THE first half of the last century witnessed a delectable phenomenon in the world of Urdu literature: the tendency to write humour. The first 50 years of the 20th century produced some of the best Urdu humorists.

This urge to write humour was so overpowering that aside from the ‘regular’ humour writers — such as Akber Allahabadi, Mirza Farhatullah Baig, Mehfooz Ali Badayuni, Rasheed Ahmed Siddiqi, Pitras Bukhari, Azeem Baig Chughtai, Shaukat Thanvi, Kanahiya Lal Kapoor, Shafeeq-ur-Rahaman and many others — even those who were considered ‘serious’ writers tried their hand at humour. Many were either part-time humorists or their writings had a tinge of humour and satire. For instance, Krishan Chander, Ismat Chughtai and Ibrahim Jalees are known for their wit and satire as well as fiction writing.

The period gave us some memorable pieces of humour in prose and poem. Maybe, all these dark years — the two World Wars, economic downturn and struggle for freedom against a foreign power — spurred a desire for some relief or escape and it came in the shape of humorous writings gaining popularity. The influence of western literature too might have played a role. But this humour was not without its social and political bearings.

Of these humorists, Azeem Baig Chughtai was, perhaps, the most strange: he was the chief justice in Jaora, the princely state in India before independence, suffered from different health problems including tuberculosis, and yet his writings are full of playfulness, practical jokes, naughtiness and situational comedy.

Dr Muhammad Sadiq wrote that since Chughtai was “a chronic invalid, his humour is an unconscious defence against depression.”

Dr Vazeer Agha has surmised that the playful and naughty characters in Chughtai’s writings reflect his unconscious desire to be active and playful, which he could not be since his health had never been good enough to take part in active, outdoor sports. He also wrote that Chughtai’s humour is at times based on the physical discomfort of the characters that are the target of pranks. This, he wrote, portrayed Chughtai’s tendency towards sadomasochism. But these critics were, perhaps, all too unsympathetic.

According to psychologists, a sadomasochist is someone who derives pleasure from inflicting emotional or physical abuse. Ismat Chughtai, the celebrated fiction writer and Azeem Baig Chughtai’s real sister, has described how full of life her brother was and that he had a cheerful disposition. Despite his constant ill health since early childhood, Chughtai did not suffer from depression. He laughed and made others laugh, though sometimes it was not without practical jokes. It was Chughtai who guided Ismat in her writing career and encouraged her to read extensively, especially western literature, and write. As Ismat has written, he was somewhat irreverent towards many traditional ideas but had a kind heart. Calling him sadomasochist would not be fair.

Agra was Chughtai’s ancestral hometown. His father Mirza Qaseem Baig Chughtai was deputy collector and his frequent transfers and postings in different areas meant that the family had to move to different districts in UP. Chughtai was born in Jodhpur in 1895. Having moved from Etawah, Agra and some other cities, the family finally settled in Aligarh where Chughtai did his BA and LL.B. He began his law practice in Jodhpur but his ill health was a hindrance. The Nawab of Jaora was a great admirer of his writings and he asked Chughtai to move to Jaora where he was made the chief justice. Here the weather conditions were not conducive for him and his health fell further, though otherwise he was very content and enjoyed being in Jaora. Finally, after two or three years, he had to return to Jodhpur and begin his law practice again.

Chughtai’s writing career began quite early and he penned some stories when studying in school. His first published short story ‘Angoothi ki museebat’ that appeared in Lahore’s Nairang-i-Khayal shot him to fame. Chughtai had an extraordinary ability to write off the cuff. Many of his humorous essays and short stories were written extempore. He wrote over 30 books, about half of which are novels. This also caused the standard of his writings to suffer a lapse. But some of his works are memorable pieces of Urdu humour.

Chughtai had a modernist view and supported women’s liberation. Shehzori, one of his famous novels, televised by PTV in the 1970s, tries to prove that a woman is not a ‘kamzori’ (a weakling), but she is ‘shehzori’, all powerful. This is perhaps one of the earliest feminist stances expressed in Urdu fiction. He also indulged in some controversial religious debates, especially criticising mullahs and supporting Sir Syed Ahmed Khan’s views.

Some of Chughtai’s books are Khanum, Shareer Beevee, Malfoozaat-i-Tami, Mirza Jangi, Full Boot, Vampire, Khurpa Bahadur, Jannat ka Bhoot, Rooh-e-Zarafat, Chughtai ke Afsane and Mazaameen-i-Chughtai. His collected works have been published by two different publishers under the title Majmooa Azeem Baig Chughtai.

Though Chughtai was one of the most popular humorists of Urdu in his hay day, it is quite strange that his precise date of death is not mentioned anywhere and even a dissertation on him, published from India, failed to mention it. Most of the writers have mentioned that Azeem Baig Chughtai died in Jodhpur in August 1941. But Nadeem a literary magazine of the yore years published from Gaya, Bihar, in its September 1941 issue condoled his death as Chughtai was a regular contributor. The editorial note informed readers that Mirza Azeem Baig Chughtai died on August 20, 1941.

drraufparekh@yahoo.com

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2016