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Abstract

This research paper explores Mustansar Hussain Tarar’s novels “Roop Be Roop” and “Sheher Khali, Kocha Khali” as profound reflections of human consciousness, cultural disintegration, and existential struggle in modern Urdu fiction. In “Roop Be Roop,” Tarar presents the story of Noor Bibi—a symbol of the oppressed woman seeking identity and dignity within a patriarchal and decaying social order. Her transformation from a rural girl to a self-aware individual embodies the universal conflict between freedom and societal repression. Through symbols like the parrot and the yellow rose, Tarar reveals the fragility of dreams and the pain of unfulfilled desires.
In “Sheher Khali, Kocha Khali,” Tarar turns inward, portraying the psychological and philosophical dimensions of modern man through the character of Sajid and the recurring motif of the clown. The mystical globe and the image of the clown symbolize awareness, absurdity, and the hypocrisy of modern existence. Together, these novels move beyond realism, combining social critique with metaphysical reflection. Tarar exposes moral decay, spiritual emptiness, and the paradox of modern civilization. Both works affirm his stature as a novelist who transformed Urdu fiction into a vehicle of philosophical inquiry, human introspection, and symbolic depth.