‘Dial M for Madeeha’

Pakistani Anglophone fiction has mostly been dominated by literary novels dealing with serious themes. Until recently, it was difficult to come across local fiction written in a lighter vein. While skeptics have often dismissed such commercially-driven novels for their perceived superficiality, a vast majority of readers tend to gravitate towards them. The popularity of these books is welcome proof that reading habits in Pakistan haven’t diminished significantly.

Be that as it may, it is unfair to place literature into rigid categories. Literary fiction can easily venture into the territory often attributed to more commercially driven works. The boundaries between genres are always porous and shouldn’t be viewed in a narrow sense. Nadya Chishty-Mujahid’s Timeless College Tales is one such text that defies neat categorization. The landscape of Nadya Chishty-Mujahid’s debut collection, which features 12 stories about the challenges university students face, instantly reminds readers of Chetan Bhagat’s bestselling novels. However, the author is painting on a much larger canvas and isn’t interested in producing formulaic storylines seen in Bhagat’s novels. The stories in Timeless College Tales are steered by a desire to chronicle the pressures of university life and the follies of youth. Every story includes an epigraph -- usually a quote from a renowned literary figure -- that allows readers to reflect on the experiences faced by the characters.

Timeless College Tales is set in the fictitious Saeed School of Business (SSB), an elite university where the quiet battles of youth coexist alongside more nefarious political conflicts. Students are expected to adhere to rigid codes of conduct by a strict university administration but are still driven by the desire to assert their individuality. Under these conditions, a professor named Madeeha Sulaiman comes through as a well-meaning mentor. She understands the constraints and complexities under which the university administration operates. However, Madeeha finds unique ways to ensure the well-being of her students from within the system. As stated in a review published in The News on Sunday, Madeeha “occupies a liminal space between the strictness of the university administration and the permissive attitude which the students desperately crave”.

A poignant collection of short stories must come across as multifaceted. Each story needs to be a self-contained whole, a universe unto itself. If the tone of the stories in a collection isn’t varied, readers may steadily lose interest in them. In the acknowledgements section, Nadya Chishty-Mujahid describes her debut collection as “coherent yet diverse.” It is difficult to refute this claim as every story in Timeless College Tales opens a vista onto a different facet of university life. The characters who appear in these stories may be grappling with the familiar emotions of love and longing, but their experiences are depicted in a unique manner. As a result, Timeless College Tales portrays the distinct flavors of university life.

‘Dial M for Madeeha’ reveals how a university professor’s concern for her pupil’s welfare leads her into the dark underbelly of student politics. In ‘The Pisces and the Black Queen,’ students living in a hostel face drastic consequences when they are falsely accused of possession of drugs.

Some stories feature love triangles through which entrenched loyalties are tested. However, the author doesn’t address this theme through a stereotypical lens. Friendship is a recurring theme in Nadya Chishty-Mujahid’s collection, and she never compromises its virtues by glorifying the fleeting pleasures of romantic love.

Memorable for its evocation of university life, Timeless College Tales takes readers into the hearts and minds of students who are impressionable yet innovative, vulnerable yet courageous. Nadya Chishty-Mujahid should be commended for writing about student life with authenticity and flair.