Sindhi Adabi Board...! Potential Candidate

My heart really ached when I read a letter to editor by our prominent and veteran short story writer Sir Shoukat Hussain Shoro Sahib in largest circulated Sindhi daily "Daily Kawish, Hyderabad" regarding the crisis in Sindhi Adabi Board (SAB), Jamshoro, an institute established to promote Sindhi literature.

Sir Shoukat Hussain Shoro wrote that Sindhi intellectuals, writers and poets' demand was to stop running SAB by unlawful means and appoint a new chairman and Board of Governance (BOG).
Sir Shoukat highlighting the importance of SAB wrote that after partition as Hindu Community of Sindh left its motherland, huge gap was witnessed as far as Sindhi literature was concerned, that gap was so huge that even the very existence of Sindhi language was in danger. During that period of crisis Sain G M Syed came forward and took efforts in reshaping of SAB, while it was fortunate that a visionary intellectual Mohammad Ibrahim Joyo became its secretary, who not only published "Quarterly Mehran" to fill that literary gap, but also published and translated highly standard books, classics from world. Due to which a new era of literary renaissance emerged in Sindh. SAB also performed responsibility of textbook board and published books for school children to promote Sindhi language.

Sir Shoukat further mentioned that the second fortunate thing that happened for SAB was appointment of Mukhdoom Mohammad Zaman Talib-ul-Muolla in the Anti-Sindh period of One Unit. Mukhdoom Sahib was a shelter for SAB, when people with extreme ideologies started a campaign against Progressive writers. But unfortunately, the second tenure of Mukhdoom Mohammad Zaman Talib-ul-Muolla was not as good as expected.

Mentioning the reason for that, Sir Shoukat Shoro wrote the biggest reason behind that was that during that period Mukhdoom Sahib was facing health issues, the responsibility of SAB was handed-over to people who lacked competency and loyalty. That resulted the downfall of SAB, and that has continued till today and now the situation had become worse.

Sir Shoukat mentioned that at present SAB was being run without a secretary, BOG and a well reputed caretaker. While I was reading this letter of Sir Shoukat Sahib that was full of concerns, I started pondering that do we have a potential candidate, who should also be young, energetic, well-versed in national and international literature and above all who has literary vision. Though it was very difficult but suddenly a name clicked in my mind and that was of Mr. Ali Akash.

Our dear friend Mr. Ali Akash is not a new name as far as Sindhi literature is concerned, he is well-known poet, critic and translator, he is well-known in circles of our seniors as well as our youngsters.
Ali Akash has several books on his credit including Kak Kinaray Sham (Poetry, 1998), Hinyaro Othi Wag Jein (Poetry, 2017), Sahari Jay Bachao Main (Literary Essays, 2017), Paka Rach Kumbhar Ja (Poetry, 2018), Nain Kavita Jo Behas (Literary Essays, 2018), Darvesh Ji Tanhai (Poetry, 2019), Gulabi Agatay Wendar Rah (Profiles of International Poets and translation of their poetry, under publishing, institute of Sindhology, Jamshoro), Co-translator of great Sindhi intellectual Mohammad Ibrahim Joyo's book "Save Sindh, Save the Continent), translated Sindh-Punjab Water Dispute written by Rasool Bux Palejo, while hundreds of his columns and articles have been published in different Sindhi daily newspapers on regular basis.

Apart from this Mr. Ali Akash is founding editor of literary journal Quarterly Sujata, founding member of Shaikh Ayaz Melo Committee, Founding co-editor of Sindh Literature Festival (SLF) Karachi, Founding Co-editor of Hyderabad Literature Festival (HLF).

Though Ali Akash has many plus points to be a potential candidate as secretary of SAB, but according to me he has two qualities that make him my favorite candidate for this position, one he is not at all controversial in any circle and is an acceptable name within every circle, and number two and the most important thing is that he has remained a close student of greatest Sindhi intellectual Sir Mohammad Ibrahim Joyo Sahib and he is well aware of Sain Joyo Sahib's vision for Sindh its institutes.

According to my limited knowledge Mr. Ali Akash is the potential candidate as secretary SAB and could bring back the lost legacy of the board.