Younger Punjabi Writers: Shafqat Tanvir Mirza in Dawn 2000

Younger Punjabi Writers
accept a big challenge



Foundation stone of the first ever punjabi Research and Cultural Centre Will be laid in the first March of the new Millennium in Laliani (Mustafabad) in the Kasur district about 30 Kilometers from Lahore.



The land has been bought by poet and researcher Iqbal Qaiser who will be the director of the proposed institute to be established over an area of 52 Kanals. He will be helped by project director Hasan Malik,a poet and retired professor ,and Alim Shakeel. The three are among the most active organizers of the Majlis Bulleh Shah,Kasur.



Iqbal Qaiser has been associated with the Punjabi movement. His first literary work---a joint venture with Jamil Paul----was the publication of the chaiter book series. Mr. Qaiser has also published a small collection of his poetry, Pattar Tanwan Tanwan followed by Raj Kareyga Khalsa----- an analysis of the Sikh movement in the east Punjab. His knowledge of Sikh history and culture has earned him a job in Radio Pakistan`s programme Punjabi Darbar.



Mr. Qaiser has also contributed features to daily Ajeet of Jullunder on Sikh gurdawaras in Pakistan. The assignment took him to various places where Sikh shrines are located and has enriched his Knowledge of the Pakistan Punjab as well as the Frontier and Sindh. He has also published an illustrated book on the sacred places of the Sikhs---the first ever on the subject .After the publication of this book the author was invited by various Punjabi and Sikh organizations of the United States and Canada. He toured the countries this year. Income from this tour partially financed the purchase of the Punjabi Khoj Garh land. The remaining amount came from his saving.



This is probably the second attempt to establish a centre for the promotion of Punjabi language , literature and culture. The first such effort was made by the Majlis Shah Hussain some 34 years ago. An important difference is that Mr. Qaiser has first acquired the land so that this time the project is on firm ground.



Majlis Shah Hussain had arranged cultural programmes on national scale for three years (1964-1966) and Sindhi, Bengali, Pushto and Kashmiri writers and intellectuals, too, had participated in these. The unprecedented success had encouraged the Majlis to propose the establishment of Shah Hussain Cultural Center for which grants were provided by the federal and provincial governments.



The purpose was to establish a center in the name of Shah Hussain – a senior contemporary of Shakespeare—who had been a major source of inspiration for all kafi writers of the Indus valley—including Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Bulleh Shah ,and Khawaja Farid .

The need for such a center was exhaustively elaborated in a charter of the proposed center. It pointed out that there was no cultural center in the city in the name of its illustrious son; that there was no platform to bring the men of letters and cultural activists closer to each other; and that there was no national institution to serve to serve the cause of cultural integration which could also provide a liberal forum for free cultural statement and reestablish the Sufi tradition of the Indus valley.



The proposed center was to include a facility for research on Punjabi language and literature by scholars provided, among other things, free loading and boarding. The Publication wing was to publish research not only at the center but also by independent researchers. Research scholars in those days had to publish their work themselves or agree to meager royalties. The center, therefore, would have greatly improved their compensation package.



In view of the fact that Shah Hussain’s Kafis have been composed in classical rages and ragnis, a music library was to be established to collect the best of music recorded in the subcontinent. A recording studio was also proposed.



The most prestigious section of the center was to be its library. Special attention was to be given to collection of books about the Punjab. The films section of the library was to have the largest collection of Punjabi films and films portraying the Punjabi life and culture. It was also to have a counseling service for filmmakers interested in producing films on the Punjab. The center had to accommodate the drama group of the Majlis, named Lok Rahs which had already produced some good plays including the Jungle da Raakha based on Saeed Ahmad’s Bengali play adopted in Punjabi by Najm Hussain Syed and directed by Naseer Malki.



The shah Hussain Cultural center Project included the teaching of all Pakistani languages including Sindhi, Pushto, Kashmiri, Balochi Brahvi and Bengali. It provided for a spacious auditorium and workshop rooms for literary and cultural activities related to these languages.



The government unfortunately turned hostile to the idea and the help and cooperation initially offered by the Evacuee Trust Property board and the Auqaf department was withheld. Later, the political atmosphere changed altogether and even Rai Mansab Ali Khan, an MPA and the late Malik Muhammad Jaffar, a Minister of State in Bhutto government, failed to earn the government’s blessings for the project.



The announcement of the new venture brings back the memories of the unfortunate project. Iqbal qaiser and his colleagues can benefit from its outline. Their initiative has the potential of turning an old dream into tangible reality. The new guard of the Punjabi movement has taken up a great challenge.



SHAFQAT TANVEER MIRZA,

Daily “Dawn” Sunday December 31, 2000.