For Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, it was difficult all along. He was writing verse in the times of Noon Meem Rashid, Majeed Amjad, Akhtarul Iman, Ali Sardar Jafri and Faiz Ahmed Faiz; prose in the times of Qurratulain Hyder, Abdullah Hussein, Krishan Chander, Ghulam Abbas and Saadat Hasan Manto. It bothers you less if you are a minor writer. However, for a major writer who does get a mention in the canon and receives appreciation for his/her literary merit, but long after more celebrated contemporaries, it naturally causes some angst and frustration.

Perhaps it was out of this frustration that Qasmi wrote a long, disparaging essay on Faiz, and that too after Faiz’s death. Not just Faiz’s cult-like following, but even those not among his ardent admirers, found that piece and its timing a little unbecoming of someone of Qasmi’s stature. In that same tradition, I recall Saqi Farooqui, another important poet of our times, feeling similar angst and writing a demolishing piece about Iftikhar Arif. Arif stands taller by not responding to that.

Iconoclasm of this nature, seeking to pull down either another’s work or his character traits, might suit a person such as Sarmad Sehbai who does not seek any similar prominence for himself from the same set of critics and readership that eulogise another contemporary writer. But interestingly, Sehbai has no history of writing against others. If you are a writer, pulling down a contemporary because she or he has somehow become more popular in the same genres as you will bring you no accolades. It is important for creative writers to make their contribution and then leave it to the reader to cherish, and the times to come to evaluate. Literary work is not a journalistic scoop which brings instant fame or fortune. Qasmi — who may well be less popular than Faiz in poetry and considered less significant than Hyder in prose — remains an outstanding writer, poet, columnist and editor without whom the corpus of our literature would be poorer. This fact is recognised by his serious readers and critics alike.

Apart from internal issues of canonisation and popularity, what is common to almost all our writing in Urdu, and the other languages we speak and write, is the writing’s inaccessibility to those not familiar with our languages. In the case of Urdu, this means the rest of the world. For those writing in other Pakistani languages, it is further limited to those who can only read that particular language. Besides, it is unfortunate but true that some serious but young readers in Pakistan and India are now schooled to read and appreciate texts only in the English language. This makes translations of our literary works in English doubly important; therefore, people such as Mujahid Eshai, who have taken upon themselves to translate and introduce some of our best writing into English, must be recognised and congratulated.

Eshai, a leading chartered accountant by profession, is grounded in classical and contemporary Urdu literature with a thorough command over the English language. This combination is increasingly rare in a linguistically polarised Pakistan. He first came out with translations of some selected writings of Manto in two volumes: Manto: On and About Manto and More Manto in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Now he has come out with Thoughtful Musings: English Translations of a Selection of Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi’s Columns, Essays and Short Stories, published by Sang-e-Meel, Lahore, earlier this year.

Eshai has two advantages. First, he has full knowledge of the locale, idiom, behaviour and culture that is reflected and captured in Qasmi’s prose. Second, Eshai’s rendition is accessible because of his experience of working in areas other than literature. Even complex ideas and emotions are conveyed in a lucid manner. The seven short stories that Eshai has translated for this collection are enough to establish Qasmi’s eminence as one of the foremost writers ever. Two of my all-time favourites are also there: ‘Permasher Singh’ and ‘Aurat Sahiba’ [‘Our Ladyship’]. Thoughtful Musings is a must-read collection.

The writer is a poet and essayist based in Islamabad

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, December 24th, 2017