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Painting and Theatre in Kashmir - Suraj Tiku's Journey: Ramesh Tamiri - Deepak Budki

Suraj Tiku (1927 - 1997)

Painting and Theatre in Kashmir

- Suraj Tiku's Journey: Ramesh Tamiri

- Deepak Budki

           

Painting and Theatre in Jammu and Kashmir have kept pace with other parts of the country. However, political instability in the region has always cast its shadow on their proper development. Dr Ramesh Tamiri has done a great service to the modern cultural history of Kashmir by writing the book ‘Painting and Theatre in Kashmir – Suraj Tiku’s Journey’, which not only records the life and works of the great artist and set designer but also gives a detailed account of the evolution of these genres in the valley.

Kashmir school of painting, as per the author, finds mention in the Nilmat Purana as early as the 6th century and in Marco Polo's writings in the 14th century. It distinctly bore the influence of the Gandhara and Gupta art. After a lull in the medieval period, Kashmiri artists found patronage at Akbar’s court. The Kashmir Miniature School of painting, characterised by a lack of interest in Portraiture and a wide range of colours, produced great masters such as Tota Ram Naqash and his descendants. The nineteenth century saw a flow of foreign artists and writers into the valley and a rediscovery of the importance of Portraiture in painting. The establishment of Sir Amar Singh Technical Institute in 1913 proved a great boon for art and theatre in Kashmir. 

Great Masters like Kampassi, JN Mattoo, JN Sapru, SN Raina, M Raina, DN Wali, and Manohar Kaul were products of this institute. Ratan Parimoo, SN Bhat, Trilok Kaul, and PN Kachru, influenced by SH Raza and Percy Brown, later joined these artists, followed by Bansi Parimoo, GR Santosh, Kashmiri Khosa, Kishori Koul, Mohiuddin, NK Zadoo, RK Sadhu, KN Fotedar and Sculptors like BK Sultan, Gayoor Hassan, Shabir Mirza, Shaiqa Mohi, Rajinder Tiku and Mir Imtiyaz. The author has also included several photographs of these eminent artists from the valley.

Tracing the history back to Raas Leelas and Ram Leelas, the Kashmiri theatre was later influenced by the Parsi theatre in the 19th century. However, in the intervening period, the rise of Hafizas (Nautch girls) and Bhands is also mentioned. The Amateur Dramatic Club pioneered the establishment of regular theatre in Kashmir, followed by a caravan of theatres, including the Saraswati Dramatic Club, the Kashmir Theatrical Company, the Natak Vibhag, the Karod Tirath Dramatic Club, and the Kala Kendra. The author has also mentioned the establishment of the National Cultural Front, Moti Lal Kemmu’s revival of professionalism in Bhand Paether, the contribution of the National School of Drama and the evolution of playwright techniques in the valley.

In the chapter titled ‘Kashi Nath Bhan-Suraj Tiku’s Guru’, the author pays a great tribute to the eminent painter, actor, director, teacher, and social activist Kashi Nath Bhan. He has reconstructed the life and works of this great artist by interviewing several people who knew him closely, since most of Bhan's works were destroyed during militancy in Kashmir. The life of KN Bhan is a saga of strife and endeavour. He was a pioneer of art and theatre in Kashmir and left a lasting legacy. Bhan’s encounters with eminent national artistes like Prithvi Raj Kapoor are also recorded, which throw light on his character, vision and resolve. 

Parts two and three of the book deal with the evolution of Suraj Tiku as a master painter and a creative set designer. The life of Tiku is full of strife. He obtained a Diploma in Fine Arts from Sir Amar Singh Technical Institute, initially worked as a teacher in a Government school, and later in the Songs and Drama Division, J&K State. He learnt painting and theatre from his guru, KN Bhan. He had a passion for painting the landscape of Kashmir, which he continued even after migrating from the Kashmir valley in 1990 due to militancy. 

