Bari Bi (Aymal Raza)- Fiction Review by Shoby

Bari Bi (Aymal Raza)- Fiction Review by Shahbaz Ali Naqvi (Shoby)

Khali khaney to wesey bhi bari jaldi pur ho jatey hain... Log marr jatey hain or zinda log bari jaldi un ki jagah le jatey hain...

Honestly speaking, while reading this almost four page tale, I was constantly wondering, why someone like Aymal Raza will put so much of brainstorming for this very mediocre looking fiction but when I reached the ultimate finale, sort of a satisfaction bowled me over, as Aymal has never disappointed me in giving the much needed message for the masses and that too without being preachy at all. 

Kaam to ho hi jatey hain... Unhon ne zindagi ko ibadat mein kiyo na lagaya... Farz Namazon ko qaza kiyo kiya... Kamon ki to qaza ho gai... Ab ibadat ki qaza kon kerey ga.

And among the people there is he who sells himself for the pleasure of ALLAH, and ALLAH is kind to HIS worshippers. (The Holy Quran 2:207)

I feel, Bari Bi is a true symbolic representation of most of us. It is an established fact that we all have made our life schedules so busy that at times, we don't even realise, what we are sacrificing in order to achieve something. Time, my friends is something that is literally slipping out of our hands and the dilemma is, we are not at all realising.

Busy, as we are, hell busy, in our daily domestic & professional lives. And if we were anyhow somewhat fortunate enough to have some (time), this social media has taken it back from us. Giving you an example, just imagine for a few moments, how we and our elders used to spend Ramzan ul Mubarak. Obviously, their prime concern was to observe fast, offer Namaz timely and regular recitation of QURAN PAK but now look back for may be 5 to 10 years, the situation is totally changed.

You may agree or not, but the fact is that now, our routine in Ramzan has totally changed. Most of the time, we find ourselves either sleeping or wasting time in tech gadgets (courtesy social media) or watching some really meaningless TV shows, which have done nothing but made our nation a beggar.

I feel the whole concept behind Aymal Raza's Bari Bi was to give us all a jolt of 440 W, in order to make us realise that time is going, steadily and hastily and we are losing the most beautiful moments of the biggest blessing of ALLAH PAK (i.e. life). 

It doesn't mean that one should stop doing the domestic & other stuff at all. Obviously, Islam is the religion of nature and it totally understands the need & requirements of we, the human beings. It is completely allowed (in fact appreciated) to work for your livelihood (Rizq e Halal), doing domestic work is also not prohibited but not at all at the cost of ignoring Namaz and other Ibadaat, as prescribed in Islam.

Taking Bari Bi as an example, let us all ask ourselves the trillion dollar question. Why are we wasting our lives in unnecessary doings. And one more thing, now if we have really realised that were on the losing side, shouldn't we now focus on the purpose of our existence. Remember ALLAH PAK says in QURAN PAK:

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship ME.(The Holy Quran 51:56)

There cannot be any other time better than this to make a resolution to our own selves. Let us all commit to ourselves that we shall make Ramzan ul Mubarak the best Ramzan ul Mubarak of our lives. We shall decorate our days & nights with Som o Salaat. We shall pray for the betterment of mankind. We shall all try to have the colour of Ramzan ul Mubarak on our inner selves and will try to make its mark on our whole life. 

Remember, these Namaz & other Ibadaat are our requirements, not HIS. If we don't follow what ALLAH wants and doesn't obey HIS commands, HE surely will punish us for sure. Remember, HE can create much better creations than us. HE is the one who made us Ashraf ul Makhlooqaat and HE is HIMSELF THE ONE AND ONLY AHSAN ul KHALIQEEN.

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Sodaager (Sumaira Hameed)- Fiction Review by Shoby

Sodaager (Sumaira Hameed)- Fiction Review by Shahbaz Ali Naqvi

Young Allie: Why didn't you write me? Why? It wasn't over for me, I waited for you for seven years. But now it's too late.

Young Noah: I wrote you 365 letters. I wrote you everyday for a year.

Young Allie: You wrote me?

