Sanwal Sajal

"Sanwal & Sajal" is one of the five popular tragic romances of the Punjab. The other four are "Mirza Sahiba", "Sassi Punnun", "Sohni Mahiwal" & "Heer Rangha". There are several poetic narrations of the story. It tells the story of the love of Sajal and her lover Sanwal.

Sajal is an extremely beautiful woman, born into a "butt" family. Sanwal (whose first name is Faheem; Sanwal is the surname) is the oldest of two brothers and lives in the Mohalla [Madan Pura] in a city called Faisalabad. Being his father's favorite son, unlike his brothers who had to toil in the lands, he led a life of ease playing the flute ('Wanjhli'/'Bansuri').

After a quarrel with his brothers over land, Sanwal leaves home. Eventually he arrives in Sajal's village and falls in love with her. Sajal offers Sanwal a job as caretaker of her father's cattle. She becomes mesmerised by the way Sanwal plays his flute and eventually falls in love with him. They meet each other secretly for many years until they are caught by Sajal's jealous uncle, Anwar. Sajal is forced by her family and the local priest or "mullah" to marry another man called Raza Hussian Butt.

Sanwal is heartbroken. He is left to walk the quiet villages on his own until eventually he meets a "Jogi" (ascetic). After meeting Baba Gorakhnath, the founder of the "Kanphata" (pierced ear) sect of ascetics ("Jogis"), at Tilla Jogian (the 'Hill of Ascetics', located 50 miles (80 km) north of the historic town of Bhera, Sargodha District, Punjab (Pakistan)), Sanwal voluntarily becomes a Jogi, piercing his ears and renouncing the material world. Reciting the name of the Lord, "Alakh Niranjan", on his travels around the Punjab, he eventually finds the village where he is reunited with Sajal.