Nevertheless, he excelled in Portraiture and miniature painting as well. His contribution to set design and theatre was unparalleled. He was known for his sense of humour and philanthropy. He breathed his last on 26 January 1997 in exile, exasperated by heavy smoking and consequent asthma. The author has included numerous photos that offer a glimpse into the life and works of Suraj Tiku. In the last chapter, the author has shed light on various members of the Tiku clan, past and present, who have significantly contributed to the art and theatre movement in Kashmir.

It may not be out of place to say that, given the post-migration context in which the book was written, Dr Tamiri has produced a gem of a book that will serve as a reference for generations to come. The language is simple and free of unwanted clichés and technical jargon. The choice of photographs and paintings enhances the book's value as a document tracing the evolution of art and theatre in Kashmir.

*****

Price: Rs. 650 (Hard cover) & Rs. 300 (Paper back); Publisher: Suraj Foundation, 245, Amar Colony Extension, Gol Gujral, Talab Tillu, Jammu-180002; Contact details: surajfoundation@yahoo.com,(M) +91-9419114691

Kashmir: An Open Letter To Prashant Bhushan: (English); Deepak Budki

Kashmir: An Open Letter To Prashant Bhushan:

 (English); Deepak Budki

Dear Shri Bhushan,

At the very outset let me introduce myself. I am neither a rightist nor a leftist, nor even a centrist. I am just one out of one hundred and twenty crores of Indians, and I belong to Kashmir. I am the original inhabitant of Kashmir with history dating back to five thousand years which is older than Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Over a period of last seven centuries I have been reduced to a minuscule minority of not more than five lakh souls due to repeated invasions, proselytizing and persecution. However, I rejoiced the day my country was declared independent in 1947 though I remained in a state of fix because my brothers and sisters in Baramulla were facing genocide and rapine till such time Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir finally decided to accede to India. From that day onwards I preferred to exist without complaint in a state of continuous deprivation and denial.The only solace for me was that I lived in my own homeland and country.

But your recent statement pained me immensely. I had heard similar things earlier from a few more self styled activists like Arundathi Roy who has taken upon herself the burden of the nation just because she has written a book in English which has won her acclaim.Had she written the same in any other language she would not be known even beyond her street for you know the fate of other writers in India. Incidentally I have written seven books in Urdu till date. Your statement came as a bolt from the blue because I had pinned many a hope upon the Anna team since I regard Anna as the saviour of the  country in modern times.

May I again emphasise that I am the original inhabitant of Kashmir which has a hindu tradition of five thousand years. Not only that, Jammu and Kashmir is not inhabited by only Kashmiri Muslims but by Dogras, Sikhs, Budhists and Christians as well. Even among Kashmiri Muslims there are differnt sects and schisms such as sunnis and shias, gujjars, Kargil and Ladakh muslims who do not see eye to eye with each other. When you talk of Plebiscite as the ultimate resolution of Kashmir problem you seem to ignore these facts.The Plebiscite carries certain obligations on the part of all the parties involved viz India, Pakistan and the State of Jammu and Kashmir. You may be aware of Pakistan having annexed parts of erstwhile J&K State like Gilgit, Skardu, Hunza, Nagar and Baltistan with mainland Pakistan and having ceded a part of the state to China for strategic purposes to encircle India. Whatever was left was assigned the nomenclature of Azad Kashmir by Pakistan which ironically never enjoyed freedom and democracy in the past six decades as opposed to the Jammu and Kashmir State, a part of India, where liberty, equality and freedom of worship is enjoyed by all the citizens. The original idea of plebiscite was that it was required to be undertaken on return of normalcy in in whole of J&K state without any attempt of ethnic cleansing in any part. Is this practicable now when whole of Pakistan occupied Kashmir has been homogenised  by the Pakistan government and no hindu, sikh or budhist can be seen in the entire Pakistan occupied Kashmir so much so they carried out this ethnic cleansing in Kashmir valley across the LOC by sponsoring terrorism in the valley.

