Speaking of egotistical and notoriously temperamental writers (ahem…Sahir Ludhianvi), perhaps no name is as infamous as that of Upendranath Ashk (उपेन्द्रनाथ अश्क)…that is, for those who know his name at all. The reason he is little known perhaps has a great deal to do with the fact that he is almost never assigned in Hindi classrooms, either to native Hindi speakers or those learning Hindi as a second language. In fact, it was not until graduate school that I came to learn of this controversial writer. But, once I began reading his works, I came to love his style, despite the overwhelmingly negative press surrounding his “unique” personality.

Image by Ryan on Flickr; the Golden Temple, in Amritsar, Punjab, one of the most famous monuments in Punjab.

Born Upendranath Sharma to a Brahmin family in 1910 Jalandhar, Punjab, Ashk, like many of his contemporaries and predecessors (in fact, the famous author Munshi Premchand was his mentor of sorts), began his writing career composing in Urdu. Prior to a formal career, he first began writing by composing Punjabi couplets when he was about 11. In 1926, he officially began writing in Urdu with the guidance of the Jalandhari poet Muhammad Ali “Azar.” Later, when he was in college, he published his first collection of short stories in 1930, called Nau Ratan/नौ रतन (Nine Jewels). It was also in college that he adopted the pen name “Ashk” (अश्क, which means “teardrop” in Urdu) to honor a childhood friend whose untimely demise colored the rest of his life. It was common at this time for poets, especially those writing in Urdu, to adopt a “pen name,” or “takhallus” (تخلص/तख़ल्लुस) as it is called in Urdu.

Inspired by Premchand and the knowledge that Hindi was becoming a more popular medium for literature, Ashk switched to writing in Hindi in 1932. At that time, attempting to make inroads into the field of Hindi literature was like trying to enter an exclusive club of self-righteous snobs. The combination of Ashk’s “Punjabi-ness,” his pugnacious personality and his lack of “nativeness” to the Hindi scene (his mother tongues were Punjabi and Urdu), resulted in Ashk feeling like an outsider for almost all of his career. While some of this pariah status was undoubtedly due to Ashk’s paranoia and his disagreeable and idiosyncratic nature, Ashk had hit the nail on the head, so to speak, in terms of feeling like an outsider in a “Hindi club” populated almost solely by native speakers of Hindi from Uttar Pradesh and surrounding areas. Clearly, some of them considered themselves superior to Punjabi “fledglings” to the field, such as Ashk, who wrote biting satire on the present state of affairs in Nehruvian India (1947-1964).

Image by Ptwo on Flickr; a view of the Ganga (Ganges) from Allahabad, India, which used to be the hub of the Hindi literary scene.

In the following short story, with an English translation provided as well, Ashk pokes fun at the “new class of tourist” that has arisen with the faltering prosperity of the Nehruvian era; these people are cheap and petty to an extreme degree, but they now have the means to travel to “exotic locales” within India, such as Kashmir, to the annoyance of the locals and the chagrin of the protagonist, who is a middle class artist.

“The Daal Eaters” (दालिये), published 1955

Image by Partha S. Sahana on Flickr; Kashmir, India. Once a popular tourist destination for Indians and foreigners, now the site of military and political conflict between India and Pakistan.

होटल से चन्द (a few) ही क़दम (steps) दूर गया हूँगा कि किसी ने पीछे से मेरे कन्धे (shoulder) पर हाथ रखा । मैं चौंककर (to be startled) मुड़ा,

“अरे, चोपड़ा साहब! कब आये ?”

“हम तो सात दिन से आये हुए हैं, आर्टिस्ट साहब (Artist Sahab=the protagonist’s title/name), आप कब आये ?”

“मैं तो परसों (day before yesterday) आया हूँ, बहुत थक गया (tired) था, इसलिये कल आराम (relax) करता रहा । आज सोचा, ज़रा निकट से (nearby) लिद्दर के दर्शन करते (to pay obeisances/respects to, lit. to worship) आयें ।” 

“क्या बात है लिद्दर की!” चोपड़ा साहब ने सामने पत्थरों पर शोर मचाते (making noise), झाग उड़ाते (letting fly foam), अपने पानी के ज़हरमोहरा (lit. bezoar stone, which is an antidote to poison; usually dark brown in color) रंग को फेनोच्छवासों से हल्के हौलदिली (cowardly, easily frightened) रंग में बदलते हुए लिद्दर को देखकर कहा, “ यह न हो तो पहलगाँव में क्या रखा है! हम तो भाई लिद्दर में नहाते (bathe) हैं, यहीं कपड़े धोते (wash clothing) हैं, यहीं दोपहर गुज़ारते (spend the afternoon) हैं ।”