Posted on February 24th, 2008 by adil
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178
SHAMSUR RAHMAN FARUQI
aN iNCIDENT IN lAHORE*
(TRANS L ATOR’ S NOTE : iT IS BOTH EXIGENT AND STIMULATING FOR ME AS A
DAUGHTER AND SCHOLAR TO FACE THE DUAL COMPLEXITIES OF WRITING ABOUT
MY FATHER AND TRANSLATING HIS WORK. tHOUGH IT IS DECIDEDLY CHALLENGING
FOR ME TO REMAIN OBJECTIVE, THE WORLD OF CONTEMPORARY URDU LITERATURE
AND ITS READERSHIP HAS MADE UP ITS MIND ABOUT sHAMSUR rAHMAN
FARUQI. tHEREFORE, i FEEL AT EASE SPEAKING POSITIVELY ABOUT HIS WORK.
PART OF MY OWN PROJECT IS TO BRING TO A WIDER AUDIENCE CONTEMPORARY
CRITICAL THOUGHT AND FICTION PUBLISHED IN URDU SINCE 1940.
sHAMSUR rAHMAN FARUQI (1936‒ ) ENTERED THE WORLD OF URDU LITERATURE
AS THE PROVERBIAL OUTSIDER AND EMERGED AS THE LEADER OF THE
MODERNIST TREND IN URDU, A THEORETICIAN WITH A UNIQUE VISION AND VAST
ERUDITION. iT IS A LESSER KNOWN FACT THAT HE STARTED HIS CAREER AS A SHORT
STORY WRITER AND PLANNED TO WRITE A NOVELóA DREAM THAT HE RECENTLY
FULFILLED WITH THE PUBLICATION OF THE HISTORICAL ROMANCE KAʾī ČāND Tẖē
sAR-E ĀSMāñ (KARACHI: sCHEHERZADE, 2006), A NOVEL OF EPIC PROPORTIONS
IN EVERY SENSE OF THE TERM.
aFTER COMPLETING HIS CRITICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ENTIRE RANGE OF
URDU POETRY IN HIS FOUR-VOLUME STUDY OF THE SOUL STIRRING POETRY OF mīR
tAQī mīR (sHEʿR-E sHōR-aNGēZ), FARUQI PERHAPS FELT THAT HE STILL NEEDED
TO PUT DOWN IN WRITING MORE OF THE ENORMOUS KNOWLEDGE HE HAD FILED
AWAY OVER HIS THIRTY SOME YEARS OF CRITICAL THINKING, ALTHOUGH, THIS TIME,
IN A DIFFERENT MEDIUM. aS HE SAYS IN THE INTRODUCTION TO HIS FIRST
COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES, sAVāR AUR dūSRē aFSāNē, HE HAD WRITTEN SO
MUCH ON GHāLIB BY WAY OF LITERARY CRITICISM THAT IF HE WAS TO WRITE
SOMETHING MORE ON GHāLIB IT HAD TO BE IN A QUITE DIFFERENT VEIN, AND
WHAT COULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE YET DIFFERENT THAN AN AFSāNA OR STORY
ABOUT GHāLIB AND HIS TIMES; HENCE, THE SHORT STORY ìGHāLIB aFSāNA.î HE
PUBLISHED IT UNDER THE ASSUMED NAME OF bēNī māDẖAV rUSVā IN THE
JOURNAL sHAB KHūN. tHE STORY CREATED A STIR AMONG URDU READERS
*ìlāHAUR Kā ēK ffāQIʿAî IS FROM sAVāR AUR dūSRē aFSāNē (KARACHI: ĀJ Kī
KITāBēñ, 2001), 333–51.
sHAMSUR rAHMAN FARUQI • 179
BECAUSE OF THE SWEEP OF ITS SCHOLARLY AND LINGUISTIC BRILLIANCE. tHERE
WAS SPECULATION ABOUT WHO COULD HAVE PENNED THIS REMARKABLE PIECE
OF FICTION. tHE ìGHāLIB aFSāNAî IS THE SECOND IN THE SERIES OF HIS REAPPEARANCE
AS A FICTION WRITER. tHE FIRST, ìlāHAUR Kā ēK ffāQIʿA,î WAS
PUBLISHED UNDER THE ASSUMED NAME ʿUMAR sHAIKH mIRZā. ìlāHAUR Kā
ēK ffāQIʿAî IS A STORY THAT IS SUSPENDED BETWEEN A NIGHTMARE AND AN
ACTUAL INCIDENT. iT IS NARRATED IN STREAM-OF-CONSCIOUSNESS STYLE, STRADDLING
THE LINE THAT BLURS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN AFSāNA (STORY) AND
ḥAQīQAT (TRUTH). iT IS A STORY EMBEDDED IN A NARRATIVE THAT CLAIMS TO BE
PART OF AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY THAT THE NARRATOR IS WRITING. iT IS ABOUT MEMORY,
DREAMS, REALITY AND AWARENESS.
