Sindhi literature

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Sindhi literature (

As the Arabs lost control of Sindh, Sindhi-speaking inhabitants became rulers. This period is known as the classical period of Sindhi literature, although Persian remained the administrative language and Arabic remained a religious language. The Soomra dynasty ruled Sindh for over three centuries. The Sindhi language expanded and new literary ideas were expressed in Gech (گيچ) and Gahi (ڳاھ).^[10]

This was a period of prosperity and Sindhi linguistic development; Sindhi was a source for Islamic preaching.

[The] Sindhi language was made as a source for Islamic preaching. Apart from this, natural Sindhi poetry also started to set evolutionary goals. In the Arabic books, there is also this unprovenness. From what I know, at that time there was a satirical language and there was literature in it. In the 19th century AD, a traveling scholar "Acharya Adyutan" came to Sindh from the court of Saurashtra to study Sindh and Sindhi language. He died in 778 AD and wrote the book Kawab Malha Kaha on the basis of his study. But he writes about Sindhi poetry: "We are those Sindhi poets who had a taste for melodious songs. They sang their song in a very melodious manner with the delicacy of Minaj and Dar."[11]^[12]

Samma period (1350–1520)

The Samma had been allied with the Soomra, but Hameer (the last Soomra ruler) was defeated by the Samma ruler Jam Unar. Jam Unar became the ruler of

Mughal, Argon and Turkhan period (1521–1718)

Shah Beg Arghun died on 22 Sha'ban 928 AH (1522 AD), and Hakim Theo conquered the Saju region (as far as Multan) in 1526 AD. Humayun defeated Sher Shah Suri, and died in 1541. Akbar was born the following year in Umerkot.

Mah Rahat went to Iran and died on 10 July 1543. In 1554, Shah Hassan Arghun died. Sindh was divided between two families; northern Sindh came under the control of Sultan Mahmud Bakri, who was governor of Bakr during the reign of Shah Hasan Arghun.

When Amir Mirza Isa Tarkhan took control of Henahin Sanad, the Tarkhan dynasty began. Ghazi Beg was appointed the nawab of Nani, and Sindh became part of the Mughal Empire. During Mughal rule, subahdars were appointed in Yernani, Bakr and Siwat. Under Muhammad Shah, Mughal power weakened. The Kalhora dynasty became stronger in Sindh, and established their own government.^[13]

Due to the unrest, the scholars of Sindh migrated to Arabia and Gujarat. There was chaos in Central Asia, which led to the emigration of intellectuals to Sindh. After them, the church of knowledge was established as a seminary. Persian was the Arghuns' mother tongue, and poetry was written in Persian and Urdu.^[14]

After the fall of the Samma dynasty, three noble families ruled Sindh for about two centuries. The Sindhi poet Shah Abdul Karim Bulri, forefather of poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, was born.^[15]

Kalhora and Talpur dynasties

Shah Latif traveled to remote regions of Sindh, studying its people and their attachment to its land, culture, music, art and crafts. He described Sindh and its people in folk tales, expressing ideas about the universal brotherhood of mankind, patriotism, the struggle against injustice and tyranny, and the beauty of human existence. Also a musician, Shah Latif composed fifteen svaras (melodies). Each line of his poetry is sung on a specific svara. Khawaja Muhammad Zaman of Luari, whose poetry appears in Abdul Rahim Garhori's Shara Abyat Sindhi, was another notable Kalhora Sufi poet.

Sachal Sarmast, Sami and Khalifo Nabi Bux Laghari were celebrated poets of the Talpur period (1783–1843). Khalifo Nabi Bux was an epic poet known for his depictions of patriotism and the art of war. Rohal, Bedil, Bekas, Syed Misri Shah, Hammal Faqir, Sufi Dalpat, Syed Sabit Ali Shah, Khair Shah, Fateh Faqir and Manthar Faqir Rajar were other noteworthy poets of the pre- and early British era.

