Amrita Pritam: I Say unto Waris Shah; Text and Analysis

 

Introduction  to Amrita Pritam


Amrita Pritam (1919-2005) is a distinguished Punjabi poetess and fiction writer. She wrote primarily in Punjabi and Hindi and is widely regarded as a pioneering voice of feminist expression in Indian literature.   Starting as a romantic poet, she matured into a poetess of revolutionary ideas as a result of her involvement with the Progressive Movement in literature. Her magnum opus is the long poem ‘Sunehray’ which won the Sahitya Akademi Award.
‘AjjAkhan Waris Shah Nun’ (I Say unto Waris Shah) is a heartrending poem written during the riot-torn days that followed the partition of the country. It is addressed to Waris Shah, the celebrated eighteenth century Punjabi poet and author of the immortal Heer Ranjha.

Early Life

She was born on 31 August 1919 in Gujranwala (now in Pakistan). She began writing at a young age, and the trauma of the 1947 Partition of India deeply influenced her life and literary works.

Major Works

  • Pinjar – A powerful novel depicting the human tragedy of Partition.
  • Rasidi Ticket – Her autobiography, offering insight into her personal and creative life.
  • Famous poem: “Ajj Aakhaan Waris Shah Nu” – A poignant lament on the suffering caused by Partition.

Read Kabir Das: Selected Verse with Explanations

Literary Significance

  • A strong advocate of women's identity and freedom.
  • Explored themes of love, pain, spirituality, and social injustice.
  • Known for her emotional depth and lyrical intensity.

Awards and Recognition

  • Sahitya Akademi Award
  • Jnanpith Award (1982)
  • Padma Shri
  • Padma Vibhushan

She passed away on 31 October 2005 in New Delhi.

Amrita Pritam remains a monumental figure in Indian literature, remembered for her courageous voice and profound portrayal of human emotions and women’s experiences.

I Say unto Waris Shah


Today I implore Waris Shah
to speak up from his grave
and turn over a page of the Book of Love.

When a daughter of the fabled Punjab wept
he gave tongue to her silent grief.
Today a million daughters weep
but where is Waris Shah
to give voice to their woes ?
Arise, O friend of the distressed !
See the plight of your Punjab.
Corpses He strewn in the pastures
and the Chenab has turned crimson.

Someone has poured poison
into the waters of the five rivers
and these waters are
now irrigating the land with poison.

In this fertile land have sprouted
Countless poisonous saplings
Scarlet-red has turned the horizon
and sky high has flown the curse.
The poisonous wind,
that passes through every forest,
has changed the bamboo-shoots into cobras.

The cobras mesmerised the gullible people
and bit them again and again
so in no time
the limbs of Punjab turned bluish.
the songs vanished from the streets
and the thread of the spinning-wheel snapped.
The girls fled the trinjan screaming
and the resounding whirr of the spinning-wheel stopped.
Ludden let go the boats
along with the wedding-beds.
The swing has snapped
along with the strong branch of the tree.
The flute,
through which blew the breath of love,
got lost in bewilderment.
The brothers of Ranjha
have forgotten
the art of handling this instrument.
Blood rained on the earth,
it seeped through the graves.
The princesses of the valley
called Love,
now weep in graveyards.
All the villains
now move about
as thieves of love and beauty.
Where shall we seek another Waris Shah ?
Today I implore Waris Shah
to speak up from his grave
and turn over a page of the Book of Love.                          

Difficult Words – Meanings

  1. Implore – to beg earnestly, विनती करना / प्रार्थना करना
  2. Grave – burial place of a dead person, कब्र / समाधि
  3. Turn over a page – start a new chapter,  नया अध्याय शुरू करना
  4. Fabled – famous in legend,  लोककथाओं में प्रसिद्ध
  5. Wept – cried bitterly, रोई / विलाप किया
  6. Gave tongue to – expressed something, वाणी दी / अभिव्यक्त किया
  7. Woes – deep sorrows, गहरे दुख
  8. Plight – difficult situation,  दयनीय स्थिति
  9. Corpses – dead bodies,  लाशें
  10. Strewn – scattered,  बिखरी हुई
  11. Crimson – deep red color, गहरा लाल रंग
  12. Poured – spilled / flowed, उँडेल दिया
  13. Irrigating – supplying water to land,  सिंचाई करना
  14. Fertile – rich and productive,  उपजाऊ
  15. Saplings – young plants, पौधे / नवांकुर
  16. Scarlet – bright red,  चमकीला लाल
  17. Horizon – line where earth and sky meet, क्षितिज
  18. Curse – evil wish / misfortune, अभिशाप
  19. Mesmerised – hypnotized / spellbound, सम्मोहित
  20. Gullible – easily deceived,  भोले / आसानी से बहकने वाले
  21. Limbs – arms and legs, अंग / हाथ-पैर
  22. Vanished – disappeared,  गायब हो गया
  23. Spinning-wheel – a device for spinning thread, चरखा
  24. Snapped – broke suddenly,  अचानक टूट गया
  25. Trinjan – gathering of village girls for spinning and singing
     गाँव की लड़कियों का सामूहिक चरखा-स्थल
  26. Whirr – humming sound,  घरघराहट की आवाज
  27. Ludden – boatman community,  नाविक समुदाय
  28. Bewilderment – confusion,  उलझन / भ्रम
  29. Instrument – musical tool,  वाद्य यंत्र
  30. Seeped – flowed slowly, रिस गया
  31. Graveyards – burial grounds,  कब्रिस्तान
  32. Villains – evil people,  खलनायक
  33. Thieves – robbers,  चोर

Read Ghas (Grass) by Kedarnath Singh: Summary, and Analysis

Summary

“Ajj Aakhaan Waris Shah Nu” (Today I Invoke Waris Shah) is one of the most powerful poems written during the time of the Partition of India (1947). In this poem, Amrita Pritam addresses the 18th-century Punjabi Sufi poet Waris Shah, the author of Heer Ranjha, and calls upon him to rise from his grave and witness the suffering of Punjab.

