A collection of well-researched articles

CHHICHH PATAR (Research articles) by Fazal Farid Laleka; pp 240; Price Rs300 (hb); publishers, Saanjh Publications, Book Street, 46/2 Mozang Road, Lahore. For almost one century, the first published version of Khwaja Farid's kafis was found by Laleka and that was an unprecedented achievement because till that time the whole of the southern Punjab or Seraiki belt's scholars were just aware of the title of the book and nobody had discovered such a great treasure published under the supervision of Khwaja Sahib who had given its publishing rights to a Multan publisher. This discovery also helped the scholars to see that Khwaja Sahib had never used the name of local dialects like Multani or Riasti. Seraiki was a word not yet reached in any area of Punjab. The second aspect of the Masnavi Ma'adan-i-Ishq (as named by Khwaja Sahib) is the morphology other than the Persian script and forms of alphabet. There was no harmony in it as was the case with Punjabi or other regional languages. He had perhaps also not referred name of any poet in the Masnavi, though he referred other Punjabi poets like Bulleh Shah, Shah Husain etc in his talks recorded in Maqabeesul Majalis. Laleka's this discovery opened a new chapter in the history of Punjabi literature. Laleka's another research is about the original or family name of Baba Bulleh Shah on which there was controversy in which Maulvi Muhammad Shafi, principal of the Oriental College (from Kasur) and Dr Faqir Muhammad had their points of view. Laleka with the help of books and manuscripts from Togeera Sharif…a village close to Bahawalnagar city proved that Bulleh Shah had visited that area about which some details has been given in Anwarul Israr. His arguments are based on solid grounds and insist that the original name of Bulleh Shah was Bu-Ali Shah. Laleka's critic of Umar Kamal Khan's book Multani Varaan in which Var about Muzaffar Khan, the ruler of Multan has been attributed to one Dilpat Rai Lahori as Skemp had produced in Multani stories. Umar Kamal has transcribed that in Punjabi script Shahmukhi from Skemp's book. Laleka is of the different opinion and claims that the Var was composed by Mian Rahmoon, a contemporary to Nawab Muzaffar Khan and Maharaja Ranjeet Singh, and projected the Nawab as the bravest man of the area which perhaps could not be done a Lahori Hindu. The writer or composer Rahmoon, belongs to the Dharan family and that the family is associated with Laleka's family in Minchanabad tehsil. Laleka claims that Mir Roshan Din from the family of Rahmoon was the first person from whom the former had heard this Var or poem on battle between Nawab Muzaffar Khan and the Sikhs. Roshan Din himself was a good poet and he was well-versed in Urdu Bhasha or Hindi, Sanskrit and Persian languages. Laleka further confirmed the authorship of the poem in question by many Mirs of the area and they all confirmed that it was the creation of Rahmoon Mir of Bahawalnagar district. Mian Rahmoon also wrote a poem in praise of a Deepalpur saint, Syed Saidan Imam Shah, which confirms that the Multan battle was fought in the life of Mian Rahmoon. Laleka also found a treatise on the source of Arabic alphabet and how to pronounce it while reciting the Holy Quran. This was titled Muqaddama Faizai and the manuscript dates 1090 Hjiri more than three centuries ago. This was the second book of this nature, the first was written by Abdullah Abadi of Emperor Akbar's period. But the more interesting part of the article is that a 26-page book Maarfatul Quran is written in Punjabi prose which is calligraphed in 1295 but neither the name of the writer or of the calligraphist is known. One wonders why that old prose has not been produced by any of the Punjabi research or general magazine. Same is the case of Baba Nanak's Janam Sakhi Sodhi Wali which is mainly in Punjabi prose written in Babar or Humayoon's periods. Fazal Farid Laleka is not professional researcher. He can be called a casual researcher but he has proved more serious critic of Punjabi literature. His article on the poets of Bahawalnagar district was included in special issue of monthly Punjabi Adab on district Bahawalnagar. It relies more of on field research. The book includes a paper on the historical monuments remains in the district which have been criminally ignored since the reign of Bahawalpur Nawabs. The area was on the left bank of the dry river of Hakarra of immense historical importance. ***** NA SAJJNAN GANDHRRI PHOL by Muhammad Junaid Akram; pp 168; Price Rs250 (hb); Publishers Bazm-i-Faqir Pakistan, 125/366 – B2, Township, Lahore. Junaid Akram is a college teacher by profession and inherited literary interest from his grandfather and one of the pioneers of Punjabi movement, particularly, after independence. Dr Faqir, who brought out a well-edited monthly Punjabi, first ever after 1947 from Lahore. He was patronized by well-known journalist, poet and scholar the late Abdul Majeed Salk. Dr Faqir devoted almost whole of his life for the promotion of Punjabi language. Apart from his original writings he edited many of the classical books of Punjabi. It were the senior and junior contemporaries of Dr Faqir whose efforts were recognized and Punjabi language and literature department was established by the Punjab University at masters level. He also taught the early classes of MA. In the last days of his life he retired to his city Gujranwala and was sorry that he could not succeed in introducing Punjabi as medium of instructions at primary level. Junaid was well-aware of the efforts of Dr Faqir, therefore, when he came to Lahore, he with the financial help of the Information and Cultural Department of the Punjab government restarted the monthly Punjabi, a well-edited magazine under the newly established organization named after Dr Faqir. He emerged as the first rate activist on the front of Punjabi and he infused new blood in the movement. But, unfortunately, he fell seriously ill and could not continue his forceful participation in the movement and Punjabi publishing activities. But the only thing he could do was to continue his writing verse and now his second collection. He says that after the publication of the first collection Pattan Chanahan da, he thought that this would be his first and last poetic contribution to his mother-tongue. But Sarswati remained very kind and he has come out with his second collection in which there is a comment on the political, moral and social conditions under which Pakistanis are living for last many decades. (The morning paper is blood-stained with news of murders, dacoities and thefts. Apparently, we are an independent nation but in real sense we are slaves. Even our government serves its own people but someone else).-— STM