Novelist Simrita Dhir speaks on her new novel  'The Song of Distant Bulbuls'....by  Dr. Rachhpal Sahota

California (US): In a special interview with Babushahi, Academician, and Novelist Simrita Dhir spoke about her new novel The Song of Distant Bulbuls(Speaking Tiger Books). Simrita Dhir delivers lectures on writing, diversity, and imagination at the University of California, San Diego.  

1. What inspired you to set your historical novel in British India, and how did you research the historical and cultural aspects of that time?

I am foremost a student of literature. I am also a student of history. There are some phases of history such as the Second World War, the aftermath of the Second World War, the rising Indian National Movement, the Independence of India, and the emergence of Modern India. 

These phases are particularly fascinating to me and I have been exploring them since I was a teenager, thereby gaining deeper perspectives on that time period. The Song of Distant Bulbuls has been set in the year 1946, which was a significant year in World History as well as in Indian history. 

The Second World War had drawn to a close and the Indian National Movement was at its peak. The novel unfurls against the backdrop of this singularly turbulent time in history. The novel has been inspired by true events and I will mention here without giving away the story that the basic premise of the novel has been inspired by a deeply personal story, which is very close to my heart and by unveiling this narrative, I have attempted to present that story to the world. 

 A lot of research has gone into the writing of the narrative. I researched extensively about the time period drawing from history books and tracts, oral narratives and memory. Political history was obviously significant since that informs the backdrop of the story, I also tried to inform myself about the social, cultural and economic history of the time because that is equally as important as it showcases how people spoke, behaved, dressed, ate and why they chose to take the decisions that they did. As a keen student of history, I was deeply responsive to the social implications of telling a historical story, therefore the emphasis all along was on the fact that at no point, should history be misappropriated.

2. Can you share some insights about the dynamics of the family relationships portrayed in the book and how they are influenced by the socio-political context of British India?

The novel opens in January 1946, and readers are introduced to 23-year-old Sammi. She was married to an officer of the British Indian Army, Hari Singh, in the autumn of 1939. Barely 21 days after her marriage, Hari Singh was summoned to fight in the Southeast Asian theatre of the Second World War. Now it has been months since the Second World War has ended, but there is no word of Hari Singh, who has not been gone from nearly seven years. 

Sammi has been awaiting Hari Singh’s return in her parental village, Aliwala, a syncretic hamlet with Sufi bearings in the hinterland of Punjab. Caught between her two feuding brothers, the conscientious Jasjit and the ambitious Kirpal, Sammi perseveres in the face of the uncertainty that looms over her. 

As a determined India makes a concerted bid for freedom from the British, Jasjit worries for his sister, Sammi’s mounting agony and the rising Indian National Movement converging in his mind. Also weighing upon him is the lament that Indian Independence will sever age-old communal bonds and separate him from his brother-like friend Zulfi Sheikh. 

In the changing political scenario, Kirpal seeks desperately to solidify his personal and social standing by coercing Sammi to marry his boyhood friend, the influential Bachan Singh. The question is will Sammi be forced into a second marriage with Bachan Singh? Or will she muster the courage to step out of the narrow alleys of Aliwala in search of a new life?

 The novel presents a saga of immutable love and deep friendships, human bonding and failing, spanning rural Punjab, the Princely City of Patiala and the Southeast Asian Theatre of the Second World War.

 It poses epic questions: is happiness an elusive goal? How does one know right from wrong? Is love the ultimate aim of human life or a means to something else? What does it take to realize who one truly loves and how much?

3. The British India setting provides a unique context for power dynamics. How does your narrative address issues of privilege, colonialism, and their impact on family relationships?

A lot of stories about the Second World War have been presented over the years as the grand narrative of the colonizer, celebrating the Allied success in the Middle east, Mediterranean and the Southeast Asian theatres of the war. In presenting this novel, I have attempted to make a dent in that dominant narrative and uncover the truth of that single story because it is really time that we brought forth our stories of courage and resilience,  which have been for far too long submerged under the weight of the meta narrative. 

The truth is that the Allied success in the Second World War would not have been possible if not for courage and sacrifice of the 2.5 million Indians who fought in the various theatres of the war. The novel is a subaltern narrative, wherein the mindset and ideology of the colonized people is presented. 

