ilofar Iqbal, who turns 75 today, can be aptly described as the invisible woman of Urdu literature.

Nilofar did not attain an exalted status among Urdu short story writers accidentally; she has honed her craft by holding it to high standards.

The first story in her latest award-winning collection of short stories is the eponymous Siyah Sona (Black Gold). The story portrays the tragedy of Balochistan. The central character is Faheem, who delivers provisions to impoverished areas using a truck. Faheem is an educated youth with a restless disposition. He frequently accompanies the trucks carrying various commodities to famine-stricken areas. The monotonous scenes he encounters prompt Faheem to reflect deeply.

To fully understand this story, it is essential to consider the role of international financial institutions and world politics, especially their impact on Third World countries. Loans from these financial institutions often come with the stipulation that the borrowing state cannot exploit its mineral resources or initiate plans that would lead to progress and prosperity.

In regions rich with mineral resources, such as the one depicted in the story, children are dying from hunger, thirst and lack of nutritious food as they fall victim to various illnesses. The writer highlights this by illustrating the desperate rush towards the trucks delivering food aid.

The people living in this area lack awareness and education. Their situation can be attributed both to their choices and careful planning by various governments.

At the end of the story, Faheem thinks of the person he has to deliver the ration supplies to. This reflection reveals his regret over past carelessness.

The short story titled Phir? (Then?) addresses the important issue of rape. It also provides a remarkable portrayal of a lawyer questioning the girl about the details of the rape and how a journalist views the situation.

Through her art, Nilofar exposes the so-called civilised predators in the society. The problem has existed long. Some so-called gentlemen invoke their high rank for their protection. The journalist and the lawyer in the story are representative of the kind.

The story Departure Lounge recalls a verse by Mir Taqi Mir:

Sarsari tum jahan say guzray

Varna har-jaa jahan-i-deegar tha

(You passed the world lacking in attention

Otherwise, there was a different world on every step)

This story revolves around two characters. The husband gets ready to depart by an international flight after breakfast on the morning of August 17. On the way, his car has an accident. When he emerges from a daze, he finds himself in the departure lounge of the airport. He boards the plane and fastens his seatbelt, but the plane makes an emergency landing. Had the plane crashed, he realises, all the property documents in his briefcase, as well as the bank statements would have burned to ashes.

He decides to return home and live a quality life. He begins to see life and its susprises with a child-like amazement, resolving to savour the essence of every aspect of life.

Nilofar Iqbal is a daring writer. She has written short stories on a wide variety of topics. The greatest qualities of her short stories are their boldness and the power of communication. 

Butt (Idol), narrates the tale of a king. He wakes up one morning to find his kingdom and all his powers taken away. The courtiers disobey him and he receives a message that he must leave the palace by noon. He is told that he should consider himself fortunate that his life has been spared. The king seeks refuge at his friend Hamadan’s farmhouse. He is amazed at how he became so unimportant overnight.

The deposed king’s story includes a flute-playing boy, his bride and his sister, highlighting the king’s deep sense of loneliness. After he has been deposed, the king finds a virtual kingdom in the wealth of contentment.

Liaafa (Envelope), addresses the issue of bribery.

Jannat Palat (Back from heaven) does not follow the realism mode. Khushi (Happiness) outlines the writer’s idea of happiness. ekeri is character-driven story.

Love Story is a light-hearted short story in which the narrator tells the love story of a hen named Laila and a rooster named Majnoon. The writer’s skill is evident in the way she narrates this story in such minute detail that it feels like the love story of a man and a woman rather than that of a hen and a rooster. Told with a sense of humour, the story is divided into various titled sections.

Huunh is based on a telephone conversation between a husband and wife who have have divorced.

Kaalak (Soot) is the final short story in this collection. It is written in an allegorical style and was composed during a time when writers and poets faced enormous restrictions under Gen Zia-ul Haq’s regime.

The collection showcases a great variety of reflections, topics and styles.

Most of the short stories in Siyah Sona focus on internal issues. A few also address social and international problems.

The short stories in Nilofar Iqbal’s second collection, Surkh Dhabbay (Red Stains), appear to be leading to those in her third collection, Siyah Sona. The final stories of Surkh Dhabbay discuss the policies of United States and other global powers towards the Third World, the consequences of these policies and how international financial institutions prevent Third World countries from utilising their resources and achieving progress. The theme is again explored in Siyah Sona.

Nilofar Iqbal is one of the modern Urdu writers who have not garnered much attention, although some of her short stories are great contributions to the realist tradition. In her own words (from the preface to her maiden short-story collection Ghanti (The Bell), published in 1996 and reissued in 2022):

“My short-stories neither seek to reform the mankind, nor threaten Islam. There is no trickery or deliberate ambiguity. There is no shadow of ‘resistance literature’ either. I have no vain hopes.”

Nilofar Iqbal is a daring writer. She has written short stories on a wide variety of topics. The greatest qualities of her short stories are their boldness and the power of communication.

Story writing has made her an authentic exponent of the realist tradition. On the occasion of diamond anniversary of her birth, one hopes that Nilofar Iqbal will live long and continue writing.

Note: Translations from the Urdu are by Raza Naeem.

The writer is an award-winning researcher and translator based in Lahore and president of the Progressive Writers’ Association. He may be reached at razanaeem@hotmail.com. He tweets at @raza_naeem1979s