Taj Muhammad Sahrai (1921-2002), Modern Explorer of Sindh

 During the nineteen eighties, when I was working as a Stenographer in the Department of Archaeology, I heard the name of Taj Sehrai during a conversation between Syed Hakim Ali Shah Bokhari, himself a prominent and first qualified Sindhi Archaeologist, and another foreign Archaeologist. Foreign Archaeologists, working in different Archaeological missions, especially in Sindh, used to visit the Karachi Head Office of the Archaeology Department, and most of them used to chat with Saeen Hakim Ali Shah Bokhari. I gathered that those who either carried out excavations at archeological sites or explorations of historical sites of Sindh, especially of Dadu District had utilized the services of Taj Sehrai during the prospecting and excavations of these ancient remains.

Taj Sahrai was an educationist, historian, self-taught archaeologist, and cultural anthropologist. His expertise can be recognized from the fact that when other foreign dignitaries came to Pakistan, Taj Sahib was called to guide and brief them about the ancient sites of Sindh, which he explored frequently and collected first-hand knowledge and also surface material. He has discovered also some very important sites, that were unknown to the Archaeology Department. How he has achieved this stature? Let’s peep into his life.

Taj Muhammad Memon well-known as Taj Sahrai was born in Shikarpur, the city known at that time as Paris of Sindh, on 11 September, 1921. As his father was in the Revenue Service, therefore, he was posted in different towns including Sehwan. When his father’s first wife died, he remarried a lady from Sehwan, who was the mother of Taj Sahrai. Mostly his primary schooling was conducted at Sehwan. When he was in Matriculation class, he left for Bombay in 1938 to become an Actor with some other friends. He recalled in an interview that though he was offered roles in films Film producers refused to accommodate my friends who had accompanied him on this long journey. He and his friends then wandered into almost all prominent cities of pre-partition India. In 1940, he returned back and assumed the educational process. He passed the Matriculation examination in the year 1942 from Shikarpur. After the matriculation, he joined Sindh Madressatul Islam Karachi for intermediate. During that period he become a staunch Khakhsaar. When a severe famine plagued the Bengal, he went there as a volunteer in 1942. He passed the Intermediate Examination from Bombay University. During the intermediate, his father died. He joined Municipal School, Sehwan as a teacher and worked there from 1945 to 1947. When Allama Inayatullah Mushiriqi (1888 – 1963), founder of Khaksaar Tehreek ordered his followers to come to Delhi, he obliged and went there and got arrested. He remained in Jail up to September, 1947. When he was freed, he returned back to Sindh and joined Journalism. He used to edit and publish weekly Azad from Dadu. Previously he also edited the weekly Babul Islamof Khaksaar movement in the absence of its editor Molvi Khair Mohamamd Nizamani, who was jailed at that time. He continued his education and earned degrees of BA and BT.

He also composed poetry and took his Nome de plume as Haqeer, which was disliked by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, so he changed it to Sahrai. But later on, he abandoned his poetic ambition, and then the fields of Education, History, and Archaeology became his main passions.

In 1952, he opened a Middle School at Dadu, which was upgraded to a High School in 1956 and renamed Talibul Moula High School, when Makhdoom Muhammad Zaman Talibul Moula donated rupees ten thousand for the purchase of furniture and lab equipment. He worked as its Head Master up until his retirement in 1981. This school was nationalized in 1972. On the insistence of Justice Feroze Nana, he joined Sindh Museum, Hyderabad as Assistant Director and worked there from March 1971 to June 1972. According to G.M Umrani, “Taj Sahib's outspoken and unorthodox views and comments on metaphysics and theology landed him in trouble during his service in Sindh Museum, Hyderabad and the authorities charged him with unpardonable heresy and terminated his contract.”

In March 1977, he represented Pakistan in the Third World Teachers Congress held in Tripoli Libya.

Literary Associations

He remained the Convener of the Shahbaz Mela Committee from 1964 up until his death.  In 1968, he established the Allama I. I. Qazi Public Library in Dadu. He was one of the active organizers of an International seminar entitled Sindh Through the Centuries, which was held in Karachi in March 1975. He also organized a national seminar on Rani Kot on its premises in 1981. He has helped in the establishment of Historical societies in various towns.

