review
Choicest authors and their writings
With carefully selected works from year 1892 to 2010, this anthology gives a glimpse into the different phases in our national political and literary history
By Abrar Ahmad
Adabi Makhzan
Edited by Mohammad Khalid, Mirza Hamid Beg, Islamic College, Lahore
Pages: 597
Price: Not given
Year: 2009-10
Educational institutions have the age-old tradition of publishing magazines on a yearly basis to promote literature and encourage their students to write. Fortunately, the tradition lives on. At times these journals are compiled into books which bear relevance to literature well beyond the confines of the particular institution.

Checkered history
The book gives an unbiased and daring account of 'military interventions'
By Shahid Shah
Pakistan: Jamhooriat aur Fauji Mudakhlatein
Writer: Riaz Ahmed Shaikh
Publisher: Sanjh Publications, Lahore
Pages 176
Price: Rs200
In its 63-year old history, Pakistan has been under direct military rule for 33-odd years and, for the rest of the years, it has been indirectly controlled or influenced. Democracy in the country has yet to be nurtured. Riaz Ahmed Shaikh's latest book, titled 'Pakistan: Jamhooriat aur Fauji Mudakhlatein' (Democracy and Military Interventions) is an account of Pakistan's political history, which has been dominated by the military.

Zia Mohyeddin column
The egregious wordsmith
Woody Allen is one of those rare geniuses of our times about whom it can be rightly said that there is no end to his talents. An actor, a stand-up comedian, a prestidigitator, a renowned clarinetist, a successful Broadway playwright and a film-maker of great distinction, he is a world famous celebrity as well. It is a pity that we only think of him as a movie-maker who sometimes appears in his own films.

Adabi Makhzan

Edited by Mohammad Khalid, Mirza Hamid Beg, Islamic College, Lahore

Pages: 597

Price: Not given

Year: 2009-10

Educational institutions have the age-old tradition of publishing magazines on a yearly basis to promote literature and encourage their students to write. Fortunately, the tradition lives on. At times these journals are compiled into books which bear relevance to literature well beyond the confines of the particular institution.

The recently printed Adabi Makhzan 2009-10, by Islamia College, (Railway Road) Lahore, is one such anthology, edited and compiled by trend-setting ghazal poet Mohammad Khalid who happens to be the principal and his assistant Dr Mirza Hamid Beg, also a short story writer of substance and Dean of Arts.

A number of prominent writers and scholars of the subcontinent have been associated with Islamia College in one position or the other. Carefully selected works of these writers, from year 1892 to 2010, are included in the current edition which makes for an absorbing read.

In his research-oriented, opening article, Dr Mirza Hamid Beg provides valuable information about the inception and the progress of the institution over the last more than one hundred years.

During the turbulent post-1857 era, the Muslims of the subcontinent were guided by three main institutions for the promotion of literacy and education. These were Mohammaden Oriental College Aligarh (1877), Islamia College Peshawar (1890) and Islamia College Lahore (1892). It was Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam which initiated a vibrant campaign in the city of Lahore. In 1884, two primary schools for girls were founded while in 1886, a primary school for boys was started in a rented house with mere 30 students. The activity picked up momentum and, in 1892, Islamia College came into being with just 11 students with Chaudhry Nabi Bakhsh as its first principal. It was in 1905 that the Anjuman purchased land on Railway Road where the college is now located. Afghan ruler Amir Sir Habib Ullah Khan inaugurated the institution.

Adabi Makhzan is a historical document which gives the readers glimpses of different phases in our national political and literary history -- closely linked to each other. The authors included have an outstanding significance in this regard.

Each article deserves a mention while a few are outstanding, to say the least. The one written by Chiragh Hassan Hasrat is a pen picture of Iqbal. The writer's captivating narrative unfolds the generous and hospitable side of Iqbal who, contrary to the most prevalent customs of the time, didn't like reading his poetry to others. We discover, through Hasrat's article, that Iqbal was dismissive of mushairas and considered them useless and, in fact, damaging to the growth of a genuine poet. We also find that Iqbal's association with the college was so deep that he donated his entire personal library to the college.

