Latest news with #UniversityofPunjab
Scroll.in
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Mulk Raj Anand and his imagination of global resistance against caste, colonialism, propaganda
In 1937, as India struggled to gain independence from the British, a more global battle was raging thousands of miles west in the war-torn city of Madrid. Of the many foreign nationals serving in the Spanish Civil War in different capacities was Mulk Raj Anand, who saw Spain's struggle as a key point to decide the fate of democracy in Europe. With the revolt of General Franco to overthrow the government, Anand's anti-fascist principles led him to defend the Spanish Republic. During the battle, Eric Arthur Blair, a friend of Anand, was shot in the neck by a sniper but miraculously survived, as mentioned in DJ Taylor's definitive biography, Orwell: The Life. Years later, their paths realigned during the Second World War to counter the Axis propaganda led by Subhash Chandra Bose. Prompting Indians to revolt against British rule, Bose presented a formidable challenge to the British government in India, writes Stanley Wolpert in A New History of India. Today we recognise Mulk Raj Anand as the author of groundbreaking classics like Untouchable and Coolie. His novels depicted disturbing realities, holding a mirror to the plight of the lowest orders in Indian society. Recounting a day in the life of a sweeper boy who dreamt of a dignified life like the Sahibs, Anand presented the world with a side of India nobody talked about. However, Bakha was not the only one on the receiving end of societal brutality. There was Orwell in Paris (Down and Out in Paris and London), Bigger Thomas in Chicago (Native Son), and several others carrying their own untold stories. Anand's life was about much more than writing novels. As a committed Marxist deeply involved in left-leaning politics, Anand was also a vocal advocate for the values he profoundly believed in, willing to raise his voice in their support. From the trenches of the war-torn city of Madrid amid exchanges of gunfire to the broadcasting studio of the BBC, his fight continued. Let's revisit Mulk Raj Anand's journey from the jails of Amritsar to joining the International Brigade in Madrid, shaping the political and literary landscape of global resistance in the 1900s. Anand's early radicalism An avid reader of Dickens, Shakespeare, and Gorky during childhood, Anand was drawn towards underground politics during his teen years. During the Non-Cooperation Movement launched by Gandhi, he joined a revolutionary rebel group in Amritsar that the British government recognised as a terrorist organisation. Deeply embedded in the revolution, Anand was arrested twice before completing his degree from the University of Punjab. Anand's father, a military clerk loyal to the British Indian Army, was not proud of his son's altercations with the government. As detailed in Saros Cowasjee's biography, Mulk Raj Anand: His Life and Work, his father's background in the British Army helped Anand secure a scholarship to pursue a PhD at University College, London. With high regard for the British model of democracy, Anand was shocked to find that the condition of the working class in London was no different from that in India. He concluded that the British government was organised and it functioned in the interest of a small minority that controlled the whole state. Driven by his rebellious nature, Anand ended up fighting for the rights of British coal workers during the strike of 1926. These events not only solidified Anand's anti-imperialist views but also prompted him to join a Marxist study circle for a better understanding of the struggles of the working class. It did not take Anand long to find the like-minded company of left-leaning intellectuals during his university years in London. 'He'd frequent the British Museum to meet eminent writers and artists,' recounts Irish poet Louis MacNeice in his unfinished autobiography, The Strings Are False. As Anand's network widened, he cultivated some valuable friendships that would shape his literary career. It was the friendship and mentorship of notable author EM Forster that opened doors for him into the established British literary scene. Soon, Anand became a familiar name in influential literary circles in London, most notably the Bloomsbury Group, founded by English writer Virginia Woolf and her siblings, artist Vanessa Bell and author Thoby Stephen. Although not a permanent member, Anand attended several of the literary meets held on Thursday evenings, mostly at 46 Gordon Square, Bloomsbury. Despite the intellectual exchanges and collaborations, Anand observed pro-colonial sentiments and a racist attitude that he perceived as 'ignorance of other 'cultures' and the club's 'disengagement' with both national and international politics.' Remarks like 'lesser breeds beyond the law' about Indians left him 'feeling anger and shame,' as he recounts in his memoir Conversations in Bloomsbury (1981). Untouchable and its global echo Although Anand had finished writing Untouchable in 1927, his first published work was an essay, 'Persian Painting' (1930). The printed edition of Untouchable did not see the light of day until 1935, after rejections from 19 publishers. Books on Mughals, mysticism, and the extravagant lives of Nawabs fascinated publishers more, not the disturbing reality of outcasts, which many considered 'dirt.' At last, a moving preface by EM Forster encouraged Lawrence and Wishart, a small left-wing publisher, to take a chance on Untouchable. Upon publication, the novel successfully found a reader base in left-liberal circles, especially among Marxists and anti-fascists. The disturbing horrors of societal brutality against outcastes linked Untouchable with broader, parallel struggles unfolding across the globe, from the industrial underbelly of Britain to the Jim Crow South. Richard Wright, an African-American writer, uncovered systematic racism in the US, robbing Black communities of dignified life with Native Son (1940). Like Bakha, Wright introduced the world to Bigger Thomas, a young African-American boy from Chicago who was crushed and criminalised by structural violence. Although Anand and Wright never met, through Bakha and Bigger Thomas, they powerfully held up a mirror to societal brutality. Orwell, Anand, and the BBC In the 1940s, when the Second World War was at its peak, Anand was offered the position of Talks Assistant at the BBC's Indian Service in London. Citing political turmoil in India, Anand politely declined the offer, which was then passed on to George Orwell. His desire to serve his country, his wife's ill health, and financial setbacks