Munir Badini: The Author with 90 Novels

By Zakir Qadir

Like other forms of fine arts – such as music, dance, painting, sculpture – literature  is meant to give aesthetic pleasure rather than just serve a utilitarian purpose. It consists of great books notable for literary form or expression.

In the realms of poetry, drama and fiction, the greatest works are selected on aesthetic excellence or the beauty of expression which entitle books to be considered as literature.

Great works of poetry in Balochi have been produced in the past century. On the other hand, Balochi literature has remained devoid of great works in fiction and drama. In recent years, however, some Baloch writers have emerged with prodigious works of fiction with equal aesthetic excellence and beauty of expression. One of them is Munir Ahmed Badini, a fiction writer who has enriched the Balochi literature with ninety novels to his name.

Mr. Badini is a notable writer and has been awarded  “President’s Award for Pride of Performance” for his services to the Balochi literature. He has also been awarded with two national awards from Academy of Letters and also the regional “Mast Tawakli Award” and “Syed Dad Award”.

Munir Ahmed Badini (b 1953) is in his 60s and belongs to Bolanzai clan of the Badini tribe of Rakhshani Balochs from the district of Nushki.

He started writing from an early age. During his college years, he translated Joseph Stalin’s book “Marxism And The National And Colonial Question” into Balochi language but couldn’t publish it. Hewrites fiction in Rakhshani Balochi dialect. The theme of his writing is Baloch society. Compared to other contemporary writers of Balochi, he inscribes fiction with a new taste and is widely read  by the Baloch youth.

Because of the aesthetic pleasure in his writing, his novels have also been translated into English, Urdu and Persian languages.

Mr. Badini says novel has gained much importance in the 21st century; in some parts of the world it has gotten a status after religion. “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens has sold 200 million copies and “War and Peace” of Leo Tolstoy’s approximate sales only in Russia were 36.0 million copies. Mr. Badini believes that a writer does not write for awards or commercial purposes but he writes for ideal readers. Although his books are available in the market for sale, he often distributes them freely among the youth.

Badini is inspired by “Sartre’s Idea of Freedom”. Consequently, his novels and short stories run around freedom. He believes that most essential element in a human is emotion and he expresses his feelings without any fear, saying, “If one wants to enjoy life, he must be fearless”.

Badini says the one who does not think can’t be his friend. He says it is the thought that differentiates a human from an animal.

“For years, I was trying to convert my thoughts into an art form. Now I have succeeded in my ambition by penning ninety novels” says Badini.

Balochi literature has long waited for a novel like War and Peace and that wait ends with the publication of Munir Ahmed Badini’s latest novel “Bahisht o Dozah”, a historical novel of love and philosophy with aesthetic pleasure. Bahisht o Dozah, or “Heaven and the Hell” in English, is his magnum opus and consists of more than 12 hundred pages, beautifully covered with a high-quality printing.

The author of ninety Balochi language novels is soon going to publish his first English language novel.

Badini is a great inspiration for the Baloch youth, especially for those who have love for literature and want to develop a career in writing. Some of his books are named below:

• Rekani Talah Halke ["A Village In The Dunes"] Published by Balochi Academy Quetta, Balochistan. 1993
• Bel Ke Mah Bekapeet ["Let The Moon Vanish"] Published by Balochi Academy Quetta, Balochistan. 1994
• Agah-en Chamani Wahb ["The Dream Of Open Eyes"] Published by Balochi Academy Quetta, Balochistan. 1996.
• Shal-e Gullen Bazaar ["The Flowery Bazaar Of Shal"] Published by New College Publications Quetta, 2008.
• Tahariani Posag ["The Children Of Darkness"] New College Publications, 2009.
• Eh Zind Tara Brazit ["He Is Worth It"] New College Publications, 2009.
• Karnani Kahren Dohk ["The Sorrows Of Centuries"] Published by Baloch Academy Quetta, Balochistan, 2009.
• Mani Dairee-e Latain Pan ["A Few Pages Of My Diary"] New College Publication 2009.
• Hazaren Pasaani Shap ["A Night of Thousand Twists"] A collection short stories. New College Publications 2010.
• Espaten Haspa Sanj Bekan ["Sadle The White Horse"] New Collage Publications 2010.
• Esh Tai Zameen Tai Azmaan ["This is Your Land, This is Your Sky"] New College Publications 2010.
• Esh Gon Saraan Labe ["Playing with the Lives"] New College Publications 2010.
• Hazaren Karnani Wadaar ["Waiting of a Thousand Years"] New College Publications 2010.
• Bekan k Tao Bebu ["Be and do it"]
• Jemari ay Rokapt ["The sunset of Jemari"]

Published in The Baloch Hal on June 24, 2013

 http://thebalochhal.com/2013/06/25/munir-badini-the-author-with-90-novels/

In Memoriam of Zubaida Hussain

By: Zakir Qadir

“Zubaida Ki Death Hogai Hai” (Zubaida has passed away).

My mobile blinked with a message from a classmate-friend, Zahir Zaheer.

I could not believe it and really thought it to be something like a joke we usually made in the class. When I logo in the Facebook a picture of her with a caption of praying words appeared on the homepage shared by Hafeez Sherani. Now I had to believe it. Believe that she is no more -Today I was realizing what a classmate is - definitely a family member. I was memorizing everything she did or spoke in class, her participation in class activates, her jokes she usually said about guys and her position in the previous examinations and her awaiting result------but she was no more to wait for her final result as we are waiting. Who will search the result for the roll no----------?

When I read the comments of classmates, her friends and her family members under her picture in facebook, I really cried, cried once, cried twice, cried again and again. She was not to die so early. She had to come up with new ideas and to support and lead the women of her community. She was a hard working and a devoted girl. Those of us, who knew her, would surely testify her love for humanity. We studied for two years in the same class but for a single moment she didn’t let us know that she belonged to another sect.

“Jab b atay ho paisy ki Baath karty ho” (whenever you come, ask for money)

This was Zubaida Hussain whose these words made us laugh for days she told our class representative, when he was collecting money for the class party. This humorous personality was known to me from April 2011. We studied Journalism together but my interaction with her were just, getting the copies of notes and handouts, the teachers provided us but my observations about my classmates were not so finite.

Zubaida was a girl with a humorous temper making others laugh. One day the class was silent after the teacher left, a clean-shaven boy was seated in a chair in the first row, Zubaida called him from behind,

“O Baji, excuse me”.

 As she called her baji the silence of the class broke into laughs.

Zubaida had love for humanity and spoke against the injustice against women which led her to research on the violence against women. Her final year research study was entitled “Domestic violence and the role of Media” in which she dug out the violence against women such as honor killing, dowry related violence and sexual harassment. For the elimination of these evils she suggested in her report that, “we and our media must know the reality and put steps forward towards a positive change.”

In our class, among the girls she was called Zubi, one of our teachers called her Khanam and some boys called her Aapa but she never minded this; once a friend told her,

“We call you Aapa, don’t you mind this?”

First she replied with the two letter word “No”. Then she said.

“Why should I mind? You are like brothers to me”.

This sister always tried to make others laugh and now left us cried, she is not among us but we must remember our sister in our prayers. May her soul rest in peace. (Aameen)