The Tomato in the Fridge (Short Story)

 The Tomato in the Fridge

By 

Tipu Salman Makhdoom 

(Translated from Punjabi) 

I tell no one. If I do, they’ll tie me up and take me to the mad doctor, who’ll numb my senses with medicines. A doctor, after all, for the insane.

That's why I don't tell them I've recovered. They're all mad, you see. If they find out, they'll drive me mad again.

I had already begun to feel they suspected something. Sometimes, two or three of them would be whispering, and as soon as they saw me, they'd fall silent. And if I looked closely, they'd stare back intently.

اپنی بیٹی سے معیشت پر گفتگو (Book Chapter)

 

اپنی بیٹی سے معیشت پر گفتگو

سرمایہ داری کی مختصر تاریخ

از

یانیس واروفاکس

(انگریزی سے ترجمہ)

پہلا باب

 

کتاب کے بارے میں

اتنی زیادہ عدم مساوات کیوں ہے؟

اس مختصر کتاب میں، عالمی شہرت یافتہ ماہرِ معاشیات یانیس واروفاکس اپنی بیٹی زینیا کے بظاہر سادہ سوال کا جواب دینے کی کوشش کرتے ہیں۔

ذاتی کہانیوں اور مشہور افسانوں — اوڈیپس اور فاؤسٹ سے لے کر فرینکنسٹین اور دی میٹرکس تک — کا استعمال کرتے ہوئے، وہ وضاحت کرتے ہیں کہ معیشت کیا ہے اور کیوں اس میں ہماری زندگیوں کو تشکیل دینے کی طاقت ہے۔

قریبی اور عالمگیر طور پر قابلِ فہم، اپنی بیٹی سے معیشت پر گفتگو قارئین کو ہمارے دور کے سب سے اہم ڈرامے سے روشناس کراتی ہے، جو ایک پریشان کن دنیا کو سمجھنے میں مدد دیتی ہے جبکہ ہمیں اسے ایک بہتر دنیا بنانے کی ترغیب بھی دیتی ہے۔

ایک دن (کہانی)

 

ایک دن

ٹیپو سلمان مخدوم

)پنجابی سے ترجمہ(

ٹائی پکڑ کر اس نے گلے میں ڈالی اور گرہ لگانے سے پہلے فون اٹھا کر اوبر سے ٹیکسی منگوائی۔ ایپ نے کرائے کا اندازہ چار سو سے ساڑھے چار سو تک دیا۔ جوہر ٹاؤن سے مال روڈ تک کا فاصلہ تیرہ چودہ میل تو ہوگا ہی۔ اے سی والی گاڑی اسے گھر سے اٹھا کر پورے ٹشن سے وہاں پہنچانے والی تھی جہاں وہ کہے۔ مہذب ڈرائیور آگے اور صاحب بن کر وہ پیچھے۔ چار سو روپے ان ٹوروں کے لیے کوئی زیادہ تو نہیں تھے۔ ایپ نے بتایا کہ گاڑی تین منٹ میں پہنچ جائے گی۔ اس نے فون میز پر رکھ کر فٹافٹ ٹائی کی گرہ لگائی، موزے بوٹ پہنے اور اوپر سے کوٹ چڑھا کر ایک جیب میں پرس اور دوسری میں فون ڈالا اور باہر نکل گیا۔ باہر نکلتے ہی اس کا سامنا مالی سے ہو گیا۔

Masterpiece (Short Story)

 

 

Masterpiece

By

Tipu Salman Makhdoom

(Translated from Punjabi)

 

 

 

The cigarette held between his two fingers looked like a cannon that had just fired. Just as a cannon, after shooting its ball, leaves behind only the thick smoke of curses, so too from the cigarette's tip, the smoke curled and danced, swirling around like Rumi's white-robed dervishes. Before he started the day's difficult work, the Lawyer Sahib was trying to relax after all the day's hard work. It was as if all the noise from the courts and the tough legal fights had flowed from his brain into his blood, then into his lungs. From there, with each breath of cigarette smoke, he seemed to be pushing out all those bad thoughts. His clerk had neatly stacked piles of case files on the table. Most of them were torn, old, and well-used, but there were some new envelopes too. This had been his routine for forty years; it was nothing unusual. All the cases were ready; he just needed a quick look to refresh his memory. Lighting another cigarette, he opened the files. He took puff after puff, turning the pages, and moving the completed files aside one by one.