oF THE STORIES IN sAVāR, i CHOSE TO TRANSLATE ìlāHAUR Kā ēK ffāQIʿAî
BECAUSE, FRANKLY SPEAKING, IT SEEMED THE ONE LESS CHALLENGING TO
TRANSLATE. i MIGHT ADD HERE THAT i HAVE CONSULTED MY FATHER ON THE
TRANSLATION AND HAVE BENEFITED FROM HIS SUGGESTIONS.)
iT HAPPENED IN 1937. iN THOSE DAYS i LIVED IN lAHORE.
oNE DAY IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT i SHOULD GO VISIT aLLAMA iQBAL. i USED
TO OWN A BEIGE-COLORED aMBASSADOR CAR. i DROVE IT TO aLLAMA sAHIBíS BUNGALOW.
i DIDNíT KNOW THE HOUSE NUMBER OR THE EXACT DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO
GET THERE, BUT i HAD A GOOD IDEA WHERE mClEOD rOAD WAS AND ALSO THAT HE
LIVED ON THAT STREET, SO i WAS ABLE TO FIND HIS HOUSE WITHOUT MUCH
DIFFICULTY.
tHE STREET SEEMED UNUSUALLY DUSTY. tHE FOOTPATH, OR LETíS SAY THE
BROAD STRIP OF LAND ON EITHER SIDE OF THE ROAD, WAS DRY AND COVERED IN
DUST. tHE GATE OF THE BUNGALOW WAS MADE OF WOOD AND VERY HIGH. iT WAS
PLATED WITH A GREY TIN, OR MAYBE IRON, SHEET WHICH MADE IT SEEM HEAVY
AND MYSTERIOUS. tHE GATE WAS OPEN AND i COULD CLEARLY SEE THE SHORT
DRIVEWAY CURVING TOWARDS THE MAIN HOUSE. tHE HOUSE WAS BIG AND GRAND
BUT OLD AND RUNDOWN. oNE COULD, EVEN FROM THE STREET, DISCERN THE SIGNS
OF PATCHY REPAIR AND THE SINGLE NEW ADDITION TO THE BUILDING. i RECALLED
iHSAN dANISHíS POEM ìʿaLLāMA iQBāL Kī KōÅẖīî (aLLAMA iQBALíS bUNGALOW)
THAT HAD BEEN PUBLISHED A COUPLE OF MONTHS BEFORE IN ONE OF THE
MAGAZINES, KHAIYāM OR ʿĀLAMGīR. tHE POEM EXPRESSED SADNESS AND
REGRET AT THE DILAPIDATED STATE OF THE BUNGALOW. tHE LAST COUPLET WAS:
iḥSāN, i HEAR THE HOUSE HAS NOW BEEN REPAIRED,
i WILL GO SOMETIME AND VISIT THERE, ONCE AGAIN.
i STOOD DEBATING WITH MYSELF WHETHER TO TAKE THE CAR INSIDE OR LEAVE IT
180 • tHE aNNUAL OF URDU sTUDIES
BY THE SIDEWALK. i THOUGHT THAT THERE MIGHT BE ANOTHER CAR PARKED IN THE
PORTICO AND IF i LEFT MINE IN THE DRIVEWAY IT MIGHT BLOCK SOMEONEíS PATH.
sO i LEFT MY CAR BY THE SIDE OF THE STREET AND GOT OUT. aT THAT POINT i NOTICED
THERE WERE TWO OR THREE STALLSóTHE KIND THAT CIGARETTE OR PAAN SHOPKEEPERS
HAVEóON THE SIDEWALK ACROSS THE STREET FROM ME. tHERE WAS A CROWD
OF YOUNG MEN AND LOAFERS GATHERED AROUND THEM AND THERE WERE SOME
FAIRLY YOUNG BOYS THERE TOO. i WAS DISPLEASED TO SEE THEM WASTING THEIR
TIME AT PAAN SHOPS INSTEAD OF STUDYING AT THE SCHOOL.
