An Era From The Post-Colonial Times: Progressive Writer's Movement

A group of Indian students began their discussions in “The Cafes and Garrets in Bloomsbury.” Little did they know that these intellectual conversations would soon bring about a literary revolution, with progressivism as one of its leading principles. However, as gloriously as it started, it abruptly ended due to various political reasons.

The Gang of Progressive Writers’ Movement. Image Source: Scroll

It was the evening of 1934 when London’s Nanking Hotel was filled with the thick air of serious intellectual discussions. A group of young Indians sat around a round table, engrossed in a deep conversation about a document circulated in the group by the meeting’s convenor, Sajjad Zaheer. A few Indians, far away from their motherland, were discussing something in a foreign land that would bring a massive revolution in Indian literature. Doesn’t this sound like a far-fetched idea? But wait until you see the power of these “few Indians.”

The origin of this meeting can be traced back to 1932, when a book named Angarey (Embers) was published in India. The book, a collection of ten short stories written by Ahmed Ali, Rashid Jahan, Mahmuduzzafar, and Sajjad Zaheer, violated all Indian traditions brutally. Within months, the book was blacklisted, copies were confiscated and burned, and only a few people ended up reading the collection.

The authors refused to be silenced by censorship, and their resistance resulted in the founding of the Progressive Writers Association, chaired by Sajjad Zaheer, one of the collection's four contributing authors. Only five versions of Angarey were found. Two were sent to the British Museum in London, while three were given to private individuals and never seen again.

One of the contributors, Ahmed Ali, said: “It was the first ferocious attack on society in modern [Urdu] literature… It was a declaration of war by the youth of the middle class against the prevailing social, political, and religious institutions.”

As the meeting ended, the foundation for the All India Progressive Writers’ Association was laid. Over time, writers like Premchand also became a part of this association. A single manifesto, prepared by Zaheer, spread like wildfire throughout the country, motivating writers from all states and genres to join the movement. Mohammad Iqbal and Rabindranath Tagore also provided legitimacy to the PWA through their approval. Initially, the PWA members consisted of writers, but later on, anyone with a knack for progressivism became part of the group.

The fundamental premise and proposition of the Progressive Writers' Movement was the ultimate unity of art, its usage, and further beautifying. Objectively, it was neither a ferocious break with the past nor a fiery revolution against tradition. Nonetheless, movement activists did reject many harmful and divisive tendencies. It was precise because of this that these authors and their progressive movement stood out. What they attempted to achieve was a reverberation of ideals that had virtually been lost in time, particularly in modern commercial society, or had been falsified beneath the weight of decaying social institutions.

The Progressive Writers’ Movement was a form of 'rediscovery’ that breathed new life into Urdu poetry and literature with new experiences, consciousness, and artistic elements. At the time, pro-British advisers wrongly assumed that it was just a few hot-headed guys banding together to form a literary and artistic movement of such magnitude.

The PWA gained momentum until the freedom struggle began. Both Hindu and Muslim writers were a part of the association, but it came under constant attack from both parties after partition. Although independence arrived, the process was not entirely non-violent. The country was painted with the blood of not only freedom fighters but also innocent victims who had no role to play.

When the new administration was created, it quickly launched an attack on the Telangana peasant movement, which had held out some promises for the PWA poets. Kishen Chander wrote: “After Telangana, our dreams were singed, our hope was dead within our breasts, this was our darkest hour. Our frustration and desperation led to finger-pointing, internal fighting, literary purges, and the disintegration of our movement.”

With the rise of communalism, PWA members foresaw a time when Urdu would no longer be spoken or written. In India, the importance of Urdu lessened, and it became the language of Pakistan. On the occasion of Ghalib’s birthday, Sahir composed a poem to highlight the sadness of this situation:

The same cities where once Ghalib’s voice resounded

Have now disavowed Urdu, made it homeless

The day that announced the arrival of freedom

Also declared Urdu a cursed and treacherous language

The same government that once crushed a living tongue

Now wishes to mourn and honor the dead

The man you call Ghalib was a poet of Urdu

Why praise Ghalib after suppressing his language?

Eventually, PWA members found they could no longer cope with the changing times, and the association was no longer the lively place where traditional and modern thoughts walked hand in hand. The decline of PWA was seen as a defeat for the Progressives who sought to bring change to society.