KARACHI: It is heartening to note that Urdu literary gatherings are now going beyond the domain of the Karachi Arts Council and Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu and being organised by academic institutions in the city. One such get-together took place at the Habib University on Wednesday with short story writer, lyric-poet and television playwright Asad Mohammad Khan.

Said to be shy and reclusive, it was a treat to listen to the writer who spoke about the background and inspirations behind his well-known short stories such as ‘Basauday ki Maryam’, ‘Mai Dada’, ‘Tirlochan’ and ‘Ghussay ki Nayi Fasal’. Beginning the conversation Dr Asif Farrukhi gave a brief overview of Asad sahib’s literary achievements adding how his family came to Karachi from Bhopal. He read out a humorous excerpt about them from ‘Mairay Log’, a short note he had written at the end of his short story collection titled Khirki Bhar Aasman.

“Sixty-five clerks, three leaders, one shaheed, one Olympian, seven mechanics, two dacoits, one tanga wallah, several teachers, one muezzin and 500 good-for-nothings were born in my family!” To this Dr Farrukhi quipped that he could relate to the presence of similar people in his family, but a muezzin, how did that happen, he enquired. Asad sahib chuckled and said that the muezzin was a relative of one of his maternal grandfather’s wives. He was basically good-for-nothing and whiled his time humming. His grandfather advised the man that he could best utilise his voice by calling the faithful to prayers and earn reward on the Day of Judgement. “And that’s how a muezzin’s profession existed in my family.”

Soon after Dr Farrukhi asked Asad sahib to discuss the central character of ‘Basauday ki Maryam’. The writer said that Maryam’s character was based on a woman who was associated with his family for three generations. With a smile on his weather-beaten face, Asad sahib reminisced about her: “I was the youngest in my family and her ladla. When my mother would get upset over my antics and run after me to hit me, Maryam would stop my mother and take me to her attic where I would reside for a couple of days, hiding from my mother’s wrath.”

He further added that she was a shafeeq (kind and loving) woman and had she been alive she would have taken care of his later generations. “I have shown Asif her photo,” he added. Here Dr Farrukhi interjected and said that a photo of Maryam was not required since the writer has done a wonderful job in creating her character.

Asad sahib then went on to read ‘Basauday ki Maryam’. While reading out the story to an appreciative audience, he shared how he wrote the story while his mother was still alive. He mentioned this, perhaps, because she is one of the main characters in the story.

Asad sahib did not read out the story with the dramatic flair that Zia Mohyeddin, nevertheless, hearing those moving and humorous sentences and the unforgettable characters of Maryam, Mamdooh, Baday Miyanjee, Abba and Amma from ‘Basauday ki Maryam’ by Asad sahib was a powerful experience. After he finished the reading, both the writer and the moderator went quiet for a couple of minutes.

Dr Farrukhi then commented how Asad sahib did not write stories in a straightforward manner. The writer agreed and attributed this influence to writers like Intizar Husain who experimented with new forms in fiction. He, too, wanted to write stories in a similar manner. And thus his other well-known story ‘Tirlochan’ was cast in the same mould. “I wanted to explore new vistas in fiction. I felt deeply satisfied after I wrote ‘Tirlochan’.”

Next in discussion was the unusual character Jeem Alif in ‘Shehr Kufa ka Mehez ek Aadmi’ from his short story collection titled Burj-e-Khamoshan. Dr Farrukhi wanted to know about this character and if it was true that it was based on one of his closest friends, poet Jaun Eliya. Asad sahib dispelled the notion and clarified that it was based on Jamal Ahsani, “a remarkable and a selfless person”.

He then went on to read the story which had philosophical and cynical connotations. Dr Farrukhi remarked at the end of the reading that it seemed everyone is living in a “munafaqat ka kufa”, and Asad sahib agreed rather pessimistically. “I don’t know of any nation that is on this journey of self-destruction. We have become apathetic and have no idea what our future holds for us,” he said.

Dr Farrukhi asked him to explain the background to his short story ‘Ghus Bhaithiya (The Infiltrator) that has the Bhopal Union Carbide disaster as its theme. He said that some of his close relatives escaped the main city when the disaster struck as they were told that the air was heavily laced with chemicals and blowing in the city’s direction. “I kept following the news, heard stories from my relatives and many years later visited the victims in the hospitals. Most were extremely poor. Those who had the resources made it out of the city but were living in a barren area and leading difficult lives.” He was most impressed by the empathy displayed by Muslims and Hindus for each other. “I saw Hindus chanting sacred healing verses sitting next to Muslim patients. Similarly, I witnessed Muslims reciting Quranic translations next to unwell Hindus.” He said he completed the story after nearly two years of research.

The talk was organised as part of a series introducing contemporary Urdu writers to students at Habib University.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2015

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