Following the theme of nostalgia these days, I'm writing about Urdu language books and magazines I read and enjoyed as a child. There seems to be a general dearth of good Urdu literature, specially for young readers, and most of the books that are available are either preachy, (shoveling nationalism down our throats unnecessarily) or too bland. But some were absolute gems. Here are the ones I remember:
1- Magazine: Children's World بچوں کی دنیا
This was probably the first thing I started reading - it was a kids magazine with stories for both very young readers and those a little older. There were genies, ghosts, fairies, witches and wizards, poems, and jokes to enjoy. There was one particular story that I loved the most from one of the magazines called 'Talaash' or 'Quest' - an evil fairy had stolen a little princess' heart and a brave Prince went on a quest to get it back. I'm probably going to re-tell that story in a future blog because it was amazing, I hope to one day tell it to my kids.
2- Amber, Naag, Maria عمبر ناگ ماریہ book series by A. Hameed
I remember some of my older cousins reading these books, and I borrowed a few to read. These were a kind of mystery novel with three strange characters trying to solve them. Amber was probably a girl, Naag was a magic talking snake and scared me a lot, and Maria was also a girl but could be invisible at times. It was a really weird series, and I would get confused about who was who and sometimes the scenes/themes were pretty morbid. Definitely not my favorite though.
3- What happened to Aali... عالی پر کیا گزری novel by Aziz Asri
Aali is an obstinate boy who rarely listens to what his elders say. One day he befriends a stranger on the street, who is offering him something like candy or a toy, and gets kidnapped. He is held for many days and manages to escape, and makes a long journey back home, meeting several characters (both good and evil) along the way. The novel was a sort of warning tale for kids to listen to their parents' advice and to be wary of strangers. I got pretty scared after reading this one, although some of the kidnappers were pretty funny and the dialogues were hilarious.
4- Inspector Jamshaid انسپکٹر جمشید Detective series by Ishtiaq Ahmad
This was a detective series clearly inspired by Ibn-e-Safi's novels (see No. 5 below). These were nicely written: there was the patriotic Inspector Jamshaid and his three kids, but they were too perfect and too preachy that sometimes I used to roll my eyes while reading these novels. Some of the ways in which these characters got out of trouble were incredible and really bent the rules of physics and human capabilities. I had a friend in Grade 7 who was obsessed with these and we used to exchange the 'Special Numbers' from the Inspector Jamshaid series - these were extra long novels with grand complicated plots, and sometimes were cross-overs with Ishtiaq Ahmad's other series.
5- Jasoosi Dunya جاسوسی دنیا detective series by Ibn-e-Safi
My number 1 most favorite of all the Urdu books I read as a child. Ibn-e-Safi was a prolific writer during my parent's childhood, my mom grew up reading his novels and I was really excited when I got my hands on these at a used book store. There were two main characters, Colonel Fareedi and Captain Hameed, who solved mysteries ranging from the supernatural to international crime and espionage. The plots were intricate and detailed, the dialogue crisp and at times hilarious, and all the action took place in a sort of fictionalized country that was a mix of both East and West (almost like 60s Karachi was mixed seamlessly with NYC or some other American city). I tried reading Imran series by the same writer, but I never liked it as much as I liked Jasoosi Dunya. I wish these were translated into English, and the rest of the world could learn of the genius of Ibn-e-Safi.
