Natural instinct
Sabir Zafar's new collection uses calligraphy as a metaphor to visual and sinuous images
By Abrar Ahmad
Ghazal Khattati
By Sabir Zafar
Publisher: City Book Point, Karachi
Price: Rs 150
Pages: 124
The generation born around or after 1947 was maturing during the 1970s with entirely different experiences of life from its predecessors whose main spiritual and intellectual struggle was primarily inspired by the trauma of migration in 1947. This new generation had no great fortunes. It witnessed the disintegration of the country and the darkest era of military rule under General Zia where the individual was exiled from the mainstream of life and left to face a fate determined by others. The migration, due to multiple factors, from smaller settings to the urban ones was rampant. Many such factors crept in to generate an intense identity crisis for the entire nation.

A word about letters
By Kazy Javed
Remembering Sufi poets
It seems that sufi poets have become very popular in Lahore these days. Three events were organised in the city during the past fortnight to pay homage to Maulana Jalaludin Rumi, Baba Fariduddin Ganjshkar and Khawaja Ghulam Farid.

Heer Damodar (boxed four

volumes)

By Muzaffar Ghaffar

Publisher: Ferozsons (Pvt) Ltd.

Price: Rs 3999

Pages: 1754

Among the epoch making series of Muzaffar Ghaffar on classic works of Punjabi poetry, this four volume work is truly a milestone. As stated in my earlier reviews, there is no other example of a more comprehensive attempt covering the entire classical poetical work of a major language anywhere in the world. Punjabi poetry classics are substantial in volume and depth. Fifteen odd years of gruelling hard work, which would be about twenty five volumes soon, proves the perspiration of heroic proportions. But there is inspiration galore in the translation in English verse and in the detailed commentary. Organisation and methodical work is of essence in works of such monumental nature. "Craft is the essence of art," Anthony Burgess said and craft is a product of exercise and practice. Although Najm Hosain Syed, Ghaffars's mentor and teacher in this project, has written one of the best books in Punjabi criticism or literary criticism anywhere in the world -- Akath Kahani a commentary on Heer Damoder, unread even among the academia and the elite of Punjabi reading people.

Ghaffar has put Heer Damodar on record for the whole English reading world. The classic, because of its inexplicable obscurity over a long time has remained largely free of admixture and abuse that every major classic work of popular lot has suffered in Punjabi. It is a gem among the Punjabi classics. Like all Punjabi poetic tales it was written to be performed. It is a screenplay ready to be filmed or staged. Like olden times, old man Damodar will be there too, playing a narrator, while the characters play their parts and action takes place. He says "I was there while it happened" A device used by Peloo in Mirza Sahiban, in another fashion and by many others. Heer Waris Shah too is a play interrupted by lengthy narrated commentaries. There are many other examples including modern day verse play by Shiv Kumar Batalvi. Damodar was an early seventeenth century poet. Shiv Kumar Batalvi, a twentieth century poet considered the only major Hindu poet in Punjabi, unless you count numerous Gurus, before the establishment of the Sikh Punth. Hindus perhaps had enough religious epics to occupy the stage like Ram Lila etc.

To say Damodar is almost at par with Waris Shah is like committing blasphemy. But it is a moot question and a comparative study will not only enhance our understanding of Waris Shah but the history of Heer writing and Punjabi poetry. They belong to different species of style in literature. Waris presumes the audience knows the story line. He uses poetic devices and lengthy statements of political and social nature to dramatise and explicate. Damodar uses nuance and undertones to make his statement. The dialogue is strictly contextual. Waris uses loud and hard hitting repartee. His posture is confrontational and his irony is biting. Damodar uses the soft touch, but his irony can also be sharp and deadly.

