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oth — Faiz Ahmed tucked in the pages of this
Faiz and Prem- IT’S TIME TO RE-READ book, relays much of his
chand — the need agony for his times and for
B of the hour! And FAIZ, PREMCHAND our times —
there land these two books “This moment is to mourn
on them, on their works…Yes, the death of time/
in this political turmoil that During the ongoing political turmoil, verses of The river of the sky has
we are going through, verse Faiz Ahmed Faiz and short stories of paused/
of Faiz Ahmed Faiz and the And near the banks of
short stories of Premchand Premchand are desperately needed, horizon/
are desperately needed…. writes HUMRA QURAISHI The moon- ferry of the
ought to be read aloud so that gloomy hues has anchored/
we could remain intact, with ing out, when questions are could vary but not the prime All the ferry men , all the
solidarity holding sway! being raised what we wear or characters and the chal- stars/
Of course, they wrote dec- talk or hearor eat! lenges and struggles in their Have disembarked/
ades back, in their turbulent Before I get carried away, daily lives.A sense of idealism On the shore of the earth/
times, with political lows let me focus on these two runs through his stories and The leaves are gasping for
denting the very scenario. books — In this book –‘God’s I would go a step ahead and breath/
But amazingly their words Share In Stale Rice & Other call them realistic to the core. The winds are dozing off/
and sentiments hold out, Stories’, Premchand’s short Also, they are more relevant The gong has issued the
in these present dark times stories hold out. Selected and today than ever before, as order of silence/
that we are destined to be translated by T.C. Ghai, these today realities have turned Then all voices lost in
living in. Today, when fascism stories hold out to this day. harsher and darker and quietness…”
seems overtaking, dent- For, invariably they focus frightful.
ing our everyday living and on the oppressed. Settings ♦ ♦ ♦ LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM
existence. Today, when the
common man of the country Now focusing on the book
sits frightful of what next ROMANCING on the life and works of Faiz ‘PREMCHAND
tomorrow. Today, when hor- WITH REVOLU- Ahmad Faiz . It is a detailed –GOD’S SHARE
rifying rounds of violence is TION - LIFE AND read…Also, it holds out sev- IN STALE RICE&
spreading out, sparing not WORKS OF FAIZ eral of his verse, relevant for OTHER STO-
RIES’
AHMED FAIZ
even the young of the coun- BY ZAHEER ALI the times he lived in and also TRANSLATED BY:
try. Today, when our freedom AAKAR BOOKS today — wherever we living TC GHAI
is getting curtailed by the 1,295PP; 334 in, in this subcontinent. AAKAR BOOKS
hour, when divisions are con- Perhaps, Faiz’s this verse 323PP; 895