PUNJABI found prominence at the LLF this year through two sessions, one of which was ‘Punjab kay Inquilabi Shuara,’ moderated by Punjabi poet Afzal Sahir with panellists Iqbal Qaiser, Nasreen Anjum Bhatti and Tanveer Zahur.

The session started a bit late, as a result of which the panellists had to rush through their arguments. Moreover, Bhatti and Zahur monotonously read out from their papers, failing to engage the audience.

Sahir started the session with a detailed outline of the tradition of resistance in Punjabi poetry. He underlined that resistance poetry in Punjabi is not only political or external in character but also represents the inner struggle of an individual against his own desires and inclinations. Sahir further elaborated that Punjabi poets who wrote resistance poetry were not merely proclaiming these theories; rather, they were very much involved in the practical struggle against the tyranny of kings or invaders, and hence, there was no contradiction between their words and actions. According to Sahir, Punjabi poetry is close to the issues and lives of the general populace. Punjabi poets rebelled against the political tyranny of the rulers, the religious extremism of the mullahs, and the social injustices of the affluent. That is why there is no established tradition of qaseeda writing in Punjabi.

Sahir also pointed out that Baba Farid was the first Punjabi poet whose poetry was written down. Before him, the tradition of the oral transmission of poetry was predominant. Sahir then recited several verses from the works of Shah Hussain, Sultan Bahoo and Khawaja Farid.

Qaiser started his talk by classifying resistance into two kinds, one through a sword and the other through a pen. He said that the focus of the talk is resistance through the pen which leaves an imprint on the minds of generations to come. He also said that Guru Nanak followed the tradition of Baba Farid in the early period of Mughal invasions. He was arrested by the army of Babar from Gujranwala for describing the atrocities of the invading forces in his four poems, ‘Babar Bani.’ Qaiser also talked about another poet, Najabat, who wrote ‘Nadir Shah di Vaar,’ and Shah Hussain, who witnessed Lahore being conquered by the Mughals. He said that Punjabi resistance poetry is not as famous as Urdu’s because Punjabi has not been patronised by the state.

Bhatti started her talk by putting forward the dilemma of communicating the character of resistance poetry to a generation that has not witnessed upheavals like Partition. She enumerated a long list of Punjabi poets who have the element of resistance in their works and highlighted the role of Dulla Bhatti, Ahmad Khan Kharal and Bhagat Singh in fighting for the cause of liberty.

Dullah Bhatti rebelled against the Mughal Emperor Akbar and his struggle is shrouded in mist. Nasreen Bhatti pointed out that though historians might forget the role of such freedom fighters, the folk tales are rich in details about their heroic exploits. She then recited verses to explain her point.

Zahur’s essay on Ustaad Daman shed light on how popular in the true sense of that word he was and how he always stood against the oppression of political and military forces including Liaquat Ali Khan, Ayub Khan, Bhutto, and Zia. Excerpts from his poetry were greatly appreciated by the audience.