Down memory lane

How do you describe a book that tugs at your heart strings and brings back memories you thought had long since trickled down the memory's sieve? Or relate to a tale of romance of the kind they used to have in times more leisurely: over poetic soirees, of a man who refused to take ‘no' for an answer, and even wrote in blood, and a lady who circumvented tradition? And, pray, how do you relate to Kaifi Azmi as a handsome young man? It is a privilege of those born before Independence, and a luxury to those who came into this world sometime after the Progressive Writers' Movement had begun to peter out. And how do you react to the marriage of a girl from an upwardly mobile family of Hyderabad, one of 12 brothers and sisters, to a man who had just words, powerful and passionate, to recommend himself? Well, Kaifi and I — A Memoir makes it not just possible but also delightfully plausible.

A Social scientist
It is a book that could have been written only by a raconteur with the skills of a social scientist. Shaukat, much loved, and greatly respected, reveals the eye of a social scientist and the heart of a poet, as she talks of her early years in Hyderabad, those years when the rich and the aristocratic ruled.

She paints a vivid picture of the time when the commoners were to disappear from the sight of the royal cavalcade. Many decades after those impressionable years, some of the horrific incidents refuse to fade from her memory. For instance, she recalls, an old man who refused to work was forced to stand through the night with a stone-slab tied to his back.

Full report here Hindu

Scholars discuss Kaifi Azmi's contribution to Urdu

A seminar was organised by the department of Urdu, Lucknow Christian PG College, with the help of Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy, on Tuesday, March 23.

The focus of seminar, held in Fairfield Hall of the college, was Kaifi Azmi, who was hailed for his versatile personality. Prof Sharib Rudaulvi, formerly head of the Urdu department at JNU, New Delhi, shed light on the development of Kaifi Azmi's literary career. The scholars said that Kaifi was a nationalist poet, who wrote in reaction to the fallacious and materialistic progress of man.

Prof Sabira Habeeb, the chairperson of Monitoring Minority Education Committee emphasised that the lyrics that Kaifi Azmi wrote for the Indian film industry were deeply rooted in the Indian culture.

Full report here Times of India

Past Perfect

I was invited to the launch of Kaifi and I, a book written by Shaukat Kaifi. I pondered over the thought of going to the other end of the world (the suburbs) during peak traffic hours and then decided to go. On the dias sat Shaukat Kaifi, Shabana Azmi, Tabu along with the publisher, Urvashi Butalia - a pioneer of feminist writing in India from Zubaan Publication, and Nasreen Rehman, a scholar from Cambridge, who translated the book from Urdu to English. Excerpts from the book were read out, highlighting the rich emotions.

The book throws light on the character of Kaifi, who had a progressive and dynamic mind, and was clearly fighting discrimination against women at a time when they did not dare be out of their purdah. As young people, Shaukat and Kaifi fell desperately in love with each other.

Even though Kaifi was a card-holding communist and a poet with no source of income, Shaukat's loving father brought the lovers together putting his daughter's happiness over society’s expectations. The book reflects on life in 'another time.' It also gives a lively depiction of a section of the history of India and its culture and charm, which were part and parcel of it.

Full report here Mumbai Mirror