| Title | : | Bahao / بہاؤ |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 9693501608 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9789693501605 |
| Language | : | Urdu |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 272 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1992 |
Bahao / بہاؤ Reviews
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I had heard much about Mustansar Hussain Tarar's exploration of the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) in his highly acclaimed novel 'Bahao.' I only got an opportunity to read it after I had written and published my English novel 'Snuffing Out the Moon' which explores six eras of South Asian history ranging from IVC to the near future. I was much intrigued as to how Tarar sahib had envisioned the IVC - a civilization doubly mysterious due to the fact that to this day its script remains undeciphered. Thus making it all the more unknowable than its contemporaneous Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations. I was in for quite an experience as the novel is a tour de force and utterly brilliant in many ways.
Bahao (بہاؤ) starts with a breathtaking scene of a migratory bird seeking water in terrible heat while flying over a parched landscape and a listless air denuded of water. The bird sees something that has the glint of water but ultimately collapses and dies on what is a mound of dead birds, that sought moisture and found none. It is discovered by the novel's protagonist - the young woman Paroshni - who laments its death and gazes upon the progressively shrinking lake surrounded by thickets of evergreens (رُکھ ) that still retain some moisture from the rains and boast of many trees including old Peepals and Tamarinds where the old spirits dwell. Beyond lies the swampland (ڈوبو مٹی) and further on the small settlement where she lives. We learn that it is a settlement close to the banks of Ghaghara river (reference in all likelihood to the Monsoon fed Ghaggar-Hakra River) and that various much larger dwellings such as Mohenjodaro lie beyond, many moon-cycles away, on the banks of river Sindhu. It is a time of drought and great thirst and Tarar conveys it skillfully with convincing details of the various plants and wildlife in the area that wonderfully recreate an ancient landscape.
Tarar paints a people Dravidian in appearance - which is what extant scholarship envisions them to be. His description of their landscape, culture and rituals reveals a close rhythmic bond of fertility and continuation with the soil, rain cycles and the annual floods in the river. Some aspects of the religious beliefs and culture show elements of subsequent Hinduism though it could be argued that these elements may have been originally Dravidian and subsequently influenced the culture brought in by the Aryans. Others are distinct. The spirit of the dead going beyond the river (where no-one goes otherwise) - those nearing death either retiring to the thickets when their time came or being buried in pottery jars if they stayed on (and the dogs of Yama came to fetch them) - is how the journey beyond is looked upon. While the rituals of existence revolve around fertility and water - the rains and the annual floods - Tarar's characters are not merely tied down by dogma and engage in philosophical contemplation, asking the eternally poignant questions about the circle of existence and the purpose of their lives. Otherwise social existence is a basic mutually co-existence agrarian one in small hamlets, partially reliant on the resources of the wild, with some craft making that is not just functional but also ornamental. One distinctive feature of society is the independence of women and the existence of polyandry.
Very few venture forth, driven by wander-lust to determine what lies beyond. Most spend entire lifetimes at their place of birth. One such character who ventures forth is Warchan who makes his way all the arduous way to MohenjoDaro and it is through his eyes that we see the great city with its baths, craft centers, brick structures, narrow lanes, flat roofs and sanitation. We encounter a Mohenjodaro on the decline with contact already having been made with Aryans over a millennium ago who ride horses, have inhabited or overtaken vast sections of the geography and appear to co-exist at some level with the original dwellers. However, we also learn that they deem themselves superior racially and culturally and adhere closely to their religion of many deities. When Warchan travels back through the Rukh jungles, wastelands of sand and ruined cities long abandoned he is followed surreptitiously by Dorga. Dorga is a character who seeks escape from Mohenjodaro and whose multi-generational existence there as a brick-kiln worker provides insight into lives of servitude of those on whose sweat & toil the city was built. The travel narrative, the description of the landscape and the dialogues between the two characters are incredibly well executed and one wants the journey to carry on and on.
Sumro - the carver of beads & seals; Maman Masa - the flighty jungle-dweller who lives in treetops; Kaagri - the bird-catcher; Dhurwa - the lonely minder of cattle - Puckly - the maker and decorator of earthware - there are many compelling characters through whose perspective we look at life as it may have existed millennia ago and who while leading their simple earthy existence often wondered about people who preceded them (remembered only be a pottery sherd accidentally discovered here or there) and those that would come after them. Bahao is incredibly readable also because of the melange of language that Tarar conjures - a mix of more archaic terms, Punjabi words, and a lyrical slightly repetitive manner of speaking (like a parable) rich in imagery, description and reflection, that somehow sounds primeval and yet profound enough to convey the astute observations of his characters.