In another interesting article, Maulana Maudoodi, writing at age 16, very intelligently criticises a column by Insha which had been published in a journal called Tamaddan (1919). His commitment to literature is so obvious that one could never imagine that he would choose to be religious scholar in the years to come. Maudoodi's command over language and his expression are superb and his remarks witty.

In his article, Ghulam Rasool Azhar reminiscences about the Quaid-e-Azam's visit to the college in 1941. Jinnah had said, "It is the month of March. Let us march on".

A special section is reserved for M D Taseer in which worthy reflections of his celebrated friends are included that help us develop an understanding of the era during which these magnificent people existed. Dr Nazeer Ahmad, Prof Hamid Ahmad Khan, Dr Baqir and Dr Aftab Ahmad fondly recall Taseer as they knew him as a friend, a poet and a scholar. Taseer, in his article, titled "Jamaliyati Qadrain" (aesthetic values), had opined that to look for absolute values in literature is a futile exercise. Such values do not exist. That means it is a question of personal liking. But then he suggests an intermediate way, the parameter of relative values born out of the synthesis between the two. These are the values useful in correct assessment of the stature of a literary person.

In 1969, Nasir Kazmi delivered Khutba-e-Sadarat to the annual gathering of the members of Halqa Arbab–e-Zauq where he noted that a "writer has no resources except words… It's a tool which does not favour the author but the others." He pointed out that only on two occasions in the history did the men of letters find themselves to be an integral part of the nation along with the other strata of the society -- in 1947 and during the war of 1965. Subsequently, they were marginalised gradually but surely.

Sajjad Baqir Rizvi is subtle but sharp in his criticism while Gilani Kamran discusses modernism in his typical question-based style.

In the final analysis, Adabi Makhzan remains true to its tradition, a choicest selection of the authors and their writings. The present anthology reflects the level of seriousness and competence with which Mohammad Khalid and Mirza Hamed Beg put this precious document together.

Pakistan: Jamhooriat aur Fauji Mudakhlatein

Writer: Riaz Ahmed Shaikh

Publisher: Sanjh Publications, Lahore

Pages 176

Price: Rs200

In its 63-year old history, Pakistan has been under direct military rule for 33-odd years and, for the rest of the years, it has been indirectly controlled or influenced. Democracy in the country has yet to be nurtured. Riaz Ahmed Shaikh's latest book, titled 'Pakistan: Jamhooriat aur Fauji Mudakhlatein' (Democracy and Military Interventions) is an account of Pakistan's political history, which has been dominated by the military.

Riaz Ahmed has a Ph.D. in Social Sciences and is currently placed as Vice Rector at the Institute of Business and Technology (BIZTEK) in Karachi. The book is a collection of his research articles on the subject.

Narrating the formation of Pakistan, the writer says that the actual number of deaths that took place during the partition under religious extremism could be between 500,000 to 1 million, while more than 13 million people left their houses. This, he writes, is the largest number of people who migrated in one incident in the entire twentieth century.

Quaid-e-Azam remains a source of inspiration for the majority of the people of Pakistan but the writer argues that even Jinnah did not work for strengthening the democracy. "Instead of relying on the provincial governments and the leaders of the Muslim League, he showed confidence in the civil bureaucracy of the time and appointed Chaudhry Muhammad Ali as secretary general, who was actually using powers of the prime minister."

Jinnah refused to accept the existence of the opposition by dismissing the government of Dr Khan in the NWFP within one week of the creation of the country. After eight months of dismissal of Dr Khan's government, Chief Minister Sindh Ayub Khuhro was dismissed. Shaikh believes that by taking such actions, Jinnah actually crossed the constitutional limits as the Governor General and that this example provided the succeeding leaders to derail the democracy.

Direct intervention of the military in politics is dated back to 1954, when General Ayub Khan was inducted in the cabinet as the defense minister.

Three military rulers -- Ayub Khan, Zia ul Haq and Pervez Musharraf -- dominated most of the country's history. All of these three introduced basic democracy (BD) in their agendas. The purpose was to affect the mainstream politics and sideline the political leaders by giving more powers to the BD members and then the Nazims who had served the agenda of military rulers, as BD members thought only the dictators could save the system. These three generals appointed themselves as presidents of the country through referendums. They considered the transfer of power to the union council level as the spirit of the democracy. "It was actually controlled democracy," Dr Shaikh argues.

