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Dr. Nasir Rana* PUNJABI
RESEARCH AND CRITICISM A Brief Study
Just like other languages of the world, Punjabi literature also
started with poetry. Punjabi poetry is very old and some of its earliest
poets were Charpat Nath (840 A.D.-940 A.D.), Gorakh Nath (940-1031),
Pooran Bhagat (970-1070) and Shah Shams Sabzvari (1165-1276). However,
Baba Farid (1175 A.D.-1265 A.D.) is regarded as the first regular poet
of Punjabi, born at Kothaywal near Multan. He travelled widely in search
of knowledge and after getting spiritual training from Khaja Bakhtiar
Kaki in Delhi, he finally settled in Pak Patan. His poetry has been
preserved in the form of Shaloks. Afterwards, Ameer Khusru (1253-1325),
Shah Miranji (1400-1496), Burhanuddin Janam (1586) and Guru Nanak
(1469-1534) spread the message of the Oneness of God in Punjab through
their poetry. Later on, Ibrahim Farid Sani (1450-1575), Damudar Das
(sixteenth century), Shah Husayn (1539-1599) and Nosha Ganj Bakhsh
(1452-1554) made their contributions to Punjabi poetry and literature.
Shah Husayn introduced the genre of Kafi in Punjabi, while Sultan Bahu
(1632-1692) laid the foundation of another genre called Se-harfi. From
Baba Farid to Guru Nanak and all the other poets expressed mystical
views in their poetry. In the subsequent period, Bullhay
Shah, Ali Haidar, Khaja Fareed and Ameer Baloch continued the same
tradition.
Besides mystical themes, romantic and amorous affairs were also
discussed by some other poets. Damudar Das is the first Punjabi Romantic
poet who for the first time wrote the romantic story of Heer Ranjha
during the reign of Akbar. Afterwards, the same story was written by
Ahmad Kavi, Charagh Awan, Pilu, Hafiz Shah Jahan Muaqbal, Waris Shah,
Hamid Shah Abbasi, Fazal Shah, Bhagwan Sing, Imam Bakhsh, Maula Bakhsh
Kushta and several other poets. The story of Mirza Saheban was for the
first time written by Pilu. Later, Hafiz Barkhurdar Ranjha and Muhammad
Yar Aleel also wrote on the same subject. Barkhurdar also wrote the
stories of Sassi Punnu and Yusuf Zulaikha. Fazal Shah acquired fame by
writing the story of Sohni Mahinwal while the story of Sassi Punnu
written by Hashim became famous everywhere. Maulvi Lutf Ali Bahawalpuri,
Mian Muhammad Bakhsh and Makhdoom Muhammad Bakhsh wrote the story of
Saiful-Mulook. Imam Bakhsh wrote Badi-ul-Jamal and Shah Behram, etc. In
the same way, Munshi Khahish Ali wrote Sohna Zeni and several other
stories and thus made genuine contribution to enrich Punjabi poetic
literature, further.
Punjabi literature was formally started with the inspiring poetry
of Baba Farid. Later, Guru Nanak composed his poetry on similar lines
and used it as a vehicle for the spiritual improvement of the people.
However, the Punjabi religious literature began when (during the reigns
of Jehangir and Shah Jahan); Maulvi Abdullah Abdi wrote his twelve
religious pamphlets known as Bara Anvaa. These twelve religious
pamphlets are: Tohfa, Nas-o-faraez, Muamlat, Uloom, Marfat-e-Ilahi,
Khabirul-Aashiqeen Kalan, Khabirul-Aashiqeen Khurd, Siraji (meeras),
Hisarul-Iman, Sekal Avval, Sekal Dom and Tohfa-e-Jadeed.
Before Maulvi Abdullah, Nosha Ganj Bakhsh wrote some religious
sermons in prose. In the eighteenth century, like Abdullah Abdi, Hafiz
Barkhurdar also wrote twelve religious pamphlets known as
Anvaa-e-Barkhurdar. His twelve religious pamphlets include Shamsul-Uloom,
Behrul-Uloom, Fiqh Ijmal, Miftahul-musalla, Nijatul-Muslimeen,
Sharfun-Nikah, Tanbihul-Mufsideen, Risala-e-Namaz, Nehrul-Uloom, Saiyah
Asli, Mizane-e-Shariat and Miftah-ul-Fiqh. Besides these, he wrote
Sharha (explanation) Soorah Fateha, Sharha Qasida Binat-e-Saad, Sharha
Qasida Ghaosia, Sharha Kaidani, Fraiz-e-Varsa, Mas’la Baang-o-Nikah,
Miftahus-Saadat and Siraj-ul-Muaamlat. During the same period, for the
education of children, Kehrmal Rai Sanami wrote Aizid Bari in the year
1105 A.H (1703 A.D). Umeed wrote Allah Bari in the year 1160 A.H (1707
A.D). In the year 1086 A.H (1675 A.D)
(1)
Maulvi Abdul Kareem Jhangvi completed his famous pamphlet named
Nijatul-Momineen. In 1104 A.H (1702 A.D). Maulvi Habib-ul-lah Faqeer
wrote a book called Akhbarul-aakhirat. During the same period,
Abd-ur-Rehman Minhas wrote a number of religious books, such as,
Tafseer-e-Muhammadi in seven volumes and Zinat-ul-Islam in two parts.
Through their writings Maulvi Muhammad Muslim, Ahmadyar Maralvi, Maulvi
Noor Muhammad, Abd-us-Sattar, Fazal Shah, Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, Ghulam
Sarwar Lahori, Maulvi Habib-ul-lah, Maulvi Dilpazeer and Abdul Kareem
Samar carried forward the same tradition and this process continues even
today. In this connection it is worth mentioning that some writers added
to the bulk of religious literature in Punjabi by writing religious
books in which the word “Rottian” was used. Thus, they wrote books
such as, Mitthi Rotti and Pakki Rotti. We have already mentioned two
religious books named Aizid Bari and Allah Bari. The word Bari was used
in certain other religious books such as Khaliq Bari and Raziq Bari. In
the same way, the word “Anvaa” was also used by a number of poets
and writers in the title of their religious books. Thus we find Bara
Anvaa, Anvaa-e-Barkhurdar, Anvaa-e-Muhammadi and Anvaa-e-Barakullah,
etc. Another commonly used word for religious books was “Shariat”.
Thus, we have Shahbbaz-e-Shariat, Charagh-e-Shariat, Khursheed-e-Shariat
and Ma'ad-e-Shariat, etc. Gulzar is that genre of Punjabi which
describes the life of prophets, saints and other prominent religious
figures for instance, Gulzar-e-Adam,
Gulzar-e-Yusuf, Gulzar-e-Nooh and Gulzar-e-Moosa, etc.
Punjabi newspapers and magazines played a considerable role in
the evolution of Punjabi literature. “Hindu Parkash” is regarded as
the first such newspaper. It was brought out in 1873 from Amritsar and
was written in Gurmukhi style of writing. Afterwards, several Punjabi
newspapers and magazines continued to be published till the birth of
Pakistan through the efforts of Hindu and Sikh editors. These included,
Khalsa Akhbar,Khalsa Gazette, Singh Sabha Gazette, Amrit Patrika,,
Bazm-e-Sho’ra, Young Man Magazine, Paritam and Sarang, etc. In 1928,
Joshua Fazal-ud-Din started “Punjabi Darbar” from Lyallpur (Now
known as Faisalabad.) Like Sarang and Bazm-e-Sho’ra, it was a literary
and scholarly newspaper. In the fourth decade of the twentieth century,
Charan Sing Shaheed brought out the first humorous magazine called “Maojji”.
Another worth mentioning work was done away from Punjab in West Bengal.
