Syed Abdullah Shah Qadri, better known as Bulleh Shah has often been regarded as the Father of Punjabi Enlightenment. A revolutionary, he wielded the power of his pen at a time when South Asia was deeply entrenched in the marrows of divisive religions, dictated by rituals and superstitions.

Born to Muslim parents, Bulleh Shah was often derided as a kafir, a blasphemous individual by his own community due to his controversial and individualistic views. He wrote in many languages including Punjabi and Persian.
Bulleh Shah’s poetry became popular in his times due to its simple language and straightforward manner. The simplicity of his words is perhaps why his words have the power to touch everyone alike.

Choosing Bulleh Shah’s poetry for the art of translation is at once a welcoming and an intimidating embrace. Welcoming, because I have grown up listening to his poetry, his words in the forms of songs, poems, Sufi music, and other pop culture references. Intimidating, because the more I read him, the more I found the task of translating him inexplicably daunting.
After considering two of his works for translation, ਬੁੱਲ੍ਹਾ ਕੀ ਜਾਣਾ ਮੈਂ ਕੌਣ and ਬੁੱਲ੍ਹੇ ਨੂੰ ਸਮਝਾਵਣ ਆਈਆਂ, ਭੈਣਾਂ ਤੇ ਭਰਜਾਈਆਂ; the latter being a kaafiya of just nine lines, I picked the former.

The first few sittings had me at ease because I could find words in the target language (English) rather quickly. But as I progressed, I found that my translated version was doing a great disservice to the original. The next few sittings had me lost in a sea of multitude failing to find just the right words and the right tone. I felt I was fumbling and failing to truly encapsulate the essence of Bulleh Shah’s poetry.
Perhaps, this is why translation is at once a rewarding and a timorous task.
I read and reread his words, felt the pith of his ideas, his revolutionary and independent stance, his conscious separation of his sense of self from the social constructs of religion, race, caste and country.

Before I knew, I was on the last lines, separating myself from the ultimate construct of human society, my linguistic self, my own name as I entered the free realm of Bulleh Shah - ਅੱਵਲ ਆਖਰ ਆਪ ਨੂੰ ਜਾਣਾਂ.

To translate a book is to enter into a relationship with it, to approach and accompany it, to know it intimately, word by word, and to enjoy the comfort of its company in return.

– Jhumpa Lahiri, Translating Myself and Others

Bullah Who Knows Who I Am

Lahori: a native of Lahore, the capital of Punjab in Pakistan.

Nagori: today, the Nagori are a Muslim community found in the state of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India. They are also known as the Nagori Lohar. Going back to Bulleh Shah’s time (17th century) he could have been referring to an amalgamated province, where borders between states didn’t exist.

Peshawari: a native or inhabitant of Peshawar, Pakistan.

Nadaun: a historical town and a nagar panchayat in the Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh, India.

Note: The above places are modern interpretations of places that could vary a little taking into account that Bulleh Shah was writing centuries before India was divided into three countries—India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.