The World Of Sarshar

By Dr. R.K. Tamiri

Pandit Ratan Nath Dhar Sarshar has long been recognised as one of the pioneers of modern fiction in Urdu. Prof. Ralph Russel rates him alongside Nazir Ahmed and Abdul Hashim Sharoor as three great pioneers of Urdu novel. Besides being a novelist, Sarshar excelled as a translator, journalist and a poet too.

A full comprehensive study on Sarshar’s life and works either in Urdu or English has eluded us. A brief essay written by a fellow Kashmiri and literateur, Pt. Brij Narain Chakbast, written not long after Sarshar's death in 1901, has remained the basis for almost everything subsequently written abut him. Focus solely on Fasana-i-Azad, Sarshar’s main work has also restricted the scope in evaluating various dimensions of Sarshar’s literary personality. Some of the early writings of Sarshar remain untraceable.

Ali Abbas Husaini was the first scholar to pay attention to Sarshar’s major writings, besides undertaking a full study of Fasana-i-Azad. His observations are recorded in Naval Ki Tarikh Aur Tanquid (1944). 1960s witnessed revival of interest by scholars to evaluate life and works of Pt. Ratan Nath Sarshar. The notable studies published in this period include: Sarshar ki Naval Nigari by Dr. Sayyed Latif Adib, Karachi 1961; Naqd-i-Sarshar--a collection of essays ed. by Tabassum Kashmiri; Sarshar ek Mutalea by Prem Pal Ashk, Delhi 1964; Sarshar Bishan Nath Dar Ki Nazar Mein-Prem Pal Ashk, Delhi 1966; Life and Works of Ratan Nath Sarshar, Ph.D Thesis by F. Husain, University of London, 1964. Dr Tabassum Kashmiri followed up his earlier work by Fasana-i-Azad Ek Tanqidi Jaiza (Lahore) in 1978. Dr Qamar Rais, Delhi published Ratan Nath Sarshar in 1983.

Dr. Firoze Mookerjee's study 'Lucknow and the World of Sarshar' (1992), based on her Ph.D Thesis breaks new ground in assessment of Sarshar and his works. The author, who was trained in Lucknow and London Universities, is a gifted short story writer and literary critic of great merit. She has laboured hard to access material on Sarshar and penned down a study that encompasses all the dimensions of Pandit Sarshar's literary personality. In her book, she makes Lucknow come alive through the narratives of Sarshar and his characters that represent all walks of life. Dr. Mookerjee portrays Sarshar as the exponent of new intellectual and political ideas, which he skillfully introduced in his studies.

Pt. Ratan Nath Sarshar was born of a Kashmiri Pandit family during the reign of Avadh ruler Muhd Ali Shah (1837-1842). His father, Bejnath Dhar, had left Kashmir to seek "fame and fortune" in Lucknow. Avadh Kings extended munificent patronage to literature and arts. Every poet of some worth moved to Avadh to avail of this munificence. Post-1857 Avadh society was in the throes of a social change, triggered by the incursions of Britishers in this part of the country. Sarshar's writings mirror this subterranean conflict between the old and the new forces. He himself passionately endorses the social change. This lends his works a didactic touch.

Like other fellow Kashmiri Pandit emigres, Sarshar's family too lived in the neighbourhood of good Muslim families. He gained first hand experience of Muslim society. He also acquired part of Muslim Avadhi culture, as reflected in its love for Urdu. Sarshar had early schooling in Arabic and Persian. He acquired the knowledge of English at the Canning college. His contemporaries describe Sarshar as a keen observor of society and possessing great wit and humour.

Sarshar's best known poems are the ones he wrote to quieten the outcry of orthodox opposition which was raised on the return from England of a fellow Kashmiri - Bishan Narayan Dhar. Sarshar endorsed Bishan Sabhaites. In his poem Tohfa-e-Sarshar (Gift of Sarshar), he mocked at DharmSabhaites whose self-appointed role of dharmatmas or defenders of religion and righteousness was ridiculous for they could not even read the Nagri script and were themselves ignorant. Sarshar was also teacher in poetry to Mahraja Kishan Parshad, the Nizam's Minister for the Army and a former Prime Minister, at Hyderabad. In an article contributed to Kashmir Prakash (March 1899), Sarshar, overwhelmed by the reception at Hyderabad, says that he was appointed at a salary of Rs 200/- a month to correct Maharaja Kishan Parshad's poems and prose.

According to Firoze Mukerjee, Sarshar's importance as a writer is three-fold. First, his works convey an unrivalled picture of Lucknow society in the later half of the nineteenth century. Secondly, his constant pre-occupation with the new intellectual, social and political ideas of his time give an exceptionally clear picture of what were the great controversial issues of the day. Lastly, his choice of fictional medium through which to express his ideas, his attachment to the old prose narrative tradition, his conscious attempt to mould his own tales on the pattern of the European novel, and the considerable talents which he brought to this task lend his works an exceptional interest and importance in the history of Urdu literature. Sarshar emerges as an artist and as a propagandist of the new ideas of his time.

