Session on the Growing Racial, Ethnic and Nationalistic Intolerance

Katherine Kressman Taylor (1903-1996)

Open Space held a session on the growing racial, ethnic and nationalistic intolerance on Wednesday, 3rd February at the Academy of Mass Communication, during which Katherine Kressman Taylor's story Address Unknown (1938) was read out. The reading was followed by a discussion around it and on the theme of the session.

When it first appeared in Story magazine in 1938, Address Unknown became an immediate social phenomenon and literary sensation. Published in book form a year later and banned in Nazi Germany, it garnered high praise in the United States and much of Europe.

A series of fictional letters between a Jewish art dealer living in San Francisco and his former business partner, who has returned to Germany, Address Unknown is a haunting tale of enormous power and enduring impact.

As Published Weekly rightly reviewed, "Address Unknown serves not only as a reminder of Nazi horrors but as a cautionary tale in light of current racial, ethnic, and nationalistic intolerance."

The story's review that appeared in Time on 30th September, 2002 can be read over here.

A Week of Stories from Nazi Concentration Camps

Tadeusz Borowski (1922-1951)

Yogendra Krishna

Open Space
organised
"A Week of Stories from Nazi Concentration Camps"
from 7th to 12th December, 2009
at
Open Space - Lucknow Office,
during which
Yogendra Krishna's Hindi translations of
Tadeusz Borowski's Polish stories
from his collection
This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen
(गैस चेंबर के लिए कृप्या इस तरफ़)
were read out.

Religious Harmony

University of Lucknow

University of Lucknow

University of Lucknow

University of Lucknow

University of Lucknow

American Institute of Indian Studies, Lucknow

American Institute of Indian Studies, Lucknow

American Institute of Indian Studies, Lucknow

American Institute of Indian Studies, Lucknow

American Institute of Indian Studies, Lucknow

American Institute of Indian Studies, Lucknow

American Institute of Indian Studies, Lucknow

American Institute of Indian Studies, Lucknow

Open Space
organised a couple of presentations dedicated to
Religious Harmony,
at which
the New York-based Documentary Filmmaker and Writer
Sadia Shepard
read out from her book,
The Girl from Foreign (Penguin 2008),
which is an account of her childhood spent with an American Christian father, Pakistani Muslim mother and Indian Jewish maternal grandmother, and of her quest for her Indian Jewish roots.
She also screened her documentary film based on these experiences of hers,
In Search of the Bene Israel, and spoke about Religious Harmony.
The American Cinematographer and Film-Editor Andreas Burgess was the Chief Guest at the presentations.

Monday, 30th March, 2009
American Institute of Indian Studies,
46/3 Wazir Hasan Road, Lucknow


Tuesday, 31st March, 2009
Department of Ancient Indian History and Archaeology,
University of Lucknow

The 4th Session of Open Space Book Tasting Club: The Tragic Loss of Life Due to Human Misdeeds

Open Space

organised

the fourth session of its

Book Tasting Club

on the theme

"The Tragic Loss of Life due to Human Misdeeds"

at which Dr. Navras Jaat Aafreedi read out his

Hindi/Urdu translation of the young Israeli writer

Etgar Keret's Hebrew short story

"Surprise Egg"

taken from his collection

The Nimrod Flip-Out

on

Thursday, 23rd October,
at
the Academy of Mass Communication,

Lucknow

Discussion on Terrorism

Esther David

Open Space held the second session of its Book Tasting Club in Lucknow at the premises of the NGO Saajhi Duniya on Monday, 28th July, 2008, at which an excerpt from the Ahmedabad-based Indian Jewish novelist Esther David's novel The Walled City (1997) was read out to pay homage to the victims of the Ahmedabad blasts and to initiate a discussion on terrorism and communalism. The excerpt was as follows:

A sultan once saw a rabbit turn on an attacking dog, where the kankaria lake now stands and this convinced him that it would be the ideal site to build a city - a place such as this, where even something as timid as a rabbit could fight a dog. That was the day that Ahmedabad was conceived in a vision of violence. The roles are being reversed all the time: strange animals, half-rabbit, half-dog, each eating the other.

