Umar Marvi (or Marui; Sindhi:عمر مارئي‎) is a folktale from Sindh, Pakistan about a village girl Marvi, who resists the overtures of a powerful King and the temptation to live in the palace as a queen, preferring to be in a simple rural environment with her own village folk.[1]

Umar Marvi
Folk tale
NameUmar Marvi
RegionSindh

Origins edit

The story first appears in the text of "Bayan Ul Arifeen", known to the Sindhis as "Karim Jo Risalo" of Shah Abdul Karim of Bulri, the great-great-grandfather of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.[2] It then appeared in Shah Jo Risalo and forms part of seven popular tragic romances from Sindh, Pakistan. The other six tales are Sassui Punnhun, Sohni Mehar, Lilan Chanesar, Noori Jam Tamachi, Sorath Rai Diyach and Momal Rano commonly known as the Seven Queens of Sindh, or the Seven heroines of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.

Folklore edit

The protagonist of the story is Marvi, a young Khaskheli girl of the Panhwar tribe abducted by the then-ruler of Amarkot, Umar Soomro, who wanted to marry her because of her beauty. Upon her refusal, she was imprisoned in the historic Amarkot Fort for several years. Because of her courage, Marvi is regarded as a symbol of love for one's soil and homeland.[3]

In popular culture edit

See also edit

Further reading edit

References edit

  1. ^ Dr. N. A. Baloch (1976). Popular Folk Stories: Umar Marui. Hyderabad: Sindhi Adabi Board.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ Schimmel, Annemarie (1974). Sindhi Literature. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-3-447-01560-8.
  3. ^ Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Shah Jo Risalo
  4. ^ "Drama - Professor Ram Panjwani". rampanjwani.com. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  5. ^ The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians by Eliot and Dawson, Volume 1, Page 260

External links edit