Sodagar Sing Bhikari brought out a literary newspaper named “Kavi”
from Calcutta.(2) After the creation of Pakistan, Punjabi, Punjabi Zuban, Lehran and
Punjabi Adab played a crucial role in the development of Punjabi
literature.
Monastic system and fairs also made a considerable contribution
to the development and promotion of Punjabi literature. Most of the
Sufis were poets and writers. Their devotees and close acquaintances
listened to their poetry and communicated it to others. Moreover, on the
occasion of fairs, story tellers, singers, book sellers and buyers of
books became a source of spreading poetry and literature among the
masses.
Muslims, Sikhs and to a certain extent, Hindus used Punjabi
language as a vehicle for the spread and promotion of their religious
literature. After the advent of the English in the Sub-Continent,
Christian missionaries also became active in this region. The Torah, the
Psalms the Bible, religious sermons, plays and other religious books
were translated into regional languages. Some priests wrote their own
books, in these languages and tried to popularize them in the local
people. In the beginning, these books were distributed free of cost and
later; they were sold at a nominal price. In this way, like Muslim and
Sikh religious literature, Christian religious literature also became a
part of Punjabi literature.
THE ORIGIN OF RESEARCH IN PUNJABI:
We divided the process of research into several types such as,
explanatory, narrative, exploratory, interpretive, literary, natural,
complete and technical. After this division, we discussed the various
benefits and results of these numerous forms of research. To make its
objectives clear and explicit we examined the different technical styles
that can be used for it. Research has three main forms or dimensions.
The first of these is related to the biographies and literary histories
which help us understand the background and past of literature in a
better way. The second dimension of research is related to linguistics
in which the history, evolution, grammar and structures of the language
are discussed. This aspect of research also embodies the knowledge of
diction. The third type of research deals with the work of editing,
compilation and translation. In this type of research, an old text is
edited, its old spellings are changed in accordance with the
requirements of the new age and the text is published along with
explanation and glossary. At other times, some scattered works are
compiled and published together. In all these fields of research, work
is being done in Punjabi.
The question is, how
did research work start in Punjabi? While answering this question, it
becomes obvious that the history of research in Punjabi is not so old.
Literary historians relate it to the work done by the orientalists. In
the missionary work of Christian priests, these historians trace the
roots of the literary and scholarly research in Punjabi. We believe that
if compiling is recognized as a form of research, the compilation of
“Aad Garanth” was the first compiled work in Punjabi. It would not
be wrong if we go further back in history and accept Baba Nanak’s
“diaries” as the first compiled work in Punjabi, because through it
we gained access to the poetry of Guru Nanak, Baba Farid and several
other poets. However this compilation is religious rather than literary.
According to Akhtar Waheed, research work in Punjabi started even before
the advent of Muhammad Bin Qasim when the first elementary book of the
Punjabi spoken in the Multan region was prepared in the year 93 A.H.
However, further research is still required for the confirmation of this
claim. (3)
ROLE OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES AND WESTERN INTELLECTUALS:
After the British occupation of the Southern and Eastern parts of
India, Christian missionaries started paying attention towards the
propagation and preaching of Christianity in the Sub-Continent. In
England, religious people set up missionary trusts and began sending
missionaries to India. One of these missionaries was William Carey who
arrived in Si-rampur on January 10, 1800. In 1801, he was appointed as a
teacher of Bengali at Fort William College Calcutta. In 1805, he was
promoted to the rank of the professor of Bengali. Si-rampur was situated
at a distance of fifteen miles to the North of Calcutta. William Carey
used to go to Calcutta and returned daily from Si-rampur. In fact, he
was a Christian missionary and had learnt Bengali only for this
religious purpose. When under the British law of 1805, Christian
missionaries living in India were permitted to work freely; Carey also
started working actively and vigorously. For the benefit of the English
officers, he wrote the grammars of Bengali, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Marathi,
Tilgu and other languages of the country.
Most of these grammars were burnt in 1812, when the missionary
building of Si-rampur was engulfed in fire. In the mean time, Carey
published the first Punjabi translation of the Bible in 1811. From 1815
to 1826, Carey published in Punjabi five books of Moses from the Bible,
two history books, the Gospels of Mathew, Mark and Luke and the
scriptures of the prophets.(4)
According to Akhtar Waheed, after their advent into this region,
the English Christian missionaries published an elementary book of
Punjabi but it is not available now. Later in 1833, Muhammad Fakhruddin
Razi Qazi also wrote an elementary book. In 1843, the followers of
Ubaid-ul-lah Sindhi wrote an elementary book of the mother tongue of the
state. In 1944, a committee consisting of the experts of Multani
language added six more alphabets in this language.
(5) Carey
died in 1834 and in the same year, another missionary group set up its
centre in Ludhiana. A priest named John Lorreey was the head of this
centre. In December 1835, James Wilson and John Canoti also arrived
there for his assistance. A considerable work was done by this mission
and later on, they set up their branches in the cities of Jalandhar,
Ambala, Hoshyarpur, Ferozpur and Rawalpindi. Besides using the Gurmukhi
style of writing, they published their missionary literature in the
Shahmukhi or Persian style of writing.(6) Members of this mission worked for the general understanding of the
language, in order to teach Punjabi to the English officers and to
convert the local people to Christianity. They compiled ordinary type of
grammars and dictionaries.
In 1849, with the help of Basava Singh, S.C. Starkey compiled
Punjabi dictionary and grammar. Later, in 1851, by writing Grammar of
the Punjabi Language, John Newton tried to promote and upgrade research
work in Punjabi. He also benefited from Carey’s Grammar. It is worth
remembering that while compiling the grammars and elementary books of
Punjabi, such Western intellectuals gave more importance to the rules of
English than the rules of the local Indian languages. They gave
information about grammar after the description of noun, pronoun, verb
and adjective, etc. In 1854, Newton got published the Punjabi
dictionary. John Newton’s work became a standard for the subsequent
researchers. In 1896, his own son A.P. Newton expanded his father’s
grammar and named it Punjabi Grammar with Exercises and Vocabulary.
Captain Starkey compiled the first dictionary of Punjabi. It was based
on the rules of English dictionaries instead of the rules of Arabic and
Persian. In this way, Starkey’s work founded a tradition and later, a
number of dictionaries were compiled on the Ludhiana accent. Afterwards,
dictionaries of the languages spoken in Lyallpur, Hafizabad and other
regions were prepared.
Another priest S.S.
Taj wrote Grammar’s first year course for the school going children
named “First year Punjabi Course”. This book was written for
curricular needs. Besides this, the Christian missionaries published
three more dictionaries. The first of these was published in 1894 by the
Ludhiana mission with the title Dictionary of Punjabi language. The
second of these was published in 1900 by another priest A. Nucus. Its
title was Western Punjabi and English Dictionary. The third one named
Shahpuri and Kangri Glossary was published by Wilson. The primary
objective of these three dictionaries was to teach Punjabi to the
English rulers but they also promoted the trend of writing dictionaries
in Punjabi. In 1846, from the linguistic point of view, Ann Januar
published Idiomatic Sentences in English and Punjabi. Another book
Punjabi Proverbs and Idiomatic sentences in Roman Punjabi was published
by W. P. Hares. (7)
This work which was
started in the nineteenth century was further promoted in the twentieth
century by Graham Bailey. In 1904, he published A Brief Grammar of
Punjabi as spoken in Wazirabad District. Later in 1912, in collaboration
with Thomas Commings, he compiled Punjabi Manual and Grammar. In this
book, rules of the spoken language were discussed in the light of the
new phonetic rules. In the third decade of the twentieth century,
Grierson started his work on Linguistic Survey of India. In the ninth
volume of this book, he started the survey of Punjabi language and
literature. Afterwards, Blomherdt published the first bibliography of
Punjabi.
