“Joota” by Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi (1916 – 2006)
Translated by Hamza Naseer
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11407491
Abstract:
Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi was born on 20th November 1916 in a village called Angah in the Khushab district of Punjab, Pakistan. Referred to as a “mentor and guru” by Gulzar (the prominent Indian Urdu poet, screenwriter, film director), there is much within Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi’s work to appreciate. Like most great writers, Qasmi had an ear for dialogue. For instance, in the afsana ‘Joota,’ the dialogue between Karmo Mirasi, and Chaudhry has a dialectic that is reflective not just of the power dynamic that existed between them but also the power dynamic that was shifting where Karmo Mirasi was gradually moving up from his previous social class. Not only this, Qasmi manages to keep the dialogue both realistic and entertaining. The realism comes from the fact that Karmo consistently keeps referring to the events that he has experienced, particularly the fact that he has taken a number of shoe-beatings from Chaudhry’s goons. Apart from fiction, Qasmi was a noted poet, journalist, and political activist. He was also fiercely dedicated to mentoring younger writers including, Amjad Islam Amjad, Ata-ul Haq Qasmi, Khadija Mastur, Hajra Masroor and Parveen Shakir, who dedicated her bestseller ‘Khushboo’ to him.
Works cited
Qasmi, Ahmad Nadeem. Neela Patthar. Lahore: Ghalib Publishers, 1980.
Rumi, Raza. A tribute: Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi (1916-2006). 2006, August 16, https://pakistaniat.com/2006/08/16/a-tribute-ahmed-nadeem-qasmi-1916-2006/
“Joota” by Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi (1916 – 2006) by Hamza Naseer is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
