Pre-Christ Wisdom and Civilization in Aag Ka Darya

Qurratulain Hayder is a renowned fiction writer of the twentieth century. Her novel Aag ka Darya (also translated as River of Fire) is considered to be a classic in the tradition of Urdu fiction writing. This novel deals with Indian civilization and wisdom emanating from there in pre-Christ era. She has presented various constituting elements of Indian civilization through this narrative. Besides that, the thoughts and the teachings of the wise of that age, namely, Gautam Buddha, Mahavir, Kapil, Panini and Chankya have also been interwoven in the story. This article explores these themes and civilzational details in the novel.