This paper takes into consideration the role of myth and religion in Kr̥ṣṇā Sobtī’s novel Zindagīnāmā [A book of life, 1979]. The introduction highlights the composition of Śāhjī’s household, where people of different faiths live, and explores the fellowship among Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, which was a distinguishing feature of Sufism in pre-partition Panjab. The introduction is followed by a section which deals with the core theme of myth and religion. Three main myths are dealt with in the narrative: the Islamic myth of Khvājā Khizr; a Hindu myth based on the concept of avtār; and the Hindu myth of the sun and the moon. When compared with the myth, however, it is religion which plays a more important role in the novel. The paper analyzes the subject of religion through three main characters: spirituality, through Śāhjī’s younger brother, Kāśī Śāh; religion in everyday life, through Śāhjī’s wife, Śāhnī; and human love and divine love, through the young Muslim girl, Rābyā̃, with whom Śāhjī falls in love. Her name recalls the greatest woman Sufi mystic poet, Rābi‘a of Basra (c. 717-801), who introduced the concept of Divine Love. As the theme of divine love is closely linked to Sufism, it is the love-romances of the Panjabi Sufi poets, in particular, that are incorporated into the story.
At the heart of Krishna Sobti’s novel Zindagīnāmā (A book of life, 1979) is a village of the Gujrat district (western Panjab, now Pakistan), in the Chaj Doab. The setting is contained within three bands: the outermost band is the village, where most people are Muslim but which is dominated by Śāhjī’s Hindu Khatri family, and above all by Śāhjī himself, a landowner and moneylender. Inside this band is the havelī (large walled house) owned by Śāhjī, and inside the havelī band is the large room ( baiṭ hak) where the men gather. Inside the havelī band there are also the rooms belonging to the women’s realm. Additionally there are several external settings. The village is connected to the world at large through news of events, recounted or witnessed by characters who come into contact with Śāhjī. The period covered is 1900-1916. The narrative consists chiefly of dialogue between the various characters. The language is a mixed vocabulary of Hindi, Urdu and Panjabi. The novel is highly complex, rich in incident and in its cast of characters: Hindu, Sikh and Muslim. The first distinction to be drawn is between the women’s and the men’s world. The women’s world is one of emotions. The men’s world is political in the broad sense of the word and includes Śāhjī business dealings with Muslim Jat tenants. The gatherings in the baiṭ hak of Śāhjī are well attended, and many of the guests are Muslims. Interests sometimes converge and more often diverge, but Śāhjī always handles the conversation skillfully, diplomatically changing the subject when delicate issues such as the economy, politics and, indirectly, religion are raised. Śāhjī’s work as a mediator should not be seen purely as a way of protecting his personal interests. In reality, by mediating in different areas – economic, political and religious – he keeps the village united, providing cultural cohesion. Nonetheless, in Zindagīnāmā, the economic factor emerges repeatedly as the cause of the future Partition.