KARACHI: Speakers at a condolence reference paid homage to the late leftist leader Sobho Gyanchandani for his contribution to the communist, peasant and progressive movements. An Urdu translation of his autobiography was also launched on the occasion.

The reference was or­ganised by The Co­­mrade Sobho Gy­anchandani Memorial Committee at the Karachi Arts Council on Sunday.

I A Rehman, the secretary general of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, spoke about Comrade Sobho’s optimistic attitude despite his personal suffering. “He once told me about his eldest son Kanhayyo who was unable to find a job even though he had an MBBS degree.”

Mr Rehman thought the situation ironical in a country where fake degrees can be bought, based on which well-connected people are given jobs and ministerial positions.

He related another such story that Comrade Sobho had shared. “Another time when he had lost in an election, he said: ‘why does this happen to us?’” Perhaps, there was no dharna brigade behind him, quipped the rights activist. “He was saddened by these things but he never gave up. His motto was ‘what next?’”

Earlier, the director of the Pakistan Study Centre at Karachi University, Dr Jaffar Ahmed, discussed the main takeaways from the Urdu translation of Comrade Sobho’s memoirs Roshni Ke Safar Main.

“One has read books by left-wing intellectuals and leaders, mostly filled with regrets and disappointments. They all felt their struggle was in vain. But this is not the case when one reads Sobho’s autobiography.”

His childhood memories, his experience at the famous Ra­bindranath Tagore college Shantiniketan in West Bengal, his erudition were other important takeaways from the book, Dr Ahmed added.

“The book also talks about crucial periods in history as witnessed by Comrade Sobho including the change in position by the Communist Party from fighting against the British colonial power to becoming their allies and the subsequent confusion it created in the minds of its committed workers. His struggles in the new country and his imprisonment experiences are some of the important facets of this book.”

Moonis Ayaz, son of renowned poet and writer Sheikh Ayaz, was also present at the condolence reference and spoke about his personal relationship with Comrade Sobho, whom he used to call Chacha (uncle), and his son. “I concur what has been told earlier about Chacha that his children and books were his weaknesses. I was very close to his son Kanhayyo whose sudden death caused a lot of grief to Chacha. His son was intelligent and a humanist. Chacha was a father figure to us and was personally involved in our lives. I learnt a lot from him.”

Syed Mazhar Jameel, author of Sobho Gyanchandani: Shaksiat aur Fun, gave a brief background about the late leftist leader. His life began at a village called Bindi near Moenjodaro and he was heavily influenced by his paternal grandfather who would read out shlokas of Guru Nanak and poetry of Rumi. Mr Jameel delved into detail about Comrade Sobho’s experiences in Shantiniketan including the setting up of study circles by the young fiery student.

The leader of Awami Workers Party, Abid Hasan Minto, utilised the condolence reference to motivate the left-wing workers, labour leaders and peasant representatives to unite and work from one platform. “We all have to come together to stem the deterioration of society. This was Sobho’s mission and we need to continue with it.”

Normally at a condolence reference tributes are given in the form of speeches but in the case of comrade Sobho, they were also expressed in poetic verses in Sindhi, English and Urdu by several admirers, including Muslim Shamim, Imdad Hussain and Dr Ghazala Rehman.

The programme ended with a performance on the poetry of Sheikh Ayaz, Rabindranath Tagore and Shah Abdul Latif Bhitawi by classical dancer Sheema Kermani.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2015

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