A novel about existential anxiety, human relationships and bonds of co-existence, deep association with one's surroundings, Bahao is at various significant levels a novel not just about civilizational rise and fall but also about climate change and its impact on such rise and fall as well as the precariousness of human existence. It is remarkably modern also in terms of how it portrays and paints the impact on humans of such climatic change. At the same time it is a wonderfully imaginative portrayal of ancient human existence around rivers that have ceased to exist as also into what major IVC cities like Mohenjodaro, Harappa/Haryappa, and Kalaibangan may have looked like. In addition it explores the theme of exploitation that has always coupled with the theme of human civilizational progress. Ultimately, what is arguably most memorable about this novel is the deep empathy with its characters and the remarkable sensitivity for their predicament and travails when their river starts dying. When the flow (بہاؤ) starts abating and everything starts drying and withering away Tarar provides us a day by day, month by month, and year by year account of the change from multiple character perspectives and it is a deeply engrossing and moving account. There are several brilliant passages that make this a book worth revisiting over and over. I was absolutely thrilled to have finally read something which I am happy to perceive as a modern literature classic - not just in Urdu but in any language. It deserves to be known and celebrated far more widely. -
The novel was too "thick" for me. I don't know why I cannot connect with Tarrar's fiction even though some of his travelogues are very good. (The latter might turn out to be a specious observation since I have read only one and all of them are "bestsellers", enough to put off "Adam Baizar" people like me. But I guess he has made a "noble" attempt here, that is bring to life the ancient Indus Valley civilization. But I just got lost with his trying to recreate the local dialect which becomes very strange if I remember correctly. فلحال تو تارڑ کو پڑھنے سے توبہ کرلی ہے
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If we go back in time, the Indus Valley was alive and kicking!
That's the magic of this novel. It takes us back to the world where our ancestors earned their bread and butter. The dunes of the Indus Valley and the marshy lands of that time.
The Author did some exhaustive research on the aforementioned era and the result is evident in the novel. Intizar Hussain once called it "The Novel of The Century" and this is without a doubt one of the most spectacularly woven tale of our time.
A story of human endurance and survival, of unfathomable depths, this novel literally broke the mould. -
This novel works like a metaphor at the moment. In this novel, Tarar has discussed the transfer of ancient civilization. Civilizations have their remains but they do not have a real history today. Through this writing, several lessons were given to the readers who had to create a strong imagination in the minds while reading it. After reading main crux is new ideas are necessary for the survival of societies simply because they simulate the destruction of civilizations. The novel is a beautiful description of history and civilization.
This can be considered a mature story based novel and tells us how the life and society sink and everything ends with out leaving any symbol and history ... -
Read it many years ago, and perhaps time to reread.
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nice novel... depicts the culture and feelings of ancient people living in indus valley
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These are all my views. Discretion is advised.
The Novel Bahao by Mustansar Hussain Tarar is fictionalizing the ancient Indus Valley Civilization and its gradual decay. The strong imagination of Tarar Sahib makes the lost civilization reappear on the moving canvas for the readers. The characters and places, portrayed, speak for itself and advocates the idea of the then modern lifestyle of South Asian people. They inherited a Bronze Age culture in which people lived in well-planned cities, harvested rain water in giant reservoirs, and travelled overseas. They carried out maritime trade with its contemporary civilizations of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. One can say these are historical and archaeological findings long ago carried out but, fictionalizing hard facts and making them alive is an exhausting endeavour. Tarar Sahib has masterly utilized his abilities in convincing us to revisit the shores of Sarasvati along him, a journey to the past.
However, there is more to it. More than what historical and archaeological literature could provide: The human touch, thoughts of the then man. This is what I liked the most in the novel and admire Tarar Sahib for it.
