BETWEEN THE CHENAB AND THE THAMES: REREADING PUNJABI FOLKLORE THROUGH SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY

Abstract

Aim of the Study: This paper presents a comparative study of Ustad Allah Bux's paintings (1895–1978), a leading figure in Punjabi visual art, and William Shakespeare's tragedies. It argues that both artistic traditions engage in a deep deconstruction of themes like love, loyalty, and social sacrifice. Using Derridean deconstruction, Aristotelian concepts of hamartia and anagnorisis, and Roland Barthes' semiotics, the study analyzes three key Punjabi folktales: Heer Ranjha, Sohni Mahiwal, and Mirza Sahiban, as depicted by Allah Bux.

Methodology: This paper conducted a qualitative inquiry on exploratory and descriptive research, utilizing intrinsic expressionism and secondary data, including interviews.

Findings: These are then compared to their Shakespearean counterparts: Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and King Lear. The findings suggest that Allah Bux’s humanist realism and his use of landscape as a tragic character contribute a unique South Asian perspective to the global conversation on comparative tragedy.

Conclusion: Through detailed visual analysis focused on composition, color, and symbolic objects, such as the unbaked clay pot (kacha ghora), the turbulent Chenab River, and poses of devotion, the paper shows that Allah Bux's paintings go beyond simple illustration to become philosophical reflections on universal tragedy. Furthermore, it argues that Punjabi folklore is not just a regional cultural artifact but a vibrant visual language of human resilience that aligns with universal archetypes found in Shakespeare's plays.

Keywords: : Ustad Allah Bux, Punjabi folklore, Shakespearean tragedy, visual semiotics, deconstruction, Heer Ranjha, Sohni Mahiwal, Mirza Sahiban, comparative literature, hamartia