Daily Times

Title: Anarkali

Author: Mirza Hamid Beg

Publishers: Dost Publications, Islamabad

Pages: 248, Price: Rs. 500/-

Mirza Hamid Baig has 35 printed books to his credit encompassing research, criticism, short fiction and translation work. The Baha-u-din Zikria University, Multan, AIOU, Islamabad and University of Education, Lahore conducted research on his creative work in the form of thesis at Postgraduate and M.Phil level. In 1986, he obtained PhD from University of Punjab and his topic was ‘Prose translations from English to Urdu’. Recently, he has written a novel titled ‘Anarkali’ dedicated to Akbar, the Mughal Emperor who had not let lamp burnt by Prince Loh die in Lahore Fort all his life but extinguished a small light with a blow of mouth (reference Anarkali). Mirza Hamid Beg has used a painting ‘Anarkali’ on the title of the book that was painted by artist Sughra Rababi after spending a lot of time sitting in Lahore Fort where she felt the loneliness of Anarkali. This painting had won her 1940 All India Painting Competition. Ironically, Sughra was murdered on January 30, 1994 in Karachi. Like Anarkali, she also died of suffocation.

The novel starts with the evening scene of Murree hills when the advancing cold has mage visitors either leave for Islamabad or take shelter in hotels. A shopkeeper of archival things had dozed off and the last image in his eyes was that of Mughal eyed, narrow bearded young man. He had purchased sword and its armoured dress and drove back on his horse. Suddenly, he was confronted with a big motor car honking at him and a man with heavy physique came out and shouted Mirza at the Mughal eyed person. This man known as Hud Hud (Masood) it seemed was a close friend of Sheheryar Mirza. During conversation Hud Hud asked Mirza to accompany the group to Khanaspur where the group would stay for completing paper work for their film on Anarkali. The group entered Marhaba Restaurant where a receptionist clad in Anarkali’s dress received the group. Hud Hud introduced Sheheryar Mirza as doing research on his thesis on history and had escaped from the city to take respite in the hills. Professor Nazir Barlas was introduced. Mirza offered a theory that the local believe that Noah’s ship had stopped in Lower Toppa and some ruins could be seen there. He attracted curiosity.

Mirza Hamid Beg has used a painting ‘Anarkali’ on the title of the book that was painted by artist Sughra Rababi after spending a lot of time sitting in Lahore Fort where she felt the loneliness of Anarkali. This painting had won her 1940 All India Painting Competition. Ironically, Sughra was murdered on January 30, 1994 in Karachi. Like Anarkali, she also died of suffocation

While writing ‘War and Peace’ the great writer Leo Tolstoy, witnessed his country Russia transformed into a major industrialised world power till he died in 1910.

During discourse of the novel, the debate about the destiny of Russia, whether it should join Europe in its march toward secular values and scientific thought, or reject modernisation and cherish the traditional, Asiatic elements of its culture through the characters Nicholas Rostov who dismisses modern Western farming techniques. We also see this debate in the novel’s contrast between the logical Western mind of the arrogant Napoleon and the more holistic and humanitarian Russian minds of Pierre and Kutuzov.

Mirza Hamid Beg, on the other hand, uses the conversations of the intellectuals among characters in his novel to explain various historical facts about the mystery of death Anarkali, one of the courtesans in Emperor Akbar’s court. Mir Naseem Zafar stated that he was a staunch Lahori and he could vouch for the fact that Fauq had written novel titled ‘Anarkali’ in 1899 published by Hakim Ram Krishen General Books Merchant, Katra Tarakhshan, Lahore. In this novel, Anarkali was shown as a courtesan in Akbarabad Court and that her father’s name was Mirza Aijaz. Many chits were pooled in for to propose the sentence to be given to Anarkali and the one selected said that she was to be buried alive in a wall.

It was discovered that this version became the basis of a Bengali Play. Its English translation was published in ‘Modern Review’ in Calcutta in 1919. Then its Urdu version was published in Abdul Halim Sharer’s ‘Dilgudaz’. Then Dr. Abdul Alim mentioned Anarkali, Gohar Abdur Rehman, Abas Ali Abas Dehelvi and Sri Krishen Khatri Kanpuri in his doctoral dissertation. He claimed that Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj’s play was a plagiarised version of Ambala’s drama writer SK Feroze (Page 69).

(This claim needs to be investigated). Mukhtar Nabi Qureshi’s ‘Dilaram Ka Anjaam’, Saghar Siddiqui’s poetic play ‘Anarkali’. Mahmud Hashmi’s ‘Anarkali Ki Wapsi’ and Rehman Muznib’s ‘Anarkali’ is no match.

At this moment, Dr. Surjeet Kaur came out with information on ‘Anarkali’’s transformation on celluloid. She started imparting her knowledge on various films made on the subject. The first film was Great Eastern Film Company’s silent production ‘Love of a Mughal prince’ with Sita Devi portraying as Anarkali. It was a flop due to short duration despite story written by Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj and screenplay by Hakim Ahmad Shuja. This movie was directed by two brothers Charu Rai and Parsala Rai. The support cast was Charu Rai, Maya Devi, Shakuntala, Diwan Sharer, Raj Kumari, Rafi Peer and Hakim Ahmad Shuja. Saleem character was portrayed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s grandson Swan Singh. Imtiaz Ali Taj was Akbar and Patras Bukhari, Abul Fazal. The film was filmed in Sheikhpura’s fort and Mughal Haveli in Choona Mandi. Since Lahore’s first film studio Pardhan Studio of Dilsukh Pancholi was built in 1929, the film was made outdoors and released in 1928, a year earlier. The memoirs of Hijab Imtiaz Ali confirm that the movie was produced in Lahore. This film was copied by Imperial Film Company’s Ardsher Irani. Narayan Wasaan G Thakur wrote the script and film was produced in three months and released in the middle of 1928. This silent movie had Salochna, D. Bilmoria and Mehboob in the cast; the latter became a great director later on.

