– A tribute By M.Hussain Aazaad (Brother) Journalist, writer, poet & Activist) –
On 5th September 2015, the Urdu world lost a porfolio, versatile writer and Life Time Achievement awardee from Telangana Urdu Academy passed away in her sleep. She had (8) Eight books to her credit, her talent is very distinctive and technically effective. She wrote more about the pathetic conditions of women, their issues and problems. She started writing when she was in middle school. This she has inherited from her grand maternal mother (Nani) Saleka Khatoon Nizami who was a famous writer and an orator, she was close to Sir Lady Hyderi an imminent personality of her times. Her ancestors had come from Medina in early 17th century and settled in Sind, Punjab, later migrated to Deccan.
The short stories could be described as mere social document, pure and simple. A story must ordinarily produce a single effect upon the readers’ sensibility. Fareeda zain’s story seems to meander their way into all expanse of human segment, the directive energy of the unifying centre being lost in the process. Her later stories, however, regain their aesthetic centre and controlling cosmos. This demonstrates her mature poise and their ambivalence which is a source of her strength rather than weakness.
Two important aspects of modern short story are particularly reflected in her works. First is the geographical or regional color or the local flavor of her theme and character; which renders the scenes and situations very effectively. Her modes of behavior and the ways of feeling to put across her sense of life in a particular cultural context. Her second fictional device is a special mode of naturalism. At moments her art appears to follow the descending path of a documentary technique, yet at the end we realize that it is not after all a social document. She is essentially a realistic aiming at verisimilitude in the presentation of character and the situation, dramatizing, the tensions of the people we live in, she has created and in making the reader live with her characters creating a feeling of immediacy. In all her books a symptomatic of the entire range of her creative, almost all invariably project her awareness about women’s issues and the pathetic conditions of the poor people is reflected. As a writer, she is very deeply conscious of readers, and this awareness has profoundly affected her craft of fiction. As a practitioner art of fictional writing the choice of idiom the mode of describing a scene, the methods of narrating an event or incident and communicating the real vision of her thoughts which Seems to the central issues or concerns. Her basic position is she is an Indian writer and she writes primarily for Indian audience for issues and problems raised in her stories are based on our society we live in, her strength as a craftsmen in fiction has to be assessed in the light of specific point of view.
In almost all her stories she assumes the role of a narrator. In this method she tells a story with a perspective or several perspectives without of course personally getting involved in any of them. She is very much present t at side of her characters in the authors corner of scenes. She watches them and comments of their actions, modes of feeling and thought process. She is at the centre, but the centre is outside the varied and overall circles of her creations. She is also conscious that she is writing for her audiences especially the women crushed deprived depressed. Her area of observation is very much wide as she renders all that she observes in a comprehensive coverage. Her fiction contributes to the physical reality and not merely to the making of a disposition or attitude.
Dr. Fareeda zain’s world signifies –the space that is India, molded by her experience and her art of narration. Her mode of narration follows the traditional, experimental time span, the individual or family’s cyclic development or decline. Her fiction is essential a time art, her modes of narration of description are direct and comprehensive. She is conscious of her utility and effects of what the direct telling could perform. She is an skilled artist in employing environment as a means of delineating character, crises or conflicts the human relationship is a significant aspect of her art of writing especially as an Indian and responds intensely to issues, problems , concerns present in the environment. She records not merely the peculiar patterns of speech faithfully, but also captures the movement of typical Indian gestures. Her language is lyrical and is the outcome of spontaneous overflow of thoughts and emotions. Her province as a writer is contemporary India, and the problems which arouse her curiosity as a writer are largely personal and domestic. She sets her artistic shaping imagination to work on eschewing violence, wilderness and romanticism. Her short stories are associated themes of love, marriage and family life, all related very closely human relationship. Her stories involve characters who are helpless, victim of circumstances and bitten by society, above all sympathy and not anger dominate her treatment. She shows an admirable awareness of the problems implicit in her practice of the art of story in the Indian situation. Her writings become more aware of the realities of life, which she communicates in her stories—-poverty, materialism, and spiritual in her central preoccupation.
I personally think that she offers a real insight into life issues and problems and that she is a serious writer, not mere scoffer. Her style is that of traditional writers like Rasid ul Qairi, Iffat Mohani, Krishan chander and others. She is such a writer that every human and natural impulse, every action and demonstration seems to have been thoroughly thought out, planned and projected with careful attention to detail. She squanders her fine powers on the creations of convention rather than concentrating them on the more meaningful impulse for explorations of life.
