Echoes of tradition and unrest

KARACHI:

The mere mention of the chinar tree brings to mind romance, splendor and perseverance. A look at the title The whispering Chinar evoked similar images, but in reality Ali Rohila’s book is anything but romantic. The stories in this collection address themes of power and rights, family dynamics, male privilege, and bigotry, among other themes.

Rohila is the descendant of Nawab Hafiz Rehman Khan Rohila, the Pakhtoon ruler of Rohilkhand. Although a banker by profession, he is familiar with the great poetic and romantic traditions, as his father Parto Rohila was a famous poet and scholar, known for translating into Urdu all the known Persian letters of Mirza Ghalib. The whispering Chinar is Rohila’s first fiction book; his first book Read No Harma collection of essays was published in 2015.

In the garden of Khan Mohammad Usman Khan, in Charbagh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a short detour from the Grand Trunk Road, which leads towards Afghanistan, there is a chinar tree. Legend has it that it was planted by a saint known to the Khan’s grandfather; the saint had told him that the family would prosper as long as the tree survived. The tree has stood for generations as a silent witness to many stories that unfolded under its time span. ‘It was said that the chinar whispered to those who would listen. Elderly relatives strongly believed that the rustling leaves conveyed messages from nature. But the generation that could decipher its whisper had faded, and the new generation attributed the rushing solely to the breeze.”

The stories in this collection are connected because each story in this collection has a Charbagh connection; it is set in Charbagh or involves people who have a connection with the place. In Charbagh, family honor and traditions are cherished, even as modernity comes slowly. Without romanticizing or glorifying the place and its inhabitants, Rohila tells his stories of unrequited love and family honor, religious persecution, patriarchy and breaking its shackles, and what it means to belong to Charbagh, along with stories of jealousy, loss, rivalry, ego, morality, power, financial struggle, loyalty, family dynamics and vulnerability in a simple way. His characters seem to be caught in situations where religious intolerance, patriarchy, misogyny and radicalism often manifest themselves in their worst forms.

Strict sociocultural and patriarchal norms are at work in most stories, although the actual themes vary. The clear class distinctions and boundary setting in the case of servants in the household, where their loyalty makes them almost like family, but a distinction remains; the careful examination of parenthood and family in forming marital alliances; and whether education has any value if people remain stubborn about their beliefs are some common themes that are evident in his stories.

In the first story, there is a passing reference to a small village, Kiyara, in the region flooded by the Tarbela Dam. The reference is perhaps a sign that just as the village was sacrificed for development and progress, the woman in this love story is sacrificed in the name of honor and tradition. The secret love affair between Fahad, Khan Sahib’s youngest son, and a maid does not go unnoticed by Lala, Khan Sahib’s old faithful servant who was considered part of the family. It is a dangerous affair that threatens to uproot social norms. Fahad is sent to the city, while Saad Bibi, the maid, ends her life when she learns that she is getting married to a drug addict, a marriage from which she had fled from her village some time ago and taken refuge with Khan Sahib. house.

This story also gives us a glimpse into Khan Sahib’s household in Charbagh, where the emphasis on family hierarchy and patriarchy is the norm; although we read that the ‘granddaughters would question their mothers about the preference given to their brothers. Such questions were often hushed up and the matter was attributed to the universal order of things as desired by Allah.”

Khan Sahib is respected in the area and his house “was a refuge for men and women from the nearby mountain villages; the women running from abusive husbands and the men from revenge attacks.” Are hurrah was considered the central point of Charbagh. Disputes and issues would be referred to him for his wise intervention. For generations, the lonely banyan tree stood reverently in the center of the courtyard, giving an aura of sanctity to the people. hurrahhad witnessed issues being resolved amicably in this context.

In the story entitled “The Tears of Nazo,” Nazo learns that the views of her liberal and progressive family also have their limits. She had wondered all her life why she had been sent to a hostel and sent to the village during holidays to be with her sick grandfather, while her siblings were at home with their parents to learn some bitter truths and the boundaries of her progressive behavior. family. You learn that she is not Saleem Khan’s daughter (Khan Sahib’s eldest son), but her parentage or real relationship with Saleem Khan is left to the readers’ imagination, perhaps because it is not relevant to the story.

