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'Ranjha'is a ‘kafi’ written around the folk legends Heer and Ranjha, the doomed lovers who are betrayed and perish.
Bulleh Shah uses the story of Heer and Ranjha as a means to allude to the devotee’s longing for God’s love and charity.

The lyrics paint a picture of Heer pining for Ranjha and thinking so much of him that she feels that they are one person. In the last verse, Bulleh Shah advises Heer to not be concerned with worldly pursuits since they only lead to pain and Heer, whose family will not let her meet her lover, still implores him to take her to her Ranjha.

Bulleh Shah is believed to have been born in 1680, in the small village of Uch, Bahawalpur, Punjab, now in Pakistan [2]. His ancestors had migrated from Bukhara in modern Uzbekistan .

At the age of six months, his parents relocated to Malakwal. There his father, Shah Muhammad Darwaish, was a preacher in the village mosque and a teacher. His father later got a job in Pandoke, about 50 miles southeast of Kasur. Bulleh Shah received his early schooling in Pandoke, and moved to Kasur for higher education, to become a student of the prominent professor, Ghulam Murtaza. He also received education from Maulana Mohiyuddin. His spiritual teacher was the eminent Sufi saint, Shah Inayat Qadri [3].

Bulleh Shah was a direct descendant of Muhammad, through the progeny of Shaikh Abdul Qadir Gillani of Baghdad.

A large amount of what is known about Bulleh Shah comes through legends, and is subjective; to the point that there isn’t even agreement among historians concerning his precise date and place of birth. Some “facts” about his life have been pieced together from his own writings. Other “facts” seem to have been passed down through oral traditions.

Bulleh Shah practiced the Sufi tradition of Punjabi poetry established by poets like Shah Hussain (1538 – 1599), Sultan Bahu (1629 – 1691), and Shah Sharaf (1640 – 1724).

Bulleh Shah lived in the same period as the famous Sindhi Sufi poet, Shah Abdul Latif Bhatai (1689 – 1752). His lifespan also overlapped with the legendary Punjabi poet Waris Shah (1722 – 1798), of Heer Ranjha fame, and the famous Sindhi Sufi poet Abdul Wahad (1739 – 1829), better known by his pen-name, Sachal Sarmast (“truth seeking leader of the intoxicated ones”). Amongst Urdu poets, Bulleh Shah lived 400 miles away from Mir Taqi Mir (1723 – 1810) of Agra.

He died in 1758, and his tomb is located in Kasur, Pakistan

lyrics

Day & night pining for Ranjha (my beloved)
I myself have become Ranjha
You should call me Dhido* Ranjha
No more should I be called Heer.
I am Ranjha and Ranjha's me
No difference remains
I have ceased to exist
He lives in me. He believes in me
O maiden, throw away the white apparel
And put on the Sufi's garb
A blemish is so evident on white but
Never on black
O Bulleh! Take me to Takht Hazara**
For me here there is neither hope, comfort
Or support.
*Dhido was Ranja's real name. Ranjha was the caste, but that's the name that endured
** Takht Hazara was Ranjha's home

credits

from Saptak 2020, released June 27, 2020

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Mekaal Hasan Band Lahore, Pakistan

The only Indo-Pak band of it's kind featuring the best contemporary musicians from both India and Pakistan!

Mekaal Hasan Band (MHB) was formed in 2000 by guitarist/composer Mekaal Hasan.The music that MHB plays is a progressive mix between the traditional melodic sensibility of the East and the harmonic sophistication of the West. ... more

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