KONAIN SANA TERI - Naats by Muhammad Nawaz Aiman; pp 208; price Rs.300; publishers Idara Adabi Jhok, Mandi Colony, Jhang Sadar.

In the recent literary history of Jhang district some strikingly different and individualistic poets have emerged. Among them the first is Majeed Amjad who was born, brought up and educated in Jhang but later he shifted to Sahiwal (then Montgomery) and settled their permanently in connection with his government service. Anyhow, after his death his body was sent to Jhang for burial. Amjad’s literary career started with poetry in Urdu but it was under the influence of Punjabi sufi poetry and though he had not used the terms of mysticism as Sultan Bahu or other poets of the area like Ali Haidar and Haji Muhammad did, it was very subtle and in low tone. His contemporaries were Sher Afzal Jaffri and Jaffar Tahir. Both have their own inimitable style, themes and diction plus vocabulary. They were poles apart from Amjad as far as the use of high sounding vocabulary is concerned. Jaffri was narrator of beauty at all human and natural levels with a visible touch of particular local vocabulary. He used to proudly refer to the Ranjhas and Heers and Mirzas and Sahibans - the characters of two local romantic stories. Tahir used to narrate the history and cultural manifestations of different old legendary kingdoms. His poetry looks like military anthems and marshal songs. Replica of some portions of Shahnama Firdausi and the Qaseeda of Persian rulers. All that is the question of style and diction.

Nawaz Aiman, a retired teacher may not be treated at that level but in the genre of Naat he is not that much traditional in form and contents. Naat has attracted a large number of poets in the last two to three decades, particularly when Islam was totally used in defence of dictatorship and jihad in Afghanistan. But the fact is that impressive Naats have not been produced during that period. The one reason perhaps is that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has not been taken as a revolutionary who raised voice for the marginalised sections of the society. It was not the war of Kaaba statues which were his target but those powerful forces who commanded the economic structure and controlled Kaaba.

Nawaz has used almost all forms or genres of poetry like Mahia, Dohrra, free verse, rhythm and rhyme and Nazm or poem. One of his Mahia reflects the typical style of Jhangi poets:

That is another Mastmalang from Jhang.

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RAHMATAN KI RUTT … Naat … by Rana Fazal Husain; pp 157; price Rs.150 (hb); publishers Gojri Adabi Sangat, A-14, Sector 3, Mirpur (AJK).

Rana Fazal Husain is from Rajouri (occupied Jammu and Kashmir) who was involved in militant struggle against the Indian forces in 1965 and after the successful Indian defence against the Pakistani attack he migrated to Pakistan and stayed in Mirpur. He belongs to the Gujjar stock of the former princely stage ruled by Dogras. Rana Fazal Husain was a successful businessman before 1965 war but after migration to Azad Kashmir he devoted has services for Gojri programmes of Radio Azad Kashmir. Perhaps before him there was no propaganda programme in Gojri. He was a pioneer of that. On the other hand he took up the cause of Gojri language and literature which was already being patronised by the pre-India Srinagar government. Before 1965 his book was published by the government-aided organisation Jammu Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Srinagar. But his first collection of Naats was published in 1967. Rana performed Haj in 1961 and on that occasion he wrote Naats. It was the second time in 2008 when he accompanied the government Haj mission and this time he was more prolific and wrote in all forms. But basically he is close to the verse with rhyme and rhythm. He has dedicated this book of Naats to well-known Urdu Naat writer Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Brelvi. On the Roza, he never forgets the cause of Kashmir and there he prays for the freedom of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Prophet (PBUH) is remembered with 92 names and the pieces in this collection are 92. The last pages include difficult words and their meanings. Both above collections of Naat have been artistically presented and are good addition to Naatia literature.

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VICHHREY LOK by Nusrat Iqbal; pp 184; price Rs.380 (hb); publishers Book Home, Book Street, 46 Mozang Road, Lahore. Nusrat Iqbal is attached with filmmaking as a story and song writer. A photograph on the back title is about the opening of film Kaley Naag in which Iqbal is on the right side of the late actor Yousuf Khan. The book under review looks like the story of a typical Punjabi film in which within the period of twenty years people are unable to recognise each other and that is the base of the story about which foreword is written. Rana Zahid is sure that a TV serial based on this story will be produced in the introductory data of the writer. He has already two books of Punjabi to his credit of which one is this book in hand and the other is Yaadan dey Bailay. Kaaley Naag is his personal production. — STM