Begum in new avatar!

Known to many as Ainee Apa, the celebrity fiction author Qurratulain Hyder's last novel in Urdu was ‘Chandni Begum’ which had the plot set in Lucknow from Partition days to early 90’s Babri Masjid demolition days. Decorated with Jnanpith, Sahitya Akademi and Padma Bhushan awards, Hyder remained an enigmatic as well as a daring journalist and an author all her life and had substantial influence on the literary circles and the society.

Chandni Begum has now been translated by the city's very own historian Prof Saleem Kidwai. It is an interestingly authentic translation as it became evident at a private book reading session covering select Urdu and English versions even before I could read the book.

The plot is woven around two families from Lucknow and the lead protagonist, the alluring Chandni Begum, daughter of Jafar Bandi, living under the past glory of her once powerful family, as she tries to come to terms with the changes in the social milieu while attempting to retain the respectability of yesteryears.

The story hovers around the struggling revolutionary, articulate and progressive Qambar, son of Barrister Azhar Ali and Bitto Baji, who is quite soaked into

romanticism. Other than his association with Begum, the novel narrates an interesting tale of the other two ladies in his life - Bela who defies to break away from her 'bhand' legacy and Raja Anwar Hussain Teen Katori's educator daughter Safia, with her polio-struck left hand and a turbulent life.

There are several seasoned characters in the narrative, including entertainers and performers. There is reference to celebrities like Satyajit Ray, Begum Akhtar, Dilip Kumar, Malika Pukhraj, Nargis, Mirza Hadi Ruswa and Mahasweta Devi to link it with those times. There is also mention of Marsiya recitation, Sufism, Inder Sabha ballet, bazaars and mohallas of Lucknow, heritage monuments, princely estates of Awadh, perfumes, the city’s famed food and what not!

In a chat with the scholartranslator, he mentioned that he had met the author a few times during her lifetime but had refrained from discussing her writings given the perceived aura around her persona and the mysticism with regard to her literary work. He also mentioned that since Hyder used to coin some words beyond the Urdu lexicon, it was a challenge to translate them without comprehending their contextual usage.

This 340 page book published by Women Unlimited is priced at Rs 450. I recommend this to all those who have heard about the author's enigmatic writing but haven't read it as they do not know Urdu. The translation has not only retained the character of the original novel but has enhanced it in certain ways.

I also recommend it to those who have been charmed by the romance of Lucknow's multi-faceted culture - much of which survived in the postindependence India too; and how it traversed through the lives of families during the four and half decades after India's freedom at midnight!