ISLAMABAD, April 14: Speakers on Thursday recalled the outstanding and lifelong contribution of Dr Nabi Bakhsh Khan Baloch in preserving the culture and folklore of Sindh, terming him a “moving library” on the province.

“He visited every nook and corner of Sindh to preserve its history and culture,” Mir Mukhtar Talpur of Sindh Adabi Sanghat told a reference, organised by Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL). “He worked hard all his life to document everything about Sindh.”

Dr Baloch, who died on April 6, authored 150 books, including 10 volumes on the life and poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.

His major contribution, according to Mir Talpur, was work on folk literature and Sindhi language dictionary. He lauded that Dr Baloch, born into a home of a farmer on December 16, 1917 in village Jaffar Khan, contributed to education, literature, folklore and history. He said the scholar also wrote books in Arabic, Persian, English and Urdu.

MNA Gul Mohammad Khan Jakhrani said Sindh was fortunate to have a person like Dr Baloch, adding that he spread the message of tolerance by working on the life and works of Bhittai. Replying to a demand of naming a road after him in Islamabad and Hyderabad, Mr Jakhrani said Dr Baloch was an icon who did not need a signpost for recognition.

Ghazanfar Mehdi called for reprinting the works of Dr Baloch, saying that personalities like him gave identity to literature and culture. He regretted that the cultural and educational institutions in Islamabad were doing nothing to highlight the scholar's works.

Other speakers said Dr Baloch, who did his master's from Aligarh Muslim University and went to the Colombia University and did a doctorate in education, had opportunities to work in the United Nations but he preferred to come back.

Speakers termed him along with Allama Kazi as the “founders” of the Sindh University. Leaving the jobs in the information department and the Foreign Service, they said Dr Baloch preferred to become the first professor in the Sindh University and set up the first “department of education” in Pakistan.

They also highlighted his contributions as secretary of the ministry of culture, his days at National Institute for Research in History and Culture in 70s and as founder vice-chancellor of the International Islamic University in 80s.

Speakers also demanded setting up Dr Baloch chairs in the universities of Sindh and Islamabad.

In a message, Fakhar Zaman, chairman PAL, termed the death of Dr Baloch a great loss for Pakistani literature. He said Dr Baloch was a founding fellow of PAL. In 2005, he was given the Kamal-e-Fun Award.