An engrossing evening of storytelling

With chai and samosas in hand, guests greeted each other, before settling in for what was going to be an engrossing storytelling session in Urdu over the weekend at Lamakaan. Aslam Farshori, former All India Radio announcer, first took the stage to read the excerpts from Padma Shri Jeelani Bano’s short stories. Emoting every word as if it were his own, Aslam brought to life the stories that stemmed from Bano’s own experiences and encounters.
These fictional tales had characters from all walks of life. Rail Ke Patri Pe Padi Hui Kahaaniyan, the story of a poor beggar’s family chancing upon a fortune owing to the mistaken identity of a crushed body on a rail track and Addu which speaks about a young boy’s relationship with his grandfather tugged at heartstrings.
As Aslam put it Bano’s “afsaane” exuded an “apnapan” and ended with a punchline, that invokes chuckles and then applause. After he completed the first story, Aslam said “Bano ji ke saamne mai sawaal nahi karta, par agar aap mei se koi kuch poochna chahthe hai tho poochiyega.” There were no questions, instead there was eagerness in the air as the audience wanted to hear more from Jeelani Bano herself — who took the mike to speak of her experiences that led to writing each of the stories. While there was pin drop silence during the reading, the end of each story was met with a resounding applause.