Balochistan’s literary spirit flourishes

A deep hunger for the love of literature inspired people from all over Balochistan when not long ago, prolific poets, scholars, authors, and eager students gathered under the dim fairy lights of a series of literary festivals held in Turbat, the second biggest city of Balochistan.

Established in 1992, in district Kech, the Balochistan Academy of Literature and Research, Turbat, is one of the main platforms playing a significant role in conducting literary festivals to promote the Balochi language, art, culture, and literature, to celebrate the works of Baloch scholars, authors, poets, musicians, and artists.

The academy has successfully hosted several vibrant festivals including the Atta Shad Literary Festival, held to commemorate the legendary and revolutionary Baloch poets, Late Atta Shad and Waja Mubarak Qazi, and their literary contributions.

The three-day festive events that kicked off earlier last year in Kech, brought together the prominent Baloch intellectuals, historians, writers, poets, artists, professors, and students of Balochi literature, history, culture, music, and art.

“Kech has long been a hub and love for art, literature, social and political activism in Balochistan,” says Professor Dr Ghafoor Shad, the chairperson of Balochistan Academy and Assistant Professor at the Institute of Balochi Language and Culture, University of Turbat. “While there was once a huge gap for literary events, the academy has strived tirelessly to fill the vacuum, particularly in Kech, cultivating a lively literary culture in Balochistan.”

Imrana Rasheed, an MPhil scholar and English lecturer at Girls Degree College Turbat agrees with the professor. “Literary festivals denote a celebration of culture, literature, history and identity,” she says. “We celebrate it to own, preserve, and promote our identity, art, music, culture and literature. The beauty of such festivals is that we introduce and welcome new entrants in the field of literature and provide them an opportunity to learn, express, and explore literature.”

Rasheed emphasised that introducing new books and authors is not only essential for the reform of literature, but also important and constructive to analyse literary masterpieces. “The preservation of Baloch identity and literature requires top priority,” she added.

Talking to the media at the festival, the ex-chief minister, Dr Abdul Malik Baloch commended the efforts of the organisers of the literary festival. “I am a great fan of Atta Shad’s poetry, for it is meaningful and intrinsically relates to Baloch society.”

Bookworms and bibliophiles

Each festival in Turbat featured book-fairs, comprising numerous books on history, literature, philosophy, politics, and religion, fiction and non-fiction. Some 30 bookstalls set up by local and national book publishers offered a large variety of books to visitors and participants who enthusiastically browsed and bought books by their favourite authors.

“These literary events provide an amazing access to a wide range of books,” shares Aziz Hasil, an English literature graduate who believes that books hold the power to inspire and shape one’s mind. “These festivals develop a love for literature and promote book culture in our society.”

A historic record was created at the Atta Shad Literary Festival, when books worth more than Rs 3.5 million were sold, promoting and portraying a strong book culture in the Baloch society.

“Atta Shad is the author of many books including Barpaag, Gulzameen, Rochgir, Shap Sahar Andeem, and his books are in high demand among Baloch readers,” said Naeem Shad, an MPhil student from Turbat. “It was crucial not only to display his literary masterpieces, but these should have been available for purchase in the bookstalls organised here. I came to the literary festival mainly to find Shad’s works, particularly Rochgir, Shap Sahar Andeem, and Barpaag, but I couldn’t get them.”

Despite the three-day festival being a tribute to Atta Shad, the legendary author, poet, and scholar, it was difficult for the organisers to meet the demand in a short time.

Shad emphasised that Turbat’s literary institutions such as Balochistan Academy, the Institute of Balochi Language and Culture at the university, and Kech Museum Culture Complex, must conduct more literature festivals for the preservation and promotion of Baloch literary heritage.

On the other hand, Sadiq Khuda Bakhsh, a Masters in political science from the University of Turbat, who regularly visits literary festivals, was delighted to find the books he wanted available at discounted prices. “I especially visit these festivals to buy books and meet the literary scholars and authors firsthand,” he says. “I get easy access to many books with better discounts than the bookshops in Turbat city.” He added that festivals promote reading culture in the region.

Bakhsh has also made some personal endeavours to promote books and reading culture by setting up a public library in his neglected village of Meri Kallag, near the University of Turbat, about 12 kilometers away from Turbat city.

“Our seventy-ninth book review session is proceeding which reflects that the youth here have a keen interest and curiosity in reading books,” says Sadiq, during the weekly book review session organised recently, by the book-review circle at his library.

Tribute to Waja Mubarak Qazi

After the success of the Atta Shad Festival, the Balochistan Academy hosted another event to honour the late Waja Mubarak Qazi, a notable Baloch scholar and poet, for his exceptional contributions to Balochi literature.

The event featured a panel discussion among literary scholars including Professor Ghani Parwaz, Professor Dr Abdul Saboor Baloch, who is also the newly appointed Vice Chancellor of the University of Gwadar, Professor Dr Ghafoor Shad, Assistant Professor at IBLC, University of Turbat and Chairman of Balochistan Academy, Turbat, and Sajid Noor, a young poet from Pasni. They discussed Qazi’s philosophy, his literary masterpieces, poetry, and his crucial role in contributing to Balochi literature.

A well-scripted documentary, by Sajid Noor, on Qazi’s life, education, philosophy, literary works, his love for literature and his motherland was screened and a musical segment paid tribute to his poetry.

Earlier last month, the Baloch Music Promoter Society organised a festival at Balochistan Academy to honour a renowned Balochi classical singer, Shakir Zamurani.

Baloch youth are proud of their literature, culture, music, poetry, photography, and other arts. Their unconditional love for their literary icons is evident not just in festivals but also in the public spaces where their portraits are displayed. The portraits of two renowned Baloch literary personalities, Waja Mubarak Qazi and classical singer Nako Sabzal Samgi, add an artistic touch to the Gamshad Hotel in Kech and reflect sincere respect, love, and admiration of the Baloch for their culture.

“It is extremely distressing that the Balochistan government has cut 95 per cent of the budget for Balochistan Academy this year,” revealed Shugrullah Yousuf, the General Secretary of Balochistan Academy, in a speech at the festival. “The annual grant of the academy was one crore, but now it is reduced to just five lacs. It is not only an unwelcome step, but also a serious threat to the future of Baloch literature.”

Apart from celebrating, commemorating and keeping the spirit of Baloch literature alive, and thriving, an inspiring aspect of these literary festivals is to engage the youth towards literature and enabling them to contribute to art and literature in the region.

The rich legacy of Balochistan’s vibrant art, culture, language, music, literature, and traditions are central to its unique identity. Literary festivals and celebrations not only preserve the essence of the past but also evolve over time, fostering a cultural revival and progress. As it shapes the enduring narrative of the Baloch people, it leaves a lasting impact on Balochi literature, ensuring its relevance and vitality for generations to come.

Shakeel Phullan teaches at the Faculty of Law, University of Turbat and he posts on X @Shakeelphullan

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