Shah Abdul Latif of Bhit, lovingly called 'Shah Bhitai,' is adored throughout the length and breadth of Sindh, irrespective of peoples religious beliefs and intellectual standing, not only as the greatest poet of Sindh but as a saint, a sufi and a spiritual guide. It is the spiritual significance of his poetry, expressed in most touching down-to-earth words, harmonised with a musical setting, that makes a direct appeal to the hearts and souls of the listeners, including the elite and the man in the street. The peasant ploughing his field, the herdsman and the shepherd tending to the herd of cattle or flock of sheep, the fisherman casting his fishing net in the water, the sailors going to sea, the village house-wife at her daily chores and the villager midst his companions at leisure time, sings, recites or hears this sublime poetry that uplifts his very soul, be he a Muslim or a Hindu. In the towns and cities of mother Sindh, the scholars, intellectuals and learned people, hold sessions of its recitation and its singing by renowned artists of the land. Every Sindhi...click, young and old, whether literate or not, man or woman, know most of the verses by-heart, and often quote them in daily conversations at significant occasions. Mother Sindh has has been ravged and her children has suffered the pangs of distress and destruction. The poems, songs and verses of Bhitai, when heard, bring uncontrolled tears to every Sindhis eyes. Who is this man? What is his philosophy? Why his poetry elevates people to heights of ecstasy? Why is this noble son of Sindh, rightly refered as the soul of of Sindh. Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai - not much is known about the life of this thinker, saint, and sufi, from the written records. Much of the information has come down to us through oral traditions.
Shah Jo Risalo, in essence, is untranslateable into any language. The beauty of Sindhi language, especially the Sindhi used by Bhitai, the lilting melody, the churning of the of the words, the music in every line of the verse, and sheer hypnotic effect on heart, mind and soul, can only be felt and appreciated in the original Sindhi language. Not just Sindhis, but foreigners, as well, has been enthralled by this ecstatic poetry. Dr Annemarie Schimmel, a German scholar and linguist, has learnt Sindhi, especially to be able to peruse for herself the poetry of Bhitai, which, according to her, "expresses the most refined mystical experiences and the most inexplicable movements of the soul." Yes, the poetry of this Soul of Sindh creates turbullences right to the vary core of one's soul. Even Ernest Trumpp, the renowned German scholar and missionary, and H.T. Sorley, the English scholar, both have been mesmerized by the magical spell of the 'vais', 'dohiras' and 'ka'afis' sung by the devotees of Bhitai.
I have used much of the material, on Bhitai...clich, his poetry and philosophy, from Madam Amina Khamisani's...click English translation of the Risalo, "Risalo Of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai : Translated in Verse", which she published in 1992. I have read some other translations of the Risalo in English, as well. These translations, I found, mostly in bits and pieces, in various Journals and Magazines. This is the first time I have in my possession a complete book which, rightly so, is "Shah Jo Risalo", in English. The work of Madam Khamisani, is most promising and outstanding. Her scholarship, her love for Shah and his poetry is evidenced from the pain and effort that she has taken in expressing the surs, using the most appropriate words, which, really went deep down the recesses of my soul, creating the ecstatic feeling, although not as deep and strong as the original words. Having served the educational and developmental cause of mother Sindh so well, by teaching generations of Sindhi children, the art and intricacies of English poetry and literature - and this includes my sister Suraiya Makhdoom as well - at the Univeristy of Sindh, her work of translation of Risalo in English will, certainly, go down in the annals of Sindhi history, as a remarkable and monumental service to Mother Sindh and her children. All children of Sindh, including my humble self, are grateful to her for this magnificent contribution.
"Those who lost their path, searching the rocks,
Learnt much from the lost path,
Giving up both the worlds, beaten track they follow not.
Dust on their bodies for the Beloved they gather,
Some knowledge of Lahut seem to possess these wanderers."
.................Bhitai [Sur Khahori]