Ajoka Theatre presented a play “Shahr-e-Afsoos” to mark the first death anniversary of great fiction writer Intizar Hussain on Thursday at Alhamra Art Council.

Based on Intizar Hussain‘s famous short story “Shahr-e-Afsoos” is an experimental production, which has been designed and directed by Madeeha Gohar. The play depicts the nightmarish world of three guilt ridden scepters who have lived through the bloodied times of both 1947&1971.

They are surreal figures, caught in a web of internal guilt and condemnation. They seek escape from the horrendous memories which engulf them, but there is no respite no salvation as they plunge further into the abyss of despair in the city of sorrow.

“Shahr-e-Afsoos” was first performed in 2004 and Intizar Hussain was chief guest at the premiere. The cast of the play includes Usman Zia, Usman Raj, Usman Chaudhry and Anam Zaheer and this performance is being organized in collaboration with the Lahore Arts Council.

Born on 7th December 1923 in India, Intizar became one of the most popular figures in the literary world. He was a novelist, short story writer, a poet and columnist at the same time. His work had also been translated in English language.

I first met Intizar in 2007 at a seminar in Government College University. It was the same year when he was awarded Sitar-e-Imtiaz. He came along with Hajra Masroor to attend a seminar tribute to the famous writer of “Aag ka Darya” by late Qurat-ul-ain Haider, who passed away the same year.

Intizar asked me whether I have read his stories or not, I told him that since there was no software for me to read Urdu, it was difficult for me to explore his literary works. (the writer is visually impaired). Last time I met him in 2014 at the book fair at the same University.

A famous media house BBC writes about Intizar in the following words:

“Hussain was part of a powerful literary movement that emerged in India in the 1930s, and that transformed the old moralist and romantic traditions of Indian and Persian-Arabic literature into Western realism.

His distinguishing mark was that he tended to narrate reality – the present through surrealistic imagery, mythology and Indian, Persian and Arabic folklore.”

After the death of Intizar, there are only few literary people left alive. In this saturated and commercialized society, it is the fear that after some years there would be no one who could criticize the emerging social behavior.