The 90th birth anniversary of great Sindhi poet Shaikh Ayaz will be celebrated on March 2.
Shaikh Ayaz was a great ambassador of the Sindhi culture and language who kept people abreast of their past‚ present and future and called for social and political changes in Sindhi society. Ayaz was born in Shikarpur on March 2‚ 1923‚ Shikarpur. His original name was Mubark Ali Shaikh. By profession he was a lawyer but he also served as the vice chancellor of Sindh University.
His poetry brought new trends into Sindhi literature. Ayaz wrote many poetry books‚ including two in Urdu. Revolutionary poet Shaikh Ayaz first earned recognition for his poem‚ “Gaey iqilab gaey”‚ written before the independence of Pakistan. Ayaz’s biggest claim to fame was his first poetry compilation “Bhanwar bharee aakash” (Sky full of swirls) in 1963 which was the translation of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai’s poetry from Sindhi to Urdu.
Ayaz began to write poetry under the influence of Khaildas Fani‚ his mentor. Ayaz wrote around 50 books in addition to his works of prose‚ one of which was‚ “Kithe Ta Bhanabo Thak Musafi”.
His subsequent translations of Shah Jo Risalo‚ of 18th century Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai‚ from Sindhi to Urdu established Ayaz as an authority. Shaikh Ayaz is one of the major voices in twentieth century poetry. He has 50 books to his credit. His literary career spanned almost six decades and covered a wide range of poetry and prose.
Sindh Culture department has published 20 volumes of Ayaz’s books and also introduced an award for writers in Urdu language. He died on December 28‚ 1997 and was buried at Bhit Shah near the shrine of Shah Abdul Latif Bhatai.