The inquiry of all the existential questions that kept on bothering Paroshni and Warchan till the end of novel. Why do we do what we do? Since when are we doing it? How long will we do it? What’s the point of doing anything at all? Why are the things the way they are? Since when are they as such the way they are? Why aren’t we free from all of the societal compulsions? Why does it feel right to follow certain order? Why do we need to know the why to everything? From a philosophical & psychological standpoint it is evident that such inquiries are rooted in human mind. These are the thoughts that makes us different from other species and makes us human. Inclusion of them in the novel that novelizes the ancient civilization seems a reflection of the development of Indian school of thoughts that began on the shores of a river (Sarasvati) located in modern day Pakistan. Especially the Aasthika (Hindu philosophy) schools of philosophy since many references are given to the Rig Vedas.
In an interview with Dawn (29 may 2017) Nasir Abbas Nayyar asked “I wonder if the story of civilisation, around the long-lost Saraswati River, that you have told in your novel Bahao contradicts the state narrative which emphasises that our history starts from 712 AD with Muhammad bin Qasim’s arrival in Sindh.” Tarar Sahib responded “It is ridiculous to say that a 5,000-year-old civilisation started not that long ago but in 712 CE. Civilisations and homelands are not bound by religions. They are bound by culture. Cities change their religions but they never change their culture. Lahore was a Jain city, a Sikh city, a Hindu city, a Mughal city, a British city and a Muslim city in turns. Its [religious affiliation] is not permanent. One thing that is permanent is the culture of Lahore – or the culture of Punjab – that has existed continuously.” Thus, Mustansar Hussain Tarar, always known for his parallel views with politics, is seen in an attempt of drawing a big heart and acknowledging the beauty of everything that existed and exists regardless of its source.
Furthermore, there are these big pivotal points to which the story holds up: the relationship dilemma of Paroshni, Warchan and Soomro, the desire of moving to other places and exploring, inclusion of one wise in every society; Maman Masa, everyday routines of the various skilled labours and the hope for a good tomorrow. The thorough description of all these is what makes the novel riveting. It doesn’t seem fiction, it seems a report of actual events. One can surely find all these characters walking between us today having similar concerns and outlook towards life. It is this human touch that creates bonding with the characters and feeling like they feel. Watching the gradual and inevitable decay of such a rich and advanced civilization from the eyes of Paroshni. -
نوشین فیاض
بہاؤ
بہاؤ محض پانی کا نہیں ہوتا۔ جب پانی بہتا ہے تو اس کے ساتھ جیون بہتا ہے۔ پانی حیات کو جنم دیتا ہے۔ خشک مٹی کی کوکھ میں بیج کو پانی نہ ملے تو زندگی کیسے نمو پائے؟ پانی مٹی کو سیراب کرے تو بیج سے زندگی پھوٹتی ہے۔ پھل رزق بنتا ہے اور کسی زندگی کی بھوک مٹاتا ہے۔ جہاں پانی نہیں وہاں زندگی کا خیال دیوانے کا خواب ہی ہو سکتا ہے۔
گھاگھرا کنارے پانچ ہزار سال پہلے بے نام بستی میں پاروشنی ہے جس کے کنویں کا میٹھا پانی سب کے لیے ہے۔ مگر کون جانے کب تک۔ ۔۔
یہاں ڈوبو مٹی ہے جو سالم بندہ نگل کر کوئی نشان بھی نہیں چھوڑتی۔ یہاں جھیل پر مرنے کے لیے پکھیرو دور دراز سے سفر کر کے آتے ہیں۔ رکھوں کے اندر مور بولتا ہے اور بانجھ عورتوں کے رُکھ پر خواہشیں بندھی ہیں۔ رکھوں کے پار ریت ہی ریت ہے۔ایسی ریت جس کی چمک کتوں کو پاگل کر دیتی ہے اور وہ ایک دوسرے کو کھانے دوڑتے ہیں۔
