LITERARY HERITAGE Let us turn to the rich heritage of Punjabi literature written mostly in Persian script and also to Urdu literature in Punjabi. |
| This literary tradition depicting works of poets such as Syed Warris Shah, Fazal Shah and Qadir Yar flourished for a considerable time. Before partition, all outstanding magazines such as Adab-e-Latif, Humayun, Adabi Duniya, Saranga, Shahkar, Naranga-e-Khayal, Inquilab were published in Urdu and contributed to Urdu literature. A few pages in each of these magazines were reserved for Punjabi language calligraphed in the Persian script. This literary genre and through it the Punjabi language received remarkable impetus, so much so that its charm continues to haunt the lovers of literature even today. |
| Another literary genre was Bazar poetry which was known as Bait-bazi. Kali Das, Daulat Ram, Ustad Milkhi Ram, Vidhata Singh Tir and others excelled in it. The Bait-bazi or spontaneous poetry, some-times written, was generally written in Persian script. Bait-bazi might be considered cheap and vulgar in standard, but its eroticism had a lot of appeal for the common folk. |
| The Punjabi version of the Ramayana was also written in Persian script in the late 19th or early 20th century by a Punjabi poet named Ram Lubhaya Anand Dilshad, an inhabitant of Bhera (West Punjab). Another attempt was made by Pandit Chakradhari of Amritsar, who clothed Punjabi language in Devanagari script. |
GALAXY OF HINDU WRITERS IN URDU The contribution of Punjabi Hindus to the development of Urdu language cannot be overlooked. There is a galaxy of literateurs, scholars and journalists who have made a distinctive mark in their respective fields. From among the literary writers and poets Tarlok Chand Marhoorn (poet), Mali Ram Wafa (poet), Labhu Ram Josh Malsiani (poet), Kaif Arfani Mohanmurti (poet), Naresh Kumar Shad (poet), Pandit Sudarshan (story writer), Upendra Nath Ashq (story writer), Qamar Jalalabadi (poet and lyricist), Ram Prashad Bismil (revolutionary and poet), Hansraj Rehbar, Dr. Gopi Chand Narang, Gopal Mittal (jour-nalist), Hari Chand Akhtar (journalist), Dwrkadhish Mehar (poet), and Swami Ramanand (poet and lyricist) are regarded as great names. Pandit Dattatreya Kaifi has enriched Urdu language as a linguist and scholar. When we come to the field of journalism, it becomes quite a job to list them. Yet, Mahasha Krishan (Daily Pratap), Mahasha Khushal Chand (Daily Pratap), Nanak Chand Naaz, Ram Rakha Mal Khustargrami (Biswin Sadi), Sohan Lal Vohra (Atalique), Pindi Das of Gujaranwala (Paras) are some who can be counted among the outstanding ones; irrespective of their provincial and religious affiliations. |
MUSLIMS IN THE FIELD OF LITERATURE Among the Muslims, a number of eminent writers, poets, painters, actors and singers made their mark in the field of culture, such as Agh'a Hashar Kashmiri (famous script writer and dramatist), Iqbal. the famous poet, Hafeez Jullundari (Urdu poet who composed poetry in Punjabi also), Faiz Ahmed Faiz (poet), Khwaja, Dil Mohammed (a poet who translated Gita into Urdu), Maulana Zafar Ali (editor of 'Adabe-Latif' and 'Humayun'), Salaud-din-Ahmed (editor Adabi Duniya), Miran Ji, Abdul Qyadar, Abdul Majid Khaliq (editor Inquilab), Inayat Bai Dheroowa'li (singer), Mohd. Rafi (singer), All®h Bux (painter who mostly painted Krishna theme), Abdul Aziz (painter), Bhai Desa (Mirasi), and famous harmonium player Abdul Rehman known as Master Manni. |
Sources: Cultural Heritage of Punjab, K C Aryan |
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