As a journalist, Sarshar wrote for Avandh Panch, Avadh Akbar and his community journal, the Mursla Kashmir. Avadh Punch, started in the year 1877. Its founder-editor Sajjad Hussain was the first to introduce wit and humour into Urdu prose. He contributed articles in a natural and humourous manner. Sarshar and another Kashmiri Tribhuvan Nath Sapru 'Hijr' formed the most outstanding of the small group of writers of Urdu who, according to Kusum Pant, helped Sajjad Hussain to develop and popularise a freer, less affected and more witty and attractive style of Urdu prose composition.

It was his success at Avadh Punch, that Munshi Nawal Kishore, proprietor of Avadh Akhbar asked Sarshar to assume editorship of his paper. Inspite of his friendship with the proprietor of Avandh Punch, a rival paper of Avadh Akhbar, Sarshar took over as editor on 10th August 1878. He listed four priorities for an editor--helping countrymen to achieve prosperity, help them to improve their ways, bring the views of its subjects to the notice of the government and enlightenment to people. Sarshar wrote in highly persianised language, insterspersed with simple colloquial Urdu. The range of social issues, Sarshar dealt with through his editorials and signed/unsigned articles have been discussed at length in the book. Sarshar's views seem to have been very much in advance of those of most of his contemporaries in the Urdu-speaking area.

The work which won Sarshar recognition and fame was his Fasana-i-Azad. The author has used the hero of his story - Azad, as a mouthpiece through whom he expressed his own ideas and tried to stir Indians to change their society in the light of Western thought. Its success was legendary in the history of Urdu literature. It was read and enjoyed by every section of society. Its great success gave rise to jealousy and bitterness to the famous controversy initiated by the bitter attacks on it in Avadh Punch. Sarshar replied in a series of articles and the controversy lasted for a long time. Fasana-i-Azad gives a portrait of Sarshar's age. Lucknow is seen in all its fading glory. Sarshar's capacity to see the funny side of life has made him create his immortal character Khoji.

Firoze Makerjee places Fasana-i-Azad as a combination of dastan, didactic tale and novel. The author has welded together diverse elements taken from Don Quixote, Pickwick papers and sensational novels of the type written by Reynolds. Plot and rhyming used by the Sarshar in this novel bring it closer to dastan.

The author attributes immortality of Fasana-i-Azad to the unforgettable picture it paints about mid-nineteenth-century Lucknow. She compares Sarshar with Ruswa and Sharar and observes, “the uniqueness of Sarshar's contribution lies in the vastness of his canvas and in the vividness of the colours in which he paints it...Sarshar's (Fasana-i-Azad) is a wonderful collection of living people, drawn from every walk of life in society, with all their characteristic attitudes and human strengths and failings".

The command of language and the wide use and brilliance of the dialogue are also responsible for the popularity of Fasana-i-Azad. She comments," He knew exactly the forms of speech, the special vocabulary and the characteristic style and tone appropriate to each of the wide range of characters of different classes and different areas whom he introduces in his pages".

Firoze disagrees with Muhd. Ahsan Faruqi, who repeatedly stresses resemblance of Fasana-i-Azad to Rajab Ali Beg Sarur's Fasana-i-Ajaib. She approvingly quotes Chakbast who said the publication of Fasana-i-Azad relegated Fasana-i-Ajaib to the status of a museum piece which men could go to examine if they wished to see how Urdu prose was once written. He adds that while Sarur's style labours under the burden of its artificiality, Sarshar's has all the lightness and sparkle of informal conversation. Paying tribute to Sarur, Sarshar himself claims that Fasana-i-Azad is something new in Urdu literature because it is written along the lines of the English novel. He also tacitly admits that where necessary he sacrifices realism to his didactic purpose.

Chakbast claims that the idea of writing, Fasana-i-Azad was first put into Sarshar's head by a remark made by Pandit Tribhuvan Nath Hijr: "If there is any one novel of which you cannot read a single page without laughing twenty times, that novel is Don Quixote. If a tale on these lines could be written in Urdu it would be an excellent thing".

It was this thought which inspired Sarshar to write the Zarafat series which he later transformed into Fasana-i-Azad.

1878-1890 represents the peak of Sarshar's literary career. He went on to write two more masterpieces--Jam-i-Sarshar (or Fasana-i-Jadid, 1887) and Sair-i-Kohsar (1890).