دریا پار صرف وہ جاتے ہیں جن کے ناپ کے برتن پکلی کے آوے میں پک چکے ہوتے ہیں۔ ایسے میں ورچن کے پیر میں جانے کب اور کیسے چکر بندھ۔ گیا۔ وہ موہنجو سے مُہر ساز سومرو کے لیے سامان لینے گیا ہے۔وہاں اس نے نیلی آنکھوں اور کھڑی ناک والے دراز قد دیکھے ہیں۔ وہ ڈرتا ہے کسی دن وہ اس کی بستی نہ پہنچ جائیں۔ وہ تو نہیں البتہ ہزار سال پہلے ان پانی اور سر چھپانے کے ٹھکانے کے عوض نسلیں بیچ ڈالنے والوں میں سے وہ جو بھاگ نکلا تھا،اس کے پیروں کے نشانوں پر قدم رکھتے وہاں ضرور آ گیا تھا۔پوتر بیلوں کی رکھوالی کرتا دھروا، رکھوں پر بسر کرتامامن ماسا، برتنوں پر گُل بوٹے الیکتی پکلی،کاگری اور چیوا۔۔۔سب کی کہانیوں سے مل کر بُنا گیا ناول بہاؤ اردو کی تاریخ کے دس اہم ناولوں میں سے ایک ہے تو کوئی عجب بات نہیں۔
سندھی، براہوی، سنسکرت اور سرائیکی زبان کے لفظوں سے سجا یہ ناول دراصل پانچ ہزار سال پہلے کی وہ دنیا ہے جہاں سندھ میں انسان ابھی پیروں پر ڈولتے ڈولتے کھڑا ہو رہا تھا۔وہ گھُڑ سواری تک سے خوفزدہ تھا۔دریا کو اپنی من پسند قیمتی شے کے چڑھاوے چڑھا کر منانے والا معصوم انسان۔
پاروشنی سب جان لیتی تھی مگر آواز دیتے سفر کی پکار نہ سن سکی۔بستیاں انسانوں سے ہوتی ہیں اور اگر انسان ہی نہ رہیں تو؟
آدھی مٹھی کنک کے کوٹنے میں پاروشنی کے کنگنوں آواز تو نہیں تھی البتہ بستی، دل، بدن اور زندگی اجڑنے کے نوحے بہت تھے۔
ایک خوبصورت ناول جس کے حصار سے نکلنے کی خواہش ہی نہیں۔ -
قصہ ہے دریاؤں کے بہاؤ کے ساتھ آباد ہوتی نشوونما پاتی اور ویران ہوتی بستیوں کا۔ اس ناول کا بیان مجھے گارشیا مارکیز کے ناول تنہائی کے سو سال جیسا لگا، مگر گارشیا جیسا magical realism اس میں دیکھنے کو نہیں ملا گویا مصنف اپنے وکھرے رنگ جو کہ معاشرے سے عین مطابقت رکھتا تھا، میں نظر آئے۔۔۔
اس ناول کے بیان اور ڈھنگ کو سمجھنے کے لیے آپکو اردو کے ساتھ ساتھ پنجابی زبان پر بھی عبور ہونا چاہیے کیونکہ ناول میں ان الفاظ کو ویسا ہی رکھا گیا تبدیل نہیں کیا گیا جو کہ اس ناول کا الگ خاصہ اور خوبصورتی ہے مثلاً صحنک، جھجھر، مہاندرے ،گھاگھرا، رُکھ، چنگیر، اپلے، بوکا، اوپرے، کنڈ، مال ڈنگر، ہواڑ، کنک، وغیرہ
تنہائی کے سو سال کی طرح اس میں کرداروں کا ہجوم نہیں بلکہ تین ہی مرکزی کردار رہے پاروشنی ، ورچن اور سمرو البتہ ڈورگا کا کردار نہایت دلچسپ رہا۔
اگر آپ نے تہذیب و تمدن کے ارتقائی مراحل کو جانچنا ہے تو یہ ناول ضرور پڑھیے جھجھر و صحنک کے ٹکڑوں پر گزرے وقت کی داستاں کو جاننا ہے تو یہ ناول ضرور پڑھیے اور دریا کے بہاؤ میں بہتی اور نئی آباد ہوتی بستیوں کی سیر کرنی ہو تو بھی یہ ناول ضرور پڑھیے
اس ناول کے اختتام پر مجھے ن م راشد کی نظم حسن کوزہ گر کے یہ مصرعے یاد آ گئے کہ ۔۔۔
حسن کوزہ گر اب کہاں ہے
وہ ہم سے خود اپنے عمل سےخداوند بن کر خداؤں کے مانند ہے روئے گرداں
جہاں زاد نو سال کا دور یوں مجھ پہ گزرا کہ جیسے کسی شہر مدفون پر وقت گزرے ___
عبداللہ -
A novel about existential anxiety, human relationships, and bonds of co-existence, deep association with one's surroundings, Bahao is at various significant levels a novel not just about civilizational rise and fall but also about climate change and its impact on such rise and fall as well as the precariousness of human existence. It is remarkably modern also in terms of how it portrays and paints the impact on humans of such climatic change. At the same time, it is a wonderfully imaginative portrayal of ancient human existence around rivers that have ceased to exist as also of what major IVC cities like Mohenjodaro, Harappa/Haryappa, and Kalaibangan may have looked like. In addition, it explores the theme of exploitation that has always coupled with the theme of human civilizational progress. Ultimately, what is arguably most memorable about this novel is the deep empathy with its characters and the remarkable sensitivity to their predicament and travails when their river starts dying. When the flow (بہاؤ) starts abating and everything starts drying and withering away Tarar provides us a day-by-day, month-by-month, and year-by-year account of the change from multiple character perspectives and it is a deeply engrossing and moving account.