(8)
Most of these books were published in the Gurmukhi script. They
did not have purely literary objective. They were mainly published for
religious and missionary purposes. The language used in them is spoken
rather than scholarly. However, in the twentieth century, the English
rulers started paying attention towards folk literature. When their
interest increased in Punjabi culture, in 1854, R.C. Temple compiled
Legends of the Punjab in three volumes. A total of 59 stories have been
collected and published in these three volumes. War is a genre of
Punjabi poetry. Several “Wars” were compiled and published
separately. For instance, the War of Nadir Shah written by Najabat was
published from Lahore by Sir Maclagin. Charles Frederick Osborne
published a book named Sufi Mystics and Poets of the Punjab. Dr.
Lajwanti Rama Krishana brought out a somewhat changed version of this
book. R. Luther published Mystic Poets of the Punjab. The Story of Heer
Ranjha was published by Osborn in 1923.
Thus it can be said that people like Carey, Starkey, Newton,
Graham Bailey, Thomas Commings, George Grierson, R.C. Temple and
Osborne, etc. played a fundamental role in the development of research
and criticism. Their work served as an impetus for new research in
Punjabi. The local people did not appropriately build on the work,
initiated by the English scholars, at that time. Yet, their work
inspired the natives of Punjab to step into the field of research and
criticism.
CONTRIBUTION OF THE LOCALS:
It is true that in the beginning, the local people of this region
did not show any particular interest in research, but gradually, this
scenario began to change. The first name in this connection is that of
Noor Ahmad Chishti (1826-1856) who was a poet and researcher. In his
short life of thirty years, he wrote more than 150 books in Persian.
These books include Tohfa-e-Chishti (A book on Arabic Grammar) and
Yadgar-e-Chishti (A book on the rites and customs of Punjab.). It may
rightly be described as the first Punjab Nama. Noor Ahmad Chishti’s
research oriented book Tehqiqat-e-Chishti (published in the year 1281
A.H.) is the most important historical source for the researchers. This
book describes the important personalities and incidents of its time.
Afterwards, Ghulam Sarwar wrote seventeen books in Persian. They include
Guldasta-e-Karamat, Ganjina-e-Sarwar, Akhlaq-e-Sarwari, Makhzan-e-Hikmat
and Tohfa-e-Sarwari. His two books named Hadiqatul-Aoliya and
Khazinatul-Aoliya are regarded as an important source of research on the
history of the local and Punjabi language and literature, because most
of the Sufi saints and mystics were poets as well.
(9)
Anwer Ali Rohtaki is credited with the first literary compilation
in Punjabi. In the seventh decade of the nineteenth century, he compiled
and published with explanation, the text of the fifty-five Kafis of
Bullhay Shah, with the title “Qanoon-e-Ishq, Almaroof Halwa-e-Punjab.”
The second edition of this book published from Jalandhar in 1888, is
still available.
(10)
Among the local
people, Bihari Lal was the first to write a grammar named “Punjabi
Viakran” in 1869. Sirajuddin Quraishi compiled the poetry of Shah
Murad and published it in 1908, with the title “Gulzar-e-Shah Murad.”
From 1916 to 1926, Bava Budh Singh brought out a number of books
including Koel Ku, Hans Choag, Bol Banbiha and Prem Kahani. Dr. Mohan
Singh Diwana wrote “A History of Punjabi Literature” and compiled
Heer Waris Shah in 1945. In 1938, Lajwanti Rama Krishana published his
thesis of D. Lit as “Punjabi Sufi Poets”. Later, in 1941, Dr.
Banarsi Das Jain published “Punjabi Language and Its Literature.” At
the same time, people like Hafiz Mahmood Shirani and Fazl-e-Haq also
worked on similar lines. These distinguished researchers deviated from
the track of the Western intellectuals and earlier researchers and built
their own tradition of research and criticism in Punjab and
Sub-Continent. Today they are known as the pioneers and founders of this
tradition. At this point, it should be kept in mind that till now,
research and criticism are going on hand in hand together in Punjabi.
Keeping in view the requirements of the time, they should become
separate and distinct from each other. However, at numerous points in
this thesis, we shall mention those books which are critical as well as
research oriented at one and the same time. The writers of these books
did not bother to create a distinction between these two fields.
EVOLUTION OF RESEARCH IN PAKISTAN:
This process did not start all of a sudden. In fact, it was the
continuation of the process that had already begun. As mentioned
earlier, on account of their profound love for Punjabi language and
literature, Hindu, Sikh and Jain intellectuals such as Dr. Lajwanti Rama
Krishana, Dr. Banarsi Das Jain and Dr. Mohan Singh Diwana, wrote their
thesis for Ph. D. and D. Lit. These Theses were then published in the
form of books. At the same time, Muslim scholars such as Hafiz Mahmood
Shirani and Qazi Fazl-e-Haq, etc. and Christian intellectuals like
Joshua Fazl-ud-Din were also busy in research, criticism and editing. We
shall now throw light on the research work initiated after the creation
of Pakistan. For our convenience, we have divided this work into five
parts: histories and biographies, research in educational institutions,
literal & linguistic research, compilation and scattered research.
HISTORIES AND BIOGRAPHIES:
After the birth of
Pakistan, the first research oriented (and critical) book came out in
Urdu in 1953, from Karachi. It was written by Muhammad Sarwar and was
titled “Punjabi Adab.” Later, in 1956, Abdul Ghafoor Quraishi
published “Punjabi Zuban da Adab tay Tareekh.” It is a historical
and biographical book. In 1959, M. Sultan Mahmood published a book in
Urdu. It was called “Punjabi Shah Paray.” Maula Bakhsh Kushta’s
“Punjabi Shairan da Tazkra” was published in 1960. Besides throwing
light on the history of Punjabi language, poetry and literature, this
book describes the life of more than three hundred poets along with the
specimens of their poetry. In 1962, Bashir Ahmad Zami published
“Bahawalpuri Multani Zaban-o-Adab.” In its essence, it is also a
historical and biographical book. In the same year, Shamim Chaudhry
published “Punjabi Adab-o-Tareekh” in Urdu. In 1964 came “Punjabi
Adab ki Mukhtasr Tareekh” by Ahmad Husayn Qaladari. In 1971,
University of the Punjab published “Urdu Daera-e-Maaraf-e-Islamia”.
The fifth volume of this book contains a long essay on Punjabi language
and literature. In 1971, the 13th and 14th volumes
of “Tareekh-e-Adbiat-e-Musalmanan-e-Pakistan-o-Hind” were published
by the same institution. These volumes have a number of articles on the
Hindko and Siraiki accents of Punjabi. In 1972, Abdul Ghafoor Quraishi
revised his book “Punjabi Zuban da Adab tay Tareekh” and after
making some changes and additions into it, he published it as “Punjabi
Adab di Kahani.” Later, in 1973, Iqbal Salah-ud-Din published
“La'lan di Pand” which is a collection of critical and research
oriented articles. In the same year, Serebriyakove’s book was
published in Pakistan, with the title “Punjabi Literature - a Brief
Outline. This book which was originally published from Moscow views
Punjabi literature in its social perspective.
In
1977, Ghulam Mustafa Bismil completed a biographical book in verse,
named “Maillay Mitran day”. In 1981, Azra Waqar published a book
“Waris Shah: Ehad aor Shairi”. In 1986, Sajjad Haidar Parvez wrote
“Siraiki Shairi di Mukhtasr Tareekh.” Another biographical book in
verse was published in 1987. It was Naadim Asri’s “Taray Neel Gagan
day”. In 1991, Salim Khan Gimmi published his research oriented book
“Punjabi Zuban da Irtiqa”. Hameed-ul-lah Hashmi brought out
“Punjabi Adab di Mukhtasr Tareekh” in 1992. In 1993, Javed Ghanjira
published his Master’s thesis with some changes. It was called
“Phull Karanabar day”. Two years later, in 1995, Mukhtar Ali Nayyar
published “Tareekh-e-Zaban-o-Adab-e-Hindko”. Like “Siraiki Shairi
di Mukhtasr Tareekh”, it is a good book on the history of the Hindko
accent of Punjabi.
