Shoukat Hussain Shoro (b. 4 July 1947 - d. November 9, 2021)
Shoukat Hussain Shoro (b. 4 July 1947 - d. November 9, 2021)
Muhammad Habib Sanai
Shoukat Hussain Shoro is regarded as one of the pioneers of
the modern Sindhi short story, alongside Manik and his younger brother
Mushtaque Shoro, during the 1970s. According to Qamar Shahbaz, Shoukat — lost
in his thoughts, lonely and dejected amidst the bustling fair — was among the
few young writers who gave a new direction and vision to the Sindhi short
story.
About his literary journey, Shoukat himself says:
My grandfather and uncle owned a large collection of books
of tales and legends, and my grandmother regularly told us stories. Very early
in life, I had read Alif Laila, Hatim Ta’i, Mumtaz Damsaaz,
and Dāstān-e-Amīr Hamza. I would regularly send my writings to Gulistān,
a children’s periodical published from Hyderabad. During my high-school years,
I also began translating stories and getting them published in the literary
pages of Sindhi newspapers.
“In the 1950s, Sindhi literature was dominated by
Progressive writers. Naturally, when I began writing, I was influenced by the
Progressive movement — my characters were an oppressed peasant and a tyrannical
wadero.
“In the 1960s, however, the political situation in Pakistan
and the injustices faced by Sindh led to the rise of Sindhi nationalism, which
also left its mark on Sindhi literature. As a result, I moved away from class
issues and began to write about the injustices and oppression suffered by Sindh
and its people.”
“In 1971, after the Indo-Pakistani War, the eastern wing was
lost, and the political and economic conditions of the country were at their
worst. A large number of Sindhi youth were depressed and disillusioned due to
widespread unemployment — we were among them.
“The following decade, the seventies, was a period of
upheaval shaped by modern ideas and movements emerging across the world. During
this time, a new kind of short story began to develop. In India, Sindhi writers
had already started writing modern Sindhi fiction, but here in Sindh, the trend
arrived later. A few of us — Manik, Mushtaque Shoro, and I — embraced this
modern form.
“We faced strong opposition and were accused of distorting
the language’s grammatical structure, spreading immorality, opposing the
Progressive movement, serving as agents of American imperialism, and promoting
frustration and hopelessness.
“The truth, however, was different. We had realized that
literature alone could not bring about social change. Writing had helped us see
this clearly. We had abandoned the long-cherished dream of transforming society
through stories and poetry — and for that, we faced the criticism of political
writers.”
Early Life and Education
He was born in the village of Haji Noor Muhammad Shoro in
District Sujawal. He received his primary education at the village Primary
School and completed his matriculation from Chandio High School, Sujawal, in
1963. He then obtained his Intermediate from Sachal Arts College, Hyderabad,
and earned his M.A. in Sindhi from the University of Sindh in 1968.
Employment
He began his career as the Editor of the monthly Ghul
Phul, published by the Sindhi Adabi Board, Jamshoro. Later, he was
appointed as a Scripts Producer at Pakistan Television (PTV), but soon after,
he joined the University of Sindh, where he eventually retired as the Director
of the Institute of Sindhology, Jamshoro.
Writing Career and Works
Shoro began writing in 1964, and his first short story,
titled Akhyoon Roee Payoon (Eyes Wept), was published in the
Sindhi monthly Rooh Rehan. To date, four anthologies of his short
stories have been published:
- Gongi
Dharthi Boro Akas (Mute Earth, Deaf Sky, 1981)
- Akhiyan
ain Tangyal Sapna (Dreams Etched in Eyes, 1983)
- Ghum
Thiyal Pachho (The Vanished Shadow, 1989)
- Raat
jo Rang (The Colour of Night, 2011)
His short stories have been translated into Urdu, Hindi, and
English. His story “Death of Fear” was included in Unbordered
Memories: Sindhi Stories of Partition, edited and translated by Rita
Kothari, and published in India in 2009. Hindi translations of his stories by
Sandhya Chander Kundnani and Hiro Shevkani were compiled in an anthology titled
Khoi Hui Perchhai (Lost Shadow), published in 2017. In 2018,
English translations of his selected short stories rendered by Ram Daryani were
published in an anthology titled Colour of Night.
e authored six solo plays and four drama serials for
Pakistan Television, in addition to four radio dramas. The Institute of
Sindhology entrusted him with an ambitious project: to compile a representative
selection of Sindhi short stories spanning a full century, from 1914 to 2014.
He completed this landmark anthology, and its first volume was published by the
Institute in 2017 under the title Sau Saalan joon Choond Kahaniyun
(Selected Stories of One Hundred Years). He also served as editor of several
issues of Sindhi Adab and Sindhological Studies, both brought out
by the Institute of Sindhology, Jamshoro. Beyond this work, he contributed
numerous columns and wrote insightful critical essays.
Books and Special Issues of Periodicals
During his lifetime, and after his passing, several books
and special issues of magazines and periodicals devoted to his life and art
were published. The first such work, published during his lifetime, was titled
Shoukat Hussain: Shakhsiyat ain Fun (Shoukat Hussain Shoro: His Person and
Art), compiled by Muhammad Usman Mangi and published by Sindh Manik Moti
Tanzeem, Hyderabad, in 2009.
Niaz Panhwar compiled a book in Urdu titled Shoukat
Shoro: Aik Uhd-Saaz Afsana Nigar (Shoukat Shoro: A Trailblazing Short Story
Writer), published in 2022 by Kavita Publication, Hyderabad. The volume
includes an introduction, a brief autobiographical note, six critical essays on
his life and art, three of his short stories, a special memoir by Naseer Mirza,
and an interview of Shoro conducted by Zahida Abro.
According to a Facebook post by the renowned writer and poet
Ali Dost Aajiz, special issues dedicated to Shoro’s life and work have also
been published by some Sindhi magazines, such as Koonj and Saranga, as well as
another literary periodical featuring critical essays on his personality and
art.
He was also scheduled to share the stage with Rita Kothari
in a session titled “Sindhi Writers Across the Border” at the Jaipur
Literature Festival 2018. However, due to a visa denial, he was unable to
participate in the event.
Affiliations and Awards
He served as a member of the Board of Governors of the
Sindhi Language Authority and received numerous awards and recognition shields
in acknowledgment of his literary contributions and cultural services.
He passed away on 9 November 2021 after a brief illness.
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