Memory in Shehr -e- Afsos

Memory is a recurring theme in shehr – e – Afsos. The three men constantly have a hard time recalling events and the slight inaccuracy of their narratives (which often overlap) makes one doubt the veracity of their memories. This is captured in the following scene in which the first man confuses second man’s story as being his.

“Acha to woh tun tha jiss ke mun par thuka gya?”

“han, wo mien tha.” – says the second man.

Then the first man says: “mien samajh rha tha woh mien tha…ab pta chal gya who mehez mera gumaan tha.”

Bu then the first man ponders a bit over it and recalls the insulting moment in which he was spitted at.

“mien ne ghalat kaha aur to ne ghalat smjha. Woh mien hi tha jiss ke mun par thuka gya tha.”

To this the second man responds: “mien ne, uss shakal ko, jis par thuka gya tha, bohat ghaur se dekha tha. Woh bilkul meri shakal thi.”

This exchange points to the dreadful collective experience that these people have had. They’ve not only faced pain of their own but also seen others being agonized. Hence second man saying: “mien ne uss shakal ko, jiss par thuka gya, bohat ghaur se dekha tha.” But Intizar alludes to the fact that their memories are weak; therefore, they can’t distinguish between their own experiences and those of others.

Shehre Afsos, without question, makes a lot of references to partitions of ’71 and ’91, as discussed in class; as the popular idiom goes: “those who can’t remember the past are bound to repeat it.” Thus, Intizar presents memory as a crucial theme in shehr – e – afsos, referring to the fact that these people forgot history and thus suffered the same consequence over again.