Curfew, riots, bloodshed. A river of tears separates us from one another. all that remains of the walls of the old city is a crumbling mound of bricks. I think of it as Ahmedabad's Wailing Wall; it watches over the tears of its people. Nobody visits it or prays to it for help and not even the pigeons find sanctuary in its crevices. Perhaps rats and ants have made their homes at its base. Perhaps Ahmedabad's soul still lives here. Perhaps it is dying like an old grandmother and it needs our help or perhaps it could help us.

The gates stand like lone sentinels with nothing to protest. The curfew slithers between one gate and the other like a constricting python entangled in heavy military boots, guns, water cannons and tear gas. There is no traffic on the roads and in the silence, there is a threat. who is the victim and who the aggressor, one cannot tell.

The Sabarmati becomes the focus of a strange exodus. There are families searching for a corner where they can be safe. The river separates us from the old city, in the same way that it had separated us from the Granny. It looks like a river of blood with cloth dyers washing red cloth in a dying river. Crossing it becomes important. There are questions and more questions churning inside our minds. What is good? What is safe? We live in conflict.

(Esther David, The Walled City, EastWest Books Pvt. Ltd., Chennai, 1997, pp. 186-187)

The session concluded with the reading of a portion of an Urdu poem written by Anwar Nadeem:

बड़े यकीन से कहता हूँ साँस लेता है
हर एक सच्चे मुसुल्मान में एक ईसाई
हमारे अहले-ऐ-वतन के विशाल हृदय में
जगह बनाई है इस्लाम की हिदायत ने
पयाम-ऐ-वेद-ऐ-मुक़द्दस की अज्मतें अक्सर
हमारे आपके अफ़कार में झलकती हैं
न जाने फीर ये ताआसुब कहाँ से उभरा है!

Launch of Open Space Book Tasting Club

India's only Jewish Hindi novelist ever, Meera Mahadevan (nee Miriam Jacob Mendrekar), Author of Apna Ghar (1961) (Shulamith in English) - extreme left in the picture. The then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi can be seen seated on the extreme right.

Open Space lauched its Book Tasting Club in Lucknow on Saturday, 26th July 2008. Its first session was held at the Academy of Mass Communication at which excerpts from two Hindi books were read out, both of which depicted the communal frenzy that followed India's partition in 1947. The following excerpt was read from the Karachi (now in Pakistan) born great Indian Jewish novelist Meera Mahadevan's (nee Mriam Jacob Mendrekar) 1961 novel Apna Ghar, the English translation of which appeared in 1975, entitled Shulamith:

हिन्दुस्तान का विभाजन हुआ, तब भी यही समस्या सामने आई। उसके पीता ने कहा था, " हमें कराची छोड़कर जाने की आवश्यकता नहीं। हमारी-उनकी लड़ाई नहीं है ।"

उसे याद था जब पड़ोस का इकबाल विलायत गया था और उसे वहां मुस्लिम भोजन नहीं मिला, तब वह एक इस्राइल परीवारके साथ रहने लगा। कारन यह था की इस्राइल और मुस्लमान कभी भूलकर भी सूअर का मास नहीं खाते। ईसाई अवश्य खाते हैं। इसीलिये परदेस जाकर इकबाल इस्राइलों का सौतेला नहीं, सगा भाई बन गया था।

