روحزن / Rohzin

by Rahman Abbas

A book of eight chapters, Rohzin or The Melancholy of the Soul, by Rahman Abbas is a veritable feast for the mind. In Urdu ‘rohzin” is a word that the author coins to signify the souls of people hurt by witnessing the betrayal of their parents with their partners. What ensues is a story of love, lust, belonging, rejection and identity spread lush across the city of Bombay.

Genres: Fiction, India, Novels, Indian Literature, Literature

355 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Rahman Abbas (born 30 January 1972) is an Indian fiction writer. He has twice won State Academy Awards for his two novels, first on 'Hide and Seek in the Shadow of God (2011) and again for Rohzin in 2017.
He is the only Indian novelist whose work in German language has received LitProm Grant funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and the Swiss-South Cultural Fund. He writes in Urdu and English. Abbas has master's degrees in Urdu and English literature from Mumbai University. His novels deal with themes of forbidden politics and love. In the twenty-first century Indian Urdu fiction, Rahman has emerged as the finest storyteller with great human sensibilities and seriousness.

Reviews

[Divya Pal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unadulterated rubbish.

[Tarun · Rating 4 out of 5]

سواحل کوکن اور مہاراشٹرا کے معاشروں کو مرکز بنا کر لکھے گئے اس عمدہ ناول کو رحمٰن عبّاس کا ' ماسٹر پیس ' کہا گیا ہے ۔ اس ناول میں بہت سے موضوعات حزنیہ سانچوں میں ڈھال کر پیش کیے گئے ہیں ۔ شہر بمبئی بھی جیتا جاگتا کردار ہے ۔ ناول کے ' پلاٹ ' میں الجھنیں بھی شاذ و نادر ہی ملتی ہیں ۔ کردار گھنٹوں فکر و تدبر میں محو ضرور رہتے ہیں ۔ روح کی یہی حزنیہ کیفیت بمبئی کے کالے مانسونی بادلوں کی طرح ہر چہار سو چھائی رہتی ہے ۔ کبھی کبھی بادلوں کے پیچھے سے دھوپ بھی پھوٹ پڑتی ہے ۔

[Mian Inam · Rating 5 out of 5]

عجب سپاٹ سفر ہے کہ حادثہ چاہوں

[فرنودِ آیدین · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well first of all the characters are poorly described and for the plot I had to examine the novel under microscope. The novel takes many turns, and at the end, it, finally, decides to give the message of sexual liberalism, i.e. non platonic love is essence of male female relation. I think author was confused while writing the book, so he jumped from one topic to other before finally deciding that he would go with mingling the eastern love concept with the western physical love theme. And for it he had to create an ant-God concept to cope with the religious and social norms in the back ground of the book, which I think is the only sensible thing he did in this novel. otherwise the philosophy is so superficial, characters are dull, story is mundane and novel, as a whole, is, well, NOT-Novel.

[Annie Zaidi]

Reviewed this book for The Hindu

https://www.thehindu.com/society/rohz...

[David - marigold_bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Copulation is an easy cure for rohzin – the soul’s melancholy”

Most of the characters in this novel by Urdu author Rahman Abbas certainly appear to follow this sound piece of advice. It is a book in which eroticism plays an important role, although one would not necessarily guess this from the beginning. In fact, I generally found it a little slow to engage with at the start, but it certainly rewarded my perseverance and it is a novel I would recommend.

The main plot of the novel follows how Asrar and Hina meet and fall in love against the backdrop of torrential and tragic rains that fell in Mumbai on 26th July 2005. From the start of the novel, we are told that this will be the last day in the lives of the two lovers (I myself thought that was a shame, since I would have preferred not to have known this from the beginning).

The novel has a number of different story lines, all steeped in (hetero)sexuality, something that is examined as being valid in and of itself, without necessarily a need for love. Mumbai and the rains are omnipresent, just as much protagonists as the rest of the characters in the book.

I imagine the task of translation Urdu prose into English is complicated, but even so I found the translation sometimes unnecessarily clumsy and felt that it was perhaps missing a final edit, something I found rather surprising for a publisher such as Penguin.

