(Bulla, Who Knows Who I Am?)
Came upon Rabbi Shergill’s rendition of Bulleh Shan’s powerful poem and was caught off-guard by it’s timelessness. Syed Abdullah Shah Qadri, known by his followers as Bulleh Shah, was a Sufi poet, philosopher mystic who lived beyond the conventions of his time in the early 18th century in Punjab, India. In essence, Sufism does form that segment of society that unashamedly steps outside the practical and deals with the esoteric and by its very nature, as would Jainism, lives at the mercy of those communities or belief-systems that are not averse to violence to survive or thrive. As such, you’d find them relegated to the academic sidelines of mainstream society being held up to an impractical ideal while society grinds forward in its practical atrocities while hypocritically and selectively holding up the flag of favor toward these kind, gentle, loving entities.
Delving into the lyrics of the song highlights why it is admired by many and feared by more. Blasphemous and seditious in its dismissal of authority, structure and the so-called ‘holy’, it admonishes our tendency to easily accept who and what we are. I almost had the classic faulty reaction where the true intent of the poem was lost to me – shrouded by the beauty of the words and the musical construct. I see or hear something sublime and rather than trying to materialize it into my daily life, I wrap it in gold and satin, call it holy and place it on a pedestal to be observed from far. I almost fell for this normal human folly of hero-worship… take something that asks me to be real and useful in my life and turn it into some impractical ideal that will remain merely a decoration – something beautiful to be admired – useless like a picture-frame that makes my wall look good but forgets to celebrate the life of the person in the picture!
Definitely not what Bulleh Shah intended! He didn’t want me to appreciate the song, applaud it, shed a tear and then go back to my life of divisive belief systems where people in authority (mind police) are allowed to draw lines of tradition and geography! Bulleh Shah wants me to question authority. He wants me to break away from every form of doctrine and dogma and keep finding ways to discover my true self. Fighting through every form of separation that can be imposed by gender, skin color, passport and methods of seeking joy – Bulleh Shah asks us to love – practical, real-life kindness that helps the other person along on his or her way towards finding themselves! Doing justice to the true intent of this awesome poem will require us to take it beyond admiration to actual practicality.
Next time I am in a situation to look deep into myself, will I take the time?
Next time I am in a situation to smile at a stranger, can I smile?
Next time I am in a position of having more, can I share?
I am nothing people say I am. I am not discoverable to anyone else but me!
My 2 cents 