Gedicht
Popati Hiranandani
Birthplace
Where the branches of trees sway,and roses, seeing their movement, blush . . .
where sweet-smelling breezes
murmur messages of love to leaves,
and the leaves laugh gently in delight:
that is the place where I was born.
Where nature – a nymph – teases wheat fields,
transforming them into a magical land;
where the river Sindhu welcomes us,
enchanting as Princess Moomal;
where ventilators on terraces
usher in cool south-west winds;
where pomegranate buds, bowers of grapes,
and the sweet smell of mogras embrace us –
Where otakoon resound with the menfolk’s laughter,
and the aroma of wine is rich with kaisar, elachi, phudino,
and women in white flow like rivers in the passageway;
where wild fruit – pussi, peru, gedura, dounra –
remind us of Marui, the patriotic one;
and in the desert, bhagats cup hands to their ears,
singing songs of Latif and Sachal.
But now, cunning politicians
use religion to harass us,
tell me that land is not mine,
and nothing there belongs to me.
Who can snatch away my right
to say Sindh is my birthplace?
© Translation: 1998, Anju Makhija and Menka Shivdasani, with Arjan Shad
From: Freedom and Fissures: An Anthology of Sindhi Partition Poetry
Publisher: Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, 1998
Moomal: a symbol of eternal love in Sindhi folklore. Moomal, the daughter of Raja Nnd, who ruled Mirpur-Mathelo in Sindh, was tricked by a neighbouring king into losing her father’s royal treasure while he was away. When she was sent away from the palace, her sister Soomal joined her, vowing to collect wealth equivalent to the king’s lost treasure. Together the two sisters built a magical mansion, Kak Mahal, and Moomal proclaimed she would marry the first man who succeeded in reaching her through the labyrinths . . . Only one succeeded, Rano, a minister of Hamir Soomro, who ruled Sindh in 1400. However, various circumstances led to Rano spurning her, and Moomal, shattered, burnt herself. Rano rushed to her side and grief-stricken, jumped into the pyre. The two lovers were united in heaven.
Marui: a symbol of patriotism in Sindhi folk lore – a poor young woman who was kidnapped for her beauty by the chieftain Umar of Amarkot. She refused to accept the luxurious life he offers her and remained faithful to her own people, the Marus, and to her fiancé Khetsen. Marui’s own community refused to accept her, and asked her to prove her chastity by holding a hot iron bar – an ordeal that she successfully met, regaining acceptance by her people.
From: Freedom and Fissures: An Anthology of Sindhi Partition Poetry
Publisher: Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, 1998
BIRTHPLACE
© 1975, Sangeeta Malkani
From: Rooh – Sindhi – Runjh
Publisher: Popati Hiranandani, Mumbai
From: Rooh – Sindhi – Runjh
Publisher: Popati Hiranandani, Mumbai
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BIRTHPLACE
From: Rooh – Sindhi – Runjh
Birthplace
Where the branches of trees sway,and roses, seeing their movement, blush . . .
where sweet-smelling breezes
murmur messages of love to leaves,
and the leaves laugh gently in delight:
that is the place where I was born.
Where nature – a nymph – teases wheat fields,
transforming them into a magical land;
where the river Sindhu welcomes us,
enchanting as Princess Moomal;
where ventilators on terraces
usher in cool south-west winds;
where pomegranate buds, bowers of grapes,
and the sweet smell of mogras embrace us –
Where otakoon resound with the menfolk’s laughter,
and the aroma of wine is rich with kaisar, elachi, phudino,
and women in white flow like rivers in the passageway;
where wild fruit – pussi, peru, gedura, dounra –
remind us of Marui, the patriotic one;
and in the desert, bhagats cup hands to their ears,
singing songs of Latif and Sachal.
But now, cunning politicians
use religion to harass us,
tell me that land is not mine,
and nothing there belongs to me.
Who can snatch away my right
to say Sindh is my birthplace?
© 1998, Anju Makhija and Menka Shivdasani, with Arjan Shad
From: Freedom and Fissures: An Anthology of Sindhi Partition Poetry
Publisher: 1998, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi
From: Freedom and Fissures: An Anthology of Sindhi Partition Poetry
Publisher: 1998, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi
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