Bulleh Shah's poetry in present day (original) (raw)

NEW DELHI:

Bulleh Shah

may not be a name many recognize - little is known about his life, his lineage, even his birthplace or date. Some say he was born in a small village in Bahawalpur, in present day Pakistan, and lived until 1757. Others say he died in 1758. Despite the ambiguity, chances are that you're familiar with his works.
The seventeenth century poet, who practiced the

Sufi tradition

of

Punjabi poetry

, wrote in a verse form known as Kafi - a style of Punjabi, Sindhi, and Saraiki poetry used by Sikh gurus and Sufis.

And though it's been about three hundred years since he penned his first poem, numerous modern artistes have put music to his words.
Whether its independent singers or commercial

Bollywood

albums, his poems have made their way into myriad genres - Ranjha Ranjha from Raavan, Bandeya Ho from the movie Khuda Kay Liye includes his lyrics; even Rahman's catchy Chaiyya Chaiyya is based on Sufi-folk song Thaiyya Thaiyya, with lyrics by Bulleh Shah. The show Coke Studio had several renditions of his works as well.
But one piece that is probably the most widely covered is Bullah Ki Jaana - Junoon did it in the nineties,

Rabbi Shergill

's rendition remains incredibly popular, and Punjabi Sufi group Wadali Brothers also took out their own version. Now, erstwhile pop singer Ali Haider of 'Purani Jeans' fame has staged his comeback with his very first Sufi album -

Kee Jana Main Kaun

.

""This is a song for anybody trying to find themselves. It may have been penned centuries ago, and sung dozens of times, but it will never get old. Everybody can connect with the poetry of Baba Bulleh Shah,"" says Haider. Bulleh Shah's poetry condemns the Islamic religious orthodoxy of his time, which also resonated with Haider's view. ""I had been reading a lot of religious poetry, so people labeled me as 'too religious' or a fanatic. The lines na main bhed mazhab dabaya, na main aadam hawwa jaya, na koi apna naam dharaya...stuck with me,"" he says.