While taking the metro from Hauz Khas to Noida, I always carry a book with me. It takes me 70-80 minutes to reach Noida from JNU, and I use this time to read.
The last book I finished reading was Maila Anchal by Fanishwar Nath Renu.
Readers of Hindi literature have become a rare species in metro cities these days. But when short stories began to appear on Facebook, the format brought urban readers back into the fold of Hindi literature.
Hindi Literature’s 20-20 Version
Laghu Katha or the short story form is not new to Hindi Literature. But what makes Laprek – the micro stories which have emerged on Facebook – different from the short story format as we know it, is the treatment.
Not necessarily serious or satirical, these stories may just capture a candid moment – from a Delhi couple’s life, or a stressed relation between an old woman living in some Indian city with her son settled in Seattle.
Senior journalist Ravish Kumar’s book Ishq Mein Shahar Hona is a wonderful example of the power of social media. Rajkamal Publication’s Satyanand Nirupam thought of this book only after reading Ravish’s short stories on Facebook.
Laprek is No Serious Literature
Writers of Laprek don’t claim that it is serious literature that they do.
We have innovated in the way we approach the short story form. This form may not meet academic standards. But Laprek is about more than just content. Its unique character has evolved, thanks, in part, to space and time constraints. It’s also written keeping the urban reader in mind, who’s reading on his iPad or mobile.
Vineet Kumar, Author, Ishq Koi News Nahin
These writers may not call it serious literature, but this online platform has certainly given Hindi readers a chance to read a newer and crispier form of literature.
Hindi Writings on Facebook
I got to read these short stories on Facebook sometime in June 2012 on a group called Falak, an acronym for ‘Facebook Laghu Katha’. This group, for the first time, made me realise that I don’t need to go through a regular publisher to write and be read.
One of Laprek’s writers, Girindranath Jha shared a similar experience:
Facebook gave me critics and readers. It gave me a platform that made me visible to publishers like Rajkamal. Facebook or social media is a powerful tool of our times. We should use it wisely for our creative aspirations.
Girindra Nath Jha, Author, Ishq Mein Mati Sona
Innovative Writing For the Changing Reader
As traditional media is turning to mobiles and tablets for content distribution, books are turning into e-books, how can Hindi literature stay impervious to such change?
New technology gives readers the convenience of reading on the go, that too at half the price of a physical book. Buying a book is ‘expensive’, both in terms of time and money. The easy language of Laprek is another factor that makes it attractive, and accessible to readers.
The readers of Laprek are those who stopped reading Hindi for some reason or the other; those who were scared of reading serious literature. They have a cushion now, as these stories are easy. Non-Hindi speaking people are also warming up to this format.
Ravish Kumar, Senior Journalist and Writer
The change at the level of content reflects our changing economy, needs, society and mentality. Human emotions are the same, but the circumstances are different.
These stories free our society from its complexes. Love doesn’t happen once. It happens time and again. And whenever it happens, it’s exclusive. We move from one relationship to another, but society is not yet ready to accept it.
Vineet Kumar, Writer
Illustrations Have Added New Meaning
When Laprek appeared as a book, the experiment of using one illustration for each of its stories, gave it an edge. In general, we see 4-5 illustrations in a book and these reflect the viewpoint of the writer, or the editor.
But Satyanand Nirupam, Editor, Laprek series, along with the writers gave illustrator Vikram Nayak the freedom to illustrate without restraints. His sketches became stories in themselves.
The illustrations I made so far only supported what the writer had to tell the readers. But for Laprek, I was given the freedom to use my imagination – to draw real-life scenes of villages, towns, cities and metros. This book helped in rescuing illustrations from being just a mechanical process.
Vikram Nayak, Illustrator, Laprek series
This is what Nirupam believes:
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)