Surkh Aandhi (Aymal Raza)- Fiction Review by Shoby

Surkh Aandhi (Aymal Raza)- Fiction Review by Shahbaz Ali Naqvi (Shoby)

“What is it, dear?” asked Sue.

“Six,” said Johnsy, in a voice still lower. “They’re falling faster now. Three days ago there were almost a hundred. It hurt my head to count them. But now it’s easy. There goes another one. There are only five now.”

“Five what, dear? Tell your Sue.”

“Leaves. On the tree. When the last one falls, I must go, too. I’ve known that for three days. Didn’t the doctor tell you?”

The Last Leaf (O Henry)

What makes this world an impossible place to live in? Yes, you guessed it right. It is the wickedness of these dangerous social animals that takes away the peace & prosperity of the planet and in return, gives a devastation that cannot be repaired in any case. In this materialistic world of people filled with severe greed, It is considered as a real taboo to love in its purest form. Hardly we have seen a couple surviving in this selfish arena. Aymal Raza gives us a taste of a handful of different global literature and projects the master plan beautifully to present a heart touching story of a mother whose only daughter Shaano was unluckiest enough to find a path which no one survives in totality. “So it’s true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love.”  E.A. Bucchianeri (Brushstrokes of a Gadfly)

It happens by luck that Shaano dives deeply in the love of Akram who by chance belongs to the clan of enemy. Let me pause you here for a while and share with you one of my most favorite scenes from Sir Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Raam-Leela, which to me suits here the most.

Tu mujh se pyar mat ker lena... Rajjari hoon main... Dusman...

Dusman... Tabhi to ankhen lar rahi thi baar baar

Coming back towards Surkh Aandhi, as the story progresses, you will observe that you are not at all reading a Desi version of Romeo & Juliet. In fact, there is so much more in the heart of the plot to explore. Courtesy, the ever-occurring phenomenon of greed & selfishness, Shaano's brothers were bothered more for her very existence rather than to look upon the act she has committed (i.e. felling in love). The relationship that sprang between Shaano & Akram paved a way for them to make the penultimate decision. After all, it is the Zarr, Zann & Zameen that becomes the seed of the war globally. How karma plays its part and what happens next must be read in this 10 odd page fiction.

I feel Surkh Aandhi is a strong comeback of Aymal Raza. It shows the real power that the writer posses when it comes to producing gem of a product. See how beautifully, she has shown the actual face of our ruler life where people are still living a stone-age life. They still fight ruthless wars over non-issues and women creed for them is just another entity that can be used wherever the utilization is demanded.

It is true that they don't bury the daughters now, but they wait for them to grow up and then kills them even more brutally, as the fate of the female fraternity has not changed after achieving this much so called civilization. Pakkey phal ki rakhwali is ke aghaz se bhi zeyada kerni parti hai... It tells us what the mothers have to go in these ruthless circumstances. Bayahi maa ko phir se kanwari honey jaisi fikrey hi to laga deti hain yeh betiyan....

Apart from the strong subject matter handling, Surkh Aandhi is a treat for those who love to collect quotes from the reads. Aymal surprised after every two or three lines with a spectacular heavy punch line. A couple of my picks are mentioned here:

So jangey haar jaaney jitna matam us ki ankhoin se ayan hota tha...

Kaashi koi qismat ko jaan sakta... Phir na doodh se jalta, na chaj ko phoon marta...

One particular thing that makes the story stand out from the cluster was the symbolical portrayal of subject, that is managed so well by the author. See how smoothly she depicted all the grief & sorrow of the plot symbolically with the condition of the pomegranate tree. Throughout the story, the tree remained a firm source of symbolism. No, its not another The Last Leaf. It is a well orchestrated thought that has a solid reasoning & heavy brainstorming involved in it.

My verdict, Surkh Aandhi is Aymal's genuine take on classics like The Last Leaf and Romeo & Juliet, with a much needed twist in the epicenter of the story. You may argue that there was nothing much new in the proceedings as far as the subject is concerned, however as far as the narrative & storytelling is concerned, to me, Surkh Aandhi emerges as a clear winner.

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