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The One Who Did Not Ask
For rash, awkward Gaythi, there is always something amiss. Daughter of an extensive, wealthy, Muslim upper-class family in pre-partition India, she is expected to be demure, to have poise and to grow willingly into the roles of mother and wife. Gaythi does not know what she wants, but she is not keen to settle. A series of tragic and unexpected events suddenly threaten to split her home as well as her country. Exile follows, and Gaythi is forced to assume responsibility for her arrogant and powerful mother. Touchingly and with carefully observed detail, Altaf Fatima describes the impact of change on the lives of an entire people.
334 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
39 people are currently reading
754 people want to read
About the author
Altaf Fatima
18 books21 followersAltaf Fatima (born 1927 in Lucknow, British India) was an Urdu novelist, short-story writer, and teacher (specializing in Muhammad Iqbal). Her novel Dastak Na Do ("Do not knock") is regarded as one of the defining works in the Urdu language. An adaptation was presented on Pakistan television and an abridged translation was serialised by the Karachi monthly, Herald.
Altaf Fatima was the second of four children born in a Muslim household in Lucknow, India, to Mohammad Fazle Amin and his wife Mumtaz Jahan.
She was living in Lahore, Pakistan at the end of her life, to where she had retired as a professor of Urdu, but continued her literary work.
Altaf Fatima's novel Dastak Na Do has been translated into English by Rukhsana Ahmed.
Altaf Fatima was the second of four children born in a Muslim household in Lucknow, India, to Mohammad Fazle Amin and his wife Mumtaz Jahan.
She was living in Lahore, Pakistan at the end of her life, to where she had retired as a professor of Urdu, but continued her literary work.
Altaf Fatima's novel Dastak Na Do has been translated into English by Rukhsana Ahmed.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
February 19, 2017
دوسروں کو جان لينا دانائ ہے
ليکن اپنی حقيقت سے باخبر ہونا روشن ضميری کی دليل ہے
انسانوں کو زير کرنے والے کو غالب کہا جاتا ہے
مگر نفس امّارہ کو مغلوب کرنے والا
درحقيقت قوی و قادر کہلانے کا مستحق ہے
Dastak Na Do (Don’t Knock) is a sweet and poignant family saga that spans approximately a decade, mostly in the years before the division of the sub-continent and a few years after. The family in question is Jahangir Mirza’s, a landlord, and his five children; Shehryaar, Saulat, Bakhtyaar, Arjumand and Geeti, the main character.
It’s just one of those tales you could read forever, simple, delightful, lyrical and hypnotic. The old Urdu dialect is refreshing and amusing to read. I feel like comparing this to The Bear and the Nightingale. The two books are similar in more than one way. They’re both slow-moving; time passes gradually and gracefully. Both focus on family relationships and family life with little emphasis on romance. The heads of family in both books are adorable and caring landlords who are also wonderful fathers, the protagonist has loving and understanding brothers and most important of all, they both are the coming of age story of a headstrong girl, Bear and the Nightingale’s Vasya to Dastak Na Do’s Geeti Aara.
Like Vasya, Geeti is one of a kind, a girl different in her way of thinking and behavior from the people around her. She’s confident, honest, speaks her mind, is under constant scrutiny because of her otherness. Not necessarily having a beautiful face but a beautiful and kind heart. Geeti, like Vasya, was immensely likeable and worth rooting for. Safdar Yaseen, also known as Liu Cho, a Chinese native who comes to Pakistan to earn and provide for his family, is another pivotal character in the story. He was the only one who ever truly understood Geeti besides, perhaps, her father. Theirs was the most interesting dynamic in the book.
My OTP didn’t happen and that is the only thing that upset me. Geeti’s unexpected choice of a partner was…sad, not unlike her but sad all the same. The epilogue was bittersweet as epilogues usually are.
Dastak Na Do was a lovely and impactful book, one that I solemnly vow I’ll never forget.
ايک غمزدہ انسان جب اور بھی غمزدہ ہو جاتا ہے تو دلوں سے اس کے غم کا احترام بھی اٹھ جاتا ہے۔ وہ اس کے غم کے احساس کو بھی کھو ديتے ہيں۔
February 28, 2017
I could go on and onnn in this review keeping in view the fact that much of my 9th grade was spent discussing this novel in First Language Urdu, but I won't. This was the second Urdu novel that I read and after this very few have followed thus I'm in no position to discuss the intricacies of Urdu Literature but I will praise this book and author where it is deserved, and deserve it does.
Altaf Fatima has pulled off a glaringly realistic look at the norms prevailing in our part of the world and in human nature in general. Seeing that this book is set around the time of partition, it also gives glimpses into those times and also of foreign land, China. Ironically, China seems to have come out of its many problems that plagued it at that time while we are still languishing in ours.
I read this book three times, at first it came off as excessively long, at the second time things kept peeking out of the story urging me to look deeper and third time I literally drowned. At last I could see the many things Altaf Fatima had made painfully true and endearing to the reader. And that's when I truly realized the meaning of the title, and boy was I blown? Chinaman is the best, and most real character and... and.. my vocabulary fails me. You just have to read and understand it to know.
The book looks at things through Gaiti's character, who makes the first impression as an unfearing and complicated girl but by the end the realities of life leave her just as vulnerable as anyone else. There are a number of characters who's rise and downfalls in life are shown mostly concerning Gaiti's family and people she meets as her life story proceeds. And Chinaman the other central character is our window to the foreign land and the voice of sense in Gaiti's life and the one who has to sacrifice because of the burden of life on his young shoulders. And his hesitance.
Is it possible to go to the depths of most of the characters in one book and still be able to express it truly and beautifully? Altaf Fatima does just that and this is one of the things makes Dastak na do so real. I might not have read much Urdu literature but plenty of poetry I have, both ghazal and nazm and have come to the conclusion that the range of expression in Urdu is simple extraordinary. Sadly today, we are butchering this beautiful language.
The story is quite overwhelming at the beginning (and this is not the first fifty pages. This is the first two hundred pages) and I found myself wondering what does the author intend to do with all these stray strands? Altaf Fatima weaves everything into a single rosary of pearls. Literally. You might think as I did, that how will the author be able to pull off an ending as good as the story the whole book was, but she does and it is the smoothest, simplest and most profound I have ever read!
There is no other way to put it, it's just beautiful. Everyone should read this story, it's not just a literary masterpiece, it's a compilation of life.
Altaf Fatima has pulled off a glaringly realistic look at the norms prevailing in our part of the world and in human nature in general. Seeing that this book is set around the time of partition, it also gives glimpses into those times and also of foreign land, China. Ironically, China seems to have come out of its many problems that plagued it at that time while we are still languishing in ours.
I read this book three times, at first it came off as excessively long, at the second time things kept peeking out of the story urging me to look deeper and third time I literally drowned. At last I could see the many things Altaf Fatima had made painfully true and endearing to the reader. And that's when I truly realized the meaning of the title, and boy was I blown? Chinaman is the best, and most real character and... and.. my vocabulary fails me. You just have to read and understand it to know.
The book looks at things through Gaiti's character, who makes the first impression as an unfearing and complicated girl but by the end the realities of life leave her just as vulnerable as anyone else. There are a number of characters who's rise and downfalls in life are shown mostly concerning Gaiti's family and people she meets as her life story proceeds. And Chinaman the other central character is our window to the foreign land and the voice of sense in Gaiti's life and the one who has to sacrifice because of the burden of life on his young shoulders. And his hesitance.
