Book Review

Catch-22
By Joseph Heller
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks
Price: $ 16
ISBN: 0-684-83339-5
Page Count: 453
Size: 10.5 x 7
Released: 1994

Ever since January 2009 when one of my teachers recommended me to read Catch-22, I have had a preset notion of the novel. I expected it to be hilarious, comical, and entertaining to the extent of a light piece of writing. I found it to be more than that. Rather, much more than that. It’s a story of human perseverance, persistence, determination, and diligence put in a highly funny way.

Joseph Heller takes us back to the world that it was during the Second World War. Catch-22’s plot is rooted in the Second World War, and the story revolves around an American fighter pilot, Yossarian, who is fatigued by the conflict and wants to be sent home. He makes every effort to escape the war. He has a point: there are thousands of people who are bent upon to kill him!

Yossarian is, apparently, an undisciplined, annoying, and unmanageable soldier. However, he ends up as somebody who defies all odds to persevere himself for reasons that are not personal. He prefers common interest over personal glory.

Heller maintains a nice balance between sanity and people driven by insanity. “Ideals are good, but people are sometimes not so good. You must try to look up at the big picture,” Major Danby tells Yossarian in an effort to make him stick to his deal with the military high-ups. The proposed deal serves as a patch up between Yossarian and his military bosses.

Yossarian, who decides to go against the deal, replies affirmatively: “When I look up, I see people cashing in. I don’t see heaven or saints or angels. I see people cashing in on every decent impulse and every human tragedy.”

Catch-22 is full of pun and entertainment. It discusses the Allied forces’ military might in a charmingly entertaining way. Heller’s description of the Allied forces’ efficiency is sharp and hilarious. “Nothing we do in this large department of ours is really very important, and there’s never any rush.”

Heller doesn’t restrict his story to the war zone. Similarly, the novel’s scope is not limited to the soldiers who are fatigued by war or those who take it as an opportunity to prove their valour by bombing and killing innocent civilians. The story is neither restricted to human annihilation nor to devastating effects of the war. Rather, it is more of a combination of all. Heller helps us understand the 1940s world politics. In a very light and jovial way, he describes the US foreign policy interests and what was at stake for it to win the war.

Rated as a ‘monumental artifact of contemporary American literature’ by the New York Times Book Review, Catch-22 has outlived its longevity. It was written in 1962, but it is still fresh, inventive, and brilliant. This is mainly because of Heller’s witty, humorous, and bitterly funny style. The novel is going to be remembered for ever. It has to its credit something really distinctive. Catch-22 added a new term to the dictionary: Catch-22.

Reviewed by Intikhab Amir

Book Review

Imran Khan
By Christopher Sandford
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Price: 12.99 UK P
ISBN: 978-0-00-731888-9
Page count: 402
Size: 9.3 x 6
Released: 2009

It is more than a biography. Christopher Sandford’s Imran Khan does not speak only about Pakistan’s celebrity and most spectacular cricket star. It is more than cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan’s life story. It covers Pakistan, its politics, economy, culture, and society. It talks about the difficult state of affairs the people of Pakistan have been living in. It tells us about Pakistani politicians’ tainted track record, political bickering by the military dictators who ruled the country, and its tense relations with the neighbouring India.

An acclaimed biographer and a seasoned writer, Christopher Sandford has maintained a simple and clear style throughout the book. A combination of witty and intelligent writing, Imran Khan takes a deep look into the celebrity cricket star’s personal life, his family and Pukhtoon tribal roots, his religious and political thoughts. Besides, it contains a fair degree of satire on Pakistani politics, leaders, dictators, and armed insurgents driven by religious extremism. Sandford brings in the likes of the ‘Islamic disc jokey named Maulana Fazalullah,’ and Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, ‘who enjoyed the nickname “Mullah Diesel”’ side-by-side telling Imran’s journey and describing him as the cricketer, the ultimate celebrity, the politician, and the philanthropist.

Sandford has produced a thorough and well-researched account of the life of a man with several roles, numerous accomplishments, and many controversies. Imran Khan, whose rise in cricket took the game to new heights, is the face of Pakistan. He is a ‘swarthy oriental maverick’ in the words of an unnamed source Sandford quoted in the book. To Wasim Raja, Imran “was a different man at different times…I [Raja] knew at least three or four Imrans.”

Sandford informs his readers that Imran “was known to attend extended performances of Qawwalis, the mystic songs traditionally played on a stringed instrument called the Sarangi that can take up to half-an-hour to return between numbers, a more leisurely pace than that set even at the Pink Floyd concerts Imran later enjoyed.”

The author presents in detail Pakistan Cricket’s journey, looking into its more than half-a-century history that include many ups and downs. The cricketing part of Imran’s life dominates the book. It covers in detail his prolonged international sporting career, his lengthy association with the English County Cricket, his on-and-off the field rivalries (predominantly with fellow player Javed Miandad and officials of the Pakistani cricketing authorities).