[Udbhavi Balakrishna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I struggled to finish this book. The first 50 pages looked promising, even with the lines sounding very flat and uninteresting. Most dialogues were simply terrible. I assumed in good faith that this was because of translation from Urdu may have stripped some of the magic from the original novel. But every next page made the story so much more confusing and pointless. After about 130 pages, the story became downright unbearable. Why and how did Satanism and underage sex become part of the story? What even is the plot of the book? What is the book trying to convey? That Mumbai allows for the untethered exploration of one's soul? I understand that the book might have aimed to touch upon several topics, some of which might have been sexual liberation and several understandings of love and freedom but it was honestly reaching too far because it didn't seem relevant at all. I picked up the book in hopes of understanding the mystique and genuine awe Mumbai as a city evokes in the people who have lived or even visited it once but it had me cringing throughout. Maybe it was more disappointing than I had expected it to be because I had a very different expectation in my head. Maybe I have a different taste in books and this wasn't it. I do not know. I only know I regret buying this book.

[Himani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rohzin, a translation from Urdu Novel is a book that closely follows the city of dreams 'Mumbai' through the eyes of its characters. The characters in the novel go through whirl of passions throughout the novel particularly Asrar, a small town boy from Mabadmorpho. Coming to Mumbai and living in the Kholi brings out the unpleasant sides of the city to him. But he is ignorant of what is going to unravel next. After he gets a job for himself, meeting Hina brings a new scene in his life. A teenage love affair onsets. The novel has instances of platonic romances and the turmoil one faces around them. Its a roller coaster of feelings with an end that leaves you with heavy heart.

The best part about the book is the portrayal of Mumbai and how the author has bought in Mumba Devi and her legends. Also magical realism inside the book pulls attention.

Overall it was a fine book to read for a change. Not an old-hat love story.

[Aayesha Hakim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of eight chapters, Rohzin by Rahman Abbas is a veritable feast for the mind. In Urdu ‘Rohzin” is a word that the author coins to signify the souls of people hurt by witnessing the betrayal of their parents with their partners. What ensues is a story of love, lust, belonging, rejection and identity spread lush across the city of Bombay.

Rohzin takes you to multiple journeys and in each journey, you would have wished that it never ceases. The author portrays life in a fascinating and challenging multi-cultural environment. Rahman Abbas's beautiful crafted story-writing captivates you every moment and is definitely worth a read!

Full review here: https://intheclassroomoflife.blogspot...

[Nitya Iyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I most often read at bedtime, drifting off to sleep mid-page and waking up the next morning wondering where I had left off. So I assumed that my repeated sense of deja vu while reading this book was due to my own mistake of going back and few pages every morning because I couldn't remember where I had stopped before.
But I don't think that's it. The story progresses in a series of jolts and starts, lurching from the magic of Mumbai's mythical protectress to the gritty reality of communal toilets in a kholi. And while it's true that each depiction is a work of art, a painting to be admired with thoughtful patience, when put together, it does not create a symphonic movie, but rather a disjointed collage that felt clumsy to hike through.
I really wanted to love this book.
I just didn't.

[Nash ن ش · Rating 1 out of 5]

بکواس کھچڑی ناول ۔ مصنف نے اپنی جنسی fantasies کے چکر میں پورا ناول ہی گھڑ لیا۔

“رحمن نے "جنس” یعنی "سیکس” کو ابھارنے کے لیے ایسی کہانی گڑھی ہے کہ موضوع پس منظر میں چلاگیا ہے اور آنکھوں کو جنس کی شہوت انگیزی کے علاوہ اور کچھ دکھائی نہیں دیتا”

https://adbimiras.com/novel-roohzin-e...

[Malaika Khan · Rating 1 out of 5]

واہیات ترین کتاب۔ عجیب سپاٹ سی کتاب ہے، سمجھ نہیں آیا لکھنے کا مقصد کیا تھا اور مصنف کہنا کیا چاہتے تھے۔ پوری کتاب بامشکل پڑھی اور ایک بیزاریت بھرے بوجھ کو خود پر محسوس کرکے پڑھی۔ ہیر پھیر کر بس سیکس، سیکس تھا۔ جو کہ اکتاہٹ کا شکار کرگیا۔ اللہ اللہ کرکے ختم ہوئ کتاب اور شکر ہے ہوگئ۔
بہت مایوسی بھرا تجربہ رہا۔ اختتام بھی کچھ خاص سمجھ نہیں آیا۔

[Shahzaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rohzin takes you to multiple journeys and in each journey you would have wished that it never ceases. Rahman Abbas's beautiful crafted story-writing captivates you every moment.

[Saira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know yet

[Riaz Ujjan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A finely written romance novel which ends in tragedy.

[Sultan Rasheed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterpiece. Not for kids.

