Faiz centenary and a book of candied barbs

National Language Authority brings out compendium on poet's work and life.

With only a month remaining for celebrations in connection with the Faiz centenary next year (2011), the National Language Authority has scored a first by bringing out an excellent compendium on the poet’s work and life. It comprises a fine selection of critical essays by eminent scholars and miscellaneous writings about him of his contemporaries and friends recounting their personal memories and assessments of his personality.

How Faiz is loved and revered so many years after his death, despite the malicious campaign of vilification that jealous rivals and reactionary agents pursued him with throughout his living days, can be seen in the voluntary efforts by his admirers whose number does not lessen to make the centenary a year long and global affair.

Our friend Rahat Saeed, a founder of the eminent progressive journal Irtiqa and the spirit behind the revival of the Progressive Writers Movement, whose smoke choked lungs bar his mobility, has returned last month from a two month tour of Europe and England which he specifically undertook to organize activities of literary groups there around the Faiz event.

In addition to the Faiz book, Muqtadera has also brought three similar collections of essays and articles on Mir Taqi Mir, NM Rashed and Meeraji. Together these collections make a valuable provision of critical resources for researchers who would greatly be facilitated in their work in finding such material in one handy volume.

It’s a twilight period though in Iftikhar Arif’s extraordinary career as a manager of literary activity in the country during which he has presided over the most productive years of the Pakistan Academy of Letters and the National Language Authority, yet he is not seen resting on his oars. He and Muqtadera will be remembered for producing these comprehensive reference works  on these important Urdu poets.

BORED OF VIRTUE

Our national language has got so mixed up with English that like conjoined twins the two are inseparable. Even the Muqtadera whose basic concern is Urdu recognizes and acknowledges this reality. Now the other day it was co- host (with Islamabad Cultural Forum) of a sitting over tea to discuss a book of English essays by a very versatile young man, Mohammad Ali Khan, who is a banker by profession, an engineer by education, an actor of TV plays and an innkeeper’s apprentice at one time. And now, at last, despite his father, Mukhtar Ali Khan aka Parto Rohilla’s efforts to keep him safe from unrewarding pursuits, he has plunged himself right into what Oscar Wilde described as the ‘quite useless’ territory of art. Happy with his son’s return to prodigality, the eminent Ghalib scholar decided the writ of the genes was beyond control after all.

Bored of Virtue is a collection of over 30 pleasing essays on subjects as varied as from a spiritual visit to   Barri Imam to a carnal trip to Pattaya, Thailand, and from a supplication to the Almighty for his promotion  to an angry letter to a neighbour whose rooster chooses the wrong hour to crow. Ali khan who calls himself  the curator of a financial museum was described as the ‘Elia’ (Charles Lamb) of Pakistan by our sole futurist Dr Ikram Azam, and ‘Mushtaq Yusufi of Anglo-Pak humour’ by (former?) poet and politician Harris Khalique who saw the similarity in their being bankers. Ashfaq Salim Mirza read interesting passages from the essays and corrected the impression that Helen, one of the essayist’s subject, was from Troy. Professor Rahila Durrani read a very literary piece that was full of stylistic flourishes. Parto Rohilla’s comment had the touching affection of a father who had been a bit late in seeing his son’s point of view. Iftikhar Arif spoke about  South Asian writers who chose English for their literary expression and met with reluctant approval in the native land.  Naipaul and Rushdie both had to adopt very controversial positions to get the native nod. But whether one wrote in one’s own or in an alien adopted language unless the writing had roots in the soil it would lack the genuineness true art demands for acceptance anywhere. Dr Tariq Rahman spoke about the politics of literary awards and the great artistry with words one needed to create humour.

Essay writing has fallen on bad times. Only political essays are being written when there is so much in life to write about. Essays one writes for one’s own pleasure, to explore the possibilities of a subject that comes to mind, or a person, place or a thing. Ali khan in his essays presents a pleasant blend of satire and humour. He is able to give a fresh look to the familiar. His observation is sharp in noticing the inner ironies of a situation and his character studies show the depth of his perception. His essays will be enjoyed for their sophistication and delicacy and what he leaves unsaid.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2010.