I would perhaps still agree with you if I could understand the basis of such an opinion. Kashmiri separatist leaders have been asserting all through that they are muslims and would like to be part of a Muslim State called Pakistan or form a separate state with Islam as the state religion. That would mean that we accept the two nation theory once again in the same manner as we accepted in 1947 by default though our leaders have been continuously denying the same notwithstanding the creation of Islamic state of Pakistan. In the event we accept this secession of part of our country what prevents other inimical forces to gain strength and seek independence for states like Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Nagaland, Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Arunachal and Sikkim.Would this situation be acceptable to you to witness this country get fragmented into small innumerable states just because we could not administer them properly and that people like you and Roy lived in posh glass houses with security given at our nation's expense.

May I further ask you whether Pakistan would also hold such a plebiscite in Sindh, Bulochistan and NWFP? I have not noticed you or Arundhati Roy taking any steps or doing anything substantial to coerce China to hold plebiscite in Tibet or grant independence to them. What action did you take when Sri Lankan Tamils were massacred and butchered by the Sri Lankan Army  recently? You and Arundhati Roy could at least have gone to Colombo, courted arrest and gone on indefinite fast to stop the army of Sri Lanka to conduct such a heinous massacre. But you would not do that because no body would care for you. More so they would have annhilated you in no time. Here in India you can get recognition and big name by speaking such things and posing as pseudo human rights activists and our mass media would give you maximum coverage because they increase their market share by such methods.

I understand your love for human rights and sympathise with you. May I know how many Kashmiri Pandit refugee camps did you visit after their exodus in 1990. How much financial help did you render to them from your personal wealth. How many Kashmiri Pandit refugees did you lodge in your house till they could find some accommodation on their own? If you have not done any of these it does not behove you to talk of human rights and human suffering.

Needless to remind you that USA and European nations, after realising what wrong they had done to the Jews in the past, atoned for it and re-established them in Israel by creating a separate home land for them notwithstanding the opposition from the middle east countries and the whole Islamic bloc. On the contrary, you are keen that Kashmir should secede from India and the Kashmiri Pandits should be deprived of their home land and not allowed to return as also perish in due course of time. I only wish good sense prevails upon you and people like you because parasites grow only at the expense of other's.

With regards,
Yours sincerely, 
Deepak Budki.

Kashmiri Surnames - Nehru & Budki (English)

Kashmiri Surnames - Nehru & Budki: (English)

deepak budki 31st December 2009	There is a misconception that 'Nehru' surname in Kashmiri Pandits has been drawn from Nehar, a canal..There is no evidence to show that Nehrus lived by the side of a canal and therefore were called Nehrus, Can any one name the Canal that Nehrus lived near to. Infact in Kashmiri the surname is actually NOUR (singular) or NAER (plural) which means Duct or Drain for carrying of waste water.Hence, the common belief that Nehrus got the surname because they lived by the side of a canal is misconceived.
Deepak Kumar Budki 18th May 2009	The surname 'Budki' does not mean 'Burki'  but as per folk lore 'Budk'i word was used for gold coins in ancient time in Kashmir and somebody had found these coins hidden under the soil which had been uncovered at the time of rebuilding of the ancestoral house. Needless to mention that in olden days such a practice was prevalent in absence of the banks. As a result people started calling the household as 'Budkiwallahs' which later got metamorphosed into 'Budki'.
deepak budki (delhi) 6th April 2009	It has appeared in wikipaedia that 'Budki' surname is essentially a derivative of 'Burki' which has not been substantiated by factual data.Infact Budkis were the gold coins which had been found in the house of our ancestors while rebuilding the house. Eversince the nickname 'Budkiwallahs' and later 'Budkis' came into existence. There are hardly a few households by this name, 5 in Jammu,1 in Mumbai, 2 in Varanasi and 2 in Delhi at present.