i WAS LOCKING UP MY CAR WHEN FIVE OR SIX YOUNG BOYS SUDDENLY RAN
ACROSS THE ROAD AND CAME TOWARDS ME. FROM THEIR DEMEANOR AND THE WAY
THEY WERE GESTURING, i PRESUMED THEY WERE ASKING FOR SOMETHING. i SAID TO
MYSELF THAT THIS WAS WORSE THAN WASTING TIME. tHESE KIDS SEEM TO BE
PROFESSIONAL BEGGARS. tHEY MUST BE UNDER THE CONTROL OF SOME ORGANIZED
CRIMINAL GROUP THAT MADE BEGGARS OF CHILDREN AND RUINED THEIR LIVES.
bEFORE i COULD PULL MY CAR KEYS OUT OF THE LOCK, FOUR OR FIVE OF THEM, ALONG
WITH A THIN, MEAN, EVIL-LOOKING MAN, HAD ARRIVED BY MY SIDE, THEIR HANDS
JUST INCHES AWAY FROM MY JACKET.
i WAS HORRIFIED TO REALIZE THAT THESE BOYS WERE NOT BEGGARS OR ILLITERATE
VAGRANTS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD. tHEY SEEMED TO BE PROFESSIONALS, THE
SORT THAT SELL THEIR BODIES. i SAID TO MYSELF, ìGOD HAVE MERCY, WHATíS GOING
ON HERE? aM i DREAMING?î iT WAS BROAD DAYLIGHT IN A DECENT NEIGHBORHOOD
OF A BUSY CITY, AND HERE WERE THESE CRIMINAL BOYS?
nOW IT DAWNED ON ME THAT THOSE HANDS WERE NOT ANGLING FOR MY COAT
POCKETS, THEY WANTED TO GRAB THE EDGE OF MY JACKET, THEY WANTED TO STRIKE
A DEAL WITH ME. tHESE TEN- OR TWELVE-YEAR OLDSí EYES HELD NO INNOCENCE.
rATHER, THEY HAD THE GLINT OF A STRANGE, EVIL LOOK. tHEIR FACES BORE A MATURITY
AND UNATTRACTIVE INSIPIDNESS THAT EVEN ADULTS SELDOM POSSESS.
dISGUSTED, i PUSHED THEM ASIDE AND MOVED AWAY QUICKLY, BUT THEY FOLLOWED
BEHIND. GOD FORBID! sUCH THINGS DONíT HAPPEN EVEN IN THE MOST
SENSATIONAL FICTION. ìiS THIS REALLY HAPPENING OR AM i GOING MAD?î i THOUGHT
TO MYSELF. tHEN i MADE A NOT QUITE GIGANTIC LEAP, GOT AWAY FROM THAT
CROWD AND WENT THROUGH THE GATE TOWARDS THE aLLAMAíS BUNGALOW.
tHANK GOD, THOSE ROGUES DIDNíT DARE TO COME INSIDE. tHE GATES WERE
OPEN, YET THOSE BOYS STOPPED BY THE POST AS THOUGH STRUCK BY AN ELECTRIC
CURRENT. i RAN TOWARDS THE PORTICO, FLICKING DIRT OFF MY CLOTHES AND HANDS IN
HATEFULNESS AND REVULSION.
i HONESTLY CANíT RECALL THE DETAILS OF MY MEETING WITH THE aLLAMA. aLL i
REMEMBER, AND VAGUELY AT THAT, IS THAT HE RECEIVED ME WITH GREAT KINDNESS.
fiHEN i RANG THE BELL, AN OLD MAN, WHOSE APPEARANCE SUGGESTED TO ME
sHAMSUR rAHMAN FARUQI • 181
THAT HE WAS SOMETHING BETWEEN A DISTANT RELATIVE AND A BUTLER, ANSWERED
THE DOOR AT ONCE. i GAVE HIM MY NAME AND HE WENT INSIDE AND RETURNED
WITHIN SECONDS TO CONVEY THE INFORMATION THAT aLLAMA sAHIB WAS RECEIVING
VISITORS IN THE DRAWING ROOM (CALLED, FOR SOME REASON, ìTHE ROUND ROOMî IN
URDU) AND ASKED ME TO STEP INSIDE. i HAVE NO RECOLLECTION OF WHAT WE
TALKED ABOUT. i WAS AN ENGINEER WITH THE RAILWAYS, WAS INTERESTED IN
POETRY (STILL AM), AND KNEW MANY POEMS OF THE aLLAMA BY HEART, BUT
BESIDES MY FASCINATION WITH POETRY, i POSSESSED NOTHING THAT WOULD MAKE
ME WORTHY OF HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH THE aLLAMA. i DO REMEMBER VERY
WELL THAT THE aLLAMA TOOK CARE NOT TO MAKE ME FEEL THAT OUR MEETING WAS A
WASTE OF HIS TIME. nOR DID HE BROACH A SUBJECT THAT WOULD MAKE ME AWARE
OF MY OWN IGNORANCE.
