Shah Abdul Latif:
Champion of Gender Equality
(Part-IV)

By Saleem Bhutto Lateefi

Then come chanis, the tortures, the confinement, loneliness. Temptations, she hated but tortures, she loved because she knew that they could hurt only her body but could not win her head and heart. During these tortures her eyes wept not due to hardships but due to the lovely memories of freedom, weeping made her crystal like a jewel within and without as she says:
“Auspicious were those days that in prison I spent:
In palace, large drops of tears like rain I wept,
Longing for return, I was in a miserable state
My love has purified my chains.”
***
“This palace, sisters, without my people, I would burn,
For my people I long. “All things to their origin return.”
Could I go back and see Malir my native land.”

The maid-servants who worked as jail-guards looked to her, persuaded her to became queen but they stood disappointed. Finally King Umer comes to persuade her with clamped levels. Marvi replied queen of what of this dirty domain! “No!”, “No!” she replied, Marvi is queen of desert, queen of desert-dwellers, she is queen of purely, fidelity. She is faithful to all her memories all that she left behind.
“Without my desert folks, I am distressed,
May I keep pledge with one for whom my eyes flood shed,
My eyes, heart and soul are there where my friends took birth.”

King goes back disappointed and Marvi is under the chains, chains on her hands, on her legs. Her clothes grew torn, dirty and smelling but she liked them, because these clothes had the sweet smelling of her home and home-land.
“This innocent maid, darns her blouse, keep her love intact,
Worn out shawk she mends, this faithful maid,
So none may say: “those born in Thar, I disgraced.”

Thus the yearning goes on, yearning for her home, for her beloved land Malir, the deserts of Sindh. All that becomes her life, her aim, her beloved. The pastures, the goats, the cattles and the deserts become her dreams that kept themselves weaving all round her and all the time. Thus these scenes passed by and faces of the down-trodden people, selfless and sacrificing, superb, she dreams of them-not a moment passes when she is not with them:
“I mown, I weep for my dear ones out of view,
Oh God! Do send a camel man here to give me good news,
That I may give up weeping and mowing for them.”

How many days and months have passed, not a voice, not a message has appeared! She weeps if they have forgotten her but she again gives another thought that no, they won’t do it. She is trapped in ’to be or not to be’ position and feels that is it that all have turned deaf, do not they see me, how slowly and silently she is wailing with them. Her thoughts are always with them, have they grown so cruel to her, do they appear to doubt her chastity, they perhaps feel that she must have forsaken them. She must have accepted the position of queen, but how could they do so, don’t they realize that she is carrying the trust of her beloved people, could it be, can she be so cheap that she should barter her chastity for these worldly pleasures and power, comfort and honour, no, she would never do that:
“Marvi replies, how can friends me mis-understand?
My eyes show sleepless nights spent,
Were they here, they would understand how hard is to it protect myself.”

These chains, these tortures and these temptations are surrounding Marvi but immortal Marvi, a beautiful Marvi, a great Marvi keeps all her princess with her parents, her caste fellows, her country men, her land Sindh. She assures them that these chains, these tortures and temptations fade away when she remembers their innocence, their pretty, how clean are they in their tents, they are truthful, loveable. Her people are torn to bits, she adores them, she never betrays them, she can never forsake them.
“Longing for my native land, if here I die,
Make my grave beside my folks, oh Soomra!
Let me be placed near climbers fragrant,
Though dead, I will live if my body is sent to Malir.”

Such is a great woman character of Shah Latif, that Marvi, a great women who comes to palace to conquer it, she comes to conquer untruth, to conquer temptation and tortures of King Umer. She shines like a star, she comes to confinement to wash herself out, to uncover within her the light, the light of truth, chastity the real women. In this rinful world Marvi does not fall victim to temptations. She is living and supreme woman. She is the present of all in womanhood. She is an emblem of purity and truth, a symbol of courage when King Umer can never win. She does not sowil her flesh with any dirt. She is purest and beautiful.
“I will preserve my virtue and not remain in fort.
Oyster is in ocean neared, drinks not rivers single drop,
But pins its hope on clouds, the way I for Malir thirst,
My safe return, my people will celebrate my drinking milk.”

