Skeena: A Unique Punjabi Novel by Mansha Yaad

Authors Mansha Yaad and Kishwar Naheed with Activist Bushra Gohar at the Islamabad launch of 'Skeena'

(The review titled 'Skeena, Ek Nwaikla Punjabi Novel' was presented in Punjabi by Author Mansha Yaad at the Islamabad launch of Fauzia Rafiq’s novel ‘Skeena’ in 2007. The review has since been published by ‘Laikh’ Lahore, and is also available at the website of Halqa-e-Arbab-e-Zauq, Islamabad: adabialbum07.tripod.com.)

There was a time when Punjabi literature was limited in the genre of novel but today reaching the middle of 2007, the situation has changed. Now every year at least three to four novels are published. Last year, 50 books of Punjabi literature were published, and four of them were novels. Though this development is not very heartening, especially keeping in view East Punjab where a writer may have dozens of novels, it actually appears negligible in comparison. Even then the wish is that like drops of water coming together to form the river, slowly the treasure of Punjabi fiction will increase, reaching a higher level.

Fauzia Rafiq’s novel 'Skeena' has four sections or parts. Every section has an introductory page and three to four chapters. This way, the novel is created and portrayed in a skilled and logical fashion, the reader can not but be touched by it from the start. The story begins in 1971 and ends after 9/11, somewhere about now.

Novel is written in the realistic style. All events are told by the protagonist Skeena in the present tense. From the names of places it may appear as if it is not an imaginary tale but an autobiography that has been presented as fiction to avoid finger-pointing and to take literary license. But this is not the reality. The story is true but it is not Fauzia’s story. She has felt it in her bones and expressed with such intensity that it begins to feel as if it is her story.

When I began reading it, the first five pages went by without forming any impression. A seven year old girl is playing, doing homework, and writing ‘thank you, thank you’ in her copy. Her brother (the Sardar of the village) has said that she must learn to write and use ‘thank you’. But when I, riding the lazy horse, was about to jump the brook of the sixth page, it suddenly felt as if I was thrown to the ground and covered in mud. The girl who was learning to use ‘thank you’ was saying:
'I already know how and when to say ‘Please’. It is to ask someone to get something or to do something for me. But I am confused because when I said it to Ama JeevaN to ask her to give more eggs, MaaN Jee laughed and said that I don’t have to say it to every one. Then I said ‘please’ to Khurshedi asking her to let me mix soap in the big water container, she giggled and said that I don’t have to say it to her. But when I said it to Bha’s boy servant Bau, asking him to bring Hukka inside, Bha’s green eyes popped out, his ears became red and he said ‘Come here, Kaki Girlchild.’ I began to tremble going over to his chair; he clutched my arm, shook me, and said: ‘Don’t ever say ‘please’ to any of my Kammi servants again’. (1)

I liked it, interest developed, reading became easy. I realized that if this class-based divisive inhuman attitude was not digested by a seven-year old Skeena then the more educated and wiser seventeen-year old Skeena is not going to accept these illogical social values, and that there will be brawls between Skeena and her environment. And that is what happened. From her childhood, many questions formed in her mind regarding the gap between the words and actions of adults that even MaaN Jee could not answer. She would say ‘Ajae tera dimagh nikka ae tooN gallaN nooN samjh nahiN sakdi, tooN kansoyaN na lia ker eh Shaitan da kam ae’ (Your mind is small yet you can not understand things, don’t listen to others’ conversations, it’s the work of Satan’.

But this Satan stayed with Skeena all her life, making her think strange thoughts and propelling her to listen to other people’s conversations. She knows that Islam allows not one but four at the same time but Munshi Jee has gone and bought a Hindu Begali woman from Karachi and thus has married a woman a lot younger than him but is enjoying the ‘sawab’ of converting a Hindu to Muslim. ‘Wohi zibah bhi karae hai wohi lai sawab ulTa’ (Urdu, ‘The one who slaughters is also the one being rewarded’).

She knows that like eating pork, alcohol is also prohibited in Islam but Bha keeps drinking. In fact, one day when Gamu batters his wife and Maulvi comes and justifies him, she begins to think if the man has the right to hit the weak. The same Satanic thinking.

She is a hockey player and a forward in her college team, and the team wins the contest to go to Asian games but Mullahs issue a Fatwa to stop them. It was General Zia’s time, and he moved to ban women’s hockey by declaring it ‘obscene’.

In the village, her friend Noor Jamalo is beaten by her husband, mother-in-law and sisters-in-law with sticks and stones to the point where she dies with her baby in her womb, and no one reports it to the police. Gamu’s wife is sent to get the midwife, who is not home and her son who is as old as Jeeno’s own son, is sent to walk Jeeno back. At the behest of the Maulvi, they are captured on suspicions of adultery, people turn into the religious police hitting them with stones.

