Basti and Basharat

The last chapter is noisy and eventually ends in a silence that is waiting on a sign, a signal, an 'Ilham', a good news - Basharat. Given that the novel was deeply affected by history literally and the character through whom we see it-  is a historian whose past is the only outlook we have, his silence in the end is not only symoblic of an end of nostalgia but represents the futility of time and the blur of the future.  From the scenes where the three friends sat in Shiraz and discussed art and literature, to the time that they heard the white haired man’s ‘dastan’ over tea, to the time that Shiraz was razed down – Notice that the story itself , as we progress, becomes history; chapter by chapter. And we close on a hope that some sort future will be defined by a ‘basharat’. Why does Intizar Hussain not appropriate a resolution at the end? Is it problematic?

The larger ideas of construction of cities and countries and their eventual destruction to attain settlement is not in itself quite a peaceful or romantic resolution. Zakir, Afzal and Irfan sit outside Shiraz on the deserted roads, look over the consequences of riots. There is talk of failure as a citizen and Afzal insists he label them  'Zalim'. The question I'm addressing is whether your idyllic past is in any way hindering you to define the present on its own terms. Does Zakir still not remember only Sabirah in that setting? Isn’t then present then holding on to the elements of the past just so that it could have some command or agency over the future?

"Yar," he said to Irfan, "I want to write her a letter."

"Now?" Irfan stared into his face.

"Yes, now."

"Now when -- " There was no telling what Irfan had wanted to say; in the midst of his sentence he fell silent.

"Yes, now when -- " He paused in the midst of his sentence, then took a different tack. "Before -- " Confused, he fell silent.

Before -- he tried to get it clear in his mind -- before -- before the parting of her hair fills with silver, and the birds fall silent, and before the keys rust, and the doors of the streets are shut -- and before the silver cord is loosed, and the golden bowl is shattered, and the pitcher is broken at the well, and the sandalwood tree, and the snake in the ocean, and --

"Why are you silent?" Irfan was gazing steadily at him.

"Silence." Afzal, placing a finger on his lips, signalled Irfan to be silent. "I think we will see a sign."

"A sign? What sign can there be now?"Irfan said with bitterness and despair.

"Fellow, signs always come at just these times, when all around -- " he paused in the middle of his speech. Then he said in a whisper, "This is the time for a sign -- "

Sabirah is the Roopnagar that Zakir knows. Then his memory is the sub naarative that reconnects time and again with the present narrative and in his thoughts, Zakir addresses this realsition on how the ‘guzra zamana’ never leaves. He says ‘Us ghar ki, aur us zamin ki Roopnagar ki chabiyan. Chabiyan yahan meray paas hain and wahan pura aik zamana band hai, guzra zamana. Magar zamana guzarta kahan hai. Guzar jata hai per nahin guzarta.’ In the light of these lines, the zamana is not only glorified and longed for, the line ‘Wahan aik pura zamana band hai’ reflect deeply on the upcoming basharat which will let Zakir knock back to history with his letter. ‘Basharat’ then comes out of hoplessness, unsetlled settlements and escapist and surreal lines like ‘Yeh basharat ka waqt hai’ to the juxtaposition of the novel versus history and memory. In the last scene I was left thinking if they were past the crisis or they were amidst it? It is definite that this will become the ‘qissa’ Zakir usually thinks about ‘Yeh kahan kahan ki baat and kab kab key qissay’. History in the end is being constructed. And the connection between cities, memory, Sabirah, the letter, and the novel become evident all. The resounding silence and Afzal’s last lines are remarkable and leave us with questions on what this Basti really is. Certainly with the past which Zakir thinks is a better choice, how embracing is the present? If India is the ‘Dharti’ – One that is all including and nurturing; Pakistan then is the  ‘Basti’ –One that is an unsettled settlement whose roots lie in the Indian soil, Zakir’s memory and is largely ‘bey araam’