Dulla Bhatti

Dulla Bhatti or Dullah Bhatti real name Abdullah Bhatti (popularly referred to as the Son of Punjab' or 'Robin Hood of Punjab') (died 1599) was a famous Punjabi Folk hero and freedom fighter who led a revolt against Mughal rule during the rule of the emperor Akbar.

Career

He belonged to the Bhatti Muslim rajput tribe and was a zamindar or rural farmer. On becoming a young man, Dulla was angered to see the injustice of the Mughal rulers against local Punjabis, and he turned against them. He started guerilla warfare against the Mughal forces in the Punjab and was successful to some extent for 10 or 12 years. Later, however, he was defeated by the Mughal forces through the betrayal of some enemies and was imprisoned in Lahore Fort, Lahore. He was later hanged there in 1599.

Place in popular literature and culture

• Bhatti still remains a big and popular hero for Punjabi people, and he is mostly remembered in the traditional Punjabi var (ballads or songs about heroes).
• He is also remembered in the traditional dhadhi performances, like poems acted out, where actors show his many brave deeds.
• A number of books, stories (fiction) and plays (drama) have been written about his life and deeds, most famous of these is Takht Lahore a 1973 play or drama written by the Pakistani writer Najam Hussain Syed.
• A number of Urdu and Punjabi films have been made about him, including Dullah Bhatti (1956) by famed director Anwar Kamal Pasha.