Jeelani Bano – Pride of Hyderabad

Jeelani Bano is one of the most famous writers in Urdu. She belongs to the city of Hyderabad and so her novels and short stories depict the social, cultural and political scenario of the place. According to Naseeruddin Hashmi, “In the beginning she wrote on films and then started writing fiction and at present she is on the list of top writers of India and Pakistan.” (Deccan Main Urdu 1963 P 1056-57) She was born on 14th July 1936 in Badayun in Uttar Pradesh. She inherited the literary talent from her father, a well-known poet Hairat Badayuni. She was brought up in a purely literary atmosphere. The literary atmosphere and the visits of many progressive writers, Sajjad Zaheer, Maqdoom Mohiuddin, Raj Bahadur Goud, Jigar Murad Abadi, Krishan Chander, Majrooh Sultan Puri, to her house played an important role in developing her personality. She developed the hobby of reading right from her childhood. At an early age she read Sadat Hasan Manto, Ismat Chugtai, Meer, Ghalib, Iqbal, Gorky, Chekov, Maupassant, Bedi, Faiz, Majaz, Qurratul-Ain-Hyder, and Ahmed Nadeem Quasimi besides the above mentioned writers. The impact of these writers affected her art of writing and blessed her with maturity of thought. She wrote in her own style and she did not make any particular writer her ideal, She wrote her first short story in 1952, “Ek Nazar Idhar Bhi” (A Glance Hither). Her best-known short story, “Moum Ki Mariam” was published in the journal Savera, which was received with great warmth, both by the literary men of that age and also by the readers. Her first collection of stories was “Raushni ke Minar” and her first novel was “Aiwaan-e-ghazal”. Her other novels are “Baarish-e-Sang”, “Nirvaan”. “Jugnu aur Sitare” “Naghme Ka Safar.” Her other Collections of stories are: Paraya Ghar, Raat ke Musafir, Roz ka Qissa, Yeh koun Hansa, Tiryaaq, Nayee Aurat, Sach ke siva, Baath Phoolon ki, are an addition to Urdu literature. She is a skilled writer. Her stories are an image of the social life of our era. She throws light upon the evils and ills of the society and politics. She picturizes boldly the downfall of the Jagirdari system and its causes. When she started her career as a writer the progressive movement was at its height. The jagirdari system was coming to an end, giving place to a new system. The peasants revolted against the jagirdars and fought for their rights and justice. The changing situation affected her thoughts and her literary talent. Every writer gets influenced by his age and period and we find a clear picture of the age in her works. The political, social, economical and cultural conditions of society have a realistic reflection in her works. Qamar Rais expresses the opinion, “Problems posed by the abolition of the Zamindari system and the rapid industrialization in the country have been consummately portrayed by the writers like Anwar Azim, Qazi Abdussattar, Iqbal Mateen, Kalam Hyderi, Jeelani Bano, Raza Sajjad Zaheer, Ram lal, Ratan Singh, Ghayas Ahmed Gaddi, Ahmed Yousuf and others.” (October Revolution: Impact on Indian literature-­Impact on Urdu Literature P 61)

She covers in her novels and short stories the Diaspora feelings, social evils, exploitation of the poor, and the evils of the male dominated society. Her, “Sukhi Ret” and “Mere Marne Ka Dukh.” are the best examples of her Diaspora writings, where she marvelously depicts the theme of alienation through the character, ‘Abba Ian,’ who seems to be unfit in the new atmosphere of Pakistan and longs to see Hyderabad. His feelings are recklessly ignored by the young generation that settled in Pakistan, whose purpose of life is decided by the “programme of the pleasure principle” (Sigmund Freud, Civilization and its Discontent-Hannondsworth: Penguin, 1964 P163) and long for the absence of misery. In “Mere Marne Ka Dukh,” she creates a wonderful character Sadiq who goes to a foreign place to earn money but longs to return home and helplessly watches the change in his wife and parents as soon as they hear the news of his death. In no time the selfish behavior of his wife and parents give him a punishment, which is bitter than death. The character of Sitara in her “Agahi,” (Insight) works within the social and family restrictions without scanning the real nature of the members of the family, after realizing the reality of each and every one round her; she frees herself crossing the traditional barriers. Sitara suffers for no fault. She accepts Khalid even after knowing his affair with Rizwana. For Khalid it is a permitted pleasure where as for Sitara a stigma on her character. Thus the plight of women in the male-dominated society. Her stories “A Day In The Labor Room” and “A Cigarette Smouldering In The Ashtray” picturise women at the mercy of men, they are silent sufferers. Her stories show her concern for the injustice caused to women. Besides being a social writer she is also a feminist.

She is a live writer criticizing the social evils but never brooding over any aspect. Her works are, no doubt, satirical but she is never didactic in her tone, she leaves it to the reader to judge what is right and wrong. She pries into the lives of middle classes of her surroundings but never peeps through the windows of her stories. She gives a realistic presentation of the characters within the cultural limitations. Most of her characters are frustrated in life but find a positive way in the end. Thus it becomes evident that the evils and lapses of the society can be broomed away. Her stories are solely objective. We do not find in them any subjectivity like Ismath Chugtai or any other Urdu women writers who write about their subjection to the wrongs of the family and society. Without letting out the stench of her burning, Jeelani Bano makes the readers smell the odour in their surroundings. She remains only a silent observer. According to Taqui Ali Mirza’ “The outstanding feature of her short stories is their essentially humanitarian approach, the quality of compassion, a deeply felt concern for the deprived sections of the society, specially, women.” (Foreword to The Alien Home and other Stories–Jeelani Bano Translated by Zakhia Mashhadi-2004 P xi)

Her stories are neither sensuous like the stories of Wajida Tabasum nor burdened with the sophisticated and affected manners of old writers. Most of the women writers of early twentieth century before Rasheed Jahan (The writer of Angare) like Sughra Humayun; Sarwath Ara Begum had the impact of Deputy Nazeer Ahmed. They created humble women characters that were the embodiment of sacrifice and etiquettes. Earlier the two other women writers who got fame in Hyderabad were Madam Tayyaba Begum and Jahan Bano Begum Naqvi. The former according to Tasneem Rabbani Sahaba, was the writer of a novel, “Anwari Begum,” “In which she depicted superbly the social behavior of Hyderabad of her age and it was her aim to show the lapses of the superstition, orthodox behavior and spurious rituals of her age and tried to root them out by showing their ills,” but the latter simply copied the stories of Rabindra Nath Tagore and other English writers. (Tasneem Rabbani-Nazre Deccan-1929 P 69-72)

Jeelani Bano used day-to-day language, most suitable to the characters. She writes about the oppressed but cannot be branded as communist writer. She does not carry any particular banner in her hands. Her approach is multi­-dimensional, yet she can only be termed as a progressive writer. In 1960 she was awarded the Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi Award and the Sovietland Award. The Haryana Urdu Academy gave her the Hali award in 1976.