Main character Skeena is sensitive and insightful, she can not bend her head to injustice, cruelty or discrimination. She is well-informed, desires human equality and unbiased and progressive environments. She rebels against traditions, customs, old boundaries. She is basically a logical-minded girl. Her parents are traditional landowners or the Sardars of the village. Mother is alive, and very loving. Father has died, and in his place her older brother is the Sardar who provides for her necessities. No dearth of anything, there are servants, maids and other amenities that make life easy yet all her life Skeena can not breath easy. Because from the village to the city to Canada, she is confronted with unjust, prejudiced and unfair people and social systems.

In the village, she was not in harm’s way but around her injustice was rampant and the weak were exploited by the powerful. She would think of it, and feel restless. There were woman-battering men and their religious defenders, election-rigging landowner politicians, and vaderas who would oppress their dependants. In the city, there are greedy and superficial rich people such as Ruffo’s parents, and wayward men like her brother. Then when she reaches Canada after being married over the phone, she faces Mummie Jee, a lying and conniving mother-in-law, and her oppressive, power-hungry husband Ihtesham who utters abuses in Punjabi, English, French and Urdu. She has only one drawback, no children. Her heart desired only one man who has no name and just appears once. She recalls him as ‘Big Forehead’. Gamu changed into Iqbal Singh. He could have been the hero but his spotted past was with him. If this novel is presented on the screen, the point where she meets Gamu as Iqbal Singh would prove to be a delicious dramatic turn.

Skeena first leaves the village for education. May be everything would have been okay in the city if she had not met her friend Ruffo. Or that if she went on to marry Ruffo’s brother. Ruffo’s mother boasts about her status and her son and then demands a car and a banglow for dowry. But Ruffo tells Skeena everything that neither they are that rich nor her brother’s character is as exemplary. Ruffo herself however, has a relationship with one of her comrades without marriage. She lets Skeena taste cigarettes, hasheesh and bhung. At last, compelled by her own free spirit, Skeena goes with Ruffo one night to the fair of Baba Shah Jamal. This changes the walk of her life as she meets Ruffo’s revolutionary companions who are in Peoples Party and are working to topple Martial Law. Ruffo and Skeena reach police station as well. Her brother frees her by bribing the officials but then she is banished to the village, placed under guard. But its amazing that nowhere does she complains about Ruffo for putting her on the wrong track and for changing her life forever.

Novel’s language is modern and high level Punjabi. If the author had not given the citation for translation on the credit page, the reader would never have known that this novel was first written in English or any other language.

The mistake of converting Urdu usage to Punjabi is committed on occasion, for example ‘Saeen Jee, jae tusseiN aiweiN ee rondae rahe te Khadija de veri bmaar ho jaan gae….’ (SaeeN Jee, if you keep crying, Khadija’s enenmies will become sick’).

This is ‘naseebe dushmanaN’ usage of Urdu. In Punjabi, we fall sick ourselves, leaving our enemies alone. But such technical mistakes are very few. But yes, a word ‘awdae’ confused, irked and bothered me. I had not read or heard this word before. After a while, I came to know that it was a corrupt obsolete form of ‘Apna’ or ‘Apnae’. However, we were reminded of some other forgotten words, and were also shown how to use them well. ‘Manja chweej chweej ke kandh naal vajan lag peya…’ or ‘ o bahr nikl ke khReej gaye’.

At places, such beautiful, tongue-in-cheek and tasty expressions are used that one can not pass without praising. See a few examples: -

-“Assalamu---alai---kum!” I distribute my salaam to all three, and lo’ and behold, get three answers. “Walakum asalam: And Upon You Is the Peace” Masi pushes her work aside, opens her arms and hugs me. She is so small that I can hold two masis in my arms, run to the gate, and back without huffing. (2)

-“Brenda, why do you think Ihtesham hit me?” “Because you are such a doormat, Skeena. Anyone will walk over you if you let them...’ (3)

-‘I spot a huge healthy bunch, the unexpected blue is emittng golden hue in the rays of setting sun. It would be blasphemous to not receive it and unfortunate to not eat it. I place my palm on the bunch hold the bottom with my fingers and pick it in one firm motion, exactly the way Manjeet had taught me; the whole bunch jumps to my hand. It wanted to be taken.’(4)

- “Sorry, no.” I say, ashamed at not having any change to spare. The feeling is strange for someone who had been living on spare change all my life’. (5)

The Author, depicting realism and truth, penned abuses as part of Punjabi culture. To urban and civilized people it may appear strange and untrue but that is not so for people who know Punjabi culture. Skeena’s Bha is a small or big Sardar of his village, uttering abuses is a part of his social interaction with which even the Sardarni mother has compromised, so instead of stopping him or admonishing him she chooses to pretend as if she never heard them. Even in Canada, a character Kamal Ahmed Kam can not complete a sentence without uttering abuses. What can the Author do?