Is it possible to go to the depths of most of the characters in one book and still be able to express it truly and beautifully? Altaf Fatima does just that and this is one of the things makes Dastak na do so real. I might not have read much Urdu literature but plenty of poetry I have, both ghazal and nazm and have come to the conclusion that the range of expression in Urdu is simple extraordinary. Sadly today, we are butchering this beautiful language.
The story is quite overwhelming at the beginning (and this is not the first fifty pages. This is the first two hundred pages) and I found myself wondering what does the author intend to do with all these stray strands? Altaf Fatima weaves everything into a single rosary of pearls. Literally. You might think as I did, that how will the author be able to pull off an ending as good as the story the whole book was, but she does and it is the smoothest, simplest and most profound I have ever read!
There is no other way to put it, it's just beautiful. Everyone should read this story, it's not just a literary masterpiece, it's a compilation of life.
July 5, 2017
اچھی کتاب بھی کیا بُری شے ہے۔
یہ ادھار لیا ہوا جملہ ہے کیونکہ فی الحال میں اس کتاب کے ٹرانس میں ہوں اور کچھ موزوں سوجھ نہیں رہا۔ ایک شناسا نے صحیح کہا کہ الطاف فاطمہ کا نام اتنے مجرمانہ حد تک کیوں گمنام ہے۔ اس کی وجہ شاید یہ ہو کہ مذکورا ناول اپنے وقت سے بہت پہلے لکھ دیا گیا ہے۔ کہا جاتا ہے اردو میں اچھے ناولز کی کمی ہے۔ ۔ ۔ ہوگی، مگر کہنے والے نے 'دستک نہ دو' پڑھا ہوگا یا نہیں، یہ کہنا مشکل ہے۔
ایک بھرا پُرا خاندان، خاندان میں ایک امیر کبیر گھرانہ اور اس گھرانے کے گرد بُنا یہ جال۔ ۔ ۔ جس میں قاری پھنسے تو دل کرتا ہے رہائی نہ ہو۔
تمام کردار ہماری اپنی کمزوریوں کے عکاس۔ ۔ ۔ مرکزی کردار گیتی اور اماں بیگم تو یوں سمجھیں کہ ہر گھر میں پائے جاتے ہیں۔ اور جس فطری انداز سے کرداروں کی اٹھان کرکے انجام تک لایا گیا ہے وہ پڑھنے والے کا درِ دل وا نہ بھی کرے تو اس پر دستک ضرور دے گا۔
اور کہانی کی زبان۔ ۔ ۔ دلّی کی زبان کہتے ہیں سات نسلوں بعد جاکر نصیب ہوتی ہے۔ ۔ ۔ اس زبان کا پرتو ہلکا ہلکا اس کتاب میں ملتا ہے۔ اور اردو سے تو ہمیں ویسے بھی محبت ہے چہ جائیکہ اہل زبان کی اردو۔
قیام پاکستان سے پہلے کی اور خالصتاً دیسی منظر نگاری ۔ ۔ ۔ پہاڑ کا دامن۔ بڑی حویلی۔ اس کے گرد کنواں، اس میں چھپ چھپ چلتی مشین، ایک چھپر اور باغ۔ مولسری، ہار سنگھار، چمپا اور کمرخ کے پیڑ۔ بیلا، گلاب، چنبیلی کی بیلیں اور برکھا رُت۔ ایسے دل کش مناظر کہ چشمِ خیال مبہوت رہ جائے۔
آغاز میں مجھے لگا تھا کہ یہ ناول بہت طویل ہے۔ جب اختتام پر پہنچا تو ملال ہوا کہ ختم کیوں ہورہا ہے۔ اور طویل کیوں نہیں ہو سکتا تھا۔ ۔ ۔ ادب کے شوقین ہر قاری کو اسے خود پر لازم کرنا چاہیئے۔
یہ ادھار لیا ہوا جملہ ہے کیونکہ فی الحال میں اس کتاب کے ٹرانس میں ہوں اور کچھ موزوں سوجھ نہیں رہا۔ ایک شناسا نے صحیح کہا کہ الطاف فاطمہ کا نام اتنے مجرمانہ حد تک کیوں گمنام ہے۔ اس کی وجہ شاید یہ ہو کہ مذکورا ناول اپنے وقت سے بہت پہلے لکھ دیا گیا ہے۔ کہا جاتا ہے اردو میں اچھے ناولز کی کمی ہے۔ ۔ ۔ ہوگی، مگر کہنے والے نے 'دستک نہ دو' پڑھا ہوگا یا نہیں، یہ کہنا مشکل ہے۔
ایک بھرا پُرا خاندان، خاندان میں ایک امیر کبیر گھرانہ اور اس گھرانے کے گرد بُنا یہ جال۔ ۔ ۔ جس میں قاری پھنسے تو دل کرتا ہے رہائی نہ ہو۔
تمام کردار ہماری اپنی کمزوریوں کے عکاس۔ ۔ ۔ مرکزی کردار گیتی اور اماں بیگم تو یوں سمجھیں کہ ہر گھر میں پائے جاتے ہیں۔ اور جس فطری انداز سے کرداروں کی اٹھان کرکے انجام تک لایا گیا ہے وہ پڑھنے والے کا درِ دل وا نہ بھی کرے تو اس پر دستک ضرور دے گا۔
اور کہانی کی زبان۔ ۔ ۔ دلّی کی زبان کہتے ہیں سات نسلوں بعد جاکر نصیب ہوتی ہے۔ ۔ ۔ اس زبان کا پرتو ہلکا ہلکا اس کتاب میں ملتا ہے۔ اور اردو سے تو ہمیں ویسے بھی محبت ہے چہ جائیکہ اہل زبان کی اردو۔
قیام پاکستان سے پہلے کی اور خالصتاً دیسی منظر نگاری ۔ ۔ ۔ پہاڑ کا دامن۔ بڑی حویلی۔ اس کے گرد کنواں، اس میں چھپ چھپ چلتی مشین، ایک چھپر اور باغ۔ مولسری، ہار سنگھار، چمپا اور کمرخ کے پیڑ۔ بیلا، گلاب، چنبیلی کی بیلیں اور برکھا رُت۔ ایسے دل کش مناظر کہ چشمِ خیال مبہوت رہ جائے۔
آغاز میں مجھے لگا تھا کہ یہ ناول بہت طویل ہے۔ جب اختتام پر پہنچا تو ملال ہوا کہ ختم کیوں ہورہا ہے۔ اور طویل کیوں نہیں ہو سکتا تھا۔ ۔ ۔ ادب کے شوقین ہر قاری کو اسے خود پر لازم کرنا چاہیئے۔
July 4, 2023
At the outset and in early parts of this deeply poignant and moving novel there is certain magical wistfulness and nostalgia of childhood that reminded me immediately of To Kill a Mocking Bird. It is a fleeting impression but a heartwarming one. Later I learnt of Altaf Fatima's translation of Harper Lee's classic and could therefore imagine it having an impact on her - such complex and multifarious influences and inspirations eventually formulate any author's work. Whatever her other impressions and inspirations, her 1965 classic and bestseller Dastak Na Do is a distinctive and original work in Urdu at multiple levels.
