‘It’ll Live for a Long Long Time’ – A comment by Younas Khan

Younas Khan who i had met at Skeena’s Sargodha launch in 2007, was kind enough to post a comment on ‘Kishwar Naheed on Skeena’.

He says:
‘Skeena definitely is a valuable novel, and i agree that most readers have read it at least three times. First to become fluent in Punjabi, second to understand Skeena, and the third time to enjoy the novel. I also read it twice in 2008.

‘Your reportage of Kishwar Naheed is beautiful.

‘When Shehla Nigar, who is working on her phd thesis, wanted my opinion about Skeena, i asked her to first tell me what she thought about the novel since i had read it six years back. Her instant response was: ‘She is a rebel’. I was unable to contain my appreciation, and i told her that in just three words she has described the essence of Skeena’s character. I told her that i am also impressed with two others, a homosexual character and Iqbal Singh but of course Skeena being the central character dominates.

‘This is a high quality novel, and the first Punjabi novel that i read with passion. This novel should have been in Urdu, if it was written in Urdu it would have had a larger readership and would be counted among the few big Urdu novels. However, it has been written and presented with confidence like a big-budget Indian Punjabi film.

‘I don’t know the history of Punjabi novel but i know that Skeena is a huge contribution to Punjabi literature. It has been written in common spoken Punjabi, the one spoken in our cities, the Punjabi that is understood by the literate and sentient culture of Punjab.

‘I am lucky that i was able to have a short conversation with you in Sargodha, and you had autographed my copy of Skeena with love.

‘I keep Skeena like a treasure. I want to read it again even when i hardly ever read a book again. Skeena is a great addition to punjabi literature, and it will live for a long long time.’

Many thanks to you, Younas Khan, for your thoughts and words (view Younas’s original comment in Punjabi: kishwar-naheed-on-skeena/#comment). For me, they affirm that indeed Skeena is not a newspaper. Skeena’s Urdu version will come out in the next couple of years. And yes, i too have your autograph with autographs of other friends from Sargodha, the launch where the most beautiful review of Skeena was presented (that i subsequently managed to lose; that you had recently promised to try to ‘re-cover’ from the Author’s memory).

Looking forward to see Shehla Nigar’s contemplation on Skeena.

Fauzia
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