Heer Ranjha is a traditional Punjabi folk tragedy with many historic poetic narrations; with the first one penned by Damodar Gulati in 1600s, on the preexisting oral legend; and the most famous one, Heer, written by Waris Shah in 1766, in the form of an epic. Set in Takht Hazara and Tilla Jogian, it follows the story of love, forced separation, and eventual simultaneous demise of two youths in the Punjabi countryside. It is one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab. The other three are Mirza Sahiban, Sohni Mahiwal and Sassi Punnun.

History

Heer Ranjha has been written by several poets. Damodar Gulati, who was first to narrate the tale, claimed to be its eyewitness. His Qissa is deemed to be the oldest Heer in Punjabi literature. He stated himself to be from Jhang—the home of Heer. 16th century poet Shah Hussain also used the tale in his Kafi. Waris Shah later re-narrated the story in his novel in 1766, in which he stated that the story has a deeper meaning, referring to the unrelenting quest that man has towards God.

Plot

Heer (Izzat Bibi) is an extremely beautiful woman, born into a wealthy family belonging to the Sial clan, while Dheedo Ranjha, who is from the Ranjha clan, is the youngest of four brothers and lives in the village of Takht Hazara by the Chenab river in rural Punjab. Being his father's favourite son, unlike his brothers who have to toil in the lands, he leads a life of ease, playing the flute ('Wanjhli'/'Bansuri'). After the death of Ranjha's father, Mauju Chaudhry, Ranjha has a quarrel with his brothers over land, and leaves his home. In Waris Shah's version of the epic, Ranjha leaves home because his brothers' wives refused to serve him food. Eventually he arrives in Heer's village and falls in love with her. Heer's father offers Ranjha a job of herding his cattle. Ranjha, routinely, plays his flute in the fields after work and Heer becomes mesmerized by it and eventually falls in love with him. They meet each other secretly for several years until they are caught by Heer's envious uncle, Kaido, and her parents Chuchak and Malki. Heer is forced by her family and the local priest (Maulvi) to marry another man named Saida Khera, belonging to the Khera clan. Ranjha is left heartbroken. He wanders the countryside alone, until he eventually meets a Jogi (ascetic). After meeting Gorakhnath, the legendary founder of the Kanphata (pierced ear) sect of Jogis at Tilla Jogian ("Hill of Ascetics"), Ranjha becomes a jogi himself, piercing his ears and renouncing the material world. While reciting the name of the Lord, he wanders all over Punjab, eventually finding the village where Heer now lives. The two return to Heer's village, where Heer's parents agree to their marriage – though some versions of the tale state that the parents' agreement is only a deception. On the wedding day, Kaido, Heer's uncle, poisons her food in order to punish the girl for her behaviour. Hearing this news, Ranjha rushes to aid Heer, but is too late, as she has already eaten the poison-laced food and has died. Brokenhearted once again, Ranjha eats the remaining poisoned food and dies by her side. Heer and Ranjha are buried in Heer's hometown, Jhang. Love-smitten couples and others often pay visit to their mausoleum.

Legacy and influence

Heer Ranjha is part of the Qissa genre of tragic love stories, along with tales such as Laila Majnu and Sassui Punnhun. Because its plot involves a romance opposed by family members and ends with the two lovers dying, the story is often compared to the Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet.

In popular culture

The epic poem has been made into several feature films since 1928: In 2013, the television serial Heer Ranjha, directed by Shahid Zahoor and produced by Yousuf Salahuddin, aired on PTV Home. Heer Ranjha is a 2020 Indian Punjabi-language period drama television series starring Amaninder Pal Singh and Sara Gurpal in the lead roles. It aired on Zee Punjabi and is based on the folktale of Heer and Ranjha.

In music

Bally Jagpal British musician has a song named "Ranjha" dedicated to their story. The British musician Panjabi MC references the tale of Heer and Ranjha in his 2003 song Jogi. It has been sung by various Pakistani singers, including the classical/traditional artist Ghulam Ali. The tale is mentioned in popular Bollywood songs such as "Ranjha" by Rupesh Kumar Ram from the movie Queen ,"Ranjha Ranjha" by Rekha Bhardwaj and Javed Ali from the movie Raavan and "Dariya" from the movie Baar Baar Dekho. The names of Heer and Ranjha have been referred in the song lyrics of "One Love: The Taj Anthem" by A.R. Rahman. Also the movie Tamasha (2015) has some mentioning of their love story and also a song in that same movie starting with Heer's name. Alam Lohar is renowned for reciting Heer in various styles and one of the first international folk singers to bring this story in a song format. The song Khaireyan De Naal from Shafqat Amanat Ali's debut solo album, Tabeer (2008), tells the tale of Heer Ranjha. One of the songs of 2012 Hindi film Jab Tak Hai Jaan has been named "Heer". Also, the 2018 Hindi film Race 3 has a song named "Heeriye" which refers to Heer and Ranjha. In 2020, popular Indian YouTuber Bhuvan Bam wrote and sang "Heer Ranjha". The song depicts the brutal customs of society in the Indian subcontinent and has garnered more than 10 million views. In Raf Saperra's 2023 single "Ranjha", he sings from the perspective of Heer longing Ranjha's return after she is married off and he becomes a jogi.

Gallery

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