[Feature] Wakhi Mushaira held in Gilgit

An excellent innitiative in right direction…

Looks nice, but seems very selective gathering not open for all, I may be wrong, should not ignore the voice of youth……

Dear Sultan Ahmad
I really appreciate your personal efforts to conduct such gatherings which are a source of development of great ideas .these type of gatherings are are very important in a society,which is much active socially and appreciates creativity and learning.
But one thing i am confused that why we kids are always meddling in every affair which our seniors do in good spirit,i suppose we have much time to come forward and if some one is that much interested why they themselves do not comeforward and arrange such gatherings and make it successful,why we are always blamming our seniors for our invitation and how important we have become that we need an invitation from a high official.
Are we not supposed to do it ,but where we are only hiding behind the bush and throwing stones at them who are working for great causes.

A very good imitative by the youth toward a positive direction, keep it up.

Dear readers,

Thanks for your comments.

I share the feelings of those who have stated their view points, some upfront and some in alluded manner. My hubmle request would be for you all to find answers in the following narrative.

It was just three weeks back when I was leaving my offfice and saw a group of youth (we need to develop consensus on definition of youth… I still consider myself as part of the youth by the way) who were discussing some important points regarding poetry, research work, and many more. They were 15 in number and seemed to me quite enthusaistic about literary work. They said we need more consultation, more deliberation and ofcourse support. When it came to support or patronization, the common question was…. Where are the organizations or institutions??? Those youngster indicated to me that they want to sit, discuss and initiate a consultation process where we could find ways and means of how to materialize all their thoughts. So the mutual consensus of the YOUTH was that we may organize an informal gathering where we could discuss these and pave the way further for positive activities for the youth. The issue of space came time and again and what I could offer in my capacity was the hall of my home. I was honored that they accepted my offer.

So that is just a step. Through this process, the youth is searching for the institutions to patronize them and give them a direction.
So truely said by our honorable seniors and the youth: Where are the institutions, organizations??

Best,
SA

good work… but some good poets and singers residing in Gilgit are missing.,,, i.e. Saif?????

Malang jon
lhr

@Malan Jon:

Saif was part of the initial thought but later on he could not make it perhaps for some personal reasons. By the way he was supposed to be the host of the Mushaira but when he did not appear, I had to take the charge at the eleventh hour.

SA

There have been a lot of comments positive as well as negative about the literary and musical night held on Saturday night 2009 at the residence of Mr. Sultan ahead.
It is important to clarify the reality about these literary sessions.

Since 2008 there has been no any get together of the wakhi community living in Gilgit for various reasons.

Unfortunately the unit office WATCA is literally inactive over the past few years.

There is very little or no coordination between the GECA, which has been formed in Islamabad for the purpose of providing a forum to the wakhi people of Gojal in particular and the Wakhiz of world wide in general.

Due to such inactive stance of both the registered organization some educated youngsters (its group of friends and youth of Gojal is not any registered organization) residing in Gilgit felt it strongly and have organizing some activities and programmes to reflect being alive nationality in the region. For example the youth of KIU organized a grand get together in Serena 2008. While another energetic group of youngsters coordinated the facilitation and encouragement to the polo team which participated in the Northern areas level tournament this year.

The current litery and musical session was also organized by the same group (group of friends) by taking advantage of modern communication media ( sms) in vary short span of time.

It is hoped that the educated youngsters of Gilgit can bring both the registered organizations on a negotiating table to avoid any misunderstanding and divisions among the wakhi people of the northern areas instead we would like to work together and in an environment of total harmony with the people of different approaches working for similar goals.

Since it was not a funded programme rather the individuals had born the cost of the get together and limited seats (problem of seating arrangements) problems therefore the participation was kept limited. If such activities are organized under the banner of any registered organization , than maximum participation can be ensured for any future programme.a

respected organizers
i didnt criticize u as to why you have arranged the mushira. it’s appreciable and we take it as the very first step to gather the youth. we respect ur work. the program was of a specific group of people so we cannot criticize the work but we hope our respected elders will gradually come out of specific groups and work collectively because of the experience they have.
individuals and specific group cannot do any thing on their own and we have to work collectively to achieve our collectives targets and goals.
if we will work in specific group then it will divide us in different specific groups
we the youth want collective work so next yime plz

I THNG IT A GOOD STAPE/ BUT IT IS NOT TO ALL OF WAKHI PROGRAM
IT IS A FEW PEOPLE GADRING.NOW U NOT SAY TO WE ARE
REPRISANTATER.

Dear Chilmindak,

Thanks for your commnets. Can you please coordiante with Mr. Ali Ahmed on 03445420065 or aliahmedgulmiti@yahoo.com so that you can contribute in the next events.

Thanks

SA

it is a positive step to bring our Language in written form..

