Saraiki literature

Tomb of Sufi poet Khwaja Ghulam Farid

Saraiki literature is the literature of the Saraiki language of Pakistani Punjab.

Most of the writings from the 1960s to the 1980s were political in nature and are coloured by the ethnopolitical aims of the writers. Even though the number of publications has increased in the last and present decade, the Saraiki intellectuals themselves admit that there is not much readership, except perhaps for the works of some renowned contemporary poets, especially of the revolutionary poet Shakir Shujaabadi. Although writings in all the regional dialects are suffering from lack of readership for similar reasons, in the case of Saraiki there are two additional reasons. Firstly, most of the writers bring in colloquial phraseology (which varies from one variety to the other) in their writings and secondly, many writers, in their zeal to prove the antiquity of Saraiki and to promote its Indo-Aryan feature, tend to use more Sanskrit words instead of the more common Arabic-Persian words in order to distinguish it from Punjabi and Urdu, thus blocking the understanding of their general readers.

Folk literature and tales

There many folk tales associated with Ghazi Khan and his minister Gaaman Sachar, which is a legendary character in Saraiki folk tales.

• Ashraf Javed Malikis a foke tales writer specially the foke songs recorded by Radio Pakistan Multan. he is the song writer foke specially from PTV Home Multa Station from 2013 to updated...

Poetry

Some of the prominent Sindhi and Hindko poets have also done poetry in Saraiki. Sultan Bahu's (1628–1691) poetry is one of the examples of the junction of Saraiki dialect and Majhi (Standard Punjabi dialect).

Early poetry

There are very rare written poems available from the early history in Saraiki. The research is going on about the early Saraiki poetry.

18th century

• Sachal Sar Mast (1739–1829)

19th century

• Qadir Bux Bedil ( 1814–1873), known as Bedil Sindhi, has also written in Saraiki (Dewan-i-Bedil)
• Khawaja Ghulam Farid (1845–1901), his famous collection is Deewan-e-Farid. His poems, known as Kafi, are still famous.
• Ghulam Mohammad (1883-1934), well known collection is " bezan"

20th century

• Shakir Shujabadi (Kalam-e-Shakir, Khuda Janey, Shakir Diyan Ghazlan, Peelay Patr, Munafqan Tu Khuda Bachaway, Shakir De Dohray are his famous books) is very well recognized modern poet.
• Ramzan Gaddi رمضان ڳاڈی (Pir Adil Dera Ghazi Khan)
• Shakir Shujabadi
• Iqbal Qureshi ("hakal, sojhal, ishq koun yar salam, ishq day pemany" are name of his some books"). He belongs to Khushab, Punjab , Pakistan

Prose

Translation of Quran in Saraiki

There are more than twenty translations of Quran in Saraiki. Dr. Maqbool Hassan Gillani did his Doctriate in Saraiki Translations of Quran.

• Dr. Mehr Abdul Haq.
• Prof. Dilshad Klanchvi.
• Riaz Shahid.
• Dr. Sadeeque Shakir.
• G. R. Sevra.
• Dr. Tahir Khakwani, complete video translation in Saraiki.

Saraiki Dictionaries

Names of some dictionaries writers in saraiki are:

• Andrew Jukes (missionary)
• O Brian,
• Anees Jeelani,
• Mian Sirajuddin Sawnwal,
• Mureed Hussain Jatoi,
• Qais Fareedi,
• Dilshad Kalanchvi,
• Shaukat Mughal
• Saadullah Khetran.
• Akbar Makhmoor

Novelists

• Ismail Ahmedani (1930-2007) is probably the most celebrated novelist and fiction writer in modern Saraiki literature. Ahmedani has done much to promote the Saraiki literature for modern fiction writing. He was awarded Khwaja Ghulam Farid award by the government of Pakistan on Chholian. Ismail Ahmedani died at Karachi on 6 June 2007 and buried in his home village of Rasoolpur.

2- *Ashraf Javed Malik had wrote a New saraiki Novel (pandhi )in 2013 .The Novel is a great voice of the saraiki area about its culture n the traditional sketch of its natives.The Novel expanded from 5 thousands years ago to update area land ascape culture and traditions of the saraiki tribe throughout its start to its greatness of this age .the story start from kiship to muzzafar khan n from muzzafar khan shaheed to the start of freedom from British ruling power in 1947.we see every coulour of the life of saraiki peoples...Novel is published from (jhoke) saraiki Multan under the supervision of Zahoor Dhareja, Legend of Saraiki prose Shoukat Mughal and Basit Bhati... Ashraf Javed Malik proved that his saraiki style n diction of saraiki language is pure as like as the saraiki culture n land....

Fiction authors

• Ismail Ahmedani (1930-2007), novelist and fiction writer, author of Amar Kahani, Peet de Pandh and Chhulian

Linguists

• Mehr Abdul Haq (1915-1995), author of Multani Zaban Ka Urdu Se Taaluq
• Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890), author of Grammar of Saraiki
• Shaukat Mughal
• Aslam Rasoolpuri

Critics

• Hafeez Khan
• Sadeeq Tahir
• Aslam Rasoolpuri is founder of modern literary criticism in Saraiki. He is influential and trend maker critic by any means. He is author of five books about literary criticism. These books, written in Saraiki, are: Voyage of Meaning in Siraiki Literature(2014), Evaluations(2011), Encapsulations(2009), Calibrations(1986) and Marxist Standpoint and Our Literature(1974).
• Javed Chandio, Head of the SAraiki Department in The Islamic University of Bahawalpur(Pakistan). He is the first Ph.D in Saraiki literature from the Saraiki Department. Author/editor of eight books on Saraiki literature. writer of valuable critical work on Khwaja Ghulam Farid. His major works are Divan-i-Farid (1998), Khwaja Farid (1999), Allah Mailay Wal Sang Yaara (2003), Maqalaat (2003), Armughan-i-Khwaja Farid (2003), Saraiki Zaban Adab Aur Mua'shra (2007), Savail I & II (1995 & 1997). Having many valuable research articles on his credit. Edited the oldest quarterly journal "Saraiki" since 1999. Headed the oldest Saraiki literary organization "Saraiki Adbi Majlis(Regd.), Bahawalpur" Since 1999. The First Gold Medalist in M.A. Saraiki and the first regular teacher of the Saraiki & Literature in any University of Pakistan. He is still teaching in the University.

Dramatists

• Ismail Ahmedani
• Maqbool Abbas Kashir
• Musart Kalanchvi
• Aslam Rasoolpuri
• Hafeez Khan

See also

• Saraiki people
• Saraiki language
• Saraiki culture
• Saraikistan
• Saraiki Waseb
• Sauvira Kingdom
• Christopher Shackle, a researcher on Saraiki language

Further reading

• Shackle, Christopher (1972). Siraiki and Siraiki literature, c.1750-1900, in Upper Sind and South-West Panjab (Ph.D. thesis). School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London). (requires registration).

External links

• Saraiki Web Portal
• http://www.seraikigeet.com
• Aslam Rasoolpuri