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 msk,
if you truly believe that Bulleh Shah could be a punk rocker in any age, you really need to study a bit more about what a sufi saint is, and to answer your question you cannot express love for the Almighty through music,music is haraam in islam.and i was addresssing the muslim section of the writers on this forum, Mandir dhaa de, masjid dhaa de, if you carry on listening to the words it goes on to say that don,t break a persons heart, the writer is comparing the worldly things to what a person holds spiritually in his heart, i don,t expect you to understand the point i am trying to make nor do i think that i could possibly make you understand that bhangra and disco and sufiana kalaam are poles apart and to even mention such revered poetry in the same breath as punk rock and the like would be a huge in-justice to the great people who penned these immortal words.please also note that in my original post i did not say that there was anything wrong with disco or bhangra merely that sufiana kalaam was not meant to be sung for bhangra or disco dancing, i look forward to reading your thoughts.
Dear Nasser. I am flabergasted.
Are you suggested that modern music is ‘incapable’ of conveying ‘deep meaning’. Really!!
And what is wrong with bhangra or disco? Can’t we express our love for the Almighty in bhangra and disco? Why not?
I am sure that if Bulleh Shah was alive today he would be a punk rocker! In his own time the religious establishment that now reveres his ‘sufiana kalam’ shunned him and he was not part of the establishment. That is what made him and others stand out. After all, “mandir dhaa de, masjid dhaa de” is as much a ‘punk rock’ idea as it is a ‘sufiana kalam’ idea.
dear people, please understand the fact that sufiana kalaam is not meant to be sung as modern day music, this in not bhangra or disco and that the writings of Bulleh Shah and other sufi saints have a very deep meaning whereby the writers are expressing thier love and connection with the Almighty. Something for you all to think about !!
no need to mention tht habib bhai. u know the urs sharief of sarkar are starting frm 27th.this is to all plzz pray for peace and humanity pray for ppl who are in painand are unwell.
Well ppl i just know one thing ive not seen or heard the junoons version but in rabbi’s album the video is shot in the DARGAH SHARIEF of SARKAR (HAZRATH KHWAJA MOINUDDIN HASSAN CHISTI JI) thts the best part the album is shot in the place where Baba BULLEH SHAH wrote (thinking about )! so ppl peace!!!!! LOVE HUMANITY HATE TERRORISM!