Ghulam Rasool
Mulla (b.1939) is a nationalist produced by an
era of deep deprivation. Mulla believes in his destiny as the poet of a
subjugated people whose rights have been snatched and whose vast land has
been under alien hegemony. The establishment of Pakistan and the accession
into it of the Baloch Country was the greatest shock to Mullah, whose
poetry depicts a revolutionary trend with an optimistic overture under
agonizing socio-political conditions. The movement for self-determination
influences him. The general frustration after the events of 1948 shaped
Mulla’s poetry to a great extent. Mulla has a deep possessive affection
for his homeland. His style and poetic genius placed him among the few
revolutionary poets.
The first compilation of Mulla’s poems
appeared in 1981 entitled Bazhn. A few excerpts condensed and rendered
freely are produced below:
Balochistan is my heart, my soul,
and a. panacea for all
conceivable pains of life.
Why should I not sacrifice,
or hesitate to suffer
indignities of confinement,
when my motherland is facing
the poisonous bullets19
You will face the consequences of your
evils,
You will suffer from trickery and sweet talks,
And
hateful taunting,
You instill fear like tigers,
You boast as
a superior,
But I have never seen signs of bravery or respect for
You,
In the pages of history,
Do not consider me
helpless,
Do not see my condition as miserable.
You are
prosperous, strong,
I am weak, mindless.
But do not be off
guard,
The day will come when you will account
For all your
evil doings,
The Baloch are miserable,
Their youth appears
aged, unclothed, and unfortunate
There is no remedy for
them,
They cry and cry at night,
For help and
succor,
I wonder why all the ills aim at the Baloch
Listen
to me the great youth,
Let us commit ourselves
To struggle
and retake our land,
Unite and lead our people to happiness and
respect
Listen to me the honor less devil,
You never regret
the oppression, cruelties,
You perpetuate on me,
You have
caused misery everywhere,
Children and newborn are
crying,
Bleeding in tears.
A fire may destroy you
I
will take revenge.
Can you see the wrong yow have done, o
despicable!
Looted our land, our dwellings,
Traces of evil
and destruction everywhere,
I am witness to all this,
But I
am patient, hopeful,
That you will also be burnt
And
destroyed
The way you are destroying me22
O the grown-up
youth of my people Let me narrate a pathetic tale, give you happy
news.
If you see the sun red, bright moon and stars, any
redness in flowers, these must be the blood of your people. You are the
son of a great people, Hailing from Baloch Khan, Mir Chakar and Hammal.
You are the son of Kambar, You belong to Aali and
Beebagr.
You are my only hope, the spirit of a great people, you
will do the impossible, If you want my advice, have the courage to face
the bitterness.
Embrace the revolution and destroy the
enemy
O my comrade!
Your motherland has been
captured,
The enemy has spread over your land like the pigs in
multitude.
They have pillaged a vast land,
Ravaged our
dwellings,
The bullets are coming like rainfall.
Why are
you at ease?
Your motherland has been subjugated,
You have
been made a slave,
Thugs and cowards are ruling you,
Your
national rights snatched and the beautiful country is being
looted.
Your brothers have been killed,
Sons are hungry,
thirsty,
It is your people, who are being destroyed,
It is
your land, which is being devastated,
By the worthless,
contemptible,
Why do you consider yourselves weak?
Take up
your guns, check your strength.
Murad Sahir’s compilation of poems,
Pahar, (Fazul Academy, Karachi, 1970) is an appreciable contribution to
Balochi literature. He has a grieving heart but a healthy mind.
Balochistan occupies the highest place in his thoughts. His poetry circles
round the beauties of the land and his people. He believes in total
revolution and waits the day when a ‘tirade from the east’ sweeps the
entire world. Baloch subjugation is referred to in several poems. Murad is
proud to be a Baloch and expresses his determination to continue the fight
against national oppression. He is not direct and aggressive like, Mullah,
or philosophical like Sayad Zahoor Shah but his poetry reflects a constant
endeavor to send his message of revolution to Baloch youth.
