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Thursday March 28, 2024

Fakhar’s novel published

LAHORE Fakhar Zaman’s 8th Punjabi novel titled “Maa Kamli Hoi” has been published. This novel is an intense social and political comment in which he has used the techniques of surrealism and free association with cinematographic approach. His entire symbolism is embedded in the folklore of Punjab. Fakhar has

By our correspondents
October 10, 2015
LAHORE
Fakhar Zaman’s 8th Punjabi novel titled “Maa Kamli Hoi” has been published. This novel is an intense social and political comment in which he has used the techniques of surrealism and free association with cinematographic approach. His entire symbolism is embedded in the folklore of Punjab.
Fakhar has travelled a long journey of novel writing starting from his first novel “Satt Gawachay Lok” which hit the market in early 70s about which renowned Indian poetess and novelist Amrita Pretam commented that this novel had established a new trend, style and technique in novel writing and that from now on Punjabi novelists had to change their creative sensibility if they wanted to remain in the mainstream of modern vision and avant garde writings. Zaman’s present novel is an intense social and political comment he has used the techniques of surrealism and free association with cinematographic approach. His entire symbolism is embedded in the folklore of Punjab. Fakhar has aptly described the present moral bankruptcy, social decadence and political corruptions which is plaguing the polity of this country. The protagonist of his moving narrative is the widow mother who is dubbed by her four sons as suffering from mental disturbance bordering on dementia.
The” Maa” feigns the forgetfulness and the disturbed behaviour watches the selfishness and the lust for money and land grabbing by her progeny who is bent upon forcibly occupying her property, moveable as well as immovable. The mother fully understands the conspiracy against her and ventilates her emotions and wrath on the grave of her husband whom she calls “Saieen” who was the builder of the property in question (the founder of the country!). She finds companionship on a mythic level with four characters which represent the writers, singers, painters and dancers. They understand the agony of the mother. They recite poetry, play on flute, scramble colours on the canvas and dance thayya thayya. Maa has now her soldiers, the fine arts, who can fight with her, suffer with her for the social, economic and political amelioration of the poor, downtrodden and the multitude of empty stomachs. Maa has adopted them as her actual sons who find inspiration by another all encompassing mythic character born of fragrance of flowers, aroma of rain on a dry earth, scintillating rainbow, idyllic cascade of waterfall, the fascinating mountains, the exquisite oasis and spectacular wilderness of sprawling deserts. The mother calls this fifth son who doesn’t exist, but serves as a beacon for the lost people of this hapless country.
The blur of the book describes in detail how Fakhar Zaman’s three novels were banned by General Zia- ul-Haq’s military regime. Further that all his previous novels have been translated into major languages and doctoral theses written on them in India where they are prescribed at postgraduate level. In Pakistan also, M.Phil theses have been written on his novels and are also taught at postgraduate level in foreign countries where Punjabi is taught. The denouement of this absorbing novel is deeply moving and contains a note of optimism in terms of social change for the oppressed masses.