AbdulKadir’s characters come from varied backgrounds, ranging from the super-rich progeny of an Islamabad bureaucrat to the almost invisible beggars that frequent Karachi’s streets; from young maidservants to middle-aged, urbane women. What brings these stories together, obviously, is that they are set in Pakistan — modern-day Pakistan, thankfully — and provide somewhat realistic glimpses of life in the country and cities we know, rather than a contrived view with narratives that deliberate on why the samosa has three sides and why pakoras are served on rainy days.
In the first story, ‘All in the Family,’ the wife of a wealthy businessman is left aghast when her husband falls in love with another woman who convinces him to marry her. Initially, the two women spar with each other but then their husband decides to take on a third wife. This causes them to form an alliance, resulting in a shocking climax.
On the other hand, in ‘Diva,’ the protagonist Sultana meets her husband in an almost fairytale-like manner, and falls in love with him. But as it turns out, her love for music, which results in her becoming an acclaimed ghazal singer, trumps her marriage, much to her husband’s despair.
The love between the bohemian Yasmin and the stodgy Talal is the focus of ‘Two Is An Odd Number,’ a particularly compelling story in which, despite drifting apart due to their many differences, the couple manages to salvage the love that had brought them together.
Meanwhile, the protagonist in ‘A Touch of Humanity,’ a widow and a mother, searches for love — on the internet, no less — only to find a surprise awaiting her, and in ‘Behind the Lattice,’ Chumpa, a maidservant who is assaulted by one of the houseguests in the haveli she works in, realises her love for life. Her decision to change it, instead of feeling ashamed, forces her to search for new horizons rather than wasting time being belittled by the community.
One of the best stories in the collection is ‘Queen’s Garden’. Set against the backdrop of Karachi’s beloved colonial landmark, the glorious Empress Market, it tells the story of a love affair between a would-be militant and a Christian girl which results in a child who is eventually raised by a Hindu couple. In this story, Karachi’s diversity and its varied atmosphere are etched with restraint and poise to create a memorable tale.
But there is also a thread of despair in some of the stories. In ‘Misfits,’ the children of an uber-wealthy bureaucrat either surrender to society or give up and leave. In ‘Unfinished Mural,’ the artist is unable to deal with the demons that plague him. In contrast is the beggar Peeru, the protagonist in ‘CliftonBridge,’ who takes matters in his own hands, quite literally, in order to escape from the clutches of his demonic keeper and to safeguard those he loves.
Despite the range of emotions he depicts in his stories, AbdulKadir’s writing style, surprisingly, borders on the minimalistic. Not for him lengthy, flowery passages; even his most dramatic scenes avoid adjectives and instead rely on symbolism. Take, for instance, the climax scene of one of the stories in which a formerly married couple is reunited: “They walked with the crowd heading for the West End, talking in snatches. She held up the placard for a while. Then he did. They ended up holding it together.” Simple words, but they create a potent picture.
Of course, this approach doesn’t always work and sometimes results in parts of the stories, especially the dialogues, sounding as if they were better suited for a textbook. (Perhaps this is no surprise given that AbdulKadir is also a lecturer.) For instance, in a conversation between the husband and the wife in ‘Diva,’ Khalid, in a bid to stop Sultana from pursuing a career as a ghazal singer, asks her: “But how can you be sure you’re good enough?” To this she replies rather stodgily: “Ustaad Maratab Ali — the leading exponent of the raag technique — wants to train me.”
But despite this sporadic text-like approach, a few abrupt endings and characters that sometimes lack depth, this debut collection shows plenty of promise; it would be interesting, to say the least, to see what AbdulKadir comes up with next.
The reviewer’s novella Seasons of Silence will be published by Indireads, an online book
publishing platform, next month
CliftonBridge — Stories of Innocence and Experience from Pakistan
(SHORT STORIES)
By Irshad AbdulKadir
Harper Collins, India
ISBN 9789350296189
216pp.