The novel's foremost achievement to my mind is how it brilliantly explores alienation at multiple levels - not just race, religion, class and social position but also alienation because of being different from the mainstream and due to not abiding by societal modes of defining and controlling individuals. The most charming and memorable theme of the book is embedded in the characters of and relationship between Safdar Yasin Lao Cho - a young Chinese Muslim migrant worker settled in Hindustan - and Gaiti Ara Begum - a lively, effervescent and determined child of a privileged and refined Indian Muslim family.
Safdar works in leather and also peddles Chinese handicrafts from house to house on his bicycle, shouting Chinaman Chinaman (and hailed by young Gaiti as Chin Chin Chinaman). At the same time, he is a deeply sensitive, reflective and artistic young man with a philosophical bent. He finds in the child Gaiti's Chinese features nostalgia for home and in her open, friendly and mischievous manner an invitation for an innocent, playful relationship that transcends their many differences and divides. She, suffering from the exactitude of an over-disciplining and aloof mother, finds in him an indulgent, witty and interestingly different individual who provides entertainment and solace. As they grow older this unique human bond between two people of different age, ethnicity, class and nationality outlasts the turbulent years and consequent changes in their lives. Time and again she finds him to be a non judgmental listener, sympathetic supporter, and someone in whose presence she can unburden herself with her usual candor and irreverence. Safdar finds inspiration and comfort in Chinese art and philosophy, in particular the works of Lao Tzu - a significant underlying message of which is how the bond of humanity unites us all despite and beyond all divides.
At the same time, Dastak Na Do is a richly imagined and deeply sensitive study of close-knit and extended families of the first half of the 20th century, steeped in traditional UP culture and revolves around the themes of pressures of marriage, parental control of children's lives, the paucity of choices for young women of the time even in educated households, and cataclysmic larger events upending the lives and fortunes of people. Altaf Fatima wrote a fluid, idiomatic, aesthetic prose that is strong on dialogues carrying the flavor of the colloquial. Her characters are brilliantly drawn, especially the personality differences of Gaiti, her twin sister Arjumand, her older sister Saulat, her disciplinarian and worldly ambitious mother Amman Begum, and her handsome, refined, genial and kind father Abba Mian, as well as multiple other important characters. She strikes a great balance between the authorial narrative voice and those of her characters, to provide multiple vantage points to examine them. She deftly traces also how time and pressures change people, how relationships weaken, strengthen or take on new forms, and how events lie both within our control and far beyond - though it is hard to escape from the trajectories that we are launched on in crucial stages of our lives.
Young romance, unrequited love, compromise marriages, marriages thwarted by families, marriages to rise in the world, marriages of convenience, jealousies and resentments triggered by those spurned in love and marriage, appearances versus actual personalities, differing notions of beauty - these form the focal points of the novel, against the backdrop of an entire culture and civilization and its normative framework endeavoring to survive, even as the world surrounding it is changing. At times there is resonance also with Junichiro Tanizaki's similarly adroit tackling of such themes in his brilliant novel The Makioka Sisters.
Large and complex joint family systems and the largesse, support and hospitality they provided to the more destitute and vulnerable in the family and those associated with it in any way, even if the connection was remote, as well as a gallant and chivalrous old world etiquette of caring for others (Rakh Rakhao) is beautifully depicted. It epitomizes in particular in Gaiti's father's and grandmother's approach to the world. The novel also highlights a syncretic socio-cultural milieu where religion doesn't divide as much as it does later, but one that faces great tensions as the rupture of the country approaches. A significant additional theme of Dastak Na Do is the psychological and emotional strain faced by women when forced and pressured to make choices against their wills - it manifests very differently in the three sisters Gaiti, Arjumand and Saulat and ends up changing all of them as well their mother, who in her dotage regrets her single-minded endeavors to chart out and control their lives.
Gaiti feels progressively alienated from her family, even as she belatedly learns to forgive, sacrifice and come to the aid of those who alienated her. Safdar Yaseen misses home, toils to make a living and send money to his poor family, and feels alienated at multiple levels in his new abode. Art, literature and poetry are frequently their escapes in such low moments. I liked the fact that Gaiti's personality progression and journey through life was never seen or shown to be determined by a certain moral lesson or principle that the author wanted to assert. It appears realistic, natural and unpredictable - both triumphant and defeated, both wiser and unsure - as life itself usually is.
"Do not Knock. And access itself will come to you," is Lao Tzu's lesson that Safdar Yasin Lao Cho believes in and follows all his life. There is a deep sadness that permeates the books in the closing chapters. A sadness that stay with you as one can imagine multiple lives that were unfulfilled and unhappy because they were thwarted in various ways - by accidents of birth, social norms, hierarchies and suppression of individual will. But then as Lao Tzu also says and Safdar pays heed to: "The ascetic lives in the world in peace and happiness. To the ascetic all those who dwell in the world are inhabitants of the same habitation. The city of the heart. They are all his children."
The edition I have is a 1976 edition with a very bold script that makes reading even more pleasurable. Subsequent editions have been far from aesthetic. I am privileged also to have met Altaf Fatima a few times and my volume carries her signature and a word of prayer. The gentleness, dignity and sensitivity that characterized her as a person, permeates also her prose. This is one of the finest novels in the language. In Gaiti Ara & Safdar Yaseen Lao Cho we have two timeless characters in literature and Dastak Na Do remains a wonderful testament to the universal bond between all humans, no matter how outwardly different.
The novel's foremost achievement to my mind is how it brilliantly explores alienation at multiple levels - not just race, religion, class and social position but also alienation because of being different from the mainstream and due to not abiding by societal modes of defining and controlling individuals. The most charming and memorable theme of the book is embedded in the characters of and relationship between Safdar Yasin Lao Cho - a young Chinese Muslim migrant worker settled in Hindustan - and Gaiti Ara Begum - a lively, effervescent and determined child of a privileged and refined Indian Muslim family.
Safdar works in leather and also peddles Chinese handicrafts from house to house on his bicycle, shouting Chinaman Chinaman (and hailed by young Gaiti as Chin Chin Chinaman). At the same time, he is a deeply sensitive, reflective and artistic young man with a philosophical bent. He finds in the child Gaiti's Chinese features nostalgia for home and in her open, friendly and mischievous manner an invitation for an innocent, playful relationship that transcends their many differences and divides. She, suffering from the exactitude of an over-disciplining and aloof mother, finds in him an indulgent, witty and interestingly different individual who provides entertainment and solace. As they grow older this unique human bond between two people of different age, ethnicity, class and nationality outlasts the turbulent years and consequent changes in their lives. Time and again she finds him to be a non judgmental listener, sympathetic supporter, and someone in whose presence she can unburden herself with her usual candor and irreverence. Safdar finds inspiration and comfort in Chinese art and philosophy, in particular the works of Lao Tzu - a significant underlying message of which is how the bond of humanity unites us all despite and beyond all divides.
