Adil Najam
A whole new generation has rediscovered Bulleh Shah. That is good.
Much of the credit for this rediscovery goes to the ‘sufi rock’ band Junoon and, more recently to the New Delhi singer Rabbi Shergill, and most importantly to the magnetic simplicity of ‘Bulla, ki jaanan mein koun.’ (I guess, Abida Parveen did for our generation what these guys are doing in interpreting Bulleh Shah for a new generation).
I must confess that I am a traditionalist and prefer more classical renditions of this timeless piece. My own sense, much like Deevan’s (of the blog ‘Rambling On’), is that Rabbi Shergill does a far superior job than Ali Azmat did. At least for me, Rabbi seems to ‘gets it’ more than Junoon did. But, in honesty, I am grateful to both; I also think that both should be grateful to Bulleh Shah.
So, why not judge for yourself. Here is the rendition by Rabbi Shergill. If you are new to Bulleh Shah, listen to it a couple of times before giving up on it. You can view it here by clicking on the play (arrow) button on the image below, or go to video.google.
For those who may want it, here is a version of the original and a translation by Kartar Singh Duggal:
I know not who I am
I am neither a believer going to the mosque
Nor given to non-believing ways
Neither clean, nor unclean
Neither Moses not Pharoah
I know not who I am
I am neither among sinners nor among saints
Neither happy, nor unhappy
I belong neither to water not to earth
I am neither fire, not air
I know not who I am
Neither do I know the secret of religion
Nor am I born of Adam and Eve
I have given myself no name
I belong neither to those who squat and pray
Nor to those who have gone astray
I know not who I am
I was in the beginning, I’d be there in the end
I know not any one other than the One
Who could be wiser than Bulleh Shah
Whose Master is ever there to tend?
I know not who I am.
‘Ki jaanan mein koun’ is the best known and most elegant of Bulleh Shah’s work and is itself an adaptation/translation from the works of earlier Persian philosophers. I wish that more people and singers will start looking at the rest of Bulleh Shah’s repertoire. Some have. For example, Shoaib Mansoor has already done a wonderful rendition of ‘Teray ishq nachaya kar thai-ya thai-ya’ as part of the Supreme Ishq series. And Noori has a song that seems inspired by ‘Kuttey tain-to uttay’.
If others also paid Bulleh Shah more attention, they might find that in terms of his themes Bulleh Shah may be the most contemporary poet in South Asia today. Try looking at ‘Bass kar ji’ (Enough is enough) or ‘Moun aayee baat na rehndi hai’ (I must utter what comes to my lips) and you will find them resonating with your most contemporary political and social preoccupations.
Followup post on Bulleh, Jugni, Shergill & Junoon, here.
Dear Adil Najam,
I’m surprised to see how a kaafi has been regarded as a song. Bullah Shah has not been rediscovered by these modern pop n rock guys. He’s been here since centuries n the ones who have even the slightest inclination towards religon know what he has done. There is no need to associate tunes to his poetry. Music is prohibitted in our religon. n its been proven that sufi poets did not write their poetry to be sung alongwith musical instruments. The poetry contains a message to be understood.
U must have heard the common saying that the one who recognizes himself recognizes the Almighty. Bullah ki jana main kaun depicts the condition of a person in search of the truth. The one who has started his journey but deos not know now where to go. Here is where the teacher comes in handy. n baba bullah has referred to Shah Inayat in many of his writings. So this message cannot be iunderstood unless n untill u start a research and find a teacher, a murshad, who can teach u the meanings of these verses. this is the SOP of all traditionlists. n mind u they read the kalam by sufis but do not listen to the musical arrangements.
What both junoon n rabbi have done is that they have tried to sing the verses considering it to be a simple piece of poetry. junoon’s video is absolutely unrealistic in which the guys are running around in the deserts and jungles, crying to the top of their voices. this has never been a tradition of sufis. sufis always find a quite place to medidate n concentrate as well as perform their ibadat. n screeming is not a part of it. first thing is a cool mind n control over ones emotions. the restlessness depicted in the kaafi is only mental and spiritual and it never surfaces.
The translation of “awal aakhir aap noo jan” is wrong. it is a wrong interpretation of “aqeeda-e-wahdat-ul-wujood”. please research on it.
As far as the beauty of language and classical touches in the verses of a kaafi are concerned, bulleh shah does a marvellous job. his kaafi “sah wanjaray aaye ne ma-ee seh wanjaray aaye” conveys the same message (conveyed in bullah ki jana main kaon) in a very different way. there he portrays the beauty of a simple life and the odds which a person will have to go through, if he takes the right path.
kalaam of khwaja ghulam farid is also worth reading it is in saraiki. difficult to read but once u start reading it, u’r lost in the beautiful scenery of desert and the life led by people living there. his description of ROOHI is much more beautiful than that of valleys n scenery portrayed in our literature.
All of these sufis have conveyed the same message. each one has his own style, expression and choice of words for the love of the Almighty. In order to understand the message, read every one of them. n have a teacher ( a murshad ) to guide u.
[quote comment=”4921″]Does anyone have information on how Bulleh Shah was treated during his lifetime? Was he already this popular while still alive and how did the authorities and religious leaders view him?[/quote]
Ajoka’s fantstic play “Bulla” which they performed last summer is a great introduction. Maybe someone has a video recording
Mitro, I wholeheatedly appreciate your participation in the discussion on Bulleh Shah. We need to promote the message of our Sufi saints. I will welcome ur cooperation in this regards. Pl let us find the ways to spread the loving thoughts of these Sufis. Regards. Saeed Ahmad (saeed@sufiwisdom.org)
i live in arkansas, in u.s. i am trying to make connections with my friends in PAK. the song is so beautiful. i cannot think of this kind of music in u.s. the radio is haram. the music in the shops is haram.
sufi saint or not, this music is one for my favorites soon.
oh, and i am a follower of Hazrat Isa al Mashih.
his words from Injeel are my school – my heart – my love. if he was a singer – or poet, he would be singing with Bulleh Shah, inshallah. time does not matter. what is time to the One that makes the stars? music is His. He needs only to say to the sound “BE” and it is. This is music. This is life. We are His music.
The kafi sang by Rabbi is fantastic and has helped in resurfacing the sufiana kalam but one understand that in order to facilitate the rhythem, singers make a bit of amendments/alteration in the Kafis because all that has traveled to us from mouth to mouth.
Moreover can somebody help me in finding the undermentioned verses in any of the Bulleh shah kafis?
paRh paRh ilm hazaar kitaabaN
qaddi apnay aap nou paRhiya naee
jaaN jaaN waRhday mandir maseedi
qaddi mann apnay wich waRhiya naee
aa-vaiN laRda aye shaitan de naal bandeaa
qaddi nafss apnay naal laRiya naee
[yes, yes, you have read thousands of books
but you have never tried to read your own self
you rush in, into your Mandirs, into your Mosques
but you have never tried to enter your own heart
futile are all your battles with Satan
for you have never tried to fight your own desires]
Thanks