SIHARFISARDAR HARI SINGH NALVA

SIHARFISARDAR HARI SINGH NALVA, subtitled “Hari Singh Naive di Mahima ,” by Qadar Yar, is a poem in Punjabi, Gurmukhi script, celebrating the valour of Hari Singh Nalva, a general in the army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The poem is also popularly known as Var Sardar Hari Singh Nalva. Qadar Yar was born around 1805 in Machhike village in Sheikhupura district and seems to have lived all his life in his village. He did not take interest in household work and devoted himself entirely to the Muse. The text of the Siharfi is included in Qadar Yar published in 1969 by the Languages Department, Punjab, Patiala.

The style is that of a Siharfi, a poetical form borrowed from Persian in which verses are arranged acrostically following the Persian alphabet comprising thirty letters. The most commonly used metre in the Siharfi as adopted in Punjabi is baint, the usual themes being chivalry, love and separation. The Siharfi has a number of versions, with couplets ranging from 23 to 30. The poem centres upon the gallantry and feats of martial prowess displayed by Hari Singh Nalva in defending the Fort of Jamrud (April 1837), and his death there.