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Sufi Lyrics
Selections from a World Classic
Speaker & Performer
The poetry of Bullhe Shah (d. 1758) is considered one of the glories of premodern Panjabi literature. Born in Uch, Panjab, in present-day Pakistan, Bullhe Shah drew profoundly upon Sufi mysticism in his writings. His lyrics, famous for their vivid style and outspoken denunciation of artificial religious divisions, have long been held in affection by Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs, and they continue to win audiences today across national boundaries and in the global Panjabi diaspora.
The new translation from Murty Classical Library of India, published by Harvard University Press, in English is presented alongside the Panjabi text, in the Gurmukhi script, re-edited on the basis of the best modern Pakistani and Indian editions. Bullhe Shah’s Sufi Lyrics thus offers the most complete and approachable version of this great poet’s works.
This event features Bullhe Shah’s poetry coming to life with a musical performance by Harpreet, accompanied by readings from the book and a narration of Shah’s life story by Soni Wadhwa.
About the Murty Classical Library of India:
The Murty Classical Library aims to reintroduce some of the greatest literary works of India, written over the past two millennia, to a new generation of readers. Each volume in the series has been translated into English by world-renowned scholars, and reflect the highest standards of contemporary book design with elegant and newly-commissioned typefaces.
In collaboration with:
Speaker & Performer
Soni Wadhwa
Harpreet
Harpreet is a versatile artiste, who sings original musical compositions in Hindi and a number of regional Indian Languages and dialects such as Punjabi, Bengali, Assamese, Rajasthani and Haryanvi. He is best known for creating musical scores to epic works of humanist poets like Kabir and Bullhe Shah. Credited for taking celebrated poets to the masses, Harpreet has also composed popular hummable tunes to works of poets such as Pash (Avtar Singh Sandhu), Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Nirala (Suryakant Tripathi). The rhythmic blend of soulful poetry to the pulsating sound of guitar and percussion are unique and innovative, while at the same time familiar and foreign.
Harpreet has performed at Jaipur Literature Festival, Mahindra Kabira Festival, Jodhpur Riff, Rajasthan Kabir Yatra, Kerala Literature Festival, India by the Creek Dubai and Sacred Amritsar Festival amongst others.
