A Glance on Sayad’s Immense Exertions for Balochi Language

Sayad Zahoor Shah Hashmi

 Perhaps the treasure of words for humans known as a language is the greatest need for communication or to pass on the social, civil, political as well as ideological thoughts of a particular nation. A specific language is the only way for a nation to survive till centuries. There used to be a time when Balochi was a language that was only spoken but was hardly written though it has vast history that dates back to the prehistoric times.

  Having a glance on Balochi Language, we will find out that after the nineteen fifties, many Balochi writers, researchers and linguists commenced their work on Balochi but one of the researchers, who sacrificed his whole life for only his language, was Sayad Zahoor Shah Hashmi. He was born in the peninsular beauty town Gwadar on 21st April 1926. He completed his primary education from the first school of Gwadar known as Saeedia School along with school his father taught him at home as well. From his early age, his interest towards his education and devotion of penning down got boost. In the mean time his social and political struggle in Gwadar carried the movement. later, with the encouragement form a person named Qasim Hoot, Sayad wrote his first serenade (Dastoonk) named "nagumani chist bant dar kayant oparag mani". In the coming few years, Sayad's love for his mother tongue amazed every one. Sometimes, a person loves something so much that, the devotion takes him to the highest peaks of dedication. It won't be wrong to say that Sayad revivified Balochi Language.

 He travelled to various parts of Balochistan to find out the different words of Balochi used by three dialects of Balochi language known as Makrani, Rakshani and Sulaimani. He found out the ancient words and phrases of Balochi which were no more in use. He researched about the common mistakes while writing Balochi and explained some great pattern for Balochi Language in his famous book "Balochi Syahag-e- rast nibisag". Along with this perhaps his greatest effort is the first Balochi dictionary "Sayad Ganj" with thousands of words, their meanings, photographs, opposites as well as usage. Sayad’s authentic dictionary was published after Sayad’s death from Sayad Hashmi Academy liyari Karachi. Sayad’s lexigraphy, is truly a tremendous treasure for Balochi language that he dedicated to his nation.

 The first Balochi navel "Nazuk", which recently got fame through PTV Bolan as a drama serial is also another literary work of Sayad. Through his novel he sketched a picture of the people living near the coast and specially the social criteria of life in Gwadar of that time. His novel was later translated in Urdu by Ghaos Bakhsh Sabir and published from the Pakistan Academy of Literature, Islamabad.

 His poems and serenade (Dastoonk/Ghazal) had a unique enthusiasm that encouraged the youth for unity and carried the love for his motherland as well as mother tongue as Balochi language, Balochi traditions and Culture. The unprecedented innovative pattern of Balochi poetry that Sayad brought forth increased the beauty of Balochi Language. Many of his poetry contained the name "Hanul" several times. No one knows who Hanul was but it's assumed that Hanul might only be a symbol that Sayad used to represent his poetry. Most of his poetrry carried eloquence to motivate the new generation. Some of the lines, from one of his famous poem are as follows:

                                     

                                        Bya  pada  shtke'n  talarani   dila'n  dera'n   kan'en

                                       Grabaha'en  dosti  o  mehra'n  pada  arza'n   kan'en

                                       Mara  cha   raha  gisar  kurtag  e  berahe'n   saraa'n

                                       E dil a hoona'n cha sohre'n madan'en randa'n kan'en

Sayad motivated the youth to struggle for the nation and defined the importance of national independence through his revolutionary poetry. Some of them are as follows:

                                         

                                          Da'n k  jal   ma  tai  daryae'n  dila   aach   na  beet

                                          Pa tai  banura'n gulae'n tangahe'n pardaach na beet   

In Sayad's several poetry, Syed declared his patriotism for his motherland and demonstrated for the rights and liberty of nation.

As he wrote:

                                        man kadi sardari o mitaab o kelag bor o  lashkar  lot  itag

                                        man kadi murwaridag o tanga, hazina, mal o gohar lot itag

                                        zumbatag  o  kiste'en paman  yak   gungdam'en  lashkar  e

                                        man cha zuraka'n e raj a zahtage'en  galani  gaptar  lotatag   

                                                                                           

Sayad's poetry contained an affection that made the readers think about social and political issues. His poetry touched the hearts of millions of youngsters as well as elders. As a poet and author he penned all that he saw in his society which made him the author of the most researched books related to Balochi language. Following are the published books of Sayad Zahoor Shah Hashimi:

       

  Sayad Gunj (Balochi Dictionary)                     

  Balochi zuban o adab ki tareekh (A research Urdu book "Balochi language and literature’s history")

  Juz-Amma (Balochi Translation of last Juz of Holly Quran)

  Balochi syahag a rast nibisag (Based on patterns of   Balochi writing.

  Balochi Bungiji (Beginners’ Balochi)

  Nazuk (Novel)

  Trap kane'n trump (poetry)

  Angar o trungal (poetry)

  Shakale'n shahju (poetry)

  britkage'n beer (poetry)

  Sistage'n dastonk (poetry)

  Balochi Urdu Bol Chal

  Sichkan'en sassa (poetry)

  Sayad namdi (Letters from Syed)

 Shah Lachakar (A research Book)

 Mir Gind (Short Story)

 Gisad Gwar (poetry)

  

His research, poetry, essays and novels carried an exceptionally unique art of writing that added a new dedication to Balochi literature and increased our language's scope though out the world. He kept expertise not only in Balochi but also in Arabic, Urdu, Persian, Hindi, Sanskrit and English. Sayad's dream was to see his language as developed as the other dominant languages of the world. For his dream, he played his role sufficiently in fact he sacrificed his entire life only for Balochi language. In his short life of fifty-two years, he only lived to write, to struggle and to research. In the last few months of his life he suffered from tuberculosis. It's amazing how he still continued to write when he was admitted in hospital in Karachi. Sayad left this world on 4^th March 1978. Today several research institutions are named after him. Some of the greatest examples are the Sayad Zahoor Shah Hashmi Reference Library, Malir Karachi and Sayad Hashmi Academy which was established in Kacachi in 1985 but was later shifted to Gwadar. The academy has been successful in publishing numerous books and through the library hundreds of people are still benefiting in the shadow of knowledge. Undoubtedly, Sayad’s extraordinary initiatives had made him immortalize in the hearts of millions forever.