Literary Heritage Series for Young Readers: Our Bhitai

DescriptionOur Bhitai is the third book in the Literary Heritage Series for Young Readers.It is an abridged simplified translation of Shah jo Risalo, the great masterpiece in Sindhi language by the renowned Sufi poet, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai. This book has been especially compiled for young readers to acquaint them with the greatness of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai’s work.Our Bhitai is an exposition of enchanting imagery. There are vivid descriptions of the scenic landscape and its inhabitants. People belonging to different walks of life have all been portrayed in a very appealing manner.The selection and translation of the verses has been done by Fahmida Riaz, the eminent poet and writer. Great care has been taken in selecting suitable verses to appeal to the youth.Author BiographyFahmida Riaz is an eminent poet and writer who have been recognized for her contribution to Pakistani literature. She is the author of the Literary Heritage Series, which introduces celebrated poets to young readers through a selection and translation of their famous verses. She was awarded the 6th UBL Literary Excellence Award in Children’s Literature for the Literary Heritage series’ title Our Bhitai and has won numerous national and international prizes.Born in 1946 in Meerut, India, educated in Hyderabad and London, and living in Karachi, she has written poetry and short stories since the age of 15 and has been involved in social and political activities since her student days. She has seen publication of four volumes of her poetry, three novels, including Godavari, the English translation of which is also published by OUP Pakistan, and a collection of short stories, in addition to the Urdu translation of some verses from Shaikh Ayaz. She has also translated Rumi into Urdu.Her first collection of verse, Patthar Ki Zaban was published in 1967. With the publication of her second collection, Badan Dareeda, she emerged as a full-fledged iconoclast. She has since published four more collections of her verse—Dhoop, Kya Tum Pura Chand Na Dekhogay, Hamrakab and Aadmi Ki Zindigi.Fahmida Riaz is also the author of several short stories and novels in Urdu: Godavari, based on her Indian experience, and Zinda Bahar Lane based on Bangladesh. Fahmida Riaz’s first collection Badan Dareeda appeared when she was 22, and was responsible for creating a stir in literary circles. Fahmida Riaz is among the front rank of authors and poets in Urdu.Besides being a poet, she is also an unrelenting social critic and has been active in several human rights movements. She was among the writers who campaigned against Gen. Ziaul Haq’s military rule and the execution of Z. A. Bhutto, and had to suffer the wrath of the authorities and a period of self-exile. Fahmida Riaz has spent years abroad: in London, working for the BBC; then in India as a political exile. She is also the author of several short stories and travelogues in Urdu, including Zinda Bahar Lane about Bangladesh. She has travelled widely and lectured at universities and cultural forums in England and the USA. Fahmida Riaz was given the Hemmet-Hellman award by Human Rights Watch, New York, in 1997 and the Kamal-i-Fun award in Pakistan in 2016.