Humayun
Azad
In
some way or other each and every reader of Bangla
novels recognises the weighty steps of Humayun Azad (b
1947) the novelist who took the least time to achieve
the highest acclamation from both popularity and
artistic point of view. True that he has authored five
novels already in the last five years, though everyone
admits that his first novel Chhappanno Hajar
Bargamail (Fifty Six Thousand Square Miles)
published in the subsequent year alone posed a tour de
force in the history of contemporary Bangladeshi
novel. The different narration – a unique feature of
Azad’s prose - intermingled with sophistication of
ideas gives his novels an outstanding characteristic.
His delineation of uncommon and untouched ideas, at
least in novels of Bangladesh scenario, appears to the
reader as unvisited ideas gives his novels an
outstanding characteristic. His delineation of
uncommon and untouched ideas, at least in novels of
Bangladesh scenario, appears to the reader as an
unvisited land of mystery that holds the readers
spellbound.
Previously acknowledged as a poet and linguist, a
columnist and a critic Humayun Azad crowned the title
‘novelist’ when his first novel began to get published
serially in the literature pages of a daily during the
year 1993. The subject matter that he selected for
this novel Chhappanno Hajar Bargamail enchanted
the whole readership because never in earlier time
such an effort was artistically made in the form of
fiction. With this novel Humayun Azad also presented
his readers with such a language that had a
specialized vein of narration and diction. In the next
Banla Academy Book Fair the book attained its
two-covers shape and Azad received hilarious appraisal
that he deserved.
The suffocated environment under a military rule has
been manifested in that book regarding which no worthy
endeavour was previously done. The next year 1995
produced Sab Kichhu Bhenge Pare (All Things
Fall Apart) form Azad’s pen in which a same linguistic
style prevails, though it demonstrated a dissimilar
context and theme – for the main theme this second
novel took the exposition of masculine sexual
behaviour. Manush Hishebe Amar Aparadhshamuha (My Offenses As a Man) published in 1996 took an
identical idea as its theme. But he innovates a
fictional character, a propagator, who creates all
sorts of means to satiate his lust and last of all
upholds a new religion under the sun in his novel Shubharata Tar Shamparkita Shushamachar (Shubhabrata,
and His Gospel) which thrived in book markets in the
following year. In all these four novels Humayun Azad
generated a particular linguistic trend that is
completely of his own. His novel Rajnitibidgon (The Politicians) maintains such a language which is
totally different from the preceding ones. To portray
the people of our political atmosphere – their nature
and behaviour, their ignorance and hollowness – Azad
manipulated this distinctive speech for this novel and
thus having dialect and slang, mother tongue and
foreign tongue, rather a hotchpotch of all these Rajnitibidgon proves itself as a document of our
present politico-society.
From 1994 to 1998 is undoubtedly a very short time.
Not that there did not happen any meritorious creative
accomplishment of any new writer in this prepared. In
these years Monju Sarkar, Shahidul Zahir, Akimun
Rahman, Nasreen Jahan have presented themselves to the
readership of Bangladesh with worthwhile attempts.
They wrote a good number of brilliant novels in this
short period. In this period Aktaruzzaman
Elias’ highly appreciated novel Khoabnama,
Ahmed Sofa’s Pushpa Briksha Ebong Bihanga Puran that innovates a new genre in novel or Shamsuddin Abul
Kalam’s Kanchongram or Matir Jahaj by
another outstanding novelist Mahmudul Huq are all
laudable publications by renowned novelists working
long in this arena. But the appearance and existence
of Humayun Azad, the novelist, can no how be ignored.
A keen observation proves that characterization is
never a serious consideration in Humayun Azad’s
novels. Rather building up lofty ideas, illuminating
them upside down, adding new dimension to common or
uncommon thoughts and beliefs Azad created a new
horizon in his novels. True, there is Rashed as the
protagonist in Chhappanno Hajar Bargamile or
the first-person narrator Mahbub established himself
as the worthy main character in Sab Kichhu Bhenge
Pare there appears Anis in Marush Hishebe Amar
Aparadhsamuha or Shubhabrata himself in Shabhabrabata, Tar Samparkita Susamachar but
subsiding all of them the other things take the
upper-hand. Finishing any of his novel, the reader
receives a deeper impression from the viewpoints
incorporated in the stories than the characters.
Chhappanno Hajar Bargamile deals with a time
under martial law, which a few authors of this soil
dared to administer. The story begins with the
speaker-protagonist Rashed’s daughter Mridu who makes
complaints to her father about the closure of her
school for some invisible reason. Rashed instantly
guesses about the intrusion of a new martial rule
which had been a usual norm in this country. The dark
society, crippled by this unwanted power stagnates
itself for years. Reason and prudence, creativity and
liberty of press all get stoppered down under the
shackles of this roaring animal. Only reactionaries
and flatterers expose themselves as successful in this
cobwebby pseudo-democratic atmosphere.
