TR. by Ali Jan Maqsood
Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) is an active, national student organisation in Balochistan, which is not only confined to the administratively separated Balochistan only, but it is also knocking the doors of other regions and educational institutions of Punjab and Sindh, along with its program as a student organisation and rendering in youth political, educational and intellectual teachings. Because the primary and biggest aim of BSAC is to politically and ideologically educate the Baloch students, which means to direct the students in the real sense by giving them ideological education so that they emerge as conscious human beings and better national leaders in the future. All these are mandatory for a student organisation so that they may represent the nation taking into consideration the cause honestly.
By dint of the tireless struggles and efforts of the ideological and honest members and leaders of BSAC, the organisation has successfully reached in the educational institutions across the country. Feeling the need of their ideological, political and educational requisites, BSAC decided to produce its political, organic magazine, Navisht, which began to appear from 2020. Continuing their rhythm, the organisation published the second and third editions which effectively reached to the Baloch in every institution across the country. It has been recorded as a welcomed success for the organisation.
Another significance of Navisht magazine is that it teaches the importance of political literature to the Baloch youth. Political literature plays a key role for political organisations. All the strong and active organisations mainly focus on the political teachings of the members because political ideology is what makes them ideologically robust and a competent member to work for programs of the organisation.
If we throw a glance at BSAC’s political magazine (Navisht) which comes after every three months, then I understand that publishing the magazine in the mother languages (Balochi and Brahvi) is the most significant work a Baloch organisation can do in the contemporary situations. BSAC has attained triumph in this regard in a very short span of time. Navisht is thus a political literature of the constitutional ideology of BSAC, nationalism, which contains materials based on the given political ideology.
However, I feel Navisht is an up-and-coming literature in the present world, specifically a standardised literature for the Baloch nation, since publishing a political literature in the mother languages is already one of the massive achievements in itself. There may be several claimants of Baloch nationalism, but BSAC has practically worked on Baloch nationalism in shape of producing literature in the mother languages of the nation, which “no other organisation has achieved as per now”. If we take a glance at the other angles, we can get multiple articles in the other languages about nationalism, Baloch nationalism, and Baloch and political history, most of which are non-standarised, but in Navisht, the articles are based on researches and logics. After reading the articles, one can assume that how hard the organisation worked on the standardisation of the articles.
One of the most beautiful things about Navisht is that there are no articles which compromise with logic and standardization. Priority has always been given to research work. The standardisation of Navisht can be acknowledged from here that Baloch youth, poets, literati, writers, nationalists and people from other walks of life are continuously reading the magazine and benefitting from it. Because Navisht magazine is majorly based on the actual history of Baloch nation, Baloch politics, nationalism and its prominence. Besides this, the magazine also includes literature on the oppressed nations across the world (from past to present) including the Baloch, while articles on various political theories, and political and ideological movements are also available in the magazine. They are purely standardised and researched-base articles.
BSAC has certainly molded itself into an organisation, which does not only believe in struggle for educational rights, but the organisational members are at the forefront in securing their language and other national duties. The organisation has presently taken into its bag important responsibilities in Balochistan, for the attainment of which the organisation is working from dawn to dusk and tirelessly.
Navisht, on the other hand, is not only a source for political education of Baloch students, but it has also changed the political culture of Baloch. Although Baloch are currently going through colonisation, where deprivation from its languages is deemed as being away from your identity, culture and history. Therefore, some literati believe about the mother language(s) that the biggest invention of human in the world was the invention of their language. Because language is not only a relevant source for communication, writing and reading, but it is also the identity of a nation and its biggest asset. Within the same language lives the emotions of the past memories of a nation, thoughts, words, stories, literature and the war stories of the history and their way of life, culture and traditions and, best of all, the spirit of love for the land of their nation. It is a clear evidence that if you want to destroy a nation wholly, then first of all, finish that nation’s language and promote and develop your language in that nation. Then with the language of the nation, all its belongings will get eradicated automatically.
But amidst the given situations when everything of the nation is in great peril, Baloch Students Action Committee, while understanding the need of hour to safeguard their national identity, organisational constitution and its aims and objectives, took a new step by publishing the organisational magazine in the national languages considering their national language and its importance. Instead of providing literature in other languages, they chose their own languages keeping behind all the outdated traditions which can render positive outcomes in the coming future.
The fourth continuous publication of Navisht magazine is evident that the Baloch students are studying the magazine with utmost interest by considering it their national duty and, above all, they read it with paramount honesty understanding the significance of their mother languages and gain political and educational knowledge. Besides this, lecture sessions, discussions, communications and programs are conducted on various articles of the magazine to further clarify the researched-base materials.
21st of April (2022) was observed across the world with high spirits on the occasion of International Mother Language Day. On the same day, BSAC conducted different ceremonies across Balochistan and Sindh on the importance of Baloch nation’s Balochi and Brahvi languages and pamphlets were distributed on the languages. Because BSAC does not only believe in rhetorical politics, but is practically active in struggling for Baloch nation. The way Navisht magazine is spreading so fast in the Baloch regions, it seems a spark of hope for the nation that in the future. This magazine will likely show the practical and real meaning of Baloch politics to the students in particular and masses in general.
If we study the histories of the other nations which prioritised their mother language more than the state language, then the biggest example we get is of Bangladesh which the government (back on February 21, 1952, when the state (Pakistan) wanted to curb the Bengali language under a conspiracy to lower them down), they endorsed deaths but did not compromise on language: they eventually succeeded to make their mother language as their own state language. Besides this, Sindhi nation has never compromised on their mother language either, due to which they have succeeded to some extent to secure their history, literature and culture.
At last, I would like to request the students, political, educational, literary and ideological companions to read Navisht magazine very carefully, understand it between the lines, write for Navisht and, most of all, highlight the weaknesses from the magazine and inform the organisation at any rate so that the organisation may further strengthen and standardise its literature. Because Navisht is the only political literature which is playing a leading role in bringing political maturity among the Baloch students.