“A society without literature and arts would be a freak society” — an interview with Raza Rabbani.
Dr. Saeed Ur Rehman sat down with Raza Rabbani at his official residence in Islamabad and discussed his views on literature and politics.
Dr. Saeed Ur Rehman: Why did you decide to write fiction?
Raza Rabbani: What I have written cannot be called fiction because I have observed all these incidents during my time in jail and courts and on my way to and from work. I observe these things and record them. The actual incidents are then turned into stories. Therefore, you cannot call them fiction.
Dr. Saeed Ur Rehman: How did you decide between the short story and the novel? Why short stories, and why not a novel?
Raza Rabbani: I don’t think I can tackle a novel at this stage. I would not have been able to sustain the narrative and its scope. You can say I chose this because of some escapist tendency in me. I thought short stories would be a better way of expression because I felt the more straightforward the narrative, the lesser the exposure of my shortcomings would be.
Dr. Saeed Ur Rehman: Does it mean the short story is an inferior genre?
Raza Rabbani: No. Not at all. Some short stories are more potent than many novels. I just chose this genre because I have been gathering stories. I have not been thinking like a novelist. I just have been thinking about all the stories scattered around me.
Dr. Saeed Ur Rehman: You have previously written on politics and legislation and have now taken up writing literature. How do you feel about the difference between these two different types of writing?
Raza Rabbani: I feel a society cannot survive without literature. It will be like a body without a soul. Literature, in a society like ours, is incredibly vitalizing because we have had a strong tradition of university activism and our coffee houses. How can one ignore our strong tradition of mushairas and mehfils? It has been a deliberate decision in the times of different dictatorships to marginalise literature because it can provide a counter-paradigm. That is why now we are witnessing a rise in criminality, insensitivity, and corruption. I think a society without literature and arts would be a freak society.
Dr. Saeed Ur Rehman: What are the consequences for a society which marginalizes its writers and artists?
Raza Rabbani: You see great writers and artists dying out, and no replacements are coming up. Isn’t that a sign of cultural decline? We have lost our Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Habib Jalib, but can you name a single author who can be called a replacement for Faiz? That is cultural decline. I feel if we do not mend our ways, we might lose everything. I am beginning to dread this kind of future. I shudder to think about where we might end up as a society.
Dr. Saeed Ur Rehman: You mentioned coffee houses and mushairas. You must have witnessed things changing.
Raza Rabbani: The killing of the culture of coffee houses started with Zia-ul-Haq. Dictators do not like people having dialogues. They want to impose their monologue on society.
Dr. Saeed Ur Rehman: What about Bhutto? He also banned some things.
Raza Rabbani: Bhutto tried to tone down his idealism by paying heed to the practicality of political life. He may have taken a strategic retreat so that his long-term goals may be realized, but it did not end up that way. Zia-ul Haq and the global empire were waiting to pounce on him. Perhaps it was Bhutto’s nuclear ambition that made him too dangerous. Moreover, he had also told the Arabs that their oil could be used as a weapon.
Dr. Saeed Ur Rehman: You have portrayed the poor as essentially benign characters in your stories. Is it not a bit simplistic? What about those poor people who become big shots in our society through corruption and graft?
Raza Rabbani: I don’t want to dignify such formerly marginalized and now influential people by writing about them. You may call it a moral stance. It is perhaps my childhood training. My parents would not use the government car for personal use. And if they did, they would count the kilometers and pay the state back for those personal travels.
Dr. Saeed Ur Rehman: There may come a time when a poor person has no other option. Laws are made by the powerful for the powerful. Sometimes a little bit of leeway might mean survival or extinction for a poor person. What do you think about those poor people who commit minor immoral acts?
Raza Rabbani: I think that is a valid point. Some parents do not object to their daughters bringing in extra money by selling their bodies. I think those who have no alternative are forced into situations where they have to renegotiate their values. These are survival tactics. I am more disturbed by the acts of those influential individuals who have all sorts of alternatives and still choose socially unjust ways.
I feel sick when a person from the lower class is arrested for minor crimes because that type of crime does not damage the entire society. Someone who has stolen billions from the people damages society to a greater level. But such people go scot-free. Our system could not even bring Musharraf to court. The law should be the same for the poor and the rich. That is what I have tried to capture in my stories.
Dr. Saeed Ur Rehman: What are your plans?
Raza Rabbani: I will keep writing both fiction and nonfiction. I have a fixed position on so many issues of moral and political significance. I did not take the oath when General Musharraf presided over the swearing-in ceremony. I derive strength from such things to keep the correct course. Moreover, I feel inspired by Faiz and Jalib. I think the spirit of their work will guide my future work. I am obsessed with social justice. I do not care what anyone thinks of such a stance.