At the same time, Dastak Na Do is a richly imagined and deeply sensitive study of close-knit and extended families of the first half of the 20th century, steeped in traditional UP culture and revolves around the themes of pressures of marriage, parental control of children's lives, the paucity of choices for young women of the time even in educated households, and cataclysmic larger events upending the lives and fortunes of people. Altaf Fatima wrote a fluid, idiomatic, aesthetic prose that is strong on dialogues carrying the flavor of the colloquial. Her characters are brilliantly drawn, especially the personality differences of Gaiti, her twin sister Arjumand, her older sister Saulat, her disciplinarian and worldly ambitious mother Amman Begum, and her handsome, refined, genial and kind father Abba Mian, as well as multiple other important characters. She strikes a great balance between the authorial narrative voice and those of her characters, to provide multiple vantage points to examine them. She deftly traces also how time and pressures change people, how relationships weaken, strengthen or take on new forms, and how events lie both within our control and far beyond - though it is hard to escape from the trajectories that we are launched on in crucial stages of our lives.
Young romance, unrequited love, compromise marriages, marriages thwarted by families, marriages to rise in the world, marriages of convenience, jealousies and resentments triggered by those spurned in love and marriage, appearances versus actual personalities, differing notions of beauty - these form the focal points of the novel, against the backdrop of an entire culture and civilization and its normative framework endeavoring to survive, even as the world surrounding it is changing. At times there is resonance also with Junichiro Tanizaki's similarly adroit tackling of such themes in his brilliant novel The Makioka Sisters.
Large and complex joint family systems and the largesse, support and hospitality they provided to the more destitute and vulnerable in the family and those associated with it in any way, even if the connection was remote, as well as a gallant and chivalrous old world etiquette of caring for others (Rakh Rakhao) is beautifully depicted. It epitomizes in particular in Gaiti's father's and grandmother's approach to the world. The novel also highlights a syncretic socio-cultural milieu where religion doesn't divide as much as it does later, but one that faces great tensions as the rupture of the country approaches. A significant additional theme of Dastak Na Do is the psychological and emotional strain faced by women when forced and pressured to make choices against their wills - it manifests very differently in the three sisters Gaiti, Arjumand and Saulat and ends up changing all of them as well their mother, who in her dotage regrets her single-minded endeavors to chart out and control their lives.
Gaiti feels progressively alienated from her family, even as she belatedly learns to forgive, sacrifice and come to the aid of those who alienated her. Safdar Yaseen misses home, toils to make a living and send money to his poor family, and feels alienated at multiple levels in his new abode. Art, literature and poetry are frequently their escapes in such low moments. I liked the fact that Gaiti's personality progression and journey through life was never seen or shown to be determined by a certain moral lesson or principle that the author wanted to assert. It appears realistic, natural and unpredictable - both triumphant and defeated, both wiser and unsure - as life itself usually is.
"Do not Knock. And access itself will come to you," is Lao Tzu's lesson that Safdar Yasin Lao Cho believes in and follows all his life. There is a deep sadness that permeates the books in the closing chapters. A sadness that stay with you as one can imagine multiple lives that were unfulfilled and unhappy because they were thwarted in various ways - by accidents of birth, social norms, hierarchies and suppression of individual will. But then as Lao Tzu also says and Safdar pays heed to: "The ascetic lives in the world in peace and happiness. To the ascetic all those who dwell in the world are inhabitants of the same habitation. The city of the heart. They are all his children."
The edition I have is a 1976 edition with a very bold script that makes reading even more pleasurable. Subsequent editions have been far from aesthetic. I am privileged also to have met Altaf Fatima a few times and my volume carries her signature and a word of prayer. The gentleness, dignity and sensitivity that characterized her as a person, permeates also her prose. This is one of the finest novels in the language. In Gaiti Ara & Safdar Yaseen Lao Cho we have two timeless characters in literature and Dastak Na Do remains a wonderful testament to the universal bond between all humans, no matter how outwardly different.
May 26, 2018
"انسان کسی پتھر کا جامد ٹکڑا تو نہیں کہ بدلے ہی نہیں۔"
Dastak Na Dou was my first ever Urdu novel and I'm so deeply moved by it.
The story centres around Geeti, a Muslim girl belonging to an upper class family in the Indian Sub-Continent. The best part about this book, however, is that Geeti, despite being the main character, is not the only significant one. Each and every character in this book is unique and important. It was fascinating to read about so many different people.
I will call this book a journey, considering that I took 4 months to finish it (I had a huge break in between due to exams) but when I was finally nearing the end, I realized I didn't want to finish it. There were instances throughout the book that made me laugh, and instances that made me cry. It's a wonderful outlook on life before and after the Independence (1947) and on family, love and relationships.
My favourite aspect is Geeti's and Safdar's (China Man) friendship; it was beautiful!
Moving on to the ending, I am not sure how I feel about it. It made me cry, that's definite. It was also totally unexpected (expectations lead to disappointments, never expect too much!) I am not saying that it was a bad ending,I just didn't like it.
This is why:
I was never one for Urdu books, but after reading Dastak Na Dou, I realized how beautiful Urdu actually is.
Dastak Na Dou was my first ever Urdu novel and I'm so deeply moved by it.
The story centres around Geeti, a Muslim girl belonging to an upper class family in the Indian Sub-Continent. The best part about this book, however, is that Geeti, despite being the main character, is not the only significant one. Each and every character in this book is unique and important. It was fascinating to read about so many different people.
I will call this book a journey, considering that I took 4 months to finish it (I had a huge break in between due to exams) but when I was finally nearing the end, I realized I didn't want to finish it. There were instances throughout the book that made me laugh, and instances that made me cry. It's a wonderful outlook on life before and after the Independence (1947) and on family, love and relationships.
My favourite aspect is Geeti's and Safdar's (China Man) friendship; it was beautiful!
Moving on to the ending, I am not sure how I feel about it. It made me cry, that's definite. It was also totally unexpected (expectations lead to disappointments, never expect too much!) I am not saying that it was a bad ending,I just didn't like it.
This is why:
I was never one for Urdu books, but after reading Dastak Na Dou, I realized how beautiful Urdu actually is.
January 31, 2017
پتہ نہیں الطاف فاطمہ کا نام اردو ادب میں اتنے مجرمانہ حد تک گمنام کیوں ہے ..
پہاڑ کے دامن میں واقع سرکاری بنگلے میں رہنے والے خاندان کی کہانی . خاندان کا ہر فرد منفرد عادات کا حامل .ہر کردار کی خوبصورت کردار نگاری جو رفتہ رفتہ نئے رموز آشکار کرتی ہے .
چائنا مین صفدر یاسین جیسا معصوم اور حوادث کی بھٹی میں کندن بنا کردار ، جو روزمرہ کی استمعال کی اشیاء کی قیمت پر بحث کرتے کرتے لاؤتزے کا فلسفہ سمجھانے لگتاہے . مزاحیہ شکلیں بنا کر محظوظ کرنے والا صفدر یٰسین وقت آنے پر زندگی گزرنے کے طور طریقے بتایا کرتا ہے ... گیتی آرا جیسا باغی اور مہم جو کردار. دل میں کچھ نہ رکھنے والی . اسی وجہ سے اماں بیگم کے عتاب کا شکار جو بجاۓ سدھرنے مزید بگڑ جاتی ہے اپنی جڑواں بہن سے عادات میں بلکل الٹ . زندگی کو بغیر کسی روک ٹوک اور معاشرے کے لگاۓ قیود سے ماورا جینا چاہتیہے . اماں بیگم جیسی ضدی اور مال و دولت کو ہر چیز کی کسوٹی قرار دینے والی عورت .انکے رشتہ دار جو ان کی طرح امیر نہیں .
