The books ‘cursed’, especially in the scope of literature, are often condemned not by formal institutional mechanisms but by secret works of the most dangerous and influential factions of society. The force of social pressure often proves far more powerful and permanent than an executive decree or judicial decision. This surefire osterasism pushes such tasks to marginalize, effectively reduces the path of the official sensor and silences them.
On the other side of the coin, the books that are officially banned or publicly burnt, often receive a contradictory immortality. Such atrocities on the written term have the opposite effect of giving them informative, which provides relevant to these functions over time, which ensures their continuous transmission and effects from generation to generation. Indeed, some of these texts have achieved mythological status, and such books continue to be bought and read, despite official sanctions, strengthens its place in cultural canon.
In the context of North India during the 19th and 20th centuries, only a limited number of books were formally prosecuted by government or judicial fiat. However, the label of being ‘cursed’ is often honored through insufficient whisper campaigns, represents a more insidious form of censorship. Such campaigns effectively destroyed the discovery of a book for a loyal audience, which made him unclear in social rejection. This essentially denies such tasks that the notorious respects is that formal restrictions or destruction functions often provide the functions of literature. Therefore, this form of repression, although subtle, is one of the most rigid fate that can tolerate a book.
Some books, especially in the context of Urdu literature, thrive at the easy aura of being banned – an event that is often more inherent in public perception than formal prohibition. A bright example of this is a dispute around Salman Rushdie Satanic versesThere have been many recent developments about the official ban of this book in India. Particularly notable is an affidavit presented by the Government of India to the Delhi High Court which clarified that any executive order or legally binding instructions have never banned commercial imports of the book. Widely considered across the country, on the contrary, satanic verses were never officially banned. Despite this, the fact that a notification or internal advisor prohibits its imports, which is present aimed at please some community sentiments, it is not enough to claim that the availability and appearance of the book in India was not restricted. The affidavit suggests that such a instruction, if it ever existed, had no legal validity of an executive fiat and therefore, has now become obsolete.
In the same vein, Urdu literature has many other misconceptions around the ban. Collection of stories of Premchand, Soz-I WatanIt is often believed to have been officially banned. In fact, the term ‘restriction’ has a specific legal meaning that warns the formal notification. Historical accounts suggest that a better officer, perhaps an inspector of schools, directed Premchand – who was then a minor school student – to prevent the previous copies of the collection. There is no documentary evidence to certify the claims of any formal and legally binding prohibition.
Yet there is another permanent myth that is related to Urdu poetry Zehre-Ishak ,Odd loveThe work was reportedly banned as it was clearly due to a series among Muslim girls. There is no factual foundation in this apocrifle story as any such restriction was never officially released. Additionally, the poem is not at all and there is a simple text that was a fugitive commercial hit, selling hundreds of thousands of copies. Its popularity among men is very high that with women, because the sociological miles of that time had little literacy among women. These examples give an example of how myths about myth ban, often unable to documentary evidence serve sensational literary works and create inappropriate legacy.
The 20th century was filled with such literary sanctions. However, in the Mughal era, there has been comparatively tolerant period with very few evidence of official book restrictions in the Mughal era. Even when Aurangzeb ruled during the austerity period, which was marked by the rebellion and consolidation of the conservative religious authority, there is no evidence of the formal censorship of literature. This period was when the word ‘Home Salt’ came into vogue – which indicates the growing impact of conservative religious scholars on the population, a trend that reached its Genith in the 18th century. Remarkable, as political instability has intensified, there were also associated social challenges, including extensive unemployment and expansion of social evils, often quoted as a major concern of time with homosexuality.
There was a notable example of literary prohibition in the Indian subcontinent Rengela RasoolA policy book of a religious nature which was considered blasphemy. The book was Verbotane in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and its ban has been implemented till date under the legal structure of these nations. This example shows the intersection of religion and state authority while regulating controversial literary works. Such examples set an example for subsequent cases of censorship in the area.
Mir Taki Mir (1723–1810) spent an important part of his life from 1739 to 1782 before transferring to Lucknow, where he lived until his death. It coincides with one of the most turbulent periods of political rebellion in the latter phase region. Between 1741 and 1782, Mir ruled as a master of Urdu poetry, emerged as a master. Khuda-i Sukhan (God of poetry). During this time, the newlywabs of Lucknow, despite a large extent of British colonial administration, indulge in a life marked by sexual acceptance, a clearly accepted aspect of social clothes with homosexuality. These socio-political dynamics were expressed in the poem of the period in a fine way, of which Mir’s Ovre is a prime example. Their verses are an important comment on the inhuman effects of colonial exploitation and talk about political instability and cultural subjugation that were only to serve royal interests to reduce devices to reduce individuals.
Excellently, Mir’s autobiography has a unique state in Urdu literary history. It is a lesson that is considered ‘cursed’ not by religious conservative but by a specific person of the literary authority – Maulvi Abdul Haq (1870–1961) who was the general secretary of the leading Urdu organization Anjuman Taraki (Hind). Haq, who took the head of Anjuman in Karachi in 1948, was invested in linguistic outpost. He was deeply interested in implementing Urdu as a symbol of Muslim identity and as an important component of Jinnah’s vision for Pakistan. His ideological passion reached a Nadir, when he survived violence during Dhaka’s visit, where he tried to convince Bengali Muslims to embrace Urdu on his native language. Dr’s efforts to transfer Anjuman to Pakistan, Dr. Zakir Hussain (1897–1969), the president of Anjuman in post-independence India, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (1888–1958), was distracted by the first assistant secretary of unjust in 1903, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, were distracted by Anjuman.
This complex history underlines literary production, political ideology and the leveled interaction of cultural dominance. Mir’s autobiography is in the form of a will for these stresses, not perfect for materials but marginalized as collateral in widespread battles on identity, language and power.
It took Anjuman about 98 years to free Mir’s autobiography, Knik-i MirFrom the shadow of its ‘cursed’ position – a designation ended through a frequent whisper campaign. Maulvi Abdul Haq edited the closing part for the first time Knik-i MirThe first known autobiography by an Urdu poet in 1926.
In the last eight months, three full versions of Zikr-I MIR have been published in Urdu translation by Anjuman and these publications have not seen any significant opposition even among the current frightening debate around Muslim identity. This is an important indicator of changes in the approach, given the controversial history of the lesson. Exceptionally, Mir’s poem, celebrated since the 18th century, has hundreds of sexually clear couplets that have been cherished for a long time and are studied within the Urdu literary tradition. I offer some examples here to describe the permanent appeal and adventure of their verses:
What part is I part in the pleasures of the world? I have a harlot, but suffer from impotence!
Last night I pulled her in an unqualified state, She retreated in this way, ‘You are also drunk now!’
Day and night, they turn to roll over each other;These leads with soft shoulders are similar to a velvet blessing.
When the beauty formed with that silver shed her clothes, on her altarOne thousand souls were sacrificed, the mortal life alone and worldly wealth.
I became a mother after laying my mouth on the bower of her lips.At this attractive turn, where is only the need for words?
Sadaf Fatima has done his PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University. His expertise is the history of Delhi in the 18th and 19th centuries.