Hari Singh is serving in the British India Army, but he is a nationalist at heart. The fact that he is fighting in the British Indian Army doesn’t imply that he is oblivious to the struggles of the nation. At a pivotal point in the story, he questions his British commanding officer as to when the British would leave India, expressing his desire to serve in the sovereign army of his own nation. 

He draws sustenance from his Sikh ethos as he perseveres in the Southeast Asian theatre of the Second World War. Jasjit, too, presents the agony of the colonized man when he reflects on the glorious history of India and the plight that the British have brought upon India. Towards the end of the novel, when it becomes all, but evident that India would attain independence, Jasjit takes it upon himself to strive for the most advanced India that he can possibly contribute to  the making of. 

In a sense, the novel is a quest for justice and seeks to present the lived experiences, dilemmas and peculiar predicaments of the colonized people by highlighting the Sikh and Indian contributions to the Allied success in the Second World War and by throwing spotlight on the suffering of women and families on the home front.

4. Your characters undergo personal growth and transformation. How do their individual journeys contribute to the broader exploration of family dynamics within the story?

Sammi, is the chief protagonist of the story. Her dilemma is central to the narrative. Like the legendary Punjabi folk heroine, Heer, Sammi rises in the face of adversity to personify the spirit of Punjab and the resilience of India at a tumultuous time in history. She fumbles and falls only to rise again and prevail. Her paternal aunt Jeeti Bhua has a compelling story of fortitude in the face of patriarchal injustice and in her mother Bibi, readers will encounter a complex and an unforgettable character shaped by the social and cultural complications of the time period. 

Jasjit and Hari Singh are conscientious men, who are deeply responsive to everything that is going on around them. They draw from their agrarian roots and Sikh beliefs to combat adversity. They are brave representatives of the Indian middle class, which played a significant role in the Indian National movement and later in the building of modern India. Kirpal and Bachan Singh embody the Jat Sikh man’s quest for land in places far and near. The friendship of Kirpal and Bachan Singh is at once spontaneous and sensitive, evoking a strong emotional resonance, but as readers will realize all too soon, it is not entirely free of motives. Juxtaposed to that friendship is Jasjit’s friendship with Zulfi Shiekh, which transcends socio-economic, religious and cultural barriers to manifest an unforgettable secular face of Pre-partition India. 

Professor Shaukat Rehman and his daughter Nafisa are also faces of an inclusive and diverse Pre-partition India. The novel is my attempt at presenting India on the brink of Independence by bringing to light a bygone era in Indian history. The complexity of the family structure in the story holds a mirror to the complex times in which the story evolves. The family members align and misalign, bonding with one another as well as letting one another down. Eventually overcoming anguish, resentment, guilt and anger, they come together, their innate honesty coming to bind them. So, really, in more ways than one, family forms the moral center of the novel.

5. Comment on how patriarchy comes into play in the novel.

I will begin by saying that patriarchy is an age-old institution with deep roots. It has been prevalent across the globe. It has been prevalent in India; it has been prevalent in Punjab. It was more strongly prevalent in 1946 than it is today. The novel unfurls in the hinterland of Punjab, where it was deeply prevalent. 

Patriarchy offers limited agency to the women characters in the story, but the women in the novel defy patriarchy to assume agency at significant moments in the novel. Sammi defies patriarchy by choosing self-reliance; Jeeti Bhua, too, comes to exercise agency by evolving and emerging as a woman of substance. Sammi’s mother, Bibi, harnesses her unique economic prowess to assume agency in the patriarchal set-up.

 In a sense, The Song of Distant Bulbuls is a testament to the spirit of Punjabi women. Sammi makes for an extraordinary protagonist, her innate belief in herself and her courage to stand up to family, society, religious leaders and political upheaval, marking her as an inspirational woman of grit and resilience who perseveres in the face of tremendous odds. 

6. In what ways does Sufism contribute to the atmosphere and mood of the book, and how did you use it to enhance the storytelling?

Sufism is a significant theme in the story. The village where much of the story unfurls is Aliwala; it sits along the banks of the river Ghaggar in the Malwa region of Punjab. The patron saint of the village is Ali Hujwiri. 

