Social icon element need JNews Essential plugin to be activated.
Saturday, May 21, 2022
  • Login
Literary Reviews
  • Home
  • OUR BOOK SHOP
    • Erotic Novels
    • BEST SELLING BOOKS
    • Science Fiction Books
    • Business and Management
    • Computing and IT
    • Cooking
    • Education
    • Religion & Spirituality
    • Self Help
    • Teens & Young Adults
  • Literary Review
  • Literature
  • Book Writing
  • Kindle Publishing
  • Romantic
  • Science Fiction
  • Cooking
  • MORE
    • Erotic
    • Mysteries, Thrillers
    • Literary Themes
    • Business and Management
    • Literary Agents
    • Literary Devices
    • New Books
    • Self Help
    • Teens & Young Adults Novels
    • Computing and IT
    • Education
    • Religion & Spirituality Novels
No Result
View All Result
Literary Reviews
Home Book Writing

How a translation of Ismat Chughtai’s last book ‘Qatra-e-Khoon’ offers a lesson in universal resistance

admin by admin
August 16, 2020
in Book Writing
0
How a translation of Ismat Chughtai’s last book ‘Qatra-e-Khoon’ offers a lesson in universal resistance
0
SHARES
6
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

[ad_1]

Written by Syeda Hameed
|

Published: August 16, 2020 6:30:24 am


ishmat chughtai, ishmat chughtai Qatra-e-Khoon, ishmat chughtai Qatra-e-Khoon, Qatra-e-Khoon ishmat chughtai, indian express, indian express newsOne has to understand the importance of Karbala for Shias across the world to realise the anomaly in this work.

Tahira Naqvi’s translation of Ismat Chughtai’s One Drop of Blood compels, cajoles and convinces the reader of the importance of catharsis in a perplexing world, where media, digitisation and Artificial Intelligence have taken over human relations and simple pleasures. The Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, with an “army” of 72 people which included women, children and old men, all dearly beloved family members, arrives in Karbala, where thousands of soldiers of Amir-e-Mu’awiya’s son Yezid’s army are baying for his blood. The Imam, who is denied water for three days in the burning sands of that inhospitable land, sends one after another of his band of faithfuls to battle the marauders and be slaughtered in the burning sands of Karbala. Why? To save Islam from falling into the hands of the bloody and debauched rulers, the Amir and his heir Yezid. Over 1,400 years later, Muslims from all over the world commemorate this event in the month of Muharram, which is also the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is a time of remembrance and mourning, in which all sorrows are sublimated in the greatest sorrow humankind has seen.

I ask myself, why would Ismat apa write the story of Karbala? This is not her style. Her oeuvre is different — Lihaaf (1942), Gainda (1938), Chotein (1942), Terhi Lakeer (1940) — explore themes which have no semblance to the martyrdom of Imam Husain. Did she turn to religion as a last resort? Ek Qatra-e-Khoon (1975) is her last novel. Most people think of their creator as they prepare for their end. But then, having chosen a subject which is heart’s blood for Muslims, especially Shias, why did she turn away from Islam in the end? Why did she ask to be cremated rather than buried in the Islamic custom? These questions are raised by one of the best translators today, Tahira Naqvi, in her translation of the novel.

I ask these very questions about the translator as well. Why did Naqvi, who had translated several Chughtai classics with skill and sensitivity, choose to translate this work? A book which strikes a discordant note in the life and work of the irrepressible Chughtai? Quoting the writer Mazhar Imam, Naqvi writes in her foreword, “The world of Ismat is the world of poverty, illiteracy and filth. The children that are nurtured in joint families like worms and insects, the stench and reek of toilets, maidservants covered in dirt and sweat, the stifled young girl peering through the curtains, is the one who gives birth to illegitimate children behind that curtain.” How does Ek Qatra-e-Khoon fit in this mahaul?

Shall I venture to say that Chughtai and Naqvi’s journeys run parallel? There is as much mystery about her writing this book as about Naqvi choosing to translate it. She writes about her initial hesitation when she took up the work, and later, her intense work on each sentence, not only because she wanted to be faithful to the text, but because of her own belief and practice, which was her driving force. As one who professes the same faith, I can fully identify with her.

My own Urdu literary journey began in 1987 when my dear friend and publisher of this book, Ritu Menon, asked me to translate Chughtai’s Lihaaf for Kali for Women. As a child, I had a feeling that Chughtai’s books were kept out of our reach. I could never have imagined her presence at the majlises in our house. It took the genius of Naqvi to bring this aspect of her to a non-Urdu-reading audience.

This is a book for today. 

