BHITSHAH: Forty-something Samina Gopang has made it a point to attend the 273rd Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai urs celebrations without fail regardless of security threats in the wake of terrorism in and around shrines of Sindh.

Gopang – who travelled from Khairpur along with her family members – has reached Bhitshah on 13th Safar (Monday) and will stay here for next three days till the end of celebrations.

“We are momineen [a reference to Shia community] and it doesn’t matter if there is security threat or not. But I’ve to be here as long as I am alive,” she says smilingly as her female family members nodded.

Bhitai’s urs is an opportunity to understand Sindhi culture.

Hundreds of thousands of devotees turn up at the shrine during the three-day urs celebrations comprising literary, fun, cultural, spiritual and music activities. Bhit means sand dune that became his identity in those days, as Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, a great Sufi saint, used to sit there for meditation. That’s how he came to be known as ‘Bhitai’, a man who sits at dune. Bhitshah, a town of Matiari district, is located on the left bank of the River Indus at 30-minute drive from the Hyderabad city. It attracts devotees of Bhitai from across the country and abroad.

The 273rd urs celebrations will officially begin on Tuesday morning but proceedings get under way after the sunset on 13th Safar (the second lunar month). Accompanied by several custodians of various shrines from Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 13th Sajjada Nasheen of Bhitai’s shrine, Waqar Hussain Shah, a descendant of the great Sufi saint, walked up to the door-sill of the shrine to offer prayers for mankind and the universe, marking the spiritual commencement of the urs.

In line with the spiritual convention of this shrine, its custodian doesn’t allow himself to enter the shrine of his murshid, as a mark of reverence. “The tradition was set by Shah Jamal Shah, the shrine’s first custodian,” said Waqar’s uncle, Ghulam Raza Shah.

Thousands of men, women and children turn up at the shrine to pay homage to mystic poet and have their prayers answered. They remained unmoved by growing security-related threats at the shrines. Staying in shrine’s courtyard under open sky they sat on the ground in small groups, chatting, eating, and sleeping. Children, men and women move around amidst festive atmosphere of the beautifully-lit shrine.

One of Bhitai’s faqirs, Dargaee Faqir waited for Monday’s sunset. As moment came he started beating ‘naghara’ (two drums kept in opposite direction) with alacrity to mark the first dhamal of 273rd urs. Dhamal continues for 10 minutes until the Maghrib ‘azaan’ from a mosque on the shrine’s premises.

Shah Latif Bhitai is widely considered as one of the greatest poets of Sindhi language. One can find various published versions of his collected mystical poetry, the Shah Jo Risalo, in book stores, while his poetic legacy continues musically in the shrine. Half a dozen men sitting in a semi-circle formation on ground in front of tomb’s door were wielding huge string instruments.

Shah Jo Raagi Fakirs, as they are called, are ready to sing. The men – dressed in black – sat cross-legged with their dhamburo in their laps and its long neck resting on their shoulders. They keep strumming it. The style of singing, called wai, is unique and distinct from qawwali and they sing it in a manner the way Shah himself did.

“Bhitai’s shrine exists for centuries but its message is lost somewhere so I want to make it more relevant today and this is proper time to do so,” says the Sajjada Nashin.

He explains: “People must understand that we have to call spade a spade. We have to help the weak.”

He is worried about security of shrines all over Pakistan and blames the government for not ensuring the required level of security even for the 273rd urs celebrations of Bhitai in the wake of Shah Noorani shrine tragedy.

He was not entirely wrong. Only routine security measures – adopted every year for – are seen made and even the number of walkthrough gates as mentioned by the DIG on Sunday were not installed till Monday evening. Given the fact that Shah Noorani shrine suicide bombing was apparently carried out by a women suicide bomber, policewomen are not seen inside the shrine. “Perhaps Bhitai’s shrine doesn’t deserve the security that was seen during PPP chairman’s rally,” remarks the Sajjada Nashin.

Published in Dawn November 15th, 2016