led him to accept the job. As the new Talks Assistant, Orwell wrote a letter to Anand to convince him to write and broadcast for the BBC. Anand readily agreed. Together, tasked with encouraging anti-imperialist sentiments in India, they worked on several radio talk series. In New Weapons of War, Anand explained the meanings of war-related phrases such as 'Pluto-Democracy,' 'Propaganda,' and 'New Order,' terms commonly spoken yet poorly understood. According to Abha Sharma Rodrigues' doctoral thesis, George Orwell, The BBC, and India: A Critical Study, despite several ideological differences, the early life experiences of Anand and Orwell bore striking similarities. Not only did the zeal of reform motivate them to write, but they also went to great lengths to experience the pain of the lowest orders of society. While Anand spent time at Sabarmati Ashram, living with the untouchables and performing the tasks of a sweeper, Orwell resigned from the Indian Imperial Police and chose to live in slums, working menial jobs like a dishwasher in restaurants. As Anand uncovered casteism in Untouchable, Orwell exposed classism in Down and Out in Paris and London (1933), laying bare the grim realities of poverty and exclusion in Europe's capitals. Often criticised as hypocritical and ironic, it remains debatable whether the BBC's wartime efforts to encourage anti-imperialist sentiments in India were successful. However, Orwell and Anand's experiments with language resulted in innovative broadcasts like New Weapons of War. Due to rising differences with the organisation, Orwell left the BBC in 1943, while Anand overlapped his tenure and continued to freelance as a scriptwriter and broadcaster until the end of the war. With India inching closer to freedom, he returned home and founded MARG (Modern Architectural Research Group) magazine in 1946. Drawing together the threads of his remarkable life, Anand emerges not just as a writer but as a fearless combatant whose participation in the global politics of resistance will always be remembered. From the prison cell in Amritsar to the trenches of war-torn Madrid, and from debates in Bloomsbury to broadcasting radio talks at the BBC, Anand's journey was not limited to writing. It was about proactively utilising every platform to challenge power and expose violence against the lowest orders of society, be it outcasts in India or coal miners in London. As we enter the age of renewed censorship and systemic oppression, the legacy of Anand reminds us that literature is not merely a mirror; it can be a weapon. You just have to wield it with some empathy forged in conviction and finally aim squarely at the architecture of injustice.
Express Tribune
22-04-2025
- Climate
- Express Tribune
Lahore's rapid urbanization worsens heat crisis
From pleasant summers and breezy autumns to chilly winters and a lively spring, there was once a time when locals in the provincial capital would witness the beauty of all four seasons. Over the past few years however, rapid urbanization and climate change have left the city with only two detested weather patterns; suffocating smog and sweltering heat waves. Lahore and several other districts across the province are yet again in the initial stages of experiencing a severe heatwave, with weather authorities warning of exceptionally high temperatures over the next ten days. In April, temperatures typically range between 30 to 37 degrees Celsius, however, the past few years have seen a noticeable increase in average temperatures. According to the Meteorological Department's records, the average temperature in April was 33 degrees Celsius in 2020, 35 degrees Celsius in 2021, 42 degrees Celsius in 2022, 35 degrees Celsius in 2023 and 37 degrees Celsius in 2024. Now, in 2025, the mercury scale is expected to hit 40 degrees Celsius. Environmental specialists have identified rapid urbanization and an increased population growth as key factors behind Lahore's increasing temperatures. Research indicates that between 1990 and 2020, the city converted a significant portion of its green spaces into concrete structures, roads, and buildings, as a result of which Lahore lost 70 per cent of its tree cover between 2010 and 2017. According to the Punjab Urban Unit, Lahore's construction area has expanded dramatically over the past two decades from 438 square kilometers to 759 square kilometers. Currently, the city's total land area is approximately 404 square kilometers, but its proportion of green spaces has alarmingly decreased to just 2.8 per cent. As a result of the deforestation, Lahore has been significantly impacted by the urban heat island effect due to which concrete structures like buildings and roads absorb heat during the day before slowly emitting it at night. Meteorological specialists cite rising global temperatures, shrinking urban green spaces, industrial pollution, and poor urban planning as the primary contributors to heatwaves. 'When the temperature remains above normal for several days in a row and the natural sources of cooling are absent, the intensity of the heatwave inevitably increases,' emphasized Dr Zulfiqar Ali, Professor at the University of Punjab. In light of the looming risk of a heatwave, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab has issued essential precautionary measures to protect citizens from extreme temperatures. The advisory specifically warns against unnecessary outdoor activities between 11am and 4pm, when temperatures typically peak. Additionally, citizens are advised to drink plenty of water, wear light-coloured and loose clothing, consume cooling drinks to keep the body cool and take special care of children and the elderly, who are more vulnerable to the effects of heatwaves including dizziness, high fever, weakness, nausea, and a loss of consciousness. In such cases, the patient should be immediately shifted to a shaded place and given water or Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS). Medical attention should be sought in extreme cases. While such measures can abate the debilitating effects of heatwaves, experts believe that temporary measures are not enough to tackle the heat crisis, which requires long-term policy-making involving the protection of green spaces, planting of new trees, incorporation of climate change into urban planning, and public awareness campaigns. Escalating temperatures in major cities like Lahore are indicative of an emerging climate crisis. If immediate and effective measures are not taken, these heat waves can become the norm in the coming years, with their effects not only limited to the health of locals but also extending to the economy, agriculture, and other aspects of urban life.
