The romance of Sassi : a critical and comparative study

• Main Author: Shan, Harnam Singh
• Published: SOAS, University of London 1965
• Subjects: 398.208
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.541450

This thesis is an attempt at a critical and comparative study of the tragic romance of Sassi-Punnun cherished both in oral and literary traditions of the Indian sub-continent. It has been divided into three parts, preceded by some prefatory remarks on legends and romances in general. The first part, an analytical study of the legend, begins with an assessment of the various aspects of its influence and significance. It leads to an enquiry into its title, origin and period, which reveals that the romance is deeply rooted in the composite culture of India and is based on an actual event that seems to have occurred around the advent of Islam in the regions of Sindh and Balochistan. A detailed study of its topography, characters, motifs, supernatural element and folk-lore are the subjects of the next sections of this parto The second part, a critical survey of its oral and literary traditions, opens with some introductory remarks about the migration and transmission of such popular romances. It attem.pts a comprehensive study of numerous bardic and literary versions procured from various regions of a vast territory, and arranged here under separate language-sections: Bahawalpuri, Sindhi, Balochi, Kachhi, Panjabi, Rajasthani, Hindi, Urdu, Pashto, Persian, English, French and Italian. Each section has been provided with a brief account of the geographical and historical aspects, and the cultural, linguistic and literary traditions of the region concerned, to serve as a framework with reference and relation to the romance under studyo The third part aims at reviewing the manifestation of the romance in popular forms§ Observing its ubiquitous impact on hearts and homes, in open-air gatherings and on the popular and professional stage, it leads to an assessment of its success and popularity through the modern media of the cinema and radio. The review concludes with a perusal of the contribution made by painters towards its popularity and preservation through pictorial art. The Glossary explains some indigenous terms; and the Bibliography contains a selection of the published and unpublished material which forms the basis of the present study and survey.