NOTWITHSTANDING the tumbling moral and professional standards of journalism in this age of fake news, journalism is as important for a civilised and democratic society as breathing.
Though many writers scoff at the idea of writing for a newspaper, many great writers, poets and intellectuals of the subcontinent either wrote for newspapers or were journalists too. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Abul Kalam Azad, Zafar Ali Khan, Muhammad Ali Jauhar and Ghulam Rasool Mehr, to name but a few, were journalists and spread their ideas through newspapers as well. With the decline of literary magazines in Pakistan and a shift in the reading habits some three decades ago, acclaimed writers like Shaukat Siddiqi began to write for digests and newspapers, too.
The reason was, perhaps, vast readership and clout a newspaper has. Whereas a literary magazine or a collection of poetry may have a print order of a few hundred copies, known and appreciated only among the literary elite, newspapers have large circulations and are read by all and sundry. This gives an instant foothold to the opinion makers writing for newspapers. Journalism’s reach and power should not be underestimated.
Some writers believe that journalism stands at a much lower echelon of esteem than literature. This may not be true, as suggests the oft-quoted remark by Mathew Arnold, the renowned English poet and critic. He said journalism was literature written in a hurry. This is to say that journalism is no less important than literature and it serves the same purpose as does literature, albeit written hastily and often in shorter forms than literary pieces.
Literature takes time to record impressions and writers let the feelings sink in first, but journalists do not have time and cannot afford the luxury of putting thoughts on hold. Journalism records the political and social changes just as literature does, but in a different way and at a different pace. And if a newspaper exclusively covers literature and literary issues, it is a commendable contribution towards literature and language as well as the society.
Evaluating the daily Jang’s contribution towards literature, Dr Qamar Abbas in his doctoral dissertation has meticulously highlighted the services rendered by the newspaper. Titled Roznama Jang ki adabi khidmaat, it has just been published by Karachi University’s Pakistan Study Centre in book form. Launched from Delhi in pre-Independence era by Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman, daily Jang is amongst the Pakistani Urdu dailies that enjoy a huge circulation. In fact, Jang is credited for having the largest circulation among the Urdu dailies. This is not as easy as it sounds. Jang had to go through a tough struggle and had to win a cut-throat competition with some of its contemporary Urdu newspapers, notably Anjaam, just after the creation of Pakistan when Jang relocated from Delhi to Karachi.
The book takes into account the brief history of Urdu journalism, also mentioning the Urdu newspapers launched in Pakistan after independence. It especially mentions Anjaam and Imroz, before analysing Jang and the services it rendered for literature. The book covers a period of over 30 years, from 1947 to 1978. Aside from the special pages on literature, usually referred to as adabi safha, or literary page, the book describes in detail how the newspaper covered Urdu language and literature as well as the literatures of other Pakistani languages. The literary treasures found in the issues published in those 30 years include, according to Dr Qamar Abbas, poetry, prose, linguistic and orthographic issues, literary genres, interviews of literary figures, book reviews, contemporary literary trends and, more importantly, the changing literary and social norms and their impact. In a nutshell, the book thoroughly surveys the literary contents published over a period of 30 years, a gigantic task indeed by any measure. But Dr Qamar Abbas has successfully captured the essence.
Dr Jafar Ahmed in his intro has mentioned, while analysing the mutual and profound relationship between literature and journalism, some trends that have emerged during the last six or seven decades of Pakistani journalism. He says, for example, while literary pages of Urdu newspapers have introduced new writers and poets, they have also published the works by senior writers, bringing them closer to general readers. He also recalls the high standards of language and correct usage set by the writers and editors of the past who were journalists as well as writers. Lamenting the lapse that our journalism has suffered in the recent years, especially the unnecessary use of English words in Urdu newspapers, Dr Jafar describes commercialism as one of the contributing factors in this lapse.
Dr Qamar Abbas, the author, is a working journalist and has been associated with print and electronic media for the last two decades. The 672-page book has a detailed index too. The book is an important document chronicling our literary history in general and history of Jang in particular. Our social and literary historians will find it to be an invaluable treasure.
Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2018
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