Grieving for Pigeons - Zubair Ahmed

The experience of grief is as unique as personality. Its response is shaped by one's experiences. We very often think that it's an external disruption but grief stems from within. Those who experience grief understand something more about life. The source of our despair is our desperate wish for things to last eternally.

'Grieving for Pigeons' by Zubair Ahmed is an effort to make sense of the loss and the resulting grief. It is an English translation of the short stories selected from his Punjabi books. The timeline of the stories is set between 1947 and the 1970s.

 The stories revolve around personal experiences linked with the loss of friendships, connections, age, and spaces. The loss of friendships and connections is explored in 'Bajwa has Nothing more to Say' and 'Pigeons, Ledgers and Streets'.

The 'Sweater' is a story in which multiple emotions are conveyed through an object as simple as a sweater. Firstly the loss of loved ones. The unpredictability of the plans and anticipation.  Then life as an illegal immigrant. Finally, the poverty that makes unacceptable, acceptable.   

Similarly, the 'Unstory' starts with a simple object - The Electric Pole and propagates toward more complex themes such as choices and compromises. A person might not contend ultimately with a choice made on his behalf.

The visit of the author to his ancestral town had been a very unique experience which is mentioned vividly in the story "Wall of Water" The writer was unable to find his home. But the author's imagination made up for everything that was missing.

 Throughout the book, the writer is trying to make sense of loss and separation. His understanding of separation can be better understood from his words.

 "Separation is a kind of unification; to remember someone is to be with them ".