Articles by Nadir Ali

Articles by: Nadir Ali

A literary treasure of epic import

Though great poets like Baba Nanak, Najabat and Shah Mohammad have also penned them, a bulk of 'Vaars' including elegies of heroes like Dulla Bhatti, originate from folklore. Folk itself can stem from an eclectic variety of sources, such as a group or a people's collective memory .....

A major addition

Shah Hussain, despite his undisputed greatness as a Punjabi poet, was practically unknown for about three centuries. Here's an authentic compilation of all his available kafis ....

Vignette of Punjabi movement

At the time of independence, Punjabi reading and publishing were thriving in West Punjab. Based in Lahore, it consisted of qissas and cheap prints of Punjabi classics printed in hundreds of thousands. Urdu nevertheless ....

A reader's guide to Bulleh Shah

Muzaffar Ghaffar is a remarkable person. For the last 15 years, under the Lahore Art Forum, he has been bringing together writers, poets, scientists, musicians and painters to speak, perform and demonstrate. The forum, almost a one-man ......

About Shah Husayn and Madho

In book reviews we are long on accolades, but short on credibility. I would like the reader to take a careful look at this review. The twenty seven volumes, of which two on Bulleh Shah were reviewed on these pages in September 2005, and three are under review, .........

Two hundred years later

Waris Shah is much misquoted and misunderstood as a poet but the scholarship needed to separate chaff from his poetic grain may not be in the offing at all Most of the people, who thronged to the annual urs of Waris Shah last week at Jandiala Sher Khan in Sheikhupura,

Victim of ignorance

Sheikh Muhammad Sharif Sabir is, perhaps, the best living scholar of Punjabi language in Pakistan. He has edited at least half a dozen of Punjabi classics ranging from Puran Bhagat in 1972 to Heer Waris Shah in 1986.....

Elegies of nature and mother tongue

All of Najam Hussain Syed's poetic work has been written in rhythm and rhyme, meant to be sung or dramatically recited like most classical Punjabi poetry......

She without an S

Characterisation of 'woman' in Punjabi literature is unique in more than one ways. For instance, she is portrayed as the lover rather than the beloved -- the ma'shooq of Persian ghazal; she is described as a member of the female collective -- trinjan or aatan; she is shown in.....

A class view of poetry

There is some of Najm Hosain Syed's work, where you can tell the earlier writings from his later ones, at least in his poetry, but not in his prose, criticism or drama. This book is a collection of newspaper articles written by him in his mid 20s....