The love Story of Heer Ranjha, We all are familiar with Waris Shah( Gurmukhi); 1722 – 1798) who was a Punjabi Sufi poet of Chishti order, celebrated for his donation to Punjabi literature by immortalizing the love story of Heer Ranjha. His lyrical verse is a treasure- trove of Punjabi expressions, expressions and sayings. His minute and realistic description of the details of Punjabi life and political situation in the 18th century remains unique and the entire lyric is an compendium of colorful and fascinating cinema of life in the Punjab deeply absorbing.
Waris Shah was deeply learned in Sufi and domestic cultural lore. His description of story of romantic love is a lyrical expression of the mystical love of the mortal soul towards God – the definitive subject in Sufism and a recreating theme in both Sufi and Sikh mysticism.
The Legend
Heer is an extremely beautiful woman born into a fat family of the Sial clan in Jhang West Punjab. Sials are Rajputs clan who inhabit Jhang region of West Punjab and founded the municipality of Sialkot. Ranjha( whose first name is Dheedo; Ranjha is the surname), was a Jatt of the Ranjha lineage. The Ranjha are set up in Sargodha, Gujrat, Jhelum and Gujranwala sections of West Punjab.
Dheedo Ranjha was the immature of four sisters and lives in the village of Takht Hazara by the conduit Chenab. Being the baby of the family he led a life of ease playing Wanjhli( flute). After being told off by his sisters Ranjha leaves home and arrives in Jhang. Heer’s father Chaudhary Chuchak offers Ranjha a job driving his Livestock. also he falls in love with Heer.
She’s also bedazzled by the way he plays his flute and falls in love with him. They meet each other privately for multitudinous times until they are caught by Heer’s uncle Kaido, and her ma Malki. Heer is forced by her family and the original clerk to marry another man named Saida Khera a Jatt of Khaira clan.
Ranjha is agonized. He wanders the country alone until eventually he meets Jogi( ascetic). Gorakhnath at Tilla Jogian( the’ Hill of Cyrenaic’ located 50 long hauls north of the major megacity of Bhera, Sargodha District, Punjab), Ranjha becomes a jogi himself piercing his cognizance and renouncing the material world. Reciting the name of the Lord( Rabb) he wanders all over Punjab eventually chancing Rangpur the village where Heer now lives as wedded woman.
Heer elopes with Ranjha with the help of Saida’s family Sehti who also elopes with her Balochi nut.The Khaira riders catch the eloping couple and beat Ranjha ruthlessness. The couple are brought ahead Raja Adali of Qubala demanding that Ranjha be put to death. Heer’s uncle Kaidu also came to swear against Ranjha but Chaudhary Chuchak testifies in favor of the suckers. On the advise of elders Raja Adali orders Saida to dissever Heer so she can marry Ranjha.
The two return to Heer’s village where Heer’s parents agree to their marriage. still, on the marriage day, Kaido banes her. Hearing this news, Ranjha rushes to prop Heer, but is too late, as she has formerly eaten the bane and has failed. Brokenhearted formerly again, Ranjha eats the remaining poisoned Laddu( sweet) which Heer has eaten and dies by her side.
Heer and Ranjha are buried in Heer’s motherland, Jhang. Love- smitten couples and others constantly pay visits to their grave
Damodar Gulati
Damodar Gulati also known as Damodar Das Arora of Jhang was the topmost classical story teller of Punjab.He was the first to compose the Legendary of Heer Ranjha that captured the imagination of Punjabis. “ Damodar is my name Gulati is my estate. I came to the terrain of the Sial my heart using its discretion led me to spend my days there ” is what he says in the opening lines of his story.
Damodar is mentioned in the Adi Granth( florilegium of sacred training of Guru Nanak). Bhai Guru Das( 1551- 1629), a celebrated Sikh religious pen in one of his Vars( grand) mentioned the names of some prominent early Sikh converts. One of them is Damodar the wise tenant of Sultanpur. The Sultanpur village is still there on the road from Jhang to Shah Jewna where a number of Gulati’s of Arora estate lived before the partition of India.
According to Prof Indu Banga of the Department of History, Panjab University, the foremost ‘ kissa ’ in Punjabi was that of Heer- Ranjha written by Damodar Gulati in 1605 during Akbar’s reign. His work was rewritten by Ahmad Gujjar in the 1680s and also by Shahjahan Muqbil in the alternate quarter of the 18th century, she added. She said Waris Shah erected upon Muqbil’s work and the status of a classic was accorded to his 1766 composition.
Damodar composed the original Heer in 1605. Among the notable performances of the grand story were those of Ahmad Gujjar in the 1680s and also by Shahjahan Muqbil in the alternate quarter of the 18th century. Waris Shah erected upon Muqbil’s work and the status of a classic was accorded to his 1766 composition.
Damodar isn’t just the foremost story teller of ultramodern Punjab but also one of the most distinguished muses of the Punjabi language. Damodar is really the first among the great story tellers of the Punjab, who with his holistic vision created characters that transcending the provincial came to embody the universal mortal dilemma; individual versus cathartic social structure. The unmistakable sign of his profound critical social knowledge is that he makes his promoter, a woman, an eternal conceit for defiance and resistance without which mortal love born of freedom would remain a concave ideal.
Damodar’s Heer
Interestingly, the first character Damodar introduces is that of himself all set to tell the tale with his bystander account averring that what he is going to recite unfolded before his truly eyes. The poet appears throughout the narrative at important occasions with his commentary creating a strong print as if he is an integral part of the story.
After introducing his heroine Heer, Damodar prepares us to admit his other protagonist appearing on the stage. “ Having done with this occasion( prolusion of Heer) let us bring Ranjha into the world. ”
Luddan the seaman feeling empathy for Ranjha who is tired and exhausted after his long trip let him sleep on Heer’s lounge on her swash resort. Heer chancing the insulation of her bed violated is furious. The beautiful and pampered son of a important clan principal hurls a question at Ranjha “ What virtue do you retain that qualifies you to sleep in my bed?” Ranjha takes out a flute and plays it to enthrall Heer.