किंतु एक दिन कराची का मन्दिर मुसलमानों ने लूट लिया। वजह क्या थे? यही की फलस्तीन में अरब और इस्राइल लड़ते हैं। लेकीन हमनें क्या कीया? हम इस्राइल अवश्य हैं, पर भार्तिये इस्राइल हैं। हमनें किसे का कुछ बीगाडा नहीं। मंगलवार का दीन था, जब उसकी बूआ दौड़ती हुई आई थीं - भाभी, भाभी, कुछ सूना तुमने?"
"क्या हुआ?"
"मन्दिर को लूट लिया।"
लूट लिया? कैसे? कोई नहीं था वहां ?"
"भाभी बहुत सारे मुसुल्मान घुस आए। हज्जान अपने घर पर था। अकेला वह क्या कर सकता था? देखते-देखते उन्होंने कीमती कालीन उठा लिये, बढिया फानूस निकाल लिए और हेखाल भी खोल दिए।"
"हेखाल खोल दिए? प्रभू- प्रभू !"
"सेफेरो पर लगाये हुए सोने के योद निकाले। जितना सोना उन पर था सारा निकाल लिया। और भाभी..." बूआ रोने लगी थीं।
"कह दे, कह दे," शूलामीथकी माँ ने आतंकित स्वर में कहा।
"भाभी, उन्होंने सारी पवीत्र पुस्तकें जाकर पखाने में दाल दीन।"
कीसी को विशवास नहीं हुआ कानों पर। जिन पुस्तकों को हम साल में एक बार गोद में लेकर नाचते हैं, जिन्हें पढ़ते समय उन पर हाथ भी नहीं रखते, जिसे चूम लेने से हमें शान्ति मिलती है, जिसके पढने पढाने से ग्यान का उदय होता है, हमारे प्रिये सफ़र तोराह आज मुसुल्मानों ने पाखाने में फेंक दिए।
यह दुखद समाचार भयंकर एजी की तरह फैल गया। सब लोग मंदीर पहुंचे। हज्जान पुस्तकों से लिपटकर रो रहा था, युवक गुस्से से काँप रहे थे । मंदीर फीर से सजाया जाने लगा। हज्जान ने उपवास आरम्भ किया। कई स्त्रीयों ने उनका साथ दीया। आज मानो जमात के पिटा की मृत्यू हो गयी थी। संतोष केवाक्ल एक ही बात का था की स्थानीय मुसुल्मान इस घटना से दुखी हुए थे। उन्होंने कहा, "यह काम गुंडों का है. देश के विभाजन में उनकी बन आयी है . जब उन्हें हिन्दू भाई न मिले तो कोई न कोई वजह निकालकर इस्रेलो का मंदीर लूट लिया। "
(मीरा महादेवन, अपना घर, अक्षर प्रकाशन, १९६१, पृष्ठ ६४-६६)

The other book from which excerpts were read was the great Urdu Short-Story Writer Ramlal's travelogue of Pakistan Zard Patton ki Bahaar (1983):

मैं बड़ी अधीरता से नीचे लिखी हुई पंक्तिईयाँ पढने लगा:

रामलाल और तक्रीक-ऐ-पाकिस्तान. भार्तिये अदीब रामलाल ने अफ़कार कराची में अपने याद दश्तें लिखने का एक सिलसिला शुरू किया है. उसमे से एक इक्त्बास: कायद-ऐ-आज़म मुहम्मद अली जिन्नाह की क़दम क़दम कामयाबी को में बड़ी हैरत से देख रहा था और उनके पकिस्तान के हसूल को एक कारनामा भी समझने लगा था. कम्यूनिस्ट तहरीक भी पाकिस्तान के कायम की हम्नावाई कर रही थी. हमारे कई बुजुर्ग अदीबो जिनमें शाहिद अहमद दहलवी, अहमद नदीम कासमी और मुहमद हसन अस्करी शामिल थे, अपने रिसालों में कयाम-ऐ-पाकिस्तान के हक में मजामीन लिखे थे. मुताहिदा हिन्दुस्तान से जज्बाती लगाव और कौन्ग्रस के बड़े सियासी लीडरों से वालीहाना रगबत के बावजूद, जिन्होंने क़ैद-ओ-बंद की बेंदाज़ तकलीफें बर्दाश्त की थीं और अँगरेज़ हुक्मरान के साथ एक तारीखी पुरामं लड़ाई लड़ी थी. मैंने मुहम्मद अली जिन्नाह को भी अब ज़हनी तौर पर अपना लीडर तस्लीम कर लिया था और उनकी एक बहुत बड़ी तस्वीर बाज़ार से लाकर अपने घर में लगा ली थी. उसमें एक किस्म की शिकस्त का भी अहसास था और नए हालत को हकीकत पसंदी से कबूल करने का जुर्रत आमेज़ रवैय्या भी".

