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A rich cultural diversity

T hE essential spirit of South Asia denies a single centre; its strength lies in the self-evolved centrality of each location.

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Kuldip Singh Dhir

T hE essential spirit of South Asia denies a single centre; its strength lies in the self-evolved centrality of each location. The book, Socioliterary Cultures in South Asia, an anthology of comparative literature, examines cultural texts and authors from South Asia. The writers speak in their own voices, negotiate with their own history and deal with their existence in their individual ways. Their locations impact each other, yet they maintain intrinsic differences. Rumi and Kabir problemetise their idea of divinity and the divine through Sufism and Bhakti. Both strove for love, with love and by love, though one is rooted in the Koran and the other is a part of the Indian Bhakti tradition. Sufi music, of both India and Pakistan, is soothing, redressing and rejuvenating to every listener irrespective of his affiliation. What is considered Pakistani culture has its roots in centuries of Indian culture and the two have several points of intersection.

Folklore is an important part of culture. Anisur Rahman has chosen Kajri (a genre of semi-classical singing popular in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) as a folk text to underline secular nature of folklore. There are references to Hindu mythology as well as the space for Islamic mysticism in Kajris, composed by Hindus as well as Muslims. The author’s study of inter-relation of Urdu poets and patrons concludes that nobles, nawabs, kings and emperors not only patronised poets but also learnt and practised the art of poetry under their guidance. This relationship promoted literary culture in a significant manner. 

His analysis of Indian cinema shows that it has used Urdu with little regard for linguistic chauvinism. Its catholic nature is substantiated by lyrics which come from diverse linguistic traditions, and registers. The themes also vary from religious to secular and from secular to profane. Rahman posits that Muslim minority discourse seeks a secular space in India. He rues that the exclusivist discourse of Hindutva that denies space and identity to Muslims. He flags the validity of shared heritage, for which we have to look much beyond the year 1947.

Coming to modern Urdu poetry, Progressive Writers' Movement gained strength after Partition. The writers who belonged to this movement, were anti-imperialistic and left-oriented, and sought to inspire people through their writings advocating equality and attacking social injustice and backwardness in the society. They rejected feudal order and decadent morality and portrayed widespread exploitation of masses.  

A critical reading of women poets from Pakistan shows that gestures of disapproval, strong verbal expressions, anger and self-confidence are their hallmark. Nowhere do they have a sense of fear, despair and self pity. Sarojini Naidu evinces the British romantic influences on her, but her tone and tenor is individual. She represents native urges truthfully.

This anthology rereads Kamla Das's poetry with reference to love, confession and autobiography. Kamla writes about desire, yearning and lack of genuine love. Her frank and bold expression was mistaken for her lust. Rahman contextualises her not with the American confessionals but with the Bhakti poets of India. India has a brand of feminism entirely different from the West that has grown out of indigenous local conditions. 

Native place and culture retain their vital presence even when the writers change geographical location permanently. Agha Shahid Ali calls himself a Kashmiri American. His literary oeuvre bears out that his South Asian cultural connection did not snap when he left his native place. Though Kashmir is not at the centre of his identity tag, it has a constant pull on him. His poems invent and reinvent various images of Kashmir. 

Rahman’s meta-critical analysis of the modern Indian English fiction concludes that critics have drawn upon western theoretical constructs and read the texts rooting them in the Indian context. This fiction has carried forward the narrative tradition, making new innovations. 

Munshi Premchand is a cultural stalwart of India who used his pen to mould public opinion for creating healthy sociopolitical conditions. Reading him is reading India. Sri Lanka is represented by Michael Ondaatje in this volume. His Running in the Family is a complex detour into space, time and text. It is the story of an extended family broken into many nuclear families, scattered over many lucrative spots across the globe. Afghanistan's Khushal Khan Khatak has, in his 16 books of poetry and prose, touched on varied subjects. The Eastern traditions of metaphysics and romance combine with the Arabic and Persian in his work. Tahmima Anam’s novel, A Golden Age, represents Bangladesh in this volume. It is a sensitive treatment of the 1971 War of liberation. The protagonist Rehana responds like a classic recipient of the consequences of the war, which spreads like fire and alters individual and communal histories. Rahaman’s exploration of socio literary culture of South Asia demonstrates that inclusiveness, individuality, coherence, assimilation and social concerns are its special characteristics.

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