WHAT is life, anyway? And while we’re on the topic, what is death? Why bother about these questions now when it has been ordained that one must face them some day? Is there anybody who can answer any of these questions? One might as well live with this knowledge; and yet, even as one upends one’s past, present, and future in search of comfort and deliverance from this life, one’s actions are in vain because there is no comfort and no deliverance to be found. Instead, there is only a life full of drudgery, compounded by endless waiting for the end that is to come.

These are some of the philosophical questions whose various aspects Akhlaq Ansari grapples with in his collection of short stories, Saaye Mein Dhoop. Originally written in the author’s native language, Sindhi, the book has been translated into Urdu by Nangar Channa, making Ansari’s beautiful prose accessible to all those readers who are not proficient in Sindhi. Saaye Mein Dhoop is one of those rare books that really speak to the reader: one of the ways in which the book achieves this is that it aids the reader in understanding and processing the unexplained emotions one might experience at any given time. In fact, this book can very well become a journey of sorts leading to understanding and accepting one’s emotions, while simultaneously reflecting on the dichotomy between life and death, on being, on existence, as well as several other aspects of our existence.

Ansari’s anthology begins on a bleak note, with a number of stories in the beginning having a sombre tone, as their characters deal with their respective existential crises, attempting to make their lives more meaningful. They reminisce about their childhood, or any other period of their lives which they believe was happier than their present. They are simultaneously angry and bitter about their family, career, friendships, and other relationships, even their financial situations. In fact, they have become so dejected that they are now reduced to languishing in empty houses or walking amid crowds, still feeling lonely, pondering over whether or not their existence has any meaning at all. Such is the case in the story, ‘Pichla Pehar Aur Saleeb’, in which the father experiencing the empty-nest syndrome sits listlessly in the verandah of his house, recalling the happier times when his sons were younger. Many of Ansari’s characters achieve some success in their search for meaning, while some remain unsuccessful. But, all of them, somewhere deep within, are full of hope — hope, whose undertones can be found throughout the book. Thus, reading Saaye Mein Dhoop is like rediscovering one’s own quest to lead a more meaningful life.

About halfway through the book, the sombre tone undergoes a change, as indicated by the characters becoming increasingly resistant to the meaninglessness of their lives, an act that expresses their wish to have a better, more meaningful life. In fact, it is the very point where hope starts to feature more prominently in the book, which eventually ends on an entirely optimistic note with the story, ‘Zindagi ki Taraf’. In the story ‘Dukh: Be Anth Silsila’, a man, who is presumably not quite in his senses, phones a woman, who is his friend, or a former lover. This story is worth a mention not only because it is told through a phone conversation, an interesting technique, but also due to the man showing persistence in fighting against the meaninglessness of his life and whatever else that may be distressing him by forcing himself to talk to his friend and divulge as many secrets and unsaid things as possible, believing he might not get such a chance as this again. For these reasons, and for its excellent metaphors, ‘Dukh: Be Anth Silsila’ is one of my personal favourite stories in the collection.

The title story, ‘Saaye Mein Dhoop’, is especially enjoyable because of its dark humour. I found its subject matter to be the story’s most appealing aspect: the sheer futility of holding a condolence meeting in memory of a deceased person. There is usually a good chance that such a meeting may or may not do justice to the deceased’s memory. And yet, despite its futility, it is necessary to attend due to societal and family pressures; one is expected to attend such an event even if one was mildly acquainted with the deceased. Ansari has captured the tedium of such gatherings so perfectly that the story’s many characters are easily identifiable. Although the story might seem humorous at first, its seriousness eventually makes itself apparent on further close reading.

Ansari’s grasp of the stream-of-consciousness method is delightfully exceptional. The level of competency achieved by the author reminds one of writers such as Virginia Woolf and James Joyce — the masters of this method. His exquisite use of figurative language, particularly metaphors, his sensitive treatment of his subjects, and his tendency to subvert the traditional techniques of the short story makes his prose so compelling that it has a most profound effect on readers. Although the sombre tone might detract the reader at first, the reading gets easier as one steadily works one’s way through the table of contents.

Saaye Mein Dhoop is an unforgettable read, especially important for those readers who are interested in existential literature, philosophical fiction, and particularly for those who have previously enjoyed the works of the Victorian writer Thomas Hardy, besides Woolf and Joyce.

Saaye Mein Dhoop

(SHORT STORIES)

By Akhlaq Ansari

Scheherzade, Karachi

Publisher’s contact: info@scheherzade.com

144 pp.