Mela Charaghaan: Madhu Shah Lal’s Urs

Pakistani devotees celebrate the annual festival of the Muslim saint Madhu Lal Hussain in Lahore on March 29, 2009. The 421th annual festival celebrations of Hazrat Madhu Lal Hussain popularly known as 'Mela Charagan' began at his shrine for a three-day period.

Devotees flock to ‘Mela Charaghan’ on day two

LAHORE: Thousands of devotees across the province on Sunday attended the second day celebrations of ‘Mela Charaghan’ at the shrine of Madhu Lal Hussain. The number of people present was more than the first day, while a number of foreigners were also present to attend the urs celebrations. Peoples lit lamps and danced to the drumbeats, while devotees distributed sweets and langar (dole-out) among the participants. People sang ‘kaafis’ by Shah Hussain and recited his poetic verses at arranged gatherings. On the other hand, security was tightened as compared to the first day of the urs. All entry points were closed and policemen thoroughly searched the participants. Due to the Sunday rush, a lot of families were seen at the celebrations, buying sweets and clothes at different stalls. Traffic was disturbed on the roads leading to the shrine, which troubled the citizens. On the other hand, administration of the urs declared the last day of the urs (today), exclusively for women as it has been in the past. Daily Times staff report: Monday, March 30, 2009.

Devotees gather at the shrine of Madhu Lal Hussain at the start of an annual festival. —AFP

A Faqeer at the shrine of Muslim saint Madhu Shah Lal Hussain in Lahore. —Reuters

Devotees pray at the shrine of Muslim saint Madhu Shah Lal Hussain in Lahore.  —Reuters



A 'malang' dance at the shrine of Muslim saint Madhu Shah Lal Hussain. —Reuters



Dhamaal. —Reuters

A devotee blows fire at the shrine. —AFP

The annual Urs of Madhoo Lal Hussain

Mela Charaghan (Festival of Lights) in Lahore: Life and Poetry of Madhu Lal Hussain

Madhu Lal Hussain said,

"Be never engaged at all
in arguments so long
but ponder over your end
so says Hussain Faqir."

Mela Chiraghan or Mela Shalamar ("Festival of Lights") is a three day annual festival to mark the urs (death anniversary) of the Punjabi Sufi poet and saint Shah Hussain. It takes place at the shrine of Shah Hussain in Baghbanpura, on the outskirts of Lahore, Pakistan, adjacent to the Shalimar Gardens. The festival used to take place in the Shalimar Gardens also, until President Ayub Khan ordered against it in 1958. The festival used to be the largest festival in the Punjab, but now comes second to Basant.

Poetry / Kafis of Shah Hussain
Hussain’s poetry consists entirely of short poems known as "Kafis", usually 4 to ten lines, designed for musical compositions, to be interpreted by the singing voices. The rhythm and the refrain are so balanced as to bring about a varying, evolving musical pattern... folk songs that draw on the emotional experience of the community.... record the reactions to the cycle of birth and the play of desire against the rhythms of hope , despair, exultation and nostalgia.

Today most of these Kafis are sung, by well know singers and some have even been used as songs in the Indian Film Industry.

All translations are from Najam Hosain’s book quoted below.

Life’s Journey - limits & boundaries

Main wi janan dhok Ranjhan di, naal mare koi challey
Pairan paindi, mintan kardi, jaanan tan peya ukkaley
Neen wi dhoonghi, tilla purana, sheehan ney pattan malley
Ranjhan yaar tabeeb sadhendha, main tan dard awalley
Kahe Husain faqeer namana, sain senhurray ghalley

Travelers, I too have to go; I have to go to the solitary hut of Ranjha. Is there any one who will go with me? I have begged many to accompany me and now I set out alone. Travelers, is there no one who could go with me?

The River is deep and the shaky bridge creaks as people step on it. And the ferry is a known haunt of tigers. Will no one go with me to the lonely hut of Ranjha?

During long nights I have been tortured by my raw wounds. I have heard he in his lonely hut knows the sure remedy. Will no one come with me, travelers?

