Daily Times

Editorial of the well-established literary magazine Tasteer 6 – December 2018 issue, is very unique as it discusses the connotations of blue colour used as metaphor in literature, nature and everyday life.

There are many proverbs and sentences based on the word ‘blue’ like ‘Once in a blue moon’ meaning occasional happening. ‘Out of the blue’ means an unexpected happening. Seeing two full moons in a month is termed as ‘Full Moon’. If a full moon appears 13 times in a year, it is termed as a ‘Seasonal Blue Moon’. It happens after every two and a half years. The last we saw a Blue Moon was on March 31, 2018. Many flowers, fruits, trees, birds, ocean life and animals are named after the word blue like Blue Berry, Blue Bell, Blue Bird, Blue Fish and Blue Stem etc. Centuries ago, English ladies started using the term Blue Stockings that comprised simple dress with blue stockings especially when they gathered at literary functions. In trading, the shares of large companies are termed as Blue Chips. In many other areas of life, terminology exists with the word blue. Soft vocals like that of Talat Mahmud were termed as singing in Blue Mood. The editorial is unique in the sense that Naseer Ahmad Nasir’s research open many vistas of knowledge and social life affiliated with blue colour.

A very interesting part of the section ‘Lams-e-Rafta’ (a touch of the past) is a dialogue with the late writer, poet and column writer Munnoo Bhai by Dr Uzma Salim sometime before his demise on March 8, 2017. He was unwell and spoke in his Sundas Foundation’s office. He spoke about his childhood and youth. He used to be very sensitive child. He recalled that his father had slapped his mother on some minor issue, which shocked him immensely. He could not speak for many days but when he did, he was stammering. Dr Uzma Salim also talks about Fateh Muhammad Malik about his childhood in a separate article. In a submission titled ‘Purani Baat Hai’ (It’s an old story), Sabir from Aurangabad recalled his conversation of July 29, 2011 with Dr Zubair Rizvi. The latter recollected the hosting of Nida Fazli of April 1999 Mushaira in Lucknow where Sabir had seen Dr Zubair Rizvi from a distance. This session ended up in a video recording where Zubair Rizvi spoke of Aurangabad as a centre of literary persons in the past.

In this section, Qindeel Badar contributes some unpublished poems of Daniyal Tareer titled “Man Tashidem”, “Shabzada Sheher-e-Khamoshan” etc.

A conversation with Anwar Sen Roy is very interesting as recapitulated by Umar Farhat — Page 48. On Umar Farhat’s query whether nasari (prose) nazm or nasari (prose) ghazal is the mainstream domain of poetry, Anwar Sen Roy responds that a blunt answer shall be in negative

Sabir contributes another submission on Shamsur Rahman Farouqi in the section ‘Makalma/Masaheba’ (dialogue, shaking hands) based on his response as received in Aurangabad on May 21, 2018. Shamsur Rahman Farouqi spoke on many literary issues including fluency in reciting and writing poetry – Page 40. A conversation with Anwarson Roy is very interesting as recapitulated by Umar Farhat – Page 48. On Umar Farhat’s query whether nasari (prose) nazm and nasari (prose) ghazal is a main stream domain of poetry, Anwarson Roy responds that a blunt answer shall be in negative. From the point of view of everybody entitled to express one’s thoughts in any way one desires, choosing nasari nazm and ghazal to do so is fine. Quality of saying so in whatever format is of prime importance.

Travelogues are given in a separate section. Writing travelogues is an entertaining form of literature. One tends to mix up personal experience with the history of places visited and people met. Salma Awan, a regular traveller writes her impressions on her visit to Madrid, Spain. Amjad Sheikh visits Almeria, the last fort of Andulus. Here Muslims had constructed the largest fort on the southern strip of land in Andulus. It was the last stronghold of Gharnata and last hope of Muslims in Spain. This visit took place with the consent of author’s family. Jia Shah writes on her visit to Sayang, Malaysia.

Autobiography by Ameer Taimur is presented by Muhammad Hamid Sirajin an easy diction- Page 119. It is said that in the running the affairs of the government there were four things one needs foremost; mutual consultation, personal opinion, anticipating future happenings and awakening of mind. Taimur was an infamous Turco-Mongol conqueror and the founder of the Taimurid Empire in Persia and Central Asia. He was considered as one of the greatest nomadic rulers as he led his military all over the Asian continent.

Zafar Sippal establishes that a short man with drooping shoulders, Kant became one of the finest philosophers of the world – Page 139.

Immanuel Kant was one of the most influential philosophers in the history of Western philosophy. His contributions to metaphysics, epistemology, ethics and aesthetics have had a profound impact on almost every philosophical movement that followed him.

A wide variety of topics have been covered in two large sections of Tasteer 6 regarding criticism – Pages 147 to 295.

The works of personalities covered are Faiz by Farouqi, novel Umrao Jan by Dr Iqbal Afaqi, Globalisation & Existentialism by Dr Saadat Saeed, Albert Cameo by Nasir Baghdadi, Ghalib’s Modernism & Use Of English Vocabulary by Dr Nasir Abbas Nayyar, giving a new look to Iqbal’s thought by Dr Rawish Nadeem, Afro-Christian Poetry by Ilyas Babar Awan, Important Features Of Urdu Novel by Shair Ali Shair and analysis of Urdu novel Shehr-e-Lazawal, Abad Veerane by Safina Begum.

In another chapter on criticism, Muhammad Hameed Shahid talks about Ehsan Akbar’s works, Irfan Urfi calls Gardbaad as lament of civilisation, analysis of Naeem Baig’s short story by Dr Riaz Tauheedi, disagreements on modern poetry and Hafeez Tabasum by Muhammad Atif Aleem, a strong voice Bushra Aijaz by Dr Fakhira Naureen and short stories of Surinder Parkash by Farhat.

Dr Ghafer Shahzad travels with Mustansar Hussain Tarar in search of new truth with reference to his novel Mantaq Al-Tair, Naye Sach Ki Talash.

Spiritual and worldly people have been looking for the truth in the relationship between man, universe and God since ages. In all the eras’ philosophers, intellectuals, Sufis, prophets and holy books looked for the answer in their respective perspectives. Questions like who is the creator of universe and if it the one that created man, then who created the creator have irked man’s inquisitiveness since ages. Looking for answers the man researched and experimented at the levels of Sufism and science, body and soul, matter and energy, physics and metaphysics. A man came at Fareeduddin Attar’s shop and asked how a man dies. He lay down and said like this and he actually died. This happening developed the concept of Mantaq Altair as he starts walking looking for truth. He is accompanied by 30 birds for this purpose. They end up in finding that I am you and you are me. Mustansar Hussain Tarar’s novel’s theme is to look for the truth afresh. This novel is an important addition to literature in 2018.

A large section of Tasteer 6 is long poems and poems by Tanveer Qazi, Ammar Iqbal, Gulzar, Tabassum Kashmiri, Jalil Aali, Saadat Saeed, Jamilur Rehaman and others – Pages 300 to 467. Char Diwaari (four walls) is a new domain introduced in poetry. It comprises four lines and is different from Rubai and Qata’a – Specimen of Page 394. Translations form another section of Tasteer 6 of both of national and international literature – Pages 773 to 804. Ghazals appear from Page 805 to 852.

Music section contains this reviewer’s submission on singer Hement Kumar translated by Hafeez Tahir.

Naseer Ahmad Nasir’s quarterly literary magazine Tasteer is full of variety of topics related to literature and its continuity since many years is amazing.

The writer is the recipient of the prestigious Pride of Performance award. He can be reached at doc_amjad@hotmail.com

Published in Daily Times, March 11^th 2019.