تقسیم ہند اور دوسری جنگ عظیم کے زمانے کی لکھنو میں پروان چڑھتی کہانی جس پر ان حالات کا گہرا اثر ہوتا ہے . کہانی عشق و محبت کے راستے میں رکاوٹ بننے والے زات پات اور مال و دولت کی کشمکش کے گرد گھومتی ہے . عورتوں کا کردار کافی مضبوط دکھایا گیا ہے اور ناول کے زیادہ تر حصّے پر حاوی ہیں . .
چینی ادب کی چھاپ اور صفدر کی صورت میں چینی کردار ہندوستان کے ساتھ ساتھ چین میں اس وقت کے نیچلے اور درمیانے طبقے کے حالات زندگی پر بھی رشنی ڈالتی تحریر . سرحدوں سے ماورا منحت کش طبقے کے مسائل اور کیسے وہ مسائل بچوں سے ان کا بچپن چھین لیتا ہے ..
اردو ادب کے کسی بھی قاری کو یہ کتاب پسند آ جائے گی
پہاڑ کے دامن میں واقع سرکاری بنگلے میں رہنے والے خاندان کی کہانی . خاندان کا ہر فرد منفرد عادات کا حامل .ہر کردار کی خوبصورت کردار نگاری جو رفتہ رفتہ نئے رموز آشکار کرتی ہے .
چائنا مین صفدر یاسین جیسا معصوم اور حوادث کی بھٹی میں کندن بنا کردار ، جو روزمرہ کی استمعال کی اشیاء کی قیمت پر بحث کرتے کرتے لاؤتزے کا فلسفہ سمجھانے لگتاہے . مزاحیہ شکلیں بنا کر محظوظ کرنے والا صفدر یٰسین وقت آنے پر زندگی گزرنے کے طور طریقے بتایا کرتا ہے ... گیتی آرا جیسا باغی اور مہم جو کردار. دل میں کچھ نہ رکھنے والی . اسی وجہ سے اماں بیگم کے عتاب کا شکار جو بجاۓ سدھرنے مزید بگڑ جاتی ہے اپنی جڑواں بہن سے عادات میں بلکل الٹ . زندگی کو بغیر کسی روک ٹوک اور معاشرے کے لگاۓ قیود سے ماورا جینا چاہتیہے . اماں بیگم جیسی ضدی اور مال و دولت کو ہر چیز کی کسوٹی قرار دینے والی عورت .انکے رشتہ دار جو ان کی طرح امیر نہیں .
تقسیم ہند اور دوسری جنگ عظیم کے زمانے کی لکھنو میں پروان چڑھتی کہانی جس پر ان حالات کا گہرا اثر ہوتا ہے . کہانی عشق و محبت کے راستے میں رکاوٹ بننے والے زات پات اور مال و دولت کی کشمکش کے گرد گھومتی ہے . عورتوں کا کردار کافی مضبوط دکھایا گیا ہے اور ناول کے زیادہ تر حصّے پر حاوی ہیں . .
چینی ادب کی چھاپ اور صفدر کی صورت میں چینی کردار ہندوستان کے ساتھ ساتھ چین میں اس وقت کے نیچلے اور درمیانے طبقے کے حالات زندگی پر بھی رشنی ڈالتی تحریر . سرحدوں سے ماورا منحت کش طبقے کے مسائل اور کیسے وہ مسائل بچوں سے ان کا بچپن چھین لیتا ہے ..
اردو ادب کے کسی بھی قاری کو یہ کتاب پسند آ جائے گی
June 20, 2014
This is definitely my favourite Urdu book.
It transports you to an absolutely different time and walks you through it, step by step. Gaiti Araa is an inspiration.
Brilliantly written. Excellent story-telling.
I recommend it to anyone who knows Urdu language. This one is a must-read for sure.
It transports you to an absolutely different time and walks you through it, step by step. Gaiti Araa is an inspiration.
Brilliantly written. Excellent story-telling.
I recommend it to anyone who knows Urdu language. This one is a must-read for sure.
May 4, 2016
My first book of Altaf Fatima ...
When I started it I get bored even only at the first 2,3 pages but I continue hoping it might turn out interesting. And in the middle of the book, I realized that I wasn't reading but I was actually sitting at the end of the corridor of the Mughal family in 1940s India while the family was walking through their lives infront of my eyes. I caught myself smiling at naughty brat Giti as she was fighting with the other kids.
I wonder what magic altaf Fatima's pen holds! the words took me with itself and I wanted to read again and again. The beauty of the words and I read this book for atleast 3, 4 times.
It felt like as if every character is whispering me their story.
The concern about social staus and wealth of the ignorant mother and elegant eldest daughter and the rebel nature of giti always takes it to the peak. The silent china-man, ofcourse this, is the type character that simply touches the reader.
We all are humans, no matter what but at the end, we all want to dance with love. Human nature and social behavior so sublimely discussed. Indeed, this is the charm of Altaf Fatima to bring everything and yet make it striking Every word, every chapter will make you captive, such a profound novel it is!
. "You know what this hand says", he asked that little girl "Do not knock and the door shall be opened for you." Taking the odd answer in her wondering head she ran toward her mother.
May 20, 2016
I read Dastak na do for O-Levels Urdu (well for the first time. :P). It is a great story. The character of Safdar Yaseen is very interesting. It is a deep, pre-partition novel which depicts our society and culture very well. It takes you back in time and makes you journey with the characters to see how their lives change. Its a must read. I loved it. Beautiful work by Altaf Fatima.
July 2, 2020
This book is an interesting read. It was nice to read about female characters in the setting of a pre-partition India. Perhaps something got lost in translation though. I could sense that some of the prose would have been more poetic in the native language, having read something similar in Tamil. The translator seems to have done a good job, but there is always something lost in translation.
One of the main problems I had with the book was that we are given very obvious cues about how to feel about the characters and this is often repeated multiple times. The characters were generally very organic and real and these cues felt misplaced. How the attitudes of characters towards each other changes was also spelled out. I wanted the book to show and not tell these things. This may have to do with when the book was written. Based on few other Indian books I've read that were written at this time, this type of writing seems to have been the norm. Altaf Fatima does manage to imbue some complexity to the characters, even though most of it felt unexplored.
The pacing of the book is also a little inconsistent. We often switch through 3-4 narrative perspectives in as many pages. This does manage to make every character important, even though there is a clear protagonist through the book. The plot is also fairly engaging. When I was halfway through the book I happened to read the back of the book and I noticed that there was something about the struggles of partition. I expected this to take up more space than it did. It was disappointing that this took up so little space and that the transformations that accompany this were given a short shrift. Once again, we are just told what had happened and there is no exploration.
Overall this book was an enjoyable read that may have been more engaging when read in the language it was written in.
One of the main problems I had with the book was that we are given very obvious cues about how to feel about the characters and this is often repeated multiple times. The characters were generally very organic and real and these cues felt misplaced. How the attitudes of characters towards each other changes was also spelled out. I wanted the book to show and not tell these things. This may have to do with when the book was written. Based on few other Indian books I've read that were written at this time, this type of writing seems to have been the norm. Altaf Fatima does manage to imbue some complexity to the characters, even though most of it felt unexplored.
