Why Tasavvur?
Einstein observed that “imagination is more important than knowledge.” In any given situation, multiple people may acquire the exact same information through identical sensory input, but almost each of them will interpret it differently based on their unique experiences, perceptions and mental faculties. This uniqueness leads to very distinctive imaginations when trying to contemplate that which is not easily observable through our senses.
In realistic fiction — which typically needs imagination to be much less wilder — we see tremendous observation and introspection of life, but the stories are more similar to each other than stories in the speculative domain, and thus do not challenge the status-quo nearly as much. This in no way diminishes the importance of realistic fiction, specially in a region like South Asia, where the fragility and fickleness of the human condition is still not fully appreciated. However, with globalization and access to technology, some South Asian writers are moving from introspection to a more imaginative or speculative inquiry. As they witness the diversity of lifestyles across the globe, the varying pace of scientific progress between communities and the redefining of cultures, they ask that very important question: what if?
Tasavvur, which literally means imagination in Urdu and Hindi, is an online space that aims to give these writers a home to explore their curiosity; to go wild with their imagination and be bold enough to share it with the world; most importantly, to retain the cultural backdrop when going on these exploratory adventures, and not feel the pressure to force their tone or expression to appease any particular type of reader. From retellings of folklore and the reimagining of mythical creatures to hard core science fiction and horror; from going deep into investigating jinns, churails and bhoots to space wars and bio-modification; from pariyan and jadoogars to cyborgs and aliens. We aim to publish stories that venture into any SFF/H sub-genres as long as they challenge the status-quo and make us wonder, while embracing South Asian settings, characters and cultural nuances.
In this inaugural issue as well, readers will notice the stories traversing different sub-genres. “In the Village Where the Mazaar Now Stands” explores the traditional concept of jinns through a social and philosophical lens, “Ignition” jumps into the near future to envision colonies in space that have advanced scientifically but remain subject to economic disparities, and “A Barber in Pigtails” is a slightly darker fantasy weaving magic into a British colonial setting with sub-human treatment of South Asians. “The Third Feather” gives some familiar Mughal stories an ethereal twist – prepare to be whirled around in time! The word “jinns” in English is the plural of “jinn,” so you know this is going to be a supernatural story, but Mehak Khan’s story also contends with “jins” in urdu, meaning gender — expect the unexpected in her short update on the folk tale! To top it all off, Kali_Na from the prolific Indra Das is being reprinted, a story that is genre-bending yet quintessentially South Asian with it’s themes and characters —both human and divine. All these stories that don’t follow one particular theme, yet come together so nicely as a small collection, really underscore the juxtaposition of imagination — of being individualistic and distinctive, yet binding us together in envisioning what can be different.
To the Tasavvur team, this is a true labor of love with a singular objective of identifying and promoting speculative fiction from South Asia. We can see that this inaugural issue is only the first step —a baby step really — towards that aspiring goal, but the start of this journey is proving to be so adventurous, so full of curiosity and passion, that we have a childlike excitement in imagining what the future holds. To sum it up, we can already see that Tasavvur can be a life-long friend to those who embrace it, a thought captured beautifully in this verse by Hafeez Banarsi:
ek husn-e-tasavvur hai, jo zeest ka saathi hai
vo koi bhi manzil ho, hum log nahin tanhaa!