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Literature as a Muse

-Tariq Ali

Elita Karim
Tariq AH is a British Pakistani writer, journalist, and filmmaker. Born in 1943, he has authored several books, including “Pakistan: Military’ Rule or People's Poiver" (1970). He is a member of the editorial committee of the New Left Review and Sin Permiso, and regularly contributes to The Guardian, Counter Punch, and the London Revieiv of Books.
Ali is noiv in Dhaka to attend the Hay Festival. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Star, he shares stories from his past, the time spent in then East Pakistan (Bangladesh) and literature.
Ali is scheduled to start off the Hay Festival today, along with Syed Manzoorul Islam and Ahdaf Soueif at the Bangla Academy. "I would rather call it the Dhaka Literature Festival," says Tariq Ali. "I don't attend the Hay festivals in Britain. The only reason why I am here is because the festival is happening in Dhaka. And I am here after a long time."
The last time Ali was in Dhaka, he spoke to students under a mango tree, prodding them to go for independence and not autonomy. "There were gasps everywhere! It was probably in 1969 or 1970," he says. "I remember asking them if I should speak in Urdu or English. Everyone chanted together -- 'ENGLISH!'" Ali believes that literature inspires us to have aspirations and be the best versions of ourselves. But one should not depend on it alone for 'change'. "There were songs and poetry that would inspire us," he says. "For instance, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and later Habib Jalib and a few others did that. You can be inspired by them, but on their own
they do not change the world."
Ali in his younger days would attend 'Mushaira' - a poetic symposium. It's a term in Urdu used to describe an event where poets gather to perform and recite poetry. "I remember, once, soon after the Ayub military dictatorship, we had gone to a Mushaira," he says. "All our good poets were in prison. There was this one Punjabi poet - Ustad Daman, a very good poet. He came to the platform and we cheered for him. We hoped he would say something political because he always did. Instead he said things like - the birds go 'phar-phar', the nightingale sings etc. After 6 such poems, we shouted - say something else! At one point, he lost his temper - not at
us, but the world. And he delivered a beautiful Punjabi couplet extempore, which roughly meant, 'now each day, sweet and balmy; wherever you look, the army.' We cheered him on that night. The next morning, he was picked up by the army!"
Asked if he is perturbed by the fact that his short visit to Dhaka might be disrupted because of the ongoing hartals, Ali says, "I am used to hartals in this part of the world."
"The last time I left East Pakistan, I was flying from Dhaka to China. There was a hartal and no traffic allowed. The left wing student leaders negotiated with the trade unions saying that I was their comrade and to let me through. After a while, they agreed to let me go to the airport on a
rickshaw. The rickshaw puller was a thin man and I was quite burly and also had a large suitcase with me. I remember telling myself that I would miss my wretched flight! At one point I asked the rickshaw puller to sit while I cycled to the airport. He would not hear of it but that's what I did. I cycled the rickshaw to the airport, otherwise I would have missed my flight!"
And he has so much more to say. To listen to him speak live, don't forget to visit the Hay Festival, from November 14-16, 2013 at the Bangla Academy. For a full version of the exclusive interview of Tariq Ali, don't miss the cover story of the 'Star' weekend magazine on November 29, 2013.
Elita Karim is Feature Editor, The Daily Star.