The pacing of the book is also a little inconsistent. We often switch through 3-4 narrative perspectives in as many pages. This does manage to make every character important, even though there is a clear protagonist through the book. The plot is also fairly engaging. When I was halfway through the book I happened to read the back of the book and I noticed that there was something about the struggles of partition. I expected this to take up more space than it did. It was disappointing that this took up so little space and that the transformations that accompany this were given a short shrift. Once again, we are just told what had happened and there is no exploration.
Overall this book was an enjoyable read that may have been more engaging when read in the language it was written in.
August 12, 2022
میری ماں کتنی خُوش ہو گی‘ جب وُہ دیکھے گی کہ اُس کا بیٹا صحیح سالم گھر واپس آ گیا یے۔ لیکن کیا یہ حقیقت ہے کہ مَیں صحیح سالم واپس جا رہا ہُوں“
دستک نہ دو، الطاف فاطمہ
دستک نہ دو، الطاف فاطمہ
December 3, 2025
اردو ادب کا دامن بہت سی نادر و نایاب کتب سے مالامال ہے مگر وقت کی ستم ظریفی دیکھیے کہ یہ نادر و نایاب اور آفاقیت کی حامل کتب اب کس قدر کمیاب ہیں۔ ناقدری کی اس سے بڑی مثال کیا ہوگی کہ وہ کتب جنہیں ہر کتب خانے اور بک شیلف کی زینت ہونا چاہیے وہ آؤٹ آف پرنٹ ہیں اور جنہیں آؤٹ آف پرنٹ ہونا چاہیے وہ ہر کتب خانے کی زینت بنی ہوئی ہیں۔ خیر قصہ مختصر، انہی ستم رسیدہ کتب میں سے ایک "دستک نہ دو" کو میں نے حال ہی میں پڑھا ہے اور بہت عرصے بعد اس قدر بہترین کتاب پڑھ کر طبیعت خوش ہو گئی ہے۔
الطاف فاطمہ کا ناول "دستک نہ دو" اردو ادب کے ان بہترین ناولوں میں شمار ہوتا ہے جو انسانی جذبات، سماجی اقدار اور بدلتے ہوئے معاشرتی رویّوں کو نہایت باریک بینی اور فطری انداز میں پیش کرتے ہیں۔ اس ناول کی سب سے بڑی خوبی یہ ہے کہ اس میں زندگی کو اُس کی اصل شدت اور سادگی کے ساتھ بالکل فطری انداز میں دکھایا گیا ہے، نہ جذباتی انتہا پسندی، نہ تصنّع، بلکہ خالص انسانی احساسات کو بہت فطری پیرائے میں بیان کیا گیا ہے۔ ناول کا مرکزی موضوع محبت، تنہائی اور بچھڑنے کے کرب کو بیان کرتا ہے مگر اس میں سماجی دباؤ، خاندانی ذمہ داریاں اور خود شناسی کی پرتیں بھی اہم ہیں۔ الطاف فاطمہ صرف ایک رومانوی داستان بیان نہیں کرتیں بلکہ وہ سماجی روایات، طبقاتی فرق، اور عورت کی داخلی دنیا کا بھی گہرا مشاہدہ پیش کرتی ہیں۔ یہ ناول احساس دلاتا ہے کہ انسان کی زندگی میں آنے والی محبت اور تعلق کی "دستک" کو پہچاننا اور قبول کرنا بھی ایک فن ہے اور اکثر انسان یہ فیصلہ وقت پر نہیں کر پاتا اور پھر باقی زندگی ملال اور پچھتاوے کا شکار رہتا ہے۔
الطاف فاطمہ کا اسلوب انتہائی شستہ، شگفتہ اور ادبی جمالیات سے بھرپور ہے۔ ان کی نثر سوز اور لطافت کا حسین امتزاج ہے۔ روزمرہ اور محاورات کی ادبی چاشنی سے بھرپور، سلاست و روانی کا امتزاج لیے خوبصورت نثر کہانی کا مزہ دوبالا کر دیتی ہے۔ ناول کی نثر نہ صرف خوبصورت ہے بلکہ فکر انگیز بھی ہے۔ منظر نگاری ایسی ہے کہ قاری خود کو کرداروں کے قریب محسوس کرنے لگتا ہے اور کسی کسی کردار میں تو اپنی جھلک بھی نظر آتی ہے۔ یہ وہ کہانی ہے جسے پڑھ کر قاری خود اپنے احساسات اور محرومیوں کا سامنا کرنے لگتا ہے۔ یہ ناول دراصل انسان کی اندرونی خود کلامی کا سفر ہے۔ مصنفہ نے عورت کی داخلی دنیا کو جس نفسیاتی گہرائی سے بیان کیا ہے، وہ اردو فکشن میں کم نظر آتی ہے۔ یہ ناول پڑھنے کے بعد انسان دیر تک اس کی اداسی اور گہرائی میں ڈوبا رہتا ہے۔ یہ دل کو چھوتا ہے، تکلیف دیتا ہے، مگر آخر میں قاری کے لیے سوچوں کے کئی در وا کر دیتا ہے۔
یہ فکری طور پر گہرا اور پختہ ناول ہے جو رومان، انسانی نفسیات، معاشرت اور انسانی رشتوں کی پیچیدگیوں کو نہایت خوبصورتی سے بیان کرتا ہے۔اس ناول کی سب سے بڑی خوبی اس کا اسلوب اور کرداروں کی نفسیاتی گہرائی ہے۔ یوں تو مجھے اس ناول کے سبھی کردار پسند ہیں کیونکہ سب اپنی جگہ بہترین ہیں بالکل انگوٹھی میں نگینے کی طرح فٹ، مگر مرکزی کردار "گیتی آرا اور صفدر " میرے پسندیدہ ترین ہیں۔ مصنفہ نے گیتی کا کردار بہت خوبصورتی سے لکھا ہے۔ اس کردار کی کیریکٹر ڈویلپمنٹ بہت زبردست ہے۔ ایک من موجی، غیر سنجیدہ، منہ پھٹ اور غیر ذمہ دار لڑکی سے حوادثِ زمانہ نے اسے ایک سنجیدہ, متین، ذمہ دار اور بردبار لڑکی کے روپ میں ایسا ڈھالا کہ تقسیم کے بعد گھر بدر ہو کر گیتی نے جس طرح خود کو اور اپنی بوڑھی ماں کو سنبھالا، پڑھنے والا متاثر ہوئے بغیر نہیں رہ سکتا۔
یہ ناول قاری کے سامنے یہ سوال چھوڑتا ہے کہ کیا معاشرتی اقدار اور روایات ہمیں اپنی خواہشات سے نفرت یا فاصلہ پیدا کرنے پر مجبور کرتے ہیں؟ یہ ناول قارئین کو سوچنے، محسوس کرنے اور ایک گہرائی سے زندگی کے مختلف مرحلوں پر بطور انسان اور بطور معاشرہ اپنا جائزہ لینے پر مجبور کرتا ہے ۔
الطاف فاطمہ کا ناول "دستک نہ دو" اردو ادب کے ان بہترین ناولوں میں شمار ہوتا ہے جو انسانی جذبات، سماجی اقدار اور بدلتے ہوئے معاشرتی رویّوں کو نہایت باریک بینی اور فطری انداز میں پیش کرتے ہیں۔ اس ناول کی سب سے بڑی خوبی یہ ہے کہ اس میں زندگی کو اُس کی اصل شدت اور سادگی کے ساتھ بالکل فطری انداز میں دکھایا گیا ہے، نہ جذباتی انتہا پسندی، نہ تصنّع، بلکہ خالص انسانی احساسات کو بہت فطری پیرائے میں بیان کیا گیا ہے۔ ناول کا مرکزی موضوع محبت، تنہائی اور بچھڑنے کے کرب کو بیان کرتا ہے مگر اس میں سماجی دباؤ، خاندانی ذمہ داریاں اور خود شناسی کی پرتیں بھی اہم ہیں۔ الطاف فاطمہ صرف ایک رومانوی داستان بیان نہیں کرتیں بلکہ وہ سماجی روایات، طبقاتی فرق، اور عورت کی داخلی دنیا کا بھی گہرا مشاہدہ پیش کرتی ہیں۔ یہ ناول احساس دلاتا ہے کہ انسان کی زندگی میں آنے والی محبت اور تعلق کی "دستک" کو پہچاننا اور قبول کرنا بھی ایک فن ہے اور اکثر انسان یہ فیصلہ وقت پر نہیں کر پاتا اور پھر باقی زندگی ملال اور پچھتاوے کا شکار رہتا ہے۔