Moving back and forth between the story of his cricketing years and political career, Sandford keeps switching to Imran’s much talked about late night London life and his many reported affairs involving European ‘socialites’ and ‘blondes.’ Sandford tells us about how Imran switched, in a quick succession of few years, from his one lover to another: Susannah Constantine to Kristiane Backer to Jemima Marcelle Goldsmith. The graphic details of Imran’s much reported relationship with the London socialite Sita White and how a U.S. court ruled young Tyrian Khan White to be Imran’s daughter also make part of the biography. Sandford gives several snapshot descriptions of his subject’s early advances to his female admirers.

Referring to one such incident, dating back to 1971when Imran toured England as part of the national cricket team, Sandford quotes a then 20-year-old legal secretary, Judy Flander, who “remembers Imran’s activities at a popular Manchester nightspot: ‘He sat round, smouldered, muttered a bit to his mates, didn’t dance, drank only milk, and rested his hand affectionately on my thigh.’” And, this is not the only time when readers would read about Imran drinking milk in discos and nightspots. They would read this fact of Imran’s quite often. “I hated being portrayed as a playboy [in London’s gossip columns]. I wasn’t one – cricket was always my obsession,” Imran tells Sandford.

While describing Imran’s life the book touches many important personalities and non-cricketing events with proven significance in the history of Pakistan. Pakistan’s nuclear bomb tests in 1998, the rise of religious extremism, Musharraf’s military coup, lawyers’ movement for the restoration of the country’s top judiciary in 2007, and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination in December 2007 are among the events Sandford touched in his book on Imran.

Sheikh Mujeeb-ur-Rehman is referred to as the ‘Bengali militant,’ Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto as ‘a champion of Islamic socialism’ and a pro for fighting a ‘1000 year war with India.’ President Asif Ali Zardari is described as ‘[the] head of state … with a personal fortune estimated at between UK Pound 2.5 billion and 6 billion.’

Sandford’s reflections on Pakistan, in particular, and Imran Khan, in general, are hard to refute.

Reviewed by Intikhab Amir

Book Review

Finally Feminist: A Pragmatic Christian Understanding of Gender by John G. Stackhouse Jr

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Stackhouse selected a difficult, but brave, approach to put his words across. Finally Feminist is a book of theology in which the author has challenged the orthodox Christian views viz-a-viz women's status in church, society, and house. It is brave because it challenges the tradition of patriarchy. It questions various translations of the Scripture. And, it also challenges the secular feminists on way to prove its thesis: Christian feminism.

It takes a difficult approach to substantiate its claim about the prevalence of feminism in Christianity by maintaining a nice balance between the modern and orthodox Christian schools of thought. "Why both sides are wrong - and right" goes perfectly with the substance of the book as it takes a difficult route to establish its point by pointing out rights and wrongs from both the sides: egalitarians and orthodox Christians.

Stackhouse's scholarly work provides a voice to women and serves as a message for men: use your masculine strength for the benefit of women.

Though the book requires a better understanding of Christianity to aptly comprehend the message, Stackhouse's work does not leave even an ordinary non-Christian reader without an urge to expand her/his knowledge about the Christian history and its evolution.

View all my reviews >>

Art and Culture

The Iconic Dilip Kumar

By Intikhab Amir

Dated December 2001

Dilip Kumar is 79 today. As he enters 80^th year of his earthly existence, he continues to be the role model for those youngsters who want a career in the film industry.

In point of fact, for the last five decades, he has been role model for film heroes all across the sub-continent. Many of them have tried to emulate his style but no one could touch heights of acting touched by Dilip.

Who could think then that a boy born on 11^th December 1922 in a small house located in Dooma Gali, Muhallah Khuda Daad Peshawar city would one day shine on the horizons of the Indo-Pakistan filmdom for better part of 20^th century? Decidedly, one does come across big names in the Film Industry like Raj Kapoor, Devanand, Amitabh, Dharmendra, Jeetandar, Vinod Khanna, Rajesh Khanna, Nadeem, Muhammed Ali, to mention a few, but they pale in comparison with Dilip.

The Thespian from Peshawar city, it appears, has everything natural about him: expression on his face of sadness or love; of hate or smile; delivery of dialogue and his pronunciation. He has rightly been called as King of Tragedy. But Govinda says his comic roles too are simply superb. Dilip’s stature has grown with age. He is becoming graceful by the day. Age hasn’t done much harm to him. He appears to be ageless and matchless.

In a film career spanned over 55 years, he hasn’t worked in more than 55 films, which, in other words, means on average one file a year. Dilip never compromised quality over quantity and therein perhaps laid the secrets of his longevity. Some of his films, no doubt didn’t click at the box office. But there never has been a film in which Dilip himself ever flopped.

