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

By Saleem Bhutto Lateefi

These heroines are the symbol of timeless efforts for the empowerment of women folk and brave enough to stand against the rejected women and gender based violence. Here are quoted few examples from the text:

Some such attachment spinners have, that they tremble while to get their gain at dawn they come to the spinning yard for such fine yarn even the connoisseur longs, such spinners, yarn was accepted without weighing it.

“I will not believe my huslo and fled, he must have been killed. I will hold my head high if he was wounds on his face. If he has wounds on his back I will die of shame”.

Gender equality and women's empowerment are the focusing aspects of Shah Latif's characters partrayed scheme. Here the great poets is of the opinion that gender equality is the part and parcel of human rights and peace, poverty alleviation and health. These heroines are the model presentations that focused on strategic actions needed to mobilize action towards achieving gender equality.

In mid winter while rain is falling, she enters the deep, Letus go & ask Suhni who love's secret keeps, who day & night, has Mehar in her mind.

Or

From Oyster's Virtues lesson learn, rejecting all other water, they wait for clouds to burst.

Or

“Sister's Blessed are those who gave up happiness & adornment, Friend's Boldly your journey under take, be not indolent.”

Or

“Leave aside false modestly & rich dress, she leads all who takes naught but love, with herself.”

But today we see our society and education and we find this fact clear that there is an unbalanced distribution of female and male students, and that there is lack of gender perspective in education planning and budgeting, and in every walk and talk of life women is treated to be as a minority, and in Shah Latif's collection of poetry we find that more than half of the characters is women fold, belong to every profession, present every where in the story and poet himself is talking as a women character as almost in each and every poem we find poet himself subjective. While dealing with women characters and remembers these women with sweet and loving words as, mother, sister and friend etc.

On the issues of gender based violation and domestic abuse we find best examples in the melody of sea-fever as it is clear from the quoted couplets from the text:

Those were my youthful days, when my love voyaging went, my tears could present him not from going west, learning me on love's pyre my sailor sailed away.

Or

“Barrowed puts are on my stove,

Winter's cold winds now blow,

Looking at other's husbands, deep sighs & heave.

We have ignored Shah Latif's message and have turned deaf ears to his voice and it resulted the week implementations of Islamic laws and state statues. Lack of adequate resources and a lack of sufficient date to understand the scope of the problems are all major contributors to the increase of gender based violence. Until the state, communities and society at large work together to resolve this, it will remain a pandemic. Talking about the domestic abuse it is deserved that female education above does not necessarily protect against the violence and that even highly educated women face these silent killers. It is descend essential that women must be taught to claim their rights as a part of human rights training as we find many couplets to support this idea.

Mother! in love's quarreling tones I would say,

You said you would soon return, why did you so long stay?

***

“May God bring you close to us, my beloved mate,

Laughing for you, my whole strength is drained.”

***

“Beloved come once to my humble but,

Shelter me with your garments edge, loved me.”

***

“If you are with me, never will I need be,

You alone can repair my hut, its roof is worn out are.”

***

Today once again we are boarding on the verge of slavery, after drugs and weapons, human trafficking has become the third brought and sold in open market through auction bids. Women in tribal areas are sold out for days and nights or for the whole age by fathers and brothers. Due to the populous nations and porous borders. There is more concern for human trafficking. In addition to it the socio-customary practices like child brides and favouring sons to daughters increase the incidents of trafficking , as many impoverished house-holds sell their daughters considering them a burden. Today inspite of these factors, the sexual harassement, domestic violence, rape and honour killing tapped the list. Whilst the issues are being acknowledged, there is a blind spot as no law or policy is in practice as a diterent. The greatest damage is done when there is an increased social acceptance of the issue. Our landlord oriented society, tribal cheiftants and tribal system are the main catalyst of such damaging socio-customs. The causes stem from such a social system dominated by patriarely. The effects of abuse on women results in physical and emotional disturbances that may in some cases prove fatal in many instances the victims does not report the abuse because of a number of seasons. Some women are afraid of reporting domestic abuse because they feel eshamed or humiliated or they may feel protective of their porter or because thye lack awareness.

