Shah Bhitai - The Soul Of Sindh

Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai is not just a paramount poet of Sindh, he is the vary soul of Sindh. If he would have been born in Middle east - somewhere near Mecca or Bethelhem - they would have proclaimed him a prophet. If he would have surfaced in England, they would have made him a Poet Laureate - nobody would have known Shakespeare, Byron, Keats or Shelley. Instead, he was born in a tiny village of central Sindh - Sindh, where one the greatest civilizations, that the world has ever known, flourished - a great mother deserves a great son. Bhitai, the noble son of Sindh is the heart and soul of Mother Sindh. Without him, Sindh will be like a wandering gypsy, perpetually searching for the light, seeking guidance and enlightenment, and conjuring a relentless quest for the truth in pursuit of her restless soul. Today, bleeding and in pain, this noble mother is at the threshold of death - her soul is no more wandering. Her soul is secure in the poetry of Shah Bhitai. Even for the children of Sindh - truncated, wounded, mauled, and vanquished though they may be - the solace comes in the form of soul that remains - the poetry and music of Bhitai.

"Be patient, bow thy head and see,

Lo! Anger is a mighty woe.

In patience there abideth joy,

O honest Sir, this surely know.

Be patient. Patient folks prevail.

The stiffnecked are in sorry plight.

The palate of all hasty men

Hath never savoured patience right.
He eats the bread of punishment

Whose early anger breaketh forth.

The man of malice holds his robe

And finds within it nought of worth.".

.....Bhitai.

"Whether hot or cold, march on, there is no time to rest;

Lest darkness falls, you fail to find Beloved's tracks."......

......Bhitai [Sur Hussaini]

This is the story of that noble soul of Mother Sindh, Bhitai, and his poetry.

"Hote! my Hote! my flesh will I give to the beasts,

Tearing it into bits for them to feast.

Setting fire to Bhambhore, I have come to you,

No rest and no peace can I get without Punhoon.

This sad maid, on herself placing grinding stone, her sorrows grind,

Come, be near me, go not far where you cannot be found.

Believe me, friends! I have seen Him in my vision,

Without His sight, life is like death to this sad one.

I am crazed by the sweet cup that Love made me drink,

Ari's love has set me on fire that burns within.

Were I to go under the earth, I will not give you up,

Severing my head, my body to dust will I entrust,

Hearing Him depart, this miserable maid laments,

Beloved, turn to me your glances full of grace.

Sisters! may my Love on me His kindness shower.".....

.....Bhitai [Vai from Sur Sassui (Hussaini)]

Life And Times Of Shah Bhitai :

Shah Abdul Latif of Bhit, lovingly called 'Shah Bhitai,' is adored throughout the length and breadth of Sindh, irrespective of peoples religious beliefs and intellectual standing, not only as the greatest poet of Sindh but as a saint, a sufi and a spiritual guide. It is the spiritual significance of his poetry, expressed in most touching down-to-earth words, harmonised with a musical setting, that makes a direct appeal to the hearts and souls of the listeners, including the elite and the man in the street. The peasant ploughing his field, the herdsman and the shepherd tending to the herd of cattle or flock of sheep, the fisherman casting his fishing net in the water, the sailors going to sea, the village house-wife at her daily chores and the villager midst his companions at leisure time, sings, recites or hears this sublime poetry that uplifts his very soul, be he a Muslim or a Hindu. In the towns and cities of mother Sindh, the scholars, intellectuals and learned people, hold sessions of its recitation and its singing by renowned artists of the land.

Every young and old, whether literate or not, man or woman, know most of the verses by-heart, and often quote them in daily conversations at significant occasions. Mother Sindh has has been ravged and her children has suffered the pangs of distress and destruction. The poems, songs and verses of Bhitai, when heard, bring uncontrolled tears to every Sindhis eyes. Who is this man? What is his philosophy? Why his poetry elevates people to heights of ecstasy? Why is this noble son of Sindh, rightly refered as the soul of of Sindh. Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai - not much is known about the life of this thinker, saint, and sufi, from the written records. Much of the information has come down to us through oral traditions.

