Aslam Rasoolpuri

Aslam Rasoolpuri is a Siraiki writer and human rights activist.

Biography

He is lawyer He was born on 25 November 1941 in the Rasoolpur district of Dera Ghazi Khan (now situated in Pakistan). He has spent nearly his entire life in the village of Rasool Pur. His guardians were literary ones. He was a student in Primary school, when he began to write his daily diary. He got his master degree in literature and did LL. B. In his youth, he was appointed as a school teacher and started to write regularly. In the beginning, he made a few religious writings then he have been writing literary criticism, linguistics, Siraiki issues and law, respectively. His all writings are in Urdu or in hi mother tongue Siraiki (Saraiki or Seraiki old name Lahnda). He founded a linguists circle (Rasoolpur Siraiki Sangat) and literary journals. In addition to literary journal editor, He have been a columnist and his these columns are more important than his poetry and fiction written in his youth. During his literary career of four decades he married Khadeeja and made an admirable personal library related to all subjects. Some of his children as his literary successors have got attainment from his library. He gave performance many programs on PTV and radio at the time of literary preoccupasions. He am well-known in Siraiki linguistics and literary criticism as well as Siraiki nationalism. His works are also in Human rights, archaeology etc. Though I have written and published one dozen books or booklets and round about a hundred papers which belong to several topics yet his favorite fields are Siraiki phonetics, historical linguistics, literary criticism and jurisprudence. Regardless of his literary career, he consider, in his practical life, human rights a burning question for third world in present era. That is why after his retirement from education department in 1987 he joined law profession and established Human Rights Laws Chamber at Jam Pur. Not only he work in his office for his clients but for the poor and victims on the basis of human rights. He is a coordinator of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in district Rajan Pur and a member of Amnesty International. By way of active worker of human rights, Heis against honor killing, death penalty and BHAA PANI or oath on fire (a rite in Bluoch tribes to judge the criminal crossing over the fire in case of theft, murder and so on). Since he believe in humanity therefore he is a broad-minded and democratic person. He works for democracy in his country and specially for the national rights of the Siraikis. It will be foolish to ignore his political struggle in that politics is his chief interest always. During his political life, I have worked as a Marxist political worker for a long period. But he have been a nationalist politician throughout his political career (meeting and debating with Sindhi nationalist politicians i.e. G. M. Syyed and Rasool Bukhsh Pleejo). First he joined Siraiki Soba Mahaz (SSM) and struggled for a province of Siraiki nation in central Pakistan.

Secondly, He was a founder member and vice president of Pakistan Siraiki Party (PSP). But he resigned to the party in May 2002 because he could not support the party which was in favor of the referendum of Pervaze Musheraff. NowHis whole life can be summarized as: 'Live for people and quest for knowledge'.

Works

LINGUISTICS

* Siraiki Rasm-ulkhat Ki Mukhtasar Tareekh (A Short History of Siraiki Orthography): This book has been written in Urdu and is a collection of some papers on the Siraiki script. It has views by some writers and a report by Siraiki Rasm-ulkhat Committee. This book also contains my thoughts on this topic.
* Siraiki Zaban Da Rasm-ulkhat Tey Oundian Awazan ( Orthography of Siraiki Language and its Sounds ): This book has been written in Siraiki and considered one of my principal works. It explores origins of Siraiki language in Munda language i.e. Mundari. In this book, I have written profoundly on Siraiki historical linguistics along with phonetics.
* Siraiki Qa'eda(Siraiki Primier): This premier has been written in order to help in establishment of Siraiki script and sounds. It introduces five especial sounds of Siriaki language. It is also helpful to those people who desires to learn Siraiki language.
* Many influential papers have been written on this topic by me. These have been published in journals. Following the names of them:
* 1. Siraiki Tey Sindhi Da Lissani Ishtrak ( Linguistic Concern of Siraiki with Sindhi ).
* 2. Siraiki Tey Punjabi Dey Lissani Ikhtilafat ( Linguistic Difference of Siraiki and Punjabi ).
* 3. Siraiki Tey Blouchi Dey Lissani Rishtey ( Linguistic Relation of Siraiki with Blouchi ).

CRITICISM

* Tulawarrey (Scales): This book has been written in Siraiki language. This is collection of my famous papers on criticism, existentialism, linguistics, Khawaja Ghulam Freed, Bulhey Shah, Sartre, Dr. Iqbal and M. Ismail Ahmedani. This book shows my variety of interesting and presents me as a critic.
* Marxi Nuqta-e-Nazar Aur Humara Adab (Marxian Point of View and Our Literature ): This booklet describes my thoughts about theoretical criticism and gives an account of Urdu and Siraiki literature.

EXPLORING

* Sachchal Sarmast: This book contains Sachchal Sarmast's biography and a selection of his Siraiki poetry. It also has a critical appreciation and dictionary of his poetry. It has an English introduction of Sachchal Sarmast and his poetry written by Christopher Schacle, linguist and professor of modern languages of South Asia at University of London.
* Bedil Sindhi: This is collection of poetry composed by great Sindhi and Siraiki sufi poet Bedil Sindhi. There is a short biography of the poet in the book. I included critical remarks and glossory on Bedil's poetry. Dr. C. Schacle has written its English introduction.
* Hamal Laghari: Hamal Laghari was a Sindhi and Siraiki poet of Sindh. This book possesses biography, critical note and selection of Siraiki poetical work by H. Laghari.SIRAIKISM:
* Siraiki Key Barey Mein Sawalo Jawab (Questions and Answers about Siraiki): The name of book poses its subject. It has been written in Urdu and not a text book. It discusses Siraiki nationalism, literature and language.

LAW & HUMAN RIGHTS

* Saza-e-Maut Kyun ? ( Why Death Penalty ? ): This is first book written in Urdu on this topic. I have tried to prove that death sentence is against philosophy of law. It has survey of capital punishment and movement against it in the world. It has been written about the situation and elimination of death sentence in South Asia.

EDITING

* Du Qudam Ka Sathi (A Friend for Two Steps ):This is collection of Urdu poetry.
* Veghri Zindgi (Scattered Life ): This is a collection of Siraiki poetry composed by two young-died poets named A. L. Lutfan and Z. Khushter.