People' Assembly on International Rivers Day

A mega People's Assembly organised by PFF to mark the Day of Action for Rivers. 

Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, celebrated not only the day of Action for Rivers, but a week of action. On the March 14, a colourful People's Assembly in the bed of River Indus was organised by PFF where thousands of people expressed their love and affection towards Rivers!

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Young ones demanded to Free Rivers

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Children from a coastal village of disrict Sujawal, Sindh, made human chain to demand the restoration of Rivers

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Muhammad Ali Shah and Aly Ercelan's joint Article on International Rivers Day

Going to be published in mainstream media on March 14, 2014

Stay tuned!

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(I am a Fisherwomen) مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان...

مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان

منهنجا درد نه مون کان پُڇجو

مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان

پاڻيءَ منجهه پساهه آ منهنجو

مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان

درياءَ، منڇر، ڪينجهر، ماڃر

دنگيون بتيلا منهنجا هي گهر

تن تان مونکي ڪڏهن نه ڪڍجو

مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان

لهر لهر سان لانئون کائي

ناري نوري پاڻي ڄائي

مَڏي نه مونکان منهنجي کسجو

مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان

ٺيڪيدار چور وڏيرا سارا ويري

ڪامورا، ڪڙا، دهشت وهشت پيري

حق نه منهنجو مونکان کسجو

مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان

پورهيو ساريو ڏينهن ڪريان ٿي

بُک بيماري ڏک ڏسان ٿي

ڀينر منهنجو حق ته وٺجو

مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان

آڳاٽي تهذيب منهنجي مون وٽ آءُ

مان آدم حوا جي آهيان ماءُ

پنهنجو گهر هي سنڌ نه ڇڏجو

مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان

منهنجا ٻار به علم پرائين

بُک بيماريون ڏور ڀڄائين

تن لاءِ ڪو اسڪول ته اڏجو

مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان

سخئيون سور درد سهان ٿي

ويم وگهي بي موت مران ٿي

صحت بنيادي حق آ منهنجو

مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان

شهزادي مان بحر جي آهيان

ميربحر ٿي ڀيڻ چوايان

سنڌ امڙ جي ڳالهه ته ٻُڌجو

مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان

هي جي منهنجا ڀائر سارا

مونکي آهن ساهه کان پيارا

تاريخ پني تي منهنجي لکجو

مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان

تهذيب تمدن ڳيچن ۾ ڏس

رسم رواجن ريتن ۾ دس

مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان

پلي مڇيءَ جي خوشبو پسجو

مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان

سنڌ جي ڄائي سکي سياڻي

صافي گهري ٿي گولو پاڻي

ڇوڙ ڪيميڪل زهر نه ڀرجو

مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان

”زيب“ آهي نالو منهنجو

سنڌو سڀيتا حوالو منهنجو

اخبارن ۾ مون کي پڙهجو

مان عورت مهاڻي آهيان

! زيب نظاماڻي

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(Bhittai calling us Folks) ڀِٽائيءَ ڏني آ صَدا دوستو!

ڀِٽائيءَ ڏني آ صَدا دوستو

اُٿو مانجهيو، ناکئا دوستو!

ڀِٽائيءَ ڏني آ صَدا دوستو!

قيد پنهنجو ڪيو ويو دريا دوستو

! پنهنجو پاڻين ۾ آهي پَساهه دوستو

! تنهنجو منهنجو آ سِنڌوءَ ۾ ساههَ دوستو!

ٿئي پاڻَ سان پئي دَغا دوستو

! ڀِٽائيءَ ڏني آ صَدا دوستو!

ڪَراڙان ڪنڌيءَ تان اُٿيو شور آ،

مَلاحن جي مَڪڙيءَ چڙهيو چور آ،

آ غُربت جو گهاڻو، ظُلم زور آ،

ٿيو بيڪَسن-ڀَرجهلا دوستو!

ڀِٽائيءَ ڏني آ صَدا دوستو

مَڏين ۽ مياڻين جو آهي قسم!

۽ مُفلس مُهاڻين جو آهي قسم!

نِياڻين نِماڻين جو آهي قسم!

پنهنجي قيد پاڻين جو آهي قسم!

مونکي ساڌ ٻيلي جو آهي قسم!

ڀڳل هِنَ بَتيلي جو آهي قسم

! نِما شامَ ويلي جو آهي قسم

اُٿو هاڻ طوفان بڻجي، ڪريون،

قذاقن سان ڪي فيصلا دوستو،

ڀِٽائيءَ ڏني آ صَدا دوستو

! ڀِٽائيءَ ڏني آ صَدا دوستو!

رابيل عزيز

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Whispers of Sindhu (River Indus) - A Story Of Struggle

Today, when the day dawned, “Sindhu” came rushing towards me and started whispering something into my left ear. Following is what her whispers spoke about.

“O son of Indus Valley Civilization, do you know who am I?” said Sindhu. Following an unusual whisper, having lost my head, because of feeling giddy and still being sleepy, I could not respond to the whisper I heard.  A smoky, muddy watery image started to occasionally appear and disappear in front of my eyes. It almost seemed infinite in its magnitude. Having known the helplessness within me, the whisper again continued, “Relax, remain in your bed and listen. People of Sindh call me Sindhu (One of the names for River Indus). Iam thousands of years old river with thousands of names in several regions of the Asia including Tibet, Northern India, Lake Mansarover, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Giligit, Baltistan and Arabian Sea. I have a total drainage area exceeding 1,165,000 km2. I have an annual flow of around 207 km3. Out of all the names given to me, I love the one and only that is, “Sindhu”. The love with the name exists since my existence and journey of thousands of miles ends up here in Sindh, the land of peace. “Sindhu” makes me all smiles and in return I spread smiles for indigenous people there.

When peace-loving innocent fisher folks of Sindh arrive at my banks, I find a sight for my sour eyes. This is because during my journey through various parts of the continent, I suffer. I suffer because of dams being built at my very eyes. I suffer since people who are addicted to power stop my natural flow; stop me to come to Sindh with all my heart. My heart hurts when my waves can’t dance. My heart bleeds when my water is put under the siege of deadly dams that intend to snatch bread and butter of the people who I feed. Due to all this, sometimes I feel to have been sent behind the bars for Iam barred from reaching at my coast where mal-nourished and underprivileged fisher folks await my arrival with their boats, shanty homes and flags.

Dear Son, this all is not new to me. This all had been happening since times immemorial. Iam neither defeated nor dead. Never was I and never shall I be! But I want you to give my word to my people in Sindh. Tell them to continue their untiring efforts for my well-being. Tell them that I rejuvenate when they unite to fight for my waters, when they sloganeer, when they hoist their flags bearing my name, when they rally in my waters to tell my enemies that death of their polluted vested interests is their destiny.

Dear Son of the Indus Valley civilization, one last word. Do tell them that their struggle blesses me with thousands of more years of life. Tell them their fight makes me immortal...!”

With all this awe-inspiring morning, I got up, picked my pen and started to put this precious happening on paper to be later on shared with the one for whom it was meant to be conveyed to...!

Courtesy by Roshan Bhatti, Associate Member Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum

March 09-014 

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