Razzaq Mahar, 48, a noted Sindhi playwright and short-story writer, died of a heart attack in Larkana at 2.30am on Thursday. He is regarded as one of the best creative writers the Sindhi language produced in the 1970s.

He used his creativity to discuss social thoughts with a technical finesse. Most characters of his stories and plays portray the great sorrows and small happiness that make up the lives of the poor.

Thus in the late 1980s it was his well-received TV serial Jiyapo, produced by Mohammad Bakhsh Samejo, that had for the first time exposed the ugly face of bonded labour and private jails that existed in Sindh. Regrettably, some so-called Sindhi intellectuals disputed the existence of bonded labour in the province. But when the first private jail, set up by Ghulam Hussain Khokhar in Sanghar, was unearthed by law enforcers and human rights activists, the people realized that Razzaq had depicted the truth by exposing this inhuman practice. After it, a series of private jails were busted, and the bonded labour started to get freedom.

Razzaq was born on July 20, 1954, in the Larkana city. He began writing short stories in Sindhi in 1974. Initially, he was inspired by the stories of Amar Jaleel, a big name in Sindhi literature, but later he developed his own art and craft, earning on the way the much deserved appreciation of his readers, as well as of his contemporaries.

His first short story was Krishna Haathi Je Agyaan (Krishna before Elephant). His three Sindhi serials — Jiyapo, Wichhotyoon and Paataal — were telecast by the Karachi centre of the PTV.

These serials established him in Sindh. Besides stage plays, he wrote over 10 solo plays in Sindhi for the PTV also. FIR was his most popular play which was staged in Larkana in 1994. Before his death, he was working on a number of Urdu serials for the PTV and private TV channels.

Razzaq wrote over 40 short stories. Sukoon Kithey Aahe, is a collection of his stories. Dahandar Leeka (short stories), Disee Dukhoyan Khe (columns) and Torcher Camp Maan Niktal Daanha (novel) are his unpublished works.

The Sindhi Adabi Board and the Sindh Cultural Association had each given him a literary award for his short story Aarah and TV serial Jiyapo. He hated retrogressive and repressive laws. Apart from writing, he was interested in education and worked as assistant professor at the Degree College, Larkana.

When Mohammad Ali Pathan, a noted poet and close friend of Razzaq, broke the news of his death at 3.15am, I could not believe my ears though tears rolled down my eyes. A few days earlier he had told me on telephone that he would visit Karachi soon and the two of us have to organize an exhibition of paintings of his friend Shafqat Hussain Wadho. I have still not overcome the shock of his separation and feel as if I’m waiting for his arrival.

Razzaq Mahar was a man of great tolerance and patience, with unwavering commitment to the cause of his people. In his death, we have lost a great man, writer and friend.