Novel explores Pakistani widow's Iranian journey

The genre of South Asian fiction written in the English language is an intriguing draw in the literary world, and Pakistan boasts a niche, yet budding industry that contributes to it.

"Biryani and Tahchin", a slice-of-life story about self-discovery, with a touch of cross-cultural romance, by debut author, Raazia Sajid, is one such read which has recently hit the market.

The novel was launched at the National Incubation Centre (NIC), Islamabad with several literature enthusiasts and curious readers in attendance.

The launch was moderated by book reviewer, Mona Raza, who introduced the book as the journey of a young Pakistani widow pursuing her studies in a foreign land – Iran, as the name of the dish in the title, Tahchin, suggests – who is able to connect with herself while discovering a culture so different from her own.

A lot lies in the title and the invitingly colourful illustration on the cover of the book, which use Biryani, and its Iranian counterpart, Tahchin, as indications towards the parallelism of two cultures coming together in an exploratory and heartwarming way. They also hint at the alternating point of views between the Pakistani girl and her Iranian friend that the book is structured into.

That many – especially women from Pakistan – find a sense of liberation when they are situated in a typical Western setting, has become an oft-used trope. However, one of the most interesting aspects of "Biryani and Tahchin" is the presentation of a Middle Eastern country – one that, as audience members pointed out, is a target of fearmongering – in a culturally-rich and inviting tone.

As the author went onto talk about her writing process and how she took inspiration from her own experience completing her master's degree from Iran, several interesting themes and questions came up. "I was inspired by the open and jolly nature of the Iranian people I have met. How expressive they are of their views, and how progressive they are despite living in a system that mandates women to cover up," she said.

Audience members had their interests piqued, as they questioned what makes the neighbouring country, which shares much of the same religious and traditional values, so different? Whether women, and men, are customarily restricted in Pakistani society from truly being independent and is the answer breaking away from it? 'So, the girl's husband dying at the start was what allowed her freedom?' one listener joked.

Following the author's talk, people gathered around for the book signing and grabbed their own copies of the novel. The book is published by Reverie Publishers, a publishing company which aims to encourage fiction writing by up-and-coming writers in Pakistan.

The Express Tribune spoke to Reverie Publishers founder and author, Safina Danish Elahi, about the publishing industry in Pakistan. "Fiction in Pakistan is a very small subset of publishing. English Fiction is even smaller. We do four to five books a year, a few other publishers do the same, perhaps 30 fiction books come out at most," she said.

She went onto explain that it's a very challenging industry, especially, at a time when interest in reading print media is on the decline, and the overall cost of publishing is high. "We are missing things like a good distribution network and readers willing to spend on books. However, we still persist, and we are looking into alternatives like digital publication and audiobooks," she said.