KANWAL MUSHTAQ… Yaadan tey Ta`asrat; PP 80; price not mentioned; Publishers, Punjabi Markaz; 7/A, Street No 6 Koocha Muhammadi, Sultanpura, Lahore.

One of the popular poems of the late Kanwal Mushtaq titled “Yar toon kithhey vain? (“Where are you my friend) was recited in many mushairas arranged in east Punjabi and it was really very popular as was the poem of Naz Khialvi`s (died last week in Faisalabad district) “Rab ik gorakh dhanda ae” sung by the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

With the title “Yar toon kithhey vain, Darshan Singh Aashat remembers Kanwal Mushtaq who died on June 12, 2007, in Lahore where his family had migrated in 1947 from Dina Nagar in Gurdaspur district. At that time his age was seven-and-a-half-months. He was born on March 1, 1947.

His family settled in Lahore where his father was a vendor but determined to educate his children. Mushtaq, somehow, could not carry it long and circumstances forced him to become that helping hand to his father. In his childhood, he was attracted by literature and of course, Urdu, but later on it was dawned upon him that he was made not only for Punjabi literature but also an enthusiastic worker of the Pakistan Punjabi movement.

In all these articles included in this collection have been contributed by prominent writers who paid glowing tribute to his emending efforts and fight for the cause of Punjabi. The unforgettable worker of Punjabi, the late Raja Rasalu specially referred to his activities as the Punjabi activist.

Parveen Malik and Aashiq Raheel also focused on the untiring nature of Mushtaq who was never engaged in any permanent job. He worked piece meal, with the late prominent journalist Abdullah Malik or Fakhar Zaman of Punjabi World Congress.

He remained associated with the Punjabi Adabi Board, Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television. Close to his death Kanwal was accommodated by Dr Sha`ista Nuzhat in the newly-established Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture for writing cultural history of Punjab but all of a sudden he died one day.

One is not aware of his contribution to book portions of which he had written from time to time. At that time he was the only bread-earner of his family which was of middle size because as per the tradition of such families Kanwal`s marriage was celebrated at the early stage of his life.

He did literary work where he was not credited. He translated the autobiography of the renowned Punjabi poet Amrita Preetm`s Raseedi Tiket (Revenue stamp) and many of his novels and collections of short stories. He translated into Urdu some fiction work of Ajeet Kaur but credit was given to someone else.

It is also said that like the late Iqbal Sajid, Kanwal used to serve as ghost writer. On one of his written books a national award was also granted but to the man under whose name this book appeared. This story has been narrated by many of his friends.

Kanwal Mushtaq had a very creative mind. Apart from writing poetry, drama, short story, light essay he also worked as resource person for PTV. He was also a painter and art designer and he once opened a studio also which had to be closed down for want of money.

Punjabi was Kanwal`s passion for which he also brought out a magazine, Suraj Mukhi, which was the first in producing a special issue on Ustad Daman in his life time.

Earlier Daman being a very controversial figure his poetry was not allowed to be taught to Punjabi student. But one of the MA students, Zaheer Akhtar, asserted and did his thesis on Daman and published a book also.

Apart from Aashat, Kanwal`s contemporaries Iqbal Qaiser and Jameel Pal have also written their pieces under the same title which means he was much needed for Punjabi which is facing resistance from the establishment as well as all sorts of political leadership.

But here one can easily refer to one of the contributors, Agha Ali Mudassar, who was assistant secretary to Punjabi Adabi Sangat of which Kanwal was secretary. Agha Ali Mudassar has financed this publication which is perhaps a new precedent to be remembered and followed. Kanwal`s father used to sell perfumes and son distributed perfume of Punjabi throughout his life.

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Suraj Di Saidh by Nadir Jajavi; PP-192, Price Rs180 (hb); publishers, Lehran Adabi Board, 7/57. Sodiwal Colony, Multan Road, Lahore.

Nadir Jajavi (now of 76 years) is a senior poet from Faisalabad who as usual started his literary career by Urdu poetry of which his first collection Chashm-i-Nam was published in 1965. This was his maiden publication. After ten years his Punjabi collection, “Hathh Noon Hathh Naheen Sujhda”, was published followed by another Urdu collection, Iztirab (1985). Two collections of Na`at in Urdu and Punjabi are also to his credit. He was awarded Masud Khadarposh Award (2004) on his Punjabi book. The book under review is his fourth collection in Punjabi which appeared last year. This includes more ghazals than nazms. The book is without any foreword or introductory note except that poet Saleem Kashir and publisher Dr Akhtar Hussain Akhtar have written one para each meaning thereby that the poet needs no more introduction and critical tributes, which is a good thing and it speaks of the confidence of the senior poet.

In his ghazals, Jajavi talks about bombs, missiles, tanks, UNO, Trade Centre, arms, elections, elected members and their performance, country, media, national, civilizations and courts where still justice is a salable commodity. Here Jajavi sees the whole system with through the eyes of mothers and the same are the feelings he captures with reference to bomb explosion, our latest tragedy.

His another concern is Punjabi which is fastly losing its cultural identity because of different colonial systems of education and the political stagnancy the province has been suffering since its verdict of 1970 general elections. Perhaps in Jajavi’s view our politicians are responsible for deforming and disfiguring the face of Punjab which has unique history as compared to histories of other parts of the South Asia.