Daily Times

Audience was let spellbound last Sunday night in the sweeping and dwindling candlelight in the lush lawns of the Bagh-e-Jinnah. Mehtab Jadugar and Umro Ayyar were in the mid of a dialogue. Umro was able to trap and murder Mehtab. He got his favourite confidant Barq released from captivity. There were screams, thunders and blackout on Mehtab’s death. It was like roaming in the fantasy city of Afrasiyab of Hoshroba. Soon after this performance audience burst into laughers at the narration of remarkable essay ‘Kuttay’ by Patris Bukhari to be followed by a masterpiece of Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi.

Fawad khan, Nazrul Hassan and Syed Missum Naqvi – NAPA graduates – were the magnificent storytellers. Memorising and narrating Tilism-e-Hoshroba was literally a next to impossible task done. The pronunciation, flow, expressions and stage confidence was impeccable. There was pin drop silence as the marvellous storytellers captivated all. Olomopolo arranged the event of ‘dastan goi’ in collaboration with the Punjab Council of the Arts.

Alif Leila, Tilism-e-Hoshroba, Umro Ayyar and Dastan-e-Amir Hamza, these legendry literature treasures are alien to our children. The world is awe struck at Harry Potter, while the world’s first and longest magical fantasy Tilism-e-Hoshroba was narrated in the gullies of sub-continent by local storytellers few centuries back. In 1883-1893 in Lucknow, two rival storyteller Mohammad Hussain Jah and Hussain Qamar wrote a fantasy in Urdu, the equal of which has been unheard of till today. It was over 800 pages long; this tale was passed onto them through forefathers. Truly this tale is an elaborated literary legend, weaved by a small group of storytellers. Emperor Afrasiyab was among seven immortal sorcerers of Hoshruba who could not be killed while their doppelgangers lived. Every tilism had a fixed lifespan and a key that contain its directions. The ordinary citizens of Hoshruba lived in the region of Zahir, Empress Heyrat, the ministers, peers and confidants made abode in Batin (the hidden) and Zulmat was the dark secluded region of Hoshruba. There is a bridge occupied by fairies over the river of fire and a three-tied tower rising to skies. On the lowest tier is magic fairies holding trumpets and clarions, other group of fairies on second tier are tossing pearls on the top most tier gigantic Abyssinians skirmishing with swords. After its publication many people mistakenly relates Tilism-e-Hoshroba with the tales of adventure of Amer Hamza. Dsatan-e-Ameer Hamza could be traced back to India in the court of Mughal emperor Akbar. Emperor Akbar not only enjoyed the narration but also commissioned an illustrated album of legend; it took 15 years to complete. It had 1,400 large sized illustrations depicting each episode and narration was in Persian. Only ten percent of the illustration survived but the storytellers popularised the story. Storytelling has very deep roots in our art and culture.

Storytelling is such a strong form of performing art; it’s our cultural narrative. Olomopolo, founded three years back by Kanwal Khoosut, Irum, Faiq and Vicky Zhuang, is working to revive the culture through art. Bringing social awareness. They also bring smiles and amusement to the children born with a deprived childhood. They have been performing in slum areas, churches, SOS village, hospitals and special children school. Their trainers also train the kids arrange and perform their own theatrical production. Every first Sunday they hold an Olototolo in their studio, based on activities like storytelling, singing and creativity. For next three Sundays they take the same workshop for unprivileged children. They provide a platform for marginalised communities.

Sadly we are willing to pay for the home delivery pizza or the restaurant bill, but not for a charity or cultural event. Drawing room discussions, sorry and concerns for under privileged is the best topic for a kitty evening. Our double standards do not end here. We talk of culture but shy away from our national language. Storyteller teachers in schools are hired but none of the child knows that ‘dastan goi’ is our very own heritage. Urdu literature is a bygone fashion. Wrong Urdu pronunciation on TV channels and kids unable to understand Urdu literature is a general accepted trend. We are letting go of many treasures. Spending on charity affairs, supporting art and culture, working for under privileged, promoting our own language and literature are the actual parameters of a developed society. Instead of spending on kids’ gadgets, spend time and involve them and yourself in productive activities. As in words of Mao Zedong “letting a hundred flower blossom and a hundred school of thought contend is the policy for promoting the arts and sciences and a flourishing culture in our land”. So keep the horizons of art and literature open.

The writer is a children’s right activist and a former educationist