|
| |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LETTER TO SHABAB HAIDER
Dear Shabab Haider,
Thank you very much for your affectionate, creative and
scholarly letter. I always admired your literary style.
I feel privileged that you share your creations with me
and other members of the
Family of the Heart.
I am a student of life and literature. As you are aware
that my mother tongue is Punjabi as my parents were from
Amratsar but I grew up among Pathans in Kohat and
Peshawar as my father used to teach mathematics in
Government College Kohat. As a child I used to speak
Punjabi, Pushto and English because I went to a Convent
school. After leaving Pakistan I went to Iran and learnt
Persian so that I could talk to charming ladies, dukh
taraan-e-khush gil. Then I came to Newfoundland and
spoke English.
You will be
surprised to know that Toronto is the first city where I
speak Urdu with you people. As a teenager I fell in love
with Urdu when I read Manto and Asmat and Faraz and Faiz.
You love Yousafi because of his language, I love Ibn
Insha. I feel Yousafi has a lot of aaward while Ibn
Insha has a lot of aamad. He is spontaneous and natural
while Yousafi loves to play with words. Yousafi is like
Iftikhar Arif, Ibn Insha is like Nasir Kazmi. Some
writers who have a great command on the language like
Josh maleeh abadi had, love to play with the language
and impress their readers. As a student of language and
literature I learn from all writers. From Yousafi and
Iftikhar Arif and Josh I learn language and from Manto
and Nasir Kazmi I learn literature. For me language and
literature are inter-connected but still different.
I am so glad you
shared your story and gave us an opportunity to enjoy
sham-e-afsana. Would you be willing to review another
story of another short story writer in the future? I
wish to create a literary atmosphere in Toronto so that
we can all have a genuine dialogue and learn from each
other.
Affectionately,
Sohail Nov 25th, 2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dear Members,
I read the Afsana
"Chaand
per maut" by Dr. Baland Iqbal and the critique by
Mohtarma
Rubina Faisal. I have to make comments on both:
I really liked the 'afsana'
by Dr. Iqbal, First of all, I'd like to congratulate him on a fine
piece. As it is derived from the latest missiles strike by NASA in
quest of water, which is itself in quest of life for humanity in
this large universe. Although, we say that we look for water to look
for signs of life; but the place where we have LIFE, that is this
very earth, we are destroying it, with innumerable wars and deadly
nuclear arsenal. The search for life is infect a search for death.
We are out-resourcing this earth to eat up the next planet in sight.
So, a very good point of view Dr. Iqbal, accept my congratulations.
On the response by
Ms. Rubina Faisal, there was a slight confusion for me, she did
comment on the 'theme' of the story which was barely one paragraph.
I agree with her point of view, that there was no reason to put a
footnote as it is akin to challenging the intellectuality of the
reader but more than the article itself, she has used her ink and
time in discussing the length of the article and questioning the
allegory which is a trademark of Dr. Sahab's writings, which to me
is deviating from the subject. I was expecting an analysis on the
allegory of grandfather-grandson relationship in view of past and
future generations rather i found an unwanted criticism on the
metaphor itself, quoting:
"Is afsanay main agar
chand ki maut per baat karnay wala dada baan kee chaarpai per baith
kar apnay potay se itni falsafiana guftugu na karta aur us kay bar-aks
aur woh usi baat ko seedhay saadhay baan kee chaarpai per baithnay
walay dada kee tarah potay ko ponchata to mujhay koi aiteraz naheen
tha".
To me that "falsafiana
guftugu" is the trademark allegory of Dr. Iqbal, we should not get
bound by 'dada' and 'pota' in the literalist sense.
Secondly, in the
introduction,
Dr. Khalid
Sohail mentioned that Ms. Faisal's story "Qusoor ka khosa" was
critiqued by Dr. Baland Iqbal. Now, in turn she has critiqued his,
infect, in her 'tabsara' she also mentioned it in direct relation to
the article. I found an underlying bitterness in her 'tabsara' which
was aimed more at Dr. Sahab's short-story style and allegorical way
of presentation rather spending time on theme and interpretation of
the story itself. I am curious to know what has Dr. Iqbal said in
his critique of Ms. Rubina Faisal's article "Qusoor ka khosa".
Regards.
HN. |
|
Dear Najma sahiba:
I just read your note on
FOHT site ...killing day on
my work today!