[Molshri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sure the English translation doesn't do justice to the book

[Dhiraj Sindhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The soul of Rohzin is its dreams—dreams within dreams, the myth within dreams, dreams floating beyond the veil translated by spirits, djinns, devils, and angels, gods and goddesses; the skeleton—its characters with their most dynamic arcs, turning points of which are sharp oxbows; the flesh, blood and skin are made up of all the feelings and emotions that human bodies, their hearts, minds and souls are capable of evoking; finally, the heart of this tale is the city of Mumbai, nah, not just an average-day Mumbai, but Mumbai also on its most cataclysmic days—like dreadful floods of 26th July 2005; the city thriving, pumping blood in its people and them doing same to the city, no matter where they have come from and why, unless on some days some people meet a tragic end; and two of them are our protagonists—Asrar and Hina.

Read the full review on my blog - https://bit.ly/3SqpZ30

[Rural Soul · Rating 4 out of 5]

رحمن عباس کے اس ناول کا کافی عرصہ سے انتظار تھا. ان کے سابقہ ناولوں سے ان کے اندازِ تحریر کا اندازہ ہوچکا تھا. رحمن عباس کے ناولوں کے کردار عموماً اپنی مذہبی اور علاقائی شاخت کو قبول کرتے ہوئے دونوں کی حدود سے نکلنا چاہتے ہیں. اسی لیے ان کے کرداروں میں بغاوت کا عنصر بدرجہ اتم پایا جاتا ہے۔
رحمن عباس کے سابقہ ناول اپنے موضوعات کے اعتبار سے بہت عمدہ رہے ہیں مگر ان کے قلم میں کہانی کو اٹھانے کی طاقت موجود نہیں. ان کا پلاٹ بہت سادہ ہوتا ہے، اس لیے ان کا اثر دیرپا نہیں ہوتا. اس ناول کے کچھ اقتباسات سن رکھے تھے اور یوں لگتا تھا کہ پچھلی تمام ناکامیوں کا ازالہ اسی ناول سے ممکن ہوگا. مگر رحمن عباس اس بار بھی ناکام نظر آئے۔
اس ناول کی شروعات حسب سابق تنہائی اور بے راہ روی کی تھیموں سے ہوئی. ان کا کردار بیک وقت بغاوت اور سچائی کی خصوصیات سے مالامال ہے. کہانی کو آگے بڑھایا گیا اور کئی کرداروں کا اضافہ ہوا۔
بنیادی کہانی دو نوجوان کرداروں کے رومانس کے گرد گھومتی ہے. رحمن عباس نے کئی موضوعات کے ساتھ بیک وقت انصاف کرنے کی کوشش کی اور ناکام رہے. سب سے دلچسپ تکنیک انھوں نے ہندو دیومالائی عناصر کو تجریدی انداز سے کہانی کے پس منظر میں سمویا. انھوں نے کئی افسانوی تاریخی واقعات بھی تخلیق کیے. کبھی کبھی قاری تشکیک میں مبتلا نظر آتا ہے کہ کیا سچائی ہے اور کیا افسانہ. رحمن عباس نے خفیہ تنظیموں کو بھی موضوع بنایا جن میں سرفہرست مشہورِ زمانہ 'چرچ آف سیٹن' ہے. جن قارئین نے ان موضوعات کو اس سے پہلے نہیں چھوا، ان کو شاید یہ بہت حیران کن لگے. مگر جب اس موضوع کے اضافہ کو بنیادی پلاٹ سے جوڑا جائے تو اس شمولیت کی کوئی وجہ سمجھ نہیں آتی کیوں کہ اس معاملہ کا پلاٹ سے براہ راست واسطہ نظر نہیں اور اس سے پلاٹ میں قابل غور تبدیلی بھی وقوع پذیر نہیں ہوتی۔
پچھلے نالوں کی طرح اس میں بھی رحمن عباس مذہبی عناصر (خصوصاً مسلم) کی جہالت کو نشانہ بناتے ہوئے اپنا غم و غصہ مزاحیہ واقعات سے جوڑتے ہوئے نظر آئے۔
ناول امید سے کم متاثرکن لگا مگر اردو ناول میں نئے موضوع اور تجریدی تکنیک کے باعث ایک اچھا اضافہ ہے۔

[Nida · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of the book is engaging with all the details of the city and with how the characters evolve. However, the details hang on for a quite long time and becomes repetitive. The ending comes too quick after a long narration of unnecessary details.