Hello. I feel bad writing in English about a book (Jangloos) written originally in Urdu, but please bear with me. I have been reading it for almost last two months. In fact I finished it today.
Jangloos is a set of three books each well over 600 pages. It is set in rural Punjab (Central as well a south), circa 1950’s. It describes the gory events of partition quite frequently. Two convicts Lali and Rahimdad being the main characters escape from jail and try to survive the unforgiving times. Their paths cross many times throughout the story, till the end. (No more spoilers :-))
The author has, through events described how the powerful (politicians, feudals, bureaucrats, military, businessmen, police and judiciary) in this country exploit the weak and poor. And in that the basic human instinct of survival is amply displayed. The characters are brought to life describing their actions and thoughts in detail, thus making the reader feel the story line, in depth. It certainly helps in understanding. The best thing is the use of plain Urdu language, with a smattering of Punjabi in between. It is an easy to read book with a very interesting story, but one which takes a lot of time to read (Over 2000 pages in all). The twists and turns are most unexpected and here is where the reader is left a little bewildered. I believe the author has a very good knowledge about the life in rural areas, about our judicial system, the police etc etc. It mentions the various land reforms and does also mention famous political personalities of its time, through events. It brings the reader in touch with the “real world” to which most of us are oblivious. And finally, the reader comes to realize that very little has changed in this beautiful country. No wonder that the drama serial based on this novel got banned.
And now I am trying to get over the hangover 🙂
