Opinion | Review of Women’s Contribution in Gojri Literature (PART-3)

In 1994-95, Gojri drama was started from Radio Kashmir Jammu. First of all, they produced the drama “Kakhan Gi Kulli” written by Choudhary Hasan Deen Parwaz. Then the staff of Gojri Department moved forward in this art, in which Akhtar-ul-Nisaa, Azmat Chaudhry Tripta Kumari. And women like Shama Sudan showed the essence of acting, Surinder Nair Sahiba and Shabnam Akhtar Bano were also first in acting in this period, the name of Shabnam Akhtar Bano was the proof of the success of the drama. Apart from this, the story and features also adorned the program.

In 1980, a 10-minute Gojri news bulletin was also started from Radio Kashmir Jammu, which has been running continuously till date, but unfortunately, this bulletin was also broadcast by men till date. Khalida jabeen Gorsi and Azmat Chaudhary are leading the way. Shazia Kasana from Kashmir who is the daughter of eminent Gojri writer Hameed Kasana presents the news bulletin.

In 1978, another half-hour Gojri program called “Sanjhi Dharti” was started from Radio Kashmir Jammu. This program was broadcast every Thursday and Monday at ten o’clock and it continues till today. Similarly, the daily five o’clock program was also extended from half an hour to fifty minutes. Among women, Anisa Karim, Shamim Akhta, Dilnaz Bano, Zahida Kouser, Naheed Akhtar, Kulsoom Chaudhary, Wajida Tabassum etc are helping to broadcast the program.A program started by Poonch radio station called “Ourtaan ki Mahfil” which is being broadcast every week till date but later the name of the program was changed to “Ourtaan Wastey” Nikahat Choudhary has been hosting this Gojri program since 1994. Apart from these, Khursheed Begum and Soraya Andalib are also performing the duties of managing these Gujri programs. Similarly, on the other side of the border Shah Bano Zafar from Radio Mirpur started hosting the program “Saanjh Sanjhyali” in 2002. Some other women also read news in Gojri and are making their mark in the field of Gojri radio generalism, among which Dia Chaudhary, Shamaila Chaudhary and Sajida Rafique are worth mentioning.

Every language has its own literature which is generally divided into two parts i.e. oral and written. Oral literature is that which remains unwritten and which is transmitted orally from generation to generation, we call it “folk literature” and it is this folk literature that was common when Gojri was broadcast on radio on both sides of the border. There is no doubt that the broadcast of Gojri programs on the radio has connected with the Gojri language and literature in many other countries of the subcontinent, which are inhabited by the Gojri people, and the people who were deaf to their folk literature have been given a plate called their traditions and culture, Get a chance to understand the form.

In the days when the women were grazing their cattle and sheep, the radio was their companion and they waited impatiently for the 5 o’clock to sound. They began to sing verses and verses, and some women began to sing poems and verses they had created, but they would be uneducated and unintelligible because these women could neither write down nor preserve their words.Sometimes sitting in the cool shade of the trees, the pure creation within them came out and sometimes the floor of the green and blue plains and the rustling leaves of the trees turned their hearts to songs, the soulful poetry awakened the pain in their hearts. The trees and the green fields became the companions of their pains, these women could not scatter these words of their pains on paper or record them and save them, all their words were left to the winds. So many women poets and writers disappeared from this world anonymously.Some of them got lost in the fortunes of nomads and migration and despite being interested in literature, they could not quench their thirst, mainly because of the neglect of women by the radio’s Gojri programs and staff.

Babaye Gujri Rana Fazl Hussain has introduced the first poetess of Gojri in his book “Sach Much Faiz” in which he has told that she used to listen to the program of Radio Traar Khul across the border from Rajouri. By writing letters to people, she used to send her poetry as well because she herself was illiterate but she used to write poetry and was unable to save her poetry. What has been preserved in the book Sach Much Faiz as “The First Great Poetess of Gojri Hussain Bibi” also proves how many female poets have left this world in anonymity.

Since the Gojri broadcasts of the radio, which are considered to be the cornerstones in the development of Gojri language and literature, these broadcasts have not given any special attention to women’s literature, only sometimes giving a woman an opportunity to present a discussion on a particular topic. Given by the radio, just as the “Phalwari” program was started to strengthen and protect children’s literature, similarly, if some special programs had been made for women’s literature, which were exclusively reserved for women, maybe today the women’s Gojri literature would have been created and the

Television and women in Gojri Literature

The 20th century is called the century of scientific inventions and the main link in this chain is television. In the early days it was also called Jadoo Ka Patara. In Hindi, instead of television, Doordarshan was prevalent till that time along with the saw and heard. Television is technically more difficult than radio, but has also made it much more popular.

To know and understand the role of television or Doordarshan has played for women in Gojri literature, we need to delve into the pages of history. (To be continued)

– The writer is Editor Gojri Magazine Rudaati Qoom, Educationist and columnist from Rajouri Jammu and Kashmir. She can be reached at shaziachoudhary799@gmail.com