الطاف فاطمہ کا اسلوب انتہائی شستہ، شگفتہ اور ادبی جمالیات سے بھرپور ہے۔ ان کی نثر سوز اور لطافت کا حسین امتزاج ہے۔ روزمرہ اور محاورات کی ادبی چاشنی سے بھرپور، سلاست و روانی کا امتزاج لیے خوبصورت نثر کہانی کا مزہ دوبالا کر دیتی ہے۔ ناول کی نثر نہ صرف خوبصورت ہے بلکہ فکر انگیز بھی ہے۔ منظر نگاری ایسی ہے کہ قاری خود کو کرداروں کے قریب محسوس کرنے لگتا ہے اور کسی کسی کردار میں تو اپنی جھلک بھی نظر آتی ہے۔ یہ وہ کہانی ہے جسے پڑھ کر قاری خود اپنے احساسات اور محرومیوں کا سامنا کرنے لگتا ہے۔ یہ ناول دراصل انسان کی اندرونی خود کلامی کا سفر ہے۔ مصنفہ نے عورت کی داخلی دنیا کو جس نفسیاتی گہرائی سے بیان کیا ہے، وہ اردو فکشن میں کم نظر آتی ہے۔ یہ ناول پڑھنے کے بعد انسان دیر تک اس کی اداسی اور گہرائی میں ڈوبا رہتا ہے۔ یہ دل کو چھوتا ہے، تکلیف دیتا ہے، مگر آخر میں قاری کے لیے سوچوں کے کئی در وا کر دیتا ہے۔
یہ فکری طور پر گہرا اور پختہ ناول ہے جو رومان، انسانی نفسیات، معاشرت اور انسانی رشتوں کی پیچیدگیوں کو نہایت خوبصورتی سے بیان کرتا ہے۔اس ناول کی سب سے بڑی خوبی اس کا اسلوب اور کرداروں کی نفسیاتی گہرائی ہے۔ یوں تو مجھے اس ناول کے سبھی کردار پسند ہیں کیونکہ سب اپنی جگہ بہترین ہیں بالکل انگوٹھی میں نگینے کی طرح فٹ، مگر مرکزی کردار "گیتی آرا اور صفدر " میرے پسندیدہ ترین ہیں۔ مصنفہ نے گیتی کا کردار بہت خوبصورتی سے لکھا ہے۔ اس کردار کی کیریکٹر ڈویلپمنٹ بہت زبردست ہے۔ ایک من موجی، غیر سنجیدہ، منہ پھٹ اور غیر ذمہ دار لڑکی سے حوادثِ زمانہ نے اسے ایک سنجیدہ, متین، ذمہ دار اور بردبار لڑکی کے روپ میں ایسا ڈھالا کہ تقسیم کے بعد گھر بدر ہو کر گیتی نے جس طرح خود کو اور اپنی بوڑھی ماں کو سنبھالا، پڑھنے والا متاثر ہوئے بغیر نہیں رہ سکتا۔
یہ ناول قاری کے سامنے یہ سوال چھوڑتا ہے کہ کیا معاشرتی اقدار اور روایات ہمیں اپنی خواہشات سے نفرت یا فاصلہ پیدا کرنے پر مجبور کرتے ہیں؟ یہ ناول قارئین کو سوچنے، محسوس کرنے اور ایک گہرائی سے زندگی کے مختلف مرحلوں پر بطور انسان اور بطور معاشرہ اپنا جائزہ لینے پر مجبور کرتا ہے ۔
January 3, 2016
Dastak Na Do, a wonderful novel which portrayed women as strong characters. It shows that women has great ability to not only make right decisions for themselves but can also deal in difficult circumstances with great courage and strength.
Also, it's shows that true love is not about achieving someone, it's just about loving n caring someone without any demands n conditions. That's how Safdar, who belong to China, loves a Pakistani girl, Gheeti.
In short, I really enjoyed while reading it.
Also, it's shows that true love is not about achieving someone, it's just about loving n caring someone without any demands n conditions. That's how Safdar, who belong to China, loves a Pakistani girl, Gheeti.
In short, I really enjoyed while reading it.
October 20, 2013
Dastak Na Do's original charm in Urdu cannot be translated and that is why English translation may not be able to impress the reader who cannot read Urdu.
But Rukhsana Ahmad has done a great effort that manages to retain some of the magic in English.
I think this is the closest one can get for a novel like Dastak Na Do.
But Rukhsana Ahmad has done a great effort that manages to retain some of the magic in English.
I think this is the closest one can get for a novel like Dastak Na Do.
April 26, 2021
HIGHLY RECOMMEND. The story is about girl named Gaity, who bold, rebellious and different from her family. Her life changes with every bold decision she takes however, the unfortunate incident of 1947 partition completely changes her attitude towards life. The story is wholesome and rich in culture, humor and sadness.
May 16, 2017
This is one of the few Urdu books that has a female protagonist and what sets this apart from others is that Gethy is 100% relatable! A person reading it in 2017 would still relate to her & she sets one bloody good example for us girls. Definitely recommend this to all girls, Urdu-speaking or not.
August 8, 2017
apart from a Chinese character (china man) this is quiet a simple family saga based in Muslim India with a strong imprints of Quratul Ain Haider all over it
July 13, 2020
This was a TRULY great read!!
Loved it and enjoyed it beyond describing😍😍
I was really missing this kind of pure Urdu without English words in between!
Loved it and enjoyed it beyond describing😍😍
I was really missing this kind of pure Urdu without English words in between!
December 2, 2022
Very good book. I read it in late 80s but missed the end.
January 23, 2023
Absolutely loved this book. Still cannot believe that it was written in the pre-partition era. Geeti is one of the few protagonists with whom I feel related to a lot
September 29, 2024
This is the first book by Altaf Fatima that I read, and I regret that I bought this excellent book from a scrap dealer for just 50 rupees.
Writers like Altaf Fatima are unable to catch the attention of new readers today because they haven't received sufficient recognition in the literary world.
Regarding the book review, its only drawback is its difficulty in relating to the current time period. However, one aspect that remains relevant even after 100 years is the struggle for women's empowerment and autonomy, which is the central theme of this story. It revolves around how every character fights internal and external battles for freedom. While the country achieves independence, which is a significant change, the question remains whether every woman has gained complete control over her life.