mY VISIT LASTED HALF AN HOUR. tHEN i MADE MY SALAAMS AND TOOK MY
LEAVE. aLLAMA sAHIB STEPPED OUT OF THE ROOM TO BID ME FAREWELL. iT DID
CROSS MY MIND TO REQUEST HIM TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE CROWD OF EVIL
URCHINS WHO HUNG OUT JUST ACROSS THE STREET FROM HIS BUNGALOW GATE, BUT i
COULDNíT SUMMON THE COURAGE TO SAY IT. HOW DID IT CONCERN HIM ANYWAY?
tHIS WAS A MATTER FOR THE POLICE TO TAKE CARE OF. PERHAPS THE aLLAMA WASNíT
EVEN AWARE OF THE KIND OF CROWD THAT HUNG AROUND THOSE STALLS ACROSS THE
STREET.
fiHEN i EMERGED FROM THE PORTICO, i NOTICED A GREY-COLORED, SOMEWHAT
WEATHER-BEATEN aUSTIN a40 PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY. iT COULDNíT HAVE
BEEN THE aLLAMAíS BECAUSE i HAD HEARD HE OWNED A LARGE-SIZED FORD.
aNYWAY, IT MUST BE SOME VISITOR, i SAID TO MYSELF, SO IT WAS GOOD THAT i HAD
PARKED MY OWN CAR OUTSIDE.
i CAME OUT, EUPHORIC FROM THE MEETING WITH aLLAMA iQBAL. FOR A
MOMENT, i HAD FORGOTTEN THAT THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY OF ENCOUNTERING THOSE
URCHINS AGAIN, BUT UPON REACHING THE ROAD, i WAS STUNNED, COMPLETELY
TAKEN ABACK. a NUMBER OF THEM WERE STANDING BY MY CAR, THEY HAD EVEN
PUSHED THE CAR AROUND FOR IT WAS NOW FACING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. i
WAS STILL IN SOMETHING OF A SHOCK WHEN i SUMMONED THE COURAGE TO WALK
TOWARDS THE CAR WHILE THOSE WICKED BOYS WERE PRACTICALLY CLINGING TO ME.
tHEIR BODIES EMITTED A STRANGE ANIMAL-LIKE ODOR MINGLED WITH THE SMELL OF
RANCID OIL. i HADNíT YET MADE UP MY MIND HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM, WHEN A
TALL, THIN MAN DRESSED IN A LONG YELLOW SHIRT THAT WAS QUITE SOILED, AND A
MATCHING SHALWAR, LEAPT TOWARDS ME. bAREFACED INSOLENCE AND A LACK OF
MORALITY WAS WRIT LARGE ON HIS FACE, SO LARGE, IN FACT, THAT i INSTINCTIVELY
RECOILED AS THOUGH i HAD TOUCHED SOMETHING WET AND GOOEY. aT THAT TIME,
i WAS FACING THE ROAD AND HE WAS ON MY LEFT, FACING THE SIDEWALK.
fiHEN i TRIED TO TURN AROUND AND KICK HIM, HE ATTEMPTED TO TRIP ME BY
182 • tHE aNNUAL OF URDU sTUDIES
PUTTING OUT HIS LEG. bUT, GOD BE PRAISED, HIS LEG BECAME ENTANGLED WITH
MINE IN SUCH A WAY THAT HE LOST HIS BALANCE AND FELL WITH A SPLASH INTO THE
DEEP DRAIN BELOW THE SIDEWALK. GRABBING THIS OPPORTUNITY, i QUICKLY
OPENED THE CAR DOOR AND PRAYED IN MY HEART THAT THE CAR WOULD START
WITHOUT TROUBLE. mY PRAYERS WERE HEARD. aS SOON AS i TURNED THE IGNITION
KEY, THE ENGINE STARTED SMOOTHLY. i PUT THE CAR IN GEAR AND STEPPED HARD
ON THE ACCELERATOR.
