A nostalgic trip into princely British India

The Oxford University Press (OUP) was host to an engaging discussion based on the latest novel by Irshad Abdul Kadir, a barrister-at-law and social activist based in Karachi.

The function was held at the OUP’s bookshop at the Dolmen Mall, Clifton, on Wednesday evening. The event featured an animated discussion between Kadir and another author, Sabyn Javeri, a professor of English Literature at the Habib University.

The book, titled ‘The Deriabad Chronicles’, revolves around the lives and fortunes of the family of the deceased ruler of the princely state of Deriabad, a fictitious princely state of British India that has acceded to Pakistan.

The characters include the ruler’s eldest son, Nawab Sartaj Alam Khan, who succeeds his father; and his stepsister, Bisma, who violates family tradition by entering politics.

The plot further features twin princesses and prince Meheryar, the ruler’s second son who embarks on an expedition to discover a lost tribe and in the process discovers many family mysteries.

The conversation between Kadir and Javeri highlighted how the novel’s characters constitute a microcosm of the lives, loves and preoccupations of the feudal classes in Pakistan. In the course of the conversation, he said he endeavoured to write a romance with a touch of adventure to describe the political and social milieu in Pakistan.

Describing his views about the present state of authorship in Pakistan, Kadir said that nowadays all the young authors wrote were fantasies. “I don’t. I am a realistic writer. I write about the economic and social realities of Pakistan’s society.”

Asked by Javeri as to what the reasons for the failure of the publishing industry in Pakistan were, he replied that one of the reasons was that there was a shortage of demand for English books. “However, at the same time it has to be acknowledged that English writing in Pakistan has carved a niche for itself,” he said.

He said he considered the princely states an idyllic situation, a situation where the subjects were loyal to the rulers, not for any personal gains but because they considered that the norm. “Nowadays, loyalty to the rulers is planned,” he said.

Earlier, the chair of the Oxford University Press (Pakistan), Ameena Saiyid, introduced the author and the moderator, Sabyn Javeri, and spoke about the OUP’s platinum series published to celebrate the 70 years of Pakistan.