On separation

Sujjen bin raatan hoiyan wadyan
Ranjha jogi, main jogiani, kamli kar kar sadian
Maas jhurey jhur pinjer hoyya, karkan lagiyan hadiyan
Main ayani niyoonh ki janan, birhoon tannawan gadiyan
Kahe Husain faqeer sain da, larr tairay main lagiyaan

Nights swell and merge into each other as I stand a wait for him.
Since the day Ranjha became jogi, I have scarcely been my old self and people every where call me crazy. My young flesh crept into creases leaving my young bones a creaking skeleton. I was too young to know the ways of love; and now as the nights swell and merge into each other, I play host to that unkind guest - separation.

Female freedom

Ni Mai menoon Kherian di gal naa aakh
Ranjhan mera, main Ranjhan di, Kherian noon koori jhak
Lok janey Heer kamli hoi, Heeray da wer chak

Do not talk of the Kheras* to me,

Oh mother do not .
I belong to Ranjha and he belongs to me.
And the Kheras dream idle dreams.
Let the people say, "Heer is crazy; she has given her-self to the cowherd." He alone knows what it all means.
O mother, he alone knows.
Please mother, do not talk to me of Kheras.

*The Kheras were a wealthy family.

Mai ni main kinon akhan
Dard vichoray da haal ni
Dhuan dhukhay mere murshad wala
Jaan pholan taan laal ni
Jungle belle phiran dhondendi
Ajay na payo lal ni
Dukhan di roti, solan da salan
Aahen da balan baal ni
Kahay hussain faqeer nimana
Shoh milay tan thewan nihal ni
Mai ni main kinon akhan
Dard vichoray da haal ni

 Mela Chiraghan
March 30, 2008 

Daily Times reporting: Three-day annual Urs celebrations of one of the greatest Punjabi Sufi poets and dancing fakir of Lahore Hazrat Shah Hussain began at his shrine in Baghbanpura near the Shalimar Gardens on Saturday.
The celebrations are popularly known as Mela Chiraghan or the Festival of Lights.
Saturday was a local holiday. Thousands of devotees from the nook and corner of the country and abroad thronged the shrine of Shah Hussain on the first day of the celebrations.
The illustrious son of Lahore, Shah Hussain, was born in 1538 to a convert weavers’ family. He is known for his love for a Brahmin boy, Madho or Madho Lal, and they are often referred to as a single person with a composite name of Madho Lal Hussain. Madho’s grave lies next to the Shah Hussain’s in the shrine. Shah Hussain is the pioneer of Kafi form of Punjabi poetry.
During the three-day Urs celebrations, the whole of Baghbanpura and localities close to it buzz with different colourful activities and an atmosphere of ecstacy and joy prevails. Dhammal to beats of Dhol becomes a common sight. Devotees light candles for fulfillment of their prayers and wishes. They also distribute charity food and set up milk and sharbat sabeel. They also lay floral wreaths and chaddar at the graves of Shah Hussain and Madho Lal Hussain.
Women also perform dhammal as a ritual. One of the three-days is made exclusive for women who come in large numbers to the shrine.
A large number of foreigners also visit the shrine. Folk singers hailing from different parts of the country spend days and nights at the shrine and sing Kafis of Shah Hussain. In one of his Kafis Shah Hussain he says “I dance because the doubt has vanished; I’m full of faults and without any quality.”

Prominent among those who visited the shrine on Saturday included US Consulate Principal Officer Bryan D Hunt who visited the shrine to pay homage to Shah Hussain and laid floral wreath and chaddar at his grave. On the occasion, he said that the saints and sufis always taught and promoted peace, love,religious tolerance and brotherhood in the world. He said that teachings of Hazrat Madhu Lah should be promoted and practiced to bring peace and tolerance to society. Punjab Auqaf Secretary Raees Abbas Zaidi and Religious Affair Director-General Dr Tahir Raza formally inaugurated the three-day Urs by laying floral wreaths at the graves od Shah Hussian and Madho Lal Hussain shrine. The Aauqaf Deparment also organised a Mehfil-e-Samma and musical gathering

Lahore set for Mela Chrighan
By Mian Muhammad Nadeem

Mela Chiraghan (the festival of lightts), the annual Urs (death anniversary of a Sufi saint deemed as a union with the Almighty) celebrations of Hazrat Shah Hussain, popularly known as Madhu Lal Hussain, started at his shrine in Baghbanpura on Saturday. Director General Religious Affairs Hassan Rizvi inaugurated Urs celebrations by laying a traditional 'Chadar' (sacred sheet of green) cloth on the grave of the sufi saint. 

