Animal stories: Part - I

This is the last two-part column of my series of essays on animals in literature. But before I proceed, one correction: in my previous column’s highlighted text (in print alone). Mazhar ul Islam’s line was taken from his story ‘Saanp Ghar’ and not ‘Naag Puja’. In the text, it was correct but somehow in the highlight it was erroneously quoted.

One reader commented on my mention of Nirula’s story ‘Gau Hattiya’ (Cow Killing) by saying that in our country also there are many holy cows that are aging, annoying and ugly, but nobody wants to get rid of them. Well, I think that cows are good animals but when they become incongruous and anachronistic there should be a way to dispense with them; the problem is that whoever tries to do that becomes dispensable and is made a sacrificial animal.

Manto’s story ‘Taytwal ka Kutta’ (the dog of Taytwal) – discussed in the previous column – is ostensibly about a dog but between the lines it highlights the role of the cows we are talking about. Another interesting story is by Joginder Paul (1925 – 2016), titled ‘Bhau Bhau’ (Barking); you can read it in the 73rd issue of ‘Naya Daur’.

Irfan Ahmed Urfi’s story ‘Mai Kuttun Wali’ (A Woman with dogs) also deserves a mention. One of the best stories by Mansha Yaad is about the search for a bird. ‘Aik Thi Fakhta’ (There was a dove) is a story that reflects our society. A child loves to listen to stories from his mother. Once she narrates a story about a dove. The child has never seen a dove and now insists that he must see one. His father takes him to a park but there is no dove in sight.

He takes the child to another park and then to another but no dove is found, despite there being so many other birds there. They come back dejected, and the father asks various people about the disappearance of doves but nobody can explain. Then he asks one of his friends who works in the wildlife department. The friend tells him that there had been a substantial rise in the population of crows and that wherever there are too many crows, doves tend to migrate from there. How true that is for countries such as Pakistan, where too many crows spur the doves to migrate.

Mazhar ul Islam’s stories, ‘Pinjra’ (Cage), ‘Aik Sham Ney Chirhya ko Chug Liya’ (An Evening Killed the Bird), and ‘Titli’ (Butterfly) are all worth reading. Three more good stories involving birds are ‘Kabutar Gali’ by Mahmood Ahmad Qazi published in the 54th issue of ‘Raushnai’ (2013) edited by Ahmed Zainuddin; ‘Admi Parinda Hay’ (Man is a Bird) published in 2000 in the second issue of quarterly ‘Khayal’ edited by Anjum Saleemi and Nazar Javed, and ‘Gehri Piyas Aur Kawway’ (The Thirst and the Crows) by Ishrat Naqvi published in the 64th issue of monthly ‘Nairang-e-Khayal’ in 1988.

‘Ajnabi Parinday’ (Strange Birds) is a story by Intizar Hussain that deals with a person who is tired of birds that have made nests in his room and disturb him when he is reading or writing. His repeated attempts to get rid of them fail, and finally he decides to whitewash his room and throws all the nests out. The birds stop coming and he is at ease. But then a strange thing happens. After some time, he feels that the room is as silent as a grave, no chirping and fluttering. He longs for those birds. After that, one must read for themselves.

Another story about birds by Intizar Hussain is ‘Cheelain’ (Kites) published in his collection ‘Khemay se duur’ (Away from the tent). Set with characters from Greek mythology, the story is about Aeneas who leads his people from place to place in search of safety and security. But each destination is marred by its own kites which swoop and snatch food from Aeneas and his people. Finally, they decide that migration is not the solution; they should stay where they are and fight the kites. This story reminds you of a similar story by Khadija Mastoor, discussed in one of my previous columns.

‘Mor Nama’ (The Story of Peacock) by Intizar Hussain is the retelling of the horrors peacocks suffer in the aftermath of the atomic tests by India in Rajasthan. The narration uses characters form Indian mythology and presents a disturbing scenario emerging with the preparations for wars that are both fatal and futile.

Perhaps, Intizar Hussain’s best story involving an animal is ‘Brahmin Bakra’ (Brahmin Goat). A Brahmin man did not have a son; a sage advises him to sacrifice a goat. The Brahmin buys a goat and feeds him well; the goat laughs and says: “This is all a matter of time. In my previous life I was Brahmin and you were a goat. I sacrificed you to have a son.” The Brahmin shivers and postpones the slaughter to next day. When the time comes again the goat cries and says, “Soon somebody else will be sacrificing you.” Who sacrifices the Brahmin? Read and find out.

Talking about goats, I must mention ‘Daam-e-Suneedan’ subtitled as ‘Dungar Boli’ (The Language of Animals), an excellent story by Munsha Yaad included in the selection made by Dr Iqbal Afaqi. A man learns the language of goats and starts loving them but every year he has to see so many sacrificial goats being slaughtered. He avoids the scene even in his own house when his relatives perform the religious duty. When the man himself becomes a father he has to slaughter a goat at the ‘Aqeeqa’ ceremony of his son. He is forced to do so by his relatives; but when he eats the mutton, the smell emanating from it is the same as he smells in his own son.

Munsha Yaad was a master story-teller and his story ‘Cheezain Apnay Taalluq Say Pehchani Jati Hain’ (Things are Known by their Association with Other Things) is the story of mare and a woman. The woman is married and goes to her in-laws in another village where she is treated like a new animal in house. Nobody respects her and she feels just like cattle. When a mare is stolen from the village her in-laws blame the woman’s own village people for it. After a while, she visits her parents where the villagers return the mare by saying that they didn’t know it was from her village. When she brings the mare back to her in-laws’ village everybody treats her with respect but then she realises that the respect is given not to her but to her association with the retrieved mare.

Ghulam Abbas’s story ‘Bandar Wala’ (The Monkey Charmer) is an interesting story about Mr Shah who invites the writer to his home for tea. When the writer reaches there, Mr Shah’s little boy is playing. The boy is ordered by the father to say salaam to the guest which he does; then the boy is asked to say thank you, which again he does. In short, the entire evening the little boy is asked to recite English poems and different couplets that he has been forced to memorize. On his way back, the writer passes by a monkey charmer who does almost the same with his monkey. Get the point?

Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi’s story, ‘Mano ki Miaon’ (The Mew of a Cat) that misses its owner who has recently died. When the 90-year old owner dies, his offspring never care for the cat but when a distant relative’s family with eligible bachelors come, suddenly their attitudes change. The story is a fine example of how, even in death, relatives calculate their own interests.

To be continued

The writer holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK and works in Islamabad.

Email: mnazir1964@yahoo.co.uk