RESEARCH IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS: Among all the educational institutions of Pakistan, Punjab University Lahore was the first to pay formal attention towards the teaching and research on Punjabi language and literature. In 1970, the department of Punjabi was opened at the university and in 1972, 21 theses were written at the Master’s level. The first of these was written by Waheed Sultan. Its title was “Mehar Ali Shah di Hayati tay Shairi”. After this, research work was started at the Master’s level not only at the Punjabi Department of the Punjab University but also at the History, Islamic Studies, Journalism, Philosophy, Pakistan Studies and other departments of other universities. Four Ph. D. degrees have been issued by Baha-ud-Din Zakariya University Multan and one by Islamia University Bahawalpur on different topics in this field. Yet, in the real sense of the word, research work on the Ph. D. level in Punjabi is being done up to this day, only at the University of the Punjab. In 1982, the first two Ph. D. degrees were issued by the Punjab University. The recipients of these degrees were Dr. Shahbaz Malik and Dr. Akhtar Jafri. Till the year 2000, 30 Ph. D. degrees were issued by this university. About 250 research theses have been written at the Master’s level by the students of this and other varsities. After 2000 Punjab University, Lahore and Lahore College University, Lahore issued the degrees of Ph. D in a big quantity. Most of the said research works done under patronage of single guide of the University. As speed of the issuance of degrees in these years was increased the standard of research was decreased naturally.
LITERAL
AND LINGUISTIC RESEARCH:
Bashir
Ahmad Zami’s book “Siraiki Zuban ka Irtiqa” published in 1970 was
the first book on the proper understanding and use of language.
Ainul-Haq Faridkoti’s book “Urdu ki Qadeem Tareekh” was published
in 1972. According to this book, Urdu originated from Punjabi while
Punjabi originated from Darawari language. In 1976, Dr. Shahbaz Malik
published his book named “Munh Aai Gall”. It is a research study of
Punjabi in the light of the political conditions of the Sub-Continent.
This book claims that Punjabi has its similarities not with the
Indo-Arian family of languages, but with the Darawari family. Thus for
the real understanding and identity of Punjabi, it should be linked to
the Darawari languages instead of Sanskrit. In the same year Muhammad
Asif Khan, Sibtul-Hasan Zaigham and Sharif Sabir collectively published
“Mudhli Lafzali”. In 1977, Dr. Shahbaz Malik published another book
on linguistics with the title “Punjabi Lisaniyat”. This book is a
review of the Punjabi language in the light of the modern rules of
linguistics and the roots of this language have been traced with the
help of its suffixes, prefixes and other such aspects. Again in this
book, Dr. Malik has repeated the theory of Punjabi’s similarity and
relationship with Darawari family. In 1976, in collaboration with Umar
Kamal Khan, Aslam Rasoolpuri published, “Siraiki Rasmul-Khat di
Mukhtasr Tareekh”. In 1980, he alone published “Siraiki Zuban, Ohnda
Rasmul-Khat tay Avazan”. “Pak Punjabi” by Mushtaq Basit, published
in 1978, is another book written from the linguistic point of view. It
examines the cultural and linguistic heritage of Punjab in the Islamic
and Pakistani perspective. On the basis of an ideological research, it
presents the concept of Pakistani Punjabi with reference to the
two-nation theory. In 1974 was published Iqbal Salahuddin’s book
“Punjabi da Rasmul-Khat tay Imla”. It is an orthographic study of
Punjabi. Later, in 1985, Mehar Abdul Haq’s “Mazeed Lisani Tehqeeqan”
was published. It discusses the linguistic issues with reference to the
Siraiki aspect of Punjabi. Dilshad Kalanchvi’s “Siraiki Lisaniyat”
was published in 1990. In 2005 Dr. Nasir Rana’s books titled “Kujh
Lisani Mas’lay”, “Punjabi” and “Punjabi Imla” were
published. A considerable amount of scattered work has also been done on
linguistics. Thus people like Professor Sami-ul-lah Quraishi, Dr.
Muhammad Baqir, Sardar Muhammad Khan, Dr. Waheed Quraishi, Saeed Abid,
Muhammad Asif Khan, Dr. Ghulam Ali Alana, Abdul Jabbar Nasir, Suhindar
Singh Bedi, S. Khanam, Sibtul-Hasan Zaigham, Noor Kashmiri, Anwer Aman,
M. Masood and Saeed Karim, etc. wrote articles and research papers in
“Waris Shah”, “Panj Dariya”, “Lehran” and “Punjabi Adab”,
etc. In the mean time, eighteen Punjabi elementary books were also
published.
We have already mentioned the work of the orientalists on Punjabi
dictionaries. Later, in 1971, Irshad Ahmad Punjabi’s “Punjabi Lughat”
was published. This Punjabi into Urdu dictionary consists of the first
two letters of the Punjabi alphabets (Alif and Bay). “Punjabi Nama”
written by the same writer had already been published in 1969. Later in
1974, he published another dictionary named “Urdu Punjabi
Dictionary”. Afterwards, only the “Alif” strip of S. Khanam’s
“Punjabi Urdu Lughat” was published. In the same way, Dr. Muhammad
Baqir started “Punjabi Angrezi Lughat” which could not be completed.
In 1974, another dictionary named “Haft Zabani Lughat” was published
by Markazi Urdu Board Lahore. It includes the major languages spoken in
Pakistan, such as Punjabi, Kashmiri, Bengali, Balochi, Sindhi and Pushto.
On the other hand, “Lughat-e-Siraiki” was compiled by Muhammad
Bashir Zami. In 1980, Fida-e-Athar and Aslam Quraishi together wrote
“Navekli Siraiki Dictionary”. It is also an incomplete work. In
1981, a prominent researcher Dilshad Kalanchvi published
“Lughat-e-Dilshadia” in two parts. Its first part is from Siraiki to
Urdu while the second part is from Urdu to Siraiki. In the same year of
1981, Punjab University’s Department of Punjabi published Sharif
Kunjahi’s compiled dictionary titled “Mukhtasar Punjabi Lughat.”
The main distinction of this dictionary is that for the first time in
Pakistan, it has given the meanings of Punjabi words in Punjabi. In
1982, Sardar Muhammad Khan’s “Punjabi Ucharan Dictionary was
published. “Punjabi Urdu Lughat” by Tanveer Bukhari came out in
1989, while in the previous year, “Kalasiki Punjabi Lughat” compiled
by Jamil Ahmad Paul was published. The largest and most comprehensive
Punjabi dictionary was compiled by Sardar Muhammad Khan in 70s of the
twentieth century, which is published in 2009. Another huge and reliable
dictionary has been published by Iqbal Salah-ud-Din from Lahore.
As mentioned earlier, Christian missionaries and English scholars
were the first to pay attention towards the compilation of the rules and
grammar of Punjabi. After them, this field of research remained largely
unattended. In 1963, an Urdu booklet consisting of 96 pages, named
“Qawaed-e-Punjabi” compiled by Muhammad Ali Faiq was published from
Gujranwala. In 1972, Mirza Maqbool Baig Badakhshani compiled another
grammar having the same name. It had 322 pages. In 1979, to meet the
curricular needs of the time from Bahawalpur, Bashir Ahmad Zami brought
out “Nakhlistan-e-Qawaed”. Abdu-ur-Razzaq Shahid published an
academic booklet “Aasan Punjabi Grammar”. In 1981, Ghulam Yaqoob
Anwer published his book “Bol tay Tol” which gives information about
the Punjabi poetic genres and metrical structures. In 1984, Tanveer
Bukhari and Muhammad Asif Khan jointly published a book “Kan Lekha”
on the root words of Punjabi. Tanvir Bukhari’s book “Mahiya Fun tay
Buntar” appeared in 1988. It is an important book on the art of Mahiya
in Punjabi. Two more grammars were published in the year2005. The first
of these was “Pothohari Grammar by Yasir Mahmood Quraishi” and the
other was “Punjabi Grammar” by Karamat Ali Mughal.
