Literary tribute: UAF all set to establish Waris Shah Chair

Initiative aimed at promoting sufi poet’s message, Punjabi culture

FAISALABAD: The University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) will set up the Waris Shah Chair to work on the wisdom from messages of saints and promote Punjabi language which is  vanishing from society.

While speaking to The Express Tribune on Wednesday, University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice-Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said, “Waris Shah was a legend of Punjabi Language in the sub-continent. His realistic depiction of details of life and the political situation in the 18th century remains unique.”

He added his entire poetry was an album of colourful and enchanting pictures of life in Punjab, of varied views and was deeply absorbing.

He said, “Waris Shah was originally an author of Punjabi folk culture like ‘Heer Ranja’ which is a treasure-trove of Punjabi phrases and idioms.”

Dr Iqrar Ahmad maintained Waris Shah was a learned sufi poet and his story of romantic love was a poetic expression of the mystical love of the human soul towards God.

The vice-chancellor regretted it was very unfortunate that due recognition was not given to Waris Shah by the academia. “However, the UAF has decided to take practical steps for setting up an independent Waris Shah Academic Chair in the department of humanities and linguistics.”

He said Waris Shah Chair will be responsible for the promotion of Punjabi literature, language, culture, multilingual research based on language experiments (comparative studies) and initiating new degree programmes on the contributions, personality, literature and poetry of the sufi poet.

He told The Express Tribune that literary functions, stage performances, promotion of Punjabi culture will be held under the new initiative.

The UAF VC pointed out an infrastructure would be established for Waris Shah Chair with one professor, three associate and assistant professors as well as three research officers with the status of lecturers. Besides, a seminar room will also be setup, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2017.