With love, from a sister

HUM SAATH THE, Hamida Salim's second book, is a compilation of her biographical writing on her brothers, renowned Urdu poet Asrar-ul-Haq Majaz, and veteran freedom fighter and Congressman Ansar-ul-Haq Harwani, and sister, Urdu litterateur Safia Jan Nisar Akhtar.

While Majaz and Harwani have extensive articles on them, Safia finds her life unveiled in a 40-page long letter written to her son, Bollywood lyricist and poet, Javed Akhtar (Jadu). For Hamida Salim, this is an intelligible differentia for, as revealed in her letter to Javed, she does not have the heart to make public the predicaments her sister had to face throughout her married life. It is different, though, that despite these reservations, the author gives more than a vivid description of her sister's married life in her letter (now published).

The book begins with a short preface where the author tries to explain why her eldest sister does not find a place with her other siblings. Salim begins by giving a picturesque account of the socio-economic circumstances surrounding a pre-independence feudal Muslim society of the province of Oudh which her family was much a part of. Influenced by the ideals of modernism and socialism in their small hometown of Rudauli, the family emerged as, probably, the first "educated" one. While both Majaz and Safia carved out distinct places for themselves in Urdu literature - Majaz on a much higher pedestal than his sister - Harwani plunged into active politics and remained so till his last breath.

Majaz divorced society for his first love - his quixotic, but socially volatile, poetry. He died a tragic death at 44. Hamida Salim's encyclopaedic article on him, Jaggan Bhaiyya, written soon after is authoritative and oft-quoted by scholars and researchers. More than seven scores of pages are dedicated to him.

The life sketch of Harwani unfolds in the second chapter which runs into 44 pages and details his achievements as freedom fighter, statesman and politician. Hamida Salim's letter to Javed Akhtar reads like a classic tragedy with Safia portrayed as the oppressed, ill-treated and subjugated poor princess, and her husband, celebrated Urdu poet Jan Nisar Akhtar as the cruel, though obliviously so, bad guy. Being very personal in nature, the letter does not need further comment.

After her autobiography, Shorish-e-Dauraan, published a couple of years ago, Hum Saath The is another step forward towards recognising Hamida Salim as a veteran "Urdu writer". With a laudatory foreword by Khalique Anjun, who heads a fast shrinking list of Urdu scholars, the book has been written in a lucid style. Ignoring a few minor errors, the book should be read as a sister's authentic record of her siblings rather than as a piece of literature.

SYED SAIF MAHMOOD

Hum Saath The (Urdu), Hamida Salim, Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu (Hind), New Delhi, Rs. 125.

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