Dialogue replaces Plot in Basti

There are many contrasts and parallels to be found in the novel Basti- the city and rupnagar, the old Muslim and the Jaded youth, the glorious past and the uncertain present. Another important contrast is that of action and inaction- the novel is set in the backdrop of two important wars. The first being the partition of the subcontinent which is considered to be one of the most harrowing instances in Indian history, and the other is the 1971 war with West Pakistan, the famous ‘fratricide’. Given the political context of the novel, it is doubly curious to find the complete lack of action carried out by the main characters. Nothing really happens in the novel, except for two instances of migration. The plot then, I would argue, is replaced by excessive dialogue. When it’s not Zakir’s internal monologue, it is long conversations between the various male characters in the novel. The main area for conversation is the Shiraz Tea Shop, where Zakir and his friends talk about what’s happening, what might happen, what has happened, but are never actively involved in the practical aspect of the the ‘inqilaab’. As Zakir himself remarks at one point “Shiraz mai bēṭh kar adab aur art aur siyāsat bighāṛna hī tou sab kuch nahī  hai”. Ironically enough though, that is all that they do throughout the course of the novel. Perhaps the purpose of excessive dialogue as a stylistic tool in the novel is employed to underscore the futility of language itself. As Zakir notes while wandering the city, the "Crush India" slogans seemed to him like dead words; "Lajz maray paray thay", "murda lafzon ka aik dher nazar arahi thi". First, the novel describes excessive communication and then subverts the very idea of communication itself by exposing its futility in a number of ways, the most significant of them being long and seemingly aimless conversation that is rarely meaningful and never results in any practical application.