Mamta Kalia

e hard put to explain. Or take this
one–‘Har liya hai kisi ne Sita ko, jindagi
hai Ram ka Banwas (Sita has been
abducted by someone, and Ram’s life
is exile)– which word is difficult in it,
tell me? Difficult language emanates from
a cruel heart. He is dishonest who wants
to entangle in words. The language should
at best have the refined spontaneity of
civil life.’ Know one more thing–
‘A child picks up his language from
his mother. When the women would be
coarse, what language you and I will
speak?’
‘I should like to relate you an incident
in this context.
One of my acquaintances was
hospitalized. A girl from nearby room
visited him every day. Meanwhile she
didn’t turn up for two days. When on
the third day, she came the acquaintance
asked’ Baby, why did you not turn up
for past two days?’ the girl replied my
mother forbade saying ‘Roj roj jaogi to
ajiran ho jaogi’ (She would be unwelcome,
if she visited daily).
Now you try to understand where
this word ‘Ajirana’ came from?
Etymologically it is ‘Ajirna’ meaning
‘chronic’. Generous acceptance of such
new words constitutes a language.’ Firaq
Sa’b concluded what he was saying.
‘For a language in the making, we
will have to write for a while with
conscious effort. Only then will it be
established’, we put forth our dilemma.
He was ready with his answer’ ‘you, being
conscious, don’t wear shoes where you
do a cap, do you? Don’t wear scarf around
your waist. Well, why say’ Rogi ki nisha”
for ‘Bimar ki raat’ (both mean patient’s
night in English), but the former version
is more Hindiaised than Hindi) Where
‘Bimar ki raat” says it all. Then again
it is Hindi–the colloquial Hindi.’
‘Kaun tha aapse jo bahar tha, Aap
aate to aapka ghar tha (who was an
outsider, had you come, it was your
home only)’. Tell me which of the words
in the sentence is Arabian or Persian?
Now being unduly conscious, you may
spoil it in the name of Hindi. Whether
the sentence is not Hindi?, We all were
answerless. Firaq Sa’b, could hold forth
on the subject for hours together. Without
allowing him any chance, we changed
the topic at once. Well, who all are the
poets, you like in Hindi? Firaq ensconced
himself by leaning against the wall. I
used to listen to the recitation of the
Ramcharit Manas ever since I was very
young. Since then, I liked Tulsidas very
much. Even today I do. No poet in the
world is as lyrical as he is. Also I like
Kabir–Urdu-lovers consider him as their
sire. In prose, I like Premchand.
Well, why did you like Premchand?
‘Perhaps, he was touching to the mind.
No doubt his writing is great. But his
writing suffered a major deficiency. Can
you tell me what it was?
The reply to it didn’t occur to a
friend who was sitting beside me and
doing research in Hindi–After waiting
a while, Firaq himself said, ‘In his novels
problems emerged very vitally but
solution is suggested nowhere. And it
is expected of a writer of Premchand’s
stature that his writing will afford a
solution, or at least a hint of it.’
‘On occasions like these, he used to
wrongly use Gandhiism–Besides, he would
set so much store by individual goodness
as to render the talk of collective
awareness out of question. Though not
all are able to suggest a solution, a
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