A Forgotten Hero Named Jassa

Dost-Mittur Jee:

A Correction: I wrote in Josh than in Hosh, therefore ended up substituting Z with S. It is Faz`oon and not Fasoo`n!

In the 1st line, the poet is being a little haughty and is showing some Phoon Phaan[fake ego :-)]. He claims with a lot of confidence and pride that he can excercise his writing skills anytime to portray the picture he saw.
[full of himself -- PhuR Marnaa`]

But in the IInd one, he is humbled by the beauty and realizes his incomeptency [Pride hath a fall!]. In other words, he admits the nazzaa`ra is [far better - Fazoon Tur] than his imagination. Keep in mind that he would have used his imagination to bring his claim to fruition.

PS: I said what I said, because I could not even express a tiny bit of what I read in Tusveer`ae` Kashmir. There is far more depth and each time one reads the verses there is an urge to say more and more and more! The best way of understanding and reading poetry is to read it with a conscious imagination, memorize it[you must], go back to it and then apply it where you can :-)

Take Care,

Dulla Bhatti:

Nice Story! I have heard the same view that you`ve narrated, as well as the opposite. I think it depends on how strong your affiliations are! For example, obviously people from one city will have a stronger bonding than the ones who have the same religion but are dwelling all over the world. It`s the phrase: birds of same feather ``love to`` flock together. I have not made it specific to Jats, but I know a lot of people who are very particular about what you`ve mentioned, including some Jats :-) I ain`t one, though I have some relatives who are Jaa`ts.

Sameer:
I have asked an Indian friend [Punjabi] to enlighten the readers of his views on the topic under discussion. His paternal and maternal ancestry is originally from Gujranwala & Lahore. The guy is extremely knowledgeable on all these sub-casts/tribes and their ins and outs. I hope he participates, whenever he gets a chance to look into Chowk.

Later,

Pankaj, dionysus & dost-mittar: Even after saying god-bye, I just could not resist posting another page from history which I copied from another site where I was interacting with a very knowledgeable Jat name Jaspal. Here is his post.

HI SAMEER AND ALL OTHERS,

THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND COMMENTS.

The jat history is finally a study of peasantry and its struggle against oppression and rise to political conciousness strong enough to move towards taking power itself. History was made by these Republican indepedent Jats of free land holdings however small. Only then could they keep their pride and independence intact. And History is not made by those, Jats or others, who joined the oppressors for jagirs big or small and became the so called big land lords.

Maharaja Suraj Mal/Jaswant Singh in a letter to Abdali reffered to himself as a small Zamindar in Hind and yet challenged Abdali and the Afghan Might to contest.Maharaja Ranjit Singh always used to dress very simply in white. Jats who made history always stayed connected to their roots and identity of their people the egalitarian peasant brotherhood.

And even today all peasent masses of the Indian Sub-continent share a common future.You might be surprised that when Bharatpur`s army fought against the Mughals and Marathas Combine in 1790s,the Gujars who the Jats had earlier subdued to creat a unified force became one of the strongest loyalist element of the Jat Army which also had Muslim Meos in it. These Gujars made a very big scarifice by volunteering for a suicide mission that the Jats had to take to silence the mughal artillery at one of the critical battles. A feat absolutely similiar to the famous charge of Light Brigade in the Crimean War.

These Muslim Meos had at the time of Battle of Kanwha in 1526 AD had taken the side of Rana Sanga of Chittor or Mewar against Babur,as the Meos said that Bubur was a foreigner while Rana Sanga was a neighbouring brother.

The saga of Maratha Artilery General Ibrahim Gardi who did not renounce his loyalty to the Marathas in front of Ahmad Shah Abdali after the Third Battle of Panipat in 1526 AD to get his life spared and be taken in to the Afghan Army to create and command the Afghan artillery. Ibrahim Gardi had said in reply to Abdali`s question that if his life was spared he would go back to Pune to once again create an army to meet Abdali at Panipat and never join Abdali against his brother country men who were Marathas. In an answer to Abdali who Questioned why Gardi being a Muslim had taken the side of Marathas against muslims(Abdali) ,Ibrahim Gardi had replied that to be a muslim did not mean being a traitor to his country or Watan which was Hind. Ibrahim Gardi died rather than renounce his country. And Gardi was considered the greatest Artillery Tactician or general of that time in whole of Asia.For me he is an Immortal Hero.

