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The Progressive Writers' Movement

The Progressive Writers' Movement was a progressive literary movement in the pre-partition British India, consisting of a few different writers groups around the world. The groups were anti-imperialistic and left-oriented, and sought to inspire people through their writings advocating equality and attacking socialinjustice and backwardness. The PWA was formed in April 1936 in Lucknow under the leadership of Munshi Premchand. The first manifesto of the progressive writers' movement was drafted in London byMulk Raj Anand and the Urdu litterateur Sajjad Zaheer. The movement was formally launched in Lucknowin April 1936.According to scholars Progressive Writers Movement in Urdu literature was the strongest movement.The progressives contributed to Urdu literature some of the finest pieces of fiction and poetry.

Ideology of the PWA The foundation conference of the PWA had the blessings of such giants of Indian literature asRabindranath Tagore, Sarojini Naidu and Munshi Premchand. Right from the start, the inclination andideology of the writers were clear as has been stated by Premchand in his inaugural speech:“Language is a means, not an end; a stage, not the journey's end. Its purpose is to mould our thoughts

and emotions and to give them the right direction. We have now to concern ourselves with themeaning of things and to find the means of fulfilling the purpose for which the language is

constructed. This is the main purpose of this conference.” Our literary taste,” Premchand added, “is undergoing a rapid transformation. It is coming more and togrips with the realities of life; it interests itself with society or man as a social unit. It is not satisfiednow with the singing of frustrated love, or with writing to satisfy only our sense of wonder; itconcerns itself with the problems of our life and such themes as have a social value. The literature

which does not arouse in us a critical spirit or satisfy our spiritual needs, which is not „force-giving'and dynamic, which does not awaken our sense of beauty, which does not make us face the grimrealities of life in a spirit of determination, has no use for us today. It cannot even be termed asliterature.” Premchand‟s speech showed that talking and writing about the different types of oppression prevalent

in India and other contemporary realities was rooted in the Indian soil.

Revolutionary Moves In the political climate of the 1930s, the establishment of the PWA was considered a highly politicalactivity. The aims and objectives of the association were unanimously passed as follows: “Toestablish organisation of writers to correspond to the various linguistic zones of India; to coordinatethese organisations by holding conferences and by publishing literature; to establish a close

connection between the central organisations and to cooperate with those literary organisations whoseaims do not conflict with the basic aims of the Association; to form branches of the Association in allthe important towns of India; to produce and to translate literatures of a progressive nature, to fightcultural reaction, and in this way to further the cause of India's freedom and social regeneration; to protect the interests of progressive authors; to fight for the right of free expression of thought and

opinion.” The resolution was Left-liberal in its approach. The cultural Left and the political Left operated with

relative autonomy, each complementing the other.Karl Marx‟s writings about social and economic problems can be considered a form of protest againstexisting problems of subjugation in society. In the same way, the writers of the ProgressiveMovement in their writings were often writing in the form of protesting about different problems that perceived. Literature is one way of individuals engaging with the reality they see around them and thisis perhaps, why the process of literature took writers in different or unexpected directions. SaadatHasan Manto can be seen as one example of this. Manto was a unique and renowned writer but also, acontroversial figure in the world of literature, because of the content of his short stories. He wrotemainly about social problems and linked them with sexual deprivations. Mostly his stories revolvedaround prostitutes and attempted psychoanalysis of them by showing the real motives behind their actions. This was something unbearable to a largesection of society because they regarded it as obscenity and as unethical. This led these progressive

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writers especially Manto to protest against this hypocrisy and this narrow mindedness of the middleclass. Manto translated large number of texts from Russian literature in Urdu (Kiran). Ismat Chugtailike Manto was also a social realist.Progressive writers were in fact social realists as it is obvious from their work. They were inspired bythe Russian revolution, Soviet communism and international Marxism. It urges the need to respondcritically to repression and the feeling of frustration. This frustration can be due to the collective or  personal aspirations of people.Many writers of this movement were indirectly active on the political front. They protested to eventsoccurring in the world of foreign affairs which were an affront to their Marxist beliefs and loyalties.An example of this occurred when on September 2, 1939; British viceroy in India declared that Indiawould participate in the world war. Progressive writers condemned this act of British government andthis period led to the shifts in progressive writers‟ poetry.In conclusion, All-India Progressive writers‟ movement changed the passage of Urdu literature byintroducing new form and content inspired by Russian literature. This movement however, to someextent, degenerated due to partition and it declined due to the conditions it faced in the two newlyindependent countries-------------------

Changes in LiteratureThe basic and fundamental postulate of the Progressive Writers Movement is the unity of art, use and

 beauty. It is not a violent departure from the past or an angry revolt against tradition as such, althoughwe did reject certain unhealthy and obscurantist trends. And that is how our path was new. What wetried to do was a reiteration of the values getting lost in modern commercial age, or distorted under the weight of the decaying social systems. It is a rediscovery with a new experience andconsciousness, and new artistic additions giving fresh vigour to Urdu poetry and literature as a whole.

The false notion should be discarded that a few hot-headed men can get together and launch a literaryand artistic movement of such a dimension as the Progressive Movement. Poets and writers are likethe seeds holding the heart; the movement provides them the good soil and the right climate to blossom.Poetry is song as well as declamation; whispering of the breeze in a rose garden, and the rage of the

storm that uproots the trees; the soft fall of dew on the freen grass, and the torrential rain with thunder and lightning; a sweet smile on a pair of lips, and the shriek of a martyr tortured in prison; the slogan

of the nation breaking the chains of slavery, and the symphony of the march of history. It is wrong to presume that poetry is only this and not that. Yet a categorical statement can be made. Poetry is notabsurd.The theme of poetry is neither religion nor politics nor recording of events. It embraces all aspects of human life, because the basic and the only theme of poetry, as that of all literature and art, is Man. But

the emphasis changes from age to age, and the flavour of language and the beauty and style of imagesaccording to the country and its people. The people is Man and Man is people in all its aspects,colours, races, names, professions, running into millions. No great poet has ever forgotten his mission as a prophet, the denunciator of evil and upholder of virtue. Every one of them is the voice of today as well as the voice of coming tomorrow. His poetic

mission has a message, and there is no dichotomy between the message and the word, between thecontent and the form.

Earlier poets had admired the crescent beauty of the curve of the sword hanging on the head; here the progressive poet also held a sword in his hand. Here matyrdom was part of the glory of the struggle.The poet deals with mental and emotional experiences reflecting the climate of mind and the seasonsof heart. It is within his power to create gardens or produce deserts of the soul. That is the reason whysome of the greatest and most beautiful poetry has been written in the worst periods of history. Tulipsand roses have bloomed in the blood-stained landscape.