Works

Though he has been writing articles and essays for a long, his first book entitled Sindhu Tahzeeb was published in 1989. In its preface, he informs us that“There is no book or material available in Sindhi about Amri Kotdiji culture, ancient monuments such as Sat Gharain (Seven houses or caves) near Kaaee valley, Yak Thanbhi near Sehwan, etc… Therefore, I have attempted to fill the gap by writing this book, wherein, I have tried to collect as much information as possible.” This book is a collection of five essays, which are 1) Creators of Sindhu Civilization, 2) Valley of Kaee and Sat Gharyoon, 3) Bhathi of Buley and Saam, 3) Nakoo Bhathi and Gabarband, 4) Blood Sacrifice, and 5) Civilizations and Societies of Amri and Kot Diji.

His second book is in English entitled Lake Manchar - The Most Ancient Seat of Sindhu Cultures, which was first published in 1997. In its preface, he writes that “Lake Manchar is indeed a thing of beauty. It is an everlasting joy for me. I have been visiting Lake Manchar for the last sixty years. It is still a thing of beauty and love and joy for me. I have seen stars twinkling and the moon quavering in the silent and deep waters of Lake Manchar. I have witnessed the sun setting in the lake. I have seen the sun rising with more calm and lovely brightness, after taking a bath in the lake. I can hear the sweet music of vibrations caused by the wind and oars, in the lake waters. I still hear the long shouts of the Mohannas, the singing of their women, and the sobbing of the children of Lake Manchar. They are all the faith and fancy for me.

“Whenever I had an opportunity to visit and pay homage to my learned guide Pir Hussamuddin Shah Rashidi, with a catch of Manchar lake ducks, he always coaxed me to write on Lake Manchar.

“Similarly Dr. Hans J. Nissan, Dr. Michael Jansen, Lady Ardeleanu-Jansen, Madam Eva-Maria Wittke of Germany, Professor G. Verardi of Italy, Counselor Lavizzari (Switzerland), Dr. Louis Flam (USA), and Dr. Hiroshi Fujiwara, Professor Toshiko Matano, Professor Masatoshi A. Konishi, Takeshi Gotoh Curator Orient Museum, Toshikazu Otani Director, Osamu Monden, Director, Hokuto Films, and Kensaku Mamiya and others (all of Japan) and Dr. Helene Basu of Freie Universitat Berlin – all advised me to write in English on Lake Manchar.”

The contents of this book include an Introduction by Dr. G.M. Mehkri, Forewords by Ali Ahmed Qureshi and Aijaz Qureshi, ten chapters, and six appendices, but the index is missing. Dr. G.M. Mehkri thinks “In fact, what is it that he has not done? No one-sided account. Not merely a traveler’s tale. Not a shilly shally tourist’s account.

“But here, read on and on, the sociology of Sindh, the anthropology of Sindh, the economy of Sindh, and also the romance of the days and nights of Sindh, its moonlight; its stars, its children living on the lake not for a day or a century but for unbroken millenniums, probably those whose ancestors were the very warp and woof of the society or societies that preceded even the builders of Mohen-jo-Daro itself are hinted at by Taj Sahrai.”

His third book entitled Nainhen Nind Ukhor (Expel sleep from eyes) is a collection of articles about Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai published in 2001.  

Besides, Prof. Aijaz Qureshi lists the following books as his works:

1) Sur Saarang, Hik Mutalieo

2) Pani Lok (1996),

3) Gorakh Choti (1997),

4) Dadu Zilo Geography an Tareekh je Aieney me (2001). I understand this might be his compilation of articles and essays about the History and Geography of District Dadu.

