Taufiq Rafat

Playwright, translator and pioneering poet of English in Pakistan, Taufiq Rafat (1927- 1998),
was the finest verse practitioner of his generation. By postulating the fundamental “Pakistani
Idiom” in English writing, he defined the way for subsequent writers and provided a critical
framework of serious scholarly application. Born in Sialkot in 1927, Rafat was educated at
Deradun, Aligarh, and Government College, Lahore.
His work featured in several OUP collections of Pakistani English poetry, including the early
First Voices (1964), Pieces of Eight (1970), Wordfall (1976) and was anthologised abroad in
Poems of the Common Wealth, Mentor’s Modern Asian Literature and The Encounter, a leading
literary journal of the twentieth century.
His first collection of poems written between 1947-78, Arrival of the Monsoon 1985) was
followed by the posthumously published Half Moon (2009), a collection of poems compiled by
the author himself, written between 1979-83. He suffered a serious stroke in 1984, and although
he recovered from it to talk and walk again, he did not take to writing after that till he died
peacefully at home in Lahore in 1998.
His poems have been set in secondary school and college English courses in Africa, Australia,
UK, and the United States, as well as in the English syllabi in the Punjab and Sindh provinces.
Rafat’s renditions, in English, of Punjabi classics such as Puran Bhagat by Qadir Yar (1802-
1891), published in 1983, and the poems of the great Sufi master Bulleh Shah (1680-1757),
received acclaim at home and abroad. These are an accomplished poet’s creative interpretations
of the work of two master-poets who had profound influence on Urdu and Punjabi writing, oral
lore and music over the centuries. Forthcoming books by Rafat include his unpublished full-
length play in blank verse, Foothold, and translations of Punjabi lullabies and contemporary
Punjabi poetry.
Rafat is doubtlessly the greatest of all Pakistani poets who wrote in English. His best work,
Arrival of the Monsoon: Collected Poems comprising four parts, brought him to the climax of
honour and recognition.
He is a unique and great imagist, impressionist, romantic as well as classical Pakistani poet for
whom the integration of Pakistani Idioms remained the best practice throughout his poetic career,
and the others were also inspired by his enormous poetic faculty. He is the poet who saw ups and
downs on the soil of Punjab both at domestic and national levels, and at familial and political
levels.
His poetry exposes him to be a true eye witness of the changes taken place from pre-partition to
post Partitions eras. It seems that he relates the aptitude of style with the indigenous themes.
Various modes of postcolonial resistance can be applied to analyze his poetic genius. His use of
indigenous idioms is also one of the types of resistance where he appropriates the language
according to his personal choice.
One of them is to preserve and propagate the local. In conjunction with appropriation, abrogation
is also another mode of intellectual resistance against the Eurocentric concept of authenticity,
particularly of language. In his poetry, we feel that he has used both the techniques of
appropriation and abrogation to serve the aim of propagation of Pakistani Idiom.
Partly he uses the indigenous vocabulary; partly the local idioms have been translated. In his
most exemplary poems Meditation and Prayer p. At one place in his Reflections, he puts the
words his ham down to show off his own theory of poetry. He writes, For an image should never
be An oasis in a waste of words, But gently glow, as agul-mohar glows, Among the splendid
everyday his hams p.
His all statements are directly or indirectly the store houses of symbolic treasury. He could have
used them in translated form but he did vice versa. On the other hand, his use of this word in his
poetry has also many resistive objectives behind it. Shisham, sissoo, tahli and taliare the different
names for the same tree. It is of great significance in rural areas of Eastern and Western Punjab.
This tree was the symbol of solace, love, and unity but modern industrialization has reduced its
traditional worth.
Rafat also revolts against the prevailing neo-colonialism and multiculturalism. By doing this, he
wants to highlight his own cultural values that have been blanketed by the foreign intrusion and
influence. He is a true nationalist and comes upto the notion of nationalism given by Nayer as:.
Nationalism provide[s] some of the fieriest protest and resistance writing in almost every nation-
state in modern times. His nationalism imbued with the historical facts presents the conflict
between the traditional and the [Link] Rafat 7 June — 2 August was an author and poet.
Rafat conducted poetry workshops, which influenced many younger poets. His poetry reflects a
deep insight into Pakistani social traditions in relation with cultural practices. Rafat examines
Pakistani social and cultural standards through lens of criticism.
No one can fully comprehend a work of literature without being studying the cultural norms that
underlie that piece. This is as true for Pakistani literature as it is for British, American, or Post-
colonial or Indian literature. Taufiq Rafat has the credit of being the first Pakistani poet to adopt
this concept of culture-specific writing in Pakistani English Literature. He has employed various
kind of imageries in his poetry that reflect Pakistaniness in all aspects whether material,
geographical, seasonal, cultural, traditional, or ideological.
Although, they depicted Indian Society, in style they followed British English writers. The mode
of feelings, emotions, and expressions they had found in the writing of British English writers,
reflects in the writing of these Indian English writers and it continued till After the partition,
Indian writers felt the need to pay attention to the Indian culture, tradition, symbolism and
imagery in order to make their own identity in the world of literature.
They developed a new type of poetry which is an epitome of their culture, tradition, identity and
what else they had in their society. The well-known and recognized writers who became the
pioneers of this new type of English poetry include: Nissim Ezekiel, Kekin Daruwal, P. King
Unlike India, in Pakistan, Poetic writing in English started later for English education reached
this part of the Sub-Continent later than that of India where inthey started writing poetry in
English with the establishment of English education centers and missionary schools.
In the early stages they also followed the British English writers like Indian writers and took time
to understand that they also have a distinct culture, tradition, and colors to fill their pictures
Khwaja This idea emerged with Taufiq Rafat in s but became popular in s.
This idea has been pointed out by Daud Kamal in these words: Despite all manner of intellectual
manifestoes, poetic credos. And such-like social cliff-hangers, Pakistani English poetry remains
a melange of Pakistani—or generally Asian—and Western forms and language resources
Hashmi. The landscape, the seasons, the smells, the characters, these are all local and give the
very essence of Pakistani society and culture.
It also has its own symbols, has emerged more visibly in Pakistani poetry than fiction, and no
other Pakistani poet has contributed more, in shaping a distinct Pakistani idiom, than, Taufiq
Rafat. The imagery of Taufiq Rafat reflects Pakistani society. He has not sacrificed his idea for
the sake of rhyme scheme. Content is more important for him than form. He has depicted the true
picture of Pakistani society by using natural imagery like animals, flowers, grass, birds, insects,
and seasons Rahman.
The images of kites, pigeons, gliding, rainy water, mud, clouds, all represent Pakistani culture.
Many Pakistani poets follow his style and distinctive idiom. Regarding his distinctive style and
language that show Pakistani culture, language, society, traditions and religion, he has been
rightly called the Ezra Pound of Pakistan by Imran Aslam, one of his disciples.
These works are indeed valuable but it is very difficult to get access to these and a lot more
works by prominent scholars. Discussion: Poetry is a powerful tool of expression in literature.
Imagery is one of the most important elements of poetry. These images which the poet takes
from the society depict the culture of that society.