Shah Jo Risalo, in essence, is untranslateable into any language. The beauty of Sindhi language, especially the Sindhi used by Bhitai, the lilting melody, the churning of the of the words, the music in every line of the verse, and sheer hypnotic effect on heart, mind and soul, can only be felt and appreciated in the original Sindhi language. Not just Sindhis, but foreigners, as well, has been enthralled by this ecstatic poetry. Dr Annemarie Schimmel, a German scholar and linguist, has learnt Sindhi, especially to be able to peruse for herself the poetry of Bhitai, which, according to her, "expresses the most refined mystical experiences and the most inexplicable movements of the soul." Yes, the poetry of this Soul of Sindh creates turbullences right to the vary core of one's soul. Even Ernest Trumpp, the renowned German scholar and missionary, and H.T. Sorley, the English scholar, both have been mesmerized by the magical spell of the 'vais', 'dohiras' and 'ka'afis' sung by the devotees of Bhitai.

"Those who lost their path, searching the rocks,

Learnt much from the lost path,

Giving up both the worlds, beaten track they follow not.

Dust on their bodies for the Beloved they gather,

Some knowledge of Lahut seem to possess these wanderers."........

.........Bhitai [Sur Khahori]

Shah Jo Risalo : The Message Of Love

The compiled verses of Shah Bhitai are called "Risalo" which means "Message". They are the recorded comprehensive collection of verses known as Ganj, which is preserved at the mausoleum of the beloved poet of Sindh, at Bhitshah. The history books tell us, that just before his passing away, he threw the manuscripts of his work into the Karar Lake, adjacent to his abode at the Bhit (the Rock). He did this, fearing that people may not be able to understand the main theme and purpose of his message in the verses. They may misunderstand him. His disciples were disappointed and extremely grieved. With deep love for his people and being kind of heart, considerate and benevolent, he could not see his disciples in sorrow. Therefore, he allowed them to assemble another manuscrip from the few manuscripts that were in possession of some of his disciples. The main contributor to this collection was a lady by the name of Mai Niamat, a devoted disciple of his, who had memorised most of his verses. As she sang the verses, in different surs, his disciples recorded them into manuscripts. Thus, we are fortunate, to have this Message of that soul of Mother Sindh, with us, today.

Bhitai's Quest For The Truth:

Who is man? What is his origin? Where did he come from? Where is he bound? Who has Created him? What is the relationship between the Creator and the created? These are some of the burning questions that perpetually, systemetically and methodically troubled, haunted and fascinated Bhitai. He wanted answers to these questions. The more he probed the more he unravelled the mysteries of man's existence and his relationship with his Creator. In the relentless search of truth, Bhitai was seized by an intense longing for a direct approach to his Creator. His soul was constantly thirsting for the Divine and all things Divine. This lead him to the path traversed by mystics. His quest for eternal truth became his primary concern. He found God in everything - believing that "All that is, is God," rest is all illusion and deception. Bhitai was a saint and a mystic - a sufi. Guided by deep feeling and contemplation, through a process which has been termed as the "flight of the alone to the Alone", sufis have been able to arrive at certain truths of the spiritual life. We shall make an attempt to discuss the vary nature of that creative insight of sufism within Bhitai, which resulted in intense feelings and deep contemplation that provided him with momentary glimpses to fathom the Divine essence and the reality of things.

"Sufi is not limited by religious bounds,

He discloses not the war he wages in his mind,

Helps and assists those who with him fight."...

.......Bhitai [Sur Yaman Kalyan]

Shah's poetry also has touching descriptions of how all the birds and animals in the desert were saddened by Sassui's predicament, when she is betrayed by a shephard in the desert. Shah was also known for his compassion. One story relates how he adopted two puppy dogs who were abandoned, they were named 'moti' (pearl) and 'khenoo' (the ball, the round one). They followed him in his wide travels around Sindh with jogis and alone.

