Doohangay Samandar/ڈوہنگے سمندر

“Doongay Samandar” (ڈوہنگے سمندر) is not merely a collection of poetry; it is a spiritual echo rising from the depths of the Pothohar plateau. This debut anthology by Zahoor Akhtar is a vibrant expression of the Pothohari language—a dialect rich in cultural depth, folk resonance, and mystical undertones.

The collection includes baits, dohay, and dobetis, along with rare poetic forms such as jagti, sami, mandri, kreeki phela, and adik, which are deeply rooted in local folk tradition. These verses do not merely entertain—they awaken. Their heartbeat is the timeless love for Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him). In their cadence, one hears the spiritual tremor reminiscent of Hazrat Mian Muhammad Bakhsh and Hazrat Pir Muhammad Shah—a sacred echo of the saints of the soil.

Zahoor Akhtar’s poetry emerges from a distinguished heritage. His forefather, Sultan Muqarab Khan, was a brave and perceptive ruler of the Pothohar region. He led Ahmad Shah Abdali’s cavalry at the Third Battle of Panipat and later embraced martyrdom in the Battle of Gujarat against Sikh forces. Two centuries later, his descendant, Major Masood Akhtar—the youngest son of Raja Hasan Akhtar—was martyred in the 1965 Indo-Pak War during the historic Battle of Chawinda, at just 28 years of age.

Raja Hasan Akhtar, Zahoor Akhtar’s father, who passed away in October 1973, was one of Pakistan’s most esteemed scholars. He was among those rare souls whom Allama Muhammad Iqbal considered a close friend and confidant. His contribution to the propagation of Iqbal’s philosophy and the ideological foundation of Pakistan is permanently etched into our national history.

Among his sons, the formal poetic mantle was inherited by Mahmood Akhtar Kayani, Zahoor Akhtar’s brother, an eloquent Urdu poet who passed away prematurely in July 1975 during the prime of his life.

Zahoor Akhtar was raised in a spiritually enriched and intellectually luminous environment. His name was personally suggested by Allama Iqbal himself—a sacred honor that reflects the depth of spiritual expectations associated with his being. Nurtured in the enlightened company of a scholar-father and in the rugged, valorous landscapes of Kahuta, Zahoor Akhtar’s voice rises from the mountains, carrying with it the Hijazi tone of sincerity, longing, and spiritual clarity.

In the words of the renowned humorist and poet Syed Zamir Jafri:

“From one born of Sultan Muqarab Khan’s noble lineage, raised by a visionary like Raja Hasan Akhtar, and named by Allama Iqbal himself—what else could we expect but a poet whose voice, no matter how unique, must echo with the spirit of Hijaz.”

“Doongay Samandar” is not just a book—it is the song of a soul rooted in devotion, drenched in history, and rising with the call of a forgotten homeland. In Zahoor Akhtar’s words, the Pothohari dialect finds new breath, and through his verse, it steps forth into the poetic heritage of the subcontinent—deep, proud, and resoundingly spiritual.