A Problematic Relationship with the Past: Zakir and AbaJan

One of the most important and overarching themes in Basti is that of the muslim male’s problematic relationship with his history. Not a single character in the story is able to reconcile their past with their present, and this problem persists through generations, most clearly demonstrated in Zakir and Aba Jan’s case. Zakir refuses to confront his own history, which is deeply ironic given that he teaches history for a living. While he does not have a problem with history generally, it is his own past that seems to put him in a grave existential crisis: “Mai apni taareekh se bhaaga howa hoon aur zamana-e-haal mai saans le raha hoon. Farariyat pasand hoon”. Whenever he is asked for his take on the political situation, he invariably reponds with apathy and ambivalence. This, I would argue, stems from his desire to escape his history which is rife with contradictions and absurdities (eg. The Abel and Cain story; how can one kill his own brother?). Unable to make sense of his problematic past, he chooses not to engage with it at all.

On the other hand, Aba Jan’s treatment of the Glorious Muslim Past is in direct contrast with Zakir’s escapist approach. While reading Walter Benjamin’s Illuminations I came across a line which seemed to resonate which the character of Aba Jan most vividly. “…our image of happiness is indissolubly bound up with the image of redemption. The same applies to our view of the past, which is the concern of history. The past carries with it a temporal index by which it is referred to redemption” . While Zakir is unable to confront his past, Aba Jan revels in the process of recounting the achievements of the great Muslims. “Kya Tehzeeb thi!”, “Tehreek e Khilafat se bari bhi koi tehreek howi hai”, as if this glorious past will somehow redeem the current abysmal present. Was the history even all that 'glorious' to begin with? This attitude is just as problematic as Zakir’s approach because ultimately, both lead to creating a crises of the present- neither son nor father is able to understand the current crises that they experience, and that is because they are unable to engage with their past in a meaningful and honest way.