Shoukat Hussain Shoro is regarded as one of the pioneers of the modern Sindhi short story

Muhammad Habib Sanai

Shoukat Hussain Shoro is regarded as one of the pioneers of the modern Sindhi short story. According to a renowned writer and poet Qamar Shahbaz (Late), Shoukat — lost in his thoughts, lonely and dejected amidst the bustling fair — was among the few young writers who gave a new direction and vision to the Sindhi short story.

About his literary journey, Shoukat himself says:

My grandfather and uncle owned a large collection of books of tales and legends, and my grandmother regularly told us stories. Very early in life, I had read Alif Laila, Hatim Ta’i, Mumtaz Damsaaz, and Dāstān-e-Amīr Hamza. I would regularly send my writings to Gulistān, a children’s periodical published from Hyderabad. During my high-school years, I also began translating stories and getting them published in the literary pages of Sindhi newspapers.

“In the 1950s, Sindhi literature was dominated by Progressive writers. Naturally, when I began writing, I was influenced by the Progressive movement — my characters were an oppressed peasant and a tyrannical wadero.

“In the 1960s, however, the political situation in Pakistan and the injustices faced by Sindh led to the rise of Sindhi nationalism, which also left its mark on Sindhi literature. As a result, I moved away from class issues and began to write about the injustices and oppression suffered by Sindh and its people.”

“In 1971, after the Indo-Pakistani War, the eastern wing was lost, and the political and economic conditions of the country were at their worst. A large number of Sindhi youth were depressed and disillusioned due to widespread unemployment — we were among them.

“The following decade, the seventies, was a period of upheaval shaped by modern ideas and movements emerging across the world. During this time, a new kind of short story began to develop. In India, Sindhi writers had already started writing modern Sindhi fiction, but here in Sindh, the trend arrived later. A few of us — Manik, Mushtaque Shoro, and I — embraced this modern form.

“We faced strong opposition and were accused of distorting the language’s grammatical structure, spreading immorality, opposing the Progressive movement, serving as agents of American imperialism, and promoting frustration and hopelessness.

“The truth, however, was different. We had realized that literature alone could not bring about social change. Writing had helped us see this clearly. We had abandoned the long-cherished dream of transforming society through stories and poetry — and for that, we faced the criticism of political writers.”

Early Life and Education

He was born on 4 July 1947 in the village of Haji Noor Muhammad Shoro in District Sujawal. He received his primary education at the village Primary School and completed his matriculation from Chandio High School, Sujawal, in 1963. He then did his Intermediate from Sachal Arts College, Hyderabad, and earned Masters in Sindhi from the University of Sindh in 1968.

Employment

He began his career as the Editor of the monthly Gul Phul, published by the Sindhi Adabi Board, Jamshoro. Later, he was appointed as a Script Producer at Pakistan Television (PTV), but soon he joined the University of Sindh, where he eventually retired as the Director of the Institute of Sindhology, Jamshoro.

Writing Career and Works

Shoro began writing in 1964, and his first short story, titled Akhyoon Roee Payoon (Eyes Wept), was published in the Sindhi monthly Rooh Rehan. To date, four collections of his short stories have been published:

• Gongi Dharthi Boro Akas (Dumb Earth, Deaf Sky, 1981)
• Akhiyan Main Tangyal Sapna (Dreams Etched in Eyes, 1983)
• Gum Thiyal Pachho (The Vanished Shadow, 1989)
• Raat jo Rang (The Color of Night, 2011)

His short stories have been translated into Urdu, Hindi, and English. His story “Death of Fear” was included in Unbordered Memories: Sindhi Stories of Partition, edited and translated by Rita Kothari, and published in India in 2009. Hindi translations of his stories by Sandhya Chander Kundnani and Hiro Shevkani were compiled in an anthology titled Khoi Hui Perchhai (Lost Shadow), published in 2017. In 2018, English translations of his selected short stories rendered by Ram Daryani were published in an anthology titled Color of Night.

He authored six solo plays and four drama serials for Pakistan Television, in addition to four radio dramas. The Institute of Sindhology entrusted him with an ambitious project: to compile a representative selection of Sindhi short stories spanning a full century, from 1914 to 2014. He completed this landmark anthology, and its first volume was published by the Institute in 2017 under the title Sau Saalan joon Choond Kahaniyun (Selected Stories of One Hundred Years). He also served as editor of several issues of Sindhi Adab and Sindhological Studies, both brought out by the Institute of Sindhology, Jamshoro. Beyond this work, he contributed numerous columns and wrote insightful critical essays.

Books and Special Issues of Periodicals

During his lifetime, and after his passing, several books and special issues of magazines and periodicals devoted to his life and art were published. The first such work, published during his lifetime, was titled Shoukat Hussain: Shakhsiyat ain Fun (Shoukat Hussain Shoro: His Person and Art), compiled by Muhammad Usman Mangi and published by Sindh Manik Moti Tanzeem, Hyderabad, in 2009.

According to a Facebook post by a writer and poet Ali Dost Aajiz, Niaz Panhwar has written or compiled a book in Urdu titled Shoukat Shoro: Aik Uhd Saaz Afsana Nigar (Shoukat Shoro: A Trailblazing Short Story Writer). Ali Dost Aajiz has also mentioned that special issues dedicated to Shoro’s life and work have been published by Sindhi magazines such as Koonj, Saranga, and another literary periodical featuring critical essays on his personality and art.

He was also scheduled to share the stage with Rita Kothari in a session titled “Sindhi Writers Across the Border” at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2018. However, due to a visa denial, he was unable to participate in the event.

Affiliations and Awards

He served as a member of the Board of Governors of the Sindhi Language Authority and received numerous awards and recognition shields in acknowledgment of his literary contributions and cultural services.

He passed away on 9 November 2021 after a brief illness.

Read: Vali Ram Wallab: The Translational Genius

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Muhammad Habib Sanai is based in Hala town of Sindh. He is a freelance writer and contributes his research-based articles to various newspapers and other publications.