Telling a story is an art known to those who have the creative wings to take their creative process beyond the limitations of time and space. A tale writer, in particular, is like a mirror that reflects what is placed on it, such as his thoughts, experiences, reading, and reaching out to the public. A story is a miniature universe in which characters move and make decisions to build a plot using various narrative approaches. Let us look at several short stories by Shakeel-ul-Rehman through the lens of storytelling approaches. Narrative techniques of the author are varied, may it be his strong flashback and flash forward elements to construct a bridge that enables a smooth passage of the past with the present. The setting in most of the stories are dense and daring like his creative foreshadowing. Shakeel’s use of a cliffhanger module has widened his story-telling scope, which aids a reader in comprehending the ending of a story that withholds information about how a narrative ends. It frequently proposes various endings for a tale, allowing readers to speculate about their preferred conclude.
The wind has picked up speed. I’ve been reading Kashmiri literature for at least a decade, and it appears to have stretched its wings to win over serious readers. The ‘why’ and ‘how’ of the aforementioned literature have developed its own experiments, bedecking the baked bricks of the old home and bringing in innovative narrative tactics that best suit the contemporary times. An expert writer is one who can create new tools from pre-existing modules.The interpretations of authors, particularly those of Kashmiri writers, have not only enriched the native idiom but alsoeffectively portrayed their progressive persona. Both of these characteristics have infused a new verve in the expanse of creativity, where a fiction writer has ostracised the elements of ‘dastaan’ in their short stories. They have preferred to give free space to their own elements, such as liberating their protagonists from the clutches of authorship, breaking a tradition of hero worship, and superimposing the submissions of the creative mind on the progressive minds of the characters that a writer finds on his canvas. A character who is merely a projection of the author’s imagination cannot be diminished while keeping the author’s creative enthusiasm in mind. The majority of Kashmiri short story writers have captivated the interest of professional readers solely to evoke a sense of universality, which has been a distinguishing feature of classical writers all over the world.
Several Kashmiri writers employed Urdu as a means of expression in the second half of the twentieth century but later shifted to their own tongue, Kashmiri, and provided a more real voice for their aspirations. A number of Kashmiri fiction writers have made a ripple in the valley’s shallow waters, and Shakeel-ul-Rehman is one of them. He has undoubtedly crafted his characters to work with their shades and shadows both in the busy streets and meadows on one side and on the other, dragging them out of the graves and play grounds to aid them with idiom that suits their psyche. By finding efficacious tactics for communicating information to readers, narrative techniques assists the author in crafting interesting stories. It is critical to learn several strategies so that a writer can determine which alternative will help his writing efforts.
Most of his recent Kashmiri short stories have been able to express a regular man’s deep-felt emotions, his plunge into constraints, and his veiled nostalgia. ‘Malang’ is one of his short works in which the author was able to extract an ascetic’s mind in the phrases that suit him when he is in ecstasy. Malang has emerged as a prototype of mystery, allowing the author to express the reaction of the viewers who continue to watch him; thus, every bystander drops in his own way of exploring the unexplored, and the author is letting them conquer the conscious covered in layers, until through his own character, he is guided to delve deep into his own consciousness to encourage everyone to do the same.As a result, this short narrative forges its own course without the assistance of sugar-coated language or favours from its author. ‘Malang’ has conquered otherwise forgotten purity, which likes to hide itself beneath shabby fabric in order to question the white collar wisdom of the masses, whose necks never allow them to breathe freely. Thus, a progressive genuine human tendency is challenged as the author of this particular story has unlocked the mystic magnitude, which to many appears to be just a random and unwanted play way of an ascetic who draws circles on the floor depicting both the mundane and moral cosmos of a man. The Malang on the floor takes a dig on the ignorance of a man who, despite being a temporary dweller, never expands his own circle of spirituality, but keeps drawing a circle with in a circle to congest his own space. Shakeel’s Malang is a symbol of esotericism and exotericism, and this is how the author has justified his character’s dynamism.