यह कॉलम देख कर मुझे यकबयक अहसास हो उठा की मुझे अब इस देश में मेरे पिछले बयानात और तहरीरों की ही रौशनी में देखा जाएगा। में यहाँ बयक वक़्त एक भार्तिये प्रतीनिधी और एक लेखक की हैसियत से मौजूब हूँ और मुझे अपनी इस हैसियत को किसी भी षड्नहीं भुलाना होगा। में १४ अगस्त, १९४७ के बाद यहाँ इस नयी माम्लीकत का वाकई शहरी बन कर रहना चाहता था। लेकिन पंजाब के दोनों हिस्सों के खून्रेज़ वाक्यात ने जो दोनों देशों के लिये काबू से बाहर हो गए थे ऐसा करना असंभव बना दीया। गत तैंतीस वर्षों में इस दुःख को में किसी भी पल भुला नहीं पाया था की में अपने वतन से ज़बरदस्ती सरहद के पर धकेल दिया गया था।
(रामलाल, ज़र्द पत्तों की बहार, शान्ति निकेतन प्रकाशन, लखनऊ , १९८३, पृष्ठ २४-२५)

Women in Search of Woman औरतें, औरत की तलाश में

Prof. Sabira Habeeb compering the programme
From left: Abid Sohail, Masroor Jahan, Prof. Sharib Rudaulvi, Prof. Roop Rekha Verma, Shailendra Sagar, Dr. Sabiha Anwar and Dr. Ayesha Siddiqui

From left: Prof. Sharib Rudaulvi, Shailendra Sagar, Dr. Sabiha Anwar and Dr. Ayesha Siddiqui

Prof. Sabira Habeeb compering the programme

The audience, completely absorbed in the stories

Muhammad Nasim, President of the Azad Memorial Academy, Lucknow, introducing the theme

Masroor Jahan reading out her story "Sach ke Sivaa"

Masroor Jahan reading out her story "Sach ke Sivaa"

Dr. Ayesha Siddiqui reading out her story "Unvaan ke Aari"

Dr. Ayesha Siddiqui reading out her story "Unvaan ke Aari"

The Audience

Dr. Sabiha Anwar reading out her story Andhera Rasta

Dr. Sabiha Anwar reads out her story Andhera Rasta while the chief guest Prof. Roop Rekha Verma listens attentively

Dr. Sabiha Anwar reading out her story Andhera Rasta

Dr. Sabiha Anwar reading out her story Andhera Rasta

Short Story Writer Shailendra Sagar expressing his views

Eminent Short-Story Writer Abid Sohail making his comments

Dr. Nusrat Nahid, Librarian, Amiruddaula Public Library, and a known poet, reading out a poem of hers

Dr. Nusrat Nahid, Librarian, Amiruddaula Public Library, and a known poet, reading out a poem of hers

The Chief Guest, Prof. Roop Rekha Verma, Former Vice Chancellor, University of Lucknow and a known Social Activist addressing the gathering

The Chief Guest, Prof. Roop Rekha Verma, Former Vice Chancellor, University of Lucknow and a known Social Activist addressing the gathering

Prof. Sharib Rudaulvi, who presided over the story-reading session, commenting on the stories and taking part in the discussion

Prof. Sharib Rudaulvi, who presided over the story-reading session, commenting on the stories and taking part in the discussion

The Centre for Communication and Development Studies, Pune
organised an
Urdu Short-Story Reading Session by Lucknow's three leading lady writers followed by a Discussion
under the auspices of its
civil society and youth outreach initiative
Open Space
in collaboration with
the Maulana Azad Memorial Academy, Lucknow
on
Thursday, 5th June 2008 at 5 p.m.
in
Lucknow.

Stories on women's themes were read out by Lucknow's three foremost lady writers, viz., Masroor Jahan, Dr. Ayesha Siddiqui and Dr. Sabiha Anwar. Masroor Jahan's story "Sach ke Sivaa" explored the problem of the sexual exploitation of woman by her husband for career benefits, while Dr. Ayesha Siddiqui's story "Unvaan ke Aari" focussed on the victimisation of woman due to superstitions. Dr. Sabiha Anwar's story "Andhera Rasta" depicted how after a dowry murder, the parents of the bride often try to cover up. The story tries to understand their psyche.

The session was presided over by noted critic Prof. Sharib Rudaulvi (Jawaharlal Nehru University). Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lucknow and a prominent social activist, Prof. Roop Rekha Verma was the Chief Guest. Prof. Sabira Habeeb (Lucknow University) compered the session. The reading session was followed by a lively panel discussion. The panel consisted of prominent writers and critics, viz., Abid Sohail, Shailendra Sagar and Anwar Nadeem.