Young Noah: Yes... it wasn't over, it still isn't over

The Notebook (2004)

Love stories... There is a very common recipe to follow in order to pen the good ones. Take three or four pivotal characters as your primary ingredient... Place them in a bowl full of hot waters of uninvited events... Use someone as bad as he could to spell the centuries old sentence like Main Yeh Shaadi Nahi Honey Du Ga... And after some hoo-la-la join the protagonists and show them like they were made actually meant to be made for each other... Happy Endings, what you call.

First thing first, I personally LOVE the love-stories for the warmth they bring forth but at the same time, I sort of HATE them for being so regular & cheesy in nature. But when it comes to a Sumaira Hameed's signature romance, it is mandatory for one to get excited, as this time around, you expect at least two things... Story surfacing in a very unusual ambiance and loads & loads of heavy duty dialogues. So lets see, what she has it for us in the form of her latest latest offering Sodaager.

Gul Sher, a rug seller by profession falls in love with Zartaash in the valley that is said to be the paradise (if it really exists in this very world, it is here)... Yes, Kashmir, The Beauty. Remember how Raj fell in love with Sakina when he saw her for the very first time in Sir Sanjay Leela Bhansali's epic Saanwariya. The sad gloomy frightened look with an extra topping of teary eyes were more than enough for him to give away the only thing he was having till yet. Same goes for Gul Sher. Us ke kuch qeemti khazaney ji sandooqon se chura liye gaey they, woh un per ro rahi thi... Us ki aik ikloti qeemti cheez jo ab us ke seeney mein bhi mojood nahi rahi thi, woh us oer bhi khush ho raha tha...

Luck plays like no one else. You get something out of nothing just in case the luck is in your favor. And the fortune was obviously favoring Gul Sher with all the heart and he made use of his damn selling skills to woo Zartaash and no points in guessing that he emerged 110% successful. Nonetheless, it is assumed to be quite easy to attract someone by just comforting him/her in the time of need. But as expected the twist comes in the story, when Zartasha realizes that Gul Sher has taken the benefit out of her sensitive moments. So they both decide to part ways. Whats happens next is the story to be read in digest.

Yes, I agree that Sumaira has this time taken a very orthodox route to tell a simplistic romance of a young couple but I still like the way how she executed all this. The small expressions, she always use in her written material make the thing look special, no matter how ordinary is the subject matter. Some of the one-liners here are again to die for. Usey yaqeen ho gaya tha ke usey issi kaam ke liye peda kiya gaya hai... Ab tak jo us ne qaleen bechney ka kaam kiya tha, woh sab sirf khasarey ka sauda tha...

I said it once while reviewing Us Darr Ka Jogi and I am here to say it again that there are very few artists who can make you desire to fall in love and Sumaira Hameed is definitely one of them. See how sensitively she knits the threads of emotions by using delicate fabrics of words. Woh chahta tha ke us ke ansoo us ke romaal ki dastaras mein aa jaey... Phir woh us aik romaal ko sambhal ker rakh le or sari zindagi us romaal ke saharey guzaar de...

One thing that was beautifully projected by Sumaira Hameed in Sodaager was the psychological scheme of things that run along side with the sub-conscious part of humans. We desire to have something and once we get it, its like we regret why we have got it at the first place, due to various reasons. Secondly, the complex psychology of female creed. They are not considered to be wise in making life changing decisions. They are more emotional than practical and once they have made up their mind, they stand firm to their decision without thinking if it goes fair with them or not but eventually they have to regret upon what they have picked. Both of these things were apparently presented by Sumaira through the deeds of Gul Sher & Zartaash respectively. Both of them had to undergo a severe form of regret at the heart of the script.

Jis ke hona bhi ik azziyat ho

Us ke hijraan ka gham manaey kiyo

(Main Bekhayali Mein Sang Tere- Shahbaz Ali Naqvi)

The overall treatment to the story is graceful and the writer tried to curtail the jurisdiction of the emotions to the boundaries of the script, so no needless exaggeration was observed and this is perhaps the best thing of Sodaager. However, I have serious doubts against the ending. By going with what Sumaira Hameed is famous for, this time, unfortunately, the ending part didn't go well with my thinking. I feel happy endings are cliches and they should be avoided at all costs and Sumaira really avoids them mostly but this time, she came up with an ordinary break-up turning into make-up scenario. The probability of giving shock to her regular readers surely have been declined this time.

