Nasim Dashti

Nasim Dashti (also spelled Naseem Dashti) is the pen name of Alam Shah, born on 14 October 1938 in Koddan, Dasht, Balochistan. He got his primary education in his native village Koddan and finished his secondary education in High School Turbat in 1961. He then went on to study at the Inter College Mastung, Balochistan and S. M. Arts College, Karachi, where he got his BA in 1966. Then he started working as a teacher and during this time he continued his studies and acquired a B.Ed., and an M.Ed. degree. In 1972 he also acquired an MA degree in Urdu literature from Punjab University, Lahore. Later on he worked as a headmaster in various schools and as an Education Officer in Makran, Balochistan, until his retirement. He passed away on 8 January 1996.

Nasim was both a prose writer and a poet. He also wrote research articles on various historical and literary topics and translated short stories by internationally renowned authors, e.g. Ernest Hemingway, William Somerset Maugham, Khalil Jibran, and Mahmud Ahmad Taymur, into Balochi. His writings were published in various literary magazines during his lifetime. They were compiled in the book Sáhé Nabramshit (Not A Soul Flickers) only after his death. (60) This collection contains most of his poetry, short stories, research articles, and translations.

Although Nasim himself belonged to a well-off family, he often takes side for the poor and weak in his stories. His language is direct and easy and he attempts to bridge dialect differences in his writings.

In the story presented here, Nákó (Uncle), we meet a poor young man whose beloved betrays him by marrying his own rich uncle. The young woman herself confesses that she does not love the uncle, but that life in the modern world demands wealth and therefore she did not hesitate to marry him. The end of the story is open to the reader’s interpretation.