Writers like Altaf Fatima are unable to catch the attention of new readers today because they haven't received sufficient recognition in the literary world.
Regarding the book review, its only drawback is its difficulty in relating to the current time period. However, one aspect that remains relevant even after 100 years is the struggle for women's empowerment and autonomy, which is the central theme of this story. It revolves around how every character fights internal and external battles for freedom. While the country achieves independence, which is a significant change, the question remains whether every woman has gained complete control over her life.
February 8, 2023
started off very slow and to be honest I was thinking of not finishing it at all. But someone had kindof challenged me to finish it and I am so glad I did. Looking back at it now, the reason this novel was harder to read is because we have become adapted to the fast paced modern Urdu literature. But the absolutely beautiful language and setting of the pre partition India was like a breath of fresh air. Although the plot is simple and predictable at times, the characters and their apt descriptions has made this book so dear to me. I loved that this book was not centered around one or two protaganists rather, it depicted the lives of the side character and how the actions of the main characters affect them.
With a sigh, I bid farewell to the world of Geeti Ara and her family.
With a sigh, I bid farewell to the world of Geeti Ara and her family.
November 30, 2017
Truly an exceptional novel...Just love it...No doubt it is one of the best novels in Urdu literature...And definitely my favorite..Have read it about 17 times but still love to read it off and on..
The characters of Geti and China-man(Liu Chu) are just beyond words.
P.S this novel is simply LOVE and a MUST READ <3
The characters of Geti and China-man(Liu Chu) are just beyond words.
P.S this novel is simply LOVE and a MUST READ <3
August 24, 2018
The book is indeed pheonmenal in its genre.Absolutely in love with its imagery character development and plot. A pure classic,unveiling its story,as you are listening to a well rhymed poem.❤
Must read for a classical lover and of course who are interested to explore what is missing in current era's writings.
Must read for a classical lover and of course who are interested to explore what is missing in current era's writings.
December 9, 2018
Translated from Urdu, I would describe this book as "Pakistani Pride and Prejudice". It follows one particular family, their relationships and marital woes. The main protagonist is particularly endearing. What made this novel of particular interest is the contrast in the family's life from before and after the partitioning of Pakistan.
November 13, 2021
Good story, but the narrative drags on for too long.
August 31, 2023
Brilliant writing.
January 20, 2014
They say that translations don't do justice to the actual work. But Rukhsana Ahmad has done a truly commendable job in translating this novel. With a very apt title which is justified time and again in the the novel, 'The One Who Did Not Ask / Dastak na do' is primarily describing the dynamics of an upper caste Muslim family from pre-partition India. The writing style of Altaf Fatima (original author) is novel and distinct.
The story revolves around a stobborn, carless girl - Gayathi who is not willing to conform to the social standards. Fatima takes us through a range of emotional experiences embedded in the social customs and traditions of a wealthy family. This is also a story full of contrasts - in terms of social status, wealth, power, thinking, love and expression.
The story goes slow and microscopic in the first half and picks up pace thereafter. The last few pages can be described as flashes of events. A Chinese boy 'Liu Chiu' expresses Fatima's thoughts like a narrator although being very external to Gayathi's story. Fatima has introduced her literary gem very subtly but in the most apt setting.
The story revolves around a stobborn, carless girl - Gayathi who is not willing to conform to the social standards. Fatima takes us through a range of emotional experiences embedded in the social customs and traditions of a wealthy family. This is also a story full of contrasts - in terms of social status, wealth, power, thinking, love and expression.
The story goes slow and microscopic in the first half and picks up pace thereafter. The last few pages can be described as flashes of events. A Chinese boy 'Liu Chiu' expresses Fatima's thoughts like a narrator although being very external to Gayathi's story. Fatima has introduced her literary gem very subtly but in the most apt setting.
September 1, 2025
مجھے اپنے نوشتۂ تقدیر کو
بہر نوع برداشت کرنا چاہیے۔
بُغض و عناد سے شکستہ دلِ بیمار کی ساری رنجُوریاں
بالآخر سکون پذیر ہو ہی جاتی ہیں۔
موت، کلفتیں اور اُن کا مداوا بھی
اپنے اپنے وقت ہی سے آتے ہیں۔
"تمہیں معلوم ہے جس چیز میں ہماری رائے اور مرضی کو دخل نہ ہو وہ نوشتۂ تقدیر کہلاتی ہے۔"
میرے خیال میں اگر آپ نے الطاف فاطمہ کو نہیں پڑھا تو آپ کا اردو ادب کا مطالعہ ادھورا ہے۔ "دستک نہ دو" یہ میرے پسندیدہ ترین ناولوں میں سے ایک ہے❤️ اسے پڑھنا ایک عہد، ایک مکمل کیفیت سے گزرنے جیسا تجربہ ہے۔ اس ناول کا سادہ اسلوب قاری کو آہستہ آہستہ اپنی گرفت میں لیتا ہے۔ نثر اتنی سادہ، خوبصورت اور پرلطف ہے کہ پڑھنے والا بھی ناسٹلجیا اور اداسی کا شکار ہو جاتا ہے۔ اختتام تو ویسے ہی دکھی کر دیتا ہے۔ اگر ابھی تک یہ نہیں پڑھا تو ضرور پڑھیں۔ مجھے یہ اس قدر پسند ہے کہ میں بیان نہیں کر سکتی۔
"چن چن چائنا مین!"🥹❤️🩹❤️🩹
بہر نوع برداشت کرنا چاہیے۔
بُغض و عناد سے شکستہ دلِ بیمار کی ساری رنجُوریاں
بالآخر سکون پذیر ہو ہی جاتی ہیں۔
موت، کلفتیں اور اُن کا مداوا بھی
اپنے اپنے وقت ہی سے آتے ہیں۔
"تمہیں معلوم ہے جس چیز میں ہماری رائے اور مرضی کو دخل نہ ہو وہ نوشتۂ تقدیر کہلاتی ہے۔"
میرے خیال میں اگر آپ نے الطاف فاطمہ کو نہیں پڑھا تو آپ کا اردو ادب کا مطالعہ ادھورا ہے۔ "دستک نہ دو" یہ میرے پسندیدہ ترین ناولوں میں سے ایک ہے❤️ اسے پڑھنا ایک عہد، ایک مکمل کیفیت سے گزرنے جیسا تجربہ ہے۔ اس ناول کا سادہ اسلوب قاری کو آہستہ آہستہ اپنی گرفت میں لیتا ہے۔ نثر اتنی سادہ، خوبصورت اور پرلطف ہے کہ پڑھنے والا بھی ناسٹلجیا اور اداسی کا شکار ہو جاتا ہے۔ اختتام تو ویسے ہی دکھی کر دیتا ہے۔ اگر ابھی تک یہ نہیں پڑھا تو ضرور پڑھیں۔ مجھے یہ اس قدر پسند ہے کہ میں بیان نہیں کر سکتی۔
"چن چن چائنا مین!"🥹❤️🩹❤️🩹
April 10, 2013
If I could I would give it more stars: it is an absolute favorite. The tale is riveting, heart-rendering and most of all utterly human. The story branches out and each branch concludes beautifully. This is one book I can always go back to: it can bring a smile, or a tear or set me thinking. I love this book.
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