Well, a refreshing breather among all this was the beauty of paradise on Earth (i.e. Valley of Kashmir), which was constantly reminding me of Fitoor.

Pashmina dhaagon ke sang...

Koi aaj...Bbuney khawab...

Aisey kaisey...

Waadi mein goonjey kai...

Naey saaz... Yeh rabaab...

Aisey kaisey...

:-)

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Us Darr Ka Jogi (Sumaira Hameed)- Fiction Review by Shoby

Us Darr Ka Jogi (Sumaira Hameed)- Fiction Review by Shahbaz Ali Naqvi (Shoby)

Before starting my review, let us take a moment and enjoy few of these couplets from one of my "Taveel Ghazal" from my debut poetry book Main Bekhayali Mein Sang Tere...

بھلا کے روز و شب کے سب جھمیلے
وہ میرے دکھ اٹھانا چاہتی تھی

زمانہ چاہیے تھا اس کو سارا
میری بانہوں میں آنا چاہتی تھی

وہ لمحے جو خموشی کی نزر تھے
وہ ان میں کچھ بتانا چاہتی تھی

اسے میرا جہاں بھی چاہیے تھا
وہ خود بھی کچھ لٹانا چاہتی تھی

حقیقت کیوں کہانی کی طرح ہے
محبت کیوں فسانہ چاہتی تھی

بلا کا جال تھا اس کی نگاہیں
مجھے جن میں پھنسانا چاہتی تھی

وہ پاگل تھی یا پاگل کر گئ ہے
وہ کیوں دل میں سمانا چاہتی تھی

میرے اس دل میں کیونکر بس گئ وہ
جو اک بہتر ٹھکانہ چاہتی تھی

ملن بھی اک ازیت تھا یہاں پر
محبت ہار جانا چاہتی تھی

شہباز علی نقوی

Reason why I quoted my Ghazal is a simple one. The moment I read Us Darr Ka Jogi, I recalled this Ghazal and thought, had this fiction been written prior to my Ghazal by Ms. Sumaira, I would have very conveniently said that the expressions & feel of my this Ghazal is inspired from Sumaira Hameed's Uss Darr Ka Jogi. The resemblance as far as the feelings are concerned are shockingly positive.

Some characters don't need a name. There mere presence in the narrative is more than enough to strengthen the belief that they were here to live a long lasting life in your memories. If you think that gone are the days of that pure innocent love dipped in utmost shyness that used to be a tale of every town, then think again. As I always say, re-visit your premises and you will surely find a real life story which would be a practical representation of what Sumaira Hameed has written. Some where some Ranjha would surely be going crazy for his Heer. (And I am not saying it for those street frenzy, Tere Naam type guys who go crazy for every passing by girl).

Remember Janardhan from Imtiaz Ali's critically acclaimed musical romance Rockstar. The college canteen owner categorically said to him, look if you want to make a real name out of your singing, you need to have a heart break and he went on to search for a love (going wrong) situation which ultimately lead him to be Jordan, the musical icon.

No one and literally no none can deny that youth is the prime time period when every one of us regardless of gender, cast, creed or color blossoms a feel to be loved and loved in a special way. Our Qudoos had the same desire too and he wanted to fell in love with someone who fells in love with him. And that poor rural layman didn't knew that someone has already lost her heart over his simplicity. 

Usey bara intezar tha ke koi us per apni jaan luta de... Koi jogan ho ker usey jogi ker de. And when it was disclosed to him that it has happened, he couldn't sum up courage to face the music and went back to village, only to get some more of the burning.  Hikmat ke chorahon per bhi hijr ke nasoor duhaiyan detey phirtey hain... Idher udher phirtey hain... Phir bhi na rah patey hain na yaar... The reason being her father's known nature. Her father the mean Hakeem saab. You may call him the male version of Miss Havisham (Great Expectations). What happened next, should be read in Us Darr Ka Jogi.