tHE CAR MOVED FORWARD WITH A JOLT. mY INTENT WAS TO MOVE QUICKLY
FROM THE FIRST GEAR TO THE SECOND BECAUSE THE SECOND GEAR HAS BOTH PUSHING
AND ACCELERATING POWER. bUT WHEN i WENT INTO SECOND, i REALIZED THE
CAR WASNíT MOVING FORWARD MUCH. iT SEEMED AS IF SOME FORCE WAS HOLDING
IT BACK AND WAS IN FACT DRAGGING IT IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. i LOOKED BACK
AND FOUND THAT A NUMBER OF THE URCHINS WERE HOLDING FAST TO THE BUMPER
AND THE TRUNK WITH ALL THEIR MIGHT, PREVENTING THE CAR FROM MOVING FORWARD.
sO HERE i WAS, FLOORING THE ACCELERATOR, AND THERE WERE TEN OR TWELVE
BOYS PULLING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION WITH SO MUCH SUCCESS THAT THE CAR
WAS BARELY ABLE TO CRAWL FORWARD AT A SNAILíS PACE.
i HUNCHED MY SHOULDERS AND BENT MY HEAD AS IF THE DANGER WAS IN
FRONT OF ME, NOT BEHIND, AS IF i WAS ABOUT TO SLAM INTO SOMETHING WITH FULL
FORCE. bENDING MY HEAD AND STOOPING DOWN, i FOCUSED ALL MY MENTAL AND
PHYSICAL RESOLVE ON ACCELERATING THE CAR SO i COULD SHAKE OFF THE GROUP OF
BOYS AND GET AWAY. bUT, GOD ONLY KNOWS HOW MUCH STRENGTH THOSE FILTHY
DEVILS MUSTERED AT THE TIME. mY FIFTEEN HORSEPOWER ENGINE, COUPLED WITH
MY OWN DETERMINATION, WERE PROVING FUTILE. tHE CAR WAS CRAWLING, ONLY
JUST. bEFORE i HAD BARELY COVERED FIFTY OR A HUNDRED YARDS, i WAS CONVINCED
THE CAR WAS GOING TO STALL VERY SOON, OR THE POWER OF THOSE URCHINS THEMSELVES
WOULD SIMPLY PREVENT IT FROM MOVING AHEAD.
bY NOW i WAS CLOSE TO A BREAKDOWN MYSELF. i KEPT THINKING OVER AND
OVER THAT THIS CAR WHICH i HAD IMAGINED WOULD BE ENOUGH TO PROTECT ME
AND BE THE VEHICLE OF MY DELIVERANCE COULD BECOME A NOOSE AROUND MY
NECK OR A NET OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION. iF i REMAINED INSIDE THE CAR, IN THE
SPACE OF A FEW MINUTES THIS DEVILISH HORDE WOULD STOP ME FROM GETTING
AWAY. tHEY WOULD PULL ME OUT OF THE CAR AND GOD KNOWS WHAT THEY
WOULD DO TO ME THEN. tHE MAN i HAD PUSHED INTO THE GUTTER MIGHT ACTUALLY
CUT ME INTO PIECES AND SCATTER MY BODY ALL OVER THE PLACE.
(nOW AFTER MANY YEARS, AS i WRITE THESE LINES, i REALIZE THAT MY LOGICAL
BRAIN, WHICH THE PHYSIOLOGISTS CALL THE ìRIGHT BRAIN,î WAS NUMB AND i WAS
UNDER THE CONTROL OF MY LEFT BRAIN. tHE LEFT BRAIN, WHICH IS ALSO CALLED THE
ìREPTILIAN BRAIN,î IS COMMON TO HUMANS, CRAWLING AND EGG-LAYING ANIMALS.
