Dispatches from Pakistan

Poetic Reflection and Activism in Gilgit-Baltistan

213 PoeticReflectionand ActivisminGilgit-Baltistan nosheen ali poetry recitation has a prominent place in the social life of Pakistan, and especially in the northern, mountainous region of GilgitBaltistan . In the key administrative city of Gilgit, participants at casual gatherings, cultural celebrations, NGO conferences, or political seminars are likely to quote couplets in Urdu or in one of their local languages such as Shina. Mushairas, or gatherings dedicated to poetry recitation, are often organized in people’s homes, at hotels, and in public spaces, and are much valued as a source of pleasure and intellectual stimulation . While mushairas have been part of the Indo-Persian cultural landscape at least since the 16th century, poetic performances have a particularly central place in the cultural and spiritual life of Muslims in northern Pakistan. The ability to use words for poetic, playful, and creative expression is considered the hallmark of intellect, and both the production and reception of poetic performances is deemed integral to Muslim personhood.1 In Gilgit, I was often told that poetry is truly the rooh ki giza or nourishment for the soul. Local poetry that has been put to music is also very popular in Gilgit-Baltistan and is enjoyed both through recordings and in live performances. Hence, a culture of poetry infuses social life in northern Pakistan, similar to what has been claimed for other contexts such as Arab culture. 214 Nosheen Ali Poetic expression has been particularly encouraged in GilgitBaltistan by the literary organization Halqa-e-Arbab-e-Zauq, which may be translated as the Circle of Literary Fellows. Founded in 1939, Halqa is a prominent Urdu literary forum that promotes literature and poetry through publications and mushairas.The Gilgit chapter of Halqa was established in 1987, at the initiative of a retired army major from “down”—the term most commonly used for Pakistani regions located south of Gilgit-Baltistan—who himself was a poet and was at the time posted in the education department in Gilgit. However, the seeds of a literary organization in Gilgit were already sown in the form of the Karakoram Writers’ Forum, a local initiative that preceded the formation of Halqa. Halqa’s poetry in Gilgit combines the traditional themes of self, love, and separation with a concern for social and political transformation. In my individual interviews with Halqa poets in Gilgit, it became clear to me that what motivates their poetry—and often prose as well—is a concern with promoting a progressive vision of humanity and harmony as the essence of faith and politics. My first encounter with Halqa was at a mushaira that was held at the Karakuram International University (KIU) in Gilgit, as part of the Pakistan Independence Day celebrations in August 2006. Jointly organized by KIU and Halqa, the four-hour mushaira featured the most distinguished poets from Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as a few renowned ones from other parts of Pakistan. It took place in the university garden , in the late evening, against the backdrop of a mountain lit up with charagan (fire-lights). No fee was charged for attendance. There were around four hundred people present, all men except for six women: three female poets on stage who were from down-Pakistan and three women in the audience, including myself. We could be there because we taught at the university and were nonlocal.The vast majority of male attendees belonged to the town of Gilgit and nearby areas and came predominantly from an oral culture as opposed to a highly schooled one. The rest were students at KIU. Even among the student audience, female students were conspicuously absent. Thus, the poetic public sphere in Gilgit is essentially a male public sphere. However, women are not entirely absent from the culture of poetry in the region. In the Gojal poetic reflection and activism 215 area of Gilgit-Baltistan, women’s poetic songs called bulbulik have been traditionally composed and sung by female Wakhi shepherds. Women write poetry in Gilgit city as well, but because of cultural norms are not keen on reciting it in public. Like several others, I too was completely enthralled by the poetic performances at the KIU–Halqa mushaira. In an Urdu that was both simple and eloquent, and a recitation that was deeply moving, the region’s poets attempted to stimulate the audience with their reflections on politics, society, and love. Barring a few Shina poems, most of the poetry that...