Here is Muzaffar Ghaffar performing this pioneering task, opening new doors in the study of Punjabi poetry. Here is a previously obscure work of truly classical nature. The 906 stanzas that he has translated in pristine English verse consist of four lines each, there are over eighteen hundred twelve couplets or three thousand six hundred and twenty four lines. It is the entire epic as written by Damodar. No one has attempted that with any Punjabi epic in any language. Only a partial verse translation of Heer Waris Shah by late Abid Hussain in Urdu and an indifferent one by Ali Nasir Zaidi also exists in Urdu. We should not forget great RC Temple's Legends of Punjab. His work does not cater to accuracy. His sources were local troubadours, who were powerful folk singers with large repertoires of very inaccurate nature. Lok Virsa has left no records, books or archives. The tombstone of Punjabi Language should read "No archives"

The originals of Heer Damodar and Heer Waris Shah are also the most authentic. The former has the inputs of late Prof. Asaf Khan and Najm Hosain Syed, two veritable masters of Punjabi scholarship. The "Heer Waris Shah" version is based on lifetime work of Sheikh Abdul Aziz, another edition also of equally monumental nature by Sheikh Sharif Sabir, the two great "Sheikhs" of Punjabi literature, again seen over by Najm Hosain Syed. For the original full text alone, these books are invaluable. With verse translation and his commentary in detail, Ghaffar has rendered memorable service to Punjabi literature.

With falling standards of scholarship in Punjabi in both India and Pakistan, we will before long have to resort to the foreign universities, who despite better standards, have only an archaeological interest in Punjabi literature and mainly access the language through English translation. If the prayed for renaissance ever occurs in Punjabi, Muzaffar Ghaffar would play a major part in reintroducing the English reading scholars of Punjabi to the classics of Punjabi literature.

But the response so far to these publications has been lukewarm. Creative work may be its own reward, but this work besides being creative is instructive ground work for others to return to Punjabi, whose treasure of classic poetry compares with the best in any language. But this is not the stuff of bestsellers. It is the kind of work that grows over the enquiring mind. People need to explore and pore over this work. The pleasures promised to lovers of Punjabi literature are unlimited.

Damodar is a very subtle poet, whose secrets lie not only between the lines but in the undertones and nuances of each word, metaphor and image. Here are two for flavour from the climax of the book; the trial of Heer and Ranjha after elopement from Heer's forced marriage.

Heer says :

" Listen to our petition Judge, unutterable this

tale to recite.

Stone Tablets , Empyrean Throne, no Canopy, no

water in sight

Space ,Time , moon nor sun, light in a body of light    

If anyone was from then a witness I'd invite"

Ranjha says:

"Listen Lord if there was an intimate will know

this rite only he

If some speak, no one believes, if someone

expound fully

If tongue is sealed, listen Judge, difficult this story

Speak Damodar to know a mute's signs, only a

mute's ability."

For ages to come when you need the original and corrected version of Damodar you need an English translation in verse, and its different interpretations of these verses; Muzaffar Ghaffar would be the capital source. But for being a work of translation, please do not underestimate Muzaffar's poetry. He is not only accurate and meticulous in translation; there is a remarkable discipline in the meter / rhythm.

Though stated in the previous reviews, I have my ideological reservations in explaining the essence of Heer. Where I think class and property are the real obstacles that beset the lovers. Muzaffar leans more towards the mystical and spiritual side. In essence, that too, is an explication of the sociological framework, In any case the reader is provided ample opportunity by Muzaffar Ghaffar's open ended commentary, to reach his own conclusions.

Natural instinct

Ghazal Khattati

By Sabir Zafar

Publisher: City Book Point, Karachi

Price: Rs 150

Pages: 124

The generation born around or after 1947 was maturing during the 1970s with entirely different experiences of life from its predecessors whose main spiritual and intellectual struggle was primarily inspired by the trauma of migration in 1947. This new generation had no great fortunes. It witnessed the disintegration of the country and the darkest era of military rule under General Zia where the individual was exiled from the mainstream of life and left to face a fate determined by others. The migration, due to multiple factors, from smaller settings to the urban ones was rampant. Many such factors crept in to generate an intense identity crisis for the entire nation.

The writers in that era exploited different and diverse methods to cope up and express their agony and concern. Consequently, a paradigm shift took place where all forms of literature took a point of departure from the experiences and expressions of the previous generation.

In Urdu ghazal, a cohort of talented poets soon began to make their presence felt but they didn't have any ideological or critical theory ahead of their creative pursuits. Few authors opted for the traditional expression with a tendency to infuse religious metaphors and crude vocabulary in a different manner. On the other hand, many followed the dictates of their true subjective experiences and avoided any deliberate attempts to sound different. Sarwat Hussain, Afzaal Ahmad Syed, Jamal Ehsani, Shahida Hassan, Mohammad Khalid, Saleem Kausar and Ghulam Hussain Sajid are those who dominated the scene or began to do so.