Administrator Shamsul Haq, former MNA Roheel Asghar and a large number of devotees were also present on the occasion. 

Prayers were offered for the development, progress and stability of the country. 

The Auqaf department has allocated over Rs 458,000 for 'langar' (free 

meal) for devotees during the Urs. 

A Mehfil-e-Samaa and Mehfil-e-Naat will be held in which noted Qawwals and Naat Khawans will perform. Religious and spiritual meetings will also be held and Ulema will throw light on the teachings of Hazrat Madhu Lal Hussain. 

The city district government has made tight security arrangements. 

Lahore, also a city of festival and gardens, will be a centre of activities for three days as people from different faiths and religions will gather at the shrine of Shah Husain in Baghbanpura to celebrate his 414th urs (death anniversary). 

Every year, the city hosts this magnificent festival. It is a unique festival because of the procession of lights, a time aged tradition attached with this spiritual carnival. 

On the first day of Mela Chiraghan, every year the devotees of Shah Husain organise a procession after dusk. This occasion is marked by a lot of revelry and merriment. They sing to the beat of drums and dance on different instruments such as harmonium, ik tara and dhol. They take out a procession in the evening carrying lights and reach the shrine while dancing in frenzy to the beat of drums. 

A seminar on Shah Husain by the Pakistan Punjabi Adabi Board in collaboration with the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture (PILAC) is also being organised at the PILAC office.Scores of people from every corner of Pakistan and every religion come to attend the festival.One can find ethnic foods in the bazaar and roads around the shrine from gol gappas to katlamas and from sweetmeats to fruit chat and specially prepared halwas. With food a distinctive part of the festival, the local handicraft on display are also of great attraction for visitors. The festivities and handicraft reflect the folklore and traditional rituals of Punjabi mystics and culture. 

Whirling dervishes dance to the tunes of drums leaving people in a realm of frenzy. Pilgrims sit by a bonfire where by doing so they believe their prayers will be answered and others come and toss candles into the bonfire hoping that their wishes will be granted. People dance and celebrate throughout the night. 

Shah Hussain (1538–1599) who ranks with Baba Farid and Bulleh Shah as a Sufi poet has image of the hippy of today. Well-read, highly creative, spiritually evolved and yet indulging in activities that besmeared his image in society. He took to Malamatiya practices and shaved his head, mustaches and beard. He used to take bhang and roam in the bazars of Lahore. He transformed the entire spirit of Punjabi Sufi poetry—from mere philosophical sufism to encompass the whole gamut of a person’s feelings. 

The city district government had made extra measures to maintain security. Majority of joyous devotees, singing and dancing on cultural tunes performed before the visitors comprising people of all ages. All sorts of ethnic foods are served from gol gappas, sweetmeats, qatlamas, and fruit chaats. A good number of devotees traditionally smoke bhang-laced drinks and Charas cigarettes that created an air filled with heavy smoke. The festivities and handcrafts reflect the folklore and traditional rituals of Punjabi mystics and culture. Whirling dervishes dance to the tunes of drums and recite Kafis written by Shah Hussain. The last day of the three-day festivities, would be reserved only for women and children. 

