Atta Shad
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Atta Shad ( Balochi, ur, , born 1 November 1939 – 13 February 1997) was a Pakistani
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...
,
critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or gover ...
,
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
, researcher and intellectual. He wrote poems in
Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Balochi language. Shad is considered the architect of modern symbolic Balochi poetry.


Career

His unique style gave him a prominent place in the literary quarters . His first free verse poem named "Shepaank شپانک " was published in "Ols Magazine ماھتاک اُلس. Atta attracted widespread attention for his poem "Sah Kandan ساہ کندن " which represented the true sense of Baloch tradition and history. "In a broader sense, Atta truly served as a bridge between Urdu poetry and Balochi culture."


Early life

Atta shad was born in Singani Sar,
Kech District The Kech District ( ur, ) is a district located in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. Administration The district of Kech is administratively subdivided into the following tehsils, each of which contains several villages:Turbat in November 1939. He served in several government positions as Information officer, Director General and Secretary Information.


Literary contribution


Urdu poetry

During his lifetime, Atta published two collections of Urdu poetry. Atta's Urdu poetry is a true reflection of Balochi culture and landscape of Balochistan. He added a new poetic flavour to Urdu poetry by versifying certain Balochi folk lore, romantic sagas and maxims. He wrote poems like 'Mahnaaz', 'Shah Mureed aur Haani', 'Wafa' and 'Lori'. They represent different aspects of Balochi culture and talk about the psyche of the typical Baloch society. His short poem 'Wafa' (Oath of Allegiance) reads as: ''On my motherland A bowel of water Worth eternal allegiance Let us quench our thirst And Submit ourselves to the eternal bond.


Balochi poetry

During the time of Atta, Baloch poetry was divided into two major and often competing groups - Progressives and Purists. Atta Shad refused to join either group; he was neither convinced of bringing political change through poetry nor was he an advocate of purism. On the contrary, he conceived a poetic diction inclusive of words from all the dialects of Balochi, despite the fact that he was himself a speaker of the dominant Western Dialect. This new diction afforded him a wider spectrum for his intricate poetic expressions.


Death

He died on 13 February 1997 and was buried on 14 February in Kasi graveyard, Quetta . After his death, a major Pakistani newspaper said about him that Atta Shad used to raise his voice against all forms of social oppression and that Balochistan had been vulnerable to tribal oppression and dictatorship over the years.


Awards and recognition

* Sitara-e-Imtiaz Award (Star of Excellence) by the
President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces. *
Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...
Award by the
President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shad, Atta 1939 births 1997 deaths Urdu-language poets from Pakistan Recipients of the Pride of Performance Pakistani dramatists and playwrights Pakistani literary critics Balochi-language writers People from Kech District