''Fasana-e-Azad'' ( ur, فسانۂ آزاد; , also

romanized Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

as ''Fasana-i-Azad'') is an

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Ratan Nath Dhar Sarshar Ratan Nath Dhar Sarshar (1846 or 1847 – 21 January 1903) was an Urdu novelist, columnist and editor from British India. Born into a Kashmiri Brahmin family which settled in Lucknow, he received his education at Canning College and later took ...

. It was serialized in ''

Avadh Akhbar ''Avadh Akhbar'' (or ''Awadh Akhbar'' or ''Oudh Akhbar'') was an Urdu-language newspaper founded by Munshi Nawal Kishore, and published by Nawal Kishore Press from Lucknow, British India. It was launched in 1858 and lasted for almost a century. I ...

'' between 1878 and 1883 before it was published in four large volumes by the

Nawal Kishore Press The Nawal Kishore Press (also spelled Newal Kishore Press) was a publishing house founded by Munshi Nawal Kishore in Lucknow, British India, in 1858. It grew rapidly between 1865 and 1872 from its modest beginnings as a small printing press, ado ...

. The story follows a wandering character named Azad and his companion, Khoji, from the streets of late-nineteenth-century

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

to the battlefields of the

Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histor ...

(1877–1878) in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

and Russia. The work's status as a

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

has been debated, but it is thought by most scholars to be one of the first novels (or a proto-novel) in Urdu. Sarshar conceived of writing ''Fasana-e-Azad'' after the success of the articles he contributed to ''Avadh Akhbar'' under the title ''"Zarafat"'' ("Wit and Humour"). Perennially popular, ''Fasana-e-Azad'' has been a subject of study by literary critics as the first Urdu novel and for its influence on the literary form's later development. It is noted for its colourful descriptions of Lucknow, its people, and its culture.

Background

Sarshar, a teacher in

Kheri District Lakhimpur Kheri district is the largest district in Uttar Pradesh, India, on the border with Nepal. Its administrative capital is the city of Lakhimpur. Lakhimpur Kheri district is a part of Lucknow division, with a total area of . The nation ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, joined the

(founded by

Munshi Nawal Kishore Munshi Nawal Kishore (3 January 1836 – 19 February 1895) was a book publisher from India. He has been called Caxton of India. In 1858, at the age of 22, he founded the Nawal Kishore Press at Lucknow. This institution today is the oldest printi ...

) in Lucknow as an editor of ''

''. He wrote a column for the magazine about Lucknow's

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...

culture, which inspired him to write ''Fasana-e-Azad''. On 8 August 1878, Sarshar was appointed editor of ''Avadh Akhbar''. His first entry in a series called ''"Zarafat"'' was published in the 13 August 1878 issue, and the column appeared regularly thereafter. These columns, which eventually made up the first 500 pages of the book, satirize urban life, usually centering on a wandering figure such as Azad or a minor character. This was in keeping with the influence of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

's ''

The Pickwick Papers ''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was Charles Dickens's first novel. Because of his success with ''Sketches by Boz'' published in 1836, Dickens was asked by the publisher Chapman & Hall to s ...

'' and

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...

' ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

'' on Sarshar. The popularity of ''Zarafat'' led Sarsharr to continue the stories and develop them into a narrative called ''Fasana-e-Azad''. In one piece, published on 23 September, Sarshar explained his reasons for writing the series. He said that their intention was to use humour to allow ''Avadh Akhbar'' readers to familiarize themselves with a social culture, characterized by proper conversational style and idiomatic fluency suited to a variety of social occasions, which could be used in a variety of social gatherings. Sarshar believed that such an education would improve the country and its people; pleasure in reading humorous articles would encourage refinement and higher thought.

Characters

''Fasana-e-Azad'' main characters are: * Azadthe protagonist. He wanders around Lucknow, meets people from all classes with a variety of ideas, and attends the festivals of Eid, Shab Barart, Maharram and Basant. * Husn Araa beautiful girl, from an

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word's ...

family, whom Azad loves * Sihpahr AraHusn Ara's younger sister * Khojia dwarf who is Azad's companion

Plot

The novel is set in Lucknow and an imaginary

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

during the late 19th century. Its theme follows the pattern of

' ''

'', with Azad modeled on

. Azad's faithful friend, Khoji, echoes

Sancho Panza Sancho Panza () is a fictional character in the novel ''Don Quixote'' written by Spanish author Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1605. Sancho acts as squire to Don Quixote and provides comments throughout the novel, known as ''sanchismos'', ...

