Timeout - Sufi Wisdom For Our Times

by Life Positive

Sufi wisdom for our times The International Theatre Festival of Kerala showcased some excellent plays that powerfully portrayed human dilemmas, and mankind's intense desire for social and personal harmony. Among these, the Pakistani play, Bullah, stood out. Written by Shahid Nadeem and directed by Madeeha Gauhar, it was based on the life of the famous Sufi saint, Bulleh Shah.The play was an enthralling combination of soulful performances by the actors, the poetry of Bulleh Shah, and heartwarming qawallis by the traditional qawals from a small dargah in rural Pakistan. It touched the hearts of people surpassing all boundaries of language. Bullah's strength lay in the colourful and poetic evocation of its universal message. It dramatised Bulleh's search for truth, his devotion to his mentor Shah Inayat, his conflicts with the intolerant clergy and corrupt Nawabs, and his opposition to wars and bloodshed in the name of religion, in a very simple and stirring way.

The character of Bulleh Shah was so beautifully enacted and his poetry so powerfully sung by the Pakistani theatre actor, Sarfraz Ansari, that one easily connected with the persona of the Sufi saint and his quest for peace. Here are a few lines from Bullah:

Not a believer inside the mosque, am I
Nor a pagan disciple of false rites
Not the pure amongst the impure
Neither Moses, nor the Pharoh

Bulleh! to me, I am not known

Not in the holy Vedas, am I
Nor in opium, neither in wine
Not in the drunkard`s intoxicated craze
Neither awake, nor in a sleeping daze
In the context of the mayhem happening in the Indian
subcontinent in the name of religion, such a message could not have been more apt. It definitely left the audience yearning for more peace and love, and thus has done full justice to the spirit and the message of the great Bulleh Shah