The Concept of Poverty in the Poetry of Shaikh Ayaz
Experiencing the evolutionary process, man has developed many systems to live a better life. Thus human being uplifted it from savage and Neanderthal to the modern man equipped with very sophisticated gadgets and devices.
As the formal society took shape, social interaction started, and that envisaged economic relationships. Commodity for commodity or commodity for service was in vogue under the banner of barter economy. It evolved into cash economy and then shifted into market economy. The market economy focuses on profit and only profit for the sake of profit. This “for profit” race has played havoc with human being, because everything is measured in terms of profit. The natural resources are being utilized extravagantly. It created imbalance and inequality in the world because money is not substitute of those natural resources. It deprived of humanity its well being and pushed most of the population into abyss of the poverty.
Poverty is the name of that condition which has deprived of those things that determine the quality of life, including food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, but also "intangibles" such as the opportunity to learn and to enjoy the respect of fellow citizens.
Poverty may affect individuals or groups, and is not confined to the developing nations. Poverty in developed countries is manifested in a set of social problems including homelessness and the persistence of "ghetto" housing clusters
Economic aspects of poverty may focus on material needs, typically including the necessities of daily living, such as food, clothing, shelter, or safe drinking water. Poverty in this sense may be understood as a condition in which a person or community is lacking in the basic needs for a minimum standard of well-being and life, particularly as a result of a persistent lack of income.
Analysis of social aspects of poverty links conditions of scarcity to aspects of the distribution of resources and power in a society and recognizes that poverty may be a function of the diminished "capability" of people to live the kinds of lives they value.
The social aspects of poverty may include lack of access to information, education, health care or political power. Poverty may also be understood as an aspect of unequal social status and inequitable social relationships, experienced as social exclusion, dependency, and diminished capacity to participate, or to develop meaningful connections with other people in society.
Poverty is pervasive and its effects are deep and profound. Most of us have experienced poverty in our lives in one form or the other, for it is difficult to scape its overwhelming presence. The level of deprivation, want and inequality are hard to miss in this deeply divided society. However, it is the vertical division of society which is very cruel and exploitative in nature.
The poets and writers, in their poetry and writings, have taken serious notice of it and condemned the main agents contributing to poverty. Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, the greatest poet of the world also expressed his views on poverty and said;
ڏُڪاريا ڏيهه مان، موذي شال مَرن
Following the suit, great Sindhi poet of modern times Shaikh Ayaz has took poverty as a subject matter for his poetic expression. His observation in this regard is very sharp and thought provoking.
Shaikh Ayaz, observes whole country as entrapped with various sorrows and sufferings, where everyone is affected and there is no place to go to.
آيل هاريان آنء، هنجهون ڪنهنجي هنج ۾
دکي سا رو ديس آ هي هرڪنهن هيڻو هانءٌ
جنهن کي ڏ ڍ نه ڏانءٌ سا ڪيئن ڪاٽي ڏينهڙا
O my beloved mother!, in whose lap I may weep
The entire country is sorrow-stricken; every heart is drowned deep,
How pass the day, who has no support to keep
Observing this grim situation, he asks, Sultan Bahu, a great sufi poet, that why people succumb to death due to hunger in this age of information and technology. Every one is restless. This system has snatched good values and has given begging bowl in the hand of humanity.
باهو اڄ بي موت مرن ٿا، ڇو ماڻهو جا ٻچا هُو
آئون نه ڄاڻان، ڪهڙا ڪوڙا ڪهڙا آهن سچا هُو
ٻاهر ماڻهو پٿر جهڙا، اندر ڪاوا ڪچا هُو
ڪنهن کي ڪوئي چين نه آهي، ملڪ مڙيو ئي ڏچا هُو
O Bahu! why people are dying so abundantly,
I cannot distinguish who tells a lie and who is truly,
Those seem hard are very brittle innerly,
None is in satisfaction, everywhere turmoil completely
This hunger and starvation lead towards crime and world is going to turn into hell. This compulsion urges human being to rob and steal everything that he or she can.
ڪيڏا ڪيس ڪري ٿو باهو،ماڻهو بُک جي وڳهي هُو
ڊگهي رسي ڏيئي هن کي رب پيو ٿو پسي هُو
The man commits many crimes because of hunger,
The Master is judging them by allocating time longer.
Allama I.I. Kazi has written that the thought is very beautiful thing but it depends on life. If there is life, there will be thinking. Otherwise no life no thought. Shaikh Ayaz has also discussed this phenomenon in his poetry. He says that life always seeks after food, and there is no sense of beauty without stuffing the belly.
