Prof.
Sharib Rudelvi
Prof.
Muzaffer Shahmiri
Former Vice-Chancellor
Dr. Abdul Haq Urdu University
Kurnool. A.P.
I had the pleasure
of knowing Prof. Sharib Rudelvi since my post-graduation days. I was in Sri Venkateswara
University, Tirupati doing my PG in 1972-74. My dissertation supervisor, Dr. Ehtisham Ahmed Nadvi, an Arabic lecturer, asked me to write letters to various writers and Professors across India for suggestions regarding a good research topic for my dissertation. I wrote to as many as two dozen
Professors. A couple of Professors sent back passive replies. Some appreciated
my idea to do research at PG level and some wished me good luck in my research.
But, it was only Prof. Sharib, who wrote in detail as to how I go about my
research and indeed suggested some very good topics. Afterwards, I was in contact
with him regarding my research throughout the academic year. He responded to my letters with
love and guided me wherever it was necessary. This created in me very
respectful image of a good teacher and a beautiful human being.
Prof. Sharib is a
very soft spoken person. I always wondered how he dealt dealing with his stone cold
opponents throughout in his career. I
once had the trouble of dealing with a mischievous colleague in University of
Hyderabad, I asked Prof.Sharib, how to deal with these kind of trouble –
makers? He simply replied:‘dont retaliate; they will silence themselves after
some time, till then be patient’. It was great advice I received from him and
that changed my whole perspective of life and from then on wards I felt I am
free from the shackles of unnecessary and unwanted tension from the people
around me. The reply of Prof. Sharib stole my heart. When I heard this from him,
I recalled the great advice from Quran which says: ‘The true servants of the
Merciful One are those who walk on the earth gently and when the foolish ones
address them they simply say: Peace to you’. (25:63) No doubt, Prof. Sharib
is embodiment of both the above mentioned qualities of a good human being. He
walks gently on earth and does not meddle with the foolish ones.
As far as his
contribution to Urdu literature is concerned, I consider his book ‘Jadeed
Urdu Tanqeed: Usool o Nazriyath’ as the Bible of Urdu criticism. This book
is based on his Ph.D thesis which he submitted to Lucknow University and with
due permission of the University it was first published in 1968. Till now,
eight editions of this book have been published. This shows its clear
popularity among the Urdu readers. In my view, this book is equally helpful to
the students, teachers and critics alike. This is a case where the author has
brilliantly dealt with every aspect of criticism and Urdu criticism. You cannot
overlook this great work if you wish to understand the basics of criticism, its
development and new trends in this field worldwide.
Basically, Prof.
Sharib belongs to the school of Progressive writers. He firmly believes that
Art and Literature can be created only in a given socio-political atmosphere. A
writer or an artist cannot overlook the situations in which he is living. He
has to take his data from the society where he dwells. He should understand the
miseries and happiness of the people around him. He should understand the
psychology of a common man and the people who are on the helm of affairs ruling
them. He should comprehend the economical divisions in the society. An artist,
a poet and a writer should clearly apprehend the value system of the society
and they have to form a clear and worthwhile vision of the society and life,
which makes the life better and easier to live on our planet. Having said that,
it goes without saying that Prof. Sharib looks upon Literature and Criticism
with an idea to connect it with the betterment of human life and society.
Immediately after
the fall of Marxist theory of literature in 1960, Modernism started gaining
popularity in Urdu literature, which promoted individualism instead of
collectiveness. This promoted an absurd thought among writers that ‘the
Individual Man by himself is everything and that in the words of Prof.Sharib,
no one is equal to him.’ He further writes that the writer or a poet was at his
liberty to write anything and in any way he chooses leaving behind all the traditional
ways of expressions, with which the reader was comfortable earlier.’ This
created chaos in literature. Prof. Sharib does not subscribe to this sort of
irresponsible liberty in literature. And the world soon has experienced the
downfall of this trend in literature.
Prof. Sharib has
his own reservations on the new trends of criticism across the globe. He has
studied the major trends of criticism and has formed his own opinion on each
trend. He, especially looks on them for their efficacy to Urdu literature. Not
all the emerging new trends of criticism been useful to all kinds of
literature. Some trends may be useful to some literatures in some geographical
limitations and some other regions may not be so. Hence, in his opinion one
should be careful in choosing the new trends of criticism while applying them
to the literature.
In his book
mentioned above and in another book entitled ‘Tanqeedi Mubahis’ (1995) Prof. Sharib discusses
the new trends of criticism and argues their stability in literature, as worthwhile
trends. For example about Stylistic Criticism, which involves linguistic
analyzation as a main source of criticism to understand a piece of literary art
overlooking the content. Whereas, he gives much importance to the content of
literature and its social motivations. This is because, a piece of literature
is created in a given socio-political atmosphere. We certainly cannot ignore it
and cannot solely depend on the linguistic part of the literature. In other
words, we cannot turn blind eye on the social backdrop of the writer or a poet.
Prof. Sharib holds
an opinion that structural criticism has an edge over the stylistic criticism
as it is deeper and multilayered. He also appreciates the theory of
Deconstruction, which is an extension to the structural thought. This theory
advocates to obtain more meanings of a word or a text as it doubts the
consistency of language. We often see a word that does not possess fixed or
stable meaning in a given context. It undergoes many layers of change. In other
words, it undermines its own assumed meaning. Prof. Sharib points out that there
is little or no impact of this philosophical theory on Indian literature
including Urdu criticism.
Post-Modernism is
not a theory by itself. It is rather a complex ‘situation’ formed with the
combination of many theories. It challenges the traditional ways to understand
the Art, Literature and Philosophy etc. And it also employs various techniques
that help get to the depth of meaning which is in a fluid condition. Prof.
Sharib Rudelvi, while appreciating the various methods to get to bottom of the
meaning, raises a question that, a piece of art is mere meaning and nothing
else. Does it not have other artistic qualities? Is it fair on the part of a
critic to overlook those qualities of Art? In other words, why to limit the
critical study of a piece of literature only up to the meaning or defining the
meaning?
As far as New
Criticism is concerned, Prof. Sharib is of the opinion that, it is limited to
short poems only. Long poems could not be analyzed by analyzing the ‘structure
of the poem’ and avoiding the social background of the poet. Moreover, it is
difficult to analyze prose with the principles of New Criticism, which give
importance to the poem rather than the poet. It believes that once the poet
completes his poem he is completely detached from what he has written. Now, the
poem is in the hands of the reader and he is at the liberty to draw his own
meaning of this creation.
Prof. Sharib
recommends a balanced analytical study of Art. His approach towards different categories
of critical theories is positive. He, while appreciating the bright side of a
new theory, argues its dark sides too. But, his criticism relies wholly on the
aspect of making the meaning better or to change the short comings of the
theory. I believe, he keeps his doors open to the changes that are occurring in
our world of literature and tries to pick up the finer points of new changes.
This is because, he wishes to use all tools of expression in an effective way
like a good researcher should always do, which helps in expressing human love,
happiness and miseries. Knowing that, we can walk on this earth peacefully.
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