Express Tribune
16-02-2025
- General
- Express Tribune
Whispering Shadows
Listen to article Petrarch (1304-1374), one of the founding fathers of humanism in Italian language and renaissance, could perhaps be described as the originator of the poetic genre 'sonnet' signified as a composition made up of fourteen lines, an iambic pentameter format, an octave and a sestet and a definite rhythmic scheme. The constrtictiveness and compactness of the structure imposes a fetter and shackle upon the work, yet in the eyes of William Wordsworth this is 'no prison but rather those who have felt the weight of too much liberty, have found brief solace therein.' A book of verse, professedly written in the sonnet genre, may appear as restrictive and constraining as to its scope and expanse but like the Urdu ghazal may contain a kaleidoscope of subjects, contents, intonations with references to Rumi, Sufism, Wahdatul Wujud and Wahdul Shahud. Primarily a love poem, Tahir Athar's venture into compiling a compendium of seven scores of English sonnets in Telling Twilights (University of Punjab 2024) is never confined as to format and content but enlarges into domains of love, longing and loss and spreading into expansive areas of romance, ageing and death. In the words of Prof Nasheen Khan, Chairperson, Department of English Language and Literature, Government College University, Lahore: "The sonnet stirs his (author's) arresting interest - whatever the subject matter, love, longing or loss, he maintains a gracefulness and delicacy of expression which do not compromise but enhance the intensity of feeling. It is this fine balance between content and format, between emotions and structure, between inspiration and art that defines his sonnet." The author, within the rigid confines of the sonnet, demonstrates a wide variety and diversity of themes, adding new vistas to its compactness of expression and intriguing regular rhyming scheme. As regards the range of subjects, the poet is preeminently concerned with love: everything else emanates from and reverts back to this all powerful emotion. Love, with the author, transmutes into not merely personal experience but is noticeable in the restlessness of the seas, the rustle of leaves, the opening and closing of flowers, the alteration of day and night - it transfuses into a universal force. In its intensity of emotions in the poem, Perfume: XXXV, there is a fusion of senses and nature into perfumed smell: "The perfume I compose has relief squeezed from clouds/ the glow - fire leaves behind/" Some of the sonnets express, almost in a metaphysical and mystical strain, the complete unity of the lover and the beloved. On another plane there is replete the sense of religious devotion in the sense of formal remembering of God by raising hands in prayer and giving alms for charity versus the more "felt" ways of remembering: "The Summer nights, before the Monsoon/ the slow smell of parched earth, too, are of, and for, you/ Throughout the compendium one may discern a patina of gloss on several points of juncture viz love, devotion ageing and nostalgia. "One more year has passed, an year without you/ You chose to become like a little older/ And I old, resolved again to err." In a melody to spring (Spring Sonnet XIV) a paen is paid to a season in which it is best to 'bare oneself' and not wait for monsoon to rhapsodise 'waning and love'. And to divinity the poet reverts again and again. "You are my first and my last and all that lives in between/ You are my apparent, beyond control/ An earnest prayer for a child is a heartfelt request to God for guidance, protection and blessings for the child. In his prayer for Aanya, the first granddaughter, the poet effuses into bringing gifts like the Magi of gold from Africa and myrrh fragrance tapped in Holy Lands and a fervent wish that she grows up with a head which delved to ponder in logic and conceive possibilities, and 'a heart which grows fonder of those around and hurt no one's heart', no matter what compels such an impulse, 'for that is where God dwells'. Again and again the loss of time, the decay of age, the fading light of creeping senility recurs in the book. In Sonnet LVII, the poet describes how imperceptibly new folds emerging on the face with unnoticed wrinkles appearing on the forehead like granite grains and the once sharp clarity in the eyes, has become dull. One notices a sharp poignancy and nostalgic throwback in Sonnet LXIII 'Mother's Letters' (In memoriam Mrs Razia Tahir) where the poet talks of an arranged marriage between his mother and father growing in love and the mutual habit of letter writing and later when he departs for England leaving his threesome behind, this habit growing 'like a bundle swelling its contents'. And how for the last time, after he passed away, she read these 'private permanences' of a shared life brown, cream, crisp, weight-less and blown away.
