‘Because of their brevity, short stories… have a focussed impact.’ These words of short story writer Ashok Srinivasan (winner of The Hindu Prize 2014) rang true while leafing through Fragments of Riversong, a collection of short stories by Bangladeshi writer Farah Ghuznavi.
In these simple yet compelling stories, fact meets fiction and history meets technology in a rather seamless manner. In the process, portraits emerge of a people constantly dealing with personal ghosts and social stigmas even as they want to break free, and a nation that’s trying to keep up with a modern world even as it grapples with its historical baggage.
‘Big Mother’ is a bittersweet story about middle class dreams and the struggle to rise above. Lali’s battle with her conscience strikes a chord here. The stories have an emotional appeal, with a distinct local flavour. They showcase chaos, daily challenges, sentimentality and beauty in a turbulent Bangladesh where political power struggles have left a deep impact on every sphere. And yes, there is hope for a better morrow somewhere along the way.
In ‘Escaping the Mirror,’ when seven-year old Dia complains to her father that the family driver ‘looks’ at her, he dismisses her as being childish. So she fights alone, but withdraws herself in fear. Only years later, when she understands what happened, is she able to confront her fears.
The story I enjoyed most was ‘Waiting.’ An architect turns a guardian angel of sorts for two young children when she does something simple for them. But that moment leaves a veritable impact on three people in different ways. Sweet, humane and yet, making a hard point about class differences, it makes you smile.
Armed with three degrees from the London School of Economics, Ghuznavi has set about stringing together thoughts and events with quiet fortitude. Being a translator and newspaper columnist, with a background in development work, she has the advantage of thinking in the vernacular as well and capturing the cultural ethos with clarity. ‘Homecoming’ exemplifies that thread of the writer’s thought process. A young boy returns to Bangladesh to confront an irreparable loss thanks to the ravages of the 1971 Bangladesh war.
Likewise, ‘The Assessment’ is a succinct sci-fi tale that showcases Ghuznavi at her imaginative best. Technology may advance leaps and bounds but human nature is caught in a time warp, is her observation. How true!
Most stories reflect Ghuznavi’s concerns about the gender and class divide, especially in Bangladesh. But that the writer is an eternal optimist comes through with force. Despite the despair, fear and anguish you encounter in these pages, most characters emerge triumphant.
Fragments of Riversong; Farah Ghuznavi, Daily Star Books, price not mentioned.
