Baba-e-Gojri, Haji Rana Fazal Hussain

Baba-e-Gojri, Haji Rana Fazal Hussain, born in 1931 in the most turbulent period in the history of Jammu & Kashmir. Rana Fazal Hussain was destined to see two other disturbing periods of 1947 and 1965. In the early 1930s the Dogra rulers had imposed undue taxes on the zamindars, who were in overwhelming majority in Rajori and Poonch. The political movement in the valley had already started and the movement or agitation of 1931 was its second phase. The area people under the leadership of Haji Sakhi Muhammad, Malik Naimatullah, Raja Ata Muhammad, A.R Saghir and Mirza Muhammad Hussain refused to pay the land revenue. This agitation was also supported by writers and Journalists like Mirza Matiullah Ra’ana, Maulana Abdul Aziz and Maulana Isma’eel Zabeeh. It was sort of replay of the famous Punjab movement popularly known as “Paggri Sambhal Jatta”. The Dogra government was forced to declare the bania bankers non-agriculturists who were not entitled to buy agrarian land under any pretext. In Mirpur this movement was led by Gohar Rehman. Rnana Fazal Hussain Gujjar, the Zamindar family from Parrori Gujjran, also supported the agitation.
Rana Fazal Hussain migrated to Mirpur. For the heroic role, he was awarded Tamgha-e-Pakistan. Instead of armed activity he now wanted fighted on propaganda front with Gojri as its medium which was especially approved by president Ayub Khan. This was the first time that Gojri programme was ever broadcast from any radio station and that was followed by Peshawar, Muzaffarabad and now Mirpur radio stations also. The All-india Rado or Akash Wani aslo followed the suit, in respect of that all credit goes to poet Rana Fazal Hussain. His programmes were so powerful that the government of the occupied Kashmir established an academy for the promotion of Gojri and Pahari at Srinagar which gave a surprise when it published the collection of the poetry of Rana Fazal Hussain titled Sanjha Dukhrra and Sanhorra.
Rana Fazal Hussain did a lot of research work on Gojri folklore. Rich tributes have been paid to Rana Fazal Husain for his untiring efforts to promote the cause of freedom and Gojri language and literature.