Abuses are not uttered just by uncouth landowners and spoiled people but also by upper class educated youth or the new generation. Difference is only of the language. Upper spoiled society utters abuses in English, and they don’t sound as bad rather the person seems modern. Abusive language is not just used in our culture but in cultures overseas too. ‘Paki bitch’ and ‘Jahal Paki Runn’.

The writer of the novel has sound political views. The events of 1971, Peoples Party, General Zia’s martial law, Bhutto’s hanging, America’s support of the Taleban, US attack on Iraq, 9/11, US attack on Afghnistan, prejudices of the West against Muslims, all her analysis are correct.

I believe that Fauzia Rafiq’s novel Skeena is a great addition to Punjabi literature both because of the subject matter and the technique. She has not just painted sentient, true and accurate pictures of our village and city life but also of Punjabis living overseas (Canada). In creative prose, the ample use of dialogue has reduced the burden on the narrative and has beautified the text. Fauzia shows things happen more than she tells them. Skeena, Bha, MaaN Jee, Ruffo, Ihtesham, Mumie Jee and Iqbal Singh aka Gamu are wholesome examples of character building. The big picture is created from small details. Novel’s canvas is broad and wide. It is my observation that the Author did not write anything unnecessary. I expect that because of the content and technique, Skeena will be acknowledged as a great unique novel.

Transliterated from Punjabi (Shahmukhi) by Jamil Ahmed

View the original here: adabialbum07.tripod.com

Mansha Yaad is a renowned poet, fiction writer and literary critic now residing in Islamabad.
More on Mansha Yaad:
Mansha Yaad
Mansha Yaad's official website: www.manshayaad.com

Notes for non-Punjabi readers

(1) English manuscript (ms) page 15

‘MainuN patta ae ke jadoN koi kujh lia ke dewae yaN sadae laye kujh karae te odoN ‘Thank you’ varti da ae. Per vartan aina saukha nahiN. MainuN pehloN ee patta se ke jad kissae nooN awdae laye kujh karn ya leyan laye akheye te ‘Please’ varti da ae. Per jadoN main Ama JeevaN toN hor aanDa lain laye ‘please’ akheya te MaaN Jee huss ke bolae baye her kissae nooN ‘please’ aakhan de loR nahiN. Fer main Khurshedi nooN ‘please’ akheya baye oh mainuN pani de canister vich saaban ghollan dewae te oh khiR ke boli ke please aakhan de ke lo Rae. Per jadoN main Bha de naukar Bao nooN huqa ander leyan laye aakheya te Bha de saawae Daelae uggal ayae, kan rattae ho gaye te oss akheya ‘kaki, aidhar aa’. MaiN ohdae vul jaandeyaN kamban lag paye. Ohnae baNh toN phuR ke mainuN hilaya te aakhan lagga ‘Aggae toN mere kissae kammi nooN please na aakheiN’. ('Skeena' Shahmukhi P14)

(2) English ms page 84

‘Assalam-o-laikum’, main apna salam tinn hiseyaN vich vund ke tinnaN nooN pesh kerni aaN te agoN iko vailae tinn jwab lani aaN. Masi dopatta paraN ker, mainuM gull nal la laindi ae. Oh aini patli ae ke main dau dau massiaN cha, bhajdi gate toRi jawaN te val ve mera sah aukhha na howae.’ ('Skeena' Shahmukhi P68)

(3) English ms page 282

‘Brenda teri ke surt ae Ihtesham mere te hath kiyun chaya?’ She answers ‘KiyuN jae toN changa bhala foot mat aeN, jehdae agae vicheiN gi oh paer ghsanda utoN langh jawae ga’. ('Skeena' Shahmukhi P215)

(4) English ms page 348

‘Nigah ek lukae hoe guchhae te paindi ae, ais phal da achurj neela rang Dubdae sijh de lo vich sunehri bha peya marda ae. EhnoN na chawna kufr ae ten a khawna mund. MaiN talli nooN guchhae te rukh unglaN naal ohda tull qabu ker, poli jeha ughaRni aaN. Guchha Tupp ke hatheiN aanda ae. Pakeya hoya pakrot oh TuTan da chahiwan se’. ('Skeena' Shahmukhi P267)

(5) English ms page 273

‘Sorry no’ main sharmindi aaN ke mere kol chhuTia bhhann koni. Achurj a eke main aap doojeyan dae chhutae bhhann te umar langhai ae’. ('Skeena' Shahmukhi P208)