Jumla vs Performance

The fact remains that India lost its opportunity to rebuild the nation in 1947 when it was set free. The British found it prudent to hand over power to a mild, non-violent and passive leader Gandhi assisted by westernised Nehru in order to firstly, get a safe passage at that point in time and secondly, to continue their control on its polity indirectly. For seven decades we were tamed to remain as passive slaves, fatalists and the world nicknamed our growth as Hindu Rate of Growth. 

With the rise of Narendra Modi, things have taken a drastic turn but you have to realise that we have lost the golden opportunity to integrate India and make it a nation. Today we have inimical forces all over the country nurtured by Congress since independence be it Tamilnadu, Kashmir, Punjab, North East or other states. To quote a Kashmiri saying the efforts made by Modi are like Yupis Shup Dyun Dole (To stop a flood with a winnow). 

We Kashmiris were not exposed to casteism in the valley but I have worked in many states and seen its dirty face. Shiv Sena's hate against lower castes in Maharashtra and against Goans in Goa, DMK's tirade against Brahmins and Hindi-speaking people followed by some political parties in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra and Telangana, inter-tribal hate-mongering and bloodshed in North East, extinction of aborigines in Tripura by refugees from East Bengal, outwitting of Assamese by Bengali refugees and so on. Modi or Shah don't have a Staff of Moses to counter this. 

Nevertheless, what surprises me is the wrong priorities of the present government. They are wasting their energy on many trivial things to remain in power. Yes, it is a known fact that money is inducted into different channels in India like the purchase of journalists, expanding the network of subversive NGOs by vested interests to dislodge the present government and funding helpful opposition political parties. That, however, is a natural outcome of BJP's all-out efforts to ensure a Congress-mukt Bharat and follows Newton's law, "To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." 

I must frankly admit that I am not able to convince myself of Modi's soft corner for Adani, the escape of Neerav, Mallya and Choksi from the country, writing off loans of big tax evaders, tie-up with Mehbooba Mufti in J&K despite her soft-corner for Pakistan, the estrangement of allies like Shiv Sena and Akali Dal besides encouragement to vigilantes and lynching mobs. The main agenda of implementing the Uniform Civil Code, ban on proselytising, reduction of unemployment, harnessing price rise, eradicating corruption and taking cases of criminals to the logical end have become only election issues that have remained pending since 2014. Many cases against big guns have not been pursued vigorously for the last nine years. On the other hand, ED and CBI remain active day in and day out raiding political opponents for maligning them mostly when the elections are fast approaching. However, you cannot overlook the fact that India was visited by natural disasters like floods, land erosions in the Himalayas and the worst coronavirus pandemic which the government has successfully coped with. The people watch the government by results on the ground and benefits derived from.  

Time is going to decide the future of this country. The only thing I have faith in is that India has a culture that has withstood such vicissitudes for over five thousand years and will continue to do so. I quote Dr Mohd Iqbal;

       Unan-o-Misr-o-Roma sab mit gaye jahan see,

       Ab tak magar hai baqi nam-o-nishan hamara.

       Kuch  baat  hai  ki   hasti   mit-ti   nahi  hamari,

      Sadiyon raha hai dushman daur-e-zaman hamara.

 

 Writing Is My Passion

    I am a short story writer in Urdu and write book reviews and articles concerning writers and literary topics as well. The latter keeps me engaged because I receive a number of books and feel obliged to write reviews on them. Ten collections of my short stories have been published to date viz. Adhoore Chehre, Chinar Ke Panje, Zebra Crossing Par Khada Aadmi, Reza Reza Hayat, Ruh Ka Karb, Muthi Bhar Ret, Ab Main Wahan Nahi Rehta, Jadon Ki Talash, Yeh Kaisa Rishta and Patton Par Likhi Tehreerein besides two novels viz. Apna Apna Such and Azadi. Ever since I started writing essays and book reviews the number has crossed 250 book reviews and 70 essays which have been published in different magazines and newspapers as also compiled in book form. The books published till now are Asri Tehreerein, Asri Shaoor, Asri Taqaze, Asri Naqoosh, Adbi Mubahise, Jammu wa Kashmir Ka Asri Adab, Asri Zaviye, Asri Rujhanat and Asri Takhleequat besides two research-based books titled Urdu Ke Ghair Muslim Afsana Nigar and Krishen Chander-Meri Nazar Mein. As can be seen, most of these titles are prefixed ‘Asri’ which means ‘Contemporary’, because I have mostly dealt with topics and books of contemporary writers. There is a reason for such a decision. Urdu language of late has witnessed more emotional outbursts from its so-called well-wishers in India which are more detrimental to its progress than helpful in restoring its lost glory. There are lobbies with their favourites and institutions that are keen to promote Old Masters like Mir, Ghalib and Iqbal rather than nurturing and promoting genuine new writers. There are queues of research scholars in universities digging the graves of past writers while new writers are neglected. The standard of education in these seats of learning has reached its nadir while the teachers have lost their grace and thirst for knowledge. Today, a new writer is expected to work hard and write but cannot find a publisher. He is compelled to shell out his hard-earned money from his income for getting his book published. One cannot think of making a living not to speak of making profits or being sought after by publishers. The number of readers has dwindled over the years and if you visit some public libraries you will find that the last stamped date of issue on the books is usually five to ten years old which tells the whole story.