iT HAS BEEN SAID THAT IN THE PROCESS OF EVOLUTION IT TOOK TENS OF
sHAMSUR rAHMAN FARUQI • 183
MILLIONS OF YEARS FOR THIS BRAIN TO EVOLVE, AND BECAUSE IT EVOLVED FROM
CRAWLING TO EGG-LAYING ANIMALS TO HUMANS IT IS ALSO CALLED THE REPTILIAN
BRAIN. oUR FUNDAMENTAL AND BASER EMOTIONS ARE THE PRODUCT OF THIS BRAIN:
LUST, FEAR, HUNGER, OPPRESSION, SAFETY, THE FLIGHT INSTINCT, ETC., ALL ARE A
PRODUCT OF THIS BRAIN. iT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT IN MOST CRIMINALS, ESPECIALLY
MURDERERS AND RAPISTS, THE LEFT BRAIN IS MORE DOMINANT THAN THE RIGHT
BRAIN. sINCE IT IS LOCATED IN THE LOWER LEFT PART OF THE SKULL, IT IS CALLED THE
ìLEFT BRAIN.î tHE RIGHT BRAIN EVOLVED OVER TENS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS: LOGIC,
FAR-SIGHTEDNESS AND INTELLIGENCE ARE ITS ABILITIES. tHE LEFT BRAIN HAS NO
INTEREST IN LOGIC, INTELLIGENCE OR REMORSE, AND WHEN IT BECOMES DOMINANT
IT SUSPENDS THE ABILITY TO THINK OR REASON. iT HAS ALSO BEEN FOUND THAT IN
SOME TYPES OF MENTAL ILLNESS, THE LEFT BRAIN BECOMES DOMINANT OVER THE
RIGHT BRAIN.)
aNYWAY, RIGHT NOW MY ONLY CONCERN WAS TO GET OUT OF THE CAR AND
ESCAPE. iF THE CAR IS NO LONGER A SANCTUARY, THERE MUST BE A WAY TO ESCAPE
BY GETTING OUT OF ITóIN ANY CASE, THIS WAS MY LOGIC. bUT HOW i WOULD LEAVE
THE CAR AND WHERE, i HAD NO IDEA.
sUDDENLY, i FELT STRANGELY APPREHENSIVE. tHE STREET WAS TOTALLY DESERTED.
tHE EMPTY, DESOLATE ROAD SEEMED DEAFENINGLY SILENT. a LINE FROM
KABIR CAME TO MIND: aN EMPTY CITY STOOD AWFUL ALL AROUND. mClEOD rOAD
HAD NEVER BEEN A BUSY THOROUGHFARE, BUT IT WAS NEVER ENTIRELY DESERTED
EITHER. oNE OR TWO CARS WOULD CERTAINLY PASS BY EVERY OTHER MINUTE. a
SHORT DISTANCE FROM THE aLLAMAíS PLACE WAS THE GRAND MANSION OF HIS WELLKNOWN
FRIEND sIR JOGINDER sINGH. tHERE WERE ALWAYS ONE OR TWO GUARDS
POSTED AT HIS GATE. aT A SHORT DISTANCE FROM sIR JOGINDERíS BUNGALOW WAS
bAHRAMJI KHUDAIJIíS STORE, LOCATED IN A RESIDENTIAL TYPE OF BUILDING. tHEY
STOCKED HIGH QUALITY FOREIGN LIQUOR AND CIGARS. fiHITEWAY-lAIDLAWíS
SUMPTUOUS TWO-STORIED STOREFRONT WAS A COUPLE OF FURLONGS FROM THERE.
sEVERAL CARS AND MANY CARRIAGES WERE ALWAYS SEEN PARKED IN FRONT OF THIS
STORE. GOD KNOWS WHY NEITHER THOSE MANSIONS NOR STORES WERE IN VIEW. iN
FACT, THERE WASNíT A TRAFFIC POLICEMAN AT THE CROSSROADS.
(nOW THAT i THINK ABOUT IT, IT OCCURS TO ME THAT MY SPEED WAS SO SLOW
IT CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS ìA SNAILíS PACE.î tHE BUILDINGS AND STORES i
HAVE MENTIONED ABOVE MUST HAVE BEEN SEVERAL FURLONGS AHEAD. sO HOW
COULD THEY BE VISIBLE FROM WHERE i WAS? bUT AS i HAVE SAID, AT THAT TIME THE
REPTILIAN BRAIN, NOT MY HUMAN BRAIN, WAS IN CONTROL. i AM CONVINCED THAT
HAD i FOUND THE COURAGE AND CONTINUED DRIVING AT WHATEVER SPEED WAS
POSSIBLE, i WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE REACHED SOME SAFE OR POPULATED NEIGHBORHOOD
WITHIN FIVE OR TEN MINUTES: MY PURSUERS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN
ABLE TO TOUCH ME. tHEY COULDNíT HAVE ENTIRELY PREVENTED THE CAR FROM
184 • tHE aNNUAL OF URDU sTUDIES
MOVING. iF THEY HAD TRIED TO ATTACK ME THROUGH THE WINDOWS, THEY WOULD
HAVE HAD TO LET GO OF THE CAR, AND IN THE MEANTIME i COULD HAVE INCREASED
MY SPEED AND FREED MYSELF FROM THE DANGER. bUT AT THAT TIME i FELT THAT THE
CAR WAS LIKE A DEATH CELL: IF i REMAINED IN THE CAR, i WOULD SURELY BE KILLED.)