Be Moodus Ne’(I haven’t died) is another short story in which the author uses a dead man’s first-person narrative to aid in understanding the text from the character’s point of view. This device allows the reader to examine the psyche of a narrator, who in the above-mentioned story is present in the form of a dialogue with other characters to present a bigger point of view that may serve as satire or just the misery of the character experiencing inner conflict. When the author loses control of a storyline, he usually surrenders to his own ignorance, resulting in the elimination of his protagonist to finish the story, but in the above-mentioned story, Shakeel has brilliantly used his mastery by introducing a dead man who has been battered by Covid to narrate his tale of woe, which has added features to the story line: One is that the dead man’s wishes work as an irony of fate, and second, his sealed voice has unsealed many irregularities that were so common during the Pandemic. This storytelling style enables a character’s stream of consciousness or interior monologue to bring to the forefront his current frame of mind, which he explains through the author’s experience to meet the requirements of the plot.This situational reversal has allowed the reader to comprehend the departed man’s wish list, and Shakeel has opened a new chapter for storytellers who have battled to justify their own protagonist. His insight is valuable, particularly in the above-mentioned story, because he has infused an invisible power that has not only broadened the breadth of the plot but also improved story writing traditions. Thus, a story writer’s task is not only to defend the narrative, but also to act as a moderator, advocating for the adjustments required to address the modern masses in a language and manner that is relevant. So ‘I haven’t died’ has piqued the interest of critics for two reasons: the presentation of the tale and the relevancy of the topic in terms of historical significance. As a result, a storyteller might be thought of as a historian who witnesses a real-life event and brings it close to the human heart in order to give rise to catharsis.
The mind of childrenhas always been captivated by animal stories for the reason of amusement. It is thought that utilising animals as characters allows the author to tell a more profound story. Hare and Tortoise, Thirsty Crow, Greedy Dog, and Cunning Fox occupied a large portion of our memory shelves throughout our school days, but with the passage of time, these fables were replaced by serious stories as a mark of our progress and mental qualifications. ‘Haput’ (Bear) is one such short story in which Shakeel-ul-Rehman continues the tradition of fables by wrapping the storyline in a unique blend of local narrative and animal strength. This narrative has a traditional texture and a subtle style.One element of the story’s style is that a factual description of the protagonist has been given a special space, which is both a daring experiment and a food for thought to the young writers. ‘Haput’ is a potent symbol as well as a victim of abuse. Shakeel’s pick has transformed a bedtime story about animals into a serious moral issue. This is an excellent example of showing rather than telling. Throughout the story, the author has used the silky diction required for the presentation. Despite its length, this master piece has united the reader knowingly with the plot’s predicament and a deliberate improvisation of character description to showcase the power of description. Some stories are read not by a conventional plot but because of the daring diction and distinction and ‘Haput’ by Shakeel-ul-Rehman is one such worth reading narrative since it weaves philosophy and human suffering together.
‘Kath CheSheeneBaletch’ (The Saga of Snow Peak) is a tangible chronicle of our past. Our rich historical and cultural legacy is summarised in this concise tale. The narrative is unique in how it caters to plot requirements while also serving as a link to reconnect us with our roots. Its setting is similar to that of a gothic castle. The author understands which alternative method of storytelling is best suited to the plot of the story. The aspects of foreshadowing serve as a tour guide, allowing us to navigate the maze of our treasured past. This sensory imagery, which can be found in the majority of Shakeel-ul-Rehman’s short stories, allows the reader to become a part of the narrative, which aims to connect the reader with the author’s state of mind.It is the story of our Kashmir, which used to be an observatory of wisdom and a wide-ranging spiritual forum that drew attention from the west and east in search of self-actualization. The story seems to be a historical record of our literary acumen starting with ‘NilmataPurana’ (the Purana of Kashmir) to the present day situation. The author has used narrative with in narrative to pass a reference as mentioned by Sir Walter Lawrence as he writes “The valley is an emerald set in pearls; a land of lakes, clear streams, green turf, magnificent trees and mighty mountains where the air is cool, and the water sweet, where men are strong, and women vie with the soil in fruitfulness.”This one-of-a-kind tale-telling, with its shifting tone and texture, encourages our ethnic literature to extend its wings and soar high in the vastness of modern literature. The allegorical portrayal in Sage of Snowcapped Peak focuses on our well-established literary heritage and the rare manuscripts to the modern storyline that incorporates pathos and the anguish of a society screwed up in conflicts both in terms of cultural onslaught and economic inequity.
A storyteller is similar to a soldier who guards his region with all of his equipment and techniques in order to protect the nation. A storyteller lives in his own world with his characters, making him immortal in literary circles. We are fortunate to have Kashmiri short story authors who understand their function as both historians and entertainers. Writing in our native tongue allows us to readily connect with the world literature of which we are a part and contributes to the preservation of our overall survival.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Mushtaq B.Barq is a Columnist, Poet and Fiction Writer. He is the author of “Feeble prisoner, “ Wings of Love” and many translation works are credited to the author like “ Verses Of Wahab