Dr Brij Premi-A Tireless Scholar; (Englsih); Urdu Short Story Writer & Critic

Dr Brij Premi-A Tireless Scholar; (English)

 Urdu Short Story Writer & Critic 

                         By Deepak Budki 

	Urdu literature is indeed indebted  to writers like Mir, Ghalib, Iqbal, Prem Chand, Mantoo and Bedi for their creative and original writings but one cannot undermine the contributions of critics and research scholars like Altaf  Hussain Hali, Ehtesham Hussain, Aal-e-Ahmed Suroor, Qamar Rais and the like for exploring the worlds of these writers in depth and preparing the common mind to appreciate them. One such scholar is Dr Brij Premi who despite meagre resources at his disposal explored the intricate world of Manto, a doyen of Urdu fiction. In fact, it took Premi almost a decade to collect data about Saadat Hassan Manto from different  parts of the Sub-continent where Manto had either stayed  for a short time or lived for a longer duration, especially  from across the border i.e. Pakistan where Manto had ultimately migrated  at the time of partition never to return to the land he loved the most, viz Bombay, now rechristened  as Mumbai.  Brij Premi set out to explore the virgin world of Manto at a time when Urdu, Iqbal and Manto had become an anathema in India. The boldness, promiscuity and notoriety attached to Manto, the D H Lawrence of Urdu Literature, had invited the ire of self-styled purists in both India and Pakistan. Brij Krishen Aima was born in a lower-middle-class family in Kashmir Valley. He lost his father at an early age and had to support his family when he was just fourteen. He joined the Boy-service in the State Dept. of Education after giving up his education. As a teacher, he suffered as a result of transfers from one village to another. His first pay packet was a meagre sum of thirty rupees. Under such circumstances, it was but natural that he should join the bandwagon of Progressive writers who were very active at that time. His first short story “Aqa” (The Master) was published in ‘the Amarjyoti’, Srinagar. Thereafter his stories appeared one after the other in a number of newspapers and magazines within and without the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He adopted the pen name of ‘Brij Premi’ and established himself as a short story writer in the valley. He writes about himself,  "My literary life as a short-story writer started in the middle of twentieth century. More often than not I used to pour out the pain and anguish of my soul into my stories. Even now whenever my inner agony makes me restless, a story is born. In fact, short-story writing is my first love (Harfe Justajoo)." Brij Premi’s inner world was no different from the outer world in which he was constrained to live. The peasants, the labourers and the artisans of Kashmir were continuously being exploited by landlords and the capitalists, and consequently rendered poor, starved and penniless. The sub-human conditions in which his brethren lived haunted him day and night and hence he used his pen to depict their plight. He drew inspiration from  Prem Nath Pardesi, another progressive writer who was popularly known as ‘the Prem Chand of Kashmir’. Apart from Pardesi, Brij Premi was influenced by the great romanticist, Krishen Chander, who had an emotional attachment with J&K State and used to describe its natural beauty in the mesmerising  narrative in his short-stories. Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi too had influenced Brij Premi’s style to some extent. Notwithstanding, the writer who most influenced Brij Premi in his later life was the bespectacled, Liquor–addict workhorse known as Saadat Hassan Manto. The latter had such an impact on his mind that he devoted his rest of life to undertake extensive research on Manto. Premi not only wrote ‘Saadat Hassan Manto-Life and works’ and ‘Manto Katha’ but also conducted research on several writers of J&K State besides other historical and literary topics. Alas, the cruel jaws of death snatched him away at a time when he was at his productive best. While talking of Brij Premi I must acknowledge the dedication and devotion of his worthy son Dr Premi Romani towards his illustrious father.  I came to know Dr.Brij Premi through his son only when I was beginning to enter the ‘Make believe world of Literature’ from that of ‘Matter of the fact world of Science’. Romani having noticed my flair for calligraphy asked me to write the final copies of his father’s thesis. We used to sit till late in the night in his house at  Ali Kadal, Brij Premi used to give the corrected copy of his thesis which I used to write legibly. However, I could not keep my promise to the end due to some personal compulsions and wrote about sixty percent of the thesis only. Later Romani himself completed the rest. However, at the end, I  decorated the thesis by drawing caricatures of Manto at the beginning of each chapter.  