Good news, appreciable, very selective?
It gives us an opportunity to comment on the subject otherwise what has been done by WATCA during the Golden Jubilee year 2007-2008 and onward?

I do agree with two seniors Mr Amin Beg and Sharif Khan’s thought provoking comments and we do believe things will happen through institutions.

Sultan Bhai has provided an opportunity to those who are directly or indirectly involved in WATCA and other institutions’ decision making, should think upon it and take action towards the right direction.

Few new exploration that we have seen on the screen especially Mr. Rehan Shah, yes we love to listen his harmonious vice through any means?

With best regards

Mohammad Jaleel
Gilgit

Telling the truth is always bitter, but it is better to tell the truth.

Nice to hear about this program of a selective group members of Sadoy e Bom e Dunyo. It should have been organized at least through this forum of the radio.

I really agree with the valid concerns of Mr. Sharif Khan, Mr. Amin Beg and others. But what could be done?

The guys mentioned in the report by Sultan Ahmad have either remained or have been working on key positions of WTCA. For instance, Mr. Ali Qurban, Vice president of WTCA (from 1991-2000); Mr. Asmat Ullah Mushfiq, Convenor WTCA Chipursan Unit; Mr. Muhammad Aslam, twice as Convenor of WTCA Gilgit Unit (and before the formation of this unit he was head of the literary committee); Mr. Ahmad Riaz, Co-Convenor of WTCA Gilgit Unit; Mr. Jami Sakhi, General Secretary of WTCA Gilgit Unit; Mr. Sultan Ahmad was given many times opportunities and exposed to the public by WTCA as anchor in different programs while he was in KADO).

Mr. Ali Qurban, Mr. Asmat Ullah Mushfiq, and Jami are also among the founding members of the WTCA.

WTCA came into being after a series of meetings hosted and organized by the then Gulmit Youth Organization (GYO) headed by Mr. Ibrahim Khan Khalil. There are many witnesses, besides myself involved in the meetings and programs before and after the formation of WTCA.
In the second half of 1980s, the Wakhi-specific cultural activities were started by a group of students led by Ghulam Amin Beg and others who along with some of the seniors of Karachi began the literary and musical program in Wakhi language as a tool for its promotion. It succeeded in wining the hearts and minds of the people.

But sooner, unfortunately, such sort of programme were hijacked by Mr. Ahmad Riaz Ahmad in 1992 or 1994 in Karachi (after the formation of WTCA in Gojal). Being an extreme egotist, he stood against WTCA programs in Karachi and instead of supporting the institution (WTCA Karachi unit), he insisted that his songs be sung through his own self-styled, ad-hoc, forum with the name of FORZ (means Friends of Riaz) Committee.

For this purpose, he spent more or less 20,000/-. At that time, I was the Joint Secretary of WTCA Gojal Hunza; but I and Haji Bulbul of Ghulkin didn’t attend this program as WTCA forum was kicked at the front. This was the year, FORZ committee succeeded in dismantling the organizational efforts for such programs.
Now, a thing about Mr. Muhammad Aslam. He was not in favor of WTCA in the beginning and was opposing this initiative; but after a long session with the then president, Mr. Ghulam ud Din, he restrained from the negative speculations about WTCA. In the aftermath, Muhammad Aslam became head of the literary committee of WTCA Gilgit (at that time there was no unit). When the Gilgit Unit was formed (mainly due to the great efforts and dedication of Khuda Dad), Muhammad Aslam became the Convenor of WTCA GLT.
On 14 August 2002, I resigned from the WTCA as General Secretary as I was then living in Gilgit. I was invited in a meeting of WTCA Gilgit Unit and for the first time, I attended a meeting of almost 20 members in the Serena Hotel. Here Jami Sakhi autocratically replaced Mr. Muhammad Aslam from his position in his absence as he himself was the secretary. Jami announced his resignation from his position, too. He forced Ustad Gul Baig to be the Convenor, Ahmad Riaz as Co-Conevnor and I as the Secretary; but I refused to accept it because already I had served the Central Executive Committee of WTCA and didn’t want to be involved in any position, except for a general member of the association.

Second valid point I presented as my visual impairment.

Despite the fact that Jami Sakhi is among the founding members of WTCA who along with other Wakhi fellows working in Gilgit like Nayyat Karim (now working in the Action Aid as Program Mananger), Muzaffar of Gulmit (working in the public sector organization) and others used to attend the meetings/sessions of GYO to form a regioal forum for the Wakhi language and culture, he was in the later phase against WTCA; because WTCA in 1992 decided in a grand meeting of literary circles (like late Haqiqat Ali who was used to be present in all meetings; minutes of meetings are the proofs) and management to follow the Latino-Greek Orthography (alphabet).

Jami Sakhi was of the strong opinion that Jami’s own Arabicized transcription (he had prepared and also made public in a magazine of GISAK in 1979) should be followed; and in this regard in the 1990s he prepared a primer also (which was later on supplemented with Latino-Greek alphabet having a lot of errors).

