Muneer Ahmed alias Manik: A unique Sindhi fiction writer

         

Introduction:

Sindhi literature has gone through various phases, it has seen the glory and it has faced endless bans, especially after the partition of the sub-continent. Authors, intellectuals and thinkers who belong to Pakistan have always remained in identity crisis, especially we the Sindhis, we don’t know whether we must promote so-called religious culture, or our Sindhi culture which dates back some five thousand years, that is the reason Sindhi literature has gone through various phases and has witnessed ups and downs. It is generally believed that the best literature is created when the country goes through political chaos and turmoil. Even Amar Jaleel, the widely read Sindhi author in preface to one of his books writes: “to write I require abnormal conditions, while in normal conditions I can’t write.” Literature has its own dimensions, though it is beyond boundaries, yet it’s its own boundaries.

 If we have a glimpse on Sindhi literature we would find many names who have contributed for promotion of Sindhi language and majority of them have made Sindh as a central idea of their writings. Amongst such names one finds name of Muneer Ahmed alias Manik. Born on 5th March 1943, at Neushero Feroz, he got masters’ degree in Sociology and did L.L.B. To earn beard and butter Manik became a teacher, practiced law, did journalism and finally opened a medical store.

       When Sindh was brought into one unit, Sindh resisted against it. Manik is product of that phase. But he never believed in the leaders of that time, who’d become corrupt. The leaders neither had a sustainable theory nor a party. On the other hand, the immigrants from UP were holding strong positions in the communist party, after all they were immigrants and communists.

For Manik nationalism was important, but his curiosity for modernism forced him to see different angles of things, and he saw that his feet were deep-rooted in his motherland and time.   

Manik was a unique representative of his oppressed generation, whatever Manik has written, in its technique, language, structure of sentences and subject matter, everything is absolute unique and no Sindhi writer possesses such a quality.

From Manik’s correspondence through letters with his friends one comes to know that he led his life in mental stress and was having financial crisis. For example, in his last letter (which he wrote approximately ten days before his death) to his friend Nisar, Manik writes that:

‘Dear Friend,

It’s hoped that you are fine. I’ve written many letters of this nature before. But for one last time I want surety. The thing is: here I am unable to practice law and unable to run the drug store, because my upbringing is of such nature that I can’t commit fraud and it is demand of both these professions to involve yourself in fraud. I want to know whether there is any vacancy at Sindhi Adabi Board. Here lives a good friend of your chairman Shah Sahib; he has assured me if there is any vacancy he would ask Shah Sahib to offer me that. I possess a masters’ degree in Sociology and L.L.B. please reply as soon as possible regarding this matter. What are you doing now days? Is there any new book in the market? If yes, at least send one copy. Because of mental stress I’ve stopped writing……”

There are variety of letters from Manik and his friends to him which give a glimpse of his mental disturbance.

Munwar Siraj speaks about Manik and his son Ali’s relationship: I felt that Ali Ahmed, whom I call Ali Bhai out of love is very sensitive, intelligent and a great person, though he isn’t a novelist or a short story writer like his father, but he is sensitive like him….he is upset on suicide of his father, which has disturbed his personality.

Manik wrote more than 100 short stories, 2 novels and 3 novellas, the names go under:

Haveli Ja Raaz (Secrets of Castle, collection of short stories)

Lahandar Nasl (Drowning Generation, Novel)

Runjh aein Parrala (Wilderness and Echoes, Novella)

Patal main Bagawat (Mutiny in Underworld, Novella)

Saah muth main (Breath in Fist, Novel)

Cha Anam Khaniyoon (Six stories without title, collection of short stories)

Pachtao (Regret, Novella).

Manik’s writings brought a revolutionary change, and most of his stories were banned under allegation of pornography, during Zia regime Manik faced a ban and his writings were not published in Pakistan, so he sent both his novels to Sindhi writers in India and they published them from India. During late 70’s and 80’s Manik wrote openly against every injustice. In one of his letters he mentions that all the Sindhi magazines and periodicals have gone under ban, while those which have not ask him (Manik) to write on romantic themes without touching politics with soft language, he was also instructed not to portrait human sexuality in his stories due to censorship.

In all his writings he touched themes which were never touched or rarely touched in Sindhi literature, he used bold expressions, which were considered as pornography by the narrow minded people. But Manik kept of psychological, social, economic and political issues; he was an advocate of women’s rights, liberation and empowerment. His short story Haveli Ja Raaz (Secrets of Castle) is one such story which was criticised the most. In this story he touches the inequality between male and female in Sindhi society, a girl belonging to Syed family is asked to marry the Holy Quran, so that she could not claim her share in property, she is beautiful and young, but seeing no way out she runs away with her black, thick lipped slave.

Another story which has a unique theme is Bina Unwan Khani (A story without title) in this story Manik portraits an affair between mentally ill young girl belonging to a middle class land lord of Sindh and her family doctor who is married and has children, he thinks the girl is mentally disturbed because her sexual needs are not being fulfilled, so thinking that only treatment of such an illness is intercourse he goes with girl, while the land lord is paying visit to the holy cities of Macca and Madina, at the land lords return he finds his daughter pregnant and   he becomes upset, so he calls the family doctor for suggestion and comes to know that he is one who impregnated her.

Manik’s stories are sociological analysis of social norms, values and customs imposed and influenced on the individual’s freedom and choice. Depicting the oppressed status of women, his stories reflect hidden but salient voices against social norms and practices in a male dominated society. The powerful themes of Manik’s stories give support to women and encourage them to challenge status quo.

 Most of Manik’s stories are written in first person singular, which to some extent give the readers an idea that the author has actually gone through or has been part of the situation at some time in one way or other.

 The novel Saah Muth Main (Breath in Fist) is a political novel dealing with the most sensitive period in history of Pakistan, it shades light on the period when whole country was forced to wear an Islamic mask under the rule of General Zia, the main character (nameless, first person singular) is a college lecturer teaching Sindhi at Karachi, on his return to home one day he finds someone following him, and starts to live in fear that sooner or later he would be picked up, tortured and killed, Manik in this novel discusses the rise of an ethnic political group which supported by certain groups of Punjabi establishment to wipe out Sindhis from cities of Sindh, especially Karachi, the heart of Sindh, that group starts brutal acts against Sindhis and the author brings in a serious question: Is this why; we (Sindhis) helped you (immigrants) during 1947 partition….?? This novel is all about saving an individual’s identity, the character is isolated, he is unable to do anything and is utterly helpless.

 Likewise, his novella Pachtao (Regret) is his master piece, in this he tells story of a middle class Sindhi landlord who has killed his wife and now is jailed. The person starts telling his companions in prison why he became a murderer, what forced him to kill his wife. The story entirely deals with human behavior and psychology.

On the 26th day of January in 1982 at the age of 39, this bold and prolific Sindhi writer committed suicide because of mental stress and endless financial crisis, though being a true fighter and rebel in Sindhi literary circles; he threw his weapons before this ruthless and meaningless society.

Notes:

1. Kalpana Mohan, The inside X-ray of Sindhi-ism, article, India, 1986
2. Mirza Naseer, When Beloved went for journey, article, Sindh, 1982
3. Abstract from Manik’s last letter to his friend Nisar in 1982, approximately ten days before his suicide   
4. Siraj Munwar, Manik jee briefcase maan, 2014, Nawab Shah, Ma Publication, preface
5. Wassan Rafique, Depiction of Women: An Analysis of Manik’s Literary Work, Research Paper, Hyderabad, 2011