Bano Qudsia was a towering literary figure, who died on last Saturday after a prolonged illness.she was a Novelist, Playwright and spiritualist. She was lovingly referred to as Bano Aapa.
She did her Graduation in Mathematics but carved out nitche for herself by writing books in Urdu. Had she not written, even a word, her one Masterpiece, "RAJA GID" would be enough to keep her alive in the realm of Urdu Literature.
BANO Qudsia met Ashfaq Ahmad, yet another Litirary Giant, in Govt. College University Lahore and in 1955, they tied themselves in a wedlock, which proved to be the Shakespeare's
"Marriage of True Minds"
I first touched Bano Qudsia's Novel, "Raja Gid" back in 1995. one of my friends' elder Brother, living at Mohallah Thakur Das near Dhaki Nalbandi, Peshawar, had a large collection of Urdu Books, but the Novel, "Raja Gid" by Bano Qudsia, attracted me because of its Title. I tried to read it out but before reaching in the middle, I lost the interest, I felt, the Novel didn't deserve to be read in its eternity, as Francis Bacon, once said, "some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, some few to be chewed and digested ".
After somedays, I dropped in at yet another friend's house at Mohallah Gul Bacha Jee, near Kohati Gate peshawar and in his bookselve,
"RAJA GID" again caught my attention and this time I decided to digest this Novel of Bano Qudsia, which I did.
The characters of the Novel are everyday characters. She compared Human Nature with Gid (vulture ), which eat meat of dead animals, so are human beings, Bano Qudsia beleive, who exploit the weak, either the person is weak, emotionally or physically.she further narrated that human beings always run after the things which aren't made for them and in the long run they go off the track.
This, magnumopus of Bano Qudsia, really blown me away, as it heralded upon me the concept of Rizq e Haram (Earning Through unfair means)and Ishq e Lahasil (Love with no destination ).
I reckon the Novel as the sermon from Bano Qudsia to the Human Beings that how earnings through unfair means would have adverse effects on their children genetically because what we feed our children, determine, what kind of people they turn out to be?
It is also the story entangled in a love triangle of the three main characters, failing to win over love.
When one beautiful girl couldn't get married with her class fellow, how her another class fellow took advantage of her depression and loneliness but he too failed to mould her love towards him. It was basically, Ishq e lahasil of the three characters of the Novel.
The gist of the Novel is that we should trust God to live a life in society because we can not achieve anything if it's not in our fate, otherwise going off the track, would be detrimental.
May All Mighty Allah rest the soul of
BANO QUDSIA in eternal peace. (Amin)
I also pray for the early recovery of Dr. Anwar Sajjad and Mushtaq Ahmad Yousafi, they are also the stars on the horizon of Urdu Literature and Pride of Pakistan.