“A Sparkle of Magic in the society we live”

By
Dur e Najaf
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest
secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will
never find it.”
― Roald Dahl
For centuries humans have believed in something extraordinary yet a part of their lives. Over the
centuries, these concepts have however altered and taken new shapes as the civilization
progressed. These concepts became a part of people’s everyday lives without their realizations. It
seems surprising enough that the concepts which we only know from our folks have become
permanent residents of our minds but this is a fact. When we look at the other side of the
progressive society which is nourishing today, we will find that all inventions which have now
become an everyday need are the result of a magical mind who once pondered a bit different
from everyone else. A mind must have thought about flying high in the skies, exploring the
deepest secrets which lie hidden in the deepest corners of vast seas and travelling to far off places
within the blink of an eye. These all things look magical enough but have now taken a shape of
reality in the forms of planes, submarines and bullet trains in this real world and much more has
yet to come. As Iqbal says,
aañkh jo kuchh dekhtī hai lab pe aa saktā nahīñ
mahv-e-hairat huuñ ki duniyā kyā se kyā ho jā.egī

(“Whatever the eye witnesses, lips are unable to express that

I am surprised about the transformation (this) world will sustain”)
Aside from the scientific inventions, magic is in my mind too. The transformation of an
individual based upon his circumstances at different steps of his life reveals that. Just as Franz
Kafka paints the picture of “Gregor Samsa” before us in “Metamorphosis”. Every single person
undergoes metamorphosis in this world. Some choose to metamorphose willingly and some have
to drink the poison of transformation unwillingly but no one in this world can ever claim that
he/she didn’t go through a shift ever. We have seen people from our Islamic history-changing
unexpectedly. They had a change of hearts, which changed them into someone which they never
thought they would become just as Gregor never thought.
Caliph, Hazrat Umar Farooq R.A experienced his metamorphosis right when he was about to kill
his sister for being a Muslim. The holy verses of Al-Quran acted like magic on him and
transformed him into a different individual than he was once. An account records that upon
hearing the verses, “Umar’s eyes filled with hot tears. “Is this what we were against,” he asked.
“The One who has spoken these words needs to be worshipped.” Umar left his sister’s house and
rushed to Prophet Muhammad. Those with Prophet Muhammad were afraid, but they admitted
Umar and restrained him until he was in Muhammad’s presence. Prophet Muhammad grabbed
him and said, “Why did you come here, son of Khattab?”
Umar faced Prophet Muhammad with humility and joy and said, “O Messenger of God, I have
come for no reason except to say I believe in God and his Messenger.” (Arab News, 2021). This
transformation which took place in the real world is to date considered magical. In the same
manner, we have seen our founder, Mr Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a young man who was an
ordinary student in Lincoln’s Inn transformed, taking inspiration from Dadabhai Naoroji while
serving as his assistant. The News tells that, “While in London, Jinnah discovered a passion for
nationalist politics, and had assisted Dadabhai Naoroji as his secretary. (2016). This
metamorphosis ultimately turned him into Quaid-e-Azam, a leader who is remembered by the
world because of his struggle for our homeland, Pakistan. These transformations which took
place in the real world and transformed individuals completely are no less than magic.
Hybridity which is an essential character of magical realism can even be found in our daily life
conversations where exaggeration seems to take the lead. People have this habit of mixing
mundane things with something which has an extraordinary significance, something which
seems out of this world and in most cases supernatural. When we come to the Pakistani context,
we see hybridity a lot. There might be several reasons for that but the most common of all is the
superstitious mentality which works equally on the educated as well as the uneducated
community.
Being a country that has already been struck with several problems, people over here pay little
heed to mental education and most psychological and neural problems are often linked to the act
of a supernatural entity and black magic. Certain incidents also tend to fulfil the hybridity
condition imposed by magical realism. The most famous of all is “The Bride of Karsaz” which is
believed to have some connection with Karsaz road in Karachi. The presence of a supernatural
entity on a real road in a real city, whether it exists or not is not yet approved except in the tales
of the people who exaggerate their experiences of travel at the same road at night time. Quite
spooky! Isn’t it?
These aspects reflect that within the society people often experience things and sometimes
construct things which in terms of their impact seem extraordinary in an ordinary world. Many of
us have witnessed transformations, epiphanies, superstitions and prophecies at some part of our
life. Many passionate fellows are interested in the “magic of horoscope” as they fully believe that
the movement of stars will sparkle a little magic in their mundane lives transforming them fully.
This is because somehow, we all believe that something good, a miracle or a little magic exists
somewhere and holds the power to change our lives fully in this real world forever.
References
“Allama Iqbal - Sher.” Rekhta,
www.rekhta.org/couplets/aankh-jo-kuchh-dekhtii-hai-lab-pe-aa-saktaa-nahiin-allama-iqbal-coupl
ets. Accessed 30 Mar. 2021.
Arab News. “Umar Ibn al Khattab’s Conversion Strengthened Islam.” Arab News, Arabnews, 7
Sept. 2012,
www.arabnews.com/umar-ibn-al-khattab%E2%80%99s-conversion-strengthened-islam.
Accessed 30 Mar. 2021.

