Daily Times

Khaqan Haider Ghazi is an amiable personality. He has a well-built structure with reasonable height but when he talks, sweetness and cultured tone is exhibited. That is exactly what happens when he conducted his LIVE Radio Shows ‘Naina Dei Aakhe Lage’, ‘Mitraan Laai Bahaar’ as anchor on FM99, FM103 and FM95 Punjab Rang channels during last twelve years. Endless telephone calls are received in his programmes. Khaqan has Masters and MPhil in Punjabi, Masters in Arabic and LLB and his PhD dissertation is in progress. Presently he is working as Deputy Director in Punjab Institute of Languages, Arts & Culture (PILAC). He has worked for the same position in Lahore Arts Council as well. He also worked as Deputy Director Administration and Finance in PILAC. He was also Deputy Director FM95 and Finance. He has also attended training courses in Office Management from MPDD in 2009, Intangible Heritage from UNESCO I & C Department in 2012 and Public Information Officer, from MPDD Lahore in 2014.

Having said all that, we are more interested in Khaqan Haider Ghazi’s achievements in writing books, saying poetry and writing prose and above all carrying out research work. A list of his books is as hereunder.

Books:

• Band Gali Vich Shaam – Punjabi Poetry – 1989

• Dum Dum Naal Dhamal – Punjabi Poems & Kafis – 2002 & 2004

• Samay Ka Geyan – Urdu Nasari Poems – 1996

• Madhu Naal Salah – Punjabi Poetry – 2008

• Sawan Laye Udeek – Folk Stories – 2010

• Main Chaiter Nahi Chakeya – Punjabi Poetry – 2014

• Kahe Shah Hussain – Punjabi Poetic Stage Play – 2019 appreciated by Shafqat Tanvir Mirza in his column.

• Jo Aha So Aha – Research work on Shah Hussain

• Editor Punjabi Magazine Trinjan – 2010 – 2015

• Kahe Shah Hussain – Punjabi Poetry – 2019

• Sufi Danish – 2019

• The Treasure of Punjabi Literature in English Language

• Jarmani Yatra

We shall take a few samples from his above works and analyze them. The first one is ‘Dum Dum Naal Dhamaal’ – 2004. Excerpts from my book review published on August 12, 2007 are reproduced as hereunder.

Dum Dum Naal Dhamaal:

Waiting for monsoon!

It has been my profound belief that youngsters and that too from outside the main literary centers are coming out with impressive and astonishing pieces of literature. One such literary piece is by poet Khaqan Haider Ghazi hailing from Vehari. He says poetry in Punjabi. His book titled ‘Dam Dam Naal Dhumal’ recently printed in Lahore has been dedicated to the poet Gulzar. The latter has shown great satisfaction on the poetry of Khaqan through a letter written to the author and has shown desire to meet him. Why I selected the book is because of the poem written for Sufi poet Bulleh Shah by Khaqan, the last among his collection. This poem has been lifted by the author from his first book titled ‘Band Gali Vich Shaam’. In this poem he wears many caps while talking to Bulleh Shah. Firstly he gets hold of pen and writes Bulleh Shah’s name. Closing his eyes he looks at the whole world with God in the skies and mother on the earth. Then he sows seed and waits for the monsoon. He puts boundaries around his lands and enters into disputes with his relatives. Then he imagines him to be breeze. Nobody can get hold of him. He can only be seen when eye gets an irritant in it. Then he takes up the role of a river entering Gujrat. While crossing the river, each wave asks him about the fate of Sohni. Then he becomes lover. He loves his beloved who is far away. How could he enter Rangpur as there is a barricade in between?

This poem has fourteen stanzas, each with a different colour. I have only mentioned five above. The last stanza is ‘Bulleh Shah Aseen Terey Haan/Saadi Har Gal Terey Naal/Sanoon Hore Na Koi Dasda/Saadi Terey Teekar Chaal/ Aseen Maani Shah Hussain Dey/Sadey Pairan Haith Dhumal’. So, after taking many shapes, the poet finally enters into complete submission with Bulleh Shah, a Sufi Mystic who had studied Islam to become a great scholar. Bulleh Shah’s preference for saying poetry was in Kafi form of poetry. His Kafis reflect a tumultuous time somewhere around 1680 in Punjab wherein he perceived radical changes taking place in society around him. This was the time when Mughal Rule was in its decline and Sikhs were coming to power gradually. It was a chaotic time, so pessimism is seen in his initial poetry. After meeting Inayat Shah he became absorbed in a passionate longing for the Divine that his poetry richly portrayed his divine experiences. So great was his desire for union with God that he frequently exhibited unorthodox behaviour, sometime inviting scorn of others. Bulleh is now considered as one of the greatest Sufi Saints. Young generations by aligning themselves with the theories of Bulleh Shah, like Khaqan Haider Ghazi does, seek the Divine in the process!