Clay Pots (Short Story)

 

Clay Pots

By

Shahzad Aslam

(Translated from Punjabi)

 

 

As the day dawned, a clamor filled the house. It felt less like a home and more like a chicken coop, where even the adults contributed to the din, squabbling like children. Relatives and friends had gathered, drawn by the scent of joy. Guests continued to arrive until evening. No wedding had taken place, nor had anyone returned from the holy pilgrimage of Hajj. Yet, it felt like a festival. Beneath this effervescent happiness, a bitter taste of separation lay hidden.

The Price of Blood (Short Story)

 

The Price of Blood

By

Shahzad Aslam

(Translated from Punjabi)

 

Ramadan lived in a cramped house in the narrow lanes of Krishan Nagar. From its solid, plastered walls, dirt would flake away ceaselessly, like blood seeping from an open sore. A small wound, left untended, festers into a painful boil. How long can one endure a life riddled with such afflictions? Perhaps even this house wished for its own demise.

A Life of Stone (Short Story)

 

A Life of Stone

By

Shahzad Aslam

(Translated from Punjabi)

 

 

The first ten years were a blur, lost to memory, but George Masih spent his last forty as a laborer, tending to crops and livestock. His dark skin blended with the buffaloes he cared for, who, recognizing him as one of their own, would lick his hands. His days, year after year, were as monotonous as dry wood. Though there was no real chance for change, he feared it. He even dreaded the changing seasons, from winter to summer and back again. Beyond his work as a farmhand, he knew no other skill, and the thought of losing even that filled him with constant dread. This fear eclipsed all others.

Saturn's Torment (Short Story)

 

Saturn's Torment

By

Shahzad Aslam

Translated from Punjabi

 

 

Khayyam sat huddled inside his quilt in his room. Perhaps it was the chill, or perhaps a fear. If it was fear, then it lay frozen like ice amidst the room's silence and solitude. A stark, white fear. The sound of Khayyam's own weary breaths was no less than a clamor in his ears. His ears wished to hear nothing. In a world full of noise, there was nothing left worth hearing. The sounds pained his ears. The distinct fear of each of Khayyam's body parts coalesced, taking control of his mind.

آدھی موت (Book Chapter)

 

آدھی موت

مصنف

 ٹیپو سلمان مخدوم

(پنجابی سے ترجمہ)

 ناول کا پہلا باب

 

 باب- 1

دایاں اور بایاں

 

پہلے میں سیٹلائٹ کی طرح خلا سے دیکھا۔ انسان تو کیا، کوئی جاندار بھی دکھائی نہیں دیتا اتنی اونچائی سے۔ بلکہ دنیا بھی ایک ننھا سا گولا ہی نظر آتی تھی، بے شمار گولوں کے بیچ۔ ننھے بڑے، کالے اور دہکتے گولوں میں ایک ایسا ہی گولا۔ پھر میں نیچے لوٹ آیا اور چڑیا کی طرح اڑان بھر کر دیکھا۔ لاہور کے جوہر ٹاؤن کی ایک گلی تھی۔ دونوں طرف دس دس مرلے کے دو دو منزلہ مکان تھے۔ تین چار گھروں کے باہر ایک ایک درخت بھی تھا۔ ایک گھر کے لان، ڈرائیو وے اور گیٹ کے باہر کرسیاں لگی ہوئی تھیں۔ اسٹیل کے فریموں پر لال ریکسِن کی منڈھی کرسیاں۔ گلی میں بارہ چودہ گاڑیاں اور کچھ موٹر سائیکلیں کھڑی تھیں۔ گھر میں بیس پچیس لوگ بھی تھے، کچھ کھڑے تھے اور باقی لال کرسیوں پر بیٹھے تھے۔ پھر میں پورچ کی چھت سے الٹی لٹکی چھپکلی کی طرح دیکھا۔ دو دو چار چار کرکے لوگ آتے جا رہے تھے۔ مرد باہر ٹھہر جاتے اور عورتیں اندر چلی جاتیں۔ پھر میں مچھر کی طرح گھر کے اندر گھس کر دیکھا۔ بھنبھناتے ہوئے، لوگوں کے ہاتھوں، پیروں، کانوں، ناکوں، ٹانگوں اور بازوؤں کے ارد گرد اڑتے۔ سفید چادروں پر عورتیں بیٹھی تھیں۔ بھاگتے دوڑتے بچوں کے بیچ ایک چارپائی پر سفید چادر سے ڈھکا ایک جنازہ پڑا تھا۔ یہ جنازہ میرا تھا۔