COMPILATIONS:
The
compilation of “Heer Waris Shah” by Muhammad Afzal Khan in 1959 was
the first major work done in the field of compilation. Later, in 1963,
the same story was edited by Faqeer Muhammad Faqeer. Afterwards, Sheikh
Abdul Aziz edited and compiled the same and completed the work in 1964.
Among the innumerable versions of “Heer Waris Shah”, Sheikh Abdul
Aziz’s compiled version is regarded as authentic. In 1961, Maulvi
Ghulam Rasool’s “Ahsanul-Qasas” was compiled by the Punjabi Adabi
Academy. In 1962, Muhammad Asif Khan, Khalid Lahori and Shahbaz Malik
jointly compiled “Ajoki Kahani”. The poetry of Abdi Qaisar Shahi was
published with the title “Yarnama” by Dr. Waheed Quraishi in 1963.
Two years later, in 1965, Abdul Ghafoor Quraishi wrote a book comprising
128 pages, on the thought and art of Mohan Singh. During the same year
the poetry of Sultan Bahu was published a new by Muhammad Afzal Khan. In
1966, Siraj-ud-Din’s compiled book “Gulzar-e-Shah Murad” was again
compiled and edited jointly by Bagh Husayn Kamal, Riaz Chishti and Jamil
Hashmi which was published with the title “Kalam-e-Shah Murad.” This
book contains the Urdu, Punjabi and Persian poetry of the poet. In 1967,
Dr. Waheed Quraishi wrote a comprehensive article named “A Survey of
Punjabi language and Literature” in Pakistan Historical Society’s
Journal published from Karachi. In the seventh and eighth decades of the
twentieth century, Faqeer Muhammad Faqeer compiled the poetry of Baba
Farid, Shah Muhammad, Hashim Shah, Ali Haidar, Muhammad Bakhsh, Bullhay
Shah, Najabat, Hafiz Muqbal, Pilu and Hidayat-ul-lah, etc. and published
under the auspices of Punjabi Adabi Academy. In 1970, Shafi Aqeel
published an Urdu book named “Punjab kay Paanch Qadeem Shair.” In
1972, Shah Muhammad’s “Sikhan di War” compiled by Faqeer Muhammad
Faqeer, was published by Muhammad Asif Khan with the title “Jang Hind
Punjab.” During the same year, Muhammad Bashir Chaudhry compiled the
poetry of Sultan Bahu. In 1973, Punjabi Adabi Academy published “Heer
Waris Shah” compiled by Dr. Muhammad Baqir. In 1974, Hafiz Shah Jahan
Muqbal’s “Jang Nama” was published by Dr. Shahbaz Malik with a new
title “Jang Nama Muqbal tay Punjabi Marsiya.” This book also
contains a critical and research based detailed analysis of the
development of the genre of Marsiya in Punjabi during the past five
hundred years. Ahmad Ali Sain’s poetry was compiled by Afzal Parvez in
1978. During the same year, the story of Heer written by Hafiz Muqbal
was compiled and published by Hamid-ul-lah Hashmi. In 1978, the Siraiki
poetry of Bedil Sindhi was compiled by Aslam Rasoolpuri and published by
Bazm-e-Saqafat Multan. In the same year, “Kalam-e-Qadiryar” was
compiled and published by Sharif Sabir and “Loak Tamashay” by Abdul-Ghafoor
Darshan. In 1979, Hafiz Barkhurdar’s “Jang Nama” was published by
Ahmad Husayn Quraishi Qaladari as “Jang Nama Imam Husayn.” In the
same year, Hashim Shah’s “Kukaray” was edited by Hamid-ul-lah
Hashmi. During the same year Khwaja Farid’s poetry was compiled by
Noor Muhammad Faridi with the title “Diwan-e-Farid.” The “Jang
Nama” of Peer Muhammad Kaasbi was published by Dr. Shahbaz Malik in
1982. With this publication, the history of Punjabi Marsiya went several
years back. In the same year, Abdul Majeed Khan published “Iqbal di
Hayati.” In 1987, the story of Sassi Punnu written by Hafiz Barkhurdar
Musalmani Wala was published by Dr. Shahbaz Malik. “Kaal Bulaindi”
of A. D. Ijaz is a landmark in the field of folk literature and it was
published in 1983.
During the same year, Pakistan Punjabi Adabi Board published
Maulvi Ghulam Rasool’s "Ahsanul-Qasas” which had earlier been
published by Punjabi Adabi Academy. The poetry of Baba Farid was
compiled by Muhammad Asif Khan with the title “Aakheya Baba Farid
nay.” Baba Farid’s poetry had already been published on a number of
occasions such as “Shalok Bava Farid” (with Urdu translation,)
“Shalok Farid” (Compiled by Muhammad Afzal Khan), “Shalok Farid”
(Translated by Abdul Majeed Bhatti) and “Bol Farid” (Compiled by
Faqeer Muhammad Faqeer). It was published in 1965 with Punjabi
translation in prose. In 1988, by publishing the story of Sassi Punnu
written by Hafiz Barkhurdar Ranjha, Dr. Shahbaz Malik proved the fact
that Barkhurdar Ranjha and Barkhurdar Musalmani Wala were two different
poets. In 1991, the Kafis of Bullhay Shah were published by Sharif Sabir
with the title “Bullhay Shah Mukammal Kafian.” In the same year,
Sayyed Afzal Haidar and Ameer Husayn wrote a book on the life of Baba
Farid and Dr. Hafeez Ahmad brought out his book “Gwachay La’l”. In
1992 Muhammad Asif Khan wrote “Aakheya Bullhay Shah nay.” Later in
1994, he compiled and published the poetry of Baba Farid with the title
“Aakheya Baba Farid nay.” Dr. Nasir Rana compiled and published the
letters of Abdullah Malkhanwala, titled “Mulkhanwalay dian Chithian”
in 2005.
The credit of research on Punjabi folk literature goes to Mirza
Sultan Baig who compiled a book named “Punjabi Day Akhan.” Later, in
1962, Shafi Aqeel compiled “Punjabi Lok Kahaniyan.” In 1965,
“Punjabi day Lok Geet” was published by Nazish Kashmiri. In 1967,
came out “Sao Siyanay Ikkoi Matt” by Shahbaz Malik. It is a
collection of Punjabi maxims. In 1970, a collection of folk songs titled
as “Punjabi day Lok Geet” was published by Maqsood Nasir Chaudhary.
1327 Punjabi riddles were collected and published in the form of a book
“Bujh Mera Bujhkka” by Arshad Meer in 1972. An Urdu book about folk
songs compiled by Afzal Parvez appeared in the following year. It was
called “Ban Phulwari.” Another research based book by Maqsood Nasir
Chaudhry was published in 1975. Its title was “Ganna tay Mehndi.”
Jamshed Kamtar Rasoolpuri’s “Siraiki Samal” was published in 1977.
