HYDERABAD: Stressing the need for evolving a policy to disseminate all dim­en­sions of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai’s poetry, including spirituality, philosophy and teachings in the world, rese­ar­­chers and scholars said the strong message of Bhitai would help eliminate widespread discontent and chaotic atmosphere surging among people, and it would be a light in the darkness.

Addressing the annual Latif conference held on Tuesday at H.T. Sorely Audi­torium, Bhitshah, they also urged youths to develop reading habit and focus on research instead of squandering quality time on social media.

Writer Dr Fehmida Huss­ain said it was a fact that there was no serious effort to research the soul of his (Bhitai’s) poetic work. She admired that Amar Fayyaz knuckled down digitalization work of Sindhi language, but there was need to improve it. She said that his poetry gave teachings of love, harmony and teamwork, and this message would play a vital role in doing away with hatred and negativity in society.

Sindh Minister for Culture Syed Sardar Ali Shah admitted that the culture department needed to work a lot more to explore and look into different levels of understanding in the poetry of Shah, but it had not yet taken a single step in that respect. He said that after taking up the portfolio of the culture ministry, he asked all officials not to commit any negligence about Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai and Moenjodaro.

“Moenjodaro is our cultural recognition while Shah Saeen is our ideological leader and guide,” he said.

He lamented that the new generation was spending time on social media unfortunately and not eager to study.

He said that Shah Jo Risalo would be translated in Arabic and Persian.

“We will have to apprise the world that this shrine is a spiritual school. The army safeguards geographical limits while Bhitai, Qalan­dar Lal Shahbaz and other saints are guards of our ideological fronts,” Sajjada nashin of the shrine Syed Waqar Hussain Shah Latifi said.

He said that he was a student of “Latif Saeen”.

He said the axe is an instrument of grower while the embodiment of Sindh was peace and love.

He also spoke briefly about Arabic tradition, paying att­en­tion to burqa and abaya.

Sindh Minister for Live­stock Abdul Bari Pitafi said that when he read poetry of Bhitai, he understood Suf­ism and knew that humanity was the biggest religion and that was also the same teaching of Islam. After centuries, people such as Bhitai were born, he said.

Intellectual Madad Ali Sindhi claimed that the first literary conference was held in 1932 in the courtyard of the shrine to examine rese­arch work of Bhitai, organised by veteran Sindh nationalist leader G.M. Syed and Miran Mohammad Shah.

He called for giving the name of Miran Moham­mad Shah to a road from the National Highway to the shrine.

Scholar Nawaz Ali Shoaq asked for publishing poetry of Mian Sufi Shah Inayat because there was no work on his poetic verses.

Other scholars who spoke were Zahida Hina, Dr Sadia Kamal, Amar Fayyaz Bur­iro, Dr Khalilur Rehman Shaikh, and culture secretary Pervez Ahmed Sehar.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2019