Samah Dvaar (Book Chapter)

 (Download Complete Book)

Samah Dvaar

The Palette of Punjab

 

 By

Tipu Salman Makhdoom

(Translated from Punjabi)

First Chapter

Dedicated to the Harappan People

Chapter 1

The Unchanging Tapestry

A young man rode his horse, paused along the path to pluck and eat radishes from a field, then mounted his steed once more. Arriving home, he unwound his turban, drank water from a clay pot, and lay down upon his cot.

Were someone to present this scene as being from a Punjabi village and ask me its era, I would find myself utterly perplexed. This tableau could have unfolded fifty years ago in a Punjabi village, or a hundred, five hundred, a thousand, or even two thousand years past. For millennia, the rhythms of life in Punjab have remained steadfast. The same farmers, the same fields, the same plows and oxen, the same horses, the same water pots, the same families, and the same rivalries. This timeless consistency of circumstance has shaped a life equally unchanging, and thus, for thousands of years, the stories of Punjab have echoed the same themes: feuds over harvests and the division of water, romances sparked at horse races and festivals, the joyous celebrations of weddings, and the mournful wails of funerals.

ਸਮਹ ਦੁਆਰ (Book Chapter)

 

(Download Complete Book)

ਸਮਹ ਦੁਆਰ

ਪੰਜਾਬ ਤੇ ਓਹਦੇ ਰੰਗ

 ਪਹਿਲਾ ਅੰਗ

ਟੀਪੂ ਸਲਮਾਨ ਮਖ਼ਦੂਮ

(ਸ਼ਾਹਮੁਖੀ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਤੋਂ ਅਨੁਵਾਦਿਤ)

ਹੜੱਪਾ ਵਾਸੀਆਂ ਦੇ ਨਾਂ

ਅੰਗ - ੧

ਪਹਿਲੀ ਗੱਲ

ਜੁਆਨ ਘੋੜੇ 'ਤੇ ਬੈਠਿਆ ਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਸੀ। ਰਾਹ ਵਿੱਚ ਰੁੱਕ ਕੇ ਉਹਨੇ ਖੇਤਾਂ ਵਿੱਚੋਂ ਮੂਲੀਆਂ ਪੱਟ ਕੇ ਖਾਧੀਆਂ 'ਤੇ ਫੇਰ ਘੋੜੇ 'ਤੇ ਜਾ ਚੜ੍ਹਿਆ। ਘਰ ਅੱਪੜ ਕੇ ਉਹਨੇ ਪੱਗ ਲਾਹੀ, ਘੜੇ ਵਿੱਚੋਂ ਪਾਣੀ ਪੀਤਾ 'ਤੇ ਮੰਜੀ ਉੱਤੇ ਲੰਮਾ ਪੈ ਗਿਆ।

