A leading character of the Opera “Doday Jo Moat” written by Shaikh Ayaz

By Noor Ahmed Janjhi

Shaikh Ayaz has created his poetry on a vast canvas with a diversity of themes, topics and subjects. His poetry contains a good deal of patriotism and reflections on global phenomena. The variety of the themes is very beautiful in his poetry. Although somewhere he has done mistakes yet being a well-known advocate he has expressed everything excellently with a good justification. His poetry as well as prose ushered in the Sindhi a thought to the world literature. It brought an inspiration and new literary traditions. He not only composed the poetry in traditional genres but also introduced the new one. He wrote wonderful operas and expressed history, strategy and culture of Sindh. The opera “Doday Soomray Jo Moat” (Death of Dodo Soomro) is one of such a heart touching operas.

Soomro dynasty is an indigenous dynasty of Sindh who ruled from Multan to Umerkot and Vigehkot. Mr. M H Panhwer has written a wonderful book on Soomra Kingdom “An Illustrated Atlas of Soomra Kingdom”. However, he has rejected the idea of the story of Dodo Chanesar. The legend and folk stories belonging to Soomra period tell much more about this wonderful story of Soomra dynasty. The legends are composed by Charans and singers. The story contains a panorama view of the fight between Soomra and Khilji troops. There are melodious couplets called ‘gahoon’ included in the narrative of the stories. It is a great heritage of mythology. It is tragedy of our literary culture that myth, history, religion and literature are intermingled and could not be sorted out to segregate from each other as there has been done by English literature in shape of Greek Mythology. In our literary culture people mix all of the elements to present the thesis of their likeness.

Shaikh Ayaz was very much impressed by this legend and he reproduced it in shape of a popular opera. It has been presented on the stage where it got a good popularity. This is a good composition in shape of beautiful melodies and if it is produced in shape of a documentary or a film it can be a world level hit presentation. It has a well-planned smart plot and proper characters. By the narration of the characters, Shaikh Ayaz has depicted the very structure of Sindhi society and its grievances. The tone and tenor of some of the characters indicate favour with justices and patriotism.

The characters include Dodo, Chanesar, Baghul Bai and Chholi. Mr. Salar Khan the commanding officer of the Sultanate troops has been depicted too. The character of Baghul Bai alias Baghi, the sister of Dodo and Chanesar is the major character of the opera. She supports Dodo to maintain high morale during the ongoing fight. Besides it, she arranges and looks after of the supplies for fighting units of Sindh troops. Dodo commanded the Soomra troops with a high moral and courage. Baghul is a wise and brave lady. She is not shaken because of untoward situations. Dodo shares her about the message sent by Allaudin Khilji in these words:

خلجي تنهنجو سڱ گهري ٿو

تخت چنيسرلئه چاهي ٿو

(Khilji asks for to marry with you and he desires succession of power for Chanesar)

She listens to it patiently as she thinks that everything is going to pass by with the passage of time. Neither power, nor wealth will remain with us forever. One should not be so attached with the wealth and other mundane things as one may forget herself or himself and be cowardice and meek that s/he may lose the courage to fight for sake of truth and may take too heels from the battlefield. One is appeared in this world without any wealth, power or other resources. Everything has to remain here in world. She apprises of Dodo about the people’s desire for the rule of Dodo. They celebrate their happiness and joy by making fun and festivities. They celebrate the achievement by wearing ajraks and singing the songs of Rano at sunset time. After the celebrations, people sleep smoothly. She warns her brother not to leave the crown for sake of people. People will be ruined otherwise. Strangers will ravage the motherland. She says:

تاج هجي ڇا ، تخت هجي ڇا،

سونو روپوبخت هجي ڇا،

ماڻهوءَ موه اجايوآهي

ماڻهو ننگو آيو آهي

ننگو موٽي وڃڻو آهي

پرهي   توکي مڃڻو آهي

تنهنجو تخت امانت آهي

سارو بخت امانت آهي

هونئن ته ڪيئي راجا آهن

ماڻهو توسان آجا آهن

ڏڌ مکڻ هر ڏيري ۾ آ،

سائو وڻ هر ڏيري ۾ آ

سانجهيءَ ٽاڻي سانگ ٿين ٿا

ڀاڻي ڀاڻي سانگ ٿين ٿا

کيڙي پنهنجي کيتي واڙي

سج لٿي جو سارالاڙي

ڦُلڙيءَ وارا اجرڪ پائي

تڙ تي راڻو ڳائي ڳائي

پنهنجي دُک کي دور اُماڻي

سُک جي ننڊ سمهن ٿا هاڻي

جي تون پنهنجو تاج ڇڏيندين

گوندر۾ هر جيءُ گڏيندين

هو ڌاريا جي پير ڌرن ٿا

ڌرتيءَ کي ڀڙڀانگ ڪرن ٿا

ڏرڙمنجهان ڪوراڙاچي ٿي

اُن کان ڪا شئي ڪانه بچي ٿي

ٻوٽن مان تتريءَ جا ٻچا

ڳرڪائي ٿي ڏائڻ ڪچا

جي تو آ ڪوراڙڏٺي ڪا

هي به ڏٺو ٿي ان جا ليڪا

مٽيءَ تي جو وقت رهن ٿا

سڀ ساسي تن کان ڇرڪن ٿا

(Whether crown or kingship or wealth and fortune, the attraction by people towards them is useless. Human being has come nude and will return accordingly. However, you have to honor the trust of people as the kingship and all of the fortune is because of that trust. People feel easy with you, there are many kings otherwise. Every household has a green tree and his own milk and butter. They celebrate their festivities at sunset in all hamlets. They have their farmlands and on every well they sing songs of Rano by wearing ajraks . By doing so, they push away their sorrows and sufferings and enjoy sound sleep. Everyone will feel in pains and pangs if you will leave the crown. The strangers will ravage the motherland like a crate snake. The snake appears out of cracks and swallows everything. It swallows all of the cheepers. If you have seen the crate snake then you may have seen its traces on land. All of the aspirants are of conscious and alarmed by the traces.)

By observing the platoons of the aliens, the tone of Baghi becomes alarming. She attributes the danger with the eruption of a crate snake out of cracks on soil. At present, the snake may swallow all of the young ones of partridges and shall leave the trace behind it. The trace will reflect a threat for every living being on earth. She suggests to king Dodo to push away the danger of the crate snake by checking it at this stage as it may not leave the trace.. a threat for living being on earth. She calls the kingship as the trust entrusted by people. Further she advises king Dodo for sacrifice for the greater cause of that trust to stop the threat and danger at this initial stage.

Every colonization has emerged on the globe as the crate snake and lives in the society in one or the other form until the natives of the land would not expel it to enjoy freedom. The crate snake swallows in toto all types of birds. By indicating the terror of the crate, Baghi assures to Dodo that there is not only resemblance of people with their parents but they inherit genetically the cultural and strategic heritage from their forefathers. People have maternal and paternal lineages. Entire intangible heritage is transferred from generation to generation. It there becomes any cowardice in the society, the succeeding generations facing sufferings because of her/his follies and wrongdoings. She says:

