Book: Sufi Kavi Bulle Shah

Author: Bakhshish Singh (Translation)

Publication: Sasta Sahiyta Mandal Prakashan

Price: Rs. 120

Pages: 192

Language: Hindi

Plot: Syed Abdullah Shah Qadri, popularly known as Bulleh Shah, was a Punjabi humanist and philosopher. He is believed to have been born in 1680, in the small village of Uch, Bahawalpur, Punjab, now in Pakistan. Received his early schooling in Pandoke, and moved to Kasur for higher education. His spiritual teacher was the eminent Sufi saint, Shah Inayat Qadiri.

The verses from Bulleh Shah are primarily called the Kafi, a style of Punjabi, Sindhi and Siraiki poetry used not only by the Sufis of Sindh and Punjab but also by Sikh gurus. Bulleh Shah’s poetry and philosophy strongly criticize Islamic religious orthodoxy of his day.

His writings represent him as a humanist, someone providing solutions to the sociological problems of the world around him as he lives through it, describing the turbulence his motherland of Punjab is passing through, while concurrently searching for God. His poetry highlights his mystical spiritual voyage through the four stages of Sufism: Shariat (Path), Tariqat (Observance), Haqiqat (Truth) and Marfat (Union). The simplicity with which Bulleh Shah has been able to address the complex fundamental issues of life and humanity is a large part of his appeal.

The book ‘Sufi Kavi Bulleh Shah’ includes his poems in it, the poems and their meanings are described in Hindi by the author Bakhshish Singh.

My Views: The book starts with the little explanation of Sufism. Recounting us with the background of Bulleh Shah. From there we jumped into the world of his poetry. The poems which are raw, the poems which are about society, societal problems and also their solutions. These poems are about Love, love which is not just for one’s lover, but for humanity, peace, and for ‘God’. For him, only love is what is eternal, it’s the solution for all humankind problems. Bulleh Shah says:

“उमर गवाई विच मसीती

अंदर भरिआ नाल पलीती

कदे नमाज, वहिदत ना कीती

हुण किउं करना ए धाड़ो धाड़

इशक दी नवीओं नवीं बहार,

जां मैं सबक इशक दा पड़िआ

मसजद कोलों जी उड़ा डरिआ

भज भज ठाकर दुआरे वडिआ

घर विच पाइआ महिरम यार

इशक दी नवीओं नवीं बहार “

Here he wants to convey that, he has got tired, has read Vedas and Quran many times, but has never felt that bliss that immense peace, but the moment he understood the value of love, everything around him is at peace, everything around him is in harmony.

Every time you read his poems, the meaning came out to be much sagacious, much meaningful, and much deeper, as if it’s different every time.

The book provides lucid interpretations to his poems, it’s a great start to those who wants to read Bulleh Shah’s poems, but finds it difficult to apprehend the language in which it is originally written. In fact, the book is a must read for all the poem lovers.

Recommendations: If you want to plunge into the world of poetry, start with this book. Bulleh Shah’s poems are one of its kind. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, I hope even you also will.

Ratings: 4.5/5

Komal Bagri

A traveler and a bookworm at heart, Komal Bagri has explored many destinations across India. But that never seems to be enough and she’s always ready to hit the road again. Her obsession for travel is combined with a love for books. She is currently working as a Content Developer at an eminent press.