ਜੇ ਕੋਈ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਕਹੇ ਕਿ ਇਹ ਮੰਜ਼ਰ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਇੱਕ ਪਿੰਡ ਦਾ ਏ, ਤੂੰ ਦੱਸ ਭਾਈ ਇਹ ਕਿਸ ਜ਼ਮਾਨੇ ਦਾ ਏ, 'ਤੇ ਮੈਂ ਫੱਸੂੜੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਪੈ ਜਾਵਾਂਗਾ। ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਪਿੰਡ ਵਿੱਚ ਇਹ ਪੰਜਾਹ ਵਰ੍ਹੇ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਵੀ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਸੀ, ਸੌ ਵਰ੍ਹੇ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਵੀ, ਪੰਜ ਸੌ ਵਰ੍ਹੇ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਵੀ, ਹਜ਼ਾਰ ਵਰ੍ਹੇ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਵੀ 'ਤੇ ਦੋ ਹਜ਼ਾਰ ਵਰ੍ਹੇ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਵੀ। ਹਜ਼ਾਰਾਂ ਵਰ੍ਹਿਆਂ ਤੋਂ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਹਾਲਾਤ ਇੱਕੋ ਜਿਹੇ ਨੇਂ। ਓਹੀ ਕਿਸਾਨ, ਓਹੀ ਖੇਤ, ਓਹੀ ਹਲ, ਓਹੀ ਬੈਲ, ਓਹੀ ਘੋੜੇ, ਓਹੀ ਘੜੇ, ਓਹੀ ਬਰਾਦਰੀਆਂ 'ਤੇ ਓਹੀ ਸ਼ਰੀਕੇ। ਹਜ਼ਾਰਾਂ ਵਰ੍ਹਿਆਂ ਤੋਂ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਵਿੱਚ ਇੱਕੋ ਜਿਹੇ ਹਾਲਾਤ ਦੇ ਕਾਰਨ ਜੀਵਨ ਵੀ ਇੱਕੋ ਜਿਹਾ ਸੀ। ਐੱਸ ਕਰਕੇ ਹਜ਼ਾਰਾਂ ਵਰ੍ਹਿਆਂ ਤੋਂ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀਆਂ ਕਹਾਣੀਆਂ ਵੀ ਇੱਕੋ ਜਿਹੀਆਂ ਹੁੰਦੀਆਂ ਸਨ। ਫਸਲਾਂ 'ਤੇ ਪਾਣੀ ਦੀ ਵੰਡ ਦੇ ਵੈਰ। ਘੁੜ-ਦੌੜਾਂ, 'ਤੇ ਮੇਲਿਆਂ ਠੇਲਿਆਂ ਦੇ ਮੁਆਸ਼ਕੇ। ਵਿਆਹਵਾਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ੀਆਂ 'ਤੇ ਜਨਾਜ਼ਿਆਂ ਦੇ ਵੈਣ।

Pakistan History: An Alternative Narrative (Chap-4)

(Download Complete Book)

Pakistan History: An Alternative Narrative

From Pre-History to 1947

Tipu Salman Makhdoom

(Translated from Urdu)

Chapter Four

Tughlaq, Vijayanagara, and the Bhakti Movement

(1300 CE to 1500 CE)

 

Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq

Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq was a Hafiz-e-Quran (one who has memorized the entire Quran), observed fasting and prayers regularly, and had a keen interest in philosophy and logic.

Muhammad bin Tughlaq was known for his harsh treatment of Sufis, yet he displayed remarkable benevolence towards religious scholars (Ulama). One explanation for this dichotomy suggests that the Sufis wielded immense influence over both the common populace and the court during his era, and the Sultan sought to diminish this influence for political objectives.

Another contributing factor is attributed to the reformist movement of Allama Ibn Taymiyyah, which he had initiated in Syria and Egypt during that period—a movement that, unfortunately, extremist jihadist organizations still adhere to today.

The renowned traveler Ibn Battuta served as a courtier to Muhammad bin Tughlaq for several years, documenting extensive material regarding the Sultan's character and reign.

On one hand, the Sultan was so tyrannical that people sought refuge from his wrath, while on the other, he actively pursued the welfare of his subjects, and his intellectual pursuits were widely recognized.

The Half-Death

 

(Download Complete Novel)

The Half-Death

Novel

By

Tipu Salman Makhdoom

(Translated from Punjabi)

Part 1: Right and Left

 At first, I observed from the void like a satellite. From such a height, not a living creature, let alone a human, was visible. Indeed, the Earth itself appeared as a mere speck, one among countless others—some small, some large, some dark, and some ablaze. Then, I descended, soaring like a sparrow to survey the scene. It was a street in Lahore's Johar Town. On either side stood two-story houses, each spanning ten marlas. Three or four homes boasted trees beyond their gates. One particular house had chairs, crimson rexine seats on steel frames, arranged in its lawn, driveway, and beyond the gate. A dozen or so cars and a scattering of motorcycles lined the street. Inside the house, twenty to twenty-five souls gathered, some standing, others seated on the red chairs. Then, I observed like a lizard, clinging upside down to the porch ceiling. People arrived in small groups. Men lingered outside while women entered. Finally, I slipped inside the house like a mosquito, flitting around hands, feet, ears, noses, legs, and arms. Women sat on white sheets. Amidst the scurrying children, a bier lay on a cot, draped in a white shroud. This was my bier.

