Issue 42 Vol II, June 30, 2007

L I T E R A T U R E

Twilight of the Folk Forms in India:
Pakistan Still Retains Them
Dr. Jaspal Singh

NO other narrative of competitive Punjabi culture has captivated the Punjabi mind like the medieval legend of Heer Ranjha. The first rendering of this great romantic tale was done by Damodar Gulati, a Khatri from the village of Jhang who is supposed have personally seen the unfolding of real life events pertaining to this heartrending romance. These after a number of attempts have been made by dozens of poets to further romanticise this love tale. But Sayyad Waris Shah outshines all of them. He composed    the greatest marvel of Punjabi literature known as Heer Waris Shah towards the second half of eighteenth century. In fact, this particular text in course of time turned out to be the most authentic narrative of composite Punjabi culture that made Waris Shah the greatest poet of Punjabi just as Shakespeare is that of English.

Heer Waris Shah has a particular style of rendition with long drawn out lilt that emanates from the heart and directly strikes the hearts of the listeners. It is not easy for a singer to produce the exact rhythmic modulations of the lyrics. Yet there are some gifted singers with rich mellowed voice who carry their listeners along. The impact is so powerful that the listeners spontaneously sway their heads while crowning the popular lyrics from the great poem along with the singers.

Ustad Khadim Hussain Warsi and his disciple Hussain Akbar from Shekhupura Pakistan are now touring the towns of Indian Punjab, singing Heer Waris in the traditional mode, enthralling the large gatherings of spell bound audiences. Khadim Hussain Warsi is a believer in Sufi faith and for him Heer Waris is a poetic discourse in Sufism. Perhaps because of such faith he religiously follows the tenets of classical rendition of the great poem. To maintain the purity of style and to propagate it further Warsi and his student Akbar run an academy called Bazm-e-Qalaam-e-Warsi that trains singers in the Waris lore. Every year at Jandiala, the native village of Waris Shah where his ‘mazaar’ is maintained as a place of pilgrimage, Heer singing and rendering fairs are held. Singers are lustily cheered and the best among them are honoured with rich awards. Punjabis flock to this place from across the world.

Now-a-days pop music and singing style being in vogue, these traditional forms have very few takers among the younger generation. New singers believe more in physical actions and kinesic movements than in pure singing which depend more on the lung power and guttural modulations. The last few decades have seen gradual disappearance of traditional singing patterns particularly that of great romances of Punjab like Heer, Mirza, Puran, Sohini, Sassi and so on. All these romances have a specific rendition pattern though they can be sung in many other styles as well. The most important need of the hour is to preserve the traditional style. Though there can be a repertoire of different singing modes for each legend for the sake of variety. The groups and government departments associated with cultural affairs should set up schools and academies to train singers for traditional renditions of the folk forms so that rich cultural heritage is preserved and kept alive in a vibrant form for the future generations. The singers and musicians associated with these forms and styles should be paid well so that the lure of money does not wean them away.

Since there is a lot of money in pop music hence most of the singers are tempted to give up the conventional modes though they are more intimately associated with the collective memory of the native cultural groups. A people’s movement should be launched to promote the classical rendition style of all the legends of Punjab.

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