My joy knew no bounds when only after 2-3 months I came to know that Brij Premi had been awarded the Doctorate by the Univesity of Kashmir. Having come to know Brij Premi so closely, I found him an unassuming, soft-spoken and a thorough gentleman who had devoted a lifetime to Urdu literature and   Kashmir History. He would not, however, display his knowledge by talking about it everywhere which was a distinct sign of his humility. He was simple in his lifestyle, coy and modest and showed no signs of promiscuousness commonly attributed to the poets and prose writers. Abdul  Ghani Sheikh writes about Dr Brij Premi, “Krishen Chander and Manto have a vivid influence on the thought and style of Premi. His choice of words and felicity of his diction are superlative”. I do not, however, entirely agree with AG Sheikh. It is true that Brij Premi spent his lifetime on Manto and his works and one can see the latter’s influence on Premi’s writing in the later part of his life but fact remains that most of the short stories written by Premi had been penned down much before Manto had made any impact on his mind. Though Premi wanted to write stories based on psychology and human behaviour in the footsteps of Manto yet his own gentlemanliness and lack of exposure to what Manto called ‘Sewers of society’  became a stumbling block for him. There were no brothels to visit in Kashmir, no Saugandhis or Sultanas to keep him company nor were there any Babu Gopi Nath's to sacrifice everything for these forlorn castaways. Pushkar Nath, a well-known writer from Kashmir comments, “Those days Manto started dominating the literary scene and slowly Brij Premi got attracted towards him. Though he could not write exactly like Manto since he did not have a similar environment as Manto was beset in, yet he absorbed and assimilated each and every word of Manto and ultimately it all fructified in the form of his thesis ‘Sa’adat Hassan Manto Life and Works’. ‘Sapnoon Ki Sham’, a collection of short stories written by Dr.Brij Premi contains sixteen short stories. Most of them are written against the backdrop of beautiful lush green fields of Kashmir surrounded by blue snow- capped mountains but poverty and exploitation which resulted in pestilence and consumption ultimately take over and expose the delicate moth-eaten fabric of the society. In  “Mansbal Jab Sookh Gaya” (When Manasbal Dried), a helpless mentally delinquent servant stakes his life to protect the property of his master. In ‘Larazte Aansoo’ (Trembling Tears), a man seeking transfer on account of unhygienic conditions is asked by his boss to send his daughter which enrages him and turns him into a Socialist. “Hansi Ki Maut” (Death of a Smile) is a story of brave educated and hardworking lady who struggles all her life to support her unemployed husband and the child. ‘Bahte Nasoor’ (Festering Sores) comprises three short short-stories or what we now call Mini stories. In the first, Prakash seduces his girlfriend and later sells her in Bombay red light area. In the second, a father loses his son for mere four annas which he could not afford. In the third story, two friends are compared, one who has acquired riches while the other still remains a pauper. ‘Nanhi Kahanyan’ (possibly the word was coined to mean Mini Stories)comprises two short- short-stories. In the first, the exploitation of police is exposed while in the second a master kills his servant for not supplying him his wife. ‘Ujhri Baharoon Ke Ujhre Phool’ (The Withered Flowers of Wasted Spring) is a story revealed by a madman who loses his wife and child as a result of unemployment and consequent penury and finds his dreams shattered. In ‘Yaad’ (The Memories) the narrator keeps watching the oarsman while crossing a river. The Oarsman is lost in his thoughts trying to recollect his love-affair in youth. ‘Sharnarthi’ (The Refugee) is a story of a refugee who has lost his father defending his village and is himself crushed mercilessly by a rich man under his car. Surprisingly, the rich man is not booked by the police. ‘Chilman Ke Sayoon Mein’(Behind the curtain) is based on fetishism and has a distinct imprint of Manto in its treatment. ‘Aansoon ke Deep’ (The Tearful Farewell) is a story of a mother saying goodbye to a dying child. ‘Sapnoon ki Sham’ is a romantic story written in the style of Krishan Chander in which an uneducated woman Saaji falls in love with a village teacher