I feel privileged having seen and heard Swami Ramganatahnanda in person. He was a philosopher and the head monk of Belur Math, the H Q of Ramakrishna Mission, Howrah. This is what he once said about great writers. According to him every great writer has five traits worth noticing.
(1) He is nobody’s close friend nor anybody’s foe. He is what Kabir says, ‘ Kabira khada bazaar mein sab ki maange khair na kahoo se dosti na kaahoo se bair ’. Then alone he can observe. Then alone can he accept people as they are.
(2) He is his own teacher. He practices the Upnishadic doctrine of Neti Neti for ‘self evaluation’, correction and education to attain perfection.
(3) He is into the ordinariness of the world but always above it. This also implies a little detachment.
(4) His thoughts, actions and deeds are meant to integrate, unite and connect.
(5) He possesses extraordinary memory.
All this is true for Padamshri Pran Kishore Kaul. He is truly in the category of great writers. He remains an encyclopedia and storehouse of knowledge about Kashmir’s history, culture, folklore, art, theatre, traditions and anything and everything connected with its past.
And if you have to write history of broadcasting in J&K, you have to give him frontal position as the pioneer. This equally applies if you deal with drama and theatre in Kashmir.
And he is the originator of radio drama in Kashmir. The awards, honours that he earned, his other books, plays and paintings I may not discuss upon this moment. The greatest and the priceless award that he carries is the love of his people. May it always be with him.
That was about Padamshri Pran Kishore Kaul the author of the book. Coming to the book, let me thank Prof. Shafi Shauq for his beautiful introduction to the book. The Preface to the book is equally wonderful so is the editor’s note at the last. That makes me to believe that a good book is good in all its aspects. I shall try to do justice to my review by touching the broader aspects of the work without going into specifics of the plot.
The novel has been structured in a commendable manner that conveys author’s command over the art of novel writing. As the novel begins, one can feel a sense of urgency created by the author. The unresolved conflict between characters and the logical flow of the novel keeps you engrossed and engaged. The author approaches each chapter with a specific goal. Thenovel’s narrative presents both; scenes and dramatics which are well balanced. I can feel that the manuscript of the novel has gone through the mill of author’s Neti Neti. The theme, characters, setting, plot, conflict, point of view, and style of the novel catches and holds the reader’s attention. The author neither imposes anything nor is judgmental in any chapter. He does his job by carrying the reader attentively along with his script. Here is an author who uses the lyricism and pathos of Zoon’s poetry as an aid to story presentation. For this, the selection of the verses is apt and appropriate. Some of the most popular verses appear in the novel and keep the reader gripped apart from helping in the smooth flow of the story.
I quote:
“Tulie naar chhum lalavun moore,
Kainsi maa raavin shoore paan.”
(‘What blazing fires I nurse within!
May no one’s childhood vanish thus.’)
‘‘Vaaerivyen sayaet vara chhas no,
Chara kar myon maalino ho.”
(I feel devastated in my husband’s house,
Redeem me, o ye my parents.)
“Mey kaer tsey kity’ poshi dasvanai,
Chhaav maeny daanai posh.”
(‘I’ve made posies and posies for you, my love,
Enjoy my pomegranate blossoms!)
“Tsu Kamyiu Swoni Myaani bram dith nyoonakho.
Tse kyoho gayee myaany duy.”
(‘Which rival of mine has lured and held you?
Why this hate for me?)
The author has amazingly intertwined history, culture, scenic beauty, folklore, poetry, geographical features, social life, feudal structure of rural society and above all skillfully combined facts and fiction to present something that is readable, enjoyable and comprehensible. For me, fiction remains the real test of a writer. It demonstrates his skill, style, power of imagination and ability to put forth details. I feel happy to say that the author excels in this arena as well. At many places, I observed cinematic brilliance in his style of depiction of events and scenes. This brilliance is bound to attract wider audience. Possibly this could be the result of his scripting some of the most popular and successful television serials. Should Muzaffar Ali ever decide to start his Zooni project ab-initio, I hold a strong belief that he can not get a better script than this book under review.
