Southasia Review of Books Podcast #03: Taha Kehar on Southasian mystery novels and capturing Karachi in literature

Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, Shwetha Srikanthan, assistant editor at Himal Southasian, speaks to the Karachi-based author Taha Kehar about his latest novel No Funeral for Nazia.

Rituals of mourning are a huge part of cultures across Southasia, but as a society we don’t often speak about grief and death. The decision about what happens to us after death is one of the most personal choices we make, and it might be rooted in family wishes, cultural expectations, religious traditions, personal preference, or all of the above. But in No Funeral for Nazia, a richly imagined mystery set in Karachi, the author Taha Kehar presents an intriguing alternative.   

In her final days, the protagonist Nazia writes a diary of instructions for her sister, Naureen, as well as six letters to be delivered after her death. There is to be no funeral, instead, only six invitees are asked to attend a party, including one mystery guest, where various truths and long-held grudges are revealed throughout the night and we witness the entangled relationships between these characters and Nazia. 

The story also traces gender and class dynamics in Karachi society as well as past and present events of Pakistani politics, giving us a sweeping glimpse of the country’s urban life – which we explore further in this conversation.