SEHWAN: A Sughar (folk poet) conference paid homage to Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar on the second day of the 766th urs celebrations of the saint here on Sunday.

The Sughars recited poetry laced with pun and riddles often raising voice against injustices and social mores in a light and humorous manner.

Renowned Sughras Aijaz Kalhoro, Ayaz Mahisar, Sobharo Bhatti, Faqir Taj, Qadir Bux Mangi, Ghulam Rasool Solangi, Rahmtulah Abbasi, Mohammad Salih Bughio participated in Sughar. Flute players Ghous Bux Brohi enthralled participants in the conference.

A literary conference would be held soon in Jamshoro in which a poetry contest would be held on national level, said mela committee chairman, Jamshoro deputy commissioner retired Captain Fariduddin Mustafa.

The Mela committee launched Mee Raqsam magazine on the occasion.

‘Devotees did not die from heatstroke’

Sindh Minister for Information Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said after visiting the shrine that devotees did not die due to heatstroke as the administration had made adequate arrangements for water supply and set up camps and sabeels at many places in the town.

He said that PPP chairman Bilwal Bhutto-Zardari had talked of love and harmony but MQM leaders were busy doing divisive and ethnic based politics.

Heatstroke kills two devotees

Thirteen-year-old Qasim Ali of Vehari and 40-year-old Bibi of Sehwan died reportedly from heatstroke in different places of the town.

In-charge Edhi center Ghulam Sarwar Shaikh said that the victims had died of heatstroke and their bodies had been handed over to relatives.

Irfan Ali, health official at Syed Abdullah Shah Institute of Medical Sciences, said that seven devotees reported at the institute for heatstroke and were under treatment.

Two killed in accident

NAWABSHAH: Two devotees of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar were killed and three were seriously injured when their jeep overturned due to over-speeding on Nawabshah-Sakrand road near Zero Point.

Driver Siddiq Lohaj, 20, and eight-year-old Naitak died on the spot whereas the latter’s father Basar and his two other sons Gautam and Ritesh were seriously injured. They were going to the Qalandar shrine to attend the urs.

Water woes

Many devotees complained of shortage of drinking water, compelling them of buying water at exorbitant prices.

The devotees from Quetta, Lahore and other areas said that because of shortage they were forced to buy a tanker of unhygienic water for Rs1200 to 1500 which was creating skin and waterborne diseases.

Sehwan TMA chairman Syed Asif Ali Shah blamed loadshedding for the shortage and said TMA had managed make alternative arrangements for supply of water.

CM to participate in urs today

Mela committee chairman Jamshoro DC said at a press conference that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah would participate in urs celebrations of the concluding day on Monday.

He rejected reports of devotees’ deaths from heatstroke and said that it was not possible in the presence of sabeels set up across the town. Besides, they had distributed 10 million bottles of mineral water so far, he said, adding that 1.8 million devotees had arrived in Sehwan this year.

Sughar tell proverbs, riddles, stories

HYDERABAD: Folk poets presented poetry, riddles and rhymed stories at ‘Sindh sughar patka’ conference organised by culture department at Sindh museum in collaboration with an NGO on Sunday.

Sugars were presented ‘patka’ (turbans) at the moot. Gul Hassan Gul, president of the Sindh Sughar Lok Adab Tanzeem, discussed frequently used proverbs.

Ahmed Ali Chandio, a sughar from Karachi, welcomed the guests in 10 different languages. Veteran sughar Qazi Badruddin, Ali Akbar Udasi, Ustad Pathan Faqeer, Ali Gohar Mahar, author of six books on folk literature; Khalil Khoso, a writer and others presented poetry.

Sughar Ghulam Mohammad Mangi read Shah Latif’s poetry, while Mohammad Qasim Kalwar and Rab Nawaz Paryo presented ‘ishaq jo dastan’.

Abdul Khaliq aka Muala Bux Sheedi talked about ‘dahas’ – a genre of folk literature – and discussed beauty of ‘eyes’ in 10 different languages.

Ali Akbar Udasi presented humorous poetry and Faiz Mohammad Jaskani present poetry depicting last year’s tragedy at Qalandar Lal Shahbaz’s shrine.

Mohammad Juman, writer of ‘chakkar maal’, reminisced about the Hindus, who migrated from Sindh at the time of partition, in his poetry.

A sughar from Thar and compiler of Shah’s poetry, Mohammad Qasim Rahimoon, presented his poetry that revolved around 2,200 villages of desert. Ikhtiar Ahmed aka Gul Hassan Lashari mentioned different genres of folk literature.

Ajiz Rahmatullah Lashari, a representative of Tanzeem, conducted proceedings of the conference. Anwar Solangi presented Hassan Dars’ poetry. Turbans were presented to 20 sughars and Ajraks were distributed.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2018