A FEW WHO MADE A
DIFFERENCE
By Safir Rammah
The Dawn, May 8, 2005
The Punjabi literature produced on both sides of the Punjab border since
partition is surprisingly equally robust and of a matching and
complementary high quality. This is in spite of the fact that there is no
official recognition for the Punjabi language in Pakistan or in the
Pakistani Punjab province, while Punjabi is one of India’s 18 national
languages and the official language of India’s Punjab province.
The lack of official patronage may be a factor in the Punjabi language
taking a backseat in formal usage in Pakistani Punjab. However, it has not
affected the love of the common Punjabi for his language, culture and way
of life. This is evident from the large number of creative Punjabi writers
and research scholars and the quality of the Punjabi literature they have
produced in Pakistani Punjab.
The following presents a few randomly chosen examples from the vast galaxy
of Punjabi writers, scholars and others, who have played an important role
in the development of various aspects of the post-partition modern Punjabi
literature in both sides of the Punjab.
Dr
Faqir Mohammad Faqir (1900-1974): Dr Faqir was a well known Punjabi
poet before partition. He published his first collection of Punjabi
poetry, Sada-i-Faqir, in 1924 and for a number of years recited his
Punjabi poems in the annual gatherings of Anjuman Himayat-i-Islam in
Lahore.
Soon after the establishment of Pakistan, he embarked on a one-man mission
to promote the Punjabi language and literature — a task made almost
impossible by the prevalent atmosphere of unquestioned acceptance of Urdu
as the manifestation of Pakistani Punjab’s nationalistic aspirations.
He launched a tireless campaign to enlist the support of his many friends
from Lahore’s literary circles for the cause of Punjabi. The first formal
meeting of a small group of writers to deliberate on the future of Punjabi
in Pakistan was held at Dayal Singh College, Lahore in July 1951. The
meeting, for which Dr Faqir had hand-delivered the invitation cards, was
attended by Abdul Majeed Salik, Syed Abid Ali Abid, Dr Muhammad Baqir, Dr
Muhammad Din Taseer, Babu Feroze Din, Sufi Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum and a
few others, who agreed to establish an organization by the name of Pak
Punjab League. Dr Faqir was assigned the task of bringing out a Punjabi
magazine, which he started publishing under the title Punjabi in September
1951.
That was followed by the first Punjabi Conference in Lyallpur (Faisalabad)
in 1952 and the establishment of Punjabi Adabi Academy, with Dr Faqir as
one of its active members. The Punjabi Adabi Academy soon started
publishing a long line of books of Punjabi classical literature, many of
them edited by Dr Faqir, including the poetic works of Baba Farid, Bulleh
Shah, Waris Shah, Peelo, Ali Haider, Mian Muhammad Bakhsh and many others.
His relentless efforts helped in establishing MA classes in Punjabi at
Punjab University, Lahore, in 1970. During the final deliberations by the
University Council to vote on this proposal, he literally camped in the
Vice Chancellor’s office threatening him to live there until the proposal
was adopted.
Dr Faqir was a persistent and persuasive activist for the promotion of
Punjabi. With his encyclopaedic knowledge of the Punjabi language and
literature and outstanding skills as a writer, research scholar and
editor, he inspired a whole generation of Punjabi writers and pioneered
the Punjabi literary movement in Pakistani Punjab. Dr Faqir deservedly
earned the title of Baba-i-Punjabi (Father of Punjabi).
Muhammad
Asif Khan (1929-2000): Perhaps the best research scholar of the
Punjabi language and literature, well versed in Hindi, Sanskrit, Pushto,
Balochi, Sindhi, and even Japanese, Muhamamd Asif Khan did more serious
research work during his lifetime than would be possible to produce by a
well-endowed large institution or a university department.
He did manage a so-called institution, Punjabi Adabi Board,
single-handedly, for the last 18 years of his life. Punjabi Adabi Board
received a meagre government grant that was not enough to rent a proper
office or hire a peon to assist him. Yet, this essentially one-man
institution published more than 200 books, including edited and corrected
versions of almost all classical poets with Muhammad Asif Khan’s
thoroughly researched introductions that are the finest examples of
scholarly work in Punjabi. He penned more than 100 research articles that
raised the bar for such academic scholarship in Punjabi for a long time to
come.
