November 21 , 2008
Chitranwala Katora and Chutkiyan
These two books in Urdu are highly entertaining and I have therefore little hesitation in recommending them to all readers who have a taste for Urdu literature. It is worth mentioning here that both writers are American citizens.
The first title, Chitranwala Katora, which may be translated as the Garnished Goblet, is a collection of some forty verbal profiles and sketches by Dr. Syed Amjad Hussain, whose columns have been appearing on this very page of Pakistan Link for several years past. Also, he contributes a column for the op-ed page of daily Blade of Toledo (Ohio).
This is his eighth published work. And, interesting enough, all his books are on non-medical subjects despite the fact that he is a well-known cardiac surgeon and a professor emeritus at the medical college in Toledo, Ohio. He is a man of versatile talents. He is a linguist with proficiency in half a dozen languages, an award-winning writer in Urdu, a connoisseur of music, a columnist and commentator, and an adventurer -the first person to travel the entire course of the Indus river by boat, raft, on the back of a horse or yak, or on foot.
Decades back he left Peshawar, his beloved native town, and came to the United States for post-graduate studies in surgery, accomplished that objective, married an American lady, raised a family and settled down in Toledo, Ohio. But his intense love for Peshawar and its cultural ambience kept drawing him to that city at least once a year. Several of his books are about Peshawar.
His latest publication, the Garnished Goblet, too is essentially a portrayal of the cultural milieu of Peshawar of the days that Dr. Amjad was growing up --almost half a century back.
Peshawar got sucked into the post-Soviet-invasion turmoil of Afghanistan and underwent the cataclysmic impact of the influx of Afghan refugees and the war next door. But, Dr. Amjad does not dilate on the changes. He has simply presented the images his superb memory had preserved intact for so many decades. He views these images in his goblet like emperor Jamseed of Persian fable.
His profiles and sketches are, however, based strictly on facts without any embellishment of fiction. But his unique style, his sense of humor sans sarcasm, his grasp of the things and events that hold human interest, his simple but elegant prose, all combine to make his narrative as arresting as a good work of fiction.
One cannot but marvel at his memory which has retained the minutest details of events that had occurred some half a century back. That is uncanny; and, it can hardly be attributed to any magical faculty of his goblet. It reflects instead the magical prowess of his mind.
The book carries profiles and sketches of Dr. Amjad’s medical college friends, his neighbors, relations and acquaintances of Peshawar, and a couple of Pakistani-Americans who became his family friends in the U.S. Although he is writing about these persons, he is unconsciously disclosing his own childhood, adolescence, youth and family traditions and values.
The picture that emerges is of an intelligent, hardworking and ambitious person hailing from a middle-class, noble and well-respected family who makes good in life but who cherishes his past despite its episodes of deprivation, want of adequate resources and creature comforts. He has himself explained it well: “Let me say that I remember my past, holding it dear to my heart, but I am happy and satisfied with my present too. I am sailing in two boats at the same time. Both are floating side by side. I don’t have to put a foot in each of these two…the glare of the present does not blur in my sight the shadows of my past. In life journey, the most important landmarks are always borrowed from the past.”
Dr. Amjad has earned the gratitude of students of Urdu literature in the U.S. by bringing out this piquant yet captivating literary work. It is priced at $15 per copy and can be had from Literary Circle of Toledo, 2836 Manley Rd., Maumee, Ohio -43537.
CHUTKIAN
This is the title of another captivating Urdu publication. Literally it means ‘pinches’ but, in the idiomatic sense that it has been used, it stands for tickles and tingles or something like that. It is a compendium of Syed Asadullah Hussaini Chakkar’s humorous poems. Asad is a friend and our friendship spans over the past sixty years. We became class fellows in college. I was focused on my studies and the merit I was seeking for scholarship. He had, on the other hand, a multifaceted personality.
He was interested in sports, athletics, and above all in music. He had learned classical music’s ragas and acquired a degree of proficiency in playing ‘tabla’(drums). He would often miss classes as he would have spent the best part of the preceding nights playing ‘tabla’ in the concerts of some accomplished singers. So much so that he was not allowed to sit in the B.A. exams as his attendance in certain subjects was below the required minimum.
He passed the exams a year after me but we continued to be friends. I spent another four years at the University while he joined government service soon after graduation. What is noteworthy is that he spent over thirty years after that dedicated chiefly to music.
In his school days, he was a favorite disciple of the famous Urdu poet Fani Badayuni. Not many Urdu poets could reach the level of Fani in respect of the portrayal of pathos.
When after a hiatus of almost half a century we met again in Los Angeles, I was surprised to learn that Asad had become Chhakar and a leading writer of humorous poetry. This was all the more surprising for me as he had been a disciple of Fani, well-known for his pessimistic poetry (Qunutiyet).
Asad informed me that he had resorted to poetry to give vent to his reactions to the libertine norms in gender relations in American society. What started as a catharsis became a significant contribution to the humorous poetry in Urdu language.
His humor falls more in the category of wit than in that of satire. He is no reformist. He knows he can make no dent on the cultural milieu in this society. Being basically a truthful, honest person, he does not caricature the shape of things that come to his notice; he simply underlines the wrinkles and distortions and subtly tickles the readers by pointing out the oddities. He uses profusely English expressions to be closer to reality and the indigenous culture.
I was present in the function in Los Angeles at which the book was launched. Literally dozens of poets and writers of California and elsewhere paid glowing tributes to the genius of Asad. I really felt elated that my friend had received what he richly deserved.
In the stressful society of this country, the book provides a good escape from the nagging realities of unpleasant moments. If you feel the stress, read a few poems from the book. It would divert your attention, relax you and wane the stress.
The book is priced at $10 only and can be had from the poet himself at (818)-982-2008.
(arifhussaini@hotmail.com Ph: 714-921-9634 )
