Name of the book: Today’s Pasts: A Memoir
Author: Bhisham Sahni
Translated from Hindi to English by Snehal Shingavi
Publisher: Penguin Group
First published in Hindi as Aaj
Ke Ateet by Rajkamal
Prakashan 2004
Number of pages: 434 pages
Price: Rs
499
“Life’s
experiences couldn’t be considered irrelevant. These experiences provide
perspective, improve perception, and affect a writer’s sensibility. I took
courage from such notions.” – Bheesham Sahni
Sahni (1915-2003) was a writer -- one of the icons of modern Indian literature -- who transformed the landscape of Hindi literature. From novels, short-stories, essays to plays, he has delivered many substantial works. He was the proud recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1975 for Tamas, his best-known novel that was subsequently adapted into an award-winning film by Govind Nihalani. Sahni was awarded the Padma Bhushan(1998) and the Shalaka Samman (1999)- the Delhi Government’s highest literary prize.
The translator, Snehal Shingavi is
assistant professor of English at the University of Texas, Austin, where he
specializes in teaching South Asian literatures in English, Hindi and Urdu. He
is the author of The Mahatma
Misunderstood, and has most recently translated the iconic short-story
collection Angaaray to widespread
acclaim.
This is the story or rather a vast
chronicle of Indian and world history (especially of the Soviet Union) during
the time of Indian independence and after that. Although the story starts much
before independence, Bhisham, the younger brother of Balraj Sahni, an Indian
film and stage actor, best known for his roles in Do Bigha Zameen (1953), Kabuliwala (1961), Garam Hawa (1973), takes the reader on a journey from the lanes of
Rawalpindi, that is witnessing the first stirrings of the freedom movement, in
the first few decades of the twentieth century.
When he was born, in 1915 (his father and
mother were not in agreement about the date and month. He was, according to his
mother, 1 year 11 months younger than his older brother, Balraj), there was no
band to play infront of his house, unlike when his elder brother was born, a
fact that was always brought up when they fought during their childhood.
Mischievous and naughty, he jumped on to moving tongas and then jumped down from them, while growing up. To think
of this mischievous young boy growing into a timid person struggling to develop
a natural personality and self expression seems unimaginable but Sahni credits
that change in him to being unconsciously influenced by the unique qualities of
several others which was in direct proportion to him feeling insignificant himself.
“To think of every other man as better than
yourself, to keep putting yourself down, to see yourself as unworthy, so much
so that you begin to see the timid parts of your nature as your virtues; that
is to say timid people aren’t proud, aren’t ambitious, they aren’t egotistical,
they are submissive, hard-working, averse to fighting (and perhaps this is also
why they live longer), trustworthy, they have given up their ability to face
challenges, and they stay away from danger so that they can live lives of
sheepishness.”
This work is also a reflection of him upon
his life, over the many things he had to let go or put an end to, like the end
to the campaign to collect all of Premchand’s letters, end to hockey- a game he
was exceptionally good at. Like people who live their lives and go with the
flow only to look back and wonder if they could change some of the things in
the past, Sahni also has some regrets and he is brave enough to put it on paper
for the whole world to read and that in itself takes sheer confidence and a
generous dollop of this thing called ‘experience’.
Partition and its horrific effects drove
him to Bombay, Ambala and finally Delhi. It also traces his life in Moscow. By
the time of independence, he was managing the family business, teaching in a
college, putting plays from time to time and also writing. And soon, he was
also actively taking part in Congress Party activities.
This remains an essential reading for all
those who would like to walk on the streets of Rawalpindi of the early
twentieth century, to know what the neighbourhoods sounded and felt like; to
understand the milieu of the youth at the time of Independence; to get a
firsthand account of a man who joined the IPTA (Indian People’s Theatre
Association), one of the oldest theatre organizations of India, and worked as a
performing artist. It is also an insight into the life of his wife, Sheela, who
was a constant support in his life and kept the family together inspite of his
addiction to wanderlust and his writing career that left him with little time
for family responsibilities.
In a broader context, this book provides an
insight into the success of the democratic Soviet system and Sahni’s opinion
about the downfall of one of the greatest systems of his time. It also traces
the journey of the Progressive Writer’s Association to which he was connected
as an official for a long time.
Sahni, through his words, comes across as a
man who tries to get a perspective by looking back at his own life. “I didn’t
learn any lessons”, he says, and “so who am I to teach anyone?” And yet, here
is a book that has got so much to offer to everyone who is caught in the midst
of life, wondering how to make sense of it. It tells you that no matter how
insignificant an experience, it all comes together to help you whenever you are
faced with an adversity in life.
The translation did feel bumpy at some
instances where the reviewer was left to translate some sentences back to hindi
in order to understand what Sahni would have wanted to convey to the reader.
For readers alien to Hindi, some of the lines in the book might not convey the
intended meaning.
But the intense research that Shingavi
conducted and the way it has all been presented neatly is worth applause.
The book might seem slow and much
informative and detailed for those looking for a light read. For others, it is
a rare escapism into today’s pasts!
A shorter version of the review can be found here.
- Divya Nambiar
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