A huqqa, an occasional cup of tea that he made himself, an inquisitive
mind and a burning desire to serve his language was all that he needed to
work tirelessly for more than 50 years to provide a deeper understanding
of Punjabi literature.
Balwant
Gargi (1916-2003): Balwnat Gargi wrote Punjabi novels, a biography and
sketches of contemporary writers, that established him as one of the best
modern Punjabi prose writers, but far more important than his other prose
writings was his life long work on the Punjabi play. Many of the plays
that he wrote, produced and directed have now become modern classics.
He had studied the Russian theatre and, during his stay in the United
States, he directly learned from Elia Kazan, who was a genius of American
theatre and cinema. At home, he travelled all across India to collect
material for his celebrated book Folk Theatre of India, written after
thorough investigation and study of traditional folk theatres in all parts
of India and by interviewing hundreds of actors and dancers. This book
earned him the Sahitya Akademy Award and a lasting international
reputation.
A special post of professor and director for the theatre was created for
him at Punjab University, Chandigarh, where he established the department
of Indian theatre on the campus. That is where some of his most celebrated
plays were created, Such as ‘Loha kutt’, ‘Kanak di balli’, ‘Kesro’, ‘Dhuni
di aggan’ and many others. His passion and genius played a very important
role in bringing the Punjabi theatre from its centuries old rustic
traditions of folk plays to the modern theatre.
Bhapa
Preetam Singh (1914-2005): How could we not have a Punjabi publisher
of Bhapa Preetam Singh’s calibre when we find so many others who had
dedicated their lives, in a typical Punjabi way, to all other aspects of
Punjabi language and literature?
Founder of the famous Navyug publishing house in 1951, he dedicated
himself to publishing the best of modern Punjabi literature. He introduced
many Punjabi writers who became household names and published famous
writers, including Nanak Singh, Gurbax Singh Preetlari, Amrita Pritam,
Kartar Singh Duggal, Shiv Kumar Batalvi, Devendra Satyarthi, Balwant Gargi
and many others. His contributions towards popularizing the modern Punjabi
literature are widely recognized.
Avtar
Singh Sandhu “Pash” (1950-1988): The best known name in the Left and
progressive movements in modern Punjabi literature, Pash followed an old
Punjabi tradition of fighting against oppression and it was almost as if
he was a reincarnation of one of the renowned Punjabi freedom fighters.
He took the banner of the Naxalite movement to actively participate in
radical politics that landed him in jail for a couple of years on a
trumped up murder charge, and finally got him brutally murdered in broad
daylight at the age of 38.
The intensity of his passion gave some of the best revolutionary poetry to
modern Punjabi literature and an alternative to the romantic poetry of
Shiv Kumar Batalvi, whom he had admired as a teenager and then challenged
by confronting him personally and in writing, creating a fascinating
legend of the clash of two major schools of thoughts of Punjabi poetry.
Najm
Hussain Syed (1936-): It is simply not possible to capture the essence
of Najm Hussain Syed’s vast and varied contributions to modern Punjabi
literature in a brief note. There is no Punjabi University in Pakistan,
except perhaps the one he runs at 49 Jail Road, Lahore, where each Friday
a few dedicated souls get together at his baithak to explore the
intricacies of the Punjabi literature.
Besides breaking new grounds in every genre of Punjabi literature on which
he has authored more than 22 books of poetry, plays, criticism and
expositions of Punjabi classics, Najm Hussain Syed has been leading a
quiet, but highly effective, crusade to keep the Punjabi literary
tradition alive. A large number of modern Pakistani Punjabi writers and
poets have learned from him and are inspired by him directly or
indirectly.
It is Punjabi writers, poets and scholars like the few mentioned above and
many more like them in India, Pakistan and abroad who have led the
continued progress of the 1,000 year old Punjabi literary tradition to
serve the needs of 120 million Punjabis in the 21st century.
It would be nice if Punjabi is taught at Punjab’s schools, and it must be,
but the progress of the Punjabi language and literature has never relied
on official patronage. Learning Punjabi in Punjab’s schools and
universities will bond those with their own motherland who walk away with
educational degrees without having any clue of its high literature and
culture, and a snobbish attitude towards the Punjabi language.
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