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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