The group members sharing information now recalled Bina Rai-Pardeep Kumar starrer film ‘Anarkali’ directed by Nandlaal Jaswant Laal. It was a commercial success and in Pakistan, Anwar Kamal pasha produced the same story with Nurjehan-Sudhir in the lead. Poet Tanveer Naqvi who had written songs for 1946 film (still under-production at that time) got recorded for Pakistani film. Nurjehan sand memorable songs composed by Master Inayat Hussain and Rasheed Attre (Page 75). This film was released on June 06, 1958. K. Asif’s Mughal e Azam was released on August 05, 1960 in Bombay breaking all the records of previous films made on the subject.

Dr. Nazir Barlas added that in Mughal-e-Azam, initially Saleem’s character was to be performed by Sapru and Anarkali’s by Nargis. Sapru put on weight, so the scenes were filmed again on Madhubala and Dilip Kumar by K. Asif.

The second day’s session in the novel starts with the seminar titled ‘Anarkali Haqeeqat Thi Ya Fasana’ (Anakali – truth or myth?). Mir Saheb started with the statement that on Anakali’s tomb she was buried in 1008 H (1599). Instead of reconfirming this event, the historians tried their best to negate such a happening. William Finch, a businessman was allowed to set up a factory and wrote a travelogue ‘Early travels in India’ based on his visit to Lahore Fort, Dilli, Ambala, and Sultanpur in 1611. He confirmed that Sheesh Mahal existed, a place where Akbar saw Anarkali making loving gestures to Saleem. According to him, Anarkali’s tomb was completed in 1615 located outside Krishen Nagar in the present Civil Secretariat. The two square garden next to the mausoleumdoes not exist as mentioned by Emperor Shahjahan’s son Dara Shikoh. Mir Saheb’s rest of the conversation mention the point of views of other foreign writers on this issue, some stating Anarkali as wife of Akbar, caught flirting with Prince Saleem and sentenced to death by Akbar.

A local writer Ilm uddin Salik and some other critics deny Anarkali’s episode because of the reasons that 1) Anarkali has not been mentioned in ‘Tuzk-e-Jahangiri’, 2) the silence of historians of Akbar’s era, 3) Anarkali’s name is not written on the tomb, 4) European travelers including Finch are not dependable, 5) Shish Mahal was constructed thirty years after Anarkali episode by Shah Jahan and the episode could not have taken place in 1599 as neither Akbar nor Jehangir were present in Lahore at that time. Irrespective of the truth and fiction behind this story, it is on record that Jahangir named his daughter as Nadira Begum (Anarkali’s real name). Not only that, the daughters of Shahjehan and Prince Parvez (sons of Jahangir) were also named as Nadira. Shahjehan’s daughter Nadira is buried in Lahore as she died at the age of sixteen. Shahzada Parvez’ daughter was married to her cousin, son of Dara Shikoh in 1632. She is buried near Mian Meer Tomb in Lahore. Historian Grey writes ‘When the tomb was converted to a christen church in 1852, the body was removed and reburied the left hand tower facing the mausoleum where it still remains, not far from the tombstone which ones covered the grave within the building”.

The rest of the sessions go deep into the history of Lahore Fort, the casting, music direction song writer and director of the film; Baba Chishti, Munir Niazi, Masoor Parvez etc. Discussions also proposed morning and evening Raags for Mian Tansen in the voice of Fateh Ali Khan.

After these speeches the listeners (the whole film unit) became dumbfounded and remained lost in thought. The most affected was Shazia Hayat. Meanwhile, Shaharyar Mirza witnesses a quarrel between Shazi and Sonu. Unable to accept this episode, he declines Shazia’s advances now (Page 196). The Unit leaves for Lahore. It was a sudden realisation that a man with long coat had vanished as disclosed by Raja Rasalu. Shaharyar Mirza was missing. After 27 years of absence from Pakistan, he returns to Lahore from Germany. He locates Shazi who is protesting outside secretariat saying that she was sufferer of male chauvinism and that she was Nadira, a courtesan in Akbar’s court and the white skinned people had converted her mausoleum into a church. Since they were not the rulers now, her body should be dug and see that her ears and nose was cut and she died of suffocation. The following day, surrounded by lawyers, she is seen answering the questions of media. Shahryar questioned in a loud voice whether a dark spot would still be visible on Anarkali’s right arm? Shazia Hayat recognised the voice and started walking slowly such she remains at an arm’s length from the questioner.

This novel that has an interesting plot built on the members of a film unit makes an excuse to put forward various claims made by historians and travelers – both locals and white skinned – about the myth or truth behind the death of beautiful courtesan Anarkali of Mughal Emperor Akbar’s court. The claims and counter claims have been narrated through the characters of the novel. The trip to Murree and Khanaspur for advance preparation creates impact, good or otherwise on the members of certain members of the film unit. All these ingredients make this novel interesting due to the way the author has handled this popular issue and offering his research work on this topic. This novel has given a ray of hope to Urdu fiction writing especially in the domain of novel writing.

Published in Daily Times, May 15^th 2018.