Chup (Aymal Raza)- Fiction Review by Shoby

Chup (Aymal Raza)- Fiction Review by Shoby

First story of Aymal Raza's recently launched story collection Sooraj Ke Paar is Chup (The Silence). Let us analyse, what the story has in it for the readers.

In George Orwell's words, Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it. Generation gap is something at truly defines the complexities in relationship between two persons. In this fast, pacey world, we usually are no more interested in taking care what our elders have to say. In fact, we categorically deny giving them due share of importance. May be this is hte reason why much of their feelings die within themselves.

Sadia, a wanna-be writer is striving so hard to construct a character sketch for an upcoming story competition but who can pay attention to this damn artistic work if someone as talkative as her Daadi was present to make a mess of everything. Her grand mother was fond of telling stories and she has had enough of this. So getting really irritated by her Daadi's long narration, she one day spoke out loud how badly she wanted her to remain silent and then Saadia found what she was searching for. Silence... But this silence was full of screams...

Scream of Silence:

Andheyara, 

Jeewan ko Sooni Raeyn Karey Hai.

Mere ander ki khamoshi

Oonchi oonchi awazon mein

Bayn karey hai

(Poet: Shahbaz Ali Naqvi)

Most of the times, we do not realise the importance of something in our life unless we are deprived of that very thing. And when it comes to living beings, it is needless to say that human beings cant live in isolation what-so-ever. They need someone who is a listener and they need someone who is their talking partner. I feel somewhere in the heart, both of them (Saadia and her grandmother) were looking for a listener cum speaker but the problem arise when quotient of one trait lead the other.

This short fiction is written in a very innocent way. Aymal has tried top kept the things pretty simple by using just two characters (ignoring a small cameo of father) in the narrative. I feel, Aymal has achieved the real objective within these three, four pages of writing, i.e. to highlight the importance of relationship.