Kalhora period (1718–1782)

During the Mughal Empire, the Kalhora clan became strong and assisted the Mughal rulers. Yar Muhammad Kalhoro executed the poet Shah Abdul Karim Bulri,^{[citation needed]} and became the first ruler of the Kalhora dynasty. Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai flourished at this time, which is considered a golden age of Sindhi literature because the rulers were Sindhi.^[16]

Talpur period (1782–1843)

This period was the foundation of Sindhi prose. After the Talpur defeated the Kalhora, they ruled Sindh for about 150 years. The British defeated the untrained Talpur army.^[17]

British Raj (1843–1947)

The British conquered Sindh in 1843, and Sindhi replaced Persian as the official language and medium of education. A committee of scholars discussed the alphabet, and Perso-Arabic script was adopted and implemented. In addition to textbooks, poetry and prose books began to be published.^[18][1]

After independence

Pakistan was founded in 1947, and Sindhi literature began to explore economic and social topics.^[19][1]

Modern era

Modern Sindhi literature began with the region's 1843 conquest by the British, when the

In India, the Sahitya Akademi Award for Sindhi literature has been given annually since 1959. After World War I, Sindhi literature was affected by the October Revolution and other socioeconomic changes. Literature became more objective and less romantic, and progressivism was an influence.

The struggle for freedom from the

Young writers have experimented with new forms of prose and poetry. Free verse, sonnets and ballads have been written, in addition to classical forms such as kafi, Vaee, beit, geets and dohira.

Notable Sindh poets are

Noor-ud-din Sarki and Abdul Ghafoor Ansari founded Sindhi Adabi Sangat, an organization of Sindhi-language writers originally centered in Karachi, in 1952. The organization has chapters elsewhere in Pakistan and overseas.

Children's literature

The children's novels Lakho Phulani (Sindhi: لاکو ڦلاڻي and Naon Chateeha Lakhinoo (Sindhi: نئون ڇٽيهہ لکڻو) were written by Shamsuddin Ursani. Gul Phul is a popular children's magazine which was edited by author Akbar Jiskani.^[23] Laat, a magazine published by Mehran Publications, was founded by Altaf Malkani and Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti (author of the spy novel Khofnaak Saazish). The Sindhi Adabi Board has published books for children.^[24] Waskaro, a magazine which began publication in 1990, contains short stories, poems and articles.^[25] The Sindhi Language Authority has also published books for children.

Genres

The earliest references to Sindhi literature are by

• Bhambore, and Phunoo is from Makran; they marry. A number of Sindhi poets told this story, particularly Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai
  .
• Umarkot
  , falls in love with Marvi.
• Momal Rano: this story is about the Soomra ruler Hameer. Rano, Hameer's son-in-law, falls in love with a Gujrati girl.
• Sohni Mehar: the fourth romantic story of this period
• Lilan Chanesar: also from the Soomra period
• Sorath Rai Diyach: another story from the Soomra period
• Noori Jam Tamachi: this semi-romantic dates to when the Soommra government was in Lar.^[26]

Religious poetry

During the Soomra era, Islamic missionaries arrived in Sindh and ginans (religious poetry) became popular. The most popular ginans were written by Pir Shihab al-Din and his son, Pir Sadardin, who developed a 40-character Sindhi alphabet.^[27]

See also

• Sindhology
• List of Sindhi-language poets
• Noori Jam Tamachi
• Pakistani literature
• Doha (Indian literature)
• Sindh Literature Festival

Further reading

• Sindhi Sahitya Charitre – Kannaḍa language translation by Sumatheendra Nadig of History of Sindhi Literature by L. H. Ajwani. Sahitya Akademi, Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi 110001 (1981).
• "Indo-Persian Literature in Sindh" in The Rise, Growth And Decline of Indo-Persian Literature by R. M. Chopra, Iran Culture House, New Delhi (2012).
• “Sindhi Adab Jo Mukhtasir Jaizo” by Akbar Lighari, Roshni publication, Karachi (2018).

References

External links

• The Largest Sindhi Adbi website in Sindhi language
• Sindhi literature magazine of Sindh – Sindhiana
• Shah Jo Risalo – The Selection, translated into English by: Elsa Kazi
• Sindhi Sangat – promoting and preserving the Sindhi heritage, culture and language.