i THOUGHT TO MYSELF THAT IF i COULD FIND A STOUT POLE OR A WALL SOMEWHERE,
i COULD DASH THE CAR AGAINST IT. tHE SOUND OF THE COLLISION WOULD AT
LEAST ATTRACT A FEW PEOPLE, MAYBE EVEN A POLICEMAN, OR PERHAPS i WOULD
BE INJURED OR BECOME UNCONSCIOUS AND THEN THIS GANG OF GHOULS WOULD
SURELY LET GO OF ME. aT THAT TIME, IT DIDNíT OCCUR TO MY REPTILIAN BRAIN THAT IN
ORDER TO HAVE A REAL ACCIDENT THERE HAS TO BE SPEED. mY SPEED MUST HAVE
BEEN AROUND FIVE MILES AN HOUR AND A PERSON NEEDS TO BE GOING AT LEAST
TWENTY OR TWENTY-FIVE FOR A SATISFACTORY ACCIDENT. iT ALSO DIDNíT OCCUR TO ME
THAT i WOULD BE COMPLETELY AT THEIR MERCY IF i WAS INJURED OR BECAME
UNCONSCIOUS. tHEY COULD TAKE ME ANYWHERE ON THE PRETEXT OF GOING TO THE
HOSPITAL. oR, THEY MIGHT INJURE ME FURTHER RIGHT THERE. i CONSIDER IT MY
GOOD FORTUNE THAT i DIDNíT THEN SEE ANY OBJECT TO CRASH MY CAR AGAINST AND
CARRY OUT MY PLAN.
aT THAT MOMENT, i REALIZED THE REPULSIVE MAN IN THE GRUBBY YELLOW
SHIRT WAS ALSO HELPING THE URCHINS STALLING MY CAR. ìiíLL NEVER BE ABLE TO
ESCAPE NOW,î i THOUGHT. aLTHOUGH THE SPEED OF THE CAR HADNíT BEEN
AFFECTED MUCH YET, i WAS CONVINCED THE MAN IN THE DIRTY SHIRT WOULD RISK
HIS VERY LIFE TO STOP THE CAR.
ìHOW LONG CAN A MOTHER GOAT HOPE TO KEEP HER KID?î i THOUGHT. i WAS
REMINDED OF A SERVANT OF MY LATE FATHERíS WHO HAD AN APPROPRIATE, ALBEIT
SLIGHTLY COMICAL, COUPLET FOR SUCH OCCASIONS:
HOW LONG WILL THE BABY MANGOES SHELTER BEHIND THE
LEAVES?
oNE DAY AFTER ALL, THEYíLL GROW INTO FULL MANGOES
aND BE SOLD IN THE MARKET.
nORMALLY, i WOULD SMILE WHEN i RECALLED THE COUPLET, BUT TODAY i FELT
LIKE CRYING. FURTHERMORE, AT THAT TIME i SAW MY CHILDHOOD IN A ROSY-PINKAND-
ORANGE LIGHT, FULL OF HOPE AND AROUSING DESIRES FOR SUCCESS, EVEN
THOUGH IN REALITY MY CHILDHOOD HAD BEEN RATHER UNHAPPY AND NOT WORTH
REMEMBERING.
