Sahir Ludhianvi encapsulates the aforementioned ubiquitous reality as an eternal essence of time-tested wisdom that one can only gain from lessons learned from lifelong encounters and bittersweet experiences. In like manner, the book ‘Indifference in the Times of Extremism’ by Mahmood Shaam, who is a renowned writer, Urdu poet, and veteran journalist, reflects the writer’s first-hand observations, personal encounters, and the essence of all his experiences and ordeals.
The book, imbued with universal relevance and carrying immense importance to every sane mind, is a collection of 11 essays penned by the seasoned author on a range of subjects that matter. Based on Shaam’s perennial odyssey as an Urdu journalist and committed activist bound to his political principles and well-defined ethical boundaries, the revised edition of the book is a compendium of his both previously written and new yet long-winded write-ups, which are equally applicable to the current scenario and will remain valid for the future as well, as a universal point of reference.
The best thing about the book is that it is written by someone who is more proud of his children’s writing credentials than the rest of his journalistic accolades. Universally speaking, someone who can write for children and has a never-ending passion for children’s literature must be a gracious, compassionate soul. More than anything else, Mahmood Shaam is known as the chief editor and publisher of a children’s magazine called ‘Tot Batot.’ Though the vicissitudes of time have buried the most popular children’s magazine of yore in the graveyard of ignorance and literary benightedness, a restless soul like Shaam, despite hitting the peak of his sunset years, cannot stop himself from moving his pen and speaking his heart out for the love of his country and for the greater benefit of both present generation and posterity. The book under review is an eyewitness to the national history’s good and bad phases since Pakistan’s inception. Penned by a patriotic soul who, as per his age, tends to be a one-year senior to Pakistan, the book cannot be termed a literary masterpiece, but it is, indeed, a candid socio-political commentary on the way things took place in the country, though in the wrong direction. The text sounds as if it were not originally written in English, but the intent behind the publication and the meanings of such elongated views have not been lost in translation.
The book title epitomizes the crime of being indifferent in the face of evil, as one can either be on the right or wrong end of the equation. It delineates why indifference severely affects social cohesion and why empathy and compassion are essential for the making of a just society. From the word go, the author calls the reader’s attention with his honest writing tone, replete with wisdom and sane advice, showing the way forward. Upset with widespread social chaos and loss of the nation’s sense of direction, Shaam is frank with his authorial approach, discussing the national plight by directly pointing towards the holier-than-thou powers that be, both visible and invisible. Akin to talking to the walls, the author’s desperate attempt at highlighting the political fault lines, social malaise, and collective concerns amidst harrowing civil-military relations, can frankly be termed a voice crying in the wilderness, considering the track record of those who rule the roost and would be perhaps calling the shots in the times to come through coercive dissent control and repression. However, Shaam has something to say to those who are all ears. Please don’t read the book if you cannot feel the pain that the author has gone through.
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