. Azad, with no family history, wanders around the city; he encounters all kinds of people and observes Lucknow's changing urban milieu. He has a keen eye for female beauty. Azad meets two sisters and falls in love with Husna Ara, the older sister. Although she loves him too, she sets a condition for their marriage: Azad must go to Turkey and fight with the Turks in their war with the Russians. Azad leaves for Turkey with Khoji, his sidekick, a dwarf with a fondness for

opium Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which i ...

and delusions about his handsomeness and martial prowess. They have a number of adventures in Turkey and Russia; several noblewomen fall love with Azad, who remains more-or-less true to Husn Ara. Azad, Khoji, and two female European admirers return to India in triumph. Azad marries Husna Ara, and the two European women become

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

ers. He becomes the father of twins and is well-known and respected, devoting a great deal of time to the propagation of new ideas, education, commerce and industry. When war breaks out against

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, Azad is asked by the government to aid the war effort. He goes to war, again proving himself a valiant soldier. Azad then returns home and lives a happy, useful life devoted to the advancement of his country. ''Fasana-e-Azad'' has a number of sub-plots, including the story of Husna Ara's sister, Sipahr Ara; her lover, prince Humayun Far; and the Shahsawar, his mysterious rival.

Publication history

''Fasana-e-Azad'' consists of four volumes, with a total of about 3,000 pages (roughly 2.25 million words). The novel has been published in a number of formats. Volume One was serialized in ''Avadh Akhbar'' from August 1878 to 5 January 1880 under the title, ''"Zarafat"''. It was published in book form in January 1881 by the Nawal Kishore Press, which also published the remaining three volumes. The first instalment of Volume Two appeared in the magazine on 1 July 1880, when the title ''Fasana-e-Azad'' was first used. Further instalments, sold by subscription and separately priced, were published after 30 July as monthly supplements to ''Avadh Akhbar''. It was published in book form in July 1882. The third volume was serialized monthly from February 1882 to January 1883 and was published in book form, with an initial print run of 200 copies and a cost of three rupees, in June 1883. Although it is unknown if the final volume was serialized, it was published in book form in 1883.

Later editions

A chapter of ''Fasana-e-Azad'', over 15 pages long, was published by Nawal Kishore Press in 1906 as "Range Siyar". A new edition of the novel was published in 1934. Saraswati Press of

Banaras Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic tra ...

published an abridged 550-page Hindi edition in 1947. The character of Khoji became so popular that Muhammad Ahsan Farooqi collected excerpts about Khoji from the novel and compiled them into a book entitled ''Khoji'', which was published in 1952 by Raja Ram Kumar Press (a successor of Nawal Kishore Press). The New Delhi-based Jamia Book Department published an abridged edition, ''Fasana-e-Azad (Talkhis)'', in 1970.

Reception

''Fasana-e-Azad'' was the first serialized

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Urdu literature Urdu literature ( ur, , ) is literature in the Urdu language. While it tends to be dominated by poetry, especially the verse forms of the ''ghazal '' غزل and ''nazm '' نظم, it has expanded into other styles of writing, including that of t ...

; it was read and enjoyed by every segment of society. The novel has been described as an encyclopedia of contemporary Lucknow culture. Reviewers praised ''Fasana-e-Azad'' for its portrayals of Lucknow's marketplaces, fairs and diverse social classes, presented with a liveliness and accuracy considered unprecedented in Urdu literature. Historian Ram Babu Saksena cites the novel's realistic depiction of Lucknow's life, the "faithful and vivid portrayal of life and manners of Lucknow society" and Sarshar's "brilliants humour" as outstanding features of ''Fasana-e-Azad''. Saksena calls Sarshar's humour "full-blooded, healthy and unrestrained", and none of his contemporaries approach his "fund of humour". Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah calls Khoji Sarshar's greatest achievement and an immortal character in Urdu fiction. Saksena describes Khoji as a "unique character in the whole range of Urdu literature" and as "the most original and wonderful creation of humorous art". ''

Wah Janaab ''Wah Janaab'' is an Indian television series that aired in 1984 on DD National. Chitrartha Singh, who gained acclaim earlier from his Punjabi film Chann Pardesi had directed and late satirist Sharad Joshi had penned the series based after 1878-1 ...

