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Interview

Spaces of dissent

Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

Faith in the written word: Prof. Gopichand Narang.

My basic concern is literature and how it signifies and meets the aspirations of readers. In this world of utilitarianism, literature belongs to the non-utilitarian realm. It is an interface of culture, the voice of the whole people. Basically it is a social act, sa-hitya, that which is with the people. Like all arts, it provides a space for dissent, raises voice for the oppressed and against social injustice. Literature reflects the dreams, desires and aspirations of the people. It is inspired by ideology but it goes beyond the narrow confines of ideologies, it essentially is the product of the independence of mind.

I write in three languages, Urdu, Hindi and English, but I identify most with Urdu. It is in my blood and marrow. Language provides freedom but it is bondage as well. You do not choose a language, a language chooses you. I consider Urdu as one of the finest by-product of the composite culture of the last millennium. Its base is Hindustani, the lingua franca of India. It is like rainbow where so many colors merge to create an effect. It is a misnomer to consider it alien, it is Indo-Aryan, Indic, and 70 per cent of its vocabulary is Hindi with selected Arabic-Persian phonology and phraseology, which has been fully assimilated and indigenised. This cultural blending gives Urdu a sophisticated élan which has a charm of its own. Its elegance and eloquence is like the Taj Mahal, which represents the synthesis of Islamic spirit with Indian sensibility. Urdu all along has been anti-sectarian and its tone and temper has been humanitarian.

Baluchistan is a rugged terrain with scanty rainfall and no rivers. But where a fountain or streamlet is located, gardens of fruits and flowers spring up. Nature has its own laws of compensation. My childhood was spent in an environment of contrasts, which called for struggle and adjustment at every stage. Maybe my affinity to composite culture and multi-lingualism has something to do with my roots in those surroundings.

The world has changed a lot especially because of the pace of communication revolution and the pulls of multi-culturalism. The society in the West has by and large turned into a spectacle society; the reality is not what is real, but what is produced by simulation. The Internet is changing modes of knowledge where there is no original, only copies. Nonetheless, in literature the hard copy survives. The book has gone through so many changes but so far it has retained its uniqueness and necessity. I think literature as a manifestation of the inner self and book as a repository of that expression is going to survive. The dominant mode of the 21st century is narrative; poetry, though the soul of literature, is relegated to the back seat. Literature has its own ways of assimilation and resolution of conflicts.

Urdu and Hindi are sister languages with a thin borderline. Both languages, so far as world view is concerned, are by-products of medieval Bhakti and Sufi movements. It is unfortunate that because of the strategic interests of the colonialism and the opportunism of political leadership, a divide was created where there was no divide. No one labels Marathi or Gujarati or Punjabi or Bengali by religion but thanks to the exploitative politics of the region, we have heavily communalised our two major languages. If there is a language of Islam, it is Arabic, and so is Sanskrit for Hinduism, while Hindi /Urdu represent the best of the composite heritage. I maintain that if Hindi has to achieve its full potential as the Rashtriya Bhasha of the union of India, it has to lean more and more on Urdu. Urdu has a more cultivated and developed idiom suited to modern, pan-Indian needs. I see the last 50 years as a period of convergence between Hindi and Urdu, thanks to the demand of the readership and the efforts of some enterprising Hindi publishers, much of Urdu literature is available in Devanagari. This trend is on the increase, Urdu is liberal in giving, and so should be Hindi by protecting Urdu education in the public school system. If Urdu has been forced to take refuge in the Madrasa system, it is because of the failure of our school system and sheer opportunism of our short sighted politicians. The last 60 years have created mistrust between the communities. This trend needs to be reversed.

Urdu’s poetic tradition is one of the most cultivated in South Asia. It adds to the communicative skills of the language both at the level of the elite and common man. Urdu is an extremely elastic, assimilative and forward looking progressive language. That is why it sustains the larger usage of Hindustani and provides the linguistic bull work in Bollywood. If, in spite of the denial of linguistic rights, the language goes on, credit must go to its linguistic genius as well as to the popularity of the Bombay movies and ghazals. Urdu’s prose tradition is not that strong; however, the legacy of Premchand, Manto, Krishan Chander, Bedi and Ismat is not that weak either. Where it suffers most is the lack of scientific and technical literature. In a situation where a language has lost its place in the school system, what else can be expected? However, in literature, in spite of the fundamentalist forces at work, the contemporary scenario, after the progressives and moderns, is as post-modernistic as in other Indian languages.

Yes, language and literature play a great role in promoting understanding. There may be a political divide, but there is no linguistic divide. This is one bond which is most vocal and above any protocol. The vagaries of the political climate cannot affect it. A true literature is not restrictive, it liberates the mind. Thanks to the secular character of Urdu during the last 60 years the three wars could not tilt it either way. Even in worst periods of turmoil and tension, Urdu literature never showed any signs of hatred or sectarianism. The case of Faiz and Faraz is in point.

Plurality is the hall mark of Indian culture. It is this concept which presently is under attack from without and within. If we want to hold together, all monolithic challenges need to be countered. One battle front is the field of literature. It is this I am committed to the most and this agenda is not finished.

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