Recently renowned writer and researcher Badar Abro, who treats Taj Sahrai as his Guru, has compiled his previously published books and other writings in one volume, which has been published by the Culture Department, Government of Sindh. This book entitled Sindhu Wahando Rahundo (Indus will be flowing) is divided into four sections. The first one is the reprint of Sindhu Tahzeeb. The second Section is called Sindhu Wahando Rahando and it contains his 25 articles about Archeology and history of Sindh and two interviews. The third section is a reprint of his two books about Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, which are Nainhen Nindh Ukhor and Sur Sarang hik Mataleo. The last fourth section is entitled Azeem Shakhsiatoon (Great Personalities) which comprises his essays about Sufi Shah Inayat, Qalandar Shahbaz, Mirza Assadullah Ghalib, Rabindranath Tagore, Alexander Pushkin, Baghat Kanwar Ram and Sami. This section also contains his poetry. Badar Abro, compiler of this volume thinks that this volume contains 90 to 95 of his Sindhi writings.  

I understand Taj Sahib has also written some articles in English, therefore these articles and essays should also be compiled and published as an anthology.

Book About him

Prof Aijaz Ahmed Qureshi has compiled an anthology entitled Taj Sahrai (Daaho, Muhaqiq, Taleemdan, and Aalim), which contains articles about his life and works including three English articles penned by Dr. Louis Flam, Dr. Sahib Khan Channa, and Gul Muhammad Umrani.

Awards

He received First Class Sanad from the Government of Sindh in 1971, and Pride of Performance from the Government of Pakistan in 1991.

Throughout his life, he traveled a lot and explored all archeological and historical remains and sites of Sindh in general and particularly of Dadu district. During these visits, he gathered surface material, and folk traditions about these sites and studied the research about these remains. He established a museum in School, where he showcased all the materials, relics, and artifacts he collected from the surface of numerous prehistoric and archaeological sites.

What his contemporaries say about him

In the words of Muhammad Ibrahim Joyo “Shaikh Ayaz has written that Personalities are the feet of history and these words became reality when we write about Taj Sehrai, who was always motivated, striving, courageous, and imbued with historical consciousness. Indeed persons like Taj Sahrai are feet of history. This roving person since his student days has followed this saying that “the time spent indolently is worthless one”. History of Sindh would never forget his studies and active struggle in the fields of Education, history, and research.”

Renowned American Archaeologist Dr. Louis Flam writes “In 1974, on a brief visit to Pakistan, I took a road trip through Sindh from Mohen jo Daro to Karachi. During this trip, I visited several archaeological sites along the way and crossed Lake Manchar in a boat from Bubak to Shah Hasan. I fell in LOVE with Sindh. In 1976, the Department of Archaeology and Museums of the Government of Pakistan gave me permission to retrace Majumdar's explorations in Sindh and re-evaluate the sites that he had discovered as well as other sites discovered by later archaeologists in Sindh. At the time I was a graduate student with a Fulbright Fellowship trying to do an archaeological research project in Sindh so that I could write my doctoral dissertation and earn my Ph.D.

“On December 21, 1976, I took the train from Karachi to Dadu, where l was met by Taj Sahrai at the Dadu train station. During this stay in Dadu, I lived at the Buildings and Irrigation rest houses but had all my meals with Taj Sahrai at his home. He and his family were so generous and accommodating, they made me feel not like a guest but as a member of their family. Every day Taj Sahrai would talk without stopping, about the archaeology, history, geography, and the culture of Sindh. It was a wonderful learning experience for me…  In addition, our travels together accomplished a lot.”

According to Gul Muhammad Umrani “His landmark anthropological study of the boat people of Manchhar Lake in English is indeed very revealing and painstaking and evinces his innate passion for the kaleidoscopic rich cultural heritage of Sindh preserved through the aborigines called Mir Bahars (fishermen). He closely identified himself with the original inheritors of Sindhi culture. Taj Sahib's Sindhi book, on the ancient civilization of the Indus Valley, is still regarded as a seminal work on the level of Tarikh-e-Tamaddun Sindh written by the well-known historian Maulai Shedai in the 1950s. Few other books have equaled the level of scholarship maintained by this book on the hitherto undiscovered aspects of Sindh's prehistoric past.”

Death

He lived a life filled with verve and activity and spent a lot of time traveling to historical and archaeological sites. At the ripe age of 81, he departed for a voyage to the unknown world on 28th October 2002 and was laid down in the Lal Hindi Graveyard of Dadu.

Published on https://sindhcourier.com/taj-muhammad-sahrai-the-explorer-of-sindh/