But Shah Latif's heroin Marvi decided to bravely face the world after being brutally abused, also contributed to the philosophy of the poet regarding women dignity and dare. A full chapter of poetry is speaking about the experiences of this beloved characters of Sindh. She suffered but faced bravely inspite of the lake of education and ignorance. She is of the opinion that to subdue before the violence is not only the individual sin but actually it is social sin and collective crime. She is courageous enough to expose king Umer as the perpectators bravely and changed the phenomena. Her smiles and determination speak volumes as she symbolized courage and determination in circumstances that would have proven daunting to any woman. Shah Latif offers full support to Marvi, Sohni and Sussui and always seems behind then in their quest for fighting against the violence and empowerment of women find several references from the text.

Latif says:

1. “were Marvi there, I would enquire after her, on her behalf I would entreat Umer.

I would offer myself, if he does not free her.

Getting her chains removed, I would accompany her,

I would then hold her hand and take her to Malir.”

2. “Advance each step, no weakness shoe,

To those who turn back and die, will not be steemed.”

3. “Do not lose heart, I be not far from you,

That which is your god, is my destination too.”

4. “Sasui! lose not heart, you will see happeness,

Punhoon leading a carvan of camels, eagerly comes space.”

5. Those who enter the eaters, succeed,

Plunge into the thundering river;

That with his help you reach Mehar.”

6. Touch not friend's offered raft, ho maid!

“with my help you crossed”, a judgment day lest he says.”

Shah A. Latif personally portrays women with status and gives then suspect that they deserve. There is no vulgarity but in today's media we find sequences of vulgar dances and western and the Indian media have a had a negative impact on it. One can see women in media wearing skimpy almost vulgar dresses, doing obscene things and media instead of entertainment is very upsetting experience to witness and hear all the vulgar sons. Likewise the advertisements use women as a major attraction. There is no logic but she is used to attract the target audience. Needless to say, only good looking women feature in these advertisements. There seems to have no individuality or identity, no uniqueness of their own. If this kind of attitude by the media continues, one should not be expecting any positive change as far as the common main perception of women goes. The media is largely to be blamed for gender discrimination, and unless it does not do anything constructive, it will be difficult for our society to come to groups with the issues.

Shah A. Latif portrays women as a lover and man as beloved and this scheme of poet's women characters is socio-customary exposition of Sindh. Marvi is lover of her land, people and her fiancé, Moomal is lover of Rano, Sohni is lover of Mehear, Sasui is lover of Punhoo and almost all the women characters indulged in seared bond of marriage but prove themselves lover of their pastures.

A poor Marvi living in desert belonging to poor people engaged with Khet, her finace, is quite young and beautiful girl. She was living happy and pure life full of joys. She enjoyed the green pastures of desert with hard of goats and sheeps round about her. She was living free and fair life, with freedom of heart and head, with freedom of words and deeds. She had no chains. She cared for none. One day while Marvi was filing up a jar with water from the well near about her village, was kidnapped and confirmed in the fort of cruel king Umer, a ruler of Sindh. A free soul became a slave of kingly palace. The temptations, the riches, the power, the queen ship queen command the realm, to command the king, to command everything that stood and was within the realm of that kingdom. The palace, the garments, the ornaments ingrained with jewels, the cradles of gold to carry her, to comfort her:

“Palace with many doors and windows for you! Will construct”, Umer tempts.

“For you I will get those who never to you come.” Marvi replies. Some trouble seems to breed in my pearant fold.”

But nothing could effect her mind. All this and much more. Kind spread temptations around Marvi. The days went on but the temptations could not win her. She replies if all the universe were to kiss her feat, she would not succumb:- “What for you is Eid Soomro, for us is mourning,

They have forgotten happiness and Eid happening,

Longing to see me, Malir's fold are suffering.”

(Continued)

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