Our blog’s name is an inspiration from the two beloveds, Sassi and Punno. Their story represents our land of origin.
Sassi Punno is a tragic love story of Indus Valley civilization. Among the top 4 folklores of Punjab and among the seven most popular stories of Sindh, its origin dates back to the 15th century narration of Qazi Qadan. Qazi Qadan’s family arrived in Sindh in the mid-15th century. The story has been narrated in Shah Jo Risalo by Shah abdul Karim Bulri, the great grandfather of Shah Abdul Latif of Bhit. In Punjab, the story arrived with Hashim Shah’s narration.
The story began when Sassi was born to the Raja of Bhambore in Sindh. The astrologers advised the royal family to abandon the girl as she was bane. The royal family was more concerned to save the throne than the life of the new born child. They left the child to the mercy of the waves of the Indus River. A washerman saved the child, as his own cradle was empty from the nature’s very merciful gift of an offspring. Sassi was brought up with all the love and affection, a family can pour on their only child. She grew into a fairylike complexion, brown hair, crimson lips and carried the beauty of east and west of Indus all together into her only being.
Punno, a son of the ruler of Kech in Baluchistan, heard of a beauty unmatched founded in the Sindh, could not hold himself and left to have a glance of Sassi. The love poured on the two souls in the first gaze. The washerman did not approve of this and held a test for Punno. He was asked to wash the clothes as per the standard set for him. He failed, obviously, but left some coins in the pockets of cloths. This did the trick and washerman’s heart softened for the two love doves. Then his brothers arrived with his father’s message to abandon the washerman’s girls as she was not of her standard and was ordered to fall back. The prince resisted and the brothers played a trick on him. On his wedding night, they made him drink different wines. Later, when he slept, they took him back with them on a camel back. When Sassi came to know how her brothers-in-law cheated on her, she ran after Punnu bare footed in chaos calling ‘’Punno, Punno’’. She died in the desert. While dying she prayed that the God would burst open the land and she would be buried in it if she would die before she met Punno. On the other side of the desert when Punno woke up, he ran back towards Sassi calling ‘’Sassi, Sassi’’. He prayed for the same destiny as his beloved when a shepherd told him about what happened to Sassi. The land opened and buried him there and then. They lay buried in the Makran coastal desert.
Many poets, filmmakers and story tellers narrate it in their own very style and languages, keeping the two beloveds alive till to date.
One of my favorite verses are from Manzoor Jhalla , a Punjabi poet, who refers to this story while patronizing the young, newly wed Sassi.
Sassī rāt suhāg dī sauñ gaī sej wichhā ke
shāyad oh dā ‘ishq sī kacchā
tāñ ī oh lai gae Punnhal nūñ chā ke
Manzūr je Sassī jyūndī hondī
tāñ maiñ puchhdā kol biṭhā ke
terī kiñweñ nī akkh lag gaī
laggī wāleyāñ nūñ nīñd nahīñ āundī
On her wedding night Sassi
laid out her bed & slept.
Maybe her love was unripe.
So they up & stole Punnun away.
Manzoor, if Sassi were alive,
I would sit her beside me & ask,
How’d you let your eyelids stick together?
The ones stuck in desire never sleep. (Manzoor Jhala)