“Jinnah, Naoroji and Gokhale | Political Economy | Thenews.com.pk.” Www.thenews.com.pk,

www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/562382-jinnah-naoroji-gokhale. Accessed 30 Mar. 2021.

“The Nose & Pakistani Power System”

“He who is given power will inevitably become an oppressor and exploiter of society.”
― Mikhail Bakunin
In the year 1836, a work appeared before the readers which was identified as a short story. The
name of this short story was “The Nose “and the writer behind this work was the genius, Nikolai
Gogol. Upon first reading, the work seemed just like any other satirical works of the time but as
one went in-depth, one explored that the writer intended more than fun. Having a magical soul,
this story became an expression of criticism on the bourgeoisie who held ranks in Russian
society. The officers who had big fat “noses” attached to them and equally big fat “egos” forbade
them from defaming them in any case.
Two centuries later, here in Pakistan, the story seems to take its shape in the real context in the
form of the “Wardi ko Salaam”, “Salute to the Uniform” culture. As Pakistan shares a history of
colonization, therefore, many norms from that very time have become a permanent part of the
social set even after years. The quest to get power and rank just as described within the story has
taken ethics from many.
Just like Major Kovalev, we have many officers in the bureaucrat wing and army who know how
to make connections and when and where to use them. The officers with little experience and no
credibility most often like to win up the highest positions to reach the top of the tier. The purpose
is nothing but to enjoy the power and rule the subordinates. The officers who enjoy the power
want to become the supreme authority several times and don’t like it at all whenever a person
from a low tier tends to snatch their power or becomes a hurdle in their way to success and fame.
They have to preserve their honour, the “dignity” at all costs. They have to protect their “noses”
just like Kovalev because this nose, this dignity and honour is what makes them beloved and
powerful in the eyes of the people.
Pakistan has an agrarian economy which implies that most of the population resides in the
villages over here and this is what has strengthened the bureaucratic set up over the years. We
find officers running up the entire districts who are pompous in their way of expressing the
power. They believe that the power they hold over the people is because of their credibility
which makes them separate from other members of the society. The civil structure over here is
continuously disintegrating because the roots of corruption and dishonesty are strengthening and
nourishing every day. At the time of the colonization, an officer was considered the master of the
entire land which came under his power and he was able to express his power in any possible
manner because the subordinates knew the limit of his power. This tradition imprinted in the
minds of the newer generation which enjoyed the power. This is one reason that even today we
find long lines outside the offices of these powerful commissioners and their right hands. People
know how to value them and they know how valuable they are which keeps the entire corrupt
system intact.
Another important aspect that got highlighted from the story was: “Power makes your
personality”. We find this in the story as “Before that mansion there stopped a carriage. And then
a door of the carriage opened, and there leapt thence, huddling himself up, a uniformed
gentleman, and that uniformed gentleman ran headlong up the mansion's entrance-steps and
disappeared within. And oh, Kovalev's horror and astonishment to perceive that the gentleman
was none other than--his nose!” (7). It continues further, “Sure enough, the Nose did return, two
minutes later. It was clad in a gold-braided, high-collared uniform, buckskin breeches, and
cockaded hat. And slung beside it there was a sword, and from the cockade, on the hat, it could
be inferred that the Nose was purporting to pass for a State Councillor. It seemed now to be
going to pay another visit somewhere” (8)
These lines mock the system of power associated with the officers. If we take a deeper look, we
will be able to find that this works the same way over here. Even if a person doesn’t suit up the
position according to our perception, still the power of his uniform makes him dear in the eyes of
all. This is because somewhere we all know that we have to abide by his orders, we have to bend
before the power even if we don’t like the person. This is what “AFSAR SHAHI'' is. One has to
bow before the power, to treat the officer with utmost respect even if it takes the sacrifice of your
self-respect.
Many of the subordinates inside the system often record that, If during office or drawing-room
discussions, a person complains about acts of favouritism, nepotism or other irregularities
evident in a public entity, the usual consensus is, ‘let it be, everyone does it. This acceptance of
abuse of authority as ‘normal’ is at the root of the problem. Prima facie, the abuse of authority in
a single public entity and its acceptance may appear to have trivial consequences at the national
level. (Dawn, 2017)
This explains exactly why the power structure in Pakistan has become so weak over the years
and how people in power have equally contributed first to maintain the power they hold and then
to reach the peak of their careers by doing so little. In the light of this crippled system, Gogol’s
“The Nose” doesn’t seem like that of Kovalev but of our very own officers.
References

Bloom, Harold. “The Nose.” Nikolai Gogol. Philadelphia, Chelsea House Publishers, 2004.
Khawaja, Idrees. “Abuse of Authority.” DAWN.COM, 8 Jan. 2017,
www.dawn.com/news/1307033. Accessed 30 Mar. 2021.