Daily Times

KARACHI: “Writers and poets are the real leaders of any nation. Despite facing difficult times, they sacrifice their lives for the prosperity of their nation,” Federal Minister for Shipping and Ports Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo said on Sunday.

He was speaking at a ceremony to mark the first death anniversary of renowned Balochi language poet and fiction writer Baig Muhammad Begal at the Arts Council of Pakistan.

“Begal brought smiles on the face of people through with his poetry and fiction. It is a very difficult task and yet he used to do with ease. This makes him different from other poets,” Bizenjo said, adding that Begal was not an emotional poet but he had his own style.

“Due to lack of education, our people remain unaware about their writers and poets, who are the real national heroes. We don’t know them, and we lack academies and institutions needed to highlight the works of our poets and writers,” he said.

He further said that Begal’s services for the Baloch people was at a par with that of Mir Gul Khan. “It is a historical fact and no one can deny it.”

Addressing the ceremony, Vsh TV chief executive officer Ahmed Iqbal paid rich tribute to Begal and said that he lived in poverty and endured economical crises, but these hardships did not stop him from struggling for the betterment of Balochi literature.

Professor Dr Ramzan Bamri said that Begal was a true lover of his language, indetity and culture, and by his poetry and fiction, ‘he had proved that he was a true lover of his motherland’.

On the occasion, a book on Begal’s life, published by Zind Academy, based in Noshki, Balochistan, was also launched.

Zind Academy head Yaar Muhammad Badni said that the works of Begal were a treasure of the Balochi language. He also spoke about the book launched on the occasion, saying that it would play a huge role in keeping the poet alive in public memory.

Professor Kamila, Profesor Hafeez Jamali, Asghar Ali Azag, Zahida Raisi and Hassan Ali Hassan also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Daily Times, April 16^th 2018.