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Writer must have spent months in doing the characterization. This novel has got characters belonging to a different time yet their definition has been done very clearly. And the way scenes have been written is just a kind of guidance for young writers. A scene where a bird searches for water has been explained in a detail spanning two pages. An imagination reaching faw away places!
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Writer stops the time and details a story of its time. One of his classics
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Wow! What a consistency!
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بہاؤ کوئی ۱۵۰۰ قبل مسیح میں زوال پذیر وادئ سندھ کی تہذیب کی ایک تخیلاتی کہانی ہے۔ مصنف نے اس زمانے کو تخیل کی آنکھ سے دیکھنے کی کوشش کی ہے۔ اس کہانی کا کمال یہ ہے کہ یہ آپ کو اُس زمانے کے بارے میں سوچنے پر مجبور کرتی ہے، اس کے وجود کا احساس دلاتی ہے۔ اس کہانی کے واقعات و خیالات کی تاریخی حیثیت ثانوی ہے، اصل اہمیت تو موہنجو کی بستیوں میں بسنے والے ورچنوں، سَمروؤں اور پاروشنیوں کی ہے، ان کے دکھ درد کی ہے، ان کی سوچوں اور ان کی فکروں کی ہے۔
اور جب وہ تھے اور یقیناً تھے اور اب نہیں ہیں تو ایک وقت آئے گا کہ ہم بھی نہیں ہوں گے ۔۔۔ ہمارا اُن کا اَنت ایک جیسا ہے۔ جب ہمارا اور ان کا انت ایک جیسا ہے تو ہم اُن سے بہتر کیونکر ٹھہرے! جب ان کے دکھ سکھ بھی ویسے ہی تھے جیسے ہمارے ہیں تو ہم کس بات پر اتنا اتراتے ہیں؟ ہم اپنے بنانے والے کے عاجز بندے کیوں نہیں بنتے؟ ہم کیوں ان کو یاد نہیں کرتے جن کا ہم تسلسل ہیں؟
اس کہانی میں کچھ خیالات و مسائل بالکل آج کے دور کے ہیں۔ اگر وہ مسائل آج کی ”ترقی یافتہ“ دنیا میں بھی موجود ہیں تو لازماً اُس دنیا میں بھی موجود رہے ہوں گے۔ نسلی تفاخر، طبقاتی اونچ نیچ، طاقتوروں کا کمزوروں پر جبر ۔۔۔ یوں ہم کہہ سکتے ہیں کہ مصنف نے حال کے اندر ماضی کو دیکھا ہے اور اس عمل کے نتیجے میں جو تصویر بنائی ہے وہ ماضی کی ہے لیکن ماضی کی یہ تصویر ایسی ہے کہ اس میں حال کو بھی دیکھا جا سکتا ہے۔ کہیں ایسا تو نہیں کہ ماضی اور حال کے یہ پیمانے کچھ بھی نہیں اور صرف ایک ہی زمانہ ہے جس میں ہزار سال کے دورانیے کو اپنی بپتا قرار دینے والا ڈورگا بھی ہے اور ہم بھی ہیں اور ڈورگا جیسے اور ہم جیسے اور بھی ہوں گے؟ -
It is truly as master piece by Tarar sb comparable to any good piece of literature around the world. He recreated the whole civilization in the backdrop of Mohnjo Daro, Indus civilization. It also has the sublime message to make a realize the basic substance of human life. Mother Earth, water in the end it those are the core of not only the life but whole civilization, it existence,m & culture.
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what an outstanding work by mustansar hussain tarar. He knows how to create a small world around himslef
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A great piece of work on human endurance, complex emotions, search for the unknown and of course feminisms of 'Parwarshni' .
