HYDERABAD: Indus River featured in a session on the third day of the ‘9th Ayaz Melo’ on its penultimate day, Sunday. Conservation of heritage sites and resources was also discussed.

Panelists Abadeen Yousufzai, Parvesh Shaheen, Rana Mehboob and Panah Baloch of the session titled ‘Sindhu Wahindi Rahey’ discussed Indus River and its dynamics. The session was moderated by Dr Arfana Mallah.

“We call Indus ‘Abaseen’ in Pashto language,” Abadeen Yousufzai said, and pointed out that Pakhtuns had long association with the Indus and their connection with this river was historical.

“Languages remain incomplete without Indus River,” he remarked. No river in the world carries the quantum of water the Indus do. People living along both banks of the river are aware of its beauty and wrath. Indus could be quoted among all rivers of world, he said.

Parvesh Shaheen, a Pashto language poet from Swat, referred to his research on languages of the people living in upper reaches of Indus and said that his research found that there were 42 languages spoken in the areas. “But all these languages are at risk,” he said, adding that many of these languages had already vanished.

“My research shows that there is one language among them which is limited to just nine families,” he said.

He appreciated people of Sindh for doing something to save their language, and noted that only Urdu got preference and funds for its promotion.

“Indus is a river that throws gold; there was a time when a market used to be functioning in Buner where this gold used to be traded,” he said.

People of Indus areas were educated and the area used to be centre of trade. “Indus is a heritage of religions, cultures, languages, cultural diversity and alphabets,” he said.

Rana Mehboob, a Seraiki-speaking writer and poet, said that the river’s actual name was ‘Sindhu’. He said Mohenjo Daro that educated the world about urban civilisation was a city of Indus; the river also taught people how to live. But, he said, invaders destroyed its civilisation. They changed attitudes and habits of locals. “People of Indus civilisation who were hardworking were rendered lazy,” he observed.

Panah Baloch, A Balochi-language scholar, remarked: Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai’s cry echoes along Indus. He said Sindh and Balochistan were not separate entities as the latter was also connected with Sindh through Indus. “Water flows from streams and torrents from Koh-i-Suleman and Kalat and reaches Dadu and then enter the river. The two provinces are linked culturally and socially as well. The Mehrgarh civilisation had four eras; and a popular saying is that people of Mehrgarh had inhabited Mohenjo Daro which then went on to develop linkages with Mesopotamian culture, according to him.

Guest speakers at another session paid tributes to Sheikh Ayaz for introducing new trends in Sindhi poetry and modernise it. They said he chose Sindhi language to remain connected with the soil of Sindh. His poetry encompasses culture, history, language and political conditions. He was a poet of nature and had depicted Karoonjhar in a unique way in is poetry.

Speaking at the session ‘Ayaz, Mor Aeen Karonjhar Ji Kor’ Riffat Abbas, a Seraiki poet, regretted that Karoonjhar was today being dissected. He said that noted playwright Asghar Nadeem Syed in his paper had reminded [Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari] that Karoonjhar was the legacy of Bilawal’s elders and he must do the needful to save it.

He said that saving Karoonjhar was a ‘symbolic war’ and if it became successful, then it would mean a huge victory. But if lost, then it would also mean a defeat of the people of Siraiki Waseb and Cholistan.

He said that looting national heritage like these hills in the name of minerals extraction was tantamount to fleecing a nation. He asserted that people want to rob us of plants, trees, rivers, land and sea. He said that heritage and historical things were linked with people’s lives thus needed to be conserved and protected. He told audience the that people must show unity to protect Karoonjhar as entire world was observing how these resources of Sindh were being looted.

“Politics has different meaning for mighty and a difference meaning for those who believe in masses politics,” he quipped.

Bharo Armani, a poet, said people present here were all ‘workers of Karoonjhar’. Ayaz had highlighted the hills extensively in his poetic songs. “Kolhis and Sodhas of Karoonjhar had fought Britishers for years and it took the latter long time to conquer it,” he said.

Dr Nazir Mehmood, a researcher and scholar, while speaking at a session on ‘Ayaz ji shairi mein Sindh and Palestine jo isteearro’ said that Ayaz spoke for not only Sindh or Palestine, but also spoke against oppression wherever was seen and felt as if he himself was subjected to tyranny.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2023