It discusses the rules of the language in Urdu, folk literature,
research, history and politics. In the same year, the folk songs sung in
Jhang were published by Paro with the title “Paar Chanahon”. In
1978, another collection of Punjabi maxims was published by Dr. Shahbaz
Malik. This collection of five and a half thousand maxims was titled
“Sadday Akhaan.” In the same year of 1978, “Lok Kheddan”
compiled by Maqsood Nasir Chaudhry was published. Another collection of
songs “Jindri day Geet” was published in 1980 by the National
Institute of Folk Heritage. It was compiled by Shaheen Malik. Bashir
Ahmad Zami’s “Bahar-e-Siraiki” was published in 1982. It is a
collection of idioms, maxims and riddles with Urdu translation. Pilu’s
Mirza Saheban compiled by the Folk Heritage institute came out in 1984.
In the same year, Dr. Mehar Abdul Haq published “Siraiki Lok Geet”
in Urdu. Shareb Ansari’s collection "Kanneen Bundday” was also
published in the same year. The National Institute of Folk Heritage
published “Pakistan ki Lok Dastanen”. It was compiled by Shaheen
Malik and was in three parts. Punjabi folk tales are also included in
this book. “Kiarian” by Yaseen Zafar was also published in the same
year. In 1985, two collections of folk songs compiled by Dr.
Saif-urRehman Dar were published. They were “Jithay Piplan di Thandi
Chan” and “Rukh tan Haray Bharay.” Shareb Ansari’s “Bar day
Dholay” was also published at the same time. “Tanggay Jhang jandday”
was the third book on folk lore compiled by the same researcher. It was
published in 1987. “A’wankari”, a book on folk traditions and folk
literature, compiled by Shaheen Malik came out in the same year.
“Lehndi She’r Reet” was the next book of Shaheen Malik that
appeared in the following year. “Lehndi She'r Reet” is the second
part of “A’wankari.”
“Adab Rahin Punjab di Tareekh” by Shafqat Tanveer Mirza was
published in the year 1989. This book views folk literature from a new
imaginative and romantic angle. In the same year of 1989, Iqbal Asad
wrote a book about our legendary folk warriors. Its name was “Ganjibar
day Dholay.” “Multani Waran” by Umar Kamal Khan was published in
1991. Abdul Ghafoor’s “Naginnay” was also published in the same
year. A number of books were published in 1992. They include “Siraiki
Akhan”, by Shaukat Mughal, “Siraiki Lok Qissay” by Malik Abdullah
Irfan, “Tootan Walay Khooh tay” by Muhammad Riaz Shahid and
“Janaor Batan” by Muhammad Ilyas Ghumman, etc. Two important books
were published in 1993. They were “Tappay” by Abdul Ghafoor Darshan
and “Siraiki Lok Reet” by Hameed Ulfat. “Siraiki Tareekhi Waran”
by Meem Yeh Qaisrani came in 1994. Another three important books are:
“Lok Rang” by Kaleem Shahzad (1995), “Siyanay Kehnday Nay” by
Dr. Shahbaz Malik (2006) and “Kamal Kahani” by Saeed Bhutta
(2006).”
SCATTERED
RESEARCH:
As
stated earlier, practical research work in Pakistan was founded with the
publication of “Punjabi Adab” by Muhammad Sarwar. Later, Abdul
Ghafoor Quraishi’s “Punjabi Zuban da Adab tay Tareekh” was also
published. Maula Bakhsh Kushta, Shafi Aqeel and other such intellectuals
further promoted research work in the country. In 1958, Sharif Ahmad
Sharafat Noshahi founded four prose sermons of Nosha Ganj Bakhsh and
published them as “Mavaez-e-Nosha.” In 1972, Yusuf Tahir compiled
and published the story of Sassi Punnu written by Haji Muhammad Safoori.
In 1973, Sharafat Noshahi discovered another sermon of Nosha Ganj Bakhsh
and, thus, increased their number to five. In 1978, Ismat-ul-lah Zahid
discovered another sermon and published it along with the earlier five
sermons as “Aakhay Nosha Qadri.” “Sharif-ut-Tawarikh” is another
worth mentioning book of Sharif Ahmad Sharafat. From part one to part
seven and in part ten and part eleven, he has mentioned those Punjabi
poets who are related to the Noshahi school of thought. The same
researcher has separately published the poetry of Nosha Ganj Bakhsh.
However, it is highly objectionable due to mistakes in relativity. Iqbal
Salah-ud-Din’s “Fehrist-e-Maqalat” published in 1984, is regarded
as a reference book. In 1984, the same researcher published “Fehrist
Punjab Nasri Takhliqalat.” Abdul Hameed Mohsin’s bibliography
“Pakistani Punjabi Afsana” and other bibliographies published in the
six monthly “Khoj” are also important. The monthly “Lehran” and
the six monthly “Khoj” Lahore have also published the bibliography
of their old issues. “Pakistani kitabiyat” by Dr. Shahbaz Malik
volume-1 is another bibliography published from Islamabad in 1991. It
informs about twelve and a half thousand Punjabi books which have been
written in the Persian script. Previously, he had given initial
information on this subject through his master’s level thesis which
was published in the first and tenth edition of the magazine named “Khoj”.
Later, it was published in the form of a book “Pakistani Punjabi Adab”
in 1985. “Punjabi Kitaban” by Sibtul-Hasan Zaigham (1973),
Ubaid-ur-Rrehman’s “Siraiki Kitabiyat” (1979) and “Siraiki
Kitaban” (1988) were also present. However, “Punjabi Kitabiyat”
published in 1991, gave finishing touches to the already available
information. Dr. Nasir Rana’s book “La’lan day Wanjaray”
published in 1998, enlightens important poets from research point of
view.
EVOLUTION OF
PUNJABI CRITICISM:
Dryden
(1631-1700) greatly influenced the neo-classical movement. His views
were further elucidated by Taine (1826-1893) and Croce (1866-1952). In
this way, Dryden’s views became very popular. There was a time when
attempts were being made in the West to give a new boost to the
neo-classical movement. It was being said that every book establishes
its own standard and that no external rule can be permanently applied to
a writer. It was the time when Waris Shah (1722-1792) had successfully
established his identity through his story of Heer Ranjha. He himself
states that in response to the requests of his dear friends he has
written this wonderful story, in which he has used words and sentences
in an accurate and appropriate form. According to him, it has given
beauty to his story just like roses in a garden:
These words clearly
reveal his critical sense. In the same period, Hafiz Barkhurdar Ranjha
(1705-1795) wrote the story of Mirza Saheban and compared it to the same
story written by Pilu. It clearly proves the fact that Punjabi poets of
that time were making full use of comparative criticism and this
established their lead in the field of criticism in this region. Hafiz
Barkhurdar’s critical approach also exhibits itself when while writing
the story of Yusuf- Zulaikha, he highly appreciates his work while
comparing it to the poetry of other poets like Waris Shah and Muqbal:
Besides being great poets of their time, people like Ali Haidar
(1690-1777), Maulvi Ahmad Yar (1777-1848); Mian Muhammad Bakhsh
(1830-1907) and Munshi Ghulam Husayn Kelianwala (1874-1942) were fine
critics as well. Thus, at one point, Maulvi Ahmad Yar claims that his
poetry has become a standard for the earlier and later poets:
Of course, such a
claim can be made only by a poet who has critically evaluated the poetry
of other poets and compared it with his own. At the end of his story “Ahsanul-Qasas”,
Maulvi Ahmad Yar has expressed his critical views about twelve earlier
poets. His criticism is free from unjustified appreciation and
unreasonable condemnation. For instance, his critical views about the
poetry of Waris Shah can be described as a good example of practical
criticism. To him, the poetry of Waris Shah may be full of sorrow and
pathos but it is somewhat crude and is lacking in real depth. Thus his
views and thoughts may not be comprehended so easily:
Ahmad
Yar admires the poetry of Sultan Bahu and remarks that this poetry of
sorrow and depth shows a firm path to the people:
Commenting
on the poetry of Hashim Shah, he states that the story of Sassi Punnu
written by Hashim Shah is really praiseworthy. However he has written
the story of Shirin Farhad in a strange and astonishing manner. This
story does not appeal to Ahmad Yar because it has been narrated in a way
which is quite different from the way in which it has been told in
earlier books .Ahmad Yar says:
Criticizing the poetry of Siddiq Lalli, Ahmad Yar remarks that
the mystical element is dominant in his story of Yusuf-Zulaikha, but
besides this element, there is nothing worth mentioning in his poetry.
