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Tamas

I don’t remember the exact date, but there were Hindu-Muslim riots near Bhiwandi Nagar, close to Mumbai. However, I remember that after those riots, I started writing ‘Tamas’ (Darkness).

Bhiwandi Nagar was a city of weavers, and pits were scattered throughout the city. Many of these pits were powered by electricity. However, due to the fear of fire, the metal in the pits had melted. As I walked through the streets, it felt as if I was wandering through the ruins of an ancient city.

But as I walked through the streets, I started to feel the familiar sound of my footsteps, my rhythm, as if I had heard this sound before. I even listened to the silence around me. I had experienced the intensity of this silence. I had walked through empty streets.

But I had not experienced this silence and desolation before. I had also seen vultures and eagles sitting on trees. I had seen the flames flickering in the sky, heard the footsteps racing on the streets, the shouts that made your hair stand on end, and the slogans shouted by the blind followers of religion from different places. I had heard the cries. After staying in Mumbai for a few days, I returned to Delhi.

Usually, I used to sit down to write in the evenings. I felt like writing in the evenings, for some unknown reason. But that day, after having breakfast, I sat down at the table in the morning. It happened suddenly, but when I picked up the pen and placed the paper in front of me, my thoughts shifted toward the riots in Rawalpindi. The Congress office came into my mind. The faces of my Congress comrades, one after the other, like Yogi Ramnath, Bakhshiji, Baliji, Hakimji, Abdul Aziz, Meharchand Ahuja, Aziz, Jarnail… Master Arjundas… their faces started revolving before my eyes. I kept sinking into those memories.

– Bhisham Sahni (from his autobiography ‘Today’s Pasts’)

Bhisham Sahni

Birth: August 8, 1915, in Rawalpindi (Pakistan).

Education: Received early education in Hindi-Sanskrit at home. Urdu and English education in school. M.A. in English literature from Government College, Lahore, and later a Ph.D. from Punjab University.

Before partition, engaged in some business and honorary teaching. After partition, worked in journalism, the IPTA drama troupe, and faced unemployment in Mumbai. Then taught at a college in Ambala and Khalsa College, Amritsar. Subsequently, taught literature at Zakir Husain College, Delhi University. During this time, he worked as a translator at the “Foreign Language Publishing House” in Moscow for about seven years. He studied the Russian language extensively and translated nearly two dozen Russian books. Assisted in editing “Nai Kahaniyan” for approximately two and a half years. Associated with the “Progressive Writers’ Association” and the “Afro-Asian Writers’ Association.”

Published Books: “Bhagyarekha,” “Pahla Path,” “Bhatki Rakh,” “Patariyan,” “Vanchu,” “Shobhayatra,” “Nishachar,” “Pali,” “Dayan” (short story collections); “Jharokhe,” “Kadiyan,” “Tamas,” “Basanti,” “Mayyadas Ki Madi,” “Kunto,” “Nilu Nilima Nilofar” (novels); “Madhavi,” “Hanush,” “Kabira Khada Bazaar Mein,” “Muavze,” “Sampoorna Natak” (in two volumes) (plays); “Aaj Ke Atit” (autobiography); “Gulel Ka Khel” (children’s stories).

Honors: Apart from other awards, received the Sahitya Akademi Award for “Tamas” and the “Shalaka Award” from the Hindi Akademi, Delhi.

Was an esteemed member of the Sahitya Akademi.

Demise: July 11, 2003.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 8126715731
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rajkamla prakashan Pvt ltd; Second edition (1 January 2017); Rajkamal Prakashan
Language ‏ : ‎ Hindi
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 310 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9788126715732
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8126715732
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 350 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 20 x 14 x 4 cm
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ India
Net Quantity ‏ : ‎ 1 Ounce
Packer ‏ : ‎ Rajkamal Prakashan Pvt Ltd
Generic Name ‏ : ‎ Book
Best Sellers Rank: #3,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #154 in Classic Fiction (Books)
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