Khaqan has other books titled ‘Samey Da Gayan’ and ‘Germany Yatra’ to his credit. The other poems in the book under review are in Kafi format and have different shades than to the one mentioned above. His poem ‘Dukhant’ depicts the grief prevalent in this society. He says that many words whether full or half dead shall erupt from inside him. He said many poems and slid them along the river. He could have lived a King’s life had he not felt for the deprivation in the society and said poems on it. He did not repent however because he felt like a fallen star, Mirza’s horse Bakki, Heer’s Ranjha, victim of Arjun’s arrow and the cup Socrates drank that had poison in it. He feels that he did not acknowledge the castles of Gottam and Mansoor’s gallows. There are many instances Khaqan has quoted of the past wherein injustice had prevailed. So, it remained to be decided whether he died or his poems died!

Another of Khaqan’s poem caught my eye is titled ‘Qeher Farida Qeher’. Here he compares death with life. He feels his feet were sunk in both. In the process, his soul has broken pieces of a bangle. Though he is wearing gold ornaments but the air is full of poison, so he fears it as the wrath of God. Then he witnesses death in the city. He witnesses the afternoon stands still. He runs for the beloved who closes door on his face. The last stanza ‘Tera Pattan Pak Sadainda/Mein Panj Tatti Khaak Sadainda/Sir Dey Saiyan Sir Tey Theher/Qeher Farida Qeher!’ gives the answer. So, the answer to all the miseries both within and outside a man’s soul lies with the God Almighty!

He has worked for the same position in Lahore Arts Council as well. He also worked as Deputy Director Administration and Finance in PILAC

Whenever there is repression in the society, like in the Martial law days, the leftists and rightists staunching align themselves with their respective schools of thought. There is no middle way. It is the tribe which Khaqan belongs to, that finds refuge in Sufism! Such persons take the path of least resistance as Sufism teaches just love and peace. The deep insight of a young person remains imbedded in the psyche, deep observations, grief and sorrows of a sensitive person like is seen in Khaqan. The only way he finds as his outlet is to express his sentiments in his poetry. In this process, books such as ‘Dam Dam Naal Dhumaal’ are therefore born!

Sawan Laye Udeek – 2010 – folk stories:

Folk stories originate from the soil. They comprise the emotions, laughter, desires, pains, sorrows and problems of people. These stories do not dawn from sky. They originate from the intermixing and dealings among the characters of the stories. Since folk stories travel from heart to heat and represent the lives of living human beings and hence need to be preserved. Khaqan Haider Ghazi’s effort for preserving stories from the river Sutlej vicinity in the dialect of ‘Neeli Baar’ is commendable, an inheritance of Mian Muhammad Aslam. Folk stories are like water taken from an ocean equivalent to a pot of water. So much and so many stories are still left like remaining water in the ocean.

Band Gali Vich Shaam – 1989 – Punjabi poetry including Kafis:

The above titled book was Khaqan Haider Ghazi’s first book in which masses were placed before the teachings of Hazrat Bulleh Shah. This book received appreciation due to its unique treatment. It is true that many great thinkers and poets like Baba Guru Nanak to Amrita Preetum have placed masses before the great Sufi Saints but Khaqan’s treatment is different in its newness. His six poetry books have addressed the pains of time, affluence of wealth, the unjustifiable division of wealth, not getting paid enough and in-time for one’s labour, indifferent attitude of the world, insensitiveness, being callous that destroy the human values. The values’ notions like sensitivity towards injustice, love and care are left in the backburner. Khaqan does not make these factors as slogans but separation and sorrows coupled with the bitter experience of life surfaces in his poetry to beautify it. Basically his poetry is representative of pains of humanity at large.

One of the poems is titled ‘Begunah Qaidi’. This short poem says a lot ‘Sabeelan Utte/Sangalan Dei Naal/Bajhe Hoe Glass/Lokan Dei Gunawah Di/Kattann Paye Saza’.

Main Chetar Nahi Chakeya – 2014 – Punjabi Poetry:

Veteran poet, writer and critic Mushtaq Sufi observes about Khaqan’s book ‘Main Chetar Nahi Chakeya’ that it employs different genres like free verse and lyrics for its creative expression. He seems to be very passionate about exploring the emotional and psychic effects the changing season’s imperceptibility has on an individual. A number of poems deal with experiencing ‘Chaiter’ which is a harbinger of spring and a metaphor of rebirth. It reminds us of Chaucer’s famous verse ‘what that aprille with its shoures soote’ that inspired T. S. Elliot’s line ‘April is the cruelest month’.