“Ah, clear they see and true they say

That one shall weep, and one shall stray”

Dorothy Parker

Let me confess you get to know if it is a Sumaira Hameed's literature right from the word go. She can trick you with her beginnings. Check the goosebumps moment... Awaz kuch aisi thi ke woh sota hi reh jata to kitna zulm hota... Is per... Us per... Dono per...Beautiful way of expression. Hats Off Ms. Sumaira. Story doesn't conclude here. Sumaira is one of those few genuine artists, who enjoy playing with the fabrics of the words and this fiction is no different. A galaxy of brilliantly executed monologues are here and they work as a treat for those who love to read with supreme pleasure. Aap ka kiya gham hai jee... Jab khud hi batana hota, to yahan kiyo ati???

For Yaaram fans, this time Sumaira has a lot more in the store for you. Many of the phrases were having so much resemblance with Yaaram and they were inviting you to enjoy the proceedings the way we enjoyed Yaaram. Woh janti thi, woh aey ga... Woh janta tha woh jaey ga... Sumaira gives a very sweet taste of first love. See how authentically she portrayed the feel of young lovers. Us ne sir ko utha ker uper dekha... Phir sir ko jhukaana bhool gaya... Kaajal ki jagah aaj ankhon mein surma laga tha or mehboob qadmon mein betha tha...  It was quite amazing to see the paradigm shift in terms of expressions & dialects when Sumaira takes the story from Lahore to the village. Dil per jandri lag gai hai kaka... Khol do ya khulwa do. I just loved this coming of age for main characters. 

I feel this fiction is a very suitable reply for those who were saying that Sumiara can write only dark stories. Although she has already broken this fake myth by delivering some real hilarious (and decent at the same time) comic situations in many of her written pieces but this time she kept her focus on entertainment quotient a bit more. Her primary character (both of our protagonists) show them as jolly good, happy go lucky people and the lively atmosphere was all over the story along with the depiction of intense hard hitting melodramatic romance. Needless to say that Sumaira is a master when it comes to evolve characters.

Another important aspect which should never be ignored is that the story took place in the center of lively city Lahore, yet it had a touch of that particular spiritualism or Sufism in it which is a signature style of Sumaira Hameed's writing. Not only the title had its due share of Sufism (with the word Jogi in it) but also the love of Qadoos & our untitled lady (I would prefer to call her Heer) was more of a spiritual in nature rather than what we experience in this era.

In totality, this is yet another Sumaira Hameed's read with an ocean of expressions, beautifully discovered characters and some heart touching quotations.

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Daaj (Sumaira Hameed)- Fiction Review by Shoby

Daaj (Sumaira Hameed)- Fiction Review by Shahbaz Ali Naqvi (Shoby)

These violent delights have violent ends

And in their triumph die, like fire and powder

Which, as they kiss, consume

Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare)

Do we ever realize what sort of society we are living in. Love, for which Marianne Williamson said, "An enchanted love, an awakened love, between two people is a blessing on the entire world." Love, which is the base of the humanity. Love, without which no Earth can survive is still considered something taboo. It looks like someone has written over the heart of everyone that hey, don't dare to touch Love, it is not for faint-hearted. Love, that was bestowed to conquer the worlds is now assumed to be prohibited, courtesy our so-called social norms which allow human devastation in large but never are kind enough to make two souls one. And I agree that Albert Einstein was so true in saying that, "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."

Daaj that literally means dowery. Dowry that is considered to be almost a sacred entity for the women attached to it, especially the mothers that prepares the same & the brides. Dowry for which Quintus Horatius aka Horace (Roman Poet) said, "The great virtue of parents is a great dowry." But why to prepare a dowry as no one survives to avail the blessing.. Daaj, jo kisi ko naseeb nahi honey wala tha...

Sumaira Hameed's Daaj is not a story, it is an experience that takes you to the journey to a place in the pre-independence era, where society is plagued with various syndromes. Love is a forbidden act and men have to be the guardian angel, where they have to demolish this evil (read love) and what else could be the easiest way of doing so, other than finishing the prime cause, so in the words of Sumaira Hameed, Zameen apni kokh mein banjar ho chuki thi, jab se is kunwey ki koskh mein kokhey ujarney lagi thi... and there was no stopping for them in this regard.

Time was steadily passing by and every female culprit of the love was subjected in a punishment of throwing into the village well. Guardian angels were happy & proud of their strong valid acts whereas poor mothers were mourning over the loss of their wealth, the daughters. Yaar ki pakhi bani dikhai deney lagi to gaon ke aik aik mard ne kunwey ki rah dekh li or aik aik maa ke dil mein anni gaarni shuru ker di... Read what happens next in the fiction.

