Unfettered Wings - by Sana Munir

Before 2020 began, I already had a list of books from Pakistani authors and one of them was Unfettered Wings by Sana Munir. Luckily, I got hold of this book before the new year and managed to finish it before 2020 could rise and shine.

Sana Munir is an accomplished writer and teacher from Lahore, Pakistan.

A collection of short stories, Unfettered Wings is Sana’s debut entrance in the literary world of writing. The book’s title cover says “extraordinary stories of ordinary women” which sets the tone for the reader. There are 10 short stories in there re-establishing the fact that it is not easy being a woman in a patriarchal society. All the ten stories are titled in the name of the female protagonist.

Unfettered Wings shed light on everyday women and the stories they carry behind their pretty faces.

The book begins with Farida and her journey from childhood to puberty during one of the bloodiest migrations of 1947. After Farida, the reader will meet several other women such as Maria, Beena, Habiba, and many more. My personal favorites are Summi and Nazia!

Sana Munir has an uncomplicated way to tell her stories.
She gives you a punch in the beginning and will maintain the momentum except on a few occasions. Sana’s way of storytelling will compel you to reflect around and realize these women are not limited to plain stories but walking & talking around us. The situational details and depth of the protagonist's character are a delight to reader's imagination. 

Unfettered Wings will take you on a flight from dusty lands of Kharan to the narrow lanes of Lahore. Everyday feminism is not limited to urban Pakistan in this book, but it is an equally shared burden by the rural women too.

I give it 4/5.

Continue Reading →

ALAMUT - The sacred secret

Before I begin to review this book, I would like to establish a few pointers in order to avoid any backlash or unacceptable criticism:

• This is a historical FICTION, based on religion and sects. Hence, please be tolerant and if you are not then you should not delve into reading it at all

• In case you think, this book, by any means, has tried to harm Ismaili Muslims, then that is not the case. You can use this whole plot on any sect, and the outcomes will be the same

• Hassan ibn Sabbah and his Assassins are not fictitious in the course of history. There are many books which you can read in order to have a better understanding

I loved it!

Bartol wrote this novel in 9 months, back in 1938, far from Iran at the foothills of the Slovenian Alps. One would be surprised by his imaginative curiosity and character building. He did enough research work before he sat down to write this masterpiece which explains a lot of our modern terrorism.

The books will begin with the details of the castle of Alamut, located in northern Iran, governed by Hassan ibn Sabbah. These details will include the development and nurturing of Fidayeen – whom we know as Assassins – followed by the intricate explanation of “paradise”.

Bartol has cleverly avoided using word Assassins in his novel and instead calls them Living Daggers. There are certain theories and evidence, outside the novel, which indicate that the actual term was Assassiyoon which meant “people who are faithful to the foundation”. This term was turned into Assassin or Hashashin given their use of hash pellets.

In this novel, you will not find any Fidayeen/Assassin to work in a way that we have seen in movies or have heard so. Instead, the description reminded me of listening to the recovered children from our Pakistan Army operations. Those children were sent into rehabilitation and army also found a fake “Jannat” which had an enormous number of inappropriate movies, and literature to lure the youth.

The use of word Infidel highlights the fact that how easy it is to create warriors in any era of human beings. Bartol has also used the color coding in accordance to the basic belief of black & white where Ibn Sabbah is always in a white cloak and his army has a white flag, whereas the opposition has it black.

The character of Hassan ibn Sabbah and his detailed conversations with his aides are exemplary and mentally challenging. They might provoke your inner Muslim, but it is actually meant to give you food for thought. The way Bartol has to draw the character of Ibn Sabbah, you can put any Molvi or Bin Laden for that matter in that sketch and everything will fall into place.

My favorite part of this novel is Ibn Sabbah’s last conversation with one of his fidayeen Ibn Tahir. 

Last but not least, the title cover of this book!

Image by Shireen Neshat
Poetry by Forough Farrokhzad

"No one is thinking about flowers.
No one is thinking about the fish.
No one wants to believe that the garden is dying,
that the garden is slowly forgetting its green moments."

