Known as khaka-nigari in Urdu, sketch-writing is a prose genre that has become very popular in Pakistani Urdu literature in the last few decades. This popularity owes much to the light-hearted and candid style adopted by most sketch-writers.

This candidness and light-heartedness was handed down to the genre from the earliest samples of Urdu pen-sketches: the sketch-like profiles of poets that make an interesting part of the famous Aab-i-Hayat (1880), the captivating history of Urdu poets and poetry written by the legendary Muhammad Hussain Azad. Although a pen-sketch is not intended to be a life-sketch or biography — and Azad has described the lives of the poets in addition to their literary merits and demerits — the personality traits and glimpses of the poets’ inner lives that Azad proffers in his history, in a flowing and absorbing manner, bring certain portions of the book very close to the genre of sketch-writing, which was born in Urdu a few decades later when Mirza Farhatullah Baig penned the earliest pieces.

Baig’s longish pen-sketch Maulvi Nazeer Ahmed ki Kahani Kuchh Un ki Kuchh Meri Zabani is one of Urdu’s earliest pen-sketches and paints his teacher and mentor, Ahmed, in vibrant colours. Baig’s sparkling wit, entwined with his command over the Urdu language, make the piece immortal, but his real achievement is to have pioneered a genre and defined its periphery. Now it is considered an integral part of Urdu sketch-writing to describe in a candid manner the countenance, physique and personality traits as well as disposition and to offer a peep into the inner self of the person whose sketch is being written. Another rule set by Baig is: do describe the positive sides of a personality, but it never hurts to be a bit irreverent and open-minded as long as it is based on facts and helps complete the picture. Despite Ahmed’s status as a great writer, religious scholar and mentor, Baig did not hesitate from describing some weaknesses and idiosyncrasies of a person widely known and respected. But Baig carefully saved the sketch from being grotesquely twisted or unduly distorting the person who had become an icon. Thus, balance is the watchword for pen-sketch writers and a witty, light-hearted style is an added bonus for the reader.

Part eight of the series exploring Pakistani Urdu writing over the past 70 years

The art of a pen-sketch writer is quite similar to that of a portraitist who has to depict within a frame the inner characteristics as well as the facial features of the subject. A pen-sketch must portray within a few pages the real personality hidden beneath the exterior, often concealed by the dazzling effects of charm and publicity. Urdu’s successful pen-sketch writers are those who have struck the balance while describing the personality and have also tried to find the real person behind the persona.

Some sketch-writers had proved their mettle, such as Rasheed Ahmed Siddiqi, Maulvi Abdul Haq and Chiragh Hasan Hasrat, and it was not easy to take the genre to new heights. But some writers gave new dimensions to the art by being blunt and sympathetic at the same time; some of their sketches are now considered among the best samples of the genre. One such piece, written before Independence, is ‘Dozakhi’. Written by Ismat Chughtai a few days after the death of her brother Azeem Baig Chughtai, the sketch is at once entertaining and heart-wrenching. One reason for the success of this sketch is the subject, Azeem Baig, who was an eccentric, enlightened, well-read and witty writer. The other reason is Ismat’s magical pen that turned everything it touched into a realistic-fantastic object, just as it did her brother. Though some critics believe ‘Dozakhi’ is not at all among the best ones, they concede that it is unique.

Raees Ahmed Jafri’s Deed-o-Shuneed (1948) was one of the earliest collections of pen-sketches published in Pakistan. In spite of being informative and useful, many of its brief pieces are articles and not sketches. Saadat Hasan Manto’s two collections of pen-sketches, Loudspeaker and Ganje Farishte, portray many well-known figures in a different colour. Manto, in his typical irreverent and matter-of-fact style, discovers their real personalities and says loudly whatever he sees. While he does not portray anyone as an angel, he does not turn them into Satan either, though he says that “in our society, whenever someone dies, his character is sent to be dry-cleaned and when it returns it is hung on a high, sacred clothes-peg.” Manto knows that human beings have weaknesses and he does not magnify them, but he does not believe in barely scratching the surface either. Dissecting the apparently good character to reveal the truth is Manto’s hobby. The only exception is ‘Mera Sahib’, the pen-sketch of Quaid-i-Azam wherein Manto is not in his usual own, or perhaps it was the great man who had impressed Manto thoroughly with his spotless character.

