The Dust of the Road: A Translation of Gard-e-Raah

Gard-e-Rah, the original Urdu memoir, was first published as a serialized autobiography in the Urdu journal Afkar. The work was interrupted when Raipuri lost his eyesight. However, he completed the book in its present form by dictating the rest of the material. When the book was published it received an enthusiastic response, and has been deemed on of the finest Urdu memoirs. Raipuri's close association with some of the luminaries of Indian politics and world of letters (such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulvi Abdul Haq) has enhanced the interest of the book. However, more than anything else it is the depth of his knowledge of history and his vast reading in many other sugjects, as well as the variety of experience he has had in his life that give the book its wonderfully mature and sophisticated flavor. Happily for the book, Raipuri happened to be present in many places at a time when the place was in the midst of a momentous experience. For example, he was in Calcutta when the city was the hub of intellectual and political activity; he was in Paris during the Second World War; and he was in Karachi at the time of Partition, when the city was poised for a metamorphosis as a flood of refugees found sanctuary there. Moreover, the entire text of the book is imbued with the spirit of the man - brave, ambitious, and appreciating and enjoying the best things of life. It is a truly fascinating book and a work of art.