(iT IS SAID THAT ONCE bISMIL sAʿIDI TOLD JOSH mALIHABADI, ìJOSH sAHIB,
WERE YOUR POETRY NOT LACKING JUST A LITTLE BIT IN THE MOODS OF PAIN AND
SORROWFUL THOUGHTS, YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN AN EVEN GREATER POET.î JOSH
REPLIED, ì¢ERTAINLY NOT. mY POETRY IS NOT LACKING IN PAIN AND SORROWFUL
THOUGHTS. JUST LISTEN TO THIS COUPLET:
sHAMSUR rAHMAN FARUQI • 185
tHE BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE,
tHOSE THAT TELL OF MY WEEPING.î
oN HEARING THIS, bISMIL sAʿIDI BURST OUT LAUGHING AND SAID: ìbY GOD,
JOSH sAHIB, i NEVER HEARD A BETTER COUPLET ON THE THEME OF CHILDHOOD!î
aNYWAY, FORGET ABOUT JOSH sAHIB AND bISMIL sAHIB, THE TRUTH IS THAT MY
CHILDHOOD WAS SPENT BEING THRASHED BY THOSE OLDER THAN ME AND HOWLING
AT THOSE THRASHINGS.) oN THE VERGE OF TEARS, i THOUGHT TO MYSELF, ìi WISH i
WAS SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS OLD, SO THAT i WASNíT IN THIS CAR, IN THIS STATE,
WHERE MY HONOR AND MY LIFE ARE AT STAKE. aFTER ALL, i HAVENíT HARMED
ANYONE, HAVE i?î
i WAS THEN REMINDED OF MY CHILDHOOD DAYS WHEN i WAS SCOLDED OR
BEATEN FOR EVERY LITTLE THING, OFTEN WITHOUT REASON. aND IF THERE WAS A REASON,
THEN MY INNOCENT LITTLE BRAIN WASNíT ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT WAS.
iN THOSE DAYS MY SMALL BRAIN WOULD CONCLUDE: tHERE DOESNíT HAVE TO BE A
REASON FOR EVERYTHING. lATER ON, AFTER i UNDERSTOOD THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
CAUSE AND REASON, i CONCLUDED THAT IF ONE KNOWS THE CAUSE OF SOMETHING,
IT DOESNíT FOLLOW THAT ONE CAN ALSO DETERMINE THE REASON. FOR EXAMPLE, A
PERSON IS MURDERED AND AFTER EXAMINING THE BODY THE CONCLUSION IS
REACHED THAT HIS DEATH WAS CAUSED BY A BULLET FROM A PISTOL. tHIS IS SIMPLY
THE CAUSE OF THE MURDER, IT DOESNíT TELL US THE REASON.
aT THAT MOMENT, THE CAUSE FOR MY LIFE BEING AT RISK WAS THAT i WAS AT A
CERTAIN PLACE AT A CERTAIN TIME. iF i HADNíT BEEN THERE, THIS WOULDNíT HAVE
BEEN THE CASE, BUT THERE WAS SOME REASON FOR MY BEING THERE, AND THERE
MUST HAVE BEEN A CAUSE FOR THAT REASON, AND A CAUSE FOR THAT CAUSE Ö
sO, IS THE WHOLE WORLD MERELY A TALE OF CAUSES? iS THERE NO REASON? oR,
PERHAPS, WEíVE COME HERE FOR SOME REASON? mIR tAQI mIR WHISPERED IN MY
EAR: ì¢ONDITIONS AROSE THAT CAUSED ME TO BE HERE FOR MANY DAYS NOW.î
ìfiHAT CAUSES? fiHY WAS i BROUGHT OVER HERE? sO THAT i MIGHT BECOME A
VICTIM OF THESE YOUNG FLESH TRADERS, EVEN AS i RODE IN MY OWN CAR? tO
BECOME THE TARGET OF THE UNHOLY ACTIVITIES OF THEIR LEADER?î i WONDERED TO
MYSELF IN A STATE OF NEAR HYSTERIA.
sUDDENLY i HEARD A NOISE IN THE STREET FROM BEHIND THE CAR. iT SEEMED
AS IF SOME MORE PEOPLE HAD COME OUT TO HELP MY ENEMIES. tHE CARíS
SPEED SLOWED FURTHER. PERHAPS IT WAS MY IMAGINATION, BUT i DECIDED THAT
REMAINING THERE FOR EVEN ONE MORE MOMENT WAS AS GOOD AS INVITING SOME
CATASTROPHE. i RECALLED THAT MY DEVILISH PURSUERS HAD STAYED AWAY FROM THE
aLLAMAíS BUNGALOW. PERHAPS THEY WERE AFRAID OF GOING INTO HOMES? sO THE
BEST THING FOR ME WOULD BE TO STOP THE CAR BY THE SIDE OF SOME GATE IN
SUCH A WAY AS TO BLOCK THE GATE, JUMP OUT AND RUN FOR IT. bUT WHO WOULD i
186 • tHE aNNUAL OF URDU sTUDIES
RUN TO? fiONíT THESE PEOPLE POUNCE ON ME INSTANTLY AND GRAB HOLD OF ME? i
WAS THINKING