Waris Shah

          (e-content  created by Dr N A Jarandikar)

 “I Say unto Waris Shah” is a poem written by Amrita Pritam, a well-known Punjabi writer honored with the Sahitya Akademi Award, Padma Shri, Padma Vibhushan, and the Bharatiya Dnyanpeeth. In the poem, she appeals to Waris Shah to wake up from his grave and turn over a page of the Book of Love. According to the poet, when one daughter of the fabled Punjab wept, Waris Shah gave voice to her silent grief. Today, a million daughters of Punjab are weeping, but there is no one to speak about their condition.

The poet then describes the miserable state of the daughters and paints a somber picture of Punjab. The pastures are full of corpses, the river Chenab has turned crimson, and someone has poured poison into the five rivers of Punjab, making the once fertile land toxic. Not only the water and land but also the wind in Punjab has become poisonous, causing the people to behave madly. As a result, the songs of Punjab have vanished, the spinning wheel is stopped, the swing along the branch of a tree is snapped, the flute is lost in bewilderment, and blood is raining on the earth. The princesses of the valley weep in the graveyards.

In this sad and pathetic condition of Punjab, there is no one to give voice to the sorrows of these daughters. Therefore, the poet once again appeals to Waris Shah to wake up from the grave and turn over a page of the Book of Love.

The references in this poem are essential to understand who Waris Shah is and the reasons behind the sad condition of Punjab and its daughters. Waris Shah is an 18th-century Sufi poet known for his famous poem “Heer-Ranjha,” a love story that, according to Amrita Pritam, gave voice to the silent grief of Heer. When a million daughters of Punjab weep, it is only natural for Waris Shah to turn a page of the Book of Love, which is an epic poem depicting the love story of Heer-Ranjha.

The poem is set against the backdrop of the partition of India in 1947, leading to the creation of two nations, India and Pakistan. Punjab, one of the main provinces, was divided, causing significant suffering for the Sikh community. The communal violence that ensued highlighted the brutal nature of mankind. Sikh women and children became soft targets. In “I Say unto Waris Shah,” Amrita Pritam vividly captures the heart-rending picture of Punjab through powerful imagery such as crimson Chenab, poisoned five rivers, cursed land, and blood-rained earth. In this way, the poem reflects the poet’s emotions and feelings toward the suffering caused by the partition.