Progressive Writers’ Movement in Other Languages

Although the inception of the Progressive Writers’ Movement can be traced back to Urdu literature, it was not limited to one language. The founders of the movement made sure that parallel movements in different languages took place by visiting diverse regions and talking to writers and poets whose expertise was in Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, and many more.

Sibte Hasan, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Hameed Akhtar and Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi- the pillars of the Progressive Writers’ Movement. Image Source: Scroll

The Hindi writers observed the Progressive Writers’ movement and adapted their approach in their writing while implementing a new lens to view progressivism and instil it into the parallel Hindi Progressive Movement. They critically engaged with the broader idea behind this massive shift in literature writing.

Hindi regional writers were already engaging with socio-political issues that dominated the lives of the masses in the 1930s, even before PWA came into being. Writers like Bhartendu Harishchandra and Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi were moving away from the world of fantasy and Chhayavaad (romanticism) and entering the realms of realistic writing, critical realism, and social realism. They attacked superstitions, religious traditions, and hierarchical oppression that took place in society.

The coming of PWA and Premchand’s inaugural speech gave them an established platform to explore their realistic writing style even more. They were now able to debate and discuss with writers from other literary traditions and languages and take with them a pool of varied perceptions, integrating them into their writings.

However, the initial promise and focus of PWA mentioned in their manifesto soon drowned and turned into a narrow-minded political agenda. The thin line between progressivism and communalism was slowly imbalanced, and PWA fell into the pool of communalism, which was not accepted by Hindi writers. They wanted to write about the turmoil of peasants and workers, yet they did not resonate with the communal ideology.

As a result, they disassociated themselves from the association but stayed with progressivism. They redefined and refined the original ideal, coming up with new forms of progressivism and making it their new writing mantra.

While Hindi avoided leftist and communist ideologies at all costs, Bengali writers gained inspiration from Russian writing written during the time of the revolution. The ideology of fascism, which dominated the political air, was seen as a menace by Bengali writers who feared such conditions and wanted to ensure an opposite environment for the Indian subcontinent. The inception of PWA gave these writers a platform to explore a similar type of literature in the subcontinent.

The initial zeal that the writers showed after the signing of the manifesto by Bengali writers like Rabindranath Tagore, Saratchandra Chatterjee, and Ramananda Chatterjee saw a drastic fall after the second All India Progressive Writers’ Association. The second conference lacked organization and a systematic way to lead the movement, failing to hold onto its promises.

The Bengali writers, irritated with the lack of growth, formed a Friends of the Soviet Union group, following the ideology of Marxist politics in Russia. They also formed a group called Youth Cultural Institute. However, the political scenario became even more dire after the 1941 Soviet Attack, which directly affected the literature and art of the country. Another committee called the Anti-Fascist Writers’ and Artists’ Union was formed by Ramananda Chatterjee after the murder of an anti-fascist writer, Somen Chandra.

This became the new face of progressivism, producing some of the best literature on the subcontinent to date. PWA and IPTA brought a new face and perception to fiction, poetry, ballads, and plays, finally bringing the reality of life to the forefront of entertainment.