SUKKUR, Nov 16: The three-day 140th annual Urs of Sufi saint Fakir Qadir Bux Bedil ended early on Sunday morning at the saint’s shrine in Rohri, with Raag Rang in which renowned artistes sang the saint’s Sufi songs.

Thousands of devotees from across the country attended the Urs that started on Thursday. A literary conference was held on Saturday in Bedil Auditorium in which renowned scholars, writers and poets presented papers on the Sufi poet.

Director-General of Culture Moonis Ayaz, who was chief guest at the conference, announced launch of two books of the Sufi poet, Bedil-8 and Qata’at-e-Bedil (Persian).

He said that Bedil had done a great service to Sindhi literature by highlighting the vast culture of Sindh and announced that Sindh Culture Department would soon complete remaining work on the Bedil auditorium.

He gave away Bedil awards to singers Sanam Marvi, Taj Joyo, Mukhtiar Malik and Hazoor Bux Rahi.Later, the artists including Sanam Marvi, Rasool Bux Abro, Ghulam Ali Sandelo, Barkat Ali, Umeed Ali Bhat, Fakir Ghulam Hussain and sang the saint’s Sufi songs as tribute.

Dr Nawaz Ali Shouq presided over the conference in which Dr Shouq himself, Mr Ayaz, Adal Soomro, Akhtar Dargahi, Taj Joyo, Ayaz Gul, Azad Qazi, Hidayat Prem, Sarwar Saif, Punhal Dahar, Khadim Abbasi and Sarfaraz Sadaf read papers on Bedil.