Stories from Pakistan: Writer of Clifton Bridge proves he is an advocate of love

Barrister at law Irshad AbdulKadir says he was inspired by Noor Jehan for Diva’s character.

KARACHI:

Cambridge graduate and a barrister at law Irshad Abdul Kadir is an advocate of love. He proves this in his fictional debut collection of short stories, titled Clifton Bridge: Stories of innocence and experience from Pakistan.

Touching upon social issues, Kadir tells the reader stories of people who break free mentally or physically from their suffocating lives. “The idea of writing came after a friend suggested that I should write, and since the skill was there, the stories seemed to flow out of me,” he said. “The sources of these stories have been the people I’ve met or something that I’ve seen that triggered the plots.”

Set in modern-day Pakistan, Clifton Bridge is a light read, inclusive of 10 fictional stories about love, power, and the search for a meaningful life. The characters range from a feudal landlord and remorseful talib to beggars, bureaucrats and women of all nature. While most of the stories leave you wondering of what happens next, the author makes his characters come to certain realisations. And as each story unfolds, a new emotion surfaces, combined with love, which helps the characters feel liberated.

The most heart-gripping stories have to be ‘Clifton Bridge’, ‘Queen’s Garden’ and ‘Through the Lattice’. In each story, the protagonist is extremely disturbed by the events that have taken place. From the beggars who try to escape their master in ‘Clifton Bridge’ or the religious and moral realisation of a talib in ‘Queen’s Garden’ to the unjust treatment of a servant girl in ‘Through the Lattice’, the author succeeds in emotionally charging the reader.



The book also shows women in powerful roles whether she’s a poor servant, a classical singer or a wealthy wife. In ‘All in the Family’, the money-hungry wives will go to any lengths for their husband’s wealth, and ‘Unfinished Mural’ brings out the classic case of a possessive mother who haunts her son even after dying.

Diva’s character is especially close to Kadir. “Diva was inspired by the singer Noor Jehan,” he explained. The first time he met the famous singer was when she was 16 and then he saw her years later when she was much older. “She spoke about the burdens an artist bares. She told me her talent pressed her,” Kadir recalled. “She said ‘I’m in a world of my own, and when I sing I respond to the call of nature. I had to completely balance the two, but singing is primary in my life. I can never tell my family that, it’s a tussle that will go on till the day I die’.”

The story ‘Diva’ takes the reader through the life of a passionate singer, while ‘A Touch of Humanity’ revolves around a widow who heads an NGO and has no time for romance.

As the reader gets addicted to reading one story after another, Kadir conveniently fits in social issues of survival, corruption, frustration and taboos. Overall, the book is an easy read, with detailed stories and realistic characters that leave you with an afterthought.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2013.