Sufi mystics of Punjab

In times of growing dissatisfaction and the need to bring a method to the chaos around the simplistic, yet profound, teachings of Sufism resonate louder than ever. And a torchbearer in the effort to take Sufism to the masses is Rumi Foundation spearheaded by Muzaffar Ali and his series of artistic publications, the latest of which is The Sufis of the Punjab.

It’s a part of what began as a series of poetry-driven books in respect to regions and places, Muzaffar tell us. “It’s the same flower that is blooming in different areas and soils. The first one focused and documented the legacy of Hazrat Amir Khusrau while the next commemorated Jalaluddin Rumi and between the two we tried to show the parallels between Khusro and Rumi. The third one was on the Rishis and Sufis of Kashmir.”

Peaceful coexistence, communal harmony and love between different faiths forms the binding thread of all the articles. Muzaffar avers, “We’ve encapsulated all those we could find material on. There’s Bulleh Shah, Ghulam Farid, Sultan Bahu, Qalandar, Dara Shikoh, among others. It talks about the entire setting of Punjab being riddled with Sufi saints like Guru Nanak, Shah Hussain and Waris Shah. And about the current poetry patterns and commonalities between how Sufism takes from and gives to different faiths. It talks about influences of Sufism on Guru Granth Sahib, Radha Soami Satsang Beas and on the concept of langars.”

Full report here Asian Age

Lost in the global melting pot

In earlier times,when people migrated across vast terrains for economic reasons they took along their precious belongings securely tied on camel backs - their religious books,their cultural totems,their wood carving tools,silk weaving looms etc.Modern day economic liberalisation and globalisation have reversed this trend and instead brought the cultural melting pot home.Which is just fine.As long as we remember to pack in our valuables,before we step into the stew.

Culture and language are closely intertwined.Consequently with more and more of us switching to English as our first language,huge chunks of our cultural heritage are being lost along the way.As we move to a world where the mother tongue is increasingly becoming a language that our grandmother spoke and which mom speaks only an apologetic smattering of to elderly aunts,folk forms of poetry,among other things,are at risk.As someone who writes mostly in English but was exposed to diverse indigenous forms of poetry while growing up,I ask myself whether it has to be like this.If the Japanese haiku,the Italian sonnet and the French villanelle can have a life in English,why can't the Punjabi 'tappe',the Tamil 'kural' or Amir Khusrao's 'keh mukarnis' ?

Let's begin with the tantalising tappe of Punjab.If you've attended even one Punjabi wedding as a child,chances are you're already a convert.Anyone who has sat cross legged on a durrie,amidst a circle of family friends and relatives,chin tucked into upturned palm and watched a coy,sweet voiced aunt and a swaggering,whiskey- mellowed uncle pull off a tappe-boliyan session to the accompaniment of a dholki and a spoon is unlikely to have forgotten it.

Full report here Times of India Crest