For the interest of the readers, the background of Chaucer’s poem is reproduced here. The opening lines of the General Prologue to Geoffrey Chaucer’s great fourteenth-century literary work The Canterbury Tales is one of the most powerful and evocative poems about spring in all of English literature, from its first reference to the rejuvenating qualities of April showers through to the zodiacal allusions to Aries. Here it is, in the original Middle English: a time machine taking us back to a spring more than six centuries ago.

Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote,

The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,

And bathed every veyne in swich licóur

Of which vertú engendred is the flour;

Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth

Inspired hath in every holt and heeth

The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne

Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,

And smale foweles maken melodye,

That slepen al the nyght with open ye,

So priketh hem Natúre in hir corages,

Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,

And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,

To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;

And specially, from every shires ende

Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,

The hooly blisful martir for to seke,

That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.

Another beautiful poem by Khaqann is

‘Ki Hoya Jai?’ (what if?)

Ki Hoya Jei Koi Menu

Ajj Tak Na Jaan Sakeya (does it matter if nobody knows me)

Amber Nu Dharti Taun Vakhara

Kar Kei Chaan Na Sakeya (did not filter by seperating sky from earth)

Ki Hoya Khushboo Nu Os Taun

Meet Banaan Na Hoya (what that odour was not befriended)

Ki Hoya Jai Saan Tun Apne

Saan Vich Aan Na Hoya (what if our breaths did not close on each other)

Critics’ comments:

Dr. Sughra Sadaf DG PILAC says that Khaqan’s identity as a poet is his unique approach to the art of poetry saying. Khaqan feels the pains of people around him being a sensitive soul himself. His external observations coupled with his inner revelations give new vistas to his vocabulory of universal nature. He has a troubled soul full of expressions in poetry, columns writings, poetic drama writing, and critical research work. He looks after the deprived artists. He is impressed by the spiritual poetry emnating from the city of Bullah Shah. She likes Khaqan’s following poem:

Bulleh Shah Asaan Qalam Phari (Bulleh Shah whenever I got hold of pen)

Utte Likheya Tera Naan (I wrote your name)

Aseenn Jadon Vi Akhaan Meetiyan (when ever I close my eyes)

Tei Takeya Kul Jehan (saw the whole world)

Utte Rabb Da Aasera (Up, God was my umbrella)

Tei Thalle Iko Maan (and below, my mother)

Raja Nayyar feels that presently very few are emerging poets. Generally they combine old sentences, then use Qafia-Radeef mechanically without any depth in thought. New themes and beautiful thoughts on the other hand is forte of very few, Khaqan Haider Ghazi being on the forefront. His sweet countenance is also seen in his poetry that attract the poetry lovers, like in the poem ‘Chaiter Hosh Bhulai’. It says,

Chaiter Hosh Bhulai (monsoon season made me mad)

Hanera Laah Kei Vaikheya (I got away with darkness)

Tare Dain Gawahi (stars are my witness)

Chaiter Hosh Bhulai

Raat Nu Jyun Jyun Pucheya (I asked the night again and again)

Channen Dewey Duhaai (Brightness started crying)

Chaiter Hosh Bhulai

Poet Dr. Jawaz Jafri says that he was a fellow student of Khaqan with poetry as their bond of their friendship. His poetry book ‘Band Gali Vich Sham’ came in those days and comprised poems of complaint nature. It was found that his poetry was a mix of old diction as well modern one becase of his indepth study of Sufi poets as well as modern poets. Search for his own self and truth is the basis of his poetry. Mushtaq Soofi writes that Khaqan is very passionate about exploring psychic ad emotional aspects of changing seasons like Chaiter which is barbibger of sprinng as already metioned above.

Film, drama and song writer:

Khaqan has written the story of Punjabi film ‘Basanti’ directed by veteran Hassan Askari – 2008 starring Shan, Saima and Mustafa Qureshi. He also wrote drama serial ‘Muabbatein’ for Punjab TV Channel. Khaqan is also a film lyricist. His title song ‘Dais Punjab Nei Chukeya Si Ik Soormay Vair Da Bhaar/Zaat Da Jutt Tei Yaar Ganndaasa Utton Payo Sardar’ for the film ‘The Legend of Maula Jutt’ has been lauded by writer Nasir Adeeb. He stated that he is receiving appreciation as though he has written the song but he has not. It is Khaqan who depicted the situation so well. Khaqan is also lyricist for the films ‘Kala Raj’ – 1995 and ‘Ik Pagal Si Larki’ – 1996, ‘Basanti’ – 2008 and ‘Shor Sharaba’ – 2018. His forthcoming films as lyricist are ‘Channd Chehra’, ‘Ishq Kambakht’, ‘Rang Ishq Da’, ‘Bad Boys’ and ‘Ishq Atish’. Khaqan has organizing capabilities and has organized national and international seminars, conferences, mushairas and book launching ceremonies.

The writer is the recipient of the prestigious Pride of Performance award. He can be reached at doc_amjad@hotmail.com