Mobile technology has usurped free time

The foremost writer of his generation, Munawwar Hashmi, a renowned poet, scholar, critic, and public intellectual, but is the best known as an educationist. He has several major works to his credit. His poetry’s construction is clear, tight, elegant and highly specific for each piece.

Responding to a question what kind of literature is being created in Pakistan and what’s its level of acceptance internationally, he remarked: “Literature being created today throughout the whole world is of low quality and the reason is the dominance of internet. Mobile technology has usurped our free time and we have no more time to think and reflect. If ever we wants to create something we lack concentration and thought, so we create and present superficial literature with the desire that literature-lovers would like it. In Pakistan, the situation is the same.”

“The same poet and prose writer, who once deeply focused on creative work, is seen more interested in the publicity of his superficial and low quality work. Unfortunately, we have been driven away from the world of feelings. Actually, literature is expression of feelings in words. Now we have page-deprived words therefore the words which cannot penetrate the page how can they penetrate the heart.

Words saved in mobile evaporate in a moment leaving no impact or imprint on the mind. The whole world is suffering from this disease. Generally, superficial literature sans feelings is being created and Pakistani writer is confronted with this problem these days.”

To a question that which genre of literature is progressing these days, he said: “Since the beginning of poetry up to the present time ‘ghazal’ has been the most prevailing and popular genre. A thousand-page novel can easily be put into one verse of ghazal.”

 “Experimentation in ‘ghazal’ is next to impossible. Some did so to gain prominence but their experiments couldn’t gain acceptance at any level rather such guys went into total obscurity. There is no scope for experiment in the form of 'ghazal' as its current form is matchless in its magnetism and beauty; however, new topics and thoughts are welcome always.

Answering to a comment by Dr. Waheed Qureshi, a well-known critic and scholar, that Munawwar Hashmi proved his uniqueness in a crowd of poets, he remarked: “I don’t wish to comment on my own ‘ghazal’, everyone is free to form his own opinion about my ‘ghazal’.”

Throwing light on prose ‘nazm’, he said: “Nazm and prose are altogether two different things. There is either ‘nazm’ or prose -- a brawny boy with a moustache and beard named Nazia Parveen can’t really become a girl or any Nazia Parveen renamed Pehlwan Khan can’t really become a boy. It’s amazing that those writing prose ‘nazm’ are committing this very blunder.

“I have always opposed prose ‘nazm’. I don’t term it as poetry. Actually, those who could not write ‘ghazal’ have deliberately launched prose ‘nazm’. I am always surprised to see some good poets chasing this ‘Nazia Parveen’. It’s an act which has even overshadowed their good ‘nazms’ and ‘ghazals’.

“If prose ‘nazm’ is accepted as poetry then the prose written by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Mirza Ghalib, Abul Kalam Azad and even written before them will have to be termed as poetry,” he concluded.

On organisations working for promotion of literature he said: “I pity these organizations. They have done everything except promotion of literature. On awards from these organisations he said: “Recognition of one’s work is his reward.”