Sabir Zafar too, belongs to the same generation of poets who preferred to follow their natural instincts. Today he is the author of more than two dozen books. This year he has also earned the Pride of Performance award.

Sabir Zafar's first book of ghazals Ibtida was published in the mid' 70s. I vividly remember attending the book launch, as a medical student in Multan, where it was astonishingly pleasant to find Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, travelling all the way from Lahore to grace the occasion. It was my first exposure to such a function where the very young poet was heartily congratulated and applauded. Qasmi lavishly patronised him in Funoon and elsewhere. His ghazal Daricha Bay Sada Koi Nahi Hay sung by Ghulam Ali, earned Sabir Zafar nation wide recognition. Ibtida was soon followed by "Dhuaan Aur Phool" which consolidated his stature as a significant modern poet. He remained exclusively confined to the ghazal and tenaciously stuck to it -- contrary to the more varied attitude of his close contemporaries. Ghazal is a form which has proved to be too conventional and conformist to represent and accommodate the turbulence and complexity of a creative person's experiences living in today's world. Owing to extremely limited space the ghazal offers, majority of poets soon start experimenting in an attempt to appear innovative and different. Since the structural deconstruction isn't possible in the genre, the maximum one could do was to infuse and address a variety of issues, thoughts, and ideas not previously finding their way into the poetry. That's what Sabir Zafar also did and continues to do.

Ghazal Khattati is not about calligraphy. On the contrary, the poet has used it as a metaphor to express emotions, visual, and sinuous images with an attempt to remind us of the calligraphic art. At places his couplets follow the principles of the art while at most places he is content with just naming different calligraphic models including the ones extinct or getting obsolete now. In a way what he has registered is a praise worthy and valuable effort -- and unfolds his passion for the art of calligraphy.

Sabir Zafar's poetry doesn't offer a uniform spectrum. Nor its progress can be measured from a base line parameter established by the poet himself. He has been a little wayward in this regard. His true self found brilliant expression in his first two books and among the other numerous publications, we can only see the glimpses of the poet we knew during his early years. His collection Sitara-waar Sukhan is perhaps the only one falling in line with his original work. In his subsequent works, he has been deliberate at times or in the grip of a specific mood. He has utilised his artistic command, commitment, and energies to write tirelessly to produce a bulk of work -- unprecedented among the poets of his age group.

In the preface of one of his books, Ghalib Ahmad observed that Sabir Zafar is a better poet than Zafar Iqbal both in quantity and quality. Such sweeping statements serve no useful purpose and don't qualify to be entertained. Sabir Zafar is an important poet having his own strengths and weaknesses. If he chooses to be more cautious and selective in the future, he is undoubtedly capable of having far more powerful impact. He is definitely well equipped and sufficiently motivated for the purpose.

A word about letters

Remembering Sufi poets

It seems that sufi poets have become very popular in Lahore these days. Three events were organised in the city during the past fortnight to pay homage to Maulana Jalaludin Rumi, Baba Fariduddin Ganjshkar and Khawaja Ghulam Farid.

Punjab University's Centre for South Asian Studies, in collaboration with the Rumi Forum Pakistan, arranged a seminar to mark the 736th death anniversary of Rumi. On the very next day, the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture held a seminar to pay homage to Baba Fariduddin Ganjshakar and after a gap of three days, Professor Attiya Syed organised Dr. Shahzad Qaiser's lecture on the metaphysics of Khawaja Ghulam Farid.

The university seminar was chaired by the Punjab University acting Vice-Chancellor Dr. Jamil Anwar while the speakers included noted scholars Professor Khawaja Muhammad Zikriya, Professor Akram Shah and Dr. Mazhar Salim who heads the University Oriental College. Rumi Foundation Chairman Haroon Kokem and his associate Swat Argwan, too, spoke on the occasion. They said that Rumi has become the most read Eastern poet in the Western world. Dozens of books were published on his life and message during the past three years in addition to various translations of his poetry in many languages. The learned speakers also expressed the opinion that the teachings of the 13th century Persian poet could greatly help resolve the problems being faced by the modern man.

