Baba Bulleh Shah (1680-1758) was the great humanist,
philosopher, rebel, internationalist, teacher and Sufi poet of all times.
Baba ji was the disciple of Enayat Shah Lahori, who himself was a great Sufi
of his time. Baba ji was born in a noble and aristocratic Saye’ad family
but, as a result of Enayat’s teachings, he left the life of nobility and
luxury and led quite simple and humble life. Baba ji was a great poet and
use to sing his poetry in the streets of his city Kasur.
He was a keen supporter of poor and at all fronts he opposed oppression
and exploitation of public by capitalistic class. Due to his anti-extremist
and revolutionary behavior, he was given the ‘Fatwa’ of Kafir (Infidel) by
religious authorities. Several times, he was bitten by the extremists but
‘he never bowed his neck’. When he died he was thrown on the garbage outside
the boundary of Kasur because he wasn’t allowed to bury in the Kasur. But as
the time passed, with the increase in population Kasur also expanded and
thus, at last, Baba ji’s grave got its place in his Kasur.
After the death of Baba Bulleh Shah, the Government and Muslim Ulmas used
their force strongly to destroy the Kalam (poetry) and reputation of Baba ji.
Qawals (Asian classical singers) were strictly prohibited to sing the Kalam
of Baba ji publicly. In British India, for about 100 years his Kalam was not
allowed to be published. It was after the ‘partition of 1947’ that Baba ji’s
Kalam was published for the first time, when some Sikhs and Hindus disclosed
some remnants of Baba ji’s Kalam. No doubt, a lot of his verses have been
disappeared from the world but still we’ve his many beautiful verses which
are famous all over the world and people of all castes and religions love
and admire this remarkable poet of history. |