I believe Sumaira is at the top of our female leading writers list when it comes to show the actual social ongoing. She never shies in presnting the actual terms that the society uses in the daily speech and it makes her writing look so authentic. Stories like Main Bint e Jameela & now Daaj are evidences that she never goes below the belt but uses the original metaphors that validates the native linguistic approach, prevailing in the society on which her stories are based on.

Although Sumaira has written it as a period story but I feel this very situation still prevails somewhere in the society especially in the ruler areas of Indo-Pak region, where people still fight over the minor disputes of water or cattle. 

I admit that it is a bit difficult for an average reader to connect with these type of stories and they may find it hard to swallow the same because we the people living in a fad world don't know what it tastes to be like one of them. Gaon ki baas mein aurton ki ahen sisakti thi... Mardon ke sang in ke dil kuchaltey they... Un ke lams inhain taar taar kartey they... WHY??? Because, after seeing this serious genocide, they were losing every possible hope of living, till the time arrived when they decided to take revenge. Kunwey ki kanwariyon ke daaj ki tayari unhon ne apni jaano pe khel ke ki thi...

Daaj is a superlative of atrocity & revenge. Good thing is that writer here, has never intended to make a statement out of it and she has left it totally to the readers to be the judge and decide which segment of the society went wrong. Although its haunting but keep a check, somewhere around us, you may still find a place, where objects are all set to seek revenge...

Daaj ke soot kaat'tey kaat'tey, maon ne taatron ki dhaar bhi tez ker li thi...

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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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Dastaan Go (Aiman Faiz)- Fiction Review by Shoby

Dastaan Go (Aiman Faiz)- Fiction Review by Shahbaz Ali Naqvi (Shoby)

Disclaimer:

This content is the property of critic Shahbaz Ali Naqvi and blog Shobywood. Reproduction or Copy of any of its part without written consent of Shobywood is prohibited and will be punished according to prevailing law.

Bharam (Aymal Raza)- Story Review by Shoby

Bharam (Aymal Raza)- Story Review by Shoby

D.H. Lawrence said, “A woman has to live her life, or live to repent not having lived it.” (Lady Chatterley's Lover). Hasn't Lawrence explored a universal truth. Women are difficult to understand. Sorry, I should have said that this specie is immensely impossible to understand. At one point of time, they can be the the most dreadful of the entities who can devastate a generation of sorts and on another side, she would dare to do anything just for the sake of making her commitment tangible.

Aymal Raza has explored a general yet very interesting trait of the female fraternity in this short story. A women can take whatever difficulty she has to face in her life. She will go side by your side and will never make a complaint about anything bad coming in in front of her. She can bear any unprecedented incident in the journey of life, be it poverty, sickness or anything, however there is one oint which is beyond her tolerance level. She can never tolerate the betrayal. Danka V. talked about the same, “What irritated me most in that entire situation was the fact that I wasn’t feeling humiliated, or annoyed, or even fooled. Betrayal was what I felt" (The Unchosen Life).

Zubaida's married life started in the way just like the normal relationships starts. With colours of happiness of present and hopes for bright future. After having laid major portion of life with each other, a good 35 years to count, she parted ways, the reason best known to her only as she was not willing to disclose what happened in actual and the finale discloses a reasoning which takes the story on an entirely different level. Aik bharam aurat ka hota hai or aik dawa mard ka... Mujh mein itni himmat n ahi ke usey be'parda karu... Lakin us ne mera bharam tor diya hai...

Divorce, this word itself is haunting and Zubaida's condition was saying it loud that she has been divorced by the husband. Sir sabz zameen per saem or thaur ka safaida nazar aney laga... Excellent depiction of a recently divorced shattered women. Band bazar ki tarha weeran or udaas aurat...

Women can never be predicted and you can never assume what they actually have in their mind. She left her husband, (Fine... Acceptable) but see what she was up to, Main un larkon ke paas her bhi giz nahi jaon gi... Khoon to apney baap ka hi hai un ki ragon mein bhi... This shows how badly hurt she was from inside due to the behavioural attitude of her husband.

