9ROXPH,,,,VVXH,,,0D\,661 “Place as a metaphor of mental displacement in Postcolonial Urdu poetry” Kaneez Fatima Syeda Assistant Prof. of English G C (w) Jhang M.phil in English G C University, Faisalabad Abstract: The present paper focuses on a shared link between the mental displacement and the poetic experience of a person; the interaction between the feelings and the language. The words uttered by a poet in poetic reverie unconsciously serve as a metaphor to depict the true and complete dilemma of his mental displacement in migrant situation. The migration distraught a person as much mentally as physically; the theme of migration as such should be dealt with on psychological level not only as a change of land and culture. Postcolonial literature and specially poetry in sub-continent metaphorically uses place or land as a key term to exhibit mental displacement of the poet. Urdu poets of sub- continent in postcolonial era such as Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Nasir Kazmi, Iftikhar Arif, Nun Meem Rashid and Habib Jalib vehemently unleashed their agonized experience of migration and painful feelings as settlers through their poetry. The present study deals with discussing a joint venture of metaphoric use of language to show ties with place and undercurrent motif of displacement in postcolonial Urdu poetry; physical migration as well as mental displacement as a dominating theme in postcolonial literature. Postcolonial theory of place and displacement has been engaged as a key note to draw factual results about the assumption of a poet’s mental displacement in postcolonial era. 5HIHUHHG 3HHU5HYLHZHG -RXUQDO KWWSZZZLMHOOKFRP 9ROXPH,,,,VVXH,,,0D\,661 Introduction: The term displacement is a key term in postcolonial theory which can be applied to all migrant situations either geographical migration or mental alienation as a result. It refers both to physical displacement and a sense of being socially, culturally and mentally out of place. The term has commanded growing interest within postcolonial studies and literatures. Place and displacement is the major concern with which the postcolonial literatures deal. “It is here that the special postcolonial crisis of identity comes into being; the concern with the development of recovery of an effective identifying relationship between self and place.” (Ashcroft, Griffiths &Tiffin, 1989: p.8-9) Poetry is purely the art of an introvert plummeting the depths of human psyche and exploring the frontiers and wastelands of any felt experience; the felt experience which is a multi-faceted and multi-dimensional phenomenon acting on one hand as a kinship between the feelings and the resources of language for expression and on the other, sometimes as a fluctuation between grief and glee. This very fluctuation between grief and glee is the outcome of mental displacement which writers and specially the poets of postcolonial era share as a subject of commonality. This mental displacement is the under-current which uses many spouts for its outburst. The metaphor of place is the one very often used to share the experience of mental displacement. Methodology: The present study involves a literary analytical enterprise involving postcolonial concern of place and displacement as theoretical framework. “The dialectic of place and displacement is always a feature of postcolonial societies whether these have been created by a process of settlement, intervention or a mixture of the two.” (Ashcroft et al., 1989) The close study of the text has been adopted as a method to reach the final conclusion about the applied assumption of theoretical framework. Analysis: Many postcolonial Urdu poets of sub-continent felt this enigma and used it as a metaphor to give vent to their pent-up feelings. The most worth quoting name in this regard is that of Nasir Kazmi who says: “Dhiyan ke atishdan main Nasir, Bujhay dinu ki rakh pari hai” ( Kazmi, 1998: p.75) 5HIHUHHG 3HHU5HYLHZHG -RXUQDO KWWSZZZLMHOOKFRP 9ROXPH,,,,VVXH,,,0D\,661 (In the burning fire-place of my nostalgic mind, there are the ashes of past memories.) Here the metaphor of “ Dhiyan ka atishdan” (burning fire-place of mind) is a place which serves as a metaphor of mental displacement of the poet with his surroundings in postcolonial scenario. Postcolonial literatures often focus on the social contexts in the migrant’s country of origin, on the experience of migration itself, on the mixed reception which they may receive in the country of arrival, on the experiences of racism and hostility and on the sense of rootless ness and the search for identity which can result from displacement and cultural diversity. All these experiences along with the memory of lost place, Nasir Kazmi has used as metaphors of displacement. One such metaphor can be quoted as: “Yad ke bainishan