Sayad Zahoor Shah Hashomi
(Scholar Poet): Sayad Ganj
Zahoor Shah (1926—1978) was a renowned poet
and writer. A few excerpts from his book of prose, Sistagien Dastunk,
rendered freely in English, are reproduced below to show that he was
deeply shocked to see the Baloch losing their national
sovereignty.
My heart
bleeds To wet the barren land for my miserable people in the hope
that one day these lands will turn green and there will grow red flowers.
Gather the seeds of those flowers. Because these are from my
blood.
After subjugation
for a thousand years the Baloch is still oppressed by the merciless, He is
a people who can hardly be
crushed.
I am like those
brave youths who have been ambushed by the enemy...
Injured by
sword, they are lying hopeless in a vast desert without
water...
Hungry wolves are waiting to eat their flesh after they
breathe their last.
But I tell them (the enemy] not to be off
guard:
Revered mothers will bear such invincible sons
again...
The one whose ‘hands are red with my blood, says he is
pure;
The other, like a jackal who has
stolen my pouch, boasts of being a tiger,
The third that has
snatched a portion of my shawl, and has an eye on my shirt, says, ‘I am
your brother;
The fourth one is so courteous that I am
frightful...
We (the Baloch) do not want your buildings do not set
our huts on fire,
We do not require your forts; do not surround our
horns;
We do not need your stores,
Do not ravage our
fields,
We do not demand your ships; do not destroy our
boats;
We do not desire your craft do not snatch our
camels,
We do not aspire to your
Armor's; do not break our arms;
Do
not oppress us...
Lest you may be oppressed by a superior
spirit...
We are still unarmed...
And living under the
shadow of the swords. But we are not hopeless...
A day will
come...
When we will be shadowing the swords. If you are not
imperceptive than believe that you are desperately
miserable.
Sayad Zahoor Shah, in a poem, Va
Diga Suhrien Madene, expresses in a very lucid language the Bloch’s
determination to fight his way through for emancipation and
freedom.
The Baloch will crush the enemy, shedding
blood and drinking it in revenge, the poem says. In Hazar Ganjien Napan
Tawan Kanien, he exhorts the Baloch not to hesitate to withstand the
difficulties, which may come in the way of their great objective. He
reminds the Baloch of their glorious past and asks for sacrifices to
secure a position of honor and respect16 In Sarjam Bothagant, he tells
them that the enemy wishes their oblivion. Weakness is the last link
between strength and miserable ness. Wake up and do something for your
survival, he exhorts them. In Shamushkar Naban, Sayad Zahoor says he
cannot forget the Baloch country; the vast barren land, its valleys,
mountains and rivers, which he feels, are unforgettable. The people and
their history, their bravery and courage and the hardship they suffer, can
not be erased from his memory.
In an unpublished poem, Sankalan Sindien, he urges the reader to
find a way to break the chains of slavery. He calls upon the Baloch to
follow the footsteps of their forefathers, who resisted the enemy and
never let themselves be dominated by others. Unless the enemy is defeated
there will be no peace for the Baloch in their country, he says. In
another poem, Gehien Shahsawaran, the poet exhorts the people to fight the
enemy who has occupied his land. He is optimistic that the enemy will be
defeated. The Baloch will surely carry the day. In Mangahien Baloch, the
poet takes pride in the idea that the Baloch are determined to give battle
to the enemy. He hopes that the Baloch will crush the enemy and avenge the
wrong done to them.
Sayad Zahoor Shah
Hashomi Passed away, March 23, 1978 after a long, courageous battle with
illness.
Armor's; do not break our arms;