Mirza Qalich Beg was also called Aftab-e-Adab or "Sun of literature" by his admirers. As a matter of fact he was the most prolific and versatile author Sindh has ever produced. He was the all-time great in every genre of Sindhi literature. Of Georgian descent, his father was converted from Christianity to Islam and brought to Sindh during the rule of the Talpurs.
Early Life of Mirza Qalich Beg
He was born in 1853. It is said that Qalich Beg wrote or compiled more than 300 works, 200 of which were published in his lifetime. While he lived, he came to be regarded as the greatest Sindhi man of letters, and all new writers flocked to him for advice and guidance.
Life in Theatre for Mirza Qalich Beg
Mirza Qalich Beg was acclaimed as the father of Sindhi drama. He wrote Laila-Majnu i.e. "Laila and Majnu" in 1880 in verse. It was considered the first Sindhi play. As theatre companies did not exist in Sindh at that time, it could not be performed. In fact, it went on stage only in 1980 in Hyderabad during the centenary celebrations of Sindhi drama. Qalich Begs triumph in drama came with Khurshid in 1885.
This was premiered in 1905. This is a rendering of a Gujarati play in half-rhymed prose, homely yet effective. He also composed the bulk of the drama produced by the D. J. Sindh College Amateur Dramatic Society. As a playwright, he combined elegance with scholarship. His service to Sindhi theatre includes the fact that he was the first to write short comic pieces and farces. Mirza Qalich Beg authored thirty-six plays, the most significant being the first Sindhi drama to be staged. Some of the names can be mentioned as Gid Bakavali i.e. "Bakavali`s Flower" in 1894, Nur Jahan ain Jehangir i.e. "Nur Jahan and Jehangir" in 1896, Nadirshah in 1897, and Nekiain badi i.e. `Virtue and Vice` in 1911. Mirza Qalich Beg died in 1929.
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