The book also gives an account of the fall of Dhaka on December 16, 1971. The control of Pakistan was given into the hands of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who was handed over the power not because he had won an election but because of the army surrender in the war. Therefore, the military handed over the powers to the Pakistan People's Party, he writes.

Dr Shaikh also criticises the political leaders, as they failed to choose the real representatives of the people. In the elections of 1977, the PPP allotted more tickets to the feudal lords than it did in the elections of 1970. One of the reasons of the Bhutto government's overthrow in 1977 remains its military policy in 1972-73 which sought to reduce the political influence of the military. In April 1979, Bhutto was hanged. "Bhutto's death was a sign that the military would never accept his opposition."

According to Dr Shaikh, the Ayub era was good for economy, as it progressed at an average of 6 percent. However, unfair wages paid to the workers angered them and there were several protests by the workers in the late 1960s which caused Ayub's downfall.

The most dangerous policy of General Zia's military government was to include religious ideology to get the support of the people against the democratic powers. Between Zia's death and the military coup of Musharraf -- that is, between 1988 to '99 -- the country saw eight prime ministers, out of which four were caretakers. "The military gave shocks to the democracy after every two years."

Regarding the fourth and the most recent military coup of General Pervez Musharraf, the writer says that the military was not happy as it was not taken into confidence by the then prime minister who initiated peace dialogue with the traditional opponent India. When Atal Bihari Vajpai came to Lahore to sign the peace deal of Lahore Declaration, General Pervez Musharraf, the then army chief, did not attend the event, which showed he was annoyed by such motives. In order to damage the peace dialogue, a group of senior generals, led by Musharraf, started military operation against India in Kargil. "Had there been an enquiry against such controversial military operation, it would have been a sign of the triumph of democratic powers over the military."

The book further says that Pakistan has been interfering in the domestic issues of other countries and overlooked its own crucial issues. The country remained busy in unnecessary wars, which were not its own. "Today, the result of all these policies is in front of us. The country is faced with the worst kind of terrorism and has been financially bankrupt," he states.

Shaikh's argument is that the real duty of a country's army is to defend its geographical boundaries. On the contrary, in Pakistan, the military suffocates democracy, changes the constitution, damages institutions, enters two major and one minor battle and shocks the foundations of the country, upon which the country was based.

He exhorts the new government to forget that the majority of parliament has given them a chance to minimise the gulf between the institutions of civil democracy and the military.

He also advises the authorities to analyse their powers and requirements and avoid interfering in the internal matters of other countries unnecessarily.

Published by Sanjh publications, Lahore, in February this year, the book is a potential resource material for researchers, academics, students and journalists. It gives an unbiased, daring and clear picture of military interventions.

Woody Allen is one of those rare geniuses of our times about whom it can be rightly said that there is no end to his talents. An actor, a stand-up comedian, a prestidigitator, a renowned clarinetist, a successful Broadway playwright and a film-maker of great distinction, he is a world famous celebrity as well. It is a pity that we only think of him as a movie-maker who sometimes appears in his own films.

I say this because I think he is an exceptionally gifted writer. I have been reading his stories and essays in the 'New Yorker' for many years now -- the 'New Yorker' is one magazine which has never published a second-rate short-story writer -- and have relished his sardonic, Jewish humour. I have, now, in front of me, a collection of his short stories appropriately titled, 'Mere Anarchy', and I cannot help thinking that I haven't come across any other American author who is more seriously funny.

His stories are deliciously surrealistic, the themes ranging from the 'ascension on planet earth movement' to the marvels of a tailoring-cum-engineering firm which has perfected a tropical worsted that has its own hydration system.

In a journal called 'Magical Blend' which contains articles on crystal power, holistic healing, and spiritual energy, a self-proclaimed goddess, a lady by the name of Gabrielle Hathor assures her readers that she can teach them the art of "levitation, instantaneous translocation, omniscience as well as the ability to materialize and dematerialize," for a small consideration. All those who are interested in achievening this power have to go through an arduous routine to dissolve their ego and get their frequencies jerked up.