It is the biggest festival of Punjab as Shah Hussain was the pioneer of the Kafi form of Punjabi poetry.Shah Hussain’s shrine is situated in Baghbanpura near the Shalamar Gardens. People from all over Punjab come to see this festival.Shah Hussain’s affection to a Brahmin boy called “Madho” or “Madho Laal” is well known. Madho’s tomb lies next to Shah Hussain’s in the shrine. It is said that one day Madho said to Shah Hussain that I am Hindu and you are Muslim, you would be a distinguished person in future but no one would remember me. It is said that at that time, Shah Hussain changed his name to Madho Laal Hussain and said that people would call your name before my name. One ritual associated with the festival is a visit to the mausoleum of ‘Sa’een’ (Saint) Madho Laal to pay respect. The mausoleum is only 10 minutes walk from Shalamar and is inside Baghbanpura Bazaar. It is believed that whatever you pray for at his grave is always answered. Most devotees show their affection for the saint by dancing (dhamaal) to the beat of drums. Shah Hussain has his own school of thought. Shah Hussain was the symbol of revolution that promoted love among people and highlighted the features of human respect. During the festival, devotees light thousands of earthen lamps to honor the saint at his shrine.

The roads approaching to the tomb are dotted with stalls to entertain pilgrims while food stalls will also be erected. For the past many years, a large segment of the festival’s crowd comprises young people as most of them can enjoy smoking hashish-laced cigarettes without any fear of being caught. At the tomb, pilgrims also toss candles into a large bonfire (mach) as legend has it that the Almighty would grant anyone doing this a wish while some believe that their prayers would be granted if they sit close to the fire. The final day of the Urs is reserved for women. Every year nearly 7,000 female devotees visit the shrine. The event will begin with the celebrations of Shah Hussain’s birth and most devotees will show their affection for the saint by dancing to the beat of drums. The festivities include burning of hashish, singing of the saint’s Kafis, Qawwalis and the setting up of traditional food stalls. Another attraction at the Urs is the dancing transvestites and eunuchs.

The festival used to take place in the Shalimar Gardens also, until President Ayub Khan ordered against it in 1958.The festival used to be the largest festival in the Lahore.The Punjab Auqaf Department organised a Mehfil-e-Samaa to discuss the legacy of the saint.The roads approaching the tomb are dotted with stalls, some which have set up television sets showing dances performed at stage shows to entertain pilgrims. All sort of food items are on sale: gol gappas, fruit chaats, qatlamas, sweetmeats and even bhang-laced pappars. During the festival, devotees light thousands of earthen lamps to honour the saint at his shrine, which is situated near the Shalimar Gardens. Each year, the saint’s followers, especially transvestites and eunuchs, spurred on by hashish and qawwalis, dance the night away.A large segment of the festival crowd comprises young people. Most of them seem to be smoking hash-laced cigarettes. Pilgrims toss candles into a large bonfire (mach) as legend has it that anyone doing this would be granted their wish by God. Some believe that their prayers would be granted if they sit close to the fire.Shah Hussain (1538-1599) lived during the era of Mughal emperors Akbar and Jahangir. It is said he adopted the name of his Hindu disciple Madhu Lal to immortalise their friendship.Traditionally, Shah Hussain’s urs was held in Shalimar Bagh and marked the start of a four-day festival. On the second day, Baisakhi was held to celebrate the star of wheat crop harvest. The third and final day was reserved for women. Horse raisers used to bring their horses for sale to the festival.
During the British rule, the Raj turned the selling of horses into a separate event that became the Horse and Cattle Show. In 1958, President Ayub Khan banned the celebration of the mela in Shalimar Bagh. Over time, the festival shortened to three-days and began to comprise only the urs.