Being the other wheel (not the spare one as thought most of us) of a well-oiled marriage apple art, a woman’s role in day to day life can not be denied. Shah A. Latif’s poetry is a special treatment of women character, a celebration of womanhood that discussed everything connected to women under the sun. the great poet gives practical guideline about woman’s character. Shah A. Latif everywhere in his poetry is there to motivate women to realize their role in every aspect of social life and come out of the state of indifference and apathy. Poet’s presentation on civic participation is a wake up call for the woman to whom he advises to play their role in building better relationship which are made by God but maintained by a woman. Shah A. Latif discusses the chemistry of a woman who is a doting mother, a crying daughter, a loving sister, a devoted wife, a tolerant mother-in-law, a sensitive daughter-in-law in her different roles. For Shah Latif a woman is binding force of all relations. Woman is blessed with a special gift to sustain (new and old) relationship and she only need to use her talent. While going through the poetry of great poet we receive first-hand knowledge on the many shades and colors of womanhood. Poet gives practical experience and take in women their fresh ideas which is immensely satisfying no we find his women characters are humanity personified as Noori belonging to fisher folk. She is a modest women character that contribute to major social problems that change the scene in Sindhi society. His women characters over comes everything with her sheer will power to fight back. Although poets poetry is no more in use in daily life but if it is adopted in daily life the generations will continue to get benefit form poet’s vision.
Susuee is another vastly sung heroine of Shah A. Latif. Susuee and sorrows go together, is famous saying about her identity. She is personification of sorrows. She is by origin a Hindu Brihman girl but adopted by Muslim family of Bhambhor and was married to a Baloch. Shah A. Latif in the character of Susuee presents his love philosophy that love has no religious barriers. Love has no limitations before God too there are no grades, those, irrespective of their faith, who love God, when they seek, they achieve Him.
“Thy reached who shifted their gaze from this world to that,
Perfect beauty and perfect wisdom Lord is away from then just a step.”

Susuee is hardly seventeen years young and beautiful girl. She was most beautiful among the girls and her fame spread throughout the locality even went out of Sindh and reached Makran a city of Balochistan. Prince Punhoon came to know about her beauty and came as a merchant to Bhambhore. He saw her and both fell in love. Punhoo was so much devoted to Susuee that he, being a prince, adopted profession of her father, a washerman. A prince became labourer for her sake. They both were married. Soon after their marriage, Punhoo’s brothers came and stayed with them. They came to take Punhoo back and to get Susuee divorced but Punhoo refused flately. Here Shah A. Latif gives his picture of marriage system where in caste and creed are mostly important. Punhoo’s brothers did not accept this marriage because Susuee belonged to poor and lower class family or Susuee syas:
“I am Brihman wearing Sindhi dress,
And by profession I am washerwoman,
The Balochs left me because my belongings.
Had I been Baloch, Thy would not have left me.”

While staying at Bhambhore, Punhoo’s brothers, soon at night time when Susuee fell sleep, they took away her Punhoo by making him senseless. Thy took him away a long distance. Susuee got up and found her beloved Punhoo missing and then started the moments of sorrow, pangs of separation. She decided to go after her husband beloved Punhoo. She went place to place in search of her love. She ran after her love because she was pure and faithful, a woman of full of virtues.
“Bhambhore’s comforts separated me from Beloved’s throng,
With many discomforts I will now seek them in the rocks.”

When Susuee decided to leave Bhambhore her native place, her mother, her father, her girl friends and other villagers old and young, came round her. They all wept and advised her to control her emotions but she says that Punhoo is in her heart and head, he is in her eyes, in her imagination all the time. She can not forget him and she tears her clothes, thrones away her veil, her head stands uncovered. Tears are trickling. Her parents, relatives and friends console her. They weep for her, touch her head, her hands and her feet but she persuades them to go back and says that how can she forget her beloved husband, her right. Love comes and lives within her and drives her out of her sweet home. She forgets everything, there is nothing but Punhoo her beloved in her mind, and she decides “Punhoo is within my heart, I must go after him, I must find him. I must live with him or I must die. How could I live without him, not a moment.” So she decides and comes out Bhambhore and her parents, relatives and friends more out with him:
“While wondering here and there, Baloch’s thought came to me,
Leave Bhambhore I must for, to me, it gives no peace.”

(Continued)

TOP