Jam-i-Sarshar was completed in 1887. It represents a further step away from the Dastan and towards the modern novel. It retains Fasana-i-Azad's virtues - command over language, brilliant use of dialogue. Its setting is entirely realistic. The element of dastan-like fantasy is almost completely absent. Language in general is markedly more natural, even in descriptive pieces there is the vigour of natural colloquial, rather than high-flown prose-style.

In Fasana-i-Azad humour is very often supplied by characters consciously trying to be funny. In Jam-i-Sarshar humour is often implicit in a situation in which these elements are also blended. The characterisation is much better and credible than in Fasana-i-Azad. About the plot, Dr. Firoze Mukerjee remarks, "the plot of Fasana--i-Azad barely deserves the name, that of Jam-i-Sarshar has a fairly high degree of coherence. In Fasana-i-Azad there is only one really masterly achievement in terms of characters-Khoji. In Jam-i-Sarshar the position is reversed. There is only major character--that of the young nawab, who does not really appear in the round.”

In Jam-i-Sarshar, the novelist is haunted by the evils of drinking. His own real-life story was similar to that of the character Seth Gujar Mal.  Sarshar debunks evils of debauchery, drinking and belief in superstitions, the vices indulged in by the young aristocrats of Lucknow. He bemoans," The morning passes in drinking and the evening in pleasure. God knows how it will all end, but today we enjoy life." Through Zahuran, Sarshar shows how contemptible were a section of women who seduced young nawabs and took full advantage of this to improve their own lot in life. Sarshar is also haunted by Khoji and seeks to recreate him here though not so brilliantly, through Nura.

About place of Jam-i-Sarshar Dr Firoze observes, "The advance towards maturity which it marks in Sarshar's development, both as a thinker and as a realistic writer is very striking...The crude, naive counterpoising of the new light to the old has gone...Jam-i-Sarshar will at least be recognised as a major contribution to the development of the modern Urdu novel".

Sair-i-Kohsar:

Through Sair-i-Kohsar (1890), Sarshar wants to further reinforce his teaching on the status of women, and inculcate the superiority of new ways of life over the old. Sarshar sermonizes that a man should seek romance with one lawful wife and that the marriage relationship should be the one cemented by romantic love as well as by mutual recognition of duty. Though his criticism of the old aristocracy is more thorough-going, yet he does not go overbroad in praising the Britishers. In Sair-i-Kohsar there is strong portrayal of negative English characters. Sair-i-Kohsar is the most consistently readable of all Sarshar's books. With Jam-i-Sarshar it represents the peak of his achievement as a novelist.

The drawing of plot in this novel represents a further advance over Jam-i-Sarshar. Even here, though plot is not tempered with in order to produce some strong didactic moral, yet he thrusts it in such a way that it does not impair the logic of the story. Sarshar does not mind sacrificing at times artistic style if only to convey a strong didactic message.

The story in Sair-i-Kohsar is also better and it develops more naturally. In Sair he demonstrates his ability over a wider range of characters than his earlier works had portrayed. There are also some weak spots in his drawing of characters. Bashir-ud-Daula is quite inconsistently drawn. Mahraj Bali also fails to come to life. In it there is really very feeble attempt to create another Khoji. Dr Firoz finds fault with Sarshar's depiction of women. His pre-occupation with women comes in the way of his talents as a writer of narrative. The author remarks", Sarshar feels a certain relish in the description of love-making in its own right.His exposure of a debauchee is carried through with a quite unnecessary abundance of unsavoury detail. His indignant condemnation of sexual offences goes hand in hand with surreptitious pleasure in describing them...He seems to have been a man exceptionally susceptible to women's charms (like his first hero, Azad) and whereever he introduces a young women into his stories he cannot resist the temptation to give his imagination its head and to describe in detail how she fascinates her lover as the case may be.” However, Dr Mukerjee gives Sarshar his due for being ahead of time in boldness. She says, "He is the only novelist of his day who ventures to portray chaste women loving and being loved".

Kamini and other minor novels included in Khum Kadai Sarshar, written after 1893 are great disappointment and mark his decline as a writer. About these novels Chakbast pronounces, "Indeed these novels show to what extent the art of a great writer can decline. It would have been better if Sarshar had never turned his steps towards the tavern".

Sarshar also translated some works, including Don Quixote (Khudai Faujdar, 1984) from English in to Urdu. His translations, as per Dr. Mukerjee, suffer from two weaknesses - absence of adequate vocabulary in Urdu in his time and secondly, his own knowledge of English which was insufficient to enable him to understand the original.

The book 'Lucknow and the world of Sarshar' on its front cover carries a fine painting of Lucknow, 1760 drawn by Mir Kallan Khan. Despite spelling mistakes seen here and there the book is probably the first comprehensive study on Pt. Sarshar.

Source: Kashmir Sentinel