One has to understand the importance of Karbala for Shias across the world to realise the anomaly in this work. Chughtai herself was not from a Shia family. She was Sunni, though surrounded by Shia neighbours. She attended majlises, like most children, for the excitement of the Imambara gatherings and the delectable tabarruk (sweet or savoury) which is offered in the Imam’s name to all mourners. Children are the first in line. When Chughtai recalls how, as a six-year-old, she wept listening to Mir Anis’s account of the martyrdom of the six-month-old child Hazrat Ali Asghar, the Shia-Sunni divide melts away. Perhaps, that was the defining moment of her life, which was manifested many years later in Ek Qatra-e-Khoon.

Naqvi’s poignant preface ends with the lesson in universal resistance offered in this book. “Ismat’s narrative of the suffering of Husain’s family, the true anguish and sorrow of their lives during the battle of Karbala and later in the prison of Damascus, creates images which are raw and unforgettable. And, on his return to Medina, Hazrat Zainul Abidin’s last words become an anthem for the oppressed everywhere. ‘When the blood of innocent people is shed, the blood of Husain will become more vivid. People will chant Husain’s name when they take a stand against tyranny.’” This is a book for today. When we stand up for the thousands of Navlakhas, Bhardwajs, Varavaras, and yes, the George Floyds across the globe, it is the story of Karbala as told by Chughtai and brought before the world through this excellent translation that gives us courage to keep resisting.

Syeda Hameed is a former member, Planning Commission

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Books And Literature News, download Indian Express App.

[ad_2]

Related posts

Donald Trump says he’s ‘writing like crazy’ amid claims he is jealous over Pence book deal

Donald Trump says he’s ‘writing like crazy’ amid claims he is jealous over Pence book deal

June 11, 2021
I really, really tried to like Meghan Markle’s book for children

I really, really tried to like Meghan Markle’s book for children

June 11, 2021
Tags: BOOKChughtaisIsmatlessonoffersQatraeKhoonresistancetranslationuniversal
Previous Post

APSU history professor Somaditya Banerjee’s new book examines making of modern physics in colonial India

Next Post

Rankine’s “Citizen: An American Lyric” is added to the Literature Humanities syllabus

Next Post
Rankine’s “Citizen: An American Lyric” is added to the Literature Humanities syllabus

Rankine’s “Citizen: An American Lyric” is added to the Literature Humanities syllabus

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

RELATED PRODUCTS

  • This Is My Story This Is My Song This Is My Story This Is My Song £2.99
  • One Fell Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles Book 3) One Fell Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles Book 3) £4.31
  • Murder at the Playhouse: An unputdownable historical cozy mystery (A Miss Underhay Mystery Book 3) Murder at the Playhouse: An unputdownable historical cozy mystery (A Miss Underhay Mystery Book 3) £1.99
  • RSL 13 Plus Books: 13+ Comprehension – Practice English Papers & Detailed Answers: Practice Papers with Detailed Answers… RSL 13 Plus Books: 13+ Comprehension - Practice English Papers & Detailed Answers: Practice Papers with Detailed Answers… £32.14
  • Bone Silence Bone Silence £18.99

PRODUCT CATEGORIES

  • Best Selling Books
  • Erotic
  • Science Fiction Books
  • Cooking
  • Business and Management
  • Education
  • Computing and IT
  • Religion & Spirituality
  • Teens & Young Adults
  • Self Help
  • Mysteries, Thrillers & Suspense
  • Romance Books

Recent News

  • The Recorder – New books ‘popping up’ at Cushman Library in Bernardston
  • 8 of the Best Romantic Novels About Breakups
  • Studio B Combines Visual, Literary Art in “My Favorite Things: Beauties Are Joys Forever”

Category

  • Book Writing
  • Business and Management
  • Computing and IT
  • Cooking Books
  • Education
  • Erotic
  • Kindle Publishing
  • Literary Agents
  • Literary Devices
  • Literary Review
  • Literary Themes
  • Literature
  • Mysteries, Thrillers & Suspense
  • New Books
  • Religion & Spirituality
  • Romantic Novels
  • Science Fiction
  • Self Help
  • Home
  • OUR BOOK SHOP
  • Literary Review
  • Literature
  • Book Writing
  • Kindle Publishing
  • Romantic
  • Science Fiction
  • Cooking
  • MORE

© 2020 literaryreviews

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • OUR BOOK SHOP
    • Erotic Novels
    • BEST SELLING BOOKS
    • Science Fiction Books
    • Business and Management
    • Computing and IT
    • Cooking
    • Education
    • Religion & Spirituality
    • Self Help
    • Teens & Young Adults
  • Literary Review
  • Literature
  • Book Writing
  • Kindle Publishing
  • Romantic
  • Science Fiction
  • Cooking
  • MORE
    • Erotic
    • Mysteries, Thrillers
    • Literary Themes
    • Business and Management
    • Literary Agents
    • Literary Devices
    • New Books
    • Self Help
    • Teens & Young Adults Novels
    • Computing and IT
    • Education
    • Religion & Spirituality Novels

© 2020 literaryreviews

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In