“O God, you are my state of being” is what this Kafi of Shah Hussain loosely means. It is about the internal and external knowledge of Reality. I have been singing this Kafi for the last few days. Here is a translation (courtesy Shahidain) followed by an audio version and the Punjabi lyrics-
“O God, only You know all my pains.
You are within me and You are outside me( You are everywhere)
In every pore of mine (from top to toe) only you dwell.
You are the warp, You are the woof.
You are every thing for me.
Says Hussain, the Humble Faqir, I am nothing, You are everything”.
Interpretation by Naveed Siraj: Divine Love is ingrained in every fibre of ones’ self & this Love is overwhelming and ever-present. Like Pathanay Khan wailing “charkha bolay sain sain”; i.e., even the common household chores remind one of the Lord, so one loses the distinction between the begining of this love and its manifestation and its end. [this is why “andar”, “bahar”, “room room vich toonh” captivates ones imagination]
And once again Abida Parveen sings it so beautifully: (more…)
Someone once said Abida Parveen is not a singer or an artist… she is an experience….. her voice and expression takes you to a different universe… when she collaborated with India’s ace filmmaker, poet, artist, revivalist, musician and activist Muzaffar Ali the result had to be something divine … something out of ordinary, something that transcends all boundaries… it was purest of the pure Raqs-e-Bismil (dance of the injured)… totally unforgettable and soulful … In Abida’s own words Raqs-e-Bismil has the glow of Almighty in it…one can become wali by listening to it…. sufi poetry has a magic that is beyond any explanation, any comprehension … it fascinates me as each time it takes me into a new realm of discovery.
I am sharing my favorite ghazal from the album with translation… although each piece is a priceless gem yet this ghazal has the power to take you beyond yourself. Abida is at her best here.
The English translation is done by Muzaffar Ali himself.
Hairat mara ze har do jahan be niaz kard
Een khab kaare daulat e bedaar meekunad
(Rumi)
Bewilderment has absolved me of both the worlds
This is the consequence of awakening from my dreams
Khuli jab ki chashm e dil e hazeen,
to vo nam raha na teri rahi
Hui hairat aisi kuch aankh par ki asar ki be asari rahi
Pari goshe jaan mein ajab nida ki jigar na bejigari rahi
Khabare tahhayyur e ishq sun na junoon raha na pari rahi
Na to tu raha na to main raha jo rahi bekhabari rahi…
(Khamsa by Nazeer Akbarabadi for Siraj Aurangabadi)
The eyes of an anguished heart open…
No longer moist.. Bereft of tears
The perplexed vision
Remained unmoved.. Devoid of response
The soul heard.. An unusual sound
That took the pluck of life away
As wondrous love revealed itself
The fairy vanished..The ecstasy lost
Nor you remained.. Nor I was found
mere oblivion was all there was…
Mujhe bekhudi ye tune bhali chashni chakhayi
Kisi aarzoo ki dil mein nahi ab rahi samayi
O surrender in love,
You have given me a taste that pales all worldliness
No desire remains
In the heart filled with submission
Na hazar hai na khatar hai, na raja hai ne dua hai
Na khayaal e bandagi hai na tamana e khudai
Neither distance nor fear…
neither hope nor prayer
neither thoughts of subjugation
nor desire of godliness
Na muqqam e guftagu hai na mahhall e justaju hai
Na wahan havaas pahunche na khirad ko hai rasai
No place for exchange of words…
no occasion for further quest
Where neither consciousness reaches
nor thoughts transcend its realm
Na makin hai ne makan hai na zameen hai ne zaman hai
Dil e be nava ne mere jahan chhavni hai chayi
No one resides..Neither habitation exist…
Is where this wandering heart has come to camp
Na visaal hai na hijraan na suroor hai na gham hai
Jise kahiye khwab e ghaflat so woh neend mujh ko aayi
Where there is no union… No separation
no sorrow… no joy
What is said to be an endless oblivion
I enter such a slumber
I had earlier posted a video of Abida Parveen singing Bulleh Shah. While that is an all time favourite, the global voice of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has also rendered Bulleh Shah with great ease and soulfulness. I am grateful to Cubano for opening the doors into this magical world of music. No words can capture the sheer beauty of this music. Videos are posted below (more…)
This soulful poem by Faiz (??) was rendered by Madame Noor Jehan in her early, melodious years. Manto has also mentioned this rendition in his biography of the great Noor Jehan.
I discovered this video courtesy a blog at Naqsh.
This is a soulful rendition of powerful lyrics by Khawaja Ghulam Farid; and the images are pretty innovative as well. (more…)
Please watch this evocative video that Going to School - a media organization based in New Delhi - has put together for the girls from Gole Kuan, an urban slum on the periphery of an industrial suburb in New Delhi.
This video attempts to address a question posed by the DAVOS economic forum - “What one thing do you think that countries, companies or individuals must do to make the world a better place in 2008?”(more…)
Islamic inventions and contributions are narrated in a documentary entitled” What The Ancients Did For Us”. This production investigates the social and scientific advances of ancient civilizations. The host is Adam Hart-Davis andthe open university. This episode explores the work of Muslim scientists.
Bulleh Shah’s timeless verse has been celeberated by several artists but it is Abida Parveen the immensely gifted singer, a bit of dervish herself, who has celebrated Bulleh’s poetry to the fullest. Perhaps in the spirit of magic and mystical abandon with which Bulleh mused and uttered these lines…
Here is something that I came across today - I have been listening to this piece for years but to see it on youtube - so easily accessible - with half decent subtitles was exciting to say the least.
And, in the state of depression that every Pakistani has been since the Karachi carnage this was even more soothing. Not that the wounds will be healed so soon.
Bravo, Abida-ji for infusing so many dimensions to this immortal poetry..