    The disowning of Urdu by the Hindu community in the land of its origin has been conspicuous. In India, Urdu was mostly adopted by Punjabi Khatris, Kayasths and Kashmiri Pandits. After the partition, all of them switched over to Hindi besides English due to better prospects and employment opportunities. If you analyze profiles of extant Hindu writers in Urdu, you will find most of them were born and brought up in Western Punjab and adjoining areas in erstwhile British India, now in Pakistan. No fresh blood is attracted to the Urdu language and literature from most of the centres that were known to be the cradles of Urdu culture like Delhi, Lucknow, Bhopal and Hyderabad. The only place that continued attracting Hindus to the Urdu language was Jammu and Kashmir because Urdu continued to be the official language of the State but after the migration of the Kashmiri Pandit community from the valley, this source has also run dry. From this perspective, I took it upon myself to collect information about all the Hindu short story writers in India who have contributed to this genre since its beginning. To be more precise from Prem Chand onwards to the present day. More than one hundred and fifty names along with their brief biodata and titles of their works have been collected by me and included in the book while an additional hundred names are only mentioned as their names appeared in some magazines or newspapers from time to time along with their stories but other details were not available. This whole information has been compiled by me in my book ‘Urdu Ke Ghair Muslim Afsana Nigar’ (The Non-Muslim Short Story Writers of Urdu) which has already run into its second edition. 

    Besides the above, I have also written a book on Krishen Chander as I understand him titled 'Krishen Chander-Meri Nazar Mein'. He is one of the writers who deserves extensive research and better understanding. Unfortunately, in the Modernist era, he was maligned as a Marxist who was too descriptive and realistic.  A similar fate was meted out to Urdu's great short story writer, Sa'adat Hasan Manto. The research scholars, past and present, painted him either in black or in white but no grey shades could be seen in their narratives which did not do justice to him or his works. Manto was heir to human weaknesses more than many of his contemporaries, his childhood had been full of notoriety which shaped his personality as he grew up and helped him write on topics hitherto regarded as untouchable. He too fell into the trap of owning Kashmir and describing its scenic beauty and romantic environment like his contemporaries. Kashmir, in those days, had become symbolic of romance, beauty and free love to Urdu writers. However none of them was born in Kashmir, nor grew up in Kashmir nor had any insight into the Kashmiri ethos and culture. All of them were tourists who painted Kashmir as a romantic meadow where poor girls wait endlessly for tourists to rescue them. Worse still, an admirer of Manto, Prof Fateh Mohd Malik of Pakistan failed to find out the truth about him and present the real Manto to the reading public. He called Manto an Islamic diehard, devout Pakistani and an influential voice of Kashmir. Unfortunately, the time when proper research on Manto could have been done has passed and all his contemporaries are dead. No research scholar cared to make an in-depth study of his personality by interviewing most of the people he worked with, not the elite of Bollywood, but the workmen, the people in the bye lanes of red-light areas of Mumbai and his neighbours living in chawls with him. Now, all that evidence has disappeared. All that is left is his writings and we have to sift the grain from the chaff with deftness and dexterity. I hope future scholars can add some more hues and colours to the Manto literature already existing.

    Apart from what is said in the foregoing paragraphs, my interest in short stories continues unabated. Let me hope I shall be able to give to my readers all that is in me or in the words of Kamla Das that I wish to make a collage of all the viscera in my body and hang the same for everyone to see.

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Education-Our Main Concern

    Those who think children are God’s gift yet ignore their education not only create difficulties for modern-day society but also add to the miseries of mankind and civilization. Man as ‘ Ashraful Makhlooqat’ is supposed to be the most sensible and wise in the animal kingdom. Therefore, it is expected from him that he should leave a better world for future generations to come. Should he be remembered with adoration or contempt, is the question? 

    Future generations will remain grateful to mankind for all the scientific and technological achievements he has made in order to make civilization better adapted to the environment. Scientists are working day and night to find medicines for unconquerable diseases. One has to merely skim through the pages of Nobel Prize winners in this field. I recently reviewed a book in Urdu, 'Nobel Hayatiyat' by Baqir Naqvi about Nobel laureates in life sciences. Despite being a postgraduate in Botany, I was astonished to find how many wonderful discoveries had been made? We simply cannot ignore these efforts.

    Usually one finds some hardcore religionists negating all that Man has achieved through the ages as a result of science and technology. However, I would request you to please make notes of all the things you see or come across while you go back home from your office tonight. And please write at leisure who all invented or discovered these things. How many of them are from Orient? The non-existence of Oriental names in the list will convince you why we are underdeveloped and what damage is done by lack of knowledge and progress on the technological front. I am reminded of Sahir Ludhyanvis's poem;

    Bulao khudayane deen ko bulao,

    Yeh kooche, yeh galiyan, yeh manzar dikhao;

    Sana khwane taqdeese mashriq ko lao,

    Sana khwane taqdeese Mashriq kahan hain?

    In view of the foregoing, I would appeal to all the rulers to rethink Government expenditure as it may be more beneficial and productive and make heavy investments in primary and universal education rather than purchasing arms and ammunition. Enlightened minds are an asset to the nation. People too must take initiative in this regard and elect only such rulers as are committed to this objective.

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