The protagonist of the story is lured. He joins a squad of acolytes, a bunch of losers, all seeking to ascend to a higher plane while labouring around the clock in lobotomized submission to the supreme goddess. The faithful are expected to toil twelve to sixteen hours a day harvesting fruits and vegetables for the goddess and her entourage. In addition to all other chores he is also expected to sweep the landscape littered with garbage. For food he only gets alfalfa seeds, miso and ionized water. (Breaking the dietary rules leads to a flogging). Humiliation follows humiliation as part of an ego-cleaning ritual until the protagonist can take it no more and escapes in the dead of night crawling under a barbed wire fence and catches a flight to New York.

"So, did you dematerialize and translocate here? or is that an airline cocktail napkin I see dangling from your collar?" his wife asks him showing the benign tolerance one reserves for the prematurely senile. He is stung by her contumely but to show that he hasn't been wasting his time he levitates six inches off the floor. She lets out a piercing shriek, and bids the children run out of the house. He now realizes that he cannot get down. He tries to de-elevate but the manoeuvre seems impossible. Pandemonium ensues. He strains mightily to lower himself but it is hopeless. His wife, eventually manages to borrow a ski from a neighbour, brings it hard down on his head sending him earth bound at last.

It is not possible to convey the insanely comic events of this tale of inconsequentiality. Only someone with the razor sharp wit of Allen could have created this painfully funny spoof on the power of advertising as well as the ever-rising gullibility of the American consumer.

Woody Allen writes with a neurotic energy about neurotica. His pace is racy and it has a feverish intensity. He is also a coiner of words. I would go as far as to say that he is the most egregious wordsmith in modern fiction. His vocabulary is replete with the jargon of the Lower East Side of New York. Let me give you a taste of his ever-flowing, highly individual prose.

"A beautiful song Pepkin also guarantees me will eventually top the chart, in "My lips will be a Little Late this Year" which boasts the bittersweet lyric "Embrace me, disgrace me, but do not erase me from your Rolodex". For lagniappe in this delightful salamagundi, Pepkin included 'Slout-Hearted Mice' which, he assures me, is this kind of patriotic morale builder that, in event of an all-out nuclear war, will glean for me beaucoup jack."

On any given page you would come across words like beaucoup, hematoma, triglycerides, susurus, lebensraum, pheromones, cochlea, etc., along with a vast array of Yiddish: schmear, schnecken, schnozz, momser, meshoogs, zaftig.

His cerebral ability is so excessive that the words (which I have italicized) come to him naturally like poetry came to Iqbal. I do not get the feeling that while writing he keeps a mother of all Thesauruses (most of these words are not in Roget's Thesaurus) which he consults every now and then in order to replace an ordinary word for a more colourful one.

Here is an extract which shows his unique ability to satirize any subject on earth. He is reflecting on the dietary habits of philosophers:

"No philosopher came to solving the problem of guilt and weight until Descartes divided mind and body in two, so that the body could gorge itself while the mind thought. Who cares? It's not me. The great question of philosophy remains. If life is meaningless what can be done about alphabet soup? It was Leibniz who first said that fat consisted of monads Leibniz directed and exercised but never did get rid of his monads – at least not the ones that adhered to his thighs. God existed in everything and it is intimidating to wolf down a knish if you think you are ladling mustard into the First Cause of All Things."

But you must not think that Woody Allen only dwells upon surrealistic themes. His priceless stories send up Hollywood moguls, Runyon-esque detectives, philosophers, psychiatrists, salesmen and even the notorious Indian outlaw, Veerappan.

Nothing triggers Allen's imagination more than human frailty. His characters are not buffoons but people desperate to do well in the rat rare. And, like P.G.Wodehouse, he has a great flair for choosing the names of his characters. E. Coli Biggs, Jesper Nutmeat and Flanders Mealworm are just three of his memorable characters. No wonder their flounderings are copacetic and not merely excellent.

Allen has received more awards and citations than any other celebrity in the last fifty years. He is no longer an individual; he is an icon. Here is an interesting footnote: When he was 17, Allen Stewart Konigsberg (Woody Allen's real name) enrolled at the New York University to study film. His work was considered so unworthy that he was expelled from the University. Ah Well! there is such a thing as fate, after all.