Musharraf Ali Farooqi is translating the Urdu fantay epic Hoshruba, part of his Urdu Project. CNN-IBN's Amrita Tripathi interviewed the Toronto-based writer, currently in Karachi, on his beautiful The Story of a Widow, and the Indo-Pak situation post-the Mumbai terror attacks.
CNN-IBN: What kind of response has the book had in Pakistan? And in India and Canada?
M A Farooqi: In Pakistan very few magazines and newspaper have book review sections. So there is really no way of gauging "critics' response." The book itself is doing well in the market, I've heard. Canadian reviews, too, were positive. In India the critics' response has been extremely positive. It was overwhelmingly so, in fact.
CNN-IBN: Where did Mona (the main character in the book) come from? It feels like you've tapped into a generation that did take these concepts of duty and "what's right" in a very strict sense -- even when they felt trapped... do you think that still prevails?
M A Farooqi: Mona belongs to a generation that was financially dependent on their husbands. That has now changed with a growing number of women joining the work force. So the sense of obligation that comes with financial dependence is no more. But the sense of duty also has something to do with our cultural outlook. When we are not talking about relationships that require only one person to make all the sacrifices, that may not be a bad thing in itself.
CNN-IBN: I read somewhere that you'd said your wife thought you were more like Salamat Ali?! Or do you think you're more like Akbar?
M A Farooqi: This has become the greatest fiasco of my life. It was a humorous piece that I wrote for a Toronto bookshop. It's NOT true. But a few days after it appeared a friend wrote to me saying something like, 'Thank you man for admitting to your dark nature; it was so cathartic'. I could not believe my ears. But you know how it is with these things. The more I refuted it, the more he was convinced that it was indeed true. Now I guess the word is out that I am an Akbar Ahmad - Salamat Ali hybrid: a selfish, evil, miserly, slippery, wife-abusing gambler-thief, and I guess I'll just have to live with it.
CNN-IBN: The cover for the book is quite stunning! Shruti (his publisher at Picador India) said you have comments on that?
M A Farooqi: Yes, Shruti and I had a long, eventful chat over the cover. The moment I saw it I broke into tears of joy. But I have a feeling that she wasn't satisfied and wanted to see my face replace the face of the male figure on the cover. Apparently, she too had read the piece in which I confess to be an Akbar Ahmad-Salamat Ali hybrid.
CNN-IBN: What are you reading right now? Are there any writers, particularly from the sub-continent that you're excited about?
M A Farooqi: I am very excited about my forthcoming translation of Numberdar Ka Neela (The Beast in English translation) by the Indian writer Syed Muhammad Ashraf which will be published by Tranquebar/Westland. There's nothing like it in Urdu literature.
CNN-IBN: Do you have any comments on the situation in Pakistan (with the military offensive or insecurity in the big cities on one hand, or even on the big cricket win?!) -- do you visit often?
M A Farooqi: This time I have returned after a three-year gap. I am not looking at the present. I am looking at the future. I find the young men and women of Pakistan far more socially aware, culturally engaged, and involved with improving the world they have inherited. To see their drive this 41-year-old dotard feels young all over again. I am powerful glad about the cricket victory, of course! I used to play cricket at one time, and could throw a mean in-swinging ball. Sweet days, those!
CNN-IBN: Do you have any comments on the Mumbai terror attack aftermath hitting Indo-Pak dialogue?
M A Farooqi: Yes, I do. I think a lot of politicians were eating Viagra for breakfast in those days. I am glad they have switched it to a more appropriate time. I feel that in the subcontinent we talk about war and carnage so very casually because we have no real regard for the sanctity of human life. I also believe that India and Pak situation will improve drastically within just a decade or two, to the extent that it will become unrecognizable. We'll just have to wait for the generation to die that helped create the divide - both before and after the Partition.
(Musharraf Ali Farooqi's The Story of a Widow is published by Picador India)
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