Introduction
Dr. Nabi Bakhsh Khan Baloch (sometimes written as Dr. N.A. Baloch), was a versatile and erudite writer, scholar and researcher having mastery over Sindhi, Persian, Arabic, Urdu and English languages. He contributed several books and research articles on the history, folklore, linguistics, literature, education, civilization and culture of Sindh.Besides serving as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Sindh in 1976, he was called upon to join as Secretary Ministry of Education in Islamabad where he established the first International Islamic University. He further initiated a scheme under Pakistan National Hijra Council to translate 100 top books on Islamic Civilization in Urdu from different western languages, but due to some hurdles the project could not materialize. He worked as a secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Education and also served as the Chairman of National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research (NlHCR), Islamabad. He was elected as a member of UNESCO’s international scientific committee on the history and civilization of Central Asia. Aside from his other achievements as director of the National Commission for Research, History and Culture, Dr. Baloch also chalked out a grand plan to compile the history of the Indo-Pak subcontinent in 25 volumes since he believed that the western scholars and historians have not done justice to the history of the region and have largely ignored some very vital source materials such as books and letters written by the Sufis and Muslim scholars.’However, Dr. Baloch was not only an eminent educator but also made substantial contribution in the field of history and historiography. As the director of National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research (NIHCR), Islamabad and member of the UNESCO’s International Scientific Committee, he participated in the compilation of ? History of Central Asian Civilization’. His book ‘Lands of Pakistan: Perspectives Historical and Culturar2 is also another original contribution in this field. Yet, his major contribution is to explore many unstudied areas in the history of Sindh.His work on Sindh’s historyDr. Baloch was certainly not the first scholar to write on the History and Culture of Sindh, but the speed, volume, vision and the innovative style that his debut ushered in this whole process, had not been witnessed earlier. He contributed a number of books on history of Sindh, and about 42 volumes on Sindhi folklore. He also compiled and published a Sindhi dictionary in five volumes. Furthermore, he compiled the Sindhi-to-Urdu, Urdu-to-Sindhi dictionaries co-authored with Dr. Ghulam Mustafa Khan. He also compiled works of classical Sindhi poets including Shah ‘Inayat, Qâdi Qadan, Khalifo Nabi Bakhsh, Hamal Faqir and the works of Shah ‘Abdul Latif Bhita’i in ten volumes.His interest in Sindh’s historical heritage may be gauged from the fact that when he was pursuing his studies in education in the Columbia University in 1946 he read a paper on the “Political Influence of Persia in Sind in Pre-Islamic Times” before the Sind Historical Society on 28th Nov. 1946 which was later published in the vol. VIII, No. 3, issue of the Journal of Sindh Historical Society in Jan 1948. In 1956, the Sindhi Adabi Board created a Folklore and Literature Project with N.A. Baloch as director. The entire Sindh was covered by a network of fieldworkers stationed in each taluka, their duty being to collect oral and written materials. The inner thirst, dedication and passion of Dr. Baloch in this job resulted in wonderful masterpieces. He did immeasurable research work on a variety of disciplines such as ancient history of Sindh, Sindhi lexicography, folklores, studies on the history of Makran, Islamic history, literature, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai’s work, languages of Kohistan and many more. It is stated that he contributed some 150 books in Balochi, Sindhi, Seraiki, Persian, Urdu, Arabic and English,3 which are encyclopaedic in nature.
