PESHAWAR: Sher Ali Khan, an artist and staunch devotee of Rahman Baba, regularly paints the walls of his shrine every year on the occasion of the Sufi poet’s Urs celebrations.

“I come here every year for decorating walls of the Baba’s shrine with his memorable couplets on the event of three-day Urs. I get a spiritual joy while getting myself engaged in service around Rahman Baba’s shrine,” he told this scribe.

Mr Khan is also a master rabab player and has memorised a large portion of Rahman Baba’s poetry. He participates in Sufi musical concert held every Friday night where he sings out Baba’s poems with the tunes of his rabab.

He said he had learnt rabab playing by participating regularly in the Qawali at the Baba’s shrine. “I only sing Baba’s kalam (poetry) with the tunes of rabab and Mungay (pitcher). I have memorised half of Baba’ diwan,” he said.

According to Rahman Baba Adabi Jirga, the three-day Urs of the Sufi poet will begin in the first week of April. The devotees will lay floral wreath on the grave of the 17th century Sufi poet Rahman Baba located in Hazarkhwani outskirts of Peshawar city. Writers from Afghanistan, tribal areas, Balochistan and various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would attend the event.

Writers from Afghanistan, tribal areas, Balochistan and various parts of KP will participate in the three-day event

Pashto poetry sessions and a daylong seminar will be held at Iranian Culture Centre in Peshawar Saddar on April 4 and 5. Prominent scholars are expected to read out their papers on various aspects of the Sufi poet.

Gauhar Khan, another disciple, said that about 3,000 visitors showed up on the event of Baba’s Urs to pay respects to their revered Sufi poet. “We conduct Qawali every Friday night at the Baba’s shrine where about 800 people come and listen to Sufi poetry,” he said.

The couplet for this year “Buth Ka Jor Shi Da Sru Zaru Na Insaan Sha” (A statue made of gold could not be billed as a human being) has been selected for young poets to practice their creative talent.

Malik Nuashad Khan, general secretary of Rahman Baba Adabi Jirga, said that young poets would use their creative talent to compose verses in the footprints of Baba. However, he said, no one could do it but it was a good experience and a source of inspiration for them.

He said that around 400 volunteers offered their services for the Urs.

“Many have their regular jobs in the city but still they take out time to come here and get engaged in doing different activities to prepare for the three-day Urs,” he said

Nasibullah, a 60-year-old resident of Bannu, cooks lungar (free meal) at the Baba’s shrine.

“Earlier, there used to be drug peddlers and hashish smokers around the shrine but since militants bombed it in March, 2009, they were driven out. Only genuine volunteers serve here,” he said.

Fazal Amin with his seven-member library staff at Rahman Baba’s complex said that more books would be added to the library.

“New books on variety of topics other than Rahman Baba would be added to the shelves,” he added.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2015

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