Aymal's writing flourishes quite beautifully in the narrative and there are many interesting one-liners which can seriously be termed as "Proverbs". She delved into the personality of Zubaida not only as a faithful wife but she also discovered many more aspects of her life especially her being a mother and a sister.

While talking to Khurram, out of no where she asks her Kaun hai woh larki??? What a true rendition of how a mother can gauge what is going inside her own children. Similarly, see how she reacts as a sister, the volume of trust she shows for her brother, a reliance which she can never have on anyone else except her very own brother. She not only came straight to him but also tells him the factual cause of leaving her husband. Well done Aymal Raza.

On the whole, Bharam is a fantastic short read and I can confidently say that it has that typical Aymal's touch in it. Read the complete story on Aymal's recently launched story collection "Sooraj Ke Paar".

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.

Sooraj Ke Paar (Aymal Raza)- Introduction by Shoby

Sooraj Ke Paar (Aymal Raza)- Introduction by Shoby

Famous Scottish fiction writer Iain M. Banks said, “The trouble with writing fiction is that it has to make sense, whereas real life doesn't.” I believe this really sums up all. To say, writing fiction is difficult is a very mediocre term. To encompass what is really going on in the living society and writing it in an absolute make-believe manner is something marvellous and demands to be cherished.

Today, we have a handsome number of writers who are doing their best in their respective capacities and Aymal Raza is undoubtedly one of those who has invariably come up with diverse, sensitive & intriguing writing pieces in the recent times. After writing, magnificent novels Taveez e Hubb and Piyal Saaz, she has just launched her latest collection of short stories titled as Sooraj Ke Paar.

I believe, Aymal needs no introduction and so does her stories. She is one of those writer who does not want to reinvent the wheel times and again. She has always come up with assorted & novel ideas and has successfully executed them in a meaningful distinguished way. She really knows the secret recipe of writing a good fiction.

The book Sooraj Ke Paar consists of seventeen short stories that looks like a galaxy of their own ingrained beautifully. Every story is a separate universe with characters speaking their heart out of what they are going through. 

This feature is just a a teaser of what we have in the store for us in this collection. You will surely get to read my reviews on each of these stories very soon at my blog. Meanwhile, I suggest you not to wait and get your own copy of the book to have the real taste of this nice productive read.

The OA (Season 1)- Web TV Series Review by Shoby

The OA (Season 1)- Web TV Series Review by Shoby

The OA, which was released by Netflix last year on December 16, 2016 is a mystery series with the touch of super natural & science fiction elements in it. It was created and executive produced by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij. The first season of The OA comprises of 8 episodes, all of varied lengths in terms of time duration and all of these episodes were directed by Zal Batmanglij.

In The OA, Brit Marling herself played the role of a mysterious women (Prairie Johnson) who was shown coming back home after so many years. It was told by her parents that she was disappeared several years back and the interesting part is that when she was disappeared she was a blind child but now she has returned with her eye sight restored completely.

On her return, Prairie gathers a group of four other persons to make a group of five and she narrates them her story, which reveals that she was an adopted kid and she actually belonged to Russia. She further tells the team that she was kidnapped and abducted by Dr. Hunter Aloysius "Hap" Percy (played by Jason Isaacs) with five other people and he used them as objects for his experiments related to NDE (near death experience). She asks the team to join her in a mission to save others.

Story line of Tha OA looks very promising on paper but unfortunately the loosely written messy screenplay spoils the show. The pilot episode of the show "Homecoming" starts with the very right tone and it gives you a teaser of something magnum coming your way. But with the progress of the show, it looses the charm. A couple of episodes in the season are no doubt written & executed marvellously and a few portions within the show are spin chilling but overall impact of the show is not that big.

Brit Marling and Jason Isaacs have done a commendable job in acting department and supporting cast of the first season managed well to play their parts in a good manner.Dialogues are also written nicely. I thoroughly enjoyed the cinematography and the background score in the whole series.

The show could have been a much better product, provided if mysteries involved in it have been revealed in some more logical way. Certain phenomenon have remained unexplained and perhaps this is the major flaw of the show. The show ended rather abruptly without clarifying what actually has happened in the whole series. The first season of The OA was mostly about the story of Prairie, how she became The OA, in fact all the 8 episodes carried on with the story, showing the background history of The OA.

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