Does a deep sense of deprivation, angst, separation and incompleteness produce a stirring narrative? One must not grope for answer if one moves closer to Urdu literature. Notwithstanding steady melting away of its script, Urdu with its much-admired expressive vocabulary and florid style, lets the listener feel a quiver of excitement run through him. It is the reason Urdu has become a mainstream medium of entertainment. Film actors and TV anchors use its emotive expressions frequently otherwise they think their story becomes vapid. Urdu words capture the imagination of the listeners. Much admired sweetness and glory of Urdu owes much to magniloquent style but brevity and prudence elude it.
To subvert the popular notion about Urdu, a reputed Urdu journal “Insha” recently published a special issue dedicated to laconic oeuvre. Rampant prolixity leaves Fay Seen Ejaz, eminent author and editor of the journal, completely exasperated, and he decides to explore the immense possibility of economy of language which Urdu poets and prose writers usually tend to ignore. He takes pains to lay his hands on scores of essay, story, travelogue, plays, light essay, poem, ghazals, memoirs that hardly exceed two pages. Truth has to be brief and terse and it cannot be stretched endlessly and this is what all the compositions included in the issue creatively articulate.
In his brilliantly written editorial, Ejaz draws a perceptive analogy between a compact text and a man sailing in a life saving boat. Man has to carry himself very carefully and in the text each word should take on itself. The writer who becomes familiar with brevity, can produce a plenteous text if need arises but writer who takes pride in using ornate language usually falters on condensation count.
The editor deserves adoration for winning over the likes of eminent authors such as Prof. Gopi Chand Narang, Gulzar, Nida Fazli, Joginder Paul, Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, Shanul Haq Haqqi, Dr. Khalid Suhail, Amjad Islam Amjad, Jayant Parmar, Abdul Ahad Saaz, Alqama Shibli, Khalid Javed, Ratan Singh, Nand Kishor Vikram, Anees Rafi, and Faheem Anwar, etc. The journal carries 23 essays, 57 tales, stories, stories in verse, pop story, 52 ghazals, three memoires, six light essays, five short plays and seven travelogues.
Much ink has been expended over the Gita but eminent scholar and theorist Professor Gopi Chand Narang in his short and focused essay describes the Gita as a key to understand Indian mind though historically it came into existence quite late in the 2 or 3 BC and India came into being much before the Christ. Gyan Yog, Karma Yog and Bhakti Yog are discussed in the Gita but Karma Yog is given the first priority which holds new promise for all those who want to set themselves free from shackles of subjugation, Narang cogently argues.
Noted psychiatrist and author Dr. Khalid Suhail aptly spells out characteristic of a person suffering from the grandiosity. They can be described as ‘Mr. Know It All’ who quotes Plato and Aristotle indiscreetly to impress the people. It is a deep rooted personality disorder and creative artists must not fall prey to it.”
Well known story writer Joginder Paul, who passed away recently, in his astutely written piece “An Eternal Moment”, discusses the elemental human predicament quest for pleasure quite poignantly. For him, pleasure or happiness cannot be bought from the Super Market through credit card. In a society where smile has become similar to a saleable commodity which cannot be possessed without money, man is destined to cry while smiling.
Gulzar’s two stories in verse are also included in the issue. Drawing heavily on wistful experience, Gulzar narrates a moving anecdote in his composition “This much she has said”. According to the story once the heroine of the story casually asks the protagonist to visit her whenever he happens to be in this area. While uttering this she stopped a while and then she disappeared. The narrator is in awe of her voice though it was withered away but the well ironed silk kurta, chosen for the possible meeting, is still lying crumbled in his cupboard though years passed. The journal does carry some fine examples of two genres which are unheard in Urdu literature. First is one line short story and the second is one line poem. Sixteen one-line short stories authored by Abdul Aziz Khan and 22 one-line poems composed by Rauf Khair are included. One-line short stories hardly capture the complexity and intensity of human experience but they do harp on irony. Ironic posing sets off a pertinently concise and contemporary definition of the one aspect of life we live in. The story “Oath”, says when an accused is administered oath for telling the truth, then why does the judge not make a promise for delivering the truth filled judgment as everyone is equal before law.
How does recommendation supersede the qualification? Rauf Khair’s one-line poem eloquently reveals “Recommendation is always bigger than qualification”. Zaheer Anwar’s short play “Artist” based on a mini story of Joginder Paul, proffers a debate on the nature of story. The play seems to be an excellent example of meta story or meta play that talks about the dynamics of art form. Brevity does produce soul stirring texts and Urdu writers must adopt it. The latest issue of “Insha” emphasises on it and Fay Seen Ejaz must be congratulated for turning our attention to significance of brevity.
