THE STORIES OF HARI KRISHEN KAUL: "FOR NOW IT IS NIGHT"
Hari Krishen Kaul (1934–2009) was born in Kashmir and lived there for most of his life. He taught Hindi literature in various colleges of the University of Kashmir until he was forced to leave in 1990. Kaul started his literary career writing short stories in Urdu and Hindi but switched to writing in Kashmiri in the mid-1960s. His first collection of short stories in Kashmiri, Pata Laraan Parbat, was published in 1972 and immediately established him as a major writer. Three other collections of short stories and numerous television and radio plays followed, cementing his position as an important figure in the modern literary landscape of Kashmir. His only novel, Vyath Vyatha, was published in 2005. He was the recipient of many awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award for Kashmiri fiction in 2000.
I have been an admirer of Hari Krishen Kaul since my college days. He is Maupassant when he presents social realities, he is Chekhov when he probes below the surface of life of his characters, and he is Manto when he uses biting sarcasm against double talk, false prestige, corruption and myopic thinking.All in one.
Hari Krishen Kaul's stories are like a mirror to Kashmiri life, reflecting the intricacies of human relationships, cultural traditions, and the turmoil of conflict. These stories are woven with wit, satire, and a deep understanding of the human condition. These stories often critique societal norms, bureaucracy, and politics. Kaul's relatable characters come to the reader with their struggles, hopes, and fears. He has the skill to blend humour and pathos.
Hari Krishen Kaul's stage, radio and television plays instantly touch deep chords with Kashmiris. With his pen and sharp observation, he enters households of middle-class families where most of the situations and characters of his plays evolve, touching multiple issues of life and existence. The characters come alive in their real flesh and blood, to whom one can easily relate. The character of Lala Sahib of his drama Yeli Watan Khur Chu Yevan lives( When Paths are confusing) in the hearts of Kashmiris to this day. Lala Sahib, the widower and father of two middle-aged sons, tragically finds himself getting sidelined in the affairs of the family. His sons then live separately, and he finds himself irrelevant in both families. He can't decide where to go as he has nowhere to go. This character has become immortal in the minds of Kashmiris who heard the play on the radio or saw it on television.
Another example of remarkable characters created by Harikrishna Kaul is the old accountant of the comedy Dastaar. The famous lines from Dastaar," Rama Lagay Chaanya Lilaye," resonated in Kashmiri families even decades after the play was first telecast on Doordarshan.
Hari Krishen Kaul's play Naatuk Kariv Band remains a milestone in Kashmiri literature. It was first staged at Srinagar's Tagore Hall and also telecast on Doordarshan. Based on the Ramayana, in this play, Hanumana is shown revolting against Rama's decision to banish Sita. Rama was shown representing the powerful politicians, while Sita represented the common masses. Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah paid a standing ovation to the playwright and the actors after he saw their live performance in Tagore Hall, Srinagar. About Hari Krishen Kaul's plays, noted actor and producer Bihari Kak says this:-
"Natuk Kariv Band was the play we performed on stage through the Rangmanch Theatre. It was directed by Jawahar Wanchoo, and I portrayed the character of Hanuman. The play was adjudged Best Play at the Academy competition, and I was honoured with the Best Actor Award. Prof.G L Labroo was among the three judges on the panel. Later, we performed this play in Mumbai between 1976 and 1978. I have carefully preserved the original brochure of those performances. Prof Hari Krishen Koul was a great writer and intellectual. After exile, we once shared an Ashtami lunch at his residence in Delhi—myself, Shadi Lal Kaul and Prof Hari Krishen Kaul. During that meeting, we discussed many creative and cultural matters, especially his work on Rajatarangini, which I was keen to make a serial. He graciously gave me the script in his own handwriting, prepared as a screenplay. Unfortunately, before the project could be realised, he passed away. The handwritten screenplay is still in my possession, preserved with deep respect."
The English translation of his popular stories is available in the market. The stories are well translated and very well selected across his various storybooks.
A master in humanising his observations, Kaul captivates his reader through authenticity, emotional connection and engaging narrative techniques. The reader immediately strikes familiarity with his characters. They are people with whom one deals almost every day. That is why readers instantly identify with his situations and characters. A premonition of what is going to happen in the valley is visible in his stories. Alienation and loneliness of elders is another subject that he deals with. Biting wit is the hallmark of his stories. Through his stories, he carves portraits of everyday living, and if one looks closely, these stories present a world of desire and yearnings that is by and large absent in Kashmiri prose.
In his story, Na vanini layak katha (That which we can not speak of), Magga, Rahman Gadda, Gir Gagur, are some characters that all of us know. He doesn't hesitate to bring in Hema Malini, Sheikh Abdullah, and Mirza Afzal Beg to create authenticity.
Poshkuj of "Taaf" or "Sunshine" comes close to everyone's grandmother. She is simple, affectionate, obstinate and undemanding at the same time. She doesn't know double-talk. But her observation is deep and meaningful. She feels happy to see a bigger and clearer sky in Delhi, where she can breathe freely. She feels relaxed to see no Muslims around her in Delhi. Possibly, she has not to indulge in double talk. She is also relaxed in Delhi since her elder daughter-in-law is not around, who, as per Poshkuj, torments her. This is a story of the 1960s, or a period of the early second half of the last century.
Reviewing the book for The Hindustan Times, Saudamini Jain writes this:-
"Kashmir shines through these stories. And not just in curfews, fear and feelings of loss. There are localities and landmarks of Srinagar, life around its historical bridges, and the Jhelum River. Windowpanes glisten in the sun, soft muslin curtains flow like waterfalls. Whiskey is served with walnuts and apples. A writer recalls the medieval Kashmiri mystic poet Lal Ded — the story goes, he recounts, that Lal could spin wool into fine threads, but angered by her mother-in-law’s unappreciation, she threw it all into the lake, and lotus stalks sprang from it. In To Rage or to Endure, another surreal story and the last in this collection, published a decade after Kaul had to leave Kashmir almost overnight during the troubles in 1990, every year a grandmother makes garlands of dried sliced gourd and aubergine to welcome or guard herself against Shenĕ-Buddĕ, the Kashmiri Old Man Winter."
Except through his stories, where else can one find characters like Nath Ji, Pyari, Jawa Lal, B illoo,,Dyedh, Roop Ji, Atandhati, Setha, Tarzan, Pahalwan, Pedro, Swami Ji, Makhan, Usha Ji, Vosta Mohammad, Master Neelkanth, Molvi Sahib, Tara Chand, Sonamaal, Gaasha and many more. Molvi Sahib is a school teacher who forgets to check homework but demands Shivratri walnuts from every student once the school opens after a long winter break. All full of life and easily identifiable.
The book, 'For Now, It Is Night', is a collection of 17 stories written from 1969 to 2001. The stories gradually capture the erosion of shared living and the old value system in the Kashmiri society. The stories also present a backdrop of what happened in Kashmir in 1990. One needs to read the book to know more about the situations and characters created by Hari Krishen Kaul, who comes out as the most readable storyteller from Kashmir. I wish he had written in English for wider recognition and readership. Very late, his stories have come to the English-speaking world through the book, "For Now, It Is Night ". I recommend the book to everyone who loves literature.
( Avtar Mota)
PS
This write-up appears in my book, ' The Bright Stars of the Foggy Nights,' available worldwide on Amazon.
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CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.
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