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Sohanee-Mahivaal

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Sohanee-Mahivaal

Love story of Sohanee and Mahivaal is one of the four love stories from Panjaab and one of the seven stories from Sindh, Paakistaan. Sohanee lived in Panjaab after Heer-Raanjhaa, Mirzaa-Saahibaa and Sassee-Punoo.

Sohanee was the daughter of a potter named Loolaa who lived in Gujaraat town (now District Gujrat) now in Paakistaan in late 18th century. The shop of Sohanee was in Gujaraat near Raampiaree Mahal. There was a caravan route which passed nearby River Chenaab, from Delhee to Bukhaaraa (Uzbekistaan). She was a great artist. When the Suraahee (water pots) were made, she used to paint beautiful floral pictures on them.

There was a rich trader Izzat Baig who came to India, saw Sohanee and became completely enchanted by her beauty. He daily went to her shop to buy Suraahee and mugs just to have a glimpse of Sohanee. Sohanee also lost her heart to him. Now she forgot to paint her vessels and started seeing the dreams of her love. Izzat Baig sent his people to Bukhaaraa and he stayed back in Sohanee's village. Soon he was out of money and he had to take up a job for living. He toomup the job with Loolaa. Sometimes he used to take their buffalo for grazing also, so he came to be known as Mahivaal (Buffalo grazer).

Now people had known about their love, they reported this to Sohanee's father and he fixed her marriage to an other potter. One day her in-laws came to her house to take her. Sohanee found herself very helpless. She got married to him. Izzat Baig was now very sad and he started wandering around in search of Sohanee. Soon he foun her place and started living across the river in a hut as a Faqeer (hermit). He started to come to see Sohanee as a beggar and told her his address.

On the other hand Sohanee's husband started to go out or earning more money on Sohanee to please her. Taking the advantage of her husband's absence, she used to come in the night, swim the river to meet Mahivaal and they spent the whole night in Mahivaal's hut. On reaching back to the shore she hid her pitcher in a bush to use it another day. She used that earthen pitcher because she did not know swimming.

One day Sohanee's sister-in-law followed her and saw the place where Sohanee hid her pitcher. She reported this to her mother, and both decided to get rid of Sohanee. So next day they replaced that hard earthen pitcher with the unbaked pitcher. So when Sohanee took the pitcher and tried to cross the river. It was a stormy night, as she was swimming carrying it, to her horror she noticed that it started dissolving in the water, and Sohanee drowned in the river. Mahivaal saw Sohanee drowning in the river, so he also jumped into the rive and drowned as well.

Bodies of both of them were recovered from the river and were buried n Shahdpur, Sindh, some 60 miles away from Hyderaabaad, Paakistaan. One film has been made based on this story, "Sohni Mahiwal" starring Sunny Deol and Poonam Dhillon in 1984.

 

 

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Created by Sushma Gupta on January 15, 2002
Contact:  sushmajee@yahoo.com
Modified on 05/06/13