Surs - The Melodies Of Harmonized Music: sur means a mode of singing. There are 30 surs in Shah Jo Risalo. Each sur is systemetically related to its subject matter. Methodically, a sur is sung according to the theory and practice of Indian Classic music with its rags and ragnis, sung at different times of the day and night and on different occasions. Surs are named, accordingly, to their music and also according to the subject matter. The underlying theme of all surs, however, is to find out that how is man going to cultivate those godly attributes in himself which will assist him in his endeavours towards a higher evolution. Hence, Bhitai's poetry reflects the process involved by which man's inner life is developed. The perusal of Risalo takes us to a wonderful journey, where the parables, the incidents, the legends, the episodes, are not related as mere stories. It is only their significance that is expressed in poems, that deal with the higher evolution of man. These stories and episodes - Sassui, Marvi, and Suhni, etc. - are but the 'pegs on which Bhitai hangs his Divine themes,' according to Allama I.I. Kazi, the late Vice Chancellor of the University of Sindh. The surs of Bhitai are the 'musical themes,' and Bhitai's art is 'impressionistic par excellence,' In his surs, in addition to the profound mystic and moral themes, Bhitai, refers frequently to the plight of the poor and the lowly, the peasants, the fishermen, the weavers, the helpless and the needy women, the suffering and the suppression. Bhitais, sincere concern for this class of children of mother Sindh and his intense love for mother Sindh, has, indeed, prompted him to select the episodes and stories for his Risalo from the local folklore, the stories of which were a common knowledge amongst Sindhis, and which had been passed down from generation to generation of Sindhis. How, then, can a sur be defined? How is the Risalo compiled with surs, Vais and Dohiros?
Shah Latif's fame had spread far and wide in his lifetime. If his travels led him across some city in Rajasthan or Gujrat, he would be recognized. When he was not travelling, Shah Latif returned time and again to a small mound, or Bhit, where a small hamlet consisting of his circle of fakiirs grew.
Latif's original music compositions (Raag or Sur) made him famous amongst musicians of his time in much of India. Two of the grandest Indian musicians of the time, Attal and Chanchal, were attracted to his circle and so was Gulaana, a women singer of repute who was much blessed by the poet saint.
Towards the end of his life, the poet yearned for a pilgrimage to Karbala (the site of the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammed who refused to submit to the tyranny and injustice of the Arab ruler). He proceeded to Wang Willaser a port in Kutch to board a boat for the journey. A little ways from the port, a pious man greeted him and submitted: "O, Revered One! You have always been telling people that the Bhit will be your burial place!" Latif immediately understood the import of the query and returned to Bhit.
There he donned black garments and went into seclusion for 20 days. During this time he occassionaly ate a few morsels or sips of water. He began to sing what would be his final composition (Sur Kedaro) - a sombre ballad commemorating the martydom which serves as a reminder that tyranny must be resisted and that the life of the spirit is beyond the life of the flesh (it was traditional for others to record Latif's compositions). On the twenty-first day, he came out and took a bath. It is said that the vaii [type of Sindhi poem] "kahirre manjhi hisaaba.." ("On what count am I here..) from Sur Suhinii was on his lips.
Latif asked the fakirs at Bhit to play music and sing songs, and he threw a sheet over himself as he sat in contemplation. "For three consecutive days, his Faqirs engaged themselves in song and music. When they stopped they discovered that Shah's soul had, without anyone's knowledge, flown to the Abode of Eternal Bliss. He left the earthly planet on [22 Dec. 1751 AD]" - Kalyan Advani.
A splendid tomb, with a huge dome, was built by the most famous architect and artist of the time Idan and completed within 3 years. It is intricately decorated with Sindhi craftsmanship. Since the time, millions of people of all walks of life, creeds and castes, have made a pilgrimage to pay homage each year to the poet-saint who represents the soul of Sindh. A small museum nearby contains all the worldly material possessions Latif left behind: a patched, tattered tunic, a quilt, a begging bowl.

"Sun sets, Sasui weeps tears of blood,

No messenger, no traveller from whom to ask of that place,

Confused she remains, but does not think of going back."...

...Bhitai [Sur Sasui Abri]