Muhammad Ibrahim Joyo (; 13 August 1915 – 9 November 2017) was a Pakistani teacher, writer, scholar and

Sindhi nationalist Sindhi nationalism (Sindhi language, Sindhi:) is an ideology that claims that the Sindhis, an ethnolinguistic group native to the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Sindh, form a separate nation. After Bangladesh Proclamation ...

Early life

Joyo was born on 13 August 1915 in the village of Abad near

Laki Laki () or Lakagígar (, ''Craters of Laki'') is a volcanic fissure in the western part of Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland, not far from the volcanic fissure of Eldgjá and the small village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. The fissure is proper ...

Kotri Kotri (, ) is a city and the headquarters of the Kotri Taluka of Jamshoro District of Sindh province in Pakistan. Located on the right bank of the Indus River, it is the 118th most populous city in Pakistan. Name The name ''Koṭri'' is the d ...

, Dadu, now in Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan. He was considered a living legend of Sindhi literature, who had written, translated and edited hundreds of books and brochures. He was affiliated with the

Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society is the organizational body of Theosophy, an esoteric new religious movement. It was founded in New York City, U.S.A. in 1875. Among its founders were Helena Blavatsky, a Russian mystic and the principal thinker of the ...

. On Thursday, 13 August 2015, Joyo entered centennial of his life. Joyo received his early education from local

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

. He received his basic early education in locations of Laki and Sann, Sindh. He then passed his matriculation from Sindh Madarsatul Islam in 1934. In 1938, Joyo passed B.A. from DG Sindh College;

University of Bombay University of Mumbai is a public university, public List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, state university in Mumbai. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, largest univ ...

. He then went to Bombay for higher education.

Career

Muhammad Ibrahim Joyo was appointed a teacher in

Sindh Madrasatul Islam Sindh Madressatul Islam University (SMI University; ; ) is a university in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Founded in 1885, it is one of the oldest educational institutions in South Asia. History Sindh Madrasa was founded on 1 September 1885 by Ha ...

in 1941 on his return to Karachi, as he announced he was a committed Marxist. He wrote a book entitled ''Save Sindh, Save Sub-Continent from Feudal Lords, Capitalists and Communalism''. This work angered the administration authorities, causing a conflict with

Pir Ilahi Bux Pir Ilahi Bux or Pir Ilahi Buksh (; Urdu: پیر الٰہی بخش) was a Pakistani politician and activist who was a prominent member of the Pakistan Movement and served as the Chief Minister of Sindh from 1948 to 1949. Biography Early life ...

who ordered Joyo's removal from his job. However, he got a new job in Thatta Municipal High School. Later on, he was transferred to

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

at training college. He was appointed secretary of Sindhi Adabi Board in 1951. In 1961, Joyo retired from his job. Again, he was offered the same job a number of times. He was secretary of

Sindhi Adabi Board Sindhi Adabi Board is a government sponsored institution in Pakistan for the promotion of Sindhi literature. It was established in 1955 in Jamshoro, Sindh. It is under the Education Department of the Government of Sindh. Activities The or ...

till 1973. He was also involved with Sindh Textbook Board and served as chairman of the Sindhi Adabi Board.

Awards and recognition

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

Award by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

in 2010. *In 2013, he received the 'Kamal-e-Fun' Award, a literary lifetime achievement award from the

Pakistan Academy of Letters The Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) () is a national academy with its main focus on Pakistani literature and related fields. It is the largest and the most prestigious learned society of its kind in Pakistan, with activities throughout the nat ...

Books

Joyo had translated and written a number of books. He had many translations of famous European books to his credit. He had been writing on Sindh and

Sindhi people Sindhis are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan Ethnicity, ethnic group originating from and native to Sindh, a region of Pakistan, who share a common Sindhi culture, History of Sindh, history, #History, ancestry, and Sindhi language, langua ...

for 70 years. He also wrote many story books and text books for school children, prefaces, debates and a lot of essays. An often-repeated quote by him was:

"My soul guided my pen whenever I sat down to write my books".

Joyo was well-learned about ''History of Intellectual Development of Europe'' by J W Draper. He also read diverse writers such as

Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...

Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher ('' philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects ...

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

and

Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a ...

Death

Muhammad Ibrahim Joyo died on 9 November 2017 at the aged of 102 at his elder son's residence in

, Sindh, Pakistan.Noted writer Ibrahim Joyo passes away aged 102
Pakistan Today (newspaper), Published 9 November 2017, Retrieved 18 July 2023

References