There is a shrine in the village to honor the patron saint and at the time of the annual autumnal anniversary of the Sufi saint, there is singing and rejoicing in the village; these celebrations that take place on the shrine of Ali Hujwiri in Aliwala are similar to the festivities that take place at the shrine of Ali Hujwiri in Lahore. 

Ali Hujwiri is popularly referred to as Data Ganj Baksh and later in the novel, when the narrative flashes forward to the year 1947, readers are offered a glimpse of the great shrine of Ali Hujwiri in Lahore as well. 

The characters in the novel exhibit Sufi tendencies at pivotal moments in the story, sometimes to the surprise of the readers. Sammi manifests the two outstanding Sufi tendencies of Ishk, which is intense love, and Bagawat, which is the spirit of rebellion. Jasjit exhibits another facet of Sufism, which is self-effacing service for the nation, the community and family.

 Babuji, too, manifests Sufi tendencies when he practices kindness and benevolence. Kirpal exhibits Sufi tendencies of kindness and tolerance when he is touched by romantic love. In her acceptance of circumstances, Jeeti Bhua, comes to personify Sufi tendencies of stoicism and inner strength. And when readers will encounter Bachan Singh for who he truly is, he, too, presents to us this wonderful aspect of Sufiana Ishk that he professes to practice. In closing, I would like to say that not only does the village uphold the patron Sufi saint of the village, but all the significant characters in the novel, step forward to exhibit Sufi tendencies at vital moments in the story, enhancing the plot and driving the story in unexpected directions.    

      7. Comment on the significance of the river Ghaggar in the novel?

The river Ghaggar is integral to the novel. Though hardly as well knows as the famous five rivers of Punjab, it is vital to the land through which it flows. Emerging in the Shivalik hills, it flows down to make its way into the forgotten hinterland of Punjab, transforming arid areas like Aliwala into lush fields. Even when the river floods during the monsoons, it leaves the fields of Aliwala enriched with alluvial deposits that it brings from the hills, facilitating richer harvests for seasons to come.

 The siblings Sammi, Jasjit and Kirpal share a deep bond with their river and the river manifests in their dreams, memories, aspirations, conversations and lived experiences in myriad ways. They pride in their river, seeking sustenance from it through childhood into adulthood. It rises and ebbs in their minds, holding a mirror to their mindscape at pivotal moments in the story.

 Their shared gratitude and love for the river transcends their differences in perspectives, binding them in an immutable bond that prevails despite the tests of time and circumstances.

8. Comment on the title of the novel.

Bulbuls are songbirds in Punjab. They are symbols of beauty and their song is a testament to the resilience and courage, the aesthetics and loveliness of Punjab, its culture, fields, festivals, crafts, and traditions. Sammi and Hari Singh bond over the song of the bulbuls. In Sammi’s mind, the song of the bulbuls emerges as an emblem of love and bliss, which has become distant from her since Hari Singh’s departure.

 She can hear the bulbuls, but the song is always distant just as happiness has come to elude her. In one of his letters to Sammi, Hari Singh speaks of the monogamous nature of bulbuls and how he and Sammi are separated by time and space but conjoined forever by the rapturous song of the bulbuls. In a broader sense, the title alludes to the strength and beauty of Punjab at a particularly tumultuous time in history.

9. Lastly, what message or takeaway do you hope readers will gain regarding family relationships and their evolution from your exploration of British India in your narrative?

Sammi’s unfailing spirit of self-reliance serves as an example of believing in oneself to overcome ordeals rather than accepting catastrophes as the hands of fate. By never giving in to the challenges posed by family, society, religion and political upheaval, Sammi emerges as a rebel heroine of the early twentieth century. Alongside dedicated men like Jasjit and Hari Singh, Sammi, impresses as a focused, hardworking and resilient woman who will go on to shape a brave and independent India. 

So, by highlighting the strength of women in a man’s world, the spirit, culture and agrarian ethos of Punjab, the gradual progression of Punjabi society from rural to urban setups, the novel salutes the indomitable will of Punjab and the extraordinary contributions of the land and its people to the Indian National Movement, the Independence of India and the building of Modern India.

May 4, 2024