Haasil Ghaat
Encyclopedia
Hasil Ghaat is a novel by Bano Qudsia
. Though there is some controversy as to whether this book be classified as a novel or not, there is no doubt in the richness of the book. Sometimes the book appears to be a collection of scattered mystic
thoughts. Unlike her earlier novel Raja Gidh
the book does not have a coherent plot or storyline.
If we accept it to be a novel
, it is mainly a collection of incoherent thoughts of an old Pakistan
i man Humayun Farid who is visiting his emigrant daughter Arjmand in USA. Most of the thoughts occur to him as he is sitting in the balcony of her daughter’s home. The narrative may well be thought to be employing the stream of consciousness technique. Humayun Farid hails from a family who migrated from the India
n part of Punjab
to Lahore
at the time of the Partition of India
. He was a self made businessman before his retirement.
The technique of the novel consists of narrating the thoughts of this character. An advantage of this technique is that, the writer absolves herself of the responsibility. Humayun keeps on comparing the Pakistani and American cultural differences. The novelist concretizes these comparisons by arranging accidental meetings of the main character with Pakistani and American characters in super markets and in other public places.
It seems that the thoughts themselves are not important here. Ranging from commonplace clichés and generalizations to some really thought provoking ideas and finally to intentionally provocative suggestions and exaggerations, the composition of thoughts reminds of the allegory
running parallel to the story
in her previous novel Raja Gidh
. The confused thoughts suggesting somehow the superiority of the eastern values over the western ones are punctuated with nostalgic anecdotes from the past life of the main character.
Readers familiar with Bano Qudsia
’s style may find a feeble plot.
Bano Qudsia
Bano Qudsia is a writer, intellectual, playwright and spiritualist from Pakistan who wrote Urdu novels and short storiesregarded among the best Urdu novelists and short story writers of modern times.She is best known for her novel Raja Gidh.She has written for television and stage in both the...
. Though there is some controversy as to whether this book be classified as a novel or not, there is no doubt in the richness of the book. Sometimes the book appears to be a collection of scattered mystic
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
thoughts. Unlike her earlier novel Raja Gidh
Raja Gidh
Raja Gidh by Bano Qudsia is one of the most widely read and acclaimed Urdu novels. Gidh is the Urdu word for a vulture and Raja is a Hindi synonym for king. The name anticipates the kingdom of vultures. In fact, parallel to the main plot of the novel, an allegorical story of such a kingdom is...
the book does not have a coherent plot or storyline.
If we accept it to be a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, it is mainly a collection of incoherent thoughts of an old Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i man Humayun Farid who is visiting his emigrant daughter Arjmand in USA. Most of the thoughts occur to him as he is sitting in the balcony of her daughter’s home. The narrative may well be thought to be employing the stream of consciousness technique. Humayun Farid hails from a family who migrated from the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n part of Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
to Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
at the time of the Partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
. He was a self made businessman before his retirement.
The technique of the novel consists of narrating the thoughts of this character. An advantage of this technique is that, the writer absolves herself of the responsibility. Humayun keeps on comparing the Pakistani and American cultural differences. The novelist concretizes these comparisons by arranging accidental meetings of the main character with Pakistani and American characters in super markets and in other public places.
It seems that the thoughts themselves are not important here. Ranging from commonplace clichés and generalizations to some really thought provoking ideas and finally to intentionally provocative suggestions and exaggerations, the composition of thoughts reminds of the allegory
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
running parallel to the story
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
in her previous novel Raja Gidh
Raja Gidh
Raja Gidh by Bano Qudsia is one of the most widely read and acclaimed Urdu novels. Gidh is the Urdu word for a vulture and Raja is a Hindi synonym for king. The name anticipates the kingdom of vultures. In fact, parallel to the main plot of the novel, an allegorical story of such a kingdom is...
. The confused thoughts suggesting somehow the superiority of the eastern values over the western ones are punctuated with nostalgic anecdotes from the past life of the main character.
Readers familiar with Bano Qudsia
Bano Qudsia
Bano Qudsia is a writer, intellectual, playwright and spiritualist from Pakistan who wrote Urdu novels and short storiesregarded among the best Urdu novelists and short story writers of modern times.She is best known for her novel Raja Gidh.She has written for television and stage in both the...
’s style may find a feeble plot.
External links
- Haasil Ghaat, Read online