ISLAMABAD: Renewed interest in Bulleh Shah’s poetry
ISLAMABAD, Nov 15: There has been a revival of interest in Bulleh Shah’s (1680-1758) poetry both in Pakistan and abroad, mainly due to the works of leading pop singers, eminent poet Mansha Yad said.
As a result, the Pakistani youth living in England and the United States are asking more about the poet, he said.
He expressed these views while presiding over a special Halqa-i-Arbab-i-Zauq literary sitting on Friday night.
The meeting was specially devoted to the discussion of the poetry of the legendary rustic poet, who is easily the most quoted Punjabi poet of all times.
The discussion on Bulleh Shah’s poetry, originally scheduled for Saturday, was advanced by one day, and the members were informed only six hours before the event through telephone. As a result, very few members arrived at the Writers House of the Pakistan Academy of Letters to participate in the special programme.
Mansha Yad initiated the impromptu discussion, which, nevertheless was the most scintillating one and focused on Bulleh Shah’s poetry and the 18th century era. He said Bulleh Shah’s poetry was a voice against undue religious coercion, in the same tradition as that of Waris Shah and Shah Husain; only that Bulleh Shah’s protest was more forceful and stronger.
Another short-story writer Hameed Shahed said the legendary poet lived in a disjointed time when the grip of Mughal rulers was loosening due to, among other things, religious coercion of Emperor Aurangzeb.
In carrying the discussion forward, Mansha Yad, Sarwat Mohiuddin, Asghar Abid, Akhtar Usman, Col Sharafat (retired) and Khaleequzzaman observed that the songs of well-known singers and groups like Junnon and Shahzad Roy contributed towards highlighting the works of the great Punjabi poet.
But, that did not solve the problem, they said. They pointed out a number of obstacles in the way of real dissemination of the poet’s message.
The task of publishing an authentic collection of Bulleh Shah’s poetry is still awaiting a scholar who will roam the countryside, collecting original manuscripts of his poetry and Kafis.
As Akhtar Usman said the task was a daunting one, which could only be accomplished by a team of research experts, not necessarily from government departments. He said those who ever undertook the task, must have rich knowledge of Punjabi folk culture, without which it was almost impossible to understand Bulleh Shah. Akhtar Usman also stressed the need for good translation of the poet’s works in Urdu as well as provincial languages.
Sarwat Mohiuddin, who was the chief guest at the meeting, expressed her concern over too much emphasis being laid on the philosophical contents of the poet’s works. This can lead to a loss of focus on the common man’s and the people’s poet, who wanted us to workout a balance and understanding between our lives now, and in the hereafter.
She insisted on fully understanding the great poet, who would talk of mundane objects, such as a spinning wheel. The common rustic people of his age, as well those of the current times, fully understood the significance of Charkha as an object of daily use, she said.
Ms Mohiuddin said through the parable of the spinning wheel, Bulleh Shah was unravelling the mystery of life of every time, before the final journey.
The labour and the process involved in spinning cotton yarns and weaving them in strong fabrics was described in some details in the folk songs and ‘Kafis’ of Bulleh Shah, and should be read as an invitation to the common people to make their lives trouble free.
“We encounter in these poems the routine and daily experience of weaving new clothes. This is a symbolism about life’s thread, which should be strong. Bulleh Shah wants to say if the thread of life, which we weave, is weak, life will become sullied and the journey to the hereafter will be a pathetic one,” Ms Mohiuddin said. — Jonaid Iqbal