The way I have understood the role of women in this novel, I believe this is the most appropriate piece of poetry. As we all know, no paradise is complete without the “Houris”, Ibn Sabbah also ensured to have the most beautiful ones in his paradise. The character of one of the houris is called Miriam, and her image and lifestyle along with other houris explain that a cage is a cage even if it is made of gold. The ending of the novel includes his belief about the women living in his paradise which is in line with this piece of poetry.

ALAMUT is 5/5

Continue Reading →

How it Happened by Shazaf Fatima Haider

A funny and fast read!

Being a Syed Shia myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the traditions narrated in this book. Shazaf Fatima doesn't let you get you bored even for a bit, except towards the end I skipped a few pages as I felt it dragged.

This book picks on the strong bondings that families hold especially after partition. Highlighting the significance of sons in any normal household, governed by matriarchy, book touches upon several daily life issues such as dating in normal Pakistani households.

What I enjoyed most is relevance to the reader in terms of the pride that Syeds take in being the descendants. Author has carefully tackled the idea of inter-sect love marriage, while greatly emphasizing that following tradition is no guarantee of happiness.

Each character is discussed and built-in detail, giving an imaginative window to the reader.

If you get a chance, then do give it a read.

Giving it 4/5

Continue Reading →

Santa Claus in Baghdad

Santa Claus in Baghdad by Elsa Marston

I got this book as my birthday gift, and I finally finished it.

It's a collection of stories from 8 different Arab countries, reflecting the lives of teenagers either torn in war or caught up in economic turmoil.

Having lived in 2 Arab countries and experienced their culture, I really enjoyed reading these short stories. Elsa has portrayed the lives of teenagers in a beautiful way that the reader does not feel sympathy for the characters but astonished by their strength of survival.

3.5/5
Available on Amazon

Continue Reading →

Rekha - The Untold Story

I am a big movie buff and it began with my love for Bollywood commercial and parallel cinema both. There was a time when "Salam e Ishq" and "Inn Ankhon ki Masti" was imprinted on my memory because.....REKHA!

This book is not an official biography of Rekha, neither approved or read by her prior to it's publishing. The author tried his best to get her endorsement but all attempts were futile.

If you happen to watch enough of old Bollywood and follow a bit of its news, then you know Rekha was always the centre of attention through scandals or her life long attachment with Amitabh Bachhan. The best part about this book is that it is extremely well researched from Rekha's friends and foes both.

'Justuju jis ki thee usko tau na paaya hum ne
Iss bahane say magar dekh li dunya hum ne'

Yasser Usman has not taken a neutral or an extreme path in portraying Rekha's life. He has told it as it is!

Rekha was the biggest threat and challenge to the patriarchal pattern of Bollywood, hence she was always under fire. Rekha did not only went through chauvinism but was also attacked by her fellow misogynistic female colleagues.

This book touches upon her non-conventional past, transforming the film era, and above all how she became what she is.

I finished this book in 3 nights :)
4.5/5

Continue Reading →

The Secret of Mountains

I can't believe I finished a book of over 300 pages in less than 3 days. The last time I remember doing such thing was with Ayn Rand' s The Fountainhead, back in 2004.

The Secret of Mountains is Fanoos Faroughi's first English novel. She is a Persian author and has written quite a few books in Persian. I picked up this book only because of my interest in Iranian literature and films. The back of this book told me that it's about a woman and her struggles in a patriarchal Islamic society. In addition to this, it's a first-person narrative which I personally prefer to read. This novel is set in the backdrop of modern Iran with no mentioning of its political turmoil or religious references but based on true accounts.

Raaz is the first narrator/protagonist of this novel who is a divorcee, along with two other key characters Feragh (her ex-husband) and Soroush (her mentor and future husband)

Faroughi has done brilliant and captivating storytelling throughout the book. Raaz's character is very relevant to women from eastern societies who have been divorced without any rights. The struggle of parents, support of family and above all the stages of grief are defined perfectly in this book.

I personally loved the character of Saroush and I think he was the reason I just couldn't stop reading. Having said that, I think, Fanoos could have given more horizontal depth to his character in terms of his past and love for Raaz.

P.S. book also introduced me to readings of Master of Kharaghan

Continue Reading →