The Seven Queens Of
Sindh And Their Eternal Love tories Through
The Poetry Of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai
Since ages immemorial, women have been put forth
only in terms of their acceptance of the society as it is and being the patrons
of the patriarchal culture. However, a few pieces from literature inspire us to
think otherwise; and, one such piece of literature is The Seven Queens of Sindh by the famous Sindhi
Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. In this poem, he talks of seven queens who
were valued as much for their poetry as their rejection of the conventional
patriarchal scheme of life and choosing freedom and love over everything else.
Let’s us have a look at these seven princesses who were glorified by Shah Latif.
1. Sorath
This is one of the most appreciated and historical
tales included in The Seven Queens of Sindh by
Shah Latif, and has been retold again and again in Sind
as an exemplification of true love and chastity. The tale is about Sorath, the
wife of Rai Diyach of Girnar (Now in Gujarat) who happily lets go of her life
for the love of her husband, hoping to get reunited with him in the land of the
dead!
2. Lilan
If
the other poems traces the life of passionate and love-stricken princesses and
maidens, this poem traces that of pleasure-stricken and spoiled wife of Raja
Chanesar, Lilan. In her love and greed for a necklace worth Rupees 900,000 in
those days, she eagerly allowed the lady-owner of that necklace, in return of
the prized possession, to spend a night with her husband. However, the poem
isn’t all about lovelessness. The poem’s true worth comes out in the part where
she goes through all the pains and atrocities of nature to purify herself and
get her husband back!
3. Sohni
That love can transgress all the boundaries imposed by
the civilized society is exemplified the best through this tragic tale of love
and love alone! Sohni is a beautiful but hapless wife of a person who is
entangled in a loveless wedlock. However, she finds her true love in Mehar, to
meet whom, she swims across a river every single night. And, though through the
treachery of her sister-in-law she couldn’t be reunited with Meher, she does so
through death, and herein lays the charm and tragedy of the tale!
4. Noori
We come across this defiant young woman in the poem Noori
Jam Tamachi. She’s a young and beautiful fisherwoman who catches the attention
of Prince Jam Tamchi and leads him to fall in love with her instantly. But, it
was her humility, her obedience and her unending love for the prince that made
him put her as his best bride, ahead of all the royal ladies in her palace. In
fact, if you visit the Kalri Lake in Pakistan
5. Sassi
The
story, reiterated again and again in the land of Sind, Pakistan, is about a
faithful wife who’s ready to succumb to all the evils and wrath of Gods to get
back her husband who’s been captured by rivals. Shah Latif sees her journey as
a mystical one that people who’re on a quest to seek for God have to go
through! Sassi and Phunnun’s love story is an epitome of true and eternal love
that can ravish and demolish all the odds and evils.
6. Momal Rano
Shah Latif’s Momal Rano throws a light on the life of
Mumal, a dangerous but supremely beautiful courtesan who was left by her lover
Rano on the presumption that she had cheated on him. And, what follows
thereafter was a poignant saga of love where she undertakes all the treachery
and difficulty of life to prove the purity and truth of her love. This ballad
from Sind has been sung numerous times as an
example of true love that can turn all the impossibilities into a passé.
7. Marui
The story about Marui appears in Umar-Marvi or Marui which
forms one of the seven parts of the poem by Shah Latif. In this tragic love
story, we come across Marvi, a simple village maiden who rejects all the pomp
and pompousness of staying like a Goddess at the grand palace and literally
puts up a fight against the powerful king to be with her love, Umar and amongst
her own village folk!
The
same story appeared numerous times in different anthologies and was even
adapted as a TV series by Pakistan Television Corporation in 1993.
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