February 02, 2018 |
No Comments |
Kadir, who passed away recently, was a critic, playwright,
short story writer, translator, essayist and activist
One of the greatest of the post-Progressive era writers, Kadir carved a niche for himself in the jadeed (modern) genre of writing. Instead of following the beaten track of romantic fiction he shifted the focus to gnawing hunger, abject poverty and inhuman bondage. In story after story he portrayed the social exploitation, political excesses and people’s sufferings. As Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, noted Urdu critic and theorist, says he has an objectivity which is rare among the younger writers of fiction today.
Kadir, who passed away recently at the age of 84, was an eminent short story writer, playwright, essayist, translator, advocate and civil activist all rolled into one. Born at Vemulwada in Karimnagar district in 1934, he was named Mohd Abdul Kadir. But later in tune with his literary proclivity, he added ‘Zaman’ to his name and became popular as Kadir Zaman. Friendly and down to earth he delved into the complexities of human psyche and looked at life and human beings in a critical way. He had no preconceived notions but possessed a rare insight and understanding of human condition, evident from his focus on the contemporary themes in his stories and plays. The storyteller in Kadir let symbols wax eloquent, a technique appreciated by connoisseurs of art.
For a man who started his career as a typist and then became a registrar in the Cooperative Department, Kadir displayed an amazing grasp of knowledge and sensitivity of the Urdu language. He had a natural flair for writing and it was not long before he found his own style. His first story, Jahan-e-Guzran , was published in 1963 in the monthly magazine, Saba . Thereafter there was no looking back. His first collection of short stories under the title Raat ka Safar was published in 1970, followed by Adhura Safar (1993) and Khilone Wala (2005).
A founder-member of the Hyderabad-based Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation , he translated into Urdu its globally acclaimed plays ‘ Quli: Dilon ka Shahzaada ’ and ‘ Savaan-e-Hayat ’ which were staged at prestigious venues across the world. His play Langda Ghoda and Chera Bigad Gaya became runaway hits .
“Over the years his narrative style and the power of expression improved a lot. All of his stories are pragmatic and reflect the realities of life,” says Baig Ehsas, a close friend and this year’s Sahitya Akademi awardee.
Kadir translated classics of Dostoyevsky, Sophocles's Oedipus Rex besides Amitav Ghosh’s award winning novel Shadow Lines ’, apart from the autobiographies of Asghar Ali Engineer and Vemanna. He also abridged Shamsur Rahman Faruqi’s Kai Chaand thay Sare Asmaan. ’
Kadir has not written much and yet his writings have drawn critical acclaim for holding mirror to life. One can see real life situations in his writings. Be it Pursa, Rahgir or Heere Ka Zakm , there is a poignant touch to his tales. His stories touch upon the rural life in the erstwhile Hyderabad state and also depict the plight of NRIs searching their roots back home. He experimented successfully with magical realism dealing superbly with a range of subtly different concepts.
Kadir also had a brief fling at English writing. In the story Bribery , he presents the experiences of a government employee while in Judiciary - The Last Hope he makes a case study pertaining to legal issues. Here he talks about the need to face ‘judicial corruption’ rather than sweeping it under the carpet.
As founder of the Forum for Modern Thought, Kadir was close to many intellectuals. As his writer-friend, Mujtaba Hussain, says , with his characteristic humor:
Wo bure hoon ke bhale jo bhi, hamain payre hain
Ab naya dost koi hum to banane se rahe
(Whether good or bad, he is dear to us
Can’t think of forging a new friendship now)
J.S.Ifthekhar,
Hyderabad based journalist.
Article published in The Hindu
Dated February 2,2018
0 comments:
Post a Comment