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Shaik Ayaz: the Poet of Liberty and Land

Article · December 2010

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Mubarak Ali Lashari

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 Shaik Ayaz: the Poet of Liberty and Land

Mubarak Ali Lashari

Shaikh Ayaz (1923-1997) is considered philosophical poet of Sindhi Language. Not only in Sindhi
but he also contributed to the literature of Urdu and Seraiki language. His full name was Shaikh
Mubarak Ali but later on came to be known as Shaikh Mubarak Ayaz or Shaikh Ayaz. He gave us
more than 60 books of high caliber literature having written in many literary genres. His writing
style and diction was as unique in all the language as he had command over many languages. In
Dr. Badir Ujan’s words, “Shaikh Ayaz is the man who is a poet of high caliber, a well-read scholar,
a multi-lingual master and a popular prose writer.” Yes, it is fact that Ayaz was a well-read poet
who loved books and knowledge like mom loves her toddler. His this tendency and deep study of
the world literature, literary trends and movements, philosophy, politics and humanity is sprouting
out of his books, poetry, stories, poetic dramas and essays like the torrent of pure water.

It was the December of 1997, when I heard the news of the giant leaving this world for eternal
abode. I felt like a colossal fortification of our generation came down, and the sound and new
writings of that giant would never be heard again. Yet it was the deep satisfaction that he had
erected such a massive China Wall in the world of literature and humanity that would never be
dampened until and unless the world is alive. I felt so burdened to hear that there seemed mirages
of the birth of such a person to replace him till centuries.

In the perspective of his poetical foundation, if someone seriously and critically may think, the
idea of owning the indigenous culture and liberty will seem on towering. He says about the liberty
of humanity as:

I leave in my legacy for you,

The liberty of thought,

It is the liberty,

Birds have inherited,

Liberty!
 For you it is

My heritage, my prayer!

‫مان تو کي ورثي ۾ خيال جي‬

‫آزادي ڏيان ٿو‬

.‫آزادي جا پکي جو ورثو آهي‬

”‫“آزادي‬

‫اهو منهنجو تو الء‬

.‫ دعا به آهي‬،‫ورثو به آهي‬

Someone having aesthetic sense, sympathetic values, love for humanity and importance of nature
may look deep in the above lines of Ayaz that the liberty is his legacy as well as his prayer. He
relates this liberty not only the right of man but it is as the part of nature as birds inherited and
mankind espoused. Due to that liberty today’s world is thinking in terms of inspirations and
aspirations to the advancement and welfare. He emphasized over this liberty because he had felt
the suffering mankind historically and read the tears and bleedings in the pages of history and
literature. Thus his vision was for the whole world irrespective of any boundary. This is affirmed
by Dr. Malik Naddem as, “Shaikh Ayaz is a great poet of not only Sindh, but he is universal poet.
He has collected in his poetry the roses of tears & sorrows of ours in particular and human being
of the world in general.” He learned a lot from the sorrows of human suffering and adopted the
way on Mansoor, Socrates, Spartex, Shah Inayat, Makhdoom Bilawal, and all the freedom lover
icons in the world history. He knew it all completely that there should never be any compromise
on freedom, no surrender, no submission, no acquiescence, and never giving up. So he never laid
his arms of resistance and liberty down. He says;

Never in my life

Did I submit to anyone?

Happy is the moment

 That lives in liberty!

،‫ آ َء نه ڪئي عمر ۾‬،‫ڪنهن جي اطاعت‬

.‫ جنهن ۾ آزادي هجي‬،‫سرهي سا ساعت‬

He thus preferred rather living a short moment in liberty than the longer life in slavery and
compliance to someone else. That’s why he being a poet was put into prison because of his love
of freedom and his faith in humanity. It is justified by Dr. A. R Malik, ex Vice Chancellor of Shah
Abdul Latif University, Kahirpur Sindh in the words, “Shaikh Ayaz earned great name and fame
for his wisdom & literary contribution in his time. The message of great poet as we all know, the
world need today than any other time before, hence made available for all fans of Shaikh Ayaz
today and fond of good poetry irrespective of caste & color, race and religion.”

Furthermore his greatest contribution to the indigenous poetic conception is his defiance to
external influence in the literature. The seed to own one’s native language, culture, trends, and
values were sown by the greatest poet Shah Abdul Latif, hundreds of years ago saying:

،‫فارسي پڙهيو توء گولو ۽ غالم‬

.‫ خاصن مان نه ٿئي‬،‫عامن سندو عام‬

If you study align language (discarding own) you would remain slave,

You will be considered man of straw, never legitimate one.

That cultivation was enriched by Shaikh Ayaz who sung the songs of the land and used the local
poetic device like metaphors, similes, paradoxes, personification, puns, and symbols and so on.
He preferred to sing his sorrows in the native language and in native tone. He affirmed as,

Tearful tales my talent has given me

I have sung the sorrows of whole country.

 ،‫ ڳوڙهن ڀريون ڳالهڙيون‬،‫ڏنيون مون کي ڏات‬

.‫ ڏکڙا ساري ڏيهه جا‬،‫لنوي منهنجي الت‬

In the above couplet he expressed the sorrows he has gotten from his deep study of suffering of
the people which degenerated due to his sensitive feelings and acute talent. Consequently, his
songs sang the sorrows of the native brethren in their own terms and provisos. It is because before
this movement of adopting native vocabulary and terminology, the poets were used to depend on
alien and foreign terms, words and poetic techniques. They were influenced by the far-off poets
and poetic figures of speech. Thus poets like Shaikh Ayaz came up with the idear to come to terms
with indigenous lifestyle and poetic expressions. In all of those literary figures, Shaikh Ayaz is
towering and unmatchable icon. He would ever be remembered beyond the restrictions of time and
space.

(Written to commemorate Shaikh Ayaz on his occasion of his anniversary in the month of
December, 2010)

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