Anwar Nadeem said:

There are many who made fun of the title of today's programme, but the fact remains that no one gives better expression to woman's problems than the woman herself. It is sad that although there is a strong presence of women in mushairas (Urdu poetry recitation sessions), yet there is no one like Parveen Shakir and Bano Daraab "Vafaa", who so successfully expressed women's sentiments and drew attention to their problems. Today's symposium should motivate and inspire the three great writers we have with us today to write the way Parveen Shakir and Bano Daraab "Vafaa" did.

The biggest flaw of Urdu fiction is that it is written in Urdu. The fact is that neither Urdu nor Hindi can be the language of any story. It has to be in colloquial "Hindustani", as Mahatmi Gandhi termed it. This is also sad that the Urdu writer while writing stories tries to keep himself or herself from writing dialogues, which only indicates his lack of proper knowledge of the variety of characters that exist in society.

Shailendra Sagar said:

Discussion about a story is extremely important, but it is possible only when it has been read and not heard.

Abid Sohail said:

All the three stories read out today had strong female characters. The stories revolved around these characters, but with the intention of opposing the established norms and conventions and to encourage the people to break the deafening silence. They were all rebellious in nature.

Prof. Sharib Rudaulvi greatly appreciated the three stories read out and stressed the need for more of such symposia at a greater frequency to motivate people to make positive changes in society.

Prof. Roop Rekha Verma said:

Woman needs to search her womanliness and at the same time attain her rightful place in the world as a citizen equal to man in every respect.

The biographies of the three great lady writers who read out their stories on women's themes are as follows:

Masroor Jahan
Urdu Novelist, Short-Story Writer and Broadcaster

Title Cover of Masroor Jahan's collection of short stories Pul Sirat, 2006

Has published 65 novels and 500 short-stories, a number of which have been translated into Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannad, Punjabi and English. Has received a number of prestigious awards like the Fankar Society Award, Buzm-e-Urdu Award and the Buzm-e-Khavaateen Award, Meer Academy Award, etc.

Dr. Ayesha Siddiqui
Short-Story Writer, Essayist, Humourist, Translator, Broadcaster, Educationist and one of Asia-Pacific's Who's Who

Publications:

Ghoomte Chauk ki keel, 1982
Poorvi Deson ki Kahaniyan, 1988 (Collection of Foreign Language Folk-Tales in Urdu)

Has published a number of short stories in the most prestigious literary journals like Shama, Beesvi Sadi, Naya Daur, Aaj Kal, Dharm Yug, Sarika, Bano, Nakoosh, etc.

Dr. Sabiha Anwar
Principal, Karamat Husain Muslim Girl's Post-Graduate College, University of Lucknow



Publications:

Warq Warq Zindagi, Collection of Short-Stories (1975)
Urdu Mein Khudnavisht Savaane Hayat (1982)
Baqi Savalat, A Critical Study of Interviews (1990)

Chapters:

"Asari Adab Mein Afsana", Awaz Short-Story Number, June 1978
"Sir Raza Ali - Fikr-o-Nazar, Karwane Aligarh Number, 1980
"Ruswa aur Unki Shahkaar Tahreer, Qaumi Awaz, August 1981
"Chakbast aur Ihtiram-e-Insaaniyat, Awaz, November 1981
"Talkhees Jahan Danish", Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy Journal, April, 1982
"Josh Malihabadi aur Unki Fikr", Moallim-e-Urdu, May 1982

Apart from the above publications, she has published more than a dozen articles and over fifty short-stories in prestigious journals like Aaj Kal, Naya Daur, Aiwan-e-Urdu, Alfaz Nigar, Shama, Roshan Adab and Bano.

Awards:

1975 Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy Award for her collection of short-stories Warq Warq Zindagi
1981 Urdu Adab Award from the Mahila Sewa Sansthan
1982 Uttar Pradesh Award for her book Urdu Mein Khud Navisht Savaneh Hayat (An Analysis of Autobiographical Writing in Urdu)
1982 Meer Academy Award in recognition of her literary contributions
1988 Adeeb International Society Award for the promotion of Art, Culture and Literature
1992 Certificate of Appreciation from the Lions Club of Lucknow for her services to society as an