Central Idea

The poem is a lament for the pain and violence of Partition. Pritam reminds Waris Shah that when he wrote about the tragic love of Heer, he gave voice to one daughter of Punjab. But now, she says, millions of daughters are crying—victims of violence, displacement, and dishonor.

Themes

  • Partition Tragedy – Widespread bloodshed, loss, and human suffering.
  • Women’s Suffering – Special focus on the trauma faced by women.
  • Collective Grief – Punjab itself is portrayed as wounded and mourning.
  • Appeal to Humanity – A call for compassion beyond religious divisions.

Tone and Emotion

The tone is sorrowful, intense, and deeply emotional. The poem transforms personal grief into a collective cry of an entire region. It is both a tribute to Waris Shah and a powerful protest against inhumanity.

Significance

This poem became a symbolic voice of Partition’s pain and is considered one of the finest expressions of Punjabi literature. It reflects Amrita Pritam’s sensitivity, humanism, and feminist perspective.

“अज्ज आखाँ वारिस शाह नूँ” (Summary in Hindi)

यह कविता भारत-विभाजन की भीषण त्रासदी पर आधारित है। अमृता प्रीतम इसमें प्रसिद्ध सूफी कवि वारिस  शाह को संबोधित करती हैं और उनसे विनती करती हैं कि वे अपनी कब्र से उठकर पंजाब की वर्तमान पीड़ा को देखें। कवयित्री कहती हैं कि जब वारिस शाह ने ‘हीर’ की प्रेम-वेदना को स्वर दिया था, तब केवल एक बेटी रो रही थी, परंतु अब विभाजन के कारण लाखों बेटियाँ अत्याचार और हिंसा की शिकार होकर विलाप कर रही हैं।

कविता में विभाजन की रक्तरंजित घटनाओं, मानवता के पतन और स्त्रियों के असहनीय दुख का मार्मिक चित्रण है। यह रचना सामूहिक शोक की अभिव्यक्ति होने के साथ-साथ मानवता और करुणा का संदेश भी देती है।.

भूमिका और पृष्ठभूमि

यह कविता 1947 के भारत-विभाजन की त्रासदी से उपजी करुण पुकार है। विभाजन के समय पंजाब क्षेत्र में व्यापक हिंसा, दंगे, हत्या, लूट और स्त्रियों पर अमानवीय अत्याचार हुए। इस सामूहिक पीड़ा को स्वर देने के लिए अमृता प्रीतम ने अठारहवीं शताब्दी के प्रसिद्ध सूफी कवि वारिस  शाह को संबोधित किया, जिन्होंने हीर-रांझा जैसी अमर प्रेमकथा लिखी थी।

विषय-वस्तु

कविता में कवयित्री वारिस शाह से आग्रह करती हैं कि वे अपनी कब्र से उठकर पंजाब की दुर्दशा देखें। वह कहती हैं कि जब उन्होंने ‘हीर’ की पीड़ा लिखी थी, तब केवल एक स्त्री का दुःख था, किंतु अब लाखों ‘हीर’ रो रही हैं।

  • पंजाब की धरती को रक्त से सनी हुई बताया गया है।
  • खेतों और नदियों तक में पीड़ा और करुणा का वातावरण है।
  • मानवता, प्रेम और भाईचारे का नाश हो चुका है।

प्रमुख विषय

  1. विभाजन की त्रासदी – साम्प्रदायिक हिंसा और विस्थापन का चित्रण।
  2. नारी-वेदना – स्त्रियों पर हुए अत्याचारों का मार्मिक वर्णन।
  3. सामूहिक शोक – व्यक्तिगत नहीं, बल्कि पूरे समाज का दुःख।
  4. मानवतावाद – धर्म और राजनीति से ऊपर उठकर मानवीय करुणा की पुकार।

 प्रतीक और बिंब

  • ‘हीर’: केवल एक पात्र नहीं, बल्कि समस्त पीड़ित स्त्रियों का प्रतीक।
  • ‘पंजाब की धरती’: एक माँ के रूप में, जो अपने बच्चों के रक्त से आहत है।
  • ‘कब्र से उठना’: अतीत की चेतना और मानवीय मूल्यों को पुनर्जीवित करने का संकेत।

भाषा और शैली

कविता की भाषा अत्यंत सरल, भावपूर्ण और प्रतीकात्मक है। इसमें करुण रस की प्रधानता है। संबोधन शैली (Apostrophe) का प्रयोग हुआ है, जिससे भावों की तीव्रता बढ़ जाती है। कविता में लयात्मकता और संवेदनशीलता का अद्भुत समन्वय है।

साहित्यिक महत्व

यह कविता पंजाबी साहित्य की सर्वाधिक चर्चित रचनाओं में से एक है। यह केवल ऐतिहासिक घटना का वर्णन नहीं, बल्कि मानवता के विघटन का दस्तावेज़ है। अमृता प्रीतम ने इसे स्त्री-दृष्टि से प्रस्तुत कर साहित्य को एक नई दिशा दी।

निष्कर्ष

“अज्ज आखाँ वारिस शाह नूँ” विभाजन की सामूहिक वेदना का सशक्त काव्यात्मक रूप है। यह कविता इतिहास की त्रासदी को मानवीय करुणा के माध्यम से व्यक्त करती है और आज भी समान रूप से प्रासंगिक है।

Read Silence! The Court Is in Session: Summary and Analysis

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