From Waris to Heer: A Novel of Punjab

I am the story of the perennial lovers, Ranjha and Heer. I am the story of Waris Shah, of Bulleh Shah’s dhammal, the rise of the Sikh misl and the fall of the Mughal Empire. I am a story told in two parts, in two different narrative styles. On the one hand, I am the story of a young Waris, displaced from his home and his journey to Kasur, Pakpattan and Malka Hans, where he finally composed this most iconic love legend of Punjab. On the other hand, I am the story of Heer and Ranjha, being written by Waris Shah.

Haroon Khalid has an academic background in anthropology. He got his undergraduate degree from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in social sciences with a focus on anthropology and history, and his graduate degree in anthropology from the University of Toronto. He has been a freelance journalist since 2008 and has written over 350 articles for numerous publications, including Al Jazeera, CBC, MacLean’s, Scroll. in, Wire.in, TRT World, Himal, Dawn, News and Express Tribune. He has traveled extensively around Pakistan and has written about minority rights, folk traditions, the politicization of history and heritage, nationalism and identity, and several other topics.

Haroon is the author of four books: A White Trail (2013), In Search of Shiva (2015), Walking with Nanak (2016) and Imagining Lahore (2018). He has also written two short non-fiction books: Beyond the Other (2016) and The Enigma of Pakistani Identity (2017). In his work, Haroon explores fluid identities, traditions and religious practices that challenge the notion of exclusivist identities, which defines communities in South Asia today. His writings have been translated into many languages, including Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati and Italian. He is based in Toronto, Canada. From Waris to Heer is his first novel.