Late Haqiqat Ali, the great, was very mild and logical in his approach. He had designed his primer for the first time in Hunza Wakhi’s history in 1985/6 (though had some errors) on the Latino-Greek alphabet produced by the international linguists/scholars, also included Prof G. Buddrus. Prof Buddrus, a German scholar, who’s still alive and is in his 90s, had published his book on the Wakhi language and grammar, and late Haqiqat Ali chose the alphabet from this scholar’s initiative.

About the weak side of the WTCA office bearers I must mention that the so-called leaderships have become an occupant-group (qabza group) now. These are the same guys most of whom are from the beginning (1991) don’t wont to loose their hypnotized social prominence on the one hand; and on the other, they don’t trust the youth, who are the logical successors. They have become like the old and noxious predators. There hasn’t come up any general body so far, despite the fact that there are more than 450 members. There hasn’t come any gathering at least of 80 members of the five units so far. There hasn’t come up any intra-unit gathering the members. There hasn’t come up so far any financial report that should be present to the members. No audit has so far been made. So, what could be expected for the future? Such phenomena of fora-race of peoples in the form of GECA or others.

Strong side of WTCA include production and promotion of more than 40 poets and singers; an esteem to the Wakhi language and culture; placing Wakhi in the radio Pakistan; local, regional and national even international organizational linkages and partnerships and the like.

Now, little about GECA’s creation. GECA was the initiative of the Gojali students of Islamabad-Rawlpindi which aimed initially to deal with their educational students affairs and also to organize cultural gatherings on the promeint days such as Eid Milan. I am amazed that how some people like Mr. Darjat Ali of Passu and Engr Jabbar of Gulmit and few others became proactive in the cultural activities who were against such programs of WTCA in the 1990s. I remember that in 1996, in the house of Subhan Ali in G-9/1, the type of negative views these guys had about the WTCA. Sajjad Hussain, Sultan Mehmood and Subhan himself were there as witness. They didn’t know that I was the joint secretary and many speculations were made. Later on, they along with Farman Ali became in favor of activists.

Now, they are tyring to champion the cultural activities; and neglectging the fact that it was WTCA that created a credibility in the Lok Virsa which sponsored them one million rupees for the upcoming programs.

The concerned readers are requested to be careful in analyzing such phenomena. These guys gathered at the house of Sultan Ahmad are more fond of self-exposure and seizing different opportunities than contributing more towards the so-called literary and research development. They are more the occupant-group (qabza group) in the Wakhi program of the Radio. I would like to ask them as to what have they done so far for the Wakhi language in research perspective for the last one decade, save for taking credit of WTCA’s literary programs? It is a surprise that how nicely words are fabricated for the research development of the Wakhi language and research, but fooling the readers. Such forums sound before me a beginning of a political campaign of Mr. Muhammad Aslam, than an academic endeavor for the language.

At the end, I would like to request all readers to be honest with themselves and don’t compromise on honesty and saying the truth. If you say something bluntly but truly, without any hypocrisy, against any injustice, especially for the greater communal cause and interest, it is a meditation before me; but if spoken with hypocrisy it is is a curse.

Bottom-line: Enough is enough, WTCA’s old and rusted office bearers should handover the organization to the new generations (the youth of the time) after a general body election and presenting the audit/financial reports). The units of WTCA need to be reorganized. Such home-based and clandestine activities should be stopped and the youth must be involved for these assignments. GECA needs to be fair in its mission and work along the regional basis including other two linguistic groups within itself; and be a regional organization with broader objectives. GISAK needs to awake itself. I was of the opinion before the GECA formation as I was consulted that GISAK’s branches should be opened in the federal capital and Gilgit. Now that has gone. Because of GISAK’s and WTCA’s inability of reinvigoration, GECA came into being. Now at the regional level, GISAK and GECA needs to work closely; and at cultural level, GECA needs WTCA’s support in Gojal; and WTCA’s needs GECA’s support in the federal capital.

These guys who have remained on key positions of WTCA need to be sincere with themselves and then with the organization.

If they are sincere, they must exercise their influence in changing the body of WTCA rather than organizing such home-based activities. Mr. Abuzar Ali, Mr. Muhammad Rahber and Mr. Ali Jauhar are the close relatives of all these guys. Rather than frustrating themselves, it is pertinent to notify, which is legal, their closed kinspersons to call the general body.

Hoist the flag of truth and say it; though saying truth is bitter, but it is better.

Fazal Amin Beg

Dear Sultan Bhai

Nice efforts for promotion of culture. I wonder how can we reconcile GECA and WTCA? There some valid points raised by different readers and commentators. Especially the questions raised about the institutional approach and support needs to be seriously considered. I hope the critics will enable us to improve our future programs.