Jaspal

Sameer

``Next time it is going to be ``A Practical Approach to Revive Pakistan`s Economy``, in a month ``

Thanx! We will wait for your article.

Cheers

There comes a time when you have to say good-bye to things, created for you by others or your own creations. I thoroughly enjoyed interactions on this thread-about the main topic and the subsequent related-topics. It was a great opportunity to discuss topics, otherwise deemed taboo or unimportant, in a very civilized fashion. I salute all those who interacted and stayed away from discussing kil rate of F-16`s, Kashmir, Babri masjid-Ram mandir and other irrelevent issues which would have easily thwarted or truncated the discussion about the issues raised in the article.

Best of luck to all and hope to keep interacting with you at chowk. Next time it is going to be ``A Practical Approach to Revive Pakistan`s Economy``, in a month or so.

Dionysus#111,

``All this re-enforces my conviction that the true divisions in North India and Pakistan are along tribe and caste, not religion. Crude religious hatred has been used quite effectively during the last 50 years to suppress tribe/caste tensions within India and Pakistan.``

I agree. The ferocity of religious hatred can sometimes be mirrored by the ferocity of caste/tribal rivalry and rhetoric. My somewhat limited knowledge of Sikander Hayat Khan is that his opposition to partition was partially based upon his own tribal and caste loyalty: there were Sikh and Hindu branches of his family. Even though they were distant relatives, they took precedence to him over religious differences.

regards

Harpreet

Clan/tribe versus religious division. There is a short story by Illiyas Ghumman called ``ill-koko`` about 1947 whose central thesis is the same that tribal grouping is stronger than religious ones. I am not sure how true it is in real life but this is an intersting story.

Finally the time came for the only land lord Sikh family of the village to leave pakistan and go to India. Many village muslims and new comer panaahgirs attacked sardar`s house. The couple with their only son about 13 yr old hid deep in the back room. The crowd after calling them out lit the house on fire using kerosene oil. As the flames captured the room, the boy came out running, coughing, crying and beging for his life. Father held the son tight so that he can die with them(and not have to convert) but at the last moment mother lets her go as her motherly side overtook her religious faith. The crowd as beating the boy and about to cut his head apart when Chaudhary of the village saved him by saying that kid is asking for forgiveness and he will become muslim so why kill him.

Next morning in front of whole village, his hair were being trimmed. Emotions were running high and many villagers were kind of angry at Chaudhary for saving the Sikh boy. Chaudhary`s friend asked Chaudhary ``why did you save the boy? You had the land dispute with Sardarji in court. If the boy died you would have won the case unopposed`` Chaudhary took a long sigh and said ``Sardar was our jatt bhra. Fighitng with him over land was fun and honorable for me to do. if the boy died the land and house would have been taken by the panaahgirs. What honor would be in fighting over land with people whose zaat I don`t even know?``.

Of course it is paraphrased to the best of my memory as I read it few years ago.

Dost-Mittur Jee:

A clarification on the use of apostrophes and other stuff.

I write using apostrophes and other stuff because I write Arabic with Aa`raab than Aaraab :-), therefore I have the habit of writing Urdu in that style as well. It is also an excellent way of making the pronunciation as well as the right emphasis visible. Probably I would not do that if I am writing Urdu in Urdu, but as it is reading from English alphabets, therefore people who are particular about pronunciation[Talaf`uz]they will write that way.

I have few close Punjabi Indian friends, epitome of knowledge and zeal, who will make a lot of fun of my style. My response - Sanoo`n Kee!

:-)

Dost-Mittur Jee:

Thank you for your sweet wishes. This masterpiece, rich in similes and metaphors, is very close to my heart. [So I needed to take out some time to explain this to you. Sorry for the delayed response].

