The Birds of Basti

   The chirya appears in some of the most poignant and emotionally significant passages in the course of the novel. Like the greek chorus, the birds in Basti are functionally important. Birds almost always evoke a nostalgic yearning for Rupnagar. Such is the effect of the Koyel’s song on Amijaan in chapter four -“sowi howi yaadon ko jaga diya”.  Surinder treats the birds of his hometown like estranged friends: “Chiryaan aur pair na pehchanain tou dukh hota hai, pehchaan lain tou tabiyat udaas hoti hai”. Zakir, on the other hand, is more comforted by the Koyel: “Koyel ki awaaz mere liye mehkma-e-bahaaliyat ka parwana ban gayi keh is ke baad mai is sher mai rasta basta chala gaya”.  The birds therefore are intimately associated with both memory and desire.

   One must not miss the more obvious bird symbolism that is at play- freedom and flight/movement which, curiously enough, are also some of the themes the novel is interested in. The partition and consequent move to Pakistan was a ‘flight’ that the characters in the novel were forced to take. Some took the flight, but yearned for their natural habitat (Abba jan, Khwaja Sahib) , some refused to move at all (Sabirah).  Freedom – be it from the self (Zakir) or from rigid social roles (Sabira)- is yet another theme in the novel which ties in well with the bird imagery that is to be found in abundance in Basti.

   In another sense, I feel as if the behavior of the birds reflect the political landscape in the story as it unfolds. Rupnagar is serene and magical, and the story begins with the music of an orchestra of birds “jab dunya nai nai thi…aur parindon ki awazon mai jag boltay thay” (bluejays, peacocks, woodpeckers, doves). This was a time characterized by perfect harmony.

   Afzal the dreamer loves the birds too, and notices when they are ‘pareshan’… “Yaar parinday bohut pareshan hain….bay maeeni tor par aasman pe chakar kattay hain’ - They are pareshan, we imagine, because of the conditions in the country. Later, while musing on the political situation, Zakir predicts that“Aik waqt ayega keh…parinday apni kab kab ki ki howi safed o seyah beeton kay beech aasoodgi ke saath betha karenge”.

   The novel then ends on an ambiguous, fearful and uncertain note; Afzal warns us to recognize the signs before it is too late, before the birds stop singing ‘is say pehlay ke… chiryaan chup hojayien’. As if the silence of the birds portend the silence of humanity itself. Indeed, given the particular use of bird references in the story chosen by the author, it just might be the case.

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(An interesting excerpt from an interview in which Hussain talks about his love for birds- excuse the Andy Warhol-esque quality of the video)