‘Hayrangi’ in Shehr e Afsos

The narration technique employed by Intezar Hussain reinforces the idea that the second and third person were repetitively in shock and disbelief as the first person told his story. The events are described as ‘deewana’ that leave the victims in ‘dehshat’ and the listeners keep asking ‘Phir tu mar gaya?’ with immense 'Hayrangi’. Lines such as ‘‘’Teray saamney? … Hain… Acha?” Teesray aadmi ney hayrat sey ussey dekha’ and ‘Doosray aadmi ney teesray aadmi ki hayrat ko yakser faramosh kia’ and then he asked ‘phir tu mar gaya?’. This constant 'Hayrangi' on their part shows that the first person was emotionless and it's almost as if he wasn't present at the time. The first person's distance with and monotone description of the events are just all the more astounding. The first person’s answer came in a ‘bey rang awaz’ that leaves the third person disturbed, confused and in awe. Ideas of ‘sharam’ step in here; if ‘sharam’ is taken to be the realization of one’s wrong doings and finding oneself guilty and human, then the first person is depicted as ‘bey sharam’ in some way as his eventual closure comes in death or when he stops existing. But when does the human realize that he is wrong or displaced? For the first person, the narrative is redemptive only when his father dies and the domestic refuses to embrace him anymore. Then the ‘dehshat’ and ‘dewanapan’ of that time that bore no shame, or resentment are some sort of national to a sane, calm and non –violent, humane society.