Each stanza is inter-linked and not a stand-alone entity. You cannot extract words and have them translated literally and expect to understand the context. This heavenly poem was written in September 1936 for a Mushaira in Sri-Nagar. I have just posted three parts out of 49.

Hafeez` words are to be read a number times before one can claim to have a thorough understanding. This poem, in particular, relies heavily on lots of similes and metaphors so you cannot conduct a literal translation -- I repeat! And you should not! [I simply detest whoever does that]

Please keep in mind the poet has taken on the responsibility of describing the natural beauty of Kashmir [Tusveer`ae`Kashmir -- Picture of Kashmir]. He is overwhelmed and not sure, if only his words will suffice and give the true picture what his eyes see. He begins with an inner dialogue. And also wants the reader to be aware of the challenge at hand. The poem starts with the following:

I

[Mau`rkaa Dur`Paesh] Hae`Juzbaa`t Kee Tuf`seer Kaa
Ho Ruha Hae` Tuz`kara Kashmir Main Kashmir Kaa

(Maurkaa is not by itself; it`s Maurkaa Durpaesh Hae`)

Here, the poet is narrating the ``inner turmoil - not the actual war``[Maurkaa Durpaesh Hae`] he is going through to express his feelings about Kashmir while being in Kashmir.


II
Khe`nchana Tusveer Kaa` Lana Hae`[Joo`ae`Sheer Ka]
Rung Bhur Dae Aae`Qalum!Ulfaa`z Main Taa`seer Kaa

[Jooa`ae`Sheer: As described my Sameer.]

It`s ``very difficult`` for the poet to draw the real picture of its beauty, therefore he prays ``Rung Bhurdae` Aae Qalum....``
In other words, O pen! Enrich my words with the color of beauty[of Kashmir] than something only written in black and white.


III

Vujd - This expression is mostly used in reference to Sufi gatherings -- mystic or ecstatic state. When the zikr is in place the audience gets into the mode of Vujd. Again, you cannot imply ``mystic or ecstatic state`` here, as they are only achievable by living beings and not by rocks and stones. So it will mean immense joy and pleasure.

A Gnostic #80

Sorry I didn`t see your post earlier. Greetings to you too, but do we know each other?

dost-mittar #99

My interpretation of your remarks was correct. Reread your post. If some Khatris have started to use the name of one of the elite Jatt clans, what are we supposed to think? (BTW, Kakkar is a Pathan tribe.)

Are you aware of the fact that in West Punjab `Khatri` is universally used as a term of abuse without people even knowing the original meaning of the word? I was into my twenties before I found out that `Khatri` was a Punjabi tribe/caste and not just a swear word.

Even a beggar is a king in his own mind and in his own house. The ego is an important part of human nature. But you flatter yourself greatly if you think that Khatris have ever had the power, influence and prestige of Jatts in Punjab. When even Rajput clans like the Minhas (and many Bhatti sub-clans) call themselves Jatt to raise their social status and political influence, I can only laugh at your comments about what lowly Khatri shopkeepers think about Jatts.

All this re-enforces my conviction that the true divisions in North India and Pakistan are along tribe and caste, not religion. Crude religious hatred has been used quite effectively during the last 50 years to suppress tribe/caste tensions within India and Pakistan. But I don`t think this can continue for much longer. I believe tribe/caste pride is so strong that, unsuppressed, it could even blast the Indian and Pakistani states out of existence.

dost-mittar: maarka means battle or struggle; joo-e-sheer literally means canal of milk (from Farhad digging a canal in Shirin-Farhad) but it generally means a very difficult task and wajd means trance although some people take epileptic seizures as wajd also but wajd is supposed to leave a pleasant feeling.

