Mast Qalandar

In an earlier post on Sohni Mahiwal I had said folklore was a mixture of beliefs, facts and fiction and that it was always a poet who immortalized a love story. But, it is also true that a poet chose to sing a particular story, and not the other, because of its inherent beauty, drama and poignancy. Mirza-Sahiban is one such poignant story of blind love.

The story came down to us through a 17th century Punjabi poet, Piloo (Peeloo), in oral or ballad form. Since then, many poets and writers have written the story. But, because of its unique rustic style, brevity and boldness, Piloo’s version of the story became popular, and is widely sung and celebrated in rural Punjab even today.

The story has also been translated into Urdu, both in poetry and prose, and a short version in English is included in a book ‘The Legends of the Punjab’ written, in 1884, by one Captain R. C. Temple.

The story has also been translated into Urdu, both in poetry and prose, and a short version in English is included in a book ‘The Legends of the Punjab’ written, in 1884, by one Captain R. C. Temple.

The Education Department of Punjab, Lahore, published Mirza-Sahiban in Urdu in 1951, interestingly, with the title: Mirza Sahiban (for adults)!

Since most of the ATP readers, I assume, are adults, I have no qualms in relating the story to them, as I know it.

Adil Najam

The Fajr attack in Pakpattan Sharif, on the shrine of Baba Fareeduddin Masud Ganjshakar was one more in a series of very targeted and very strategic attacks on shrines of Sufi saints across Pakistan: Rahman Baba, Data Sahib Hassan Ali Hajveri, Abdullah Shah Ghazi, many more, now Baba Fariduddin Masud Ganjshakar.

Once again, they left Pakistan numb in grief, distraught and shock. Shock, not because it was new or surprising. But shock because it has again exposed the systematic targeting of belief by religious bigots and extremists who are very consciously and very deliberately targeting and spreading fear amongst any and all whose belief, or even ritual, they disagree with.

Adil Najam

It is time, yet again, to request our readers to please grade the performance of the key figures in Pakistan politics. We had asked you to do so in April 2010 and earlier in 2009 (here and here). We had presented the comparison  between these two results here. Given the political twists and turns since then, we think it is time to seek your opinion yet again.

Can you please grade for us the performance of the six power centers in Pakistan: the President, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice, the Chief of Army, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Media. The focus, once again, is on how you think they have performed in these roles. In this installment of ATP Polls we would like to find out how you grade the performance of those holding key offices in Pakistan: President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kiani, and Opposition Leader Nawaf Sharif. Once again, we have included the Media (as a whole and as an institution) since they also influence Pakistan’s power balance.