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Chapter IV Establishment of Progressive Writers' Association Chapter IV Establishment of Progressive Writers’ Association The definition o f‘Progressive’ according to the Association was as follows: ‘'All those things which take us towards confusion, dissension, and blind imitation are conservative; all that which engenders in us a critical capacity, which induces us to test our tradition on the basis of our reason and perception. This makes us healthy and integrated, that is what we call progressive". The rise of Progressive Writers’ Association is period of ascendancy, it played a crucial role in the struggle for independence and its unflagging spirit of resistance against injustice. The establishment of Progressive Writers’ Association is neither an accident nor a conspiracy. According to Sajjad Zaheer, ‘'it is not true that the movement for progressive literature was launched under the direction of an enemy or a foreign power. It is in fact a movement founded on patriotism humanity and liberty. Its purpose is definitely not to reject our old civilization and morals, and their manifestation in literature or the art. Instead, it attempts to revive the best elements of this country’s civilization, and with that as the foundation to create new and better literature, art and culture by adding leaven to the old culture. The Association of Progressive writers is a cultural institution for the creation of literature and the promotion of progressive views. This does not means that its members must not entertain opinions on political issues or they should not express them through their association. Progressive writers will always continue to write in support of liberty for their people, and end to exploitation of one group of people by 104 another, and protection of basic human rights. They will always assist progressive forces in society, for that is the source of power for progressive literature. They will not be weakened by the attacks of the reactionaries”.88 So the formation of the association was natural result of the circumstances prevailing at the end of First World War. Billions of rupees worth of goods was destroyed and millions died in the war. The people who profited by all this were capitalists, moneylenders, bankers and mill owners. By the time this war ended, a huge economic collapse began. This crisis began in America and spread over to all other countries. Millions became jobless and people began to die of hunger. In the meanwhile fascism surfaced in Japan and Europe. The events that followed made the future of mankind seem dark. The writers felt deeply the effects of the existing international situation with the worldwide economic debacle. In the times when there was suffering and capitalist's greed, it was progressive writers, who shared the grief of suffering humanity and attempted to bring willingness to struggle for their rights. In India in the middle of 1930's the situation was fairly difficult. The prolonged struggle with the British had produced dissatisfaction with Gandhian methods and sympathy for more modem left-wing, Marxist influenced political solutions. Nehru expressed these views very well with his Harrow and Trinity education and his closeness, through his father and through the long continued patronage of Gandhi, to the older establishment congress leadership, further enhanced the range of his appeal. This was period in which the Congress, for good tactical reasons, committed itself to a programme of radical reforms. The British did not recognize the extent, to which it was gaining ground, but by 1935-36, Indians estimated the prospect more 88 Sajjad Zaheer, The Light, op.cit., Introduction, p. x. 105 accurately, and many felt that the agreeing to the radical sentiment of the prospective future government was thoughtful. The period between 1936 and the end o f 1939 (when Second World War began) was the time of new ideas, revolutionary movements, noble resolutions and glimmering hope for country. There was never a time, during all of enslavement to imperialism, when the yearning for freedom was absent from the hearts of people. Sajjad Zaheer said “New writers were in a grim mood. The feeling that life is suffocated in slavery, became a stream deprived of water, and that in freedom it is a vast ocean, the feeling that we are not free, that we ought to be free and the burning certainty that we will be free, all these feeling had gathered intensity during this period”. The result of this was that many writers like Allama Iqbal, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, Munshi Premchand, Josh Malihabadi and others in this age emerged as heralds of freedom, and so the literature of protest was born in the sub-continent and writers began to write about national, international issues and different aspect of social life. The Progressive Association took forward these same traditions. It was not foreign plant transplanted in an alien land. It had been nurtured here, in our own homeland. This was the reason why when Sajjad Zaheer and his friends established the association of progressive writers, freedom loving writers of all schools of thought, old as well as new, welcomed the association. There were communist, sociahst and nationalists. All-India Progressive Writers’ Association was launched at Lucknow in 1936. The formation of All India Progressive Writers’ Association is a landmark in the cultural history of India, presented new sensibility in depicting the social and political realities. They brought about the radical approach which led to a qualitative transformation of the creative realm, resulting in the production of some outstanding works of literature. They represented the cultural avant-grade, which was based on the radical and progressive practices by taking the problem of the oppressed, and confronting feudal conservatism and capitalist imperialism. The contribution of this movement in two different ways, first its positive impact on cultural creativity and secondly, by critical introspection about its present state and tracing its relationship with the past. The Progressive Writers' Association is considered a tumultuous episode in the intellectual history of India. It was first regional language based organization and brought the mass of cultural practitioners under its umbrella or provided a platform for them to articulate their ideas and they shared several national issue in the common ground. The Progressive Writers’ Association indicate the question of culture, identity and transformation issue. They (the association writers) had own vision or view for community and nation in the context of the anti-imperialist struggle and the struggle for social justice. The first All-India Progressive Writers’ Association meeting in 1936 was largely political and stamped with a certain ideology. The inclusion of writers from other parts of the country did place the movement on a broad base.89 89 Carlo Coppola, Marxist Influences and South Asian Literature, op.cit., p. 43. 107 The Conferences of the All India Progressive W riters’ Association The first All India Progressive Writer’s conference was held in Rifah-e-Aam hall in Lucknow on April 10, 1936. The choice of this place and the date for the conference were significant. In April the annual meeting of All-India national congress was scheduled to be held in Lucknow, and Jawaharlal Nehru had been chosen to preside over its sessions. This was the period of United Front, and Soviet diplomacy encouraged foreign communist parties to enter into anti-fascist alliances.90 It was decided that Chaudhry Mohammed Ali Radolvi, who was landlord and belonged to upper classes of Oudh, become the chairman for the committee. The conference commenced with Chaudhry’s welcome. He had written address, which was a useful record adherent of an older civilization and literature welcomed Modem, progressive literature. After Chaudhry Mohammed Ali’s speech. Munshi Premchand was unanimously elected president of the conference.01 Premchand's selection for the presidency was tactically wise. He was a master of Urdu and Hindi, was at the highest pinnacle of fame, having written about a dozen novels, two plays and almost two hundred short stories. Presiding over the session of the conference, Premchand delivered an address on the Nature and Purpose of Literature. He said that “A literature that does not awaken food taste in us, that does not afford us spiritual and intellectual satisfaction, does not energize and warm us, does not kindle a sense of beauty, a literature that does not produce in us the determination to 90 Hafeez Malik, “The Marxist Literary Movement in India and Pakistan’’, The Journal o f Asian Studies, 1967, p. 643. 91 Sajjad Zaheer, The Light, op.cit., p. 62. 108 overcome obstacles, is of no use for us today. It cannot be termed literature. Premchand reminded the writers that society was their court of Justice and they were answerable to this people’s court, their answer could be accepted if they sincerely promoted humanity, decency, justice and truth”.42 He pointed out that earlier discussions had usually centred on language and its development, rather than ideas and opinions. It was very important task as without language views and emotions could not be shown. The language is mode of communication and with development of language comes the development of literature. Although, earlier literature had great achievement but now it became strong enough to analyse issues of religion, science and politics. A good literature reflects truth and reality, which continued for centuries. Literature should contain elements of reality, experience of life and truth, and had quality of touching the heart and mind of people and is a mirror of reality. The definition of literature is ‘criticism of life and progress', that which creates in us the power to act; makes us examine the subjective and objective causes that has brought a pass of degeneration and finally helps us to overcome those causes.
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