The tradition of Dastaangoi (story-telling) was the most popular form of storytelling in the orient. It was completely different in structure and scope from novel and short story which were essentially European forms. Dastaan was a highly imaginative story told on an epic scale. Its scope was so broad that there was endless room for refinement and addition for coming generations of storytellers. Dastaan created a world of its own appealing to aesthetic sense of its listeners and taking them on an imaginative and fantastic journey. If ever these tales were written and published, they spanned over thousands of pages.
West’s first encounter with oriental Dastaan was through the Arabian epic A Thousand and One Nights. Europeans were absolutely fascinated by the character of Scheherazade, the slave girl who tells a mesmerizing tale for a thousand and one nights under the shadow of death. In Indian Subcontinent, however, the history of story-telling went back to the medieval times. Islamic tradition was introduced with Dastaan-e-Amir Hamza, a fantasy created in Arabia as a tribute to valiance and heroism of Amir Hamza, Prophet Muhammad’s uncle. It was read to Emperor Akbar who was absolutely enamored with it and ordered the royal studio to illustrate the tale in 1562. It took 15 years and 1400 large paintings to illustrate the epic. With royal patronage, the tale was popularized in India from the court and aristocratic gatherings to bazaars and the stairs of Jamia Mosque. It became an art and a source of income for generations of storytellers. In late 19th century Lucknow, a purely Indian offshoot of Dastaan-e-Amir Hamza was created under the title of Tilism-e-Hoshruba (Enchantment of the Senses). It was a great milestone in the history of storytelling and became the most popular Dastaan ever. However, times did change for Dastaan. The pace of life became fast and European culture dominated the local traditions. With the passage of time, the oral tradition of Dastaangoi disappeared into oblivion and the epics survived only in print.
Interest in Dastaangoi was recently revived in India by Shamsur Rehman Farooqi, a legendary writer and critic who is an authority on Tilism-e-Hoshruba. In Pakistan, Musharraf Ali Farooqi did its first rate translation in English for the first time. Olomopolo Media deserves the rightful credit for reviving the oral tradition of Dastaangoi in Pakistan. They have been organizing an annual Dastaangoi event for three years now. Artists Fawad Khan, Maysam Naqvi and Nazrul Hassan have been especially trained for the art under patronage of the great Zia Mohyuddin. The first event was held in October 2014 at Shakir Ali Auditorium, National College of Arts. Storytellers narrated a chapter from Tilism-e-Hoshruba and concluded the session with a Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi piece of satire. It was a complete success and the audience enjoyed immensely. Short stories by Ismat Chughtai tagged along Hoshruba in second Dastaangoi event which was held on 21st November 2015 at Olo Junction. The third and latest Dastaangoi event was grandest of all. It was held at Open Air Theater, Bagh-e-Jinnah on 6th November this year and attended by a much greater number of people. Storytellers are brilliant performers. With their masterful and artistic narration of 19th century Urdu of Hoshruba, and a wonderful piece of satire by Yusufi, they enthralled audiences which are multiplying every year. Hundreds of candles illuminated the stage which was covered in rose petals. A beautiful rendition of Raag Bhoplai by Rustam Ali Khan of Patiala Gharana was played in intervals and before and after the performance. Sky lanterns were released into the night sky after the performance. For Lahore, Dastaangoi has become a literary and cultural highlight of the year. It offers a rare opportunity to spend an evening listening to classic Urdu prose in a beautiful performance.