Dr Jamil Anwar complained that the new generation was not quite aware of the great civilizing teachings of Rumi mostly because of the language barrier. He urged the students to learn Persian, Arabic and Turkish to get acquainted with our cultural and intellectual heritage.

The Punjab Institute's seminar on Baba Farid attracted a number of writers and poets. Baba Farid was a contemporary of Maulana Rumi. The poetry he composed in the form of couplets and hymns is usually rated as the earliest available work in Punjabi literature. It has reached us through the sacred book of the Sikhs, Guru Granth, which was compiled in its present form by the 5th guru of the Sikhs, Arjan Dev, in 1604. It is said that Baba Farid also wrote verses in Persian and Arabic but none of it has reached posterity. The message his poetry conveys is that of love, tolerance and respect for other faiths.

Sharif Sabar, a known scholar of Punjabi language and literature, presided over the seminar at the Punjab Institute where former university teacher Dr Zahoor Ahmad Azhar, Dr Abbas Najmi and Dr Tahir Raza Bokhari were the main speakers.

Sharif Sabar was not happy with the Urdu and English translations of Baba Farid's kalam. He pointed out some mistakes in some of the recent translations and stressed for in-depth research on the Punjabi Sufi poetry which "has vast meanings and aspects."

During his lecture on the metaphysics of Khawaja Ghulam Farid, Dr Shahzad Qaiser who has written two books on the life and thought of the saint, expressed the opinion that Khawaja Farid grew up in the traditional environment of Saraiki language and culture which "provided him a strong foothold to experience issues and realities which formed part and parcel of a traditional society." Ghulam Farid's knowledge of different traditional languages helped him in understanding different disciplines including metaphysics, tradition, symbolism and cosmology. He was a Sufi who accomplished his spiritual realisation at the hands of his spiritual master, Fakhr Jahan Uhdiwho happened to be his elder brother.

Khawaja Ghulam Farid was a great proponent of the doctrine of Wahdat-ul-Wajood which says the reality is essentially one but manifests in multiple forms. Hence it is based on the principle of unity in diversity.

Diminishing the significance of differences, the philosophy of Wahdat-ul-Wahjood provides strong foundations for developing liberal humanism and secularism. This is why all the Sufi intellectuals who supported the philosophy of Wahdat-ul-Wajood are now acknowledged as humanists.

Story from the past

Professor Samiullah Qureshi is a known writer and educationist. He is a former principal of the Post-Graduate College of Jhang, director education of D.G. Khan and principal Islamia College, Lahore. Years ago, I first met him at a meeting of the Punjabi Adabi Board of which we both are members. Four of his collections of poetry have been published. But he has also published books on the life of the Holy Prophet, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal. Ghalib ki Nafasiat-e-Ghum is the title of his book that won him respect and fame.

The Book Home of Lahore has now published Samiullah's 490-page autobiography under the title Beetay Lumhoon Ki Chap. It gives a detailed account of the ups and downs that the author had to go through during his days and also throws light on the life in small towns of Punjab of the early 1940s.

Obituaries 2009

The year 2009 deprived us of a number of poets, writers and other literary figures. The list of the literary personalities who passed away during the year is quite long. It includes, among others, Professor K K.Aziz, Shabnum Roomani, Professor Khayal Imrohi, Khalid Hasan, Dr. Suhail Ahmad Khan, Dr. Waheed Qureshi, Dr. Ahmad Hasan Dani, Khalid Latif, Birjees Nagi and Athar Nadeem.

Ashfaq Naqvi was the last to leave us in 2009. He died in Lahore on December 28, at the age of 85.

He first appeared on the literary scene as a translator. More than a hundred Urdu short stories rendered into English by him were published in the Sunday magazines of The Pakistan Times during the 1970s. Later, he started contributing a weekly column under the caption "Lahore Literary Notes" to the daily Dawn when the newspaper began publishing its Lahore edition in the 1990s.

Ashfaq Naqvi will be remembered for his autobiography he brought out five years ago under the title Pap-Beeti, who some literary critics believe to be the most authentic autobiography in Urdu. The 400-page volume gives the impression that the author relished giving the details of the wrongs he did in his life. It was first published in the literary journal Al-Hamra in instalments and attracted many readers.

Ashfaq Naqvi also wrote a book on the former Indian state of Junagadh where he spent some years as a young man before the partition of India.