Kafiyan ?Shah Hussain
In the new Lahore lies buried Shah Husain and with him lies buried the myth of Lal Husain. Still, at least once a year we can hear the defused echoes of the myth. As the lights glimmer on the walls of Shalamar, the unsophisticated rhythms of swinging bodies and exulting voices curiously insist on being associated with Husain. This instance apparently defies explanation. But one is aware that an undertone of mockery pervades the air - released feet mocking the ancient sods of Shalamar and released voices mocking its ancient walls. Husain too, the myth tells us, danced a dance of mockery in the ancient streets of Lahore. Grandson of a convert weaver, he embarrassed every one by aspiring to the privilege of learning what he revered guardians of traditional knowledge claimed to teach.
Then again, fairly late in life, he embarrassed every one by refusing to believe in the knowledge he had received from others, and decided to know for himself. He plucked the forbidden fruit anew.
The myth of Lal Husain has lived a defused, half-conscious life in the annual Fare of Lights. The poetry of shah Husain which was born out of common songs of the people of the Punjab has kept itself alive by becoming a part of those very songs. In recent past, the myth of Madhu Lal Husain and the poetry of Husain have come to be connected. But the time for the myth to become really alive in our community is still to come.
Husain's poetry consists entirely of short poems known as "Kafis." A typical Husain Kafi contains a refrain and some rhymed lines. The number of rhymed lines is usually from four to ten. Only occasionally a more complete form is adopted. To the eye of a reader, the structure of a "Kafi" appears simple. But the "Kafis" of Husain are not intended for the eye. They are designed as musical compositions to be interpreted by the singing voice. The rhythm in the refrain and in the lines are so balanced and counterpointed as to bring about a varying, evolving musical pattern.
It may be asserted that poetry is often written to be sung. And all poetry carries, through manipulation of sound effects, some suggestion of music. Where then lies the point in noticing the music in the "Kafis" of Shah Husain? Precisely in this: Husain s music is deliberate - not in the sense that it is induced by verbal trickery but in the sense that it is the central factor in the poet's meaning.
The music that we have here is not the vague suggestion of melodiousness one commonly associates with the adjective "lyrical : it is the symbolic utterance of a living social tradition. The "Kafis" draw for their musical pattern on the Punjabi folk songs. The Punjabi folk songs embody and recall the emotional experience of the community. They record the reactions to the cycle of birth, blossoming, decay and death. They observe the play of human desire against the backdrop of this cycle, symbolizing through their rhythms the rhythms of despair and exultation, nostalgia and hope, questioning and faith. These songs comprehend the three dimensions of time - looking back into past and ahead into future and relating the present to both. Also, these songs record the individual s awareness of the various social institutions and affiliations and clinging to them at the same time - asserting his own separate identity and also seeking harmony with what is socially established.
Through this deliberate rhythmic design, Shah Husain evokes the symbolic music of the Punjabi folk songs. His "Kafis" live within this symbolic background and use it for evolving their own meaning.
By calling into life the voice of the folk-singer, Husain involves his listeners into the age-old tension which individual emotions have borne it its conflicts with the unchanging realities of Time and Society. But then, suddenly one is aware of a change. One hears another different voice also. It is the voice of Husain himself, apparently humanized with the voice of the folk-singer, and yet transcending it. The voice of the folk-singer has for ages protested against the bondage of the actual, but its fleeting sallies into the freedom of the possible have always been a torturing illusion. The voice of the folk-singer is dragged back to its bondage almost willingly, because it is aware of the illusory nature of its freedom and is reluctant run after a shade, fearing the complete loss of its identity. The voice of Shah Husain is transcending folk-singer s voice brings into being the dimension of freedom - rendering actual what had for long remained only possible:
Ni Mai menoon Kherian di gal naa aakh Ranjhan mera, main Ranjhan di, Kherian noon koori jhak Lok janey Heer kamli hoi, Heeray da wer chak
Do not talk of the Kheras to me, O mother, do not. I belong to Ranjha and he belongs to me. And the Kheras dream idle dreams. Let the people say, "Heer is crazy; she has given her-self to the cowherd." He alone knows what it all means. O mother, he alone knows. Please mother, do not talk to me of Kheras.
At first, the little "Kafi" deftly suggests the underlying folk-song patter. The usual figures in the marriage song - the girls, the mother, the perspective husband and the perspective in-laws are all there. And the refrain calls the plaintive marriage-song address of the girl to her mother on the eve of her departure from the parents house.
Curtsey:weekly pulse,.org, April 05, 2013

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Echoes of Sufi Chants - Kafi Shah Hussain - Kujh Samjh Nadana - Ustad Nazir Butt part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ91_nS7jRY