Saraiki literature

Tomb of Sufi poet Khwaja Ghulam Farid

Saraiki literature is the literature of the Saraiki language, which is mostly spoken in central Pakistan. The main Saraiki-speaking areas are Multan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Dera Ismail Khan, Mianwali and Bhakkar. Saraiki is also spoken widely in the Sindh and Baluchistan provinces of Pakistan. Before the formation of Pakistan, Saraiki was written in Devanagari script by Hindus while Muslims always used Persian-Arabic script.

Since the start of consciousness-raising efforts about common ethnic language in the 1960s, the number of Saraiki publications has increased. Most of the writings from the 1960s to the 1980s were political in nature and are coloured by the ethnopolitical aims of the writers. Even though the number of publications has increased in the last and present decade, the Saraiki intellectuals themselves admit that there is not much readership, except perhaps for the works of some renowned contemporary poets, especially of the revolutionary poet Shakir Shujaabadi. Although writings in all the regional languages are suffering from lack of readership for similar reasons, in the case of Saraiki there are two additional reasons. Firstly, most of the writers bring in colloquial phraseology (which varies from one variety to the other) in their writings and secondly, many writers, in their zeal to prove the antiquity of Saraiki language and to promote its Indo-Aryan feature, tend to use more Sanskrit words instead of the more common Arabic-Persian words in order to distinguish it from Punjabi and Urdu, thus blocking the understanding of their general readers.

Poetry

Khawaja Ghulam Farid (1845-1901), his famous collection is Deewan-e-Farid. Sultan Bahu and Sachal Sar Mast (1739–1829) are the most celebrated Sufi poets in Saraiki and their poems, known as Kafi, are still famous.

The beloved's intense glances call for blood

The dark hair wildly flows The Kohl of the eyes is fiercely black

And slays the lovers with no excuse

My appearance in ruins, I sit and wait

While the beloved has settled in Malheer I feel the sting of the cruel dart

My heart the, abode of pain and grief A life of tears, I have led Farid

-one of Khwaja Ghulam Farid's poems (translated)

Shakir Shujabadi (Kalam-e-Shakir, Khuda Janey, Shakir Diyan Ghazlan, Peelay Patr, Munafqan Tu Khuda Bachaway, Shakir De Dohray are his famous books) is very well recognized modern poet. Following are the major Saraiki poets:

• Bedil Sindhi (Dewan-i-bedil)
• Hamal Leghari (Dewan-i- Hamal)
• Lutf Ali (Saifal Nama)
• Rasheed Khan Qaisrani
• Khurum Bahawalpuri (Khiaban-i-Kurum)
• Safeer Leshari (Vepray)
• Mumtaz Haider Daher (Andharay-de- raat and Kashkool vich samandar)
• Ashoo Lal (Chhero hath nah murli)
• Iqbal Sokri (Kalay Roh, Chitti Baraf)
• Bashir Ghamkhawr
• Mustafa Khadim
• Refat Abbas (Parchhian ute Phul and Sangat Ved)
• Nasrullah Khan Nasir (Ajrak and Aoey Hoey)
• Jahngeer Mkhlis
• Qais Faridi (Nemro)
• Aman-ullah Arshad
• Naseer Sarmad (Sojhla)
• Saeed Akhtar Sial
• Bakht Fakir of Ahmad pur Lamma
• Ahamad Khan Tariq
• Hazrat Pir Mitha
• Ashaq Buzdar
• Haji Qadir Gurmani

Prose

Novelists

Ismail Ahmedani is probably the most celebrated novelist and fiction writer in modern Saraiki literature. Ahmedani has done much to promote the Saraiki language as a language for modern fiction writing. He was awarded Khwaja Ghulam Farid award by the government of Pakistan on Chholian. Ismail Ahmedani died at Karachi on 6 June 2007 and buried in his home village of Rasoolpur.

Fiction authors

• Ismail Ahmedani, novelist and fiction writer, author of Amar Kahani, Peet de Pandh and Chhulian
• Ghazala Ahmedani, fiction writer, author of Aj de Marvi
• Mussrat Kalanchvi, fiction writer, author of Uchi Dharti Jhika Asman
• Batool Rahmani, fiction writer
• Zafar Lishari, fiction writer and novelist, author of novles Nazoo and Pahaj
• Ahsan Wagha, fiction writer, author of Thal Karen Darya and Aadi Was
• Hafeez Khan, fiction writer, author of Veendi Rut De Sham
• Aslam Aziz Durani, fiction writer
• Bast Bhutti, fiction writer

Linguists

• Mehr Abdul Haq, author of Multani Zaban Ka Urdu Se Taaluq
• Zami Bahawalpuri, author of Saraiki Lughat and Saraiki Zaban Ka Irtaqa
• Dilshad Kalanchvi, author of Saraiki Lisaniat
• Ahsan Wagha, M.Phil thesis The Saraiki Language: Its Growth and Development
• Shaukat Mughal, author of Saraiki Dian Khas Awazan Di Kahani, Saraiki Muhawaray, Saraiki Masadir, Saraiki Parhoon Te Saraiki Lekhoon and others

Critics

• Sadique Taher, writer of the collection of articles Wewaray
• Javed Chandio, Head of the Siraiki Department in The islamia University of Bahawalpur(Pakistan).He is the first and the only Ph.d in Siraiki literature from the Siraiki Department.Auther/editer of eight books on siraiki literature. writer of valuable critical work on Khwaja Ghulam Farid. his major work is as under:

Divan-i-Farid (1998) Khwaja Farid (1999) Allah Mailay Wal Sang Yaara (2003) Maqalaat (2003) Armughan-i-Khwaja Farid (2003) Siraiki Zaban Adab Aur Mua'shra (2007) Savail I & II (1995 & 1997)

Having many valuable research articles on his credit. Edited the oldest qurterly journal "Siraiki" since 1999.Headed the oldest Siraiki literary organization "Siraiki Adbi Majlis(Regd.) Bahawalpur" Since 1999.The First Gold Medalist in M.A. Siraiki and the first regular teacher of the Siraiki language & Literature in any University of Pakistan.He is still teaching in the University.^[1]

Dramatists

• Ismail Ahmedani
• Hafeez Khan

Artists and performers

Saraiki folk singer late Pathanay Khan

• Attaullah Khan Essa Khailwi
• Pathanay Khan
• Abida Parveen
• Ustad Muhammad Juman
• Suraiya Multanikar
• Mansoor Malangi
• Ahmed Nawaz Cheena
• Sarai Saleh
• Talib Hussain Dard
• The Sketches (band)

Many modern Pakistan Singers like Hadiqa Kiyani and Ali Zafar have also sung Saraiki folk songs.

See also

• Saraiki people
• Saraiki language
• Saraiki culture
• Saraikistan
• Saraiki Waseb
• Sauvira Kingdom

References

1. ^ http://iub.edu.pk/teacher.php?dept_id=26&teacher_id=563

External links

• http://www.seraikigeet.com