One of the greatest writers of our times, Krishna Sobti passed away on Friday, giving the Indian literary world much to mull over by choosing to depart just a day before the Republic Day celebrations.
In a note dedicated to Sobti, writer and cultural activist Ashok Vajpeyi aptly said, "If writers could be thought of as trustees in some way, Krishnaji was a trustee of the republican values of freedom-equality-justice, of democracy, plurality and dissent of the Indian constitution. A republican salute to a great modern master of India."
Sobti lived life on her own terms and with great courage and dignity. With her persuasion and wisdom, she kept her notions firm and alive in an era that was dominated by the male voice.
A few days before her departure, during our last conversation in a hospital where she was admitted, she said with an understated smile: "I have no regrets". To me, this sentence of hers is of utmost importance. Living with conviction and leaving without regrets is a dream that creative minds live for. After legendary painter SH Raza, Sobti was the only one I found this zeal in. They were contemporaries.
In the current phase of socio-political bigotry and inconvincibility, after the demise of this great writer, the pedestal of courage and tolerance, which was collectively created for the projection of the possibilities of revisionism and open mindedness, eclecticism and charity became empty. The voice of veto has been diminished.
It is interesting to note how her life came to a full circle. Her first novel ‘Channa’, which she wrote in 1952, was finally released by the 93-year-old during World Book Fair – just two weeks before her demise. She had refused the conditionality and amendments imposed by its then publisher on the grounds of its mixed Hindi-Punjabi narrative in its linguistic configuration. She bluntly revoked by withdrawing the novel from publishing and it remained an unpublished manuscript in her shelves for 67 years.
This is just one of the many examples of Sobti's courage and her non-compromising attitude which was reflected in all of her writings, right from Mitro Marjani and Zindagi nama to e-ladki etc. Without turning cynical or nugatory, she fought and created the space for valid consent and self-respect.
My interaction with her exists in two folds – as a hungry reader of her writing and a contemporary painter. Later, when I became the executive trustee of her Shivnath-Krishna Sobti foundation, the dialogues between us become more vulnerable, open and frequent. Her generosity and magnanimity were extraordinary. When she won the Jnanpith award for her pioneering contribution to Indian literature, she donated its cash prize of Rs 11 lakh to the Raza Foundation, established by the late painter Raza.
Later, she again donated Rs 1 crore from her personal savings to the Raza foundation for the development of languages and literature. Her commitment towards the cause of writers’ freedom and her concerns for the integrity of the writers of the new generation will continue to be cherished.
She was a lady of great wit, wisdom, memory and pun, with great sense of humour and aesthetics and I always enjoyed conversing with her on vivid subjects. She was keen on paintings and other art forms and we discussed them often. One day, when someone disclosed that I possess a studio in Ranikhet, she was so overwhelmed that she immediately called me and complained how I could go and paint there alone. She proposed that we plan a trip to Ranikhet, stay there for two months and produce some collaborative work together. But she left for her heavenly adobe, and this time, she revoked her own proposal.
The author is a contemporary painter by profession. Views expressed are personal.
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