jazeerun se tairi awaz a rhi he abhi” ( Kazmi, 1998: p.36) (From the unknown islands of your memories, I can still listen your voice.) In this verse the poet has used the place of “Bainishan Jazeeray” (unknown islands) as a metaphor of displacement; the mental displacement of the poet. Nasir Kazmi is the poet who experienced the pangs of separation from his birth place as a result of migration. He experienced the physical as well as mental displacement to the deep recesses of his soul. This mental displacement is quite evident as a metaphor which he used throughout his poetry. He writes: “kuch yadain, kuch khushboo le kr main us basti se nikla tha” ( Kazmi, 1975: p.72) (I left my native land with some burning memories and fragrant hope for a new land.) Here the word Basti is a place which the poet has used as a metaphor to show his mental displacement due to his nostalgic past. In the same ghazal he writes: “Hansta pani, rota pani mujhko awazain daita tha.” (Kazmi, 1975: p.70) 5HIHUHHG 3HHU5HYLHZHG -RXUQDO KWWSZZZLMHOOKFRP 9ROXPH,,,,VVXH,,,0D\,661 (Laughing river, weeping river kept on calling me back.) Again we may treat this fluctuation between grief and glee as a metaphor of displacement. Another such poet is Faiz Ahmad Faiz whose poetry is fraught with the gestures alike; the glaring metaphors of mental displacement. A strong example in this regard is this poem: “Mairay dil, mairay musafir hua phir se hukm sadir ke watan badar hun hum tum dain gali gali sadain karain rukh nagar nagar ka ke suragh koi paain kisi yar-e-nama bar ka har ik ajnabi se poochain jo pata tha apnay ghar ka sar-e-kooiy nashanayan hamain din se rat krna kabhi is se bat krna kabhi us se bat krna tumhain kia kahun ke kia he shab-e-gham buri bala he hamain ye bhi tha ghaneemat jo koi shumar hota hamain kia bura tha marna agar aik bar hota.” ( Faiz, 1981: p.7 ) (O, my banished heart, it is the new order of the day that I, along with you must leave my native land. That we must wander place to place, country to country. Might we come across some old acquaintance? It is our fate that we can’t help asking for the address of 5HIHUHHG 3HHU5HYLHZHG -RXUQDO KWWSZZZLMHOOKFRP 9ROXPH,,,,VVXH,,,0D\,661 our home from strangers. We are forced to spend our days and nights in alien land and we don’t know how long this situation will last.) Indeed a valid and active sense of self might have been eroded by dislocation resulting from migration. The dialectic of place and displacement is always a feature of postcolonial studies of all the colonized regions. Place, culture and language are the features directly influenced by the experience of colonization; the influence resulted in mental and emotional alienation. This sense of alienation serves as a metaphor of displacement in the poetry of Faiz. Such lines show the same sense of mental alienation: “Hum ke thehray ajnabi itni madaratun ke bad.” (Faiz, 1979: p.60) (We are still declared strangers here despite our every effort.) AND: “Kabhi kabhi yad main ubhartay hain naqsh-e-mazi mitay mitay se.” (Faiz, 1953: p.14) (Sometimes I still perceive the tinges of my past in my memories.) Mental disharmony and sense of aloofness as a valid result of migration from one place to another resulted in cultural, social and psychological breakdown not only on individual level but it disturbs the strain of self and nation on the whole. The way climatic and geographical changes interact with a person show that the theme of migration is something more than only the change of land and culture. It is mainly the issues of uprooting of self and identity crisis which this topic involves and which is glaringly evident from postcolonial Urdu poetry of subcontinent. The strong ties a person has with his native land never let him do away with nostalgic sense of loss in case the native land is left behind forever. A man can sometimes in his life be able to feel himself detached from his dream land but can never feel like this about his native land because the native land is a reality not a dream which can be abandoned somewhat. The same sense of nostalgic loss can be felt from these lines of Habib Jalib: 5HIHUHHG 3HHU5HYLHZHG -RXUQDO KWWSZZZLMHOOKFRP 9ROXPH,,,,VVXH,,,0D\,661 “Bahut mehrban theen wo gulposh rahain Magar hum unhain mehrban chor ayay Bagoolun ki soorat yahan phir rhay hain Nashaiman sar-e-gulstan chor ayay.” (Jalib, 2007: p.23) (That native land with flowery paths was very dear to us but we left it. Here in this alien land we are feeling rootless but we left our own dear home behind on those flowery paths) Home and homeland is a phenomenon leading towards the true estimate of the term place and displacement. The growing sensation of being out of place in postcolonial Urdu poetry of subcontinent call for the poet’s own sense of rootlessness and identity crisis.