Showing posts with label Sindhi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sindhi. Show all posts
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Monday, December 19, 2011
Fisherman, Mancher lake, Indus River, Sindh
This is an old fisherman on the bank of a great, now poisoned, Mancher lake (or jheel, as is known in Urdu). It draws its waters from the great River Indus, the lifeline of Pakistan around which all our great civilizations have flourished - and drowned. You may name Indus Valley civilization (Moen jo Daro site, etc), Kalhoras, Talpurs of Sindh, Nawabs of lower Punjab, even Mughuls (on the bank of now-dead Ravi, part of Indus river system) and so on and so forth. It is claimed that the culture on both sides of River Indus are radically different. I have never been able to verify this claim but a good start on the history and present-day scenoria on this river would be to read Alice Albinia's 'Empires of the Indus', a beautifully written, first hand account of her journey from the mouth of Indus to its starting point in Tibet.
[Unfortunately, I have somehow managed to loose this beautiful photograph from my archive].
[Unfortunately, I have somehow managed to loose this beautiful photograph from my archive].
Friday, December 2, 2011
Shrine of Shah Abdul Lateef Bhitai, Sindh, Pakistan
Date: 11th February, 2009.
We are standing atop an incomplete hotel. This hotel, whatever its name, was where we had stayed for the night. And this is the vision from its roof. I could see the birds flying around, turning over and over again the central, Main dome of the revered tomb of Sufi poet of Sindhi language, Sain Shah Abdul Lateef Bhittai. He is arguably the most quoted Sufi Saint in Sindh. And people from Seraiki belt, which formerly used to part of Sindh province, visit here in their huge numbers, drinking chai and partaking of hasheesh. So much so that amidst Sufi music, played beautifully by ancient looking men (more of them later) the atmosphere is simply mysterious. The smoke obscuring the features of the musicians, the listeners deep in their thought. Most of the audience cannot understand this beautiful poetry - even many Sindhis cannot, but that does not mean any lack of interest. I highly recommend Thursday night at this Shrine. The poetry and the music is remarkable in its beauty of diction, atmosphere and the historical surroundings. Don't you ever forget your voice recorders, like I did!
We are standing atop an incomplete hotel. This hotel, whatever its name, was where we had stayed for the night. And this is the vision from its roof. I could see the birds flying around, turning over and over again the central, Main dome of the revered tomb of Sufi poet of Sindhi language, Sain Shah Abdul Lateef Bhittai. He is arguably the most quoted Sufi Saint in Sindh. And people from Seraiki belt, which formerly used to part of Sindh province, visit here in their huge numbers, drinking chai and partaking of hasheesh. So much so that amidst Sufi music, played beautifully by ancient looking men (more of them later) the atmosphere is simply mysterious. The smoke obscuring the features of the musicians, the listeners deep in their thought. Most of the audience cannot understand this beautiful poetry - even many Sindhis cannot, but that does not mean any lack of interest. I highly recommend Thursday night at this Shrine. The poetry and the music is remarkable in its beauty of diction, atmosphere and the historical surroundings. Don't you ever forget your voice recorders, like I did!
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