HYDERABAD: Speakers on the concluding day of the third six-day ‘Ayaz Melo’ discussed how Ayaz emerged as modern patriotic poet after the partition and became the voice of Sindh.The Mela proceedings ended on Monday night on the premises of Sindh Museum. It was organised by Khanabadosh Writers Cafe.

A session held on the ‘Role of Ayaz Poetry in Sindh’s Political Move­ments’ was addressed by Qaumi Awami Tehrik leader Ayaz Latif Palijo. Session was moderated by Taj Joyo. He said Ayaz’s all first three books were banned in the era of Gen Ayoub and he was also imprisoned.

Palijo said poetry ran in blood and was more important than prose. He said it was poetry that was needed for promoting courage to bring about a revolution and express one’s feeling of joy or sadness. He said romantic poetry was also in fact the name of social revolution. Shaikh Ayaz’s poetry led people to politics and from romance to resistance, he said.

He said he was deeply impressed by Ayaz’s poetry which his (Palijo) mother had sung on stage. He said her songs used to mesmerise people and make them dance. He stated that it did not matter whether you reached destination or not, but keep walking was indeed an uphill task.

He said Ayaz was a good lawyer and after taking care of his children’s upbringing, he gave too much importance to poetry.

He said Shaikh Ayaz was the name of resistance to tyranny. He stated that the era of Ayaz did not have political awareness and it was Ayaz who had raised that awareness among the people facing chaos.

He said that Moenjo Daro, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai and Shaikh Ayaz were the identity of the people of Sindh.

Dr Dodo Mehri of the Sindh Untied Party sang ‘waee’ of Ayaz to say that no nationalist movement of Sindh could begin without that ‘waee’.

He said he along with other jail inmates used to sing Ayaz’s patriotic poetry to gather courage when the entire prison would sleep. Paying tributes to Shaikh Ayaz as he trod a difficult path, he said that reading him was important for the people of Sindh.

Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (A) senior vice-chairman Ameer Azad Panhwar said that no programme in Sann got under way without Ayaz’s poetry which was considered as anthem. He said Ayaz had played a dominant role in the post-1947 Sindh.

He said Ayaz had discovered Sindh for people and he had paid tribute to the heroes of Sindh in his poetry which was inclusive of romance, revolt and hope.

He said Ayaz had shown difference of opinion with G.M. Syed, but it was of political nature. He said the rulers could not create personalities who in fact created history.

Taj Joyo opined that Ayaz had great influence of M.N. Rai; he had an element of national struggle and resistance.

At another session, daughters of Shaikh Ayaz, Dr Roohi Altaf and Yasmin Joyo, discussed the memories of their father. Dr Roohi said their father was humble and polite man. She said he used to spend time with the family despite his preoccupations and would take them for shopping in moonlit nights.

She said he was a lawyer of high calibre besides being a poet. She stated that Ayaz as a romantic poet had influence on her. She further said that her father had loved his spouse more than what Ghalib and Saadat Hassan Manto did. She said her mother was also a poetess, but her poetry had been wasted. She said she had a stick of her father, chair and a shawl which was from India.

Yasmin Joyo said her mother had played an instrumental role in her father’s success. She said Ayaz did not teach them Sindhi, but her mother did after they passed their tenth grade.

She said Ayaz inclined towards religion gradually though he was away from it initially. She recalled that he used to say that his poetry could not be understood by them. She said her six daughters proudly said Ayaz was their maternal grandfather and Ibrahim Joyo paternal grandfather.

Amar Sindhu, Arfana Mallah, Taj Joyo, Nasim Jalbani, Haseen Musarrat and others said Ayaz’s poetry was still relevant and it kept Sindh’s national soul alive in the current political conditions.

Certificates were given to volunteers. Sindhu said on the occasion that she got Rs920,000 as financial assistance from Commissioner Hyder­abad, Munawar Mahe­sar, sec­re­tary board of revenue and others.'

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2017