Nostalgia is another aspect that visits the reader who has lived the situations and happenings dealt in the novel. I may make specific mention of the terms like Sufiana music, Rishi order, Bhaand Pather, Dambaali, Maktab, Tumbaknaari, Maenzraat, Bhandaar, Navreh, Navroz, Chill e Kalaan, Vathal, Dwodh Mae, Lal Vaakh, Shrukh, Gulistaan Bostaan, etc. In recent past these things were a part of our living.
Another interesting aspect observed in the book by me are the names and actions of the characters like Abdi Rather, Mala Ded, Rahti, Qadir Dar, Gani Magray, Ustad Kabir Joo, Subhan Sahib, Nabira Pista, Khwaja Sharif ud Din, Zoon, Zaildaar, Kamaal, Gul Mehar etc. These characters look familiar and easily identifiable the way they are presented. We have lived with these names and situations that they are put into. These characters open floodgates of sweet nostalgia. The simplicity of Abdi Rather, Mala ded, Rahti is appealing. So is the truthfulness and professional competence Ustad Kabir Joo impressive. Gul Mehr is positive and sacrificing. The character of the talkative and dwarfed barber Nabir Pista is funny and enjoyable. Pista wants to poke his nose in every affair of the village. Rebuke him or ward him off, he is there still. We have many such characters in real life. Towering is the characterisation of Zoon. As the novel progresses, her character keeps growing, developing, changing and getting stronger. In the novel we see Zoon, the simple and poor girl gradually maturing to a beautiful damsel who sings her lyrical poems and loves to remain in the lap of the nature until she encounters Sultan Yusuf Shah Chak. As she grows, her songs turn popular and are sung by women from nearby villages.
Zoon’s love journey begins with Kamaal, a handsome boy from a well off family. This union is unacceptable to the orthodox society where economic equality is the touchstone for alliances. It is practically impossible for a poor peasant girl to dream her alliance with a Zaildaar’s son. Dejected, she agrees to marry Aziz lone a spoiled brat and good for nothing fellow. This marriage brings only misery for her. She is ill treated. After being thrown out by Aziz’s family, she leads a life of suffering till her encounter with Yusuf Shah Chak. She now becomes Habba Khatoon, the queen but dark clouds of political uncertainty are hovering over Kashmir’s sky. Mughals are hell bent to annex Kashmir. Yusuf Shah Chak is trapped and banished to Bihar and he dies in Odisha. The author makes simple characters like Khatji, Rahti, Sonderi Qadir Dar, Abdi Rather, Maala Deyd stand up with powerful men Yusuf Shah Chak, Yaqoob Shah Chak, Raja Bhagwan Dass, Todarmal, Raja Maan Singh, Jodha Bai and Mahabali Akbar. And finally Habba Khatoon succumbs to the pain and suffering that befell her and her beloved Yusuf Shah Chak.
The novel gives glimpses of history of Kashmir. Beginning with the rule of Habib Shah, the reader arrives to the story of Jalal ud din Akbar’s intervention in Kashmir then to the banishment of Yusuf Shah Chak to Bihar and finally to the establishment of Mughal rule in the Kashmir valley. The incidents in between have been so well written and grippingly conveyedthat the reader does not want to leave the book for a moment.
French writer and Nobel laureate Albert Camus once said “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself “ . Writers like Pran Kishore Kaul are rare. They are like the stars of hope appearing on today’s clouded horizon. They are harbingers of peace and goodwill. They are the bridges created for the continuity of civilizational ethos and heritage of humanity . Whatever they write becomes memorable. I conclude with a couplet of Faiz Ahmed Faiz:
“Jo rukay to koh-e-garaan thay hum,
jo chalay to jaan se guzar gaye
Rah-e-yaar hum ne qadam qadam,
tujhay yaadgaar banaa diya…..”
(Faiz Ahmed Faiz)
(For when we stayed, we rose like massifs,
and when we strayed, we left life far behind;
fellow-traveller, every step that we ever took
became a memorial to your life.)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.