Today's Pasts: A Memoir

by Bhisham Sahni, Snehal Shingavi (Translator)

Rawalpindi in the first few decades of the twentieth century is a prosperous, bustling town, witnessing the first stirrings of the freedom movement. It is in this place and time that a delicate child grows into adolescence, at the heart of an unusual family. Adulthood and the horrific business of Partition drive the young man to Bombay, then Ambala and finally Delhi. As he gathers life experience and hones his talent at writing, his politics are formed. We observe the making of one of the icons of modern Hindi literature: Bhisham Sahni.

In addition to being the story of Sahni's life and art, Today's Pasts also chronicles the great cultural highpoints of modern India: the IPTA, the Progressive Writer's Association, the Nayi Kahani movement. The stars of Hindi and Urdu literature enter and exit the text as friends and familiars.

In Bhisham Sahni's hands a life story is transformed into a history of our present: one life bears witness to the tale of a nation.

456 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Vikas Datta · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a record of life in the pre-independence and pre-partition era in what is now Pakistani Punjab, it compares favourably to Mulk Raj Anand's reminiscences, but Mr Sahni takes his story much forward to encompass cultural life of independent India down till the present.. an added attraction is the account of his illustrious elder brother Balraj...

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autobiography of Bhisham Sahani has described his childhood- he was sick during his childhood. He had to lay on the bed for recovery for a long time. This saddened him. The only matter soothing hiim was that he could be near his mother. Whenever he felt better, he used to run out of the house, climb the stairs of a tonga and get down and run over. The description is interesting reading. Second impressive fact is his stay with Balraj Sahani in Gandhi Ashram Wardha where he participated in morning walks with the group and also joined evening prayers. He met many leaders during this period. Third, he met Yaser Arafat with a delegation of Indian Writers. Here he has written that Arafat was very courteous and respectful towards all writers. It is a worth reading book.

[Divya Nambiar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This remains an essential reading for all those who would like to walk on the streets of Rawalpindi of the early twentieth century, to know what the neighbourhoods sounded and felt like; to understand the milieu of the youth at the time of Independence; to get a firsthand account of a man who joined the IPTA (Indian People’s Theatre Association), one of the oldest theatre organizations of India, and worked as a performing artist. It is also an insight into the life of his wife, Sheela, who was a constant support in his life and kept the family together inspite of his addiction to wanderlust and his writing career that left him with little time for family responsibilities.
In a broader context, this book provides an insight into the success of the democratic Soviet system and Sahni’s opinion about the downfall of one of the greatest systems of his time. It also traces the journey of the Progressive Writer’s Association to which he was connected as an official for a long time.
Sahni, through his words, comes across as a man who tries to get a perspective by looking back at his own life. “I didn’t learn any lessons”, he says, and “so who am I to teach anyone?” And yet, here is a book that has got so much to offer to everyone who is caught in the midst of life, wondering how to make sense of it. It tells you that no matter how insignificant an experience, it all comes together to help you whenever you are faced with an adversity in life.
The translation did feel bumpy at some instances where the reviewer was left to translate some sentences back to hindi in order to understand what Sahni would have wanted to convey to the reader. For readers alien to Hindi, some of the lines in the book might not convey the intended meaning.
But the intense research that Shingavi conducted and the way it has all been presented neatly is worth applause.
The book might seem slow and much informative and detailed for those looking for a light read. For others, it is a rare escapism into today’s pasts!

- Divya Nambiar


Detailed review of this book can be found here: http://critiquedontcriticize.blogspot...

[Alpi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Begins beautifully with childhood memories, ends beautifully with thoughts in old age. In the middle becomes bit difficult with all the literature talk.