BOOK REVIEW
BECHAIN LAMHE …( Afsanavi Majmua, Urdu ) by Rajendra Patwari ‘Nashad ‘
Publisher …GNK Publications , Budgam
, Kashmir
Price Rs250/=( Two Hundred Fifty Rupees )
Year of Publication… 2022( March )
Rajendra Patwari ( born 1943 ) is known as artist of J&K
UT .Born in Sopore , the apple town of Kashmir , he was brought up in Srinagar
city where he completed his college education. Having graduated from J J School of Art ,Mumbai . He served in various senior positions at the
Institute of Music And Fine Arts Jammu and Srinagar .He also served as officer
on Special Duty at the Lalit Kala Akademi , New Delhi. He considers artist Mohan Raina as his first Guru in
painting. Apart from being an artist, he
is also a well known Urdu writer who uses ‘Nashad ‘as his pseudonym.Since 1965,
his Urdu short stories have been published in various magazines and journals of
the country .He has also written plays and serials for Radio and Doordarshan respectively . he has also written many radio
features and some plays in Kashmiri for Doordarshan’s Kasheer channel.His book, ‘Yaas o Hiraas’ ,a collection of Urdu Nazms and gazals was well
received .
The book under review comprises of 174 pages covering 27 short stories .Some
prominent short stories in this
compilation could be listed as Master Ji ,Thapad Ki Goonj, Woh Mere Apne
,Bechain Lamhe, Ghar Vaapsi, Ghode ke Daai Qadam, Vazeefa , Chashm-deed
Gawaah,Noora, Saaneha Oss Ek Raat Ka ,Dard Apna Apna,Sadak Ke Doosri Aur,
,Pathron Ki Aad Mein, Khadsha,Fitrat,Vazeefa and Ek Masoom Sawaal etc. Most of
these stories revolve around Kashmirii
Pandits , a community that faced the wrath of Pakistan sponsored armed insurgency in Kashmir
and had to leave their homes and hearths in 1990 to save their lives and
honour. Some stories have been written with Mumbai as the background. This
could be because the author spent many years in that city as well. Some stories
give reflection of the author’s own life . Some stories also revolve around human
nature and psychology apart from projecting contemporary social issues.
Coming to the
stories in specific , the author has skillfully used his story Akas
to convey ill effects of certain government policies.
In the story Akas , reservation in employment hits a poor talented applicant
from poor Brahmin family who is unable to
get a job in the game of quotas and reservation percentages . Master Ji is a story
based on migration of Kashmiri Pandits
from the valley .A Hindu teacher in
Kashmir devotes his post retirement life
to free teaching of poor students. His students are mostly from the Muslim community .This
coaching helps the local Sarpanch’s son
to pass his final examination after many years of repeated failures. The
Sarpanch and his son travel to Jammu
with a pure intention to thank Master Ji
. They succeed in tracing Master Ji’s
family in a refugee camp and come to
know that Master Ji is no more. Ghar
Vaapsi is another story based on migration of Kashmiri Pandits from their
motherland and the desire of a person to return to his homeland. As he returns
to his home which is occupied by his friend and neighbour , he is confronted by
a young boy who refuses his entry or presence. The young boy appears to have been exposed to religious radicalism .
In the story Apna Apna Dard, the author traces the
plight of the Kashmiri Pandits when the armed militancy first arrived in the
valley . The initial signals of impending
death and destruction were turned down
by many elderly Pandits who brushed them
aside as figments of imagination . These Pandits thought that their neighbours
would always come to their protection in the event of any adverse situation. Never
ever in their wild dreams could they think about leaving their motherland to save
their lives and honour. In the story , this
belief and trust is suddenly torn to pieces when a young
Kashmiri Pandit boy is shot dead by armed terrorists and no neighbour
comes to the rescue of his family. The story appears to be based on some true
incident. Such incidents have been witnessed by many families .The story brings
a painful reminder of what befell a peace loving community .
In another story
titled, “Pyaase Honth”, the author raises the issue of painful deaths in the wake of Covid 19 epidemic wherein even funeral rites could also not be performed in proper
manner . In the story Vazeefa , the author raises question of
the
reservation policy and its implementation by the government whereby benefits
don’t reach the real deserving
people . In the story Shanakht ( Identity ), the author touches the
issue of rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits and the cumbersome procedure for
grant of Domicile Certificates . The story “Message”deals with a complex issue of grandchild and his grandfather during the
Covid 19 pandemic . The child uses mobile phone to communicate with his
grandfather who is under isolation in another room of the same building . The
grandfather has forgotten to change the calendar page that the child changes
after silently slipping into his room
when he is in his toilet and the new
jean of the grandfather hanging on the
door, turns useless due to countrywide lock out .
The Modern story does not strictly adhere to the traditional
thumb rule of all the five ingredients like plot,
character, setting, conflict, and theme. Even the greatest story tellers the
world over have since dispensed with these strict norms . Rajendra Patwari also uses modern technique
and style to convey moving tales of human existence with empathy, deep observation and truthfulness. In this compilation under review ,there are stories that raise
contemporary issues , issues of loneliness, unemployment , government policies, poverty ,
Covid19,apart from major issue of exile and migration of Kashmiri Pandits from
their homes and hearths. These stories are meant for wider reading .The stories
present the author as an accomplished writer, who with his keen observation, gripping
narration and sensitive portrayal keeps
the reader glued to the book . I wish the book had been translated into English
or published in Devnagari for wider reading. I recommend this collection to all
especially the younger generation who may also get a fair idea and glimpse of
facts and events of our recent past along with a broader view of the issues
facing the common man in general and the exiled community in particular .
( Avtar Mota )
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\.
