Could a textured narrative of discreet emotional intelligence deeply moored in common human failings and triumphs produce a nuanced allegory of our word, postmodern world characterised by a new streak of affection? Could this multi-layered discourse drawing on the subtler aspects of human experience restore our faith in opposing all manners of oppression, discrimination, hatred and intolerance? Ram Swarup Ankhi, a distinguished Punjabi fiction writer, through his skilfully crafted and deeply felt stories, responds to these pertinent questions with remarkable creative poise.
His stories break the telling and long silences of those who seek and find love in despairing situations and stick to the values that are in danger of forgetting. Ram Swarup Ankhi, a prolofic writer, who wrote about 300 stories, more than a dozen novels, an autobiography, and several sketches etc., through his dexterity tries to bring forth a new vision of cultural and aesthetic sensibility rooted in life around us and this is aptly revealed in a collection of his selected stories. Noted Punjabi critic and scholar Baldev Singh Bhaddan astutely picked out representative stories from his collection of short stories which is published by The National Book Trust of India recently
The selection carrying 59 stories rendered into Hindi by Tarsem Gujral, portrays a world where human relations do exist and people, often swayed by half conceived obscurantist point of view, have not forsaken the discourse virtue.
The stories do put a question mark on the feigned morality by subverting the untried and untrue postulates of the social norms. His story Sawal Dar Sawal (Questions with Questions) is a protest statement with a tinge of humour, against the barbarism of our age – trounce the democracy by employing democratic process. The protagonist Bilu’s daughter is subjected to sexual harassment and Bilu lodges a complaint and a panchayat is convened but the elected members summarily dismiss his plea. The stringent laws serve no purpose, rightly pointed out by Dr. Baldev Singh. Ankhi’s themes and characters are drawn from rural areas but their stories are not told in the backdrop of issues that surround the villages. The stories unfailingly revolve around the issues that are not village specific and they vividly tell us why does man deliberately side with deceit and insincerity.
Ankhi’s stories Lago (Infatuation) Deewar Main Uga Ped ( A Tree in the wall), Soya Nag (Sleeping Cobra) Reshma and the like map the complex terrain of male-female relations and reveal that a kind spite exists all along between two individuals no matter how long they live together.
The deftly characterised protagonists are not excessively ambitious and they try to lead a comfortable and respectable life and they do not suffer from false sense of humility or victim complex. Ordinary life is their ultimate goal for which they have to toil hard.
Ankhi’s stories provide a fresh and startling insight to human behaviour and his stories carry hushed silence that enables to listen to each scream of anguish.
The stories unfailingly show Ankhi’s awe-inspiring ability to portray multi-layered reality with a seeming simplicity. Bhaddan deserves appreciation for bringing out such an amazing collection.
