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Waris Shah

by Mekaal Hasan Band

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about

Performed live by the Canadian edition of the band, this song was Mekaal Hasan Band's tribute to India's Amrita Pretum. 'Waris Shah', was written by her on the eve of the partition of the Punjab in 1947.
Amrita Pritam (1919-2005) was an Indian writer and poet, considered the first prominent Punjabi woman, poet, novelist, essayist, and the leading 20th- century poet of the Punjabi language with over 100 books to her name.
Her poignant poem, Aj Aakhaan Waris Shah Nu (Today I invoke Waris Shah)- is an elegy addressed to the 18th- century Punjabi poet, capturing her anguish over massacres during the Partition of India (1947).
Waris Shah (1722-1798) was a Punjabi Sufi poet, born in Jandiallah Sher Khan, in what is now the Punjab in Pakistan.
He is best- known for his work Heer Ranjha, based on the traditional and tragic folk tale of Heer and her lover Ranjha, considered one of the quintessential works of classical Punjabi literature.
Waris Shah, the sufi sage, was a consummate artiste, deeply learned in Sufi knowledge and local cultural lore. His verse is considered a treasure- trove of Punjabi phrases, idioms and imagery.

lyrics

I implore Waris Shah, to speak from his
grave and add a new page to his book of love
Arise, O friend of the afflicted; arise and
see the state of Punjab,
Corpses strewn on fields and the Chenab
flowing with blood
I implore Waris Shah, to speak from his grave
and add a new page to his book of love
The flute that was turned to love is lost
and all have forgotten the ways of love
and humanity
I implore Waris Shah, to speak from his grave
and add a new page to his book of love
Blood has rained on the soil; the graves ooze
with blood, he princesses’ of love now weep
in graveyards.
Today all have become Quaidos*
thieves of love and beauty
Where can we find another one like Waris Shah
to write about this calamity?
Waris Shah! I implore you. Speak from your
grave and add a new page to your book of love

[*Quaido, a maternal uncle of Heer in “Heer Ranjha” the love epic written by Waris Shah, is the villain who betrays the lovers]

credits

released January 22, 2023
Acoustic Guitar : Mekaal Hasan
Electric Guitar : Anoop Isac
Flute/Violin: Sruthi Balamurali
Keyboards: Ashwin Krishnan
Vocals: Jazz Rathore
Bass: Devon Goping
Drums: Jinu Isac

Released on 22nd January, 2023.
Band recorded at Lynx Studios, Toronto by Jason Cabanaw
Mixed and mastered by Anoop Kammaran

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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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