Daily Times

Title: Bayaz – May 2018

Editor: Imran Manzoor

Publishers: Bayaz Group of Publications, Lahore

Pages: 257, Price: Rs. 100/-

Short story titled ‘Qissa Kahani’ by writer Seema Piroze’s in the latest issue of monthly literary magazine Bayaz (May 2018) pertains to the power of motherly love whether in humans or in the animals. It recalls the story telling of grandmother about the adoption of a fawn (the baby dear) and sense of deprivation after its loss. Deer are part of the Cervidae family that includes moose, reindeer, elk and other species. This reviewer has seen them in the National Parks in Alberta, Canada.

The concept of ‘Tawaif’ (dancing girls) where respectable families used to send their children to learn etiquette of life in good old days does not exist anymore. Umrao Jan who was forced to become a ‘Tawaif’ by circumstances ended up becoming a very good poet (reference Mirza Hadi Ruswa’s novel (1899)). According to the novel, the story of Umrao Jaan was recounted by her to the author, when he happened to meet her during a poetry recitation session in Lucknow.

The author along with Munshi Ahmad, a novel and poetry enthusiast present at the gathering, convinced Umrao Jaan to share her life story with them. The novel is written in first person as a memoir. The point this reviewer is trying to make is that even Umrao Jan was forced into a sexual act by one of the touts of Khanum Jaan. Umrao also loses her love for a Nawab’s son due to conspiracies. Azhar Munir’s story ‘Dhamki’ (threat) is all about Shado, a prostitute who falls in love with a shy visitor and is threatened by her Sarangi Player if she became serious about the visitor (Page 30).

Tasneem Kausar’s story ‘Laal Note’ (Red currency note; Rs. 100/- in Pakistan) relates to a different theme of how circumstances changes the destiny of people. The narrator is mother of Manahil who has taken outstanding marks in her examinations but money is not enough with mother to pay her fee. The latter had rejected a match in her youth of a person Waqar Afridi to whom she was confronted with for this favour as Administration In-charge of the college. Afridi obliges with fifty per cent concession but leaves her dumbfounded when he also hand over some red currency notes on way out. The narrator keeps on wondering whether this gesture was a sympathy gaining gesture or making her feel a deprived person.

The short stories always appeal to this reviewer for their brevity and bereft of details. Mumtaz Rashid Lahore who is a known poet has entered into the domain of short story writing. His short story ‘Naya (new) Mobile Phone’ tells of the honesty of labourers who return him his new mobile phone that he had left at a photographer’s shop whereas some time ago some well-dressed youngsters had snatched his phone on gun point. He is trying to prove that honesty still exists among the poor. This issue of ‘Bayaz’ also contains short stories by Habib ur Rehman, Saba Mumtaz Bano, Syeda Rubina Bukhari and Sumera Kayani; all new names. An interesting critical appraisal is seen in Ghulam Nabi Awan’s essay titled ‘Durdana Nausheen Khan Ka Fun-e-Afsana Gari’ in which he has introduced the art of short stories writing of Durdana. The lady lives in deep rural area ‘Taleeri’ in the vicinity of Muzaffargarh. She has been writing since many years content with her quiet abode. She has written six books of short stories. Three book’s titles have a word ‘Rait’ in them like ‘Rait Main Nao’, ‘Raig Mahi’ and ‘Rait Kei But’. The themes of each of her stories have distinct locale, time and social affiliation. The language used is as per the time she lives in while narrating her stories (Page 83).

While writing on the short story compilation titled ‘Kaaf” by Syed Majid Shah, Durdana does not agree with Prem Chand’s definition of ‘Afsana’ (short story) – Page 105. Prem Chand had contended that every nation’s literature is representative of the era in which it is written. This literature therefore is reflection of the mindset of the people. Durdana argues that saying this much should be enough. Basically it is written based on the emotions, thought and psychology of the writer. It is the observations and the reaction therein that formulates a creation. It so happens that the continuity of this process sometimes labels him to a particular theme or topic. Saadat Hassan Manto for example, wrote his short stories in the backdrop of the bloodshed and murder at the time of India’s division. Instead the readers started looking at the element of sexuality in his stories!

The editor observes that while looking for any consolidated collection of ‘Bolian’, a popular format of Punjabi poetry, he was unsuccessful. In this scenario the research on this subject by Muhammad Saleem Tahir became handy who is otherwise known as a prolific poet and show-biz man. ‘Bolian’ is a combination of two not necessarily balanced lines in which are embedded with the most beautiful meanings. Some ‘Bolian’ have unassuming meanings but the connotations of various hidden layers are striking. Punjabi is a simple language devoid of any donnishness and what is said is from one’s deep inside leaving a bearing on one’s heart. ‘Bolian’ therefore move human being’s brains from static behavior to a dynamic one. As far as its structure is concerned, its first line is a balanced one but the second one is not. If the second line is also balanced, it would become a couplet. So as far as rhyme is concerned it differs from that of a Ghazal, Mahiya or Tappa. One of Saleem Tahir’s Boli is ‘Ohde Haasian Nei Chananan Khalaria/Tei Hanerian Ich Raula Pei Gaya’ (Her laughter made everything bright and darkness started crying in despair) – Page 75.

An essay by Dr. Ghafir Shahzad on Neelum Ahmad Basheer’s novel ‘Taoos Faqat Rung’ is a part of Bayaz – May 2018. He observes that Neelum’s hard work is visible while writing this novel as it is linked with nine-eleven episode of America. The lives of various characters that fall victim and the way this unfortunate accident adversely affected their existence is the main discourse of this novel. In this reviewer’s book review on March 18, 2018 in this daily, it was observed ‘the story has so many characters that go through the backgrounds of their parents and heritage. The story though relates to the present day but has been historically linked with the happenings of the past, especially the American history’s happenings in 1977 and 2006. Neelum had managed to keep the narrative as simple as possible with easy diction and vocabulary. Novel writing is not much in vogue and must be kept alive in Urdu literature. Neelum’s novel under review is one such good attempt. This reviewer has read Zafar Mahmud’s novel ‘Taees Din’ (1997) a mystery thriller and again a mystery thriller by Muhammad Haseeb of King Edwards Medical College, Lahore titled ‘the wave of Sibyl and the Parchment of Duplex’ comprising his work on Sibyls. The word Sibyl, it was discovered comes via Latin from the Greek word meaning prophetess. The earliest oracular peeresses known as the sibyls of antiquity, “who admittedly are known only through legend” prophesied at certain holy sites, under the divine influence of a divinity, originally at Delphi and Passions, one of the chthonic deities’. It is sincerely hoped that more young writers enter shall enter into the domain of novel writing.

This issue of Bayaz also contains large sections (Page 115 to 179) on Ghazals, and on poems (Page 228 to 248). Autobiographies by Shaukat Ali Shah and Piroze Bakht Qazi form the contents another section (Page 180 to 195), novel “Jala Jo Kal Ashian’ by Salma Awan and a corner on Asad Ehsan (Page 205 to 227). The duty of continuity of printing Bayaz with regularity that was carried out by late Khalid Ahmad till his demise is now carried out by editorial board comprising Najeeb Ahmad, Ijaz Rizvi, Nauman Manzoor, Jahid Ahmad and Haziq Asad under the umbrella of Editor Imran Manzoor. We get to receive literature every month in affordable price.

Published in Daily Times, May 11^th 2018.