'', a television series based on ''Fasana-e-Azad'', aired on

DD National DD National (formerly DD1) is a state-owned public entertainment television channel in India. It is the flagship channel of Doordarshan, India's public service broadcaster, and the oldest and most widely available terrestrial television channel ...

in 1984.

Status as a novel

Study of ''Fasana-e-Azad'' began after Sarshar's death with the publication of articles by

Brij Narayan Chakbast Brij Narayan Chakbast (19 January 1882 12 February 1926), also spelled as Brij Narain Chakbast, was a British Indian Urdu poet. Life Chakbast (1882–1926) was an Urdu poet. He was born on 19 January 1882 in a Kashmiri Pandit family settled ...

and

Bishan Narayan Dar Pandit Bishan Narayan Dar (1864 – 19 November 1916) was an Indian politician who served as the President of the Indian National Congress for one term in 1911. Dar belonged to a prominent Kashmiri Pandit family from Lucknow. His uncle Pandit Sh ...

, two of his contemporaries. Much scholarship has focused on its relationship to the history of the novel. Asaduddin describes the general consensus that "Critics and writers call ''Fasana-e Azad'' a novel but with some reservations." Sarshar himself was the first to call ''Fasana-e-Azad'' a novel, in 1879. Ralph Russell calls it "a work which brought permanently into Urdu literature some of the major elements of the modern novel." Vaqār ʿAz̤īm's textbook on Urdu prose describes it as important in the history of the novel, saying it has had "a profound impact on our novels’ development, for which all future novelists owe Sarshar a debt of gratitude." Dubrow argues that inconsistencies the work's plot and characterization are actually common features of serialized works, which Sarshar intentionally improved to be more novelistic when he revised his columns for book publication. Mohammad Asaduddin highlights the way that Sarshar depicts ordinary life with unembellished language as an important novelistic trait. He also highlights the lack of supernatural elements which would have aligned ''Fasana-e-Azad'' more strongly with the genre of ''dāstān'' or romance. Ultimately, however, Asaduddin concludes that ''Fasana-e-Azad'' is not a "novel proper" because its plot is too unfocused and its characters too unrealistic. Plot and characters, and especially their failure to conform to Victorian standards of

literary realism Literary realism is a literary genre, part of the broader realism in arts, that attempts to represent subject-matter truthfully, avoiding speculative fiction and supernatural elements. It originated with the realist art movement that began with ...

, are common grounds for the assessment that ''Fasana-e-Azad'' is not quite a novel. Muhammad Ahsan Farooqi attributed the many uncohesive subplots to Sarshar's "carelessness": "Sarshar had no plan and stuffed in any story wherever he wanted and ended it whenever the mood struck." According to Farooqi, the love between Azad and Husn Ara is the only thread running through the work from beginning to end. Bishan Narayan Dar wrote, "''Fasana-e-Azad'' is not a proper novel, since its plot was not conceived according to any plan. It has neither beginning, nor middle, nor end; rather, it is a collection of unconnected snapshots of the society and culture in which Sarshar lived." Chakbast questioned how Azad's character (which he described as a "uncontrollable, carefree, itinerant, and sometimes even sinful man") could abruptly become "so chaste and refined," finding the character's development "against the law of nature." Author

Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah Begum Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah (22 July 1915 – 11 December 2000) was a Pakistani Bengali, Bengali Pakistani politician from Bengal, diplomat and author. She was the first Muslim woman to earn a PhD from the University of London. She wa ...

also called the characters' development inconsistent.

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{refend

External links

Excerpts from ''Fasana-e-Azad:
Saf Shikan episode
(tr. Jennifer Dubrow)

(tr. Frances W. Pritchett) 19th-century Indian novels Adventure novels Fiction set in the 19th century Indian novels adapted into television shows Novels first published in serial form Novels set in Lucknow Picaresque novels Urdu-language novels Novels based on Don Quixote