Abducted Daughter of India hopes a reunion with parents

Dhaphoo has remarkable resemblance with Sur Marvi

Decrepitude personified, a woman with wrinkles in her face, her yearning has emaciated her, with sinking eyes, like an epic of Sur Marvi of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, has been longing to see her parents, from whom she was separated by some stone hearted people, who abducted her from small village of India and sold some 78 years back near Umerkot.

This horrible picture can be seen, when any one visits village Khambhro near Dhoronaro town, some 30 kilometers from Umerkot, where presently named Asyat and formerly named Dhaphoo lives with her dozens of family members including her grand and great grandsons and daughters. But still she remains faithful and longs for her native terrain.

Recalling her old days and narrating her ordeal she said that she was daughter of Hajmoo or Hamzo, her sister name was Chapaan, mothers name was Meeran, she was married to one person named  Soho or Soovo who was an employee of Indian army or police deployed in Mumbai, when she was 15 years old. One day she came to visit her sister Chapaan, with her brother-in-law Loonoo, where one young friend of her sister’s husband inquired that has she been married, why they did not marry her with him, on this she abused him.

On the next day she returned to her in-laws village Lolvi situated in the mid of hills, near city Beawar or vehawar. Their houses were made of rocks.
She was on the way to fetch water, where she was abducted by that young man, whom she abused a day before. She was detained in a dark room, later she was shifted to Khipro town of district Sanghar, along with other abducted women.

They travelled all by foot from Ajmer to Khipro with empty bellies. Abductor robbed her ornaments and whatever she had worn. Finally she was sold and married to Akhund Yusuf Shaikh near Dhoronaro.

There is lot of similarity of Marvi with her, who was a Thari girl, a sign of patriotism, abducted by king Umer of Umerkot and was detained there.
She still sings this poem in undertone, her tears cross the boundaries of her eyelids.

“Waajhaayei watuna khei, aauun jei hiti muyaasi, Gori munhjee, Suumraa!, kiju panwhaarani paasi, Dijj ddaaddaannei ddeiha, jei, manjhaan walarriyani waasu,Muyaa ee jiyaas, jei wancjei marrhu Maleera ddei.” (Shah)

“Longing and yearning for my sweet motherland, Hankering and craving if I die in thy forts grand, Then my body and bones, Sir, to native land send, Corpse of dead Marvi bring back to her homeland, With the fragrant and sacred herbs of her fatherland, Sanctify and purify the remains of this ill-fated maid, Deceased Marvi, surely, shall exist and live again, When laid to rest in the sacred soil of Malir’s plain.”

She said that she wants to meet her parents to see them and recall the days of childhood on that soil. Further she added that people of the area might taunt her parents that their daughter escaped with someone, but she will clear this allegation and will tell them she was abducted.

She does not know where they live now, but “our Pakistani media can help me to search my parents,” she hoped.

When questioned, why she did not inform the people of area about her plight earlier? She replied that she was afraid that her husband or sons will be arrested. Her husband has died some years back; she has three sons and one daughter.