HYDERABAD: Speakers paid homage to legendary scholar Shamsul Ulema Mirza Qaleech Baig for his extraordinary services in the domain of Sindhi language and literature and stressed the need for having all his unpublished works printed.

They said that Mirza was a genius whose influence transcended his age and land but he was denied international repute for reasons yet to be discovered through research.

They were sharing their views at a programme organised by Shamsul Ulema Mirza Qaleech Baig Research Chair at University of Sindh Jamshoro to mark the 91st death anniversary of the great scholar.

SU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Fateh Mohammad Burfat who presided over the event said that Mirza was the most proliferate and versatile writer who penned his works in all branches of poetry and prose and on a variety of subjects as diverse as theology, horticulture and agriculture and his bibliography reached 480 mark.

He said that Shamsul Ulema meant sun of knowledge and it was an honorific title that was bestowed on him by the British government for his great services in the field of education. Mirza Sahib’s work merited more research and Sindh University’s Qaleech Research Chair was undertaking, highlighting and promoting diverse aspects of Mirza Sahib’s colossal literary output, he said.

“Sindh has historically been a centre of literary activities and it used to be frequented by scholars from Iran,

Iraq, Turkey and other countries. Firdousi had also mentioned Sindh in his Shahnama,” he said.

Mirza’s grandson Mirza Aijaz Ali Baig said that his grandfather was an uncontested pioneer of modern Sindhi literature. “My illustrious grandfather served the cause of Sindhi language all through his life by putting into it his sweat, toil and blood,” he said.

Declaring his grandfather a polyglot and a polymath, he said Mirza Sahib had produced 480 books on 60 disciplines in over 25 languages over 76 years of his life and stressed the need for publishing all the remaining books of the great scholar.

Prof Mohammad Saleem Memon, director of Shah Abdul Latif Research Chair, University of Karachi, praised the content, quality, theme, character and calibre of Mirza’s drama anthology compiled by eminent author Naseer Mirza.

“Mirza’s translations, be they dramas, prose or poetry, wear and exude an indigenous aura as Mirza Sahib seems to take keen personal interest toward lending them local habitat and make them relate more intimately to the readers,” he said.

He underlined the need for publishing more of his works, reprinting already published books and making arrangements for the translation of all his works into English, Persian, Arabic and other international languages besides Sindhi.

Nafees Ahmed Shaikh, writer, said that more events on the great scholar’s personality and works should be organised from time to time to enable new generation to fully benefit from his contribution to literature.

Mirza Qaleech Baig Research Chair director Dr Nawab Kaka and others also spoke while drama anthology based on Mirza’s plays was also unveiled on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2020