Amrita Pritam, Waris Shah - some inputs from Pakistan...

Here are some inputs on Amrita Pritam’s `Ode to Waris Shah’ from across the border.. 

Umar Rafi, who is far more qualified than me in these matters, has this to say…

I have, perhaps, yet to read any single piece of poetry more powerful than this piece by Amrita Pritam by any South Asian poet in any of the languages I can speak. This includes Ghalib, Mir, Faiz, etc. Maybe one or two of Bulleh Shah's philosophical saraiki works would compare, as would Iqbal’s `Shikwa’ and `Jawab-e-shikwa’. Had Amrita Pritam written nothing else besides this one piece, this alone would have been enough to ensure her place in history!

This poetry is in extremely difficult Punjabi, and there is a theme to it. Actually, all of India wasn't really partitioned - only Punjab and Bengal were (and later on kashmir) Not Tamil Nadu nor Sindh etc, which only faced migrations but not complete cultural and social and demographic overhaul. The people who suffered the most, thus, were not Hindus or Muslims, but Sikhs - and Amrtia Pritam was a Sikh(ni)....

There is a theme to this poetry, which needs to be kept in mind to translate it - the poet is linking Punjab's partition violence to the Heer Ranjha story..........and furthermore, stating that while the villains in that story were always villians, now even the heroes in the story have become villains, i.e. those who should be protecting have become aggressors..

sane sej de beriaaN, luddaN dittiaaN rohr,

sane daliaan peengh aj, piplaaN dittii toR

Keeping the theme in mind, this needs to be re-examined. Luddan is not a thing........its a person.....and sej de beriaaN is not a wedding bed.....its a boat with a bed...specifically, Heer's personal boat, which had a bed....Mr. LuddaN (pronounced without the silent N) was Heer's boatman/oarsmen....the person responsible for ensuring the boat doesn't turn over while she slept on her boat bed......

LuddaN dityaan rohr therefore implies that the very person who was to protect Heer (i.e. luddaN) and had, perhaps, always been protecting her.......in the partition situation, even he turned against her, and cast away/turned over the boat on which she slept......

Piplaan ditti tor has the same theme....for a long time, the pipal branch, on which the swing was tied, ensured the security of the swing.........not allowing it to break.......at partition time, the branch (guardian of the swing), itself broke the swing.......

Historically, Punjab was, generally, a separate country and, of course a separate civilization.......it has its own unique ethnicy, language, boundaries, culture, DNA, stories etc. ....However, Punjabi is, unfortunately, a dying language in Pakistan (where the majority of the world's Punjabi speakers reside)......62% of Pakistanis speak Punjabi/Seraiki as their first language......however, Punjabi is now, more or less, only a spoken language in Pakistan......hardly anyone writes it.....hardly any university teaches it.......or any school.....national education is all in Urdu/English, hence as the literacy rate goes up, Punjabi kids stop speaking Punjabi and start speaking only Urdu.......still there is still a lot of Punjabi speakers, but hardly any writers......soon there will be limited Punjabi speakers also.........Punjabi history is not taught as a separate subject......the one thing keeping Punjabi allive in Pakistan is music and movies.........i think a couple of generations and Punjabi in Pakistan will turn into Urdu.........and with it will die a very old civilization........

The one thing that will, of course, keep Punjabi alive is the Sikh religion; which is in Punjabi.......

Research by Samina Rizwan on Luddan

A final and break-through discovery on Luddan has been made, thereby negating all previous discoveries. Which were apparently all incorrect...........

Luddan who was Heer's ferryman (her chauffer), Heer apparenly had a famous bed in a boat, which Luddan threw away in this poem........

Before her sacrifice for Ranjha, she proved herself to be a very courageous and daring young girl. It is said that Sardar (Chief) Noora from the Sambal community, had a really beautiful boat made and appointed a boatman called Luddan.

Noora was very ruthless with his employees. Due to the ill treatment one day Luddan ran away with the boat and begged Heer for refuge. Heer gave him moral support as well as shelter.

At the third watch of the day, when the sun began to slope to the west, Ranjha reached the bank of the river Chenab. Many travellers were assembled at the ferry waiting for Luddan, the ferryman, to take them across. Ranjha said, “Master ferryman, for the love of God take me across the river!”.

Heer and her girl friends came to the river to bathe. The tinkling of their anklets was heard from afar. They descended on the boatman as a hailstorm sweeps over a field. They ordered the guards to be bound hand and foot. Heer spoke straightaway and said, 'Luddan, you black-faced rogue, why have you defiled my couch? Whom have you allowed to sleep on my bed? Have you no respect for me or fear of God that you have done this thing?'

Luddan lifted his hands and said, 'Spare me, Lady, I am innocent. I did not invite the lad to sleep on your bed. The songs that he sings have cast a spell over our hearts.'

Heer made answer in her anger, 'Does he not know that this is the kingdom of my father Chuchak; I care for no one........."

So a tie-up of Heer, the famous bed the famous boat and Luddan (the ferryman)

In Conclusion...

The revised translation, therefore should be…

sane sej de beriaaN, luddaN dittiaaN rohr,
sane daliaan peengh aj, piplaaN dittii toR

The wedding bed, the boat Luddan has cast away
The Pipal branch, the swing lies broken in disarray