HYDERABAD: Speakers at the 105th birth anniversary of Dr Nabi Bakhsh Khan Baloch paid homage to the great polymath for his unmatched services for the preservation and development of Sindhi culture, language, literature and folklore.

Dr Baloch visited every nook and corner of Sindh to collect folklore and preserve culture and history and spent his entire life documenting everything about the land of Sufis, they said after cutting a cake at the birth anniversary programme organised by Dr Nabi Bakhsh Khan Baloch Chair in Sindh University on Friday.

The chair’s director Dr Fayaz Latif said that Dr Baloch had rendered great services for Sindhi folk literature. He was a one-man army who single-handedly produced work the size of which could only be matched by that of institutions, which was highly commendable, he said.

“Even today, there are people in Sindh who are trying to follow in his footsteps but they often get tired after a short walk in academic and literary fields and fail to match his perseverance in work. That’s why we don’t get required results,” he said.

He said that whatever assignment he took in his hand he did it to perfection. There was great need for developing the literary and academic labour done by him on folk literature, he said.

Dr Latif announced that the chair would organise a national conference on folk literature in February next year.

Renowned writer Nafees Ahmed Nashad said that he was close to Dr Baloch and always found him busy in research without break. People knew Dr Baloch as a great researcher and writer but few knew of another important aspect of his personality that he never did any harm to anyone nor did he respond to personal criticism, he said.

“Dr Baloch’s arguments were always based upon personal observations and research,” he said and added he had unconditional love for Sindh, its culture, civilisation and language.

Senior journalist and poet Niaz Panhwar said that Dr Baloch did his PhD from abroad but he never felt proud about it and would easily interact with common people during his frequent visits to rural areas for collecting folk literature.

He said that it was a common trait among all great men that they had not even a speck of arrogance in their personality. He would listen to all, encourage them and engage in literary conversations across the board, he said.

Dr Rehana Nazir Mallah said that scientific and literary work produced by Dr Baloch was extensive. He even worked on Sindhi classical poets, who were anonymous during Shah Latif’s era, she said.

She said that she was amazed at the sheer size of the literary and educational work he had produced despite lack of facilities and Internet during his time. Dr Baloch brought 42 genres of folk songs with him from Thar and wrote a book on women of Sindh titled Sindh Joon Manaityoon Mayoon (illustrious ladies of Sindh) in which he introduced six female artists.

Dr Abdul Majeed Chandio said that Dr Baloch’s unmatched services for the preservation of culture, language and folklore of Sindh would always be remembered. Dr Baloch also worked on geography of Sindh in addition to other literary works, he said.

Dr Nabi Bakhsh Khan Baloch Institute of Heritage Research’s director Dr Altaf Mehboob said that Dr Baloch had done great work on Sindhi linguistics, vocabulary, literature and folklore, which was a treasure trove for people and paved the way for coming scholars to conduct research on these subjects.

Founding chairman of Sindh Folk Literature Association, Aajiz Rahmatullah Lashari, said that Dr Baloch was a historical figure, who rendered great services in Sindhi literature, linguistics, elegies, folklore, culture, history and geography.

Ali Mohammad Baloch, son of Dr Baloch, said that no one could even think of the unmatched work his father had produced for Sindhi people.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2022