who saves her life. She is later married to another person Salaama. Saaji is drowned in the rivulet flowing by while trying to build a bund on its banks to provide help to her husband. The village teacher offers a wreath of his tears to the deceased while sitting on the bank of the rivulet. ‘Mere Bache Ki Saalgirah’  (The Birthday of my Son) is a story of dreams and apprehensions with romantic narrative in Krishan Chander style. The story touches the personal life of the progressive writer who is congratulated by his friends prophesying that ‘Mao’ had taken birth in his house in the shape of his child. Needless to say that the writer must have felt proud dreaming his child to be a Mao in the making at a time when Socialism was regarded as the ultimate goal of a  civilised society. ‘Amar Jyoti’ (The Eternal Flame) is another story influenced by Socialism where a Russian lady honours a dead body by digging a grave for him under the cloud of bullets and cannons. Later on, she lights a flame on his grave. ‘Lamhon Ki Rakh’ (The Embers of Time) is a nostalgic  recollection of the narrator’s past love affair with Almas.‘Teesein Dard Ki’ (Writhes of pain) is a story of an apprehensive husband who always doubts his wife for her affair during the premarital days. On the contrary, the wife is magnanimous to look after her husband during his sickness unmindful of the treatment meted out to her by him earlier.‘Khwaboon Ke Dareeche’ ( A Peep into the Dreams) is a story based on sadism and Voyeurism and has a clear stamp of Mantovian style on it. As per Abdul  Gani Sheikh, “Brij Premi nurtured his writings with his blood and never bothered about the returns from such writings”. Moti Lal Saqi is of the opinion that “Premi’s stories describe men in bone and flesh. They transgress the romanticism of middle class and venture into the areas of spiritualism and realism together. On the other hand, Prof. Manzoor Azmi believes that “ He(Premi) creates stories by describing a chain of events but does not believe in unnecessary conflicts between the events and characters in order to give it   a  melodramatic effect.” One thing must be admitted here that Dr.Brij Premi picked up his pen at a time when the world of Urdu fiction was dominated by stalwarts like Krishen Chander, Bedi, Manto, Ashq, Ismat Chugtai and Qurratulain Hyder. The centre of activity had shifted to Bombay after the exit of Prem Chand and ‘futwas’ were being issued by writers’ organisations who would not entertain any newcomers. Under such circumstances, Dr Brij Premi had a herculean task to get himself recognised while sitting in a remote corner of India. Further, the local problems focussed by him were not considered as mainstream problems of India and therefore overlooked completely. Worse still, his state was the first state announcing land reforms bestowing ‘land to tillers’ which left no ammunition with the progressive writers of the State. Though the political instability witnessed by the state could have provided raw material to Dr Brij Premi yet he could neither afford to take sides with such elements who were responsible for creating such instability nor could he afford to subscribe to their subversive politics. It would also mean that he had to stake his job for a cause to which he did not subscribe. But then Dr.Premi  sublimated his inner desire by turning towards research work and exploring the maniacal world of Manto. Coming back to Premi’s research on Manto, Premi had to understand Manto’s mind in three phases; first, the socialist Manto, second, the Freudian Manto, and third, the real Manto. Brij Premi had already been groomed in socialism and had studied Russian writers like Gorky, Dostoevsky and Chekhov. He had also familiarised himself with the writings of the french writer Maupassant who left an indelible impression on the mind of Manto. Premi had to learn the basics of psychology and other behavioural sciences to understand the bulk of Manto’s stories like ‘Thanda Gosht’ and ‘Hatak’. Last, Brij Premi had to internalise the pain and agony of migration caused as a result of the division of the country and understand stories such as ‘Khol Do’ and ‘Mozelle’. Nevertheless,  Dr Premi has lived up to the expectations of the Urdu fraternity by documenting the life and works of Manto with deftness and dexterity. As I said earlier, we lost Dr Brij Premi at a time when he was in the prime of his life. The best was yet to come from him. Alas, nightmarish turmoil in the valley and consequent migration to inhospitable plains took its toll and snatched us of an inquisitive soul. May God bestow peace upon the departed soul.                           ********