“The General’s Son” and “The Rebound” are love stories with the latter seeming to be a sequel to the former. While one is set in Lahore and in the other the male protagonist has moved to another country a few years later, yet is connected to his family back home, family honor is important in both stories. Relationships are built but broken when family honor seems to be at stake. People in love and those who have had a quarrel behave without taking into account the sensitivities and emotions of others and ruin their lives. In ‘The Rebound’ you see a conflict between the traditional path that old-fashioned families follow and the passion of young people in love.

Religion is an underlying theme of the stories entitled ‘The Imam’ and ‘The Blasfemer’, which provide insight into the gradual build-up of religious fanaticism, and how liberal and secular voices are crushed by extremist views of good and evil, and the healthy ones have no choice but to remain silent while extremists shout out their views

A few stories are reminiscent of similar incidents that have happened in the past, or perhaps the stories have evolved from these incidents and are presented with some twists. The story titled “The Blasphemer” is reminiscent of the case of Junaid Hafeez, an English teacher who was accused of blasphemy, sentenced to death and still in prison awaiting a decision on his appeal. Also the character in the story is an English teacher, accused of blasphemy, but unfortunately loses his mind in prison. The similarities extend not only to the fact that they are both teachers of English literature and hold liberal views, but also to the fact that both of their lawyers were murdered for representing them.

Similarly, in the story “Mahbanu”, a Maulana is crippled in an accident and is confined to a wheelchair. While looking for something to keep himself relevant, he discovers that Junaid (the accused in ‘The Blasphemer’) has been found mentally unfit to stand trial, meaning he could be released. He seizes the opportunity and organizes a sit-in in Faizabad. . Readers are reminded of a religious cleric’s sit-in at the same spot. It is another matter that the Maulana in the story was confronted by a brave paraplegic girl for disrupting traffic and creating trouble for the common man. The story also shows that having another disability is not an obstacle to expressing your opinion and that sometimes it is the women and children who, even if they are considered weak, initiate a change. “Within a few minutes, the crowd led by women and children started moving resolutely towards the sit-in to chase away the miscreants who were blocking their way. The reluctant men, who were loitering nearby, followed.”

Most stories place the main characters in specific situations and the story changes in the way they respond, which impacts the people around them. This is especially evident in ‘The Office’, where a bank employee, Imran, has given up all his interests, his social life and his family life and whose existence revolved around spreadsheets and presentations, looking for a word of appreciation and promotion . On the verge of despair due to the treatment imposed on him by his boss, he asks his friend to buy him a gun. He often held it in his hands and ‘felt the same excitement he once felt when watching cricket or playing the harmonium. … After a long time, Imran had found joy in an object outside the cells of a spreadsheet.” Unexpectedly, he uses the gun to end his life.

The characters in the story ‘The Revenge’ are modern and liberal and live outside Charbagh, although they both have roots in the village. It shows how men cannot handle rejection from a woman and can go to any lengths to pull the woman down. Farid Khan’s male ego cannot bear rejection when Shazia, who belongs to the Ahmadi community, refuses to marry him. His response exposes the feudal mentality as he plays the religion card and has her imprisoned on charges of “spreading the banned Qadiani faith and undermining the established religion.”

Belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where most of the stories are set, Rohila is familiar with the socio-cultural norms of the area, its code of honor, politics and religious sentiments, conservatism, lifestyle and freedoms enjoyed, and the differences between different sectors of society. society. He has observed the changes that have taken place over the years and can draw on the traditional culture and rapid modernity and the conflict between the two, as well as the differences and similarities between the rural and urban layout and the feudal and business environment. This knowledge comes in handy when creating his stories and characters.

It started from the 1970s The whispering Chinar is a collection of enticing stories from a part of our country that the world is not so familiar with.

Rizwana Naqvi is a freelance journalist and tweets @naqviriz; she can be reached at [email protected]

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