He concludes that lalli is neither a good story teller nor a good poet.
There was a huge age
difference between Waris Shah and Ahmad Yar. In fact, Waris passed away
at the time when Ahmad Yar was only four years old. Waris Shah’s
critical sense is fully exhibited from the element of self-praise and
self-importance that we find in his story of Heer Ranjha. His sense of
practical criticism becomes evident when he explains the reasons for
writing the story and when he writes the concluding eighteen lines.
Admiring the quality of his poetry in Heer Ranjha, he remarks that by
writing this story he has honoured poetry and has made it replete with
meaningfulness. He describes his poetry in terms of a chain of pearls
and a necklace of jewels:
At othe rpoints, he seems to b ein th emood of challenging other poets:
He
states that he has written excellent poetry which is read with great
relish and delight by the youngsters. He challenges and invites all the
other poets that they are free to criticize and examine his poetry, if
they desire so. Such boasting claims of Waris Shah were later on refuted
by Maulvi Ahmad Yar. Commenting on this subject Dr. Shahbaz Malik writes
that Maulvi Ahmad Yar was a representative of theoretical and practical
criticism at one and the same time. Maulvi Ahmad Yar as a critic, wrote
about the poetic art of Pilu, Hafiz Barkhurdar, Siddiq Lalli, Muqbal,
Ahmad Shah Abbasi, Waris Shah, Ali Haidar, Sultan Bahu and Haji Muhammad
Safoori, etc.(19)
Like Waris Shah, Ali Haidar also expressed his opinion about his own
poetry.
The poetry of Mian Muhammad Bakhsh contains the specimens of
Ahmad Yar’s theoretical and practical criticism. Like a veteran
critic, he even describes the principles of criticism. For instance, at
one point, he condemns the illiterate and ignorant poets and describes
their poetry worthless and mere nonsense. According to him, a poet can
effectively narrate the stories of other people only when he can
imaginatively feel their pains and sorrows. But ignorant poets can never
experience such feelings and thus their poetry fails to leave any impact
on the readers:
At different points in his poetry, he has enumerated a number of
rules of criticism. This aspect of his writings becomes evident from his
stories of Saiful-Mulook and Sheikh sana’n. He has expressed his
critical opinion about as many as seventeen poets. It is interesting to
note that Mian Muhammad Bakhsh has strongly criticized Maulvi Ahmad Yar
who had condemned the element of self-exhibition in the poetry of Waris
Shah.
This critical
approach is also found in the poetry of Maulvi Muhammad Husayn Ahmad
abadi (1858-1919). Thus, in his translation of “Diwan-e-Hafiz” while
examining the meaning of a couplet, he points to the subtlety and
delicacy needed for comprehending the intended meaning of such poetry.
The preface to his above mentioned book is in verse. In this
preface he compares his translation work with the work of previous
writers and claims that none of those intellectuals have been able to
give the exact meanings of the words in their Punjabi translations of
this book. He mentions Mufti Baqir, Abdi and Haidar Bakhsh were great
intellectuals and poets of their time but their translations were not so
authentic:
Maulvi Muhammad Ameen
also had a profound critical sense. He highly admires and appreciates
the poetry of Shah Fazl and regards it superior to that of all other
poets such as Ahmad Yar and Mian Muhammad Bakhsh. He insists that the
excellence of his poetry shines in the sky like the full moon. Look into
his verse:
Munshi Ghulam Husayn Kelianwala can also be included in the list
of those poets who were critics as well. His critical approach is
reflected from his story “Dhol tay Shams”. Some people raised the
objection that he was writing fictional stories in spite of his
apparently religious tendencies. Responding to such objections he writes
that moral principles cannot be applied to the truths and lies narrated
in the forms of the stories of fiction, because, they are only meant to
make the people understand certain things. By means of their fictitious
poetic literature, poets attempt to guide the misguided humanity towards
the right path. In this way, the fictional style of the stories cannot
be described as a lie. His critical vision again displays itself when at
the end of his story of Bilal he points out the fact that he is using a
new meter for the first time in Punjabi poetry.
The above discussion
clearly reveals that Punjabi criticism had begun earlier than Urdu
criticism. Criticism in Urdu began with Meer Taqi Meer’s biographical
book “Nukatus-Sho’ra. Meer was born in 1725 and died in 1810. Almost
half a century ago, the eminent Punjabi poets for example Waris Shah
(died in 1792) had started paying attention towards this field.
CRITICISM IN
PROSE:
The traditional
oriental criticism has been based on prosody (Metrical structures),
narration, rhetorical devices and meanings of words, etc. But as a
matter of fact, the leading representatives of knowledge and literature
in Pakistani Punjab did not have the real knowledge of local metrical
structures. Writers have always been of the view that while a great
piece of literature is being created some of the hard and fast rules
devised by the critics are bound to be ignored. It is also a fact that
attempts to measure the popular and great classical literature with the
yardstick of the rigid technical and critical rules will often end up in
disappointment. In the same way, if too much attention is paid to the
rules, standards and experiments, the art is endangered. Thus, in spite
of the fact that the poetry of the Punjabi Sufi saints is classical and
extremely popular, it does not come up to the strict technical and
critical artistic standards. While compiling the poetry of Shah Husayn,
Bullhay Shah and Baba Farid, Dr. Nazir Ahmad emphasized on this aspect
of their poetry. However, when his books reached the libraries instead
of appreciating them, scholars criticized them and argued that compilers
do not have the right to make their own additions and omissions in their
attempts to bring the classics in conformity with the demands of the
art. In the same way, modern lyrical poets such as Bashir Aabid, Ikram
Majeed and Bashir Bava attempted to conduct technical experiments in
their poetry. But their thoughts were drowned into such experiments.
Meaning of words, narration, rhetorical devices and prosody are the
traditional principles of criticism in the East. Seen in this context,
the main themes of this type of criticism are: synonyms, idioms,
language of the daily use, eloquence, rhetoric, comprehensiveness,
brevity, equality and omission, etc. Before the introduction of the
Western critical approaches, Eastern literature was evaluated on the
basis of the above mentioned principles. Even today, these principles
are found parallel to them, individually, or jointly with the Western
principles.
When in the twentieth century, criticism began in Punjabi prose;
Western critical principles were used along with the Eastern critical
principles. It has already been pointed out in the previous pages that
research and criticism are hand in glove with each other in Punjabi and,
therefore, while giving a detailed account of critical books, we shall
mention a number of those books which have already been referred to in
the list of research books. The foundation of criticism in Punjabi prose
was laid by Bava Budh Singh, who was an engineer by profession but had a
keen interest in literature as well. Four critical books written by him
were published one after the other. The first of these “Hans Choag”
was published in 1913. “Koel Ku” came out in 1916. “Bol Banbiha”
appeared in 1923. The last of these books was “Prem Kahani” that was
brought out in 1926. “Prem Kahani” which discusses the life, art and
thought of fifteen classical Punjabi poets is the most important of
these four books. Later, “A History of Punjabi Literature” by Mohan
Singh Diwana was published probably in 1933. In 1938, Oxford Press
published “Punjabi Sufi Poet”: by Dr. Lajwanti Rama Krishana. It was
the thesis written by him for D. Lit. In 1941, Dr. Banarsi Das Jain’s
“Punjabi Language and Its Literature” was Published. “Punjabi
Laikh”, a critical book for curricular references, was published in
1945.
