Sindh Jo Lateef: The Sufi Mystic : Sanya Sadiq
Apart from translations in English, Hindi, French and Punjabi, Risalo’s Urdu translation has been rendered by the acclaimed poet Sheikh Ayaz, known as Pablo Neruda or Faiz Ahmed Faiz of Sindhi. His derailed, critical and painstakingly done translation of Risalo is considered the finest till date. Testifying the brilliance of both the poets and his work, Sheikh Ayaz calls Shah Lateef Bhitai as “the first and probably the last poet whose poetry was enriched with almost all possible qualities that Sindhi language has to offer.” He further goes on to proclaim “in fact I will agree that Sindhi language is still alive and probably will be because it holds the heartrending poetry of an exemplary poet like Shah Lateef Bhitai.”
His magnum opus Risalo is a collection of poetry which is divided into different Surs or Styles. These 30 different Surs or kinds of poetry include Wai, Chopai, Doda (four hemistitches with rhymed pairs), dhola, Bayt (couplet or two hemistitches) etc. Rag and Raginis like Bilawal, Sorat, Sarang, Rag Kalyan, Yaman Kalyan, Kamod, Khambat, Siri Rag, Prabhati, Sohni etc. are also mentioned. The Surs including Mareuee, Sur Mumal Rano, Sur Khohiyari etc. Can be traced to Rags of folk music practiced in desserts of Sindh. Like most of the works of Sufi poets, these expressions were supposed to be sung. In fact, Shah Lateef integrated these three forms of expression: Sufi expression, rendered in poetry, which is set to music to be sung.
Essentially a Sufi poet, he often included ballads and old Sindhi folk stories for his purpose. The age-old folk romances of Leela Chanesar, Umar Marvi, Sasi Punnu, Sohni Mahiwal, Mumal Rano etc. were also included. But in hands of Sufi Shah Lateef, these paradigms of worldly love became the symbols of union with The eternal beloved i.e. God. So we see Sohni’s search for her beloved as she swims every night to the bank to see Mahiwal or Sasi’s search across scaly mountains and arid dessert for her lover, which remain ultimately unattainable. The union possible only in death, either by drowning or by thirsts, respectively. Even when the soul yearns earnestly for the desirable beloved, God remains elusive. The Sufi strain in poetry is stressed also by the fact that Shah Lateef did not explain these ballads as complete stories in themselves. Rather, he utilized the expression of unbridled love and devotion to the beloved God for the purpose of displaying a Sufi’s dedication to God who can only be realized after one has given up one’s the world and its claims.
Shah Lateef also shares with other Sufi poets the presence of common people in his poetry. Unlike the court poets whose poetry was graced by Odes and panegyrics to the ruling classes: Shah Lateef’s works are brimming with the people who comprise in Marx’s terms the base of the society as opposed to the super structure. The professionals like ironsmiths, weavers, fishermen, boatmen, merchants, gypsies, ploughmen etc. populate Shah Lateef’s poetry:
Faqat ye machhiyaan hain unki daulat/ ghareeb-o-natavaa (n) hain ye machherey,
Magar ye fakhr bhi kya kam hai unko/ ki ab hain hashiya-bardaar tere.
Kaan mein phir hai dhaunkni ki sadaa/ barsar-eekaar hai wo aahanger.
Not just these but the jogis, saint’s faqirs also find mention:
Jabajaa phir rahein hain ye jogi/ unse qaayam hai jog ka dastoor,
Ram hi ram unke lab par hai/ dil isi ek lagan se hai maamoor
These social characters often give us the clue in the lively society of Shah Lateef’s times. Such couplets often give us a glimpse not only in the social order, but also the beauty of the country and the lives of common people, lending the poetry a quotidian aspect which is the hallmark of folk and sufi literature. These were not just the subject of his poetry, but the intended audience also. Not only by the jogis and the saints but Shah Lateef was influenced by all the four traditions of Sufism. Although he belonged to the Qadiriyah traditions of Sufism which forbods music: he was not confined to it alone. Music was woven in his life. Many famous and folk singers and musicians graced his Mehfil-e-Sama. So fond was of his music that he sang his poetry on Yaktaro (Ek Tara), a single stringed instrument (legacy continued by Sain Zahoor, famous Sindhi folk musician/singer and BBC Artist of the Year 2006).
It is in times like these that the importance of Sufi poetry becomes the immediate need of the hour. Sample few lines by Shah Lateef Bhitai:
Dekhh pyaaso ka haal bhi ya rab/ aaj barsa de jadaja pani,
Door ho anaaj ki qillat/ aur har cheez ki ho arzaani.
Ho wahi aan-baan kutoyoo ki/ unke maalik sadaa rahein khush haal,
Nit nayii ho chehal pehal unki/ kaash ujdey kabhi na wo chaupal.
Khush rahe unke saare chawpaaye/ aur sarsabz ho charaagaahein.
He prayed in his poetry for rains for crops which also is called rehmat (divine grace), asked God to maintain the fecundity of the land, long lives of cattle, to protect boats from storms, prays for the safe journey of passengers, for prosperity of people. Such humanitarian concerns are unparalleled in today’s poetry.
Surely we have come far far away from the times of poets like Shah Lateef. But this advancement, in time and otherwise, has shown us its own perils. It is in times like these that the importance, the need, the significance and the meaning of Shah Lateef’s poetry becomes foremost. The Humanism and brotherhood he preached needs to be practiced widely. In times of crisis, we should look back in the past to secure our secure our future. The treasure that Shah Lateef had given us in the form of Risalo needs not only to be re-read and relooked into but also to be cultivated.