The main and the only theme that Azad treats much
meticulously and realistically in Sab Kichhu Bherge
Pare is the development of sexuality of a male
human. Exposing two separate periods of 11 to 15 years
and about the age of his 45 odds of Mahbub, an
engineer who designs bridges, the writer tries to
illuminate the ‘libido of him – the inner spirit in
himself as well as the social existence of him. Taking
no hesitation into consideration in exploring these
two-fold feature of one’s sexuality the author
gradually illustrates the chronological upliftment of the protagonist of the novel.
Though in Manush Hishebe Amar Aparadhsamuha,
Azad fails to come out of the psychological world of
his previous novel which was rightly termed as
‘monotony’ and this monotonous manipulation continues
to his fourth novel Shabhabrabata, Tar Samparkita
Susamachar not predominatingly but noticeably at least. Manush Hishebe Amar Aparadhsamuha characterizes
one Anis, a bureaucrat with all his social
interactions where most of his thoughts and happenings
concentrate in his physical lust and closely related
feelings.
As mentioned earlier in Shubhabrata, Tar Samparkita
Susamachar this lust prevails with similar power,
though as a main theme it presents a fictitious
life-story of the title-character Shubabarata who
ultimately recognises himself as a pioneer of a new
religion. In a convincing way Azad assimilates
multifarious events – both in inner and social sitting
to prove Shubhabrata as a religious personality who,
he and his disciples think, has been ordained by the
Almighty Himself to form and lead an emerging human
group. In this new society all exercises of
intellectual and educational matters receive
prohibition, as we observe as usual phenomena in any
state governed by orthodox authority.
In all these above discussed novels any reader can
trace some analogous characteristic in respect of
narration at least. Stories deliberated in all of them
establish a unique language which is mostly Humayun
Azad’s own. But in the last one (certainly we aspire
more from him in the forthcoming days) that came into
light in February ’98 the language and description
take a dissimilar appearance. In Rajnitibidgon no traditional narration is seen, the people (janagan)
relate the whole thing. Different episodes (not in a
formal way as in novels episodes are divided)
different people starts with descriptions of the
existing political streams and consequently makes
focus on inner thoughts and outer behaviours and
activities of their leaders and supporters. And thus
Azad pictures the whole gamut of the political world
of our country stressing their mountainous ignorance
and lovelessness and corruption. Azad’s inherent
capacity in treating larger subjects with appropriate
and necessary humour credits the novel with a pleasing
tone.
This humour along with wit demonstrates Humayun Azad’s
novels always. From Chhappanno Hajar Bargomile through Shabhabrabata, Tar Samparkita Susamachar to Rajnitibidgan Azad manifests this especiality with praiseworthy ingenuity.
Handling the political men in satirical vein, never so
bravely treated earlier, he proves himself as a major
novelist in Bangladesh, to speak true in the modern
Bangle novel despite all his warts and weaknesses.
Simultaneously, we should not forget that Humayun Azad,
the fabricator of stunning and courageous ideas thus
depicts himself in his novels. As Milan Kundera (b
1929) the Czechoslovakian novelist expounds in the
essay ‘Dialogue on the Art of the Novel’ “...I don’t
show you what happens inside Jeromil’s (The hero of
his novel Life is Elsewhere) head; rather, I show what
happens inside my own; I observe my Jeromil for a long
while, and I try, step by step, to get to the heart of
his attitude, in order to understand it, nake it grasp
it,” (The Art of the Novel) Humayun Azad also in a
similar way associates his own self with the thoughts
of his characters like Shahed, Mahbub and Anis.
Monotony in expression of episodes dealing sexual
affairs about which we talked before, some repetitive
features in his language and less concrete characters
may be marked as some negative elements of his novels.
But it seems there are more room to examine them from
other points of view. As the author feels necessary,
he repeats his key words and ideas; as he emphasizes
the elevated themes, he does not pay so much attention
to create his characters in round forms and possibly
in this way Azad may receive some excuse from his
readers.
The absence of the time from 16-44 years of Mahbub’s
life which no one can deny as the prime time in one’s
sexual life, lack of other features in Anis’ character
without which a round personality could not establish,
or the exaggerated description of Shubhabrtata’s early
life are some few that diminish the magnificence of
his novels.
Primarily a poet Humayun Azad has authored many books
on new and revolutionary ideas. He is always different
from others as he is in his personal life.
Unparalleled thinker Azad confirms himself unrivaled
in his novels also. Unparalleled thinker Azad confirms
himself unrivaled in his novels also. And thus he is
playing a seminal role in the realm of contemporary
Bangla literature.
Related Links:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Articles/humayun_azad_interview.htm
http://www.bangladeshjournal.com/index.php?ID=503
http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/JafforUllah40301.htm
