Ibn-e-Safi’s novels are gems of Urdu literature

This was a long past due post and was deferred due to some reasons. Renowned Urdu scholar from Germany, Christina Oesterheld said that the characters of Ibn-e-Safi’s novels live a Western lifestyle but are in essence Oriental when it comes to their behavior towards women.

The main characters Imran and Faridi don’t look at women as a toy for pleasure or a sex object, rather for them a female is a symbol of wholesomeness and pride. They care for her as one and the same in all regards. Dr Christina, who is a higher-ranking lecturer at Institute of South Asian Studies, Heidelberg, Germany felt sorry that Ibn-e-Safi’s writing was not given as much as necessary consideration in contrast to so-called serious literature.

The Sahitya Akademi president Dr Gopi Chand Narang questioned why ‘Jasoosi Adab’ is not measured literature and if it is not literature then why the word ‘adab’ (literature) is attached to it, at some point in such seminars. He said that Ibn-e-Safi was printed in Devanagari and Bengali as well, and to a certain extent than ignoring his works, there is a need to alter our own approach. 


University Professor Akhtarul Wasey said that Ibn-e-Safi not only educated Urdu to a generation but also taught us nuances of language, story plot and an indulgent of the world, especially the under developed countries. He said that Ibn-i-Safi B.A. had indicated more than a few things in the 60s and 70s which we are witnessing today.