سدا آهي ساهه کي، ڳڀي جي ڳولا
ڍئو بنا ڊولا، ناهي ساڃهه سونهن جي
During his visit to Thar, he observed the poverty of the area. He saw that how the hungry babies sleep and how their bed becomes wet due to severity of the suffering. He says;
ساري رات سُکالڙا بجيرياڻي ٻار
ڪيڏي پگهر لار، منجي آلا رلڪا
This severe poverty of Thar, draws attention of Shaikh Ayaz. He says that the flour pots are waiting for flour and the poor Maru are dying in thatched huts daily.
ٿر ۾ مٽيءَ ڪونڊيون اٽواٽوڪن
ماروروز مرن، چونئري چونئري بُک ۾
This whole scenario makes the poet very sad. The sorrows and sufferings of the poor people make him to weep for the greater relationship of sufferings. He writes;
ڏسي ڏُکيا ڏيل،ڳوڙها گل ڳڙي پيا
بُکن بيمارين ۾ آزاريل عليل
زر ۽ زور ذليل ماڻهوئڙا ڪيا مُلڪ جا
The drought and famine conditions create so many problems and the people have to sell their assets and ornaments and jewelry to make both ends meet. But the hell of the belly remains unaddressed yet. Nowadays, you see watch or read in media that people are compelled to sell their kids. The poet takes serious notice of the condition and tries to depict the happenings of the whole year. He says;
سارو سال سٺا، ڏجها هر ڪنهن ڏُرت جا
وڪڻي گه ڳٽا ڪيسين پالئي پاڻ کي.
Thar, remained continuously as a backward and drought prone area where people have had a longing for rainfall because it brings prosperity. When there occurs the drought and famine conditions and people face severe food insecurity, then they look everywhere for food and every thing in nature looks like bread. Shaikh Ayaz notices the situation and depicts the feelings of a poor Thari child because children and women are mostly affected stratum of the society against the ruthless influx of poverty. He says;
آ گدري جي ڦار امان
اڄ پورو نه آهي چنڊ،
اسان کي بُک به ڏاڍي آ
ڏُٿ نه ڏورن ڏار امان
تون پيهين خالي جنڊ
اسان کي بک به ڏاڍي آ
It means Thari child reacts to the beauty of the moon and express about his hunger. Hungry mind becomes angry mind. Hunger generates crime.
Observing severe poverty and advocating for the cause poor and hungry people, the poet prays for the prosperity of dear homeland as poor Maru may become rich and might not to sell their lovely children due to hunger and poverty. He prays that;
نه پورهيت ٻڌن پيٽ کي هيئن پٽيون
نه هاري ڪڏهن رت سان ريج ڪن
نه گڀي لاءِ ڳولا کٽي ديس جي
نه لولا لڇيائين نه لوليون لڇن
Despite the trying conditions, Shaikh Ayaz is very optimistic and prays for the well being and prosperity of dear homeland. He says that Sindh will be prosperous and bounteous rainfall will lead Sindh towards more happy and prosperous future. He says;
مانڌي ٿي نه نيٺ، ايندا مينهن ملير تي
وڄون ورنديون اوچتو لڳه لهندا هيٺ
مارو ماکي ميٺ، ملندا توسان مارئي
Last but not the least, Shaikh Ayaz believes in bright future because the history will bring forth someone and s/he will rescue the people from the abyss of poverty. Then the poor people will own their resources and land. Consequently there will be prosperity everywhere and everyone will be happy. There will be no despair and dismay in the villages and small hamlets. That message is meant for all the downtrodden and marginalized people of the globe. Shaikh Ayaz says;
نيٺ ته ايندو، نيٺ ته ايندو
فصلِ بهاران نيٺ ته ايندو
ڪنهن چهري تي ياس نه هوندي
هئين نه عمر ويندي اجائي
اهڙو امڪان نيٺ ته ايندو
فضل بهاران نيٺ ته ايندو
توڙي پاڻ نه هونداسين پر
پنهنجي ياد ته هوندي ان سان
اهڙو انسان نيٺ ته ايندو
فضل بهاران نيٺ ته ايندو
That is real message for peace and harmony of the World, and we should strive to make it realize the message of Shaikh Ayaz as we can fight, with the dragon poverty, fairly and squarely.
وڃان ٿو وينجهار موتي ڏيئي اڻ ميا
صديون پيا سونجبا جن جا ڍير هزار
ٻڏي سوچ ويچار پرکيندا مون پارکو
***