Abba Jaan's Words

One of the things that remain with the reader till the end of the book Basti are Abba Jaan’s words:  “Pakistan mein bolne ka koi faidah nahi”. While earlier this applied to the older generation in the novel namely, Abba Jaan and Khwaja Sahab, towards the end of the novel we see this applying to Zakir and his friends.

The last scene of the novel takes place outside Shiraz, the cafe which was closed and “iss k darwazon k sab sheeshay chikna choor thay”. Throughout the novel Shiraz was a place which was dominated by the youth and gave them a sense of ownership. More importantly, it was the only place where Zaikr and his friends could discuss their ideas and indulge in political rhetoric without the pessimism of their fathers. Salamat would often give speeches, talk about ongoing jaloos and the customers at the cafe would be an audience for his political ideas. The place was also helpful for Zakir in shaping his opinions, he moves from a point of saying “Pata nahi” to a point where he talks to Irfan saying, “Shikast bhi aik amaanat hoti hai”. Thus, it seems that Shiraz was the only place conducive for Zakir and his friends for they developed their political opinions and formed an identity not as haraamzadas but as independent individuals with their own thoughts. Using Abba Jaan’s terminology, it seemed like the only place where it was fruitful to talk (bolne ka faidah).

But in the last scene when Shiraz is in ruins, it has shifted from being a conducive space to becoming zaalim. The cafe now has closed doors and is not the welcoming place that would always allow the young men to talk freely and independent of any restraints. Zakir and his friends are forced to sit outside amidst the “bikhri eenton and sheeshon” and here they are unable to communicate or even finish their sentences. Irfan and Zakir repeat the words “Ab jab keh...” and “Iss se pehle keh...” but do not complete their thought. They both may be on the same page in their thoughts but their lack of complete dialogue makes the reader rethink Abba Jaan’s words and find them to be true and to be applied on even the sons of Pakistan. Irfan’s instruction to be khamosh in the end suggests that these men are just following the footsteps of their fathers and are waiting for a miracle to change their circumstances. The significance of the ruined Shiraz in the background suggests that the last place which allowed people to communicate is also finished and therefore Pakistan mein bolne ka koi faidah nahi.