SAHIWAL: A.D. (Allah Ditta) Aijaz of Harappa was paid tributes on Sunday by his family, friends and Punjabi language activists for his unique contribution to the Punjabi literature by collecting Dholas and Waars, two tradition forms of Punjabi poetry, from oral tradition.

A reference, Akhrain Da Kiraj, was organised by the Sahiwal Arts Council at Majeed Amjad Hall to commemorate A.D. Aijaz for his services to the Punjabi language, especially for collecting Dholas about Rai Ahmad Khan Kharal, one of the biggest symbols of resistance against the British colonisers in Punjab. Kharal was martyred by the British rulers and their collaborators in Punjab in September 1857 near Gogera. He was obliterated from the masses’ memory by the British rulers and after the Partition, by those who were transferred power by the British for serving them in Punjab.

Bashir Ahmed Bashir, a friend of A.D. Aijaz, told the audience that his late friend wandered for 20 years in the wilderness of Sandal, Ganji and Neeli Bars on foot and bicycle to collect history of the man who was declared ‘enemy of the state’ both by British and local official historians.

“During his travels, he met hundreds of men and women, especially Dhoolies, Natts, Mirasis, Dooms, Rahsdhariyas (actors), local tribes’ Sardars, popularly called Rathas, to get information about anyone who had any kind of oral record of 1857 history,” Bashir added.

Ghulam Farid Kathiya, former Federal Minister for Education in the PPP government, said when A.D. Aijaz’s book, Kaal Bulaindi, was published in 1983, many local tribes, especially those who had collaborated with British Empire against Rai Ahmad Khan Kharal, got angry with him as Aijaz had exposed their past.

Mr Kathiya informed the audience Aijaz, being a primary school teacher, had to face many hardships and financial constraints but he stood committed in objectively exposing different tribes’ role in 1857’s War of Independence. He said he argued with many heads of local tribes and told them what Aijaz had written in the book was remembered by Bar’s peoples in literary form of Dhola and Waar.

Mr Kathiya lauded Aijaz for exposing the role of the Bar leaders 125 years after they had collaborated with the British or fought against Ahmad Khan Kharal.

It is said the collection of Waars and Dholas differentiate between Murdanas, Kathiyas, Wahni Wallas, Wattoos, Kharals, Dhodies, Fatyanas who stood by Ahmed Khan Kharal while Langriyals, Baidees (Sikh), Gardazis, Badozais, Makhdooms, Qureshis of Multan, Chishtis and Gillanis collaborating with the British colonisers.

Professor Iftikhar Shafi of the Govt College Sahiwal said Aijaz in oral literature and Dholas, editing was not given importance because Dholas were sung and not written but Aijaz followed all Punjabi language editing rules in writing Dholas and compiling them in his book, Kaal Bulaindi. He said Ahmad Khan Kharal and his companions had blocked British communication between Multan and Lahore and the communication remained blocked even after Kharal’s martyrdom. Lord Berkley, assistant collector Gogera, was killed by Kharal’s companions and supporters near Koray Shah, just two days after the assassination of Kharal in Jhambhera. Prof Shafi recited a famous Dhola from AD Aijaz’s book, Kaal Bulaindi, which shows a dialogue between Lord Barkley and Rai Ahmed Khan Kharal:

Ghoryaan daiveen Ahmed Rai, ehh aahnda Berkley angraiz

Naami naik levsaan lakh Londonoo teri

Dityaan nah kisay ghorryaan tay bhoey, rannaan, ehh aahda Rai

Salami saah wich butt hondyaan

(Berkley asked Ahmed Rai to give him his mares Saying I would get you favours and limitless land from the British Queen Rai replied that nobody would give away his mares, land and women As far as one is alive) Imran Jaffar, another speaker, told the audience that Aijaz had shown the resistance of Punjab through oral history.

Shaukat Kathiya, a Punjabi activist, said Aijaz had proved this misconception wrong that Punjabi always welcomed the foreign invaders by rewriting Ahmad Khan Kharal’s freedom struggle.

At the end of reference, A.D. Aijaz’s eldest son, Tariq Ijaz, was awarded with traditional turban along with the Majeed Amjad Literary Award in recognition of his father services to the Punjabi language. Those who read out papers included Hasan Khokhar, archeologist, Riaz Hamdani, director Sahiwal Arts Council, Alweera Rashid of Punjab Lok Sujag and Dr Sajjad of Bahauddin Zakariya University.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2019