Allahdad Mirani played an effective role in various literary organizations and expressed his love for the world of letters
By Anila ‘Neel’ Mirani
Whenever the account of Sindhi literature will be written, covering the period from the late 1960s to the first decade of the 21st century, the historian will never forget to refer the name of Allahdad ‘Javed’ Mirani, who not only made his mark in the field of Sindhi fiction and essay writing but also left his mark in the history of publishing ij Sindh. He became an important character of the literary activism of his era, by playing an effective role in various literary organizations and expressed his love for the world of letters.
This noted Sindhi litterateur was born on August 14, 1946, in the house of Muhammad Hussain Mirani, as his eldest child, in Dadu, the prominent town of Sindh, which is said to be ‘the heart of Sindh’. He was named “Allahadad”. He had only one brother, who was two or three years younger than him. As a child, Allahdad was given his primary education in his native town, after which he obtained a master’s degree in economics from the University of Sindh, Hyderabad, but his education continued throughout his life. After obtaining his Master’s degree, he accomplished a law degree (L.L.B.). He also did his Master’s in Political Science, later in his life.
While entering the practical life, Allahdad established a printing press in Dadu town, during the late 1970s or early 1980s and published Dadu’s first weekly newspaper, named “Awaz-e-Sindh”, under the editorship of Hafiz Ahsan Channa, a well-known poet and intellectual of Sindhi language. Mirani chose Hafiz Ahsan as the paramount choice to run this paper, who rendered his editorial services meritoriously and the newspaper was highly admired among the literary circles of Sindh. Allahdad, who had been active in the literary field since his boyhood, established a literary circle in Dadu, under the name of “Anjuman-e-Aftab Adab”, under the banner of which he organized a number of literary and cultural activities such as seminars, poetry competitions, mushairas, folklore conclaves and stage plays. He left no stone unturned in playing a vibrant role in promoting the literature and culture in the city. Besides being associated with various literary and social bodies, due to his unique style of speech in addition to writing, he also performed as a host and master of the ceremonies, in a skilful manner, in most of the literary events of the town. He was also an active member of the Dadu branch of ‘Sindh Graduates Association’ (SGA), a recognized social organization of the province Furthermore, he was also a active member of “Sindh Welfare and Cultural Organization” (SWAKA), the largest social organization of Dadu at that time. He performed a number of prominent community undertakings from the platform of this association.
Allahdad Mirani started his professional life with employment at a bank and performed his duties as a bank manager of UBL in almost every small and big town of Sindh. In 1987, he was promoted to the rank of ‘Audit Officer’ and settled permanently in Hyderabad. He received many awards and honors for his outstanding performance in the banking sector. During his stay in Hyderabad, he also gladdened his literary taste and continued to contribute in the local literary gatherings of the town. Especially after the year 2000, he played a dynamic role, under the leadership of Hameed Sindhi, a well-known Sindhi short story writer and intellectual and served as the secretary of his famous “Bazm-e-Rooh Rehan”, a literary forum.
In the literary arena, the short story became the identity of Allahdad Mirani. He wrote some short stories under the pen name of “Javed Mirani”, but due to his high attention towards the official responsibilities of his profession, only a few of his stories could be published in different magazines in his life, including the famous stories “Chaadar” (the bed sheet) and “10-15 Deenhan” (Ten to fifteen days) etc., which were published in “Mehran” the quarterly magazine of Sindhi Adabi Board.
Javed Mirani, after retiring from his bank job in 2006, started practicing law and continued till his last breath. In the year 2010, due to the diagnosis of some health issues, he had to be admitted to a Karachi hospital’ for treatment. He recovered and returned home after initial phase of his illness, but the same month, he had to be admitted to the hospital again, where after only one and half a weeks, he suffered a severe heart attack and passed away on Tuesday, August 31, 2010 – Ramadan 21, 1431 Hijri. He was buried the next day in the cemetery located in Gulistan-e-Sajjad, Hyderabad. He left his literary legacy in the field of literature in the shape of two sons and four daughters, successfully performing in their respective fields
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Anila ‘Neel’ Mirani is a short story writer, storyteller, essayist and academic-practitioner associated with leading international organizations in the field of education. She has extensive experience as a development worker, training teachers as well as an educational consultant and pedagogical auditor. Anila’s numerous articles have been published on social issues in various newspapers and many of her stories have been published in the form of children’s literature, which are taught in many public and private schools in Sindh.
