Saba Dashtiyari, A Messenger Of Enlightenment
Shaad Baloch
Baloch in terms of having enthusiastic persons, who could serve their entire life just for the purpose to pave a way for accomplishing, leading towards progress, spreading enlightened thoughts, work on a clear cognition, a vision and cognizance have not been in abundance, which has been ever felt.
However, it is a clear fact that leaders are not born, it is the time that produces and grooms leaders. The thirst of consciousness, the factors towards comprehension, deprivation of political, economic and social rights have been the driving forces to give birth to some personalities in the shape of political activists, teachers, intellectual and rights demanding activists who attempted their best to let the entire nation know the place they live on.
From such enlightened personalities, there comes the name of a prominent linguist, writer, critic, intellectual and a teacher-Professor Saba Dashtiyari.
Saba Dashtiyari once said, “Nations struggle needs blood along with enlightenment and unity”, no doubt what he narrated clearly exhibits the thoughts he tried to convey to every Baloch via the channels of literature and politics towards enlightenment and emphasized on need of unity.
Sohail Riaz, a BBC reporter mentioned in a report that, “Saba was an utter liberal institution within, containing the thoughts of liberalism, the level of conveyance of consciousness and an explicit love to mother language”.
Sohaib Mengal, a local writer writes, “Saba devoted his entire life for the promotion of Balochi language and culture because he was fully acknowledged that until and unless Baloch don’t realize the significance of their culture and civilization, they could never surface as an independent and civilized nation”.
Saba Dashtiyari was absolutely a generous and open-minded person, who never hesitated to speak about the realities. As well as being a professor of Islamic studies, he was a man with competences of having the fabulous proficiency on philosophy too.
The ones who were amenably asserting Saba Dashtiyari, a man with ridiculous conduct as he was a plainspoken and realistic person with a sensitive bulk of ascertaining, they too were inconsolable on the demise of Saba’s soul.
I consider myself from the luckiest persons who learnt from Saba Dashtiyari how to love the books. He thought every student a lesson who used to sit in his gatherings, surely this was the reason of his affection everyone wanted to pass at least a moment but he was enough strict and managed the time very well.
Here I want to share one of the recollections that relates to Saba, once he went to Panjgur to attend a literary program, there a friend of him brought into his information that just nearby a teacher has initiated teaching the kids English language, Saba felt overwhelmed to hear such a constructive and productive attempt and wanted to meet the person. When his message of having a meeting was received by the person, he refused to meet and said if Saba is a professor and intellectual, he is also not less than anyone. Saba Dashtiyari smiled over the reply and did not discuss it further. To this date that person regrets why he missed such a great chance.
Saba was a person whose recollections have no a chapter of disappointment, repentance and viciousness, he was always concerned to his derives that attempted to move ahead and do a productive thing. The result of his commitment is all in the form of the literary contributions, his written books, compilations, construction of a library and promotion of the Balochi literature.
He possessed numerous qualities; a highly educated person, a keen observer, an obvious critic and a good booklover were all his attributes. He always suggested the students who accompanied him to read as much books as they can and the students were prized to be with him in order to be blessed hearing Saba discussing the Balochi literature, Baloch Politics and philosophy.
Malik Siraj Akbar mentioned in an article: “the martyred professor”, that I don’t know any young Baloch of my generation who was not keen to meet him during his early school days, as a school student, I first heard about him. He was among the very few brave men and he was an easily approachable professor who would sit outside the canteen to share ideas with students”.
The enlightened and liberal thought retaining people used to be the companions of Saba during whose discussion the topics ranged from politics, religion, revolutions, nationalism to taboo topics like sex and homosexuality.
For the last couple of years of his life, he was continuously criticized by some corners as he had become a staunch supporter of the Baloch armed resistance for national liberation.
Malik Siraj Akbar, a renowned journalist said that once he inquired professor Saba about the remarkable transformation in his personality and the causes that forced him to become a political activist. In response, he sounded very frustrated with the state affairs in Balochistan and did not mince words.
“I know getting killed is a heavy price for anyone of us to pay for our work but to live under oppression and injustice is like getting killed every other day. There is no justice without struggle. We all need to stand up for truth and refuse to succumb to this challenge”, said Dr. Saba Dashtiyari.
Saba lived a life of his own choices and paved a way to pragmatism, how it frightened could be but to stand firm is vision that live ever.