2. Poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai
Shah Abdul Latif of Bhit was the poet of all classes of people. He denouncedextravagance, injustice and exploitation of all forms and at all levels, and praisedsimplicity and hospitality.
It is said that he never wrote his poems but they would come out automaticallythrough his ascetic and saintly intuition, which were collected and recorded by hisdesciples. No verses of any poet in the world are so much remembered and recited bypeople of all walks of life as those of Shah Latif.Shah Jo Risalo: The Message of Love
The recorded comprehensive collection of verses known as “Ganj” is preserved atthe mausoleum of the poet at Bhitshah, near Hala, Sindh. The full volume of the poetry ofShah Bhittai has been compiled in a book form called “Shah Jo Risalo”, which means"Message of Shah".
Shah Bhittai’s poetry is originally meant to be sung. hence “Shah Jo Risalo” iscomprised of 30 Surs i.e. musical tones consisting of 195 chapters with total 3038verses. In Shah’s poetry every chapter is composed on a mode of singing called“Sur”.The Surs are named, accordingly, to their metres and music and also according tothe subject matter. Methodically, a sur is sung according to the theory and practice ofClassical music, sung at different times of the day and night and on different occasions.The underlying theme of all surs, however, is to find out ways to cultivate those godlyattributes in one self, which will assist a person in his or her endeavours towards a higherevolution. Hence, Bhittai's poetry reflects the process by which man's inner life isdeveloped.
The perusal of his poetry takes one to a wonderful journey, where the parables,the incidents, the legends, the episodes, are not related as mere stories. It is only theirsignificance that is expressed in the poems, which deal with the higher evolution ofhuman soul. These folk stories and episodes quoted by him are but the pegs on whichBhittai hangs his Divine themes.