By Asif Anwar Alig
Tuesday, 02 December 2003 00:00
IslamOnline.Net @ OnIslam.Net
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he whole world is murmuring the
gushy anecdotes of the war against terrorism; the ‘holy war’ perpetrated by US
President George W Bush. Only a few dare to admit the fact that Bush is not the
only crusader in this type of holy war. Salahuddin Pervez 1
is one bigwig of literature who has dared to unleash the horrors of holy war
and its unholy and messy outcome in his recent novel The War Journals. As
the name suggests, The War Journals is not only a documentation of war
but also a hypothesis for the world’s major wars. Salahuddin Pervez radiates
deep emotional appeal in his narrative style and uses elements unparalleled in
modern Urdu literature-- prose and poetry summed up in one novel. Such literary
revolution was rare in early Urdu literature.
The novel unconsciously reminds us
of the use of symbolism applied so well by the legendary American novelist
Earnest Hemingway. The War Journals (Urdu) and Farewell to Arms
(English) are similar and yet dissimilar. Hemingway and Salahuddin Pervez know
the outcome of war for ‘sustainable peace and prosperity’, wars where the goal
has never been achieved. Both the writers weep in solitude while examining the
predicaments of war. Both have the flair to be outspoken but also know how to
placate and use symbolism. The major difference between these two books is in
defining the nature of war. It is undeniable that Farewell to Arms
imprints the social and psychological dimensions of the world war and is
testimony to Hemingway’s crispy personification of English literature.
In contrast to Hemmingway,
Salahuddin Pervez releases us from the norms of Urdu literature. War cannot
placate peace. The War Journals denigrates the pogroms that humanity has
faced from its inception until now, and might be facing it in future. The novel
is not specific to any country, creed, and caste or period. According to
Pervez, war is a plague on society and the aftermath of war renders humanity to
drifting dust. An extract from The War Journals supports this fact
through these lines of direct conversation:
Sir,,,,Sir,,,,
Main abhi zinda houn Sir,,,,,
Hum Yahan Kuda Kurkut Uthane Aaye hain
Tumhein Nahin,,,,,
Lekin Sir,,,,
Sir,,,,,,Mein abhi zinda houn Sir,,,,,,
Zinda Ho,,,,,,Kiyoun,,,,,,,,
Hum Tumhein Nahin Utha Sakte,,,,
Kiyoun nahin utha sakte Sir,,,,,
Tum ek Human Being ho,,,,,,,
Main abhi zinda houn Sir,,,,,
Hum Yahan Kuda Kurkut Uthane Aaye hain
Tumhein Nahin,,,,,
Lekin Sir,,,,
Sir,,,,,,Mein abhi zinda houn Sir,,,,,,
Zinda Ho,,,,,,Kiyoun,,,,,,,,
Hum Tumhein Nahin Utha Sakte,,,,
Kiyoun nahin utha sakte Sir,,,,,
Tum ek Human Being ho,,,,,,,
(Sir, Sir, I am alive sir. We
have come here to clear the debris and not to lift you. But sir, I am still
alive! Why? We cannot lift you! Why Sir? Because you are a human being!
These lines from the novel
distinguish The War Journals from others and capture the attention of
the world. The epic war Mahabharat2
is lucidly described in the novel, but one cannot claim that the book has been
written in the context of an Indian scenario. The novel neither exonerates nor
pacifies the kingpins of war. Certainly, some questions lie unanswered, and the
reader must acknowledge that the novel is incomplete.
Salahuddin Pervez, as a novelist,
has introduced a new trend in Urdu novels. This trend has become the cause of
divergence in sections of the Urdu world and has created an outcry in literary
circles. Pervez has broken many existing rules of literature to introduce a
narrative style, which is modern as well as hypnotic. The writer uses his style
of mixing Urdu, Hindi and English words i.e. Hindustani, to keep up a
fast pace, perhaps too fast for readers trying to understand the philosophy of
the novelist. Proper use of metaphors and similes (Earlier confined to poetry
only) and mixing cultural identities has always found a place in his writings
and the trend continues in The War Journals.
The holy war that has been
perpetrated by Bush has turned both Afghanistan and Iraq into rubble. The
War Journals elaborates on the completely unholy stain of this holy war
that will ultimately shame humanity. The book captivates us with two other holy
wars fought for the cause of religion, fascinating insights to the Mahabharat
war and the Karbala war-- that was the holy war between Imam Husayn,
grandson of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and Yazid at
Karbala. Surprisingly, the novelist has attempted to draw a parallel line
between the holy wars along with the war for genocide by Bush and Blair in The
War Journals, which is quite heartening and shocking!
But the novel is worth reading, not
only as a novel but also to help us understand the fact that ‘truth and
humanity’ should be our ultimate Values. Unfortunately, nobody seems prepared
to follow this path yet. Perhaps one day we will all realize that war is no
solution for peace to prevail.
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1- Salahuddin
Pervev is one of the renowned writers of India. He has been awarded Sahitya
Academy Award for Urdu Literature .Beside this, he received international award
for Urdu Literature instituted by the Majlis-E-Farogh-E-Urdu, Doha, Qatar .
His famous novels include, Namrata
(1982), Ek Din Beet Gaya, Sare Din Ka Thaka Hua Purush and Identity Card.
2- Mahabharat
is the longest poem in the world, made up of 220,000 lines divided into 18
sections. It was written in Sanskrit, the ancient sacred language of India and
it tells the story of a great battle that occurred about 3000 years back.
Asif
Anwar Alig is associated with ETV networks. With a
postgraduate degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim
University, Aligarh, he has been writing for newspapers since 1999 and working
in the field of electronic media for the last three years.
