An ode to Musaddiq Sanwal

The session kicked off with a recitation of Sanwal’s prose poetry by Hasan Zaidi

KARACHI:

The not-very-princely Princess Hall at Beach Luxury Hotel was houseful over an hour before the launching session of Kitab-e-Muntashir: Ye Natamam si Eik Zindagi Jo Guzri Hai, a collection of poetry penned by the late editor of Dawn.com, Musaddiq Sanwal.

The book was being launched on the third day of the sixth Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) on Sunday. The posthumous publication’s gist was deconstructed by writer Mohammed Hanif and columnist Wusatullah Khan in a discussion moderated by filmmaker Hasan Zaidi. The room was full of buzzing young satire enthusiasts and the old camaraderie of Sanwal.

Phir le chali hai rasm-e-wafa asal daastaan

The session kicked off with a recitation of Sanwal’s prose poetry by Zaidi, which was frequented by all the speakers during the entire hour.

Much to the disappointment of a great number of the attendees, the session was more about Sanwal and less about Khan’s subjective analyses and Hanif’s satirical commentary that have swayed a generation.

Khan shed light on the multifaceted personality of the mysterious man. “They say Sanwal was a poet, a teacher, a musician, a politician, a soldier’s soldier. To me he is Mohan Jo Daro - still being unearthed.” Khan read out an excerpt from one of Sanwal’s writings: “Countries are a result of geographical calamities. People love their country because they feel someone has stolen it from them.” Khan said the man invented his own lexicon of odd idioms to express his innate angst.

“I fear someday Shehla Bhabhi [Sanwal’s wife] might come across another paper while cleaning his study and we get to know that he was a scientist as well,” he quipped. Geniuses know a time will come when their mettle will be recognised, he said, summing up his ode to an old friend.

Hanif established his already awaited authority on the subject and said he and Sanwal, wooed by city life, had come to Karachi together. He recollected their early days and how they were known among their circles as a ‘notorious couple’. “Sanwal used to cram visitors in his one-room apartment. It was exactly the way we have gathered here today. Perhaps he is still doing his job.”

There is a fine line between plain stupidity and sheer relentlessness, and Sanwal owned that territory, he said. “This is my third close friend to come to KLF, and the first to come posthumously.”

Zaidi reminisced the day Sanwal got to know about his ailment, he became even more strong and began penning down his untold story. The session ended with an audio clip of one of Sanwal’s recitals, leaving his comrades teary-eyed and the younger lot inspired.

Agar ye neend hai thehro mujhe jagao nahin

Agar ye maut hai choro mujhe uthao nahin!

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2015.