The Thai Ladyboy (Short Story)

 The Thai Ladyboy

By 

Tipu Salman Makhdoom

(Translated from Punjabi) 

He was a ladyboy from Thailand, but he was truly beautiful. Whenever he comes to mind, two things flash before my eyes: his luscious lips and his weeping eyes.

The last time our gazes met, his eyes welled up with tears. He probably still believes that only he cried that day. But I cried too.

ਦਿਹਾੜ (ਕਹਾਣੀ)

 

 

ਦੀਹਾੜ

ਟੀਪੂ ਸਲਮਾਨ ਮਖ਼ਦੂਮ

(ਸ਼ਾਹਮੁਖੀ ਲਿਪੀ ਤੋਂ ਲਿਪੀਅੰਤਰਿਤ)

 

 

 

ਟਾਈ ਫੜ ਕੇ ਓਹਨੇ ਗਲੇ ਇਚ ਪਾਈ ਤੇ ਗੰਢ ਮਾਰਨ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਫ਼ੋਨ ਚੁੱਕ ਕੇ ਓਬਰ ਤੋਂ ਟੈਕਸੀ ਮੰਗਾਈ। ਐਪ ਨੇ ਕਰਾਏ ਦਾ ਅੰਦਾਜ਼ਾ ਚਾਰ ਸੌ ਤੋਂ ਸਾਢੇ ਚਾਰ ਸੌ ਤੀਕਰ ਦਿੱਤਾ। ਜੋਹਰ ਟਾਊਨ ਤੋਂ ਮਾਲ ਰੋਡ ਤੀਕਰ ਦਾ ਪੈਂਡਾ ਤੇਰਾਂ ਚੌਦਾਂ ਮੀਲਾਂ ਦਾ ਤੇ ਹੋਵੇਗਾ। ਏ ਸੀ ਆਲੀ ਗੱਡੀ ਨੇ ਓਹਨੂੰ ਘਰੋਂ ਚੁੱਕ ਕੇ ਡਾਢੇ ਟਸ਼ਨ ਨਾਲ ਜਿੱਥੇ ਓਹ ਕਹੇ ਪਹੁੰਚਾਣਾ ਸੀ। ਤਮੀਜ਼ਦਾਰ ਡਰੇਵਰ ਅੱਗੇ ਤੇ ਸਾਬ ਬਣ ਕੇ ਓਹ ਪਿੱਛੇ। ਚਾਰ ਸੌ ਰੁਪੱਈਏ ਏਹਨਾਂ ਟੋਰਾਂ ਲਈ ਕੋਈ ਜ਼ਿਆਦਾ ਤੇ ਨਹੀਂ ਸਨ। ਐਪ ਨੇ ਦੱਸਿਆ ਕੇ ਗੱਡੀ ਤਿੰਨ ਮਿੰਟਾਂ ਇਚ ਅਪੜ ਜਾਵੇਗੀ। ਓਹਨੇ ਫ਼ੋਨ ਮੇਜ਼ ਤੇ ਰੱਖ ਕੇ ਫਟਾਫਟ ਟਾਈ ਦੀ ਗੰਢ ਮਾਰ ਕੇ ਜੁਰਾਬਾਂ ਬੂਟ ਪਾਏ ਤੇ ਉੱਤੋਂ ਕੋਟ ਚੜ੍ਹਾ ਕੇ ਇੱਕ ਬੋਝੇ ਇਚ ਪਰਸ ਤੇ ਦੂਜੇ ਇਚ ਫ਼ੋਨ ਪਾਇਆ ਤੇ ਬਾਹਰ ਨਿਕਲ ਗਿਆ। ਬਾਹਰ ਨਿਕਲਦੇ ਈ ਓਹਦਾ ਟਾਕਰਾ ਮਾਲੀ ਨਾਲ ਹੋ ਗਿਆ।

The Emerald Guardian (Short Story)

 

 

 

The Emerald Guardian

By

Shahzad Aslam

(Translated from Punjabi)

 

 

 The night ripped open east of the Fakirian Vali Canal, and into that tear stepped Shera and Jaani, vibrating with a fear they couldn't name. The whole landscape wasn't just dark; it was drenched in dread. Where fear took root, nothing else grew. Fear warped things, twisting their true shapes. It birthed its own monstrous children among the living. It painted trees a curdled, sour green and humans an unhealthy, bilious shade.