A sketch-writer known for perfecting the art of sketch-writing is Shahid Ahmed Dehlvi. His speciality is detailing the countenance and turning it into a photograph. The reader can tell precisely whose face it is by reading the description of the countenance in his sketches. After his Ganjeena-i-Gauher (1968), two more collections appeared posthumously, first Bazm-i-Khush Nafasan (1984), edited by Jameel Jalibi, and Taaq-i-Nisyan (1999), edited by Syed Muhammad Arif.

Another writer who made the genre richer is Muhammad Tufail, the editor of Nuqoosh, one of Urdu’s most distinct literary magazines. Tufail took up sketch-writing seriously and penned a large number of sketches, mostly of Pakistani writers and poets. Collected under the titles Sahib, Janab, Aap, Muhtaram, Mukarram, Muazzam, Muhibbi and Makhdoomi, these sketches unintentionally record some events and facts, too. Detailed narrations in a flowing style and a slight light-heartedness lend Tufail’s sketches readability, a quality that is becoming rarer by the day.

When it comes to readability and wittiness, Mumtaz Mufti is rivalled by few Pakistani Urdu sketch-writers. His Pyaaz ke Chhilke, first published in 1968, reappeared as Okhe Loag in 1986 with many new sketches. Its sequel Aur Okhe Loag retained the original streak of candidness and fiction-like style. Known for his interest in psychoanalysis in his fiction too, Mufti discovered the real personalities of his friends and acquaintances with surgical incision by removing the exterior guards.

Without mentioning Aslam Farrukhi the history of Urdu sketch-writing in Pakistan cannot be complete. He captured the essence of a personality with his lovely, flowing prose. His seven collections of sketches have recently been published in one volume by Lahore’s Sang-i-Meel Publications.

Some other prominent Pakistani sketch-writers are: Meerza Adeeb (Naakhun ka Qarz), Zamir Jafri (Kitabi Chehre), Shaukat Thanvi (Qaida Beqaida), Farigh Bukhari (Album and Doosra Album), Ashraf Suboohi (Dilli ki Chand Ajeeb Hastiyan), Ayoob Qadri (Karavan-i-Rafta), Nasrullah Khan (Kya Qaafla Jata Hai), Abdul Majeed Salik (Yaraan-i-Kuhan), Abdus Salam Khursheed (Ve Sooraten Ilahi), Maqbool Jahangir (Yaraan-i-Najd), Yousuf Bukhari Dehlvi (Yaraan-i-Rafta), Raheem Gul (Portrait), Nazeer Siddiqi (Jaan Pehchaan), Ataul Haq Qasmi (Ataiyye), Sadiqul Khairi (Nayab Hain Ham) and Abul Khair Kashfi (Ye Log Bhi Ghazab Thei and Saaiban Log).

Some sketch-writers who began comparatively recently include: Sabir Lodhi (Bhulaya Na Jae Ga), Ashfaq Ahmed Virk (Khaka Nagri and Khaka Masti), Shahid Hinai (Chehra Numa), Muhammad Hamza Farooqi (Ham Nafsan-i-Khush Guzran) and Tahir Masood (Koo-i-Dilbaran and Auraaq-i-Nakhwanda). These are, of course, just a few and many more can simply not be mentioned here for want of space.

Of late, a renewed interest in sketch-writing is being witnessed. Hinai has penned a couple of books introducing and defining the genre as well as offering some sample pieces. He has also written some fine sketches. Mubeen Mirza collected Urdu’s best pen-sketches in two volumes. Rashid Ashraf, too, has collected Urdu’s best and rare sketches in several volumes. Aqeel Abbas Jafri collected sketches written by Ismat Chugtai.

Pen-sketches have come of age in Pakistani Urdu literature, but most have writers, poets and intellectuals as the subject. Now what we need are some candid pen-sketches of our beloved and pious politicians. I hope we will find another Manto who did not believe in sending the character to the laundry before writing a pen-sketch.

The writer is a former chief editor of the Urdu Dictionary Board and now teaches Urdu at the University of Karachi

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, May 28th, 2017