I really appreciate your encouraging note on
my afsana...not because you praised my story but I am happy that
you took it with the same sense what I had in my mind.. It means
my created metaphors were not just a 'khood kalami' ..what I
started feeling during sham e afsana. thanks
regards,
Baland
|
|
Dear Najma...Thanks for the
letter. What Baland Iqbal tried to share in his symbolic story was
shared by Ahmed Faraz in his ghazal
bastiaN chand sitaroN pay
basanay walo
kura-e..arz pay bhujtay
chalay jatay haiN charagh
it is from the ghazal that
starts with
teray hotay huay mehfil maiN
jalatay haiN charagh
kitnay nadaaN haiN ke sooraj
ko dikhataN haiN charagh
can i share your letter with
Baland Iqbal and ask Pervaiz to put it FOTH website as feedback. I
think others will like your comments
Sincerely
Sohail
|
Pervaiz ji,
many thanks for keeping us informed of the
activities of The Family. In spite of the distance one feels like a
participant!
Keep well,
Sain Sucha
http://www.algonet.se/~vudya/ |
| Family of the Heart - AFSANA EVENING "duaiN
kay saath, paishgi mubarakbaad." regards, Annie Akhter |
|
Dear Dr. Khalid Sohail,
I appreciate the intellectual, creative and critical exercise of
the writers of Canada at the platform of
Family of the Heart. I am
also thankful to you for inviting me last month to address the
writers of Toronto. My tour was a heartening experience for me.
I have read the
Afsana
of Dr. Baland and the comments of
Ms. Rubina Faisal. Dr. Baland mirrors his philosophical
intricacies to a grand son by a grand father which seem out of
place. His very brief story leaves no emotional or philosophical
impact. If it is not ridiculous, at least it is more than a
riddle. I wish he uses his innate talent naturally and with out
obscurity. If he does so then he will have no need to give foot
notes for his story.
The comments of Ms. Rubina Faisal are superb. She has used the
word The Iron Cap for such incomplete impressions. The scooter
riders use helmet which protects their head from injury but the
iron caps of Shah Doula Ka Chooha of Gujrat, Pakistan stop mental
and physical development. We are living in the society of mental
dwarfs. It is not the age of abstract art. The similes, similitude
and metaphors beautify the writing but obscurity causes confusion
and is the replica of cowardice and non-conformist attitude. John
Donne had called her beloved his sweet America. Such far fetched
simile serves no purpose except a craze in the name of novelty. I
appreciate the comments of Ms. Rubina Faisal and believe that a
writer like Dr. Baland will give due consideration to her
suggestions.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Maqsood Jafri
New York
Dated: November 16, 2009
|
|
Dear Dr.Sohail,
I want to let you know that yesterday's
Afsana reading session was
very enjoyable and intellectually stimulating
There you asked me to comment on the story Chand Par Maut and I
was so unprepared that I went blank, I apologize for that.
I read the story again and now I am writing my thoughts as I
understand it, to share with you.
Baland Iqbal's short story Chand Par Maut" deeply touched my heart
because and it is about the dilemma facing our world today . It is
a symbolic short story about the destruction of earth through wars
and misuse of Earth's resources. The story is written in a very
interesting and inspiring way .It goes in a dialogue between a child
and an old man his grand father. The old man is grieving for the way
the mother Earth is being mistreated by her children .They are
biting the hand that feeds them. In this story. The characters he
created were perfect and sensitively chosen. The character of
old man and the child
symbolize knowledge, wisdom, remorse , distress ,fear ,
helplessness ,empathy, sympathy ,worry anxiety, innocence and
curiosity.
Earth and Moon symbolize
love, life, nourishment, sustenance ,strength, stability and
permanence ,beauty, light and guidance.
The Serpents were used as
negative symbol for deceit, harmful ,poisonous and deadly.
His story is not only written artistically and precisely
communicating the message that our planet is being plundered
,ravaged and ransacked and soon it will be too late .It really does
not make sense why there are people dying of famines and diseases
and wars in the this age of so called civilized world when billions
of dollars are being spend on Wars and Space researches.
Thanks! Baland Iqbal for
writing such thought provoking story for "
Greenpeace."
I would also like to mention that He read the story with dramatic
expressions but I would have enjoyed it more had he read it more
slowly and with longer pauses.
Congratulation! to the organizers of
FOTH for organizing a
beautiful Afsana
Evening and Big Thanks to all the participant writers who put so
much effort in their work and shared such creative and valuable
ideas with the audience
Best Regards
Najma Kausar |
|
|
On Sunday, November 15, 2009;
at North York Public
Library |
|
|
|
| |
|
