By Shafqat Tanvir Mirza

KAANGAAN…. Special issue on Warish Shah, editor Muhammad Afzal Raz; pp 864; Price Rs700 (pb); Published from Rozan Building, Railway Road, Gujrat. E-mail; dailyrozan@gmail.com

This compilation of 88 articles in Punjabi… also in Gurmukhi script, English and Urdu remind one effort of sixties when another senior writer, Afzal Khan, the editor of monthly Punj Darya, brought out two thick issues on Waris Shah in Punjabi. Before Kaangaan, Prof. Nasir Rana also published a special issue of his research paper some two years back. The Trinjan of the PILAC also arranged a special issue on Waris Shah. And this Kaangaan is the latest which carries some of the articles like Jagpadhar Sahit da Teerthh… Waris Shah which was published in two separate installments in Trinjan and that had minimised the impact of scholarly approach of Ghulam Rasool Atif.

Most of the articles are fresh and give impression that they have been written after the verses added by Hidayat Ullah, Piran Ditta Triggar, Abdul Azizi Qanungo and others were collected and published in one volume by Gujranwala-based Zahid Iqbal who has also traced the missing foreword written by Barrister Abdul Aziz, not in original Urdu but in Punjabi translation by the late Prof. Preetam Singh. This was published from Delhi which was perhaps missed by Muhammad Sharif Sabir while editing Heer-Ranjha by Waris Shah for the Punjab government.

The two versions by Sharif Sabir, with some important differences, are the subject matter of scholars Zahid Iqbal, Siddiq Taseer, Ehsan Bajwa and Irshad Punjabi papers which are spread over 117 pages. One wonders why Sharif Sabir earned bitter criticism from the above-mentioned researchers? The first reason perhaps was Sharif tried to assert his authority without realising that even the most respected editor, Barrister Aziz, who almost devoted twenty years to the research, never asserted his authority. He never gave an impression that his research was the last word while Sharif Sabir was too much assertive in his first version while in second, he himself inserted changes in the text. Though most of the work by Sharif was based on Aziz`s research but because he could not trace Aziz`s foreword in Preetam Singh`s edited version, therefore, his scholarly arrogance has earned the wrath of many of Punjabi critics.

Dr Arshad Mahmood Nashad has prepared an index of Heer by Waris Shah which gives the reader an evaluation of knowledge of the poet of the 18th century. His views on the invasions of India, particularly Punjab, by Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali reflect the general impression of the common people of that period. He is not particular like Nijabat who had written a longer poem on Nadir Shah`s invasion which is still considered an authentic version of Nadir`s attack. After reading Nijabat and Waris Shah one stands convinced that the Delhi rulers had forsaken the people of the Punjab and Peshawar areas. The rulers used to extract as much resources from the people as was possible but nothing was being spent on the welfare of the area and its people. These invasions created a power vacuum which was then being filled by the Sikhs… who had become target of the wrath of the Mughals from Jahangir to Muhammad Shah. Delhi had the weakest governments which allowed major parts of the empire to go independent and among those were Deccan, Bengal, Bihar, Awadh, Marhattas and Lucknow etc. Later the Punjab also followed the line but not by the Muslim aristocracy but by the rough peasants, cultivators having different faith from the Delhi rulers. Waris Shah did not like that change and he criticised the Jatt Raj… the rule of the Sikhs and that is why Dr. Mohan Singh Diwana had developed some disliking for Waris expressed in his book History of Punjabi Literature (1932).

The editor has included many articles written by earlier scholars like Dr. Maulvi Muhammad Shafi, Muhammad Husain Arshi and Sharif Kunjahi.

Prof Khalid Humayun has criticised the doctorate thesis by Talib Bukhari on which Ph.D was awarded. This thesis is based on two fake manuscripts, one in Persian and the other in Punjabi verse. Talib Bukhari could not present the original historical manuscript with the style of lettering of the period when those were calligraphed. He further criticised another doctorate thesis based on Talib Bukhari`s thesis on which doctorate was awarded to Shaista Nuzhat. Talib Bukhari`s effort needs revaluation and withdrawal of the degree.

Afzal Raz has done a great job by collecting and presenting rich material on a great Punjabi poet.

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SHADI DEY SEHRAY compiler Aasima Zahoor; pp 143; Price Rs150 (pb) Publishers, Jhoke Publishers, Qila Kohna, Qasim Bagh Road, Outside Daulat Gate, Multan.

Sehra is a wedding song sung while many customs are being observed. There are many forms of happy customs and likewise many forms of songs including Mehndi, Mehndi kholan, ghot kharey tey, daj di khari, gharri ghoola, juti lukawan, ghund khulaai, sheesha wakhaee, booha pakrrawan, monh dikhai and many others. For every ritual or custom there is a different song… song from the side of a sister, from mother, from aunty, uncle, cousins etc. Aasima has collected many such folk songs created on the occasion of the marriage of her brother and this book is dedicated to her brother and sister-in-law. In collecting songs Aasima has been helped by the father of her would-be sister-in-law. Aasima`s father Zahoor Dhareeja, a well-known Seraiki scholar has written about the marriage customs and the writers of songs include; Bashir Diwana, Abdul Latif Bhatti. Mahboob Tabish, Allah Bukhsh Yaad, including a popular marriage song with following lines;

The Dawn: May 19,, 2011