Hafeez Jullundhari made extensive use of Persian in his poetry of early years. Hafeez might have expressed the feeling of a famous song:

bari mushkil se dil ki beqarari ko qarar aaya

as

qarar-e-beqarari-e-dil, maarka tha joo-e-sheer ka

I hope you get the pont. The -e- (meaning ``of``) and -o- (meaning ``and``) are extensively used in Urdu poetry. More recently, -e- (Persian) is being replaced by -ul- (Arabic) with the same meaning. In near future, with the imposition of sharia in Pakistan or Diwan-Ghalib published by some lashkar, harkat or tehreek press might change the famous line from Ghalib:

sar zer-e-bar-e-minnat-e-darban kiye hoowey

to

sar zer-ul-bar-ul-minnat-ul-darban kiye hoowey

(translation: I am indebted to door-man for constant begging/ requesting to let me in)

RE ZAHRA # 105

God Bless. Made my day/weekend.

Pankaj: I think it was worth exploring a different area which is not commonly discussed among urbanites. That is why you do not see many articles or material available on such topics. Another advantage of discussing such topics is the absence of bickering, name calling and polarized atmosphere in which other India-Pakistan issues are discussed. Any time you keep the religion and politics away, such friendliness and understading is often observed between Indians and Pakistanis-particularly in desi diaspora. How can this common heritage be used to increase the understanding and even relationship between two adverseries and turn it into a decent relationship between two neighbors?

Zahra: I hope dost-mittar has a strong Persianized-Urdu vocabulary to understand Hafeez Jullndhari`s poetry.

Dost-Mittar Jee:

Here are few jewels from the invaluable treasure of Hafeez` Tusveer-ae-Kashmir:

I

Dear Dost

It seems you are also fond of Hindi literature(from your statement about Vaishali...). Although I was educated in a Convent school, I developed deep interest in Hindi literature, thanks to the efforts of my class teacher, and one of my friends. The short stories of Premchand, according to me, rate among the best in the world along with Chekhov, Maupassant, Saki and O`Henry. I can never forget his stories like ``Doodh ka dam``, ``Kafan``, ``Mantra``, ``Panch Parameshwar`` etc. The other authors that really impressed me were Jayashankar Prasad, Mahadevi Verma, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, Harivansh Rai, and Makhanlal Chaturvedi. I remember a story by Jayashankar Parasad in which he brings out the psychological trauma of a young girl torn between her love and her duty towards her motherland. The end is a bit idealistic in which she sacrifices herself to fulfil her promises made both with her lover and motherland . I believe that story was inspired by the character of Amrapali. Just curious,have you heard of the immortal lines by Jayashankar Prasad:

``Himadi Tung Shring se, Prabudh Budh Bharati,

Swayam-prabha, Samujjwala, Swatantrata Pukarati...

``

Dear Samir

Despite the unfair objections by some people that our talk about the Jats/Rajputs has cast/ethnicity nuances, I find it interesting for some other reasons. From an academic point of view, I think some research into how group identities evolve can ultimately furnish a fresh insight into the evolution of cultural values itself. In my opinion, a serious study in this field entails a multidisciplinary approach combining anthropology, psychology and sociology.

I believe that not much research has been carried out to highlight the fundamental factors responsible for such a rich diversity of cultures prevalent in the subcontinent. The diversity in perception and way of thinking, as you move from north to south, east to west, in India always amazed me. May be future scholarships produce some insightful analysis, instead of simply stating some dubious historical events, or writing a biased/subjective version of history.

Sincerely

SameerJB post #96

What do u know about Sindhi/mohajir relationship?

Dear Dost

Atcually I dont have a detailed knowledge of who actually were nagar-vadhus and how were they selected. The literal meaning of the word nagar-vadhu menas `` the bride of the city``. From whatever little knowledge I have, a nagar-vadhu was selected after by king on the basis of certain qualities like expertise in music and dancing, and may be beauty. It also appears that these nagar-vadhus were educated and especially Amrapali had some taste in literature. It was her love for Ajatshatru in conflict with her patriotic feelings for motherland ie Lichchavi republic that made her immortal in the annals of history. After the fall of Vaishali, she realised the transitory nature of the worldly existence and sought peace in Buddhism. She adopted Buddhism and became a Buddhist nun in the later stages of her llife. I remember a Hindi movie and several plays that attempted to portray the wonderful conflict of emotions of this ``Vaishali ki nagar-vadhu`` ie Amrapali.

Sincerely