Rooh ji Rehaan | A Gathering of Souls Stories, Poetry and Songs from the world of Shah Latif

Those who set out with nothing Experience union Those who bedeck themselves Remain forsaken

• Shah Latif

Explore the poetry of the great 18th century Sindhi Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, through storytelling, translations and songs. Vipul Rikhi shares these stories along with interpretations of their deep significance for Latif. There will be translations of the poetry in English and, most importantly, songs of Latif in the kaafi form, which are part of the folk oral traditions of Kutch, Gujarat.

Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai was a great 18th century Sufi poet who, without exaggeration, can be called the Voice of Sindh. His poetry draws on the power and beauty of Sufi as well as Yogic thought, melding the two philosophies into one poetic and spiritual vision. His major work is the “Shah Jo Risalo” and his poems thrive today as a vibrant oral tradition being widely sung, quoted and loved by both Hindu and Muslim communities in the Sindh and Kutch regions on both sides of the Indo-Pak border.

In a world where women voices were unheard of, Latif took popular love legends of the region and spoke through the voices of different women protagonists, to weave a web of poetry that plays tantalizingly between the levels of ishq-e-majaazi, worldly love, and ishq-e-haqeeqi, spiritual love.

Examples: http://ishqfakiri.com/achi-mil -yaar/ https://sayskabir.wordpress.co m/2016/10/19/shartiyun-aain-ta /

The duration of the program will be around 90 minutes.

Vipul Rikhi is a poet, fiction writer, translator and singer, and a co-creator of the web archive 'Ajab Shahar'. His work with Kabir Project includes extensive writings and translations in the field of Bhakti, Sufi and Baul poetry. In the course of these journeys he has developed a deep love for singing mystic poetry in the folk music traditions. In his performances, he likes to bring equal emphasis to the poetry and its resonances in our lives as to the sheer beauty of many of the folk tunes. He is also the author of a novel and collections of poetry and short stories. www.vipulrikhi.wordpress.com www.ishqfakiri.com

ENTRY FREE!!! OPEN TO ALL!!!