Review: The Greatest Punjabi Stories Ever Told

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

A curation of 30 of the finest short stories that capture the essence of the Punjabi spirit, The Greatest Punjabi Stories Ever Told collates stories across four generations of writers and covers the period from the Partition to the pandemic. Renuka Singh and Balbir Madhopuri have done a fine job of bringing excellent translations to contemporary consciousness and giving voice to both established and emerging writers.
While those unfamiliar with the history of Punjab might imagine that stories from the state would feature an idyllic pastoral life, this collection will quickly disabuse them of the notion. Turns out the 'simple life' is rife with the horrors of war, social injustice and oppression. In these stories set against the lushest of green fields, readers learn of the magnitude of challenges and the quantum of pain and loss that Punjabis have endured. From the horrors of Partition to the rigidity of customs, these stories look at the themes of morality, freedom, religion, and history. Most of all, they are moving meditations on difficult questions: What is the humane thing to do? Who is in the right in complex times? Many of the characters in these stories are stripped of their agency, surrender to their fates, and are forced to react to the bizarre circumstances that they find themselves in.
In Daughter of the Rebel by Gurmukh Singh Musafir, a child of two freedom fighters is taken in by her paternal aunt only to be turned out by the aunt's husband who aspires to be a high-ranking officer in the British army. In Dance of the Devil by Sant Singh Sekhon, a young Muslim woman forsakes her religion for the sake of her children's future. However, the cost of becoming the wife of one of those who captured and forced her people to flee to Pakistan is too high to bear. In Sujaan Singh's Sunrise at Last set in a recently partitioned India, a young Muslim woman, Naseem, is sheltered from a pillaging mob by an atheist Sikh and a Muslim disbeliever. This forces her to ponder about who are the actual saints and who the kafirs. In Mohinder Singh Sarna's Savage Harvest, a blacksmith is forced to make weapons that are used to kill people in the aftermath of the Partition. Unable to meet his wife's stare or stand up to his sons, he is put to the test when the village priest's wife shows up unaware of what has transpired.
While some of these stories portray conflict during a bloody chapter of modern India's history, others feature the rituals, traditions and culture of the Punjabis, their connection to the land and their villages, and the pitfalls of the agrarian way of life.
In Bowl of Milk, Nanak Singh tells the story of a young man being force fed by the relatives he is visiting. He heaves a sigh of relief when there is no more milk left in the entire village. In Navtej Singh's The Charity Coat, a teacher who supports his family on his meagre income shivers in the cold until he is gifted an old coat by the wife of his patron. Little does he know that the coat will cost him his livelihood. In Dog and Man, a labourer finds himself alone after his wife has left him and their son, who resents him. His only companion is the stray dog whom she used to feed. The dog initially refuses to accept food from him, but in the end, nuzzles close. In Stench of Kerosene, Amrita Pritam narrates the gut-wrenching story of a couple where a man is forced by his mother to take on a second wife after the first fails to produce a child. While the husband is unable to protest, he cannot bear to look at the new wife and their child and the story ends in tragedy. In Kartar Singh Duggal's Majha Is Not Dead, a tonga driver laments to his horse about the automobiles destroying his livelihood. He keeps it up until he finally gets a passenger whom he disbars from his tonga for moral reasons. Though the rider and the horse return home empty-handed, their hearts are full.
Sukirat's Home, a more contemporary story, is a tender portrayal of a same-sex couple from different faiths and economic backgrounds who are united in Bombay, the city of dreams. Here, questions of education, friendship, love and gender are examined. In Kesra Ram's Whither My Native Land?, a dark tale about the migrant exodus during the pandemic, two policemen who are following 'orders' and beating up those trying to get home, grow a conscience.
In sum, The Greatest Punjabi Stories Ever Told is a unique portrait of Punjab and its people that provides a great entry point for those interested in the history and literature of the state.
Percy Bharucha is a freelance writer and illustrator. Instagram: @percybharucha