L I T E R A T U R E

Heer Kabal Virk
A New Rendering of The Legend
Dr. Jaspal Singh

The legend of Heer Ranjha is the most popular cultural narrative of Punjabi ethnos. The events associated with this romance are supposed to have occurred in the beginning of 16th century which Damodar Gulati, a sensitive poet of medieval Punjab had witnessed with his own eyes. The turbulent love story must have created a turmoil in the traditional social order which Damodar seems to have portrayed in his old age. Since this tale was located in the Jhang region of west Punjab so the language used by this eye witness is Jhangi (Multani) now called the Lehndi dialect of Punjabi. Maybe because of linguistic barrier this romance (qissa) could not be popular is rest of Punjab.

Surprisingly Ahmed Gujar and Mukbal also wrote about the romance of  ‘Heer Ranjha’ which became popular as they were put in a more acceptable language understood in all over the Punjabi region. The rhyme scheme of these narratives was also more palatable to the Punjabi ear. But the most moving rendition of the some romance appeared towards the end of 18th century when Waris Shah, the greatest Punjabi poet restaged the old legend in central Punjabi dialect. The rhyme scheme of Ahmad Gujar and Mukbal was further refined and subsequently it was christened as baint. Many folk poets (quissa kavis) took pride in the use of this form. Scores of romances including many versions of Heer appeared in this prosodic meter with some resilience here and there.

Now in the beginning of 21st century an audacious young man Kabal Virk from Karnal (Haryana) has stepped forward to do the legend of ‘Heer Ranjha’ all over again in the same baint form perfected by Waris Shah more than two centuries ago. Heer Waris is a veritable compendium of the composite Punjabi culture. It is also a store house of Punjabi lexicon which had not yet acquired a classical form. Many later poets had tried to imitate Waris but they could not reach anywhere near him. Both in form and content Waris still remains unsurpassable. Therefore Kabal had to face a great challenge. The standards set by Waris being Kabal’s model, he had to make a gigantic intellectual effort to achieve those norms. The young author must look like Waris yet different from him. The narrative details are like those of Waris but the poetic diction, metaphors and other figures of speech are different. Kabal has brought in a number of modern references, even the people like Marx, Lenin and Nelson Mandela occur in some of the verses.

The storyline has also been changed here and there. Some references from Sikh history also appear. Mitthi Nain, a new character plays an important role as a helper and she displays and extraordinary knowledge about men and matters. The end of story is also different from that of Waris. Kabal presents Heer Ranjha before the king who adjudicates in a fair manner and Heer is handed over to Ranjha as his legitimate bride. Both Damodar and Ahmed send Heer and Ranjha to Mecca for hajj, which Waris makes a tragic end of the story in which both the lovers end their lives.

Kabal does away with the intervention of ‘five wise men’ (Panj Peer) as well since he believes that such supernatural forces are not conducive to the spirit of modern age. In the story line Kabal inadvertently refers to those things which had not been invented in the 16th century which is the historical locale of the tale. The names of many farming implements of the year and those of many forms of sweets are added. Many references from the Quran, Guru Granth Sahib, Purans, Upnishads and the great epics appear in Kabal’s narrative. The author displays a deep understanding of classical learning. Most of the cultural indicators have been borrowed from Waris Shah. But an imprint of the present times modifies them. There are places where the present poet seems to be as good as Waris, though at most of the places he appears as a drab imitator. Description of Heer’s beauty in Heer Waris has no parallel in Punjabi literature. But Kabal’s description is inhibited by the limitation of his imagination. Similarly Waris portrayal of seasons and other natural phenomena is far sensitive and colourful yet true to life. Kabal mainly depends on bookish knowledge while for Waris life and nature were the primary sources of knowledge and wisdom. In spite of all these weaknesses Kabal’s attempt is a welcome addition to Punjabi qissa kaav which has now been completely ignored for last about half a century. The revival of an old form of literature with a new idiom is in itself a rare achievement for which Kabal deserves all praise.

BACK

With Compliments from


Gogi Sidhu
President

Satish K. Jain
Executive Vice President

1301, Mahalo Place, Rancho Dominguez , CA 90220 U.S.A.

http://www.magnespec.com
Phone:- 0013106032262

A full service mechanical and electrical engineering firm providing investigation, analysis, design services and construction administration in:

ELECTRICAL-
Interior and Exterior Lighting, Power Distribution
Short Circuit Analysis, Coordination Studies
Life Safety and Fire Alarm Systems
Security, Sound, Voice and Communications Systems

MECHANICAL
Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning systems
Plumbing, Refrigeration & Process Piping
Fire Protection, Energy Conservation, Life Cycle Analysis

Serving: District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. State registration for work throughout the United States can be arranged. Contact us for a complete company brochure