From Jhawar Bhatta to Qilla, Dilip had performed a variety of roles. Daagh, Deedar, Devdas, Naya Daur, Paigham, Aadmi, Ram aur Shiyam, Gunga Jamna, Mughl-e-Azam, Shaheed, Insaniyat, Jogan, Hulchul, Andaz, Tarana, Leader, Jugno, Aan, Amar, Sangdil, Arzoo, Foorpath, Shakti, Karma, Mashaaland Dil Diya Dar Liya are some of his classic movies.

Even after decades of their release, these films don’t look old. These will remain evergreen for such treasurers of art are ageless and as long as films are made, newcomers in film industry will continue to hanker after the heights set up by Dilip. Amitabh was certainly right when on the occasion of conferment of award of actor of the millennium on him he said “he simply cannot reach the heights achieved by Dilip Kumar.”

This perfectionist from Peshawar city lately, has not been keeping good health, which is a cause of concern for millions of his fans who pray for his health.

Published in Dawn newspaper on December 11, 2001.

A spectacle of shame

By Intikhab Amir

A brief altercation followed by an uncontrollable emotional outburst with a male airhostess of an international airline slapping a passenger, and the passenger, in return, unstoppably using ‘f’ words turn an Islamabad bound flight into a rare experience for many.

So intense was the reaction by agitating passengers that the authorities on board immediately passed on the information to their higher ups who instantly suspended the concerned airhostess and an inquiry was initiated when the aircraft landed at Islamabad on Monday evening.

With a couple of hundred passengers on board, the airliner left Toronto’s Pearson International Airport with a slight delay of 45 minutes on Sunday, last. Outside air temperature at the Pearson International was much below the freezing point – minus ten Celsius with wind chill and flurries adding more to people’s weather worries. The inside air temperature of the aircraft was soon to rise considerably!

In all respects, the flight started well and everything was a business as usual. Passengers compelled by the aircraft’s heating system removed jackets and sweaters. Some of them gave their heads into the blankets, provided by the friendly crew, to have a nap before the dinner were served. Many other were taking care of their toddlers who had turned the aircraft into a noisy fish-market.

The airhostesses – female and male – started serving their guests right at the outset. Though they were doing routine chores as part of their job, it was apparently evident that their task was not easy by any degree. They had to please everybody on board and give their best by behaving the way they were supposed to - being the service providers.

Serving hundreds of ‘countrymen’ seated together can never be an easy job for a small bunch of airhostesses. Be it a modern Boeing 777 aircraft, the task remains all the same difficult to please every passenger during an over 13-hour long non-stop flight. The passengers - men and women with scores of crying children - tend to be more demanding than they usually are under normal circumstances. The serving crew’s challenge could become more challenging when the cold drink they offer is not really cold, or when the passengers are served a tasteless half-cooked brown rice with smelly meat.

The passengers of the Islamabad bound flight were served dinner soon after the aircraft reached to a considerable height. Moments later, as it usually happens, several of the guests started leaving their seats heading towards the sections of the aircraft where small box-sized toilets were situated.

All of a sudden, the roaring engines’ sound subsided. The inside air of the aircraft seating compound became more noisy. It was triggered by a sudden outburst of human emotions. A number of passengers witnessed something really rare. They saw a young uniformed male airhostess slapping, with considerable force, on the face of a passenger.

He tried to justify his hostility, saying the passenger used ‘f’ word against him. The insulted passenger did not hold it to him. He went on using the abusive words again. That added more to the infuriated crew’s anger. With nicely trimmed French-cut beard, he knocked down the passenger in the black shirt and with dyed hair.

The hostilities left a female airhostess, dressed in the shalwar-kameez uniform, in awe and grief. With her eyes wide open, she started calling her colleagues to stop the non-sense. Before her colleagues in the uniform could come or comprehend the sensitivity of the situation, few among the passengers in the Economy Class responded to the situation. Some held the disenchanted passenger and others put brakes to the boiling airhostess.

The engines’ roar faded away into the background. The noise caused by men shouting over took the Economy Class compartment of the aircraft. Children started crying and women whispering. Tension was on the rise, as another male airhostess started moving towards the passenger to take notice of the ‘unacceptable behavior’ meted out to his colleague. He, however, stopped short of seat number 65 on the left side of the aircraft where the manhandled passenger was seated. He, however, gave up before the passengers’ collective reaction as most of them reprimanded the crew for his violent action.

The passengers could only be brought under control after senior airline officers from among the crew on board intervened. A departmental inquiry against the airhostess was promised. They extended an apology to the aggrieved passenger for a ‘completely unacceptable behavior’ by their young colleague.

Besides, an instant message was relayed to the higher authorities concerned that were quick enough to suspend the official, putting him off from the duty he was performing. Later, the senior airline staffers collected signed written statements as evidence on pages from the Pakistan International Airlines’ writing pads from more among the vocal passengers on board PK-784 flight from Toronto.