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BABU FEROZDEEN SHARAF (1898-1955)
Born in village Tola Nangal in Amritsar, Babu Ferozdeen Sharaf grew up in extreme poverty. He was one of the most loved Punjabi 'awami' poets of Amritsar and Lahore. He owed his poetic gift to Ustãd Hamdam who also got a worker’s job for him in the local Railway Locomotive shed. In Lahore poets like Sharaf, Tajdeen, Barda Pashauri, Shadi Khan, Gamu Khan, Arurha Rai, Syed Fazal Shah, Hadaitullah, Rafiq and Arif Ali gathered reading out to large gatherings in Bhãti Darwaza, Mochi Darwaza, Nawab Ghulam Mahboob Shabhãni’s house and Matti Chowk. Sharaf, known as ‘Punjabi Bulbul’, ruled the popular poetry scene for a generation. Three main historical events shaped his poetic and political consciousness: Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919, strike of railway workers in Lahore in 1920 and the peaceful agitations of Guru ka Bagh (near Amritsar) and Nankana Sahib in the early 1920s. He used to read out his poems to the jathãs gathered in Akãl Takhat Amritsar before they marched to Guru ka Bagh to court arrest and face the police brutality. He published these poems under the title DukhãN de Keerney (Wailing over People’s Suffering) in 1924. The book was banned and he was sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment under Sec 124(A) Indian Penal Code. He authored three dozens of books of poetry including three 'vãrs', a play, four books on Sikh religion, 13 Hindu bhajans and three books on Islam. Charan Singh Shahid, poet (and father of Bibi Satnam Mehmood) praised Sharaf in writing that he introduced so much new to Punjabi literature, which he had imbibed from his deep study of Arabi, Farsi and Urdu poetry. Mohan Singh Diwana Uberoi considered him as one of five major poets including Vir Singh, Puran Singh, Dhani Ram Chatrik and Charan Singh Shahid. On the same visit in his hometown Sharaf was given a rousing reception in a packed cinema hall. He along with the poet Sabar appeared on the stage from one side holding sehrãs in their hands and from the other side appeared Vidhata Singh Tir and Kartar Singh Blaggan. A voice on the sound system declared: “Ajj mail Hind Punjab da hon* lagga…”. Sharaf lives for ever through his song sung by Noor Jehan in film Heer Syal (1937): "Sohn*a desaaN anNdar des Punjab ni saeeo...". |
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