هرماڻهوءَ ۾ جيءُ به آهي

تنهن ۾ هن جو پيءُ به آهي

ڏاڏو پڙڏاڏو، تڙڏاڏو

روز اچي ٿو هن کي آڏو

نانو، پڙنانو، تڙ نانو

هن کان نانهه ڪڏهن بيگانو

جي تو ۾ ڪو ڪانئر آهي

ٻُٽ ٻڌي ٿو هن تي ڪاهي

هن ۾ سچ گهٽي ٿو هرهر

هن جي سگهه لُٽي ٿو هرهر

رت پُنءِ جو هي پُتلو ڇاهي

پيڙهيءَ جو پاڇائون ڇا هي؟

جي تون وڙهندي  ماريو ويندين

هن وستيءَ تي واريو ويندين

دودا تنهنجو ساه ته ويندو

ماڻهوءَ جو ويساه نه ويندو

تنهنجا پُٽ نه ته تنهنجا پوٽا

رهندا توسان پوروڇوٽا

آزاديءَ لئه رڙهندا آخر

رڙهندي رڙهندي وڙهنداآخر

تن جي لاءِ مثال ڇڏي وڃ

۽ جي چاهين خال ڇڏي وڃ

مون لئه تون جيڪو به قبولين

خلجي ، ڪُتو جو به قبولين

(Every one is a living being and he has his father, grandfather, great grandfather and all such maternal relations with him. They all are aware of him. If you have a cowardice within yourself, the forefathers attack on it like bandits. Being a combination of bones and flesh, the man is nothing is he does not follow the courageous characters of his forefathers. She suggests the king Dodo to sacrifice his life for sake of motherland because that will strengthen the trust of people and the succeeding generations will love and honor it. They will follow the sacrifice and will continue struggle for their freedom and well-being. So leave example for them in this regard. However, it does not matter her to marry with Khilji or a dog)

In this way, the sacrifice for sake of motherland strengthens the trust and creates a charisma too. People don’t only take after their parents in features but they also inherit an intellectual heritage too. Bravery is paid with charisma and honor. Cowardice gets curse in return. The tone of Baghi becomes very bitter because it is a very serious matter. Honor of the trust shown by people is on one hand while on the hand there is ferocious fight. Listening to it, the king Dodo replies Baghi in affirmative. She expresses her concern over cowardice and treachery again. How a cowardice and opportunist person behaves negatively with the values of patriotism and bravery. She is of the view that telling lies is a favorable strategy for cowardice people and they deceive their people by making false propaganda. They don’t believe in human struggle and indulge into luxuries. It is their folly. However, nature always honors the truth. Cowardice cannot imagine about the love, honor and recognition the brave people got from the masses. Shaikh Ayaz , narrates through Baghi , in these words:

ڪانئر جي هر سوچ به ڪوڙي

لاڀ به ڪوڙو، لوچ به ڪوڙي

ريت به ڪوڙي، پريت به ڪوڙي

ڄڻ هو ڪائي ڪچي چوڙي

پرجي هٿ ڪڙي سمجهي ٿو

شايد هو هي سمجهي ٿو

ڪوبه ڪئي جو ڪيتو ناهي

سڀڪجهه کاڌو پيتو آهي

ماڻهو ماس سوا ڪجهه ڪونهي

ورندڙ سواس سوا ڪجهه ڪونهي

موت ايئن آ هن جي من ۾،

چچڙ جيئن ڪُتي جي ڪن ۾

(Everything of Cowardice is false. His thinking, achievements, search, modus operandi, love are false. Perhaps he lives with his opportunity and does not think of the effects of the causes. He thinks that there is nothing reaction in world. All is as a food supplement. Man is combination of bones and flesh. Luxury is everything. Death for him is like chichr stuck on the ear of a dog)

Genius and wise people think death as the custodian of life. It safeguards the life till the full stop by nature. They look into at death while cowardice try to take to heels from the death as a dog tries to avoid the bite of chichr and runs away. However, the chichr is stuck with ear and will not be away by running rapidly.

In this way the character of Baghi is a steadfast and brave character that has been the legacy of Sindhi society. History shows that women have been performing two types of responsibilities. They had been managing supplies for the fighting troops and on the other hand, they had to encourage the moral of fighting cadres. The statue found from the ruins of Mohen jo Daro is also reflects such an encouraging lady rather than a dancing girl as the English archaeologists called it. The character of Baghi is a very inspiring character. Soomra troops were defeated when Baghi was killed and the supply was disturbed.

The character of Baghi is a reflection of the empowerment of women in Sindhi society during past. Women have been active stakeholders of power and privilege.

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About the Author

Noor Ahmed Janjhi is a senior educationist based in Desert District Tharparkar Sindh. He is author of several books in Sindhi and English on folk literature including two poetry books.