At this critical juncture the voices of humanist poets like Tanveer Abbasi are vital towards steadying our bearings in the storm

Whose corpse is this on the battlefield?

Hee kehnjo lash aa jang jey maidan ma.n*?

As the news media inundates our screens with a deluge of images of lifeless bodies in the deadly wars raging in the world, the late Tanveer Abbasi’s poem hammers the questions each corpse poses for humanity: Whose corpse is this on the battlefield?

Which side had more power?

Which, less?

Who bled more?

Who, less?

Who bore severe damages?

Who, fewer?

Who suffered heavy wounds?

Whose were lighter?

Who became bloated with hubris?

And who had to bow their head?

On whom rained more bombs?

And whose houses got razed?

On whose side more children were orphaned?

On whose side was the merciful god?

On which side there were fewer fires burning?

On which side there were lesser sighs?

On which side there was less pain?

And on which side less helplessness?

Whose corpse is on this battlefield?

Has his side won?

Or have they lost?

Has he become a martyr?

Or has he been dumped in hell?

Who was showered with blessings?

And who with curses?

No matter whether he has won or lost

This is my dead body

This is your corpse

It isn’t he who has won or lost

It’s you and I who have been defeated

Humanity has been defeated

And head-bowed stands Mercy

While political concerns were often reflected in his works, Tanveer is celebrated as ‘a poet of love’. He is revered as a Universalist and an uncompromising humanist

It is 24 years since Tanveer Abbasi’s passing on Nov 25, 1999, in Islamabad. Had he been alive Tanveer would have stepped into his 90th year on Dec 7 2023. Born as Noor Nabi Abbasi, a younger brother of the late irrigation and water expert A.N.G. Abbasi, he adopted the takhallus Tanveer as he evolved into an influential poet and literary figure. His compatriots in the Sindhi Adabi Sangat were stalwarts like Ibrahim Joyo, Shaikh Ayaz, Jamal Abro, Imdad Husaini, Ayaz Gul, Amar Jaleel, and Maulana Girami. Tanveer’s creative legacy includes the books Saajan Su.nhe Surth, Ragoon Thiyoon Rabbab, Hiye Dharti, Barira Bol, Jo Tanveer Chawe, Sij Tiria Heth, Doriya Doriya Deh and Je Mariya Na Maut.

A staunch non-conformist, Tanveer protested against the One Unit Scheme and also participated in the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD). One of his poems that express his feelings against oppression is Jeeu Jhore.n Disaa.n.

Let me put some strain on my life

And see what happens

Let me play my chang (mouth harp)

And see what tune emerges

When I kept my feelings to myself

Nothing happened

Let me share them with you

Let’s see what happens then

When I pleaded for my life

My chang (my instrument, my voice) was taken away**

Let me risk my life

Let’s see what happens

**Tanveer was jailed for his participation in the MRD.

Tanveer Abbasi (2nd from left) with two legends of Sindh – Great Poet Shaikh Ayaz (3rd from left) and Muhammad Ibrahim Joyo (Extreme right)

While political concerns were often reflected in his works, Tanveer is celebrated as ‘a poet of love’. He is revered as a Universalist and an uncompromising humanist.

Tanveer urges of every person:

Paras thee.n tu.n pehri

Poye chhue dis kedhi aas

Lohe-lohe me.n sone thienji

Aahe kedhi pyaas

First become a paras (a mythical alchemist’s touchstone that changes base metals to gold)

Then discover by your touch

How every piece of iron

Thirsts to transmute to gold

(How every imperfect human being thirsts for perfection)

Renowned Sufi singer Abida Parveen has sung and popularized some of Tanveer’s tender love poems like Aao asaa.n wat weho (Come sit with me). Tanveer asks:

Nihu.n nibhayoon k.nie nihbayoon

Heya hayati thori bhayoon

Fulfill the promises of love-

How to do that?

This life is too short!

Tu.n pardehi ma.n pardehi

Jithe jithe tu.n ma wayhi

Kayoon rihanyoon pyar kahanyoon

Uho asa.n jo dehu aa

You, an alien in a foreign land

I, an alien in a foreign land

Wherever you and I have sat together

Where we chatted and shared stories of love

That is our land, my dear

Progressive, modernist, Tanveer conceived of love as a dance between independent equals:

Nach me.n daera gol gol

Rock roll rock roll

Rock rock roll roll

We dance round and round in circles

Ba.nh chelh me.n na wijh

Hik qadam parteh khan

Hik qadam par bharo

Hik qadam poeteh

Don’t put your arms around me

Take one step to the side

Take one step to the other

Take a step backwards

Ma.n wana tokhey tu.n

mo.nkhay wan

Muhnjay samoon jay hujai.n

Poe bhi mo.nkhey ghol ghol

You like me

I like you

Even though you are in front of me

Still keep searching for me

Nach mein daera gol gol

We dance round and round in circles

Rock roll rock roll

Rock rock roll roll

Tho.Do*** tho.Do fasilo aa zaroor

Tho.Do waijho tho.Do duur

A little bit of distance is necessary

A little closeness, a little distance

Tanveer was a minimalist. He mastered the Japanese haiku style of poetry. Some of his best works are these miniature gems of word-paintings. My favourite one is about the ochre-yellow Acacia blossoms of the babur trees of Sindh.

Chhanio babura jo boor

Peelo theewo charo

Vanyana poye bhi duur

Scattered babur blossoms

Yellow, the dirt track

Yet a long way to travel (to the destination)

Tanveer’s picturesque haiku is a reminder, like Robert Frost’s poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, that we cannot afford to stop and enjoy nature’s beauty for we have ‘promises to keep’ and ‘miles to go’ before we sleep, and miles to go before we sleep.

The world is going through a tremendous upheaval where the value systems that upheld civilizations are crumbling. At this critical juncture the voices of humanist poets like Tanveer Abbasi are vital towards steadying our bearings in the storm.

*.n is to designate the nasal pronunciation

***.D is to designate the sound in the word ‘tho.Dii’ (little, few)

Published under International Cooperation with" Sindh Courier"