I wish to furnish details about her work published accordingly: Though she had started writing from her middle school and wrote for children’s magazines, she first got published in a renowned Urdu magazine “BEESVEEN SADI’ and “SHAIR,” “KHATOON E MASRIQ” ETC.
Her first collection of short story book titled “SESAKTI CHANDNI” was published contain 11 stories in 1979. Which was the best book release ceremony attended by Dr. Unwan Chisti, from jamia Dr. Jain from Hyderabad University along with a number of writers, poets etc. in this book her best stories were “EK CHRAG E RAHGUZAR” which was staged by Kalakars a dramatic society of Delhi—“ SHAAM JO DOOB GAI’ VEERAN HAI MAIKADA’ SISAKTI CHANDNI’ were the best.
In 1986 the second book titled, “DILL SE DAAR TAK’ was published which had 11 stories of them 6 were considered the best which, “QABOON KE KHANDHAR” CHANDA KI CHANDANI’ DIL EK SAJADAH GA” PALKOON KE CHAWOON ME” ‘CHASAM E NUM” “ AUR HUM AKELE HAIN”
In the year her third book came out under the title “YAH GARDIS E DAWORAN” in which her stories were different like, “KHOHKAN” “PATHER KA DARD” “KHOON PHIR KHOON HAI” “DILL DUHNTA HAI” etc.
In 1994 “DHARTI KA DUKH” was published her stories were based on the pathetic conditions, agony, the conditions hurt her feelings she wrote what she witnessed observed like, “ASHAKE SANG” “GAI PANHA” “DARD O DARMA” “ TOOFAN KE BAAD” “NA ASHNA” “SAIEBAN” “ every story touches the heart of the readers.
“EK HARF E TAMMANA” came out in 2003, in this book her style of writing changed and it seems she had gone deep into the realities of the so called modern society which had materialistic ideology which could have hurt her, she saw the pathetic conditions ignorance distracted relationships etc, her masterpiece were —“SHAHKAR’ “MOTHI BAHAR ANAJ” “ROZGAAR’ “ROOP BEHROOP” “BHRARM” “SAILAAB” ‘DIL E GUMGASHTA”
HER last work which contained reviews, sketches “AEENA EHSAS KA” was published with assistance from Telangana Urdu academy with 29 reviews on different writers, poets, personalities of Urdu. It seems she had paid her homage to all those who she cared and loved for. Her short stories are narrative and descriptive; its delineation of the theme, dialogue is attained to creating total aesthetic impact, of beauty and sensitivity. Thematically, her collection of short stories are divided into two parts the “SEEKERS” and the “SUFFERERS” the seekers, ironically are in search of internal advancement and end up with sense of fulfillment either in material happiness or desired selfhood. The sufferers on the contrary are in a perpetual quest for spiritual and, therefore suffer from crises of circumstances or identity.
The ironic part of view of zain’s art further elucidates this idea. The seekers are satisfied with their, “BEING” while the sufferers are always in the process of “BECOMING”(MASTERPIECE) a process which ends up with the acceptance of the fact that despair——-existential agony—is part of life itself. “SHAHKAAR” is a beautiful story written from her heart, and soul, a story in simplest narration exposed deep and touches the hearts of the readers, in this she reflected the agony of old aged parents ignored by their children. The essence of this story is a metaphor suggesting that human life is like petals, which fall from the rose and lie withering below or near the vase. To sum up she is very accomplished writer, her art and forms excel in various realms of the story description, narration, characters, thematic explorations and creating the total effect of singular significance. She tends to draw, it appears, her characters from life and fictionalizing living people. She seems to have made a very conscious and deliberate attempt to understand various sorts of people in real life with a view to sum them up all in her stories. As evaluation of a writer the stories must logically raise questions of relevance and necessity, for committed artist’s fictional world cannot easily be divided into desperate categories. But her stories do invite special attention for reason they not only contains some fine variations of themes and ideas but as they are reflect the true nature of society.
It is indeed an irony of life that she departed and left us, she died in sleep departing from this world leaving behind her stories, so she still remains with us.
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About the Author
Mehboob Hussain Aazaad
Journalist & social Activist Hyderabad
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Mobile no- : 09885063533
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Email – : mhussainazad60@gmail.com
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