CRITICISM IN
PAKISTAN:
After the creation of Pakistan, criticism began to attract the attention
of the scholars. Muhammad Sarwar’s “Punjabi Adab” can rightly be
described as an important land mark in criticism. Afterwards, “Punjabi
Zuban da Adab tay Tareekh” by Abdul Ghafoor Quraishi was published in
1956. “Punjabi Shah Paray” by Sultan Mahmood came out in 1959.
Later, in 1960, “Punjabi Shairan da Tazkra” was published by Maula
Bakhsh Kushta. For the first time in this book, biographical details of
around three hundred Punjabi poets were given along with the specimens
of their poetry. Two important books were published in 1962. They were:
“Punjabi Zuban kay Shah Paray” by Loha Kutt and “Punjabi
Zuban-o-Adab” by Shamim Chaudhry. In the same year, the September and
October editions of the monthly magazine “Punjabi Adab” carried
“Punjabi Adabi Tazkrian tay Tanqeedi Nazar” by Dr. Ahmad Hussain
Qaladari. This combined edition of the magazine was issued as
“Criticism number” and it was the first formal critical review by
Qaladari. Through this critical evaluation of earlier biographical,
historical and critical books, an attempt was made to re-establish the
standards of criticism. The same critical analysis was published in 1975
in the form of a book, in Urdu, named “Punjabi Adabiyat ka Tehqiqi
Mutalea”.
After this, Akhtar Husayn Akhtar wrote a book “Khilray Moti”
to meet the curricular needs. Meanwhile, in 1972, Abdul Ghafoor Quraishi
re-compiled his book “Punjabi Zaban da Adab tay Tareekh” and
published it as “Punjabi Adab di Kahani.” In the same year
Hameed-ul-lah Hashmi published his “Punjabi Adab di Mukhtasr Tareekh.”
In the mean time, new trends and themes of criticism began to be
introduced in Urdu and English. The following critical books appeared in
Urdu. “Punjabi Zuban day Shah Paray” by Loha Kutt, “Punjabi Adab”
by Muhammad Sarwar, “Punjabi Adab ki Mukhtasr Tareekh” by Ahmad
Husayn Qaladari, “Dhani Adab-o-Saqafat” by Anwer Baig Awan,
“Punjabi Adab-o-Tareekh” by Shamim Chaudhry, “Siraiki aor us ki
Nasr” by Dilshad Kalanchvi and “Waris Shah” by Maqsood Nasir
Chaudhry. The worth mentioning critical books published in English were:
“Recurrent Patterns of Punjabi Literature” by Najm Husayn Sayyed
,”Qadir Yar a Critical Study” by Athar Tahir and “Source Material
of Punjabi” by Malik Ahmad Nawaz. The following Punjabi critical books
played a significant role in promoting theoretical and practical
criticism in Punjabi. Sharif Kunjahi’s “Jhatian”, Dr. Sarfraz
Husayn Qazi’s “Tasavvuf tay Punjabi Shairi”, “Waris Nira Waris”,
“Mithal Farid”, “Lok Geetan da Fanni Tajzia” and Navin Nazam”;
Abdul Hameed Sarshar’s “Adabi Rashman” and “Adabi Challan”;
Dilshad Kalanchvi’s “Tanqid dian Poorian”, Dr. Aslam Rana’s
“Adab Kahani” and Siddiq Babar’s “Vichar Laikh” are specimens
of theoretical and practical criticism. In
the same way, “Gaver”, “Nataray” and “Azadi day Mujahid
Likhari” by Dr. Shahbaz Malik, “Soach Vichar” of Dr. Hafez Ahmad
(1990), “Pir Farid” by Hameed-ul-lah Hashmi, “Pareet Muhar”
(Urdu understanding of Khaja Farid’s Kafis) and “Kon Farid” by
Dilshad Kalanchvi, “Farid ton Kashir tak”(1988), “Rangan wichon
Rang”(2004) and “Pakistani
Daor di Tehqiq tay Tanqid” (2006) by Dr. Nasir Rana, “Rang Sang”,
“Adab Kahani” “Yar Farid” and Ramz Rivayat” by Dr. Aslam Rana
and “Wairway” and “Navain Zaviye” By Dr. Akhtar Jafri. Both
Eastern and Western critical trends and approaches are found in these
books.
From this brief detail of the critical work done in Pakistan, it
is quite evident that Punjabi criticism has defined its directions and
trends in a very short span of time. Now, it is passing through the
stages of development in the hands of serious and mature writers. References:
1.
Pun
Chan: Hafeez Taib, Kutab Minar, Aibak Road, Lahore 1978 p10 2.
Punjabi
Shairan da Tazkra: Maula Bakhsh Kushta, Mian Maula Bakhsh Kushta &
sons Lahore 1960 pp14-15 3.
Multani
Zuban da Qaida: Akhtar Waheed, Kashana-e-Adab, Multan 1953 p3 4.
Punjabi
Adab di Traqqi Wich Angraizan da Hissa: Dr. Waheed Quraishi, 6 monthly
“Kohl” Lahore, No. 19, July- December 1987 pp12-13 5.
Multani
Zuban da Qaida: Akhtar Waheed, p4 6.
Punjabi
kitabyiat (Vol-1): Dr. Shahbaz Malik, Pakistan Academy of Letters,
Islamabad 1991 p “ر” 7.
Punjabi
Bhasha tay Sahit noon Esaai Mishnarian di dain: Dr. Gurcharn Singh Arshi,
6 Monthly “Khoj” Lahore, No. 15-16, pp 123-125 8.
Punjabi
Adab di Traqqi wich Angraizan da Hissa: Dr. Waheed Quraishi, 6 monthly
“Khoj” No. 19 p17 9.
Tareekh-e-Lahore:
Kanahhia Lal Hindi, Edited by Qalb-e-Ali Faiq, Majlis-e-traqqi-e-Adab
Lahore, 1996, pp97-98 10.
Punjabi
Zuban tay Ohda Literature: Dr. Bnarsi Das Jain (2nd Edition),
Majlis-e-Shah Hussayn, Lahore 1966 p39 11.
Heer
Waris Shah: Edited by Sheikh Abd-ul-Aziz, Punjabi Adabi Academy, Lahore
1960 p4 12.
Qissa
Yusuf Zulaikha (Manuscript): Hafiz Barkhurdar Ranjha, Possessed by
Rajl-ul-Haq Z-304, Defence Housing Society, Lahore p173 13.
Maolvi
Ahmad Yar - Fikr tay Fan: Dr. Shahbaz Malik, Maktaba Mairi Library,
Lahore 1984, p325 14.
Ahsan-ul-Qasas:
Maolvi Ahmad Yar Mralvi, Gujrat, p224 15.
–do-
p224 16.
–do-
p225 17.
Heer
Waris Shah: Edited by Sheikh Abd-ul-Aziz, Academy Edition 1960 p389 18.
–do-
p388 19.
Natary:
Dr. Shahbaz Malik, Taj Book Deput, Lahore 1986 p179 20.
Saif-ul-Malook:
Mian Muhammad Buksh, Punjabi Adabi Academy, Lahore p19 21.
Diwan-e-Hafiz:
Translated by Maolvi Muhammad Hussayn Ahmad Abadi, Faqir-ul-lah
Tajir-e-Kutab, Lahore p29 22.
Mazaq-ul-Aashiqeen:
Maolvi Muhammad Hussayn Ahmad Abadi Memorial Foundation Pakistan,
Khanewal 2006 p19
Dr. Nasir Rana
Punjabi Department,
Govt. M.A.O College, Lahore.
18-N, New Market, Samanabad, Lahore-54500
Ph. 03454104654
Email: nasir_rana1972@hotmail.com |
