beyond a reasonable point, the notion appears fraught with ambiguities and contradictions that are quite problematic particularly in the context of Punjabi language.

Since the advent of colonialism in Punjab, every effort has been made with insidious intent to keep the Punjabi away from the educational institutions. Non-local languages [English and Urdu] were imposed to erase the collective memory and sense of identity of the people. Natural interaction between different languages is a healthy sign and thus mutually enriching. But imposition of an alien language is an act of cultural aggression that forces the weaker group to jettison its historical assets. The situation has come to such a pass that now urban middle and upper classes in Punjab suffer from indescribable cultural amnesia. Hooked on the English and Urdu as means of socio-material uplift, they love to hate their language. When forced to use it, they use its bastardised version. Fakhar Zaman’s poems in a way are symptomatic of a wider socio-cultural malaise the Punjab suffers from. A cursory glance at the titles of his poems reveals it all. Titles such as ‘Zinda Rehen di total price’, ‘Wall Clock’, ‘Split Second’, ‘Umpire’, ‘Visibility Pooraey’, ‘Handle with Care’, ‘Phobia’ are in the garb of modernity an attempt to bastardise Punjabi and reduce a rich language with long history into pidgin. This is the result of total disconnect with literary language evolved and used by our classical writers, and lack of borrowing from the regional variants of Punjabi that have rich linguistic reservoir, the mainstay of our language.

Let’s see whether Fakhar Zaman uses Punjabi or Urdu words in his new novel in English the way he uses English words in his Punjabi writings.

His notion of modernity likewise is problematic. He generally associates modernity with technology. He is fascinated by the superficial glitter of technological devices and gadgets rather than by the behavioural changes and socio-cultural transformations that technological progress imperceptibly brings about in our society. His poem ‘While Recording for Radio’ vividly illustrates the point. But whenever he comes out of murky world of muddy notions, he can create good poetry that on the one hand is connected with our tradition of humanist vision and on the other with contemporary human bonding born of empathy.

“He, overwhelmed by happiness, huffing and puffing, rushed straight to his aged mom in the verandah / Embracing her he said: ‘I just heard it on the radio that our fighter bombers attacked enemy’s cities and killed hundred and fifty men’. Mom turned her gaze towards him, pushed him back and mumbled;’ Damn you, they too were sons of their mothers’/”. The book makes an interesting read.

Rishum Jameel Paul is an upcoming short story writer and translator. She did her graduation from the Queen Mary College, Lahore, and her Masters in English Literature and Linguistics from National University of Modern Languages. She did her M. Phil in English. Later she did her Masters in Punjabi Literature. Rishum’s book ‘The Fragrance of Soil’ has been published by Book Home, Lahore. The book contains English translations of selected Punjabi short stories. Anticipating a sort of adverse feedback she declares right at the outset: ‘This collection cannot be called representative of … Punjabi stories. It is just a selection… I have not forgotten writers like Afzal Ahsan Randhawa, Asif Khan, Husain Shahid or Nasir Baloch. I will try to include all those who could not be a part of this collection in the …sequel to my book’. The book has sixteen stories along with a very brief history of short story writing in Punjabi. Some of the prominent authors included in the selection are Afzal Tauseef, Farkhanda Lodhi, Nawaz, Ali Anwar Ahmad, Mansha Yaad, Hameed Razi, Hanfeef Bawa, Parveen Malik, Mir Tanha Yusfi, Ilyas Ghumman and Jameel Paul.

In the last chapter of the book she provides much-needed biographical information on the authors she has translated. Selection of stories is pretty good though it doesn’t cover the entire spectrum of the genre. Translations aren’t laboured and their simplicity makes them a good reading material. Rishum has done a laudable work by introducing English reading public to Punjabi short stories which have fragrance of the soil with a hint at predicament common folks invariably find themselves in. One hopes she will continue to translate Punjabi literary writings into English for wider readership, national and international.

Translation is what makes us explore and experience the world that’s beyond our immediate reach. What Rishum has done is a no mean feat. But she still needs is to be a little more careful with the English language. Honing her language skills will help her enhance her status as a translator. The book should be on your shelf. — soofi01@hotmail.com

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2018