Hope against Hope

Humra Quraishi

Amidst all the disasters taking place, with hundreds dying in the midst of stampedes and horrific road accidents and floods and the collapse of big and small buildings and bridges and roads, what’s more than worrying is the fate of those who live!

Yes, it is an extremely worrying scenario where joblessness and unemployment are concerned. Also, worries surmount on the educational sphere. What happens to our young? To the upcoming generation! In fact, the immediate focus should be on this. There ought to be every single effort on by parents and immediate family and also counsellors and support groups to keep the young going strong, no matter how very bleak the future seems. Hope has got to stand out!

2 Birth Days
Come August and stand out the birthdays of two distinguished persons–writer & journalist Khushwant Singh and poet Gulzar.

Khushwant Singh
Khushwant Singh celebrated two birthdays–February 2 and August 15 …Before I write any further let me hasten to add the ‘why’ to the two birthday celebrations. As he would explain: My father was certain I was born at the start of Spring, so February 2, my birthday date. But my paternal grandmother was more than sure that I was born in the midst of bhandon/monsoon, so August 15th my second birthday!

Born in 1915, in village Hadali in the Undivided Punjab, Khushwant lived life at his own terms. He spoke fearlessly. He wrote along the same strain. No contradictions .Just no hypocrisy. None of the modern day complications or gadgets. Till the end he hadn’t got himself a computer and nor a secretary and not a mobile phone. As he would say, “Mere bas kanaheenhaiyeh sab … I’m happy writing on a notepad."

In the years that I’d been interacting with him there were those several of those offbeat aspects that had stood out. There were never any sermons. Only subtle relays–that is, No wasting of time in gossip or in those useless wanderings. No facades, no communal biases, no lies, and no deceit.

Khushwant detested the communal lot. “Today, my only worry is the rise in Right-wing fascist forces in the country …the young, the present generation should be aware of the rise in communal politics and the dangers involved.”

In an interview given to me shortly after his book ‘The End of India’ (Penguin) was published in the spring of 2003, he said, “If we love our country we have to save it from communal forces. And though the liberal class is shrinking, I do hope the present generation rejects the communal and fascist policies.”

Khushwant’s views on death were stark, “I’m not scared of death. Death is inevitable so no brooding about it, be prepared for it, as Asadullah Khan Ghalib has aptly put across–‘raumeinhairaksh-e-umarkahaandeykheeyethammey/naihaathbaag par hai nah pa hairakaabmein (age travels at a galloping pace/who knows where will it stop/we do not have the reins in our hands/we do not have our feet in the stirrups.)”

Poet Gulzar
Gulzar was born on 18 August 1934. It’s rare to come across a poet whose eyes relay poetry. Look towards Gulzarsaab’s emotion-laden eyes …There’s something about his eyes, his very personality that impacts. Heady that impact, as one begins to read his verse, together with his views.

The more I read his verse I am left amazed by the expanse, that sheer sensitivity…. Also, there’s that stark simplicity in his words and verse. With that, that instant connect… Little wonder, his fans are spread out, right from our land to those other lands .After all, poets don’t believe in boundaries or barriers.

And as I sit and read, rather re-read this volume which carries his ‘conversations’ with Nasreen Munni Kabeer, I feel it ought to be introduced in the school syllabi Why? Because this volume carries not just his views and verse, but an entire philosophy to life”.

Several years when Gulzar’s story collection–‘Half a Rupee Stories’ (Penguin) was released in New Delhi, I couldn’t attend its launch as one of my cousins had met with a fatal road accident in Uttar Pradesh so I had to rush there. On getting back it was touching to see that Gulzarsaab has dedicated one of his short stories in this collection, to me, with this accompanying one-liner–“We shared a lot of Kashmir though neither of us is from there.”

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Vol 57, No. 5, Jul 28 - Aug 3, 2024