POETRY: CHALLENGING THE NARRATIVE IN VERSE.

Byline: Dr Naazir Mahmood

The Orwellian state is upon us. And this is not true only for Pakistan. The world at large has become a victim of absolute control and intervention from the state and supranational powers. In these trying and testing times, art and culture, music and poetry are sacrificed at the altar of chauvinism, jingoism and violence. There are not many who have the capacity and will to challenge the dominant narrative, but Harris Khalique is an exception.

His oeuvre is diverse and wide, his focus is multifaceted and his expression is appealing and impressive. Khalique belongs to a generation that grew up in the dark years of Gen Ziaul Haq. As a teenager, he witnessed the toppling of the democratic set-up in Pakistan and the hanging of an elected prime minister. In his 20s, Khalique felt the hot winds of ethnic and sectarian strife in the country. His father, Khalique Ibrahim a progressive intellectual and filmmaker inculcated in him a desire to learn and a passion to express.

In his new collection of poetry, No Fortunes to Tell, in the section 'Poems for My Father', Khalique describes his father on the set of a film he is making:

Harris Khalique's new collection of English poems establishes him as a much-needed strong voice among this generation of Pakistani poets

'I bring food

Others hog

You peck

A quiet, unagitated being

A horrid man

On the film set'

Khalique's mother, Hamra Khalique, is a distinguished writer in her own right. From both his parents, Khalique imbibed a natural curiosity to observe the world around him, tracking events and ideas not normally noticed by people of his age. All this made him a budding poet of the 1990s. With his two poetry collections in Urdu, Aaj Jab Hui Baarish (1991) and Saray Kaam Zaroori Thay (1997), he drew the attention of critics and readers alike. But perhaps his most impressive work of the 1990s appeared in English, tilted If Wishes Were Horses (1996).

In the past 25 years or so, Khalique has emerged as a strong voice not only in English and Urdu poetry, but also in prose. His articles, columns and essays have established him as a leading and well-respected commentator on current affairs and events, with an insight into their historical and political significance. In a way, No Fortunes to Tell is essentially a work of poetry that reflects his keen observations of events around him. But the poems contained in the book are not a narration of happenings; rather, they are an emotional take...