Foreword
Sachal, a Sufi mystic poet, was born in 1739 and named Abdul Wahab Farooqi at birth. Orphaned at a young age when his father, Faqir Salahuddin passed away, he was brought up by his uncle, Faqir Khawaja Abdul Haq, who educated him in all worldly matters and was his preceptor and spiritual guide; Sachal considered his uncle his Murshid, or religious teacher, all his life. Sachal, who lived to the ripe age of 90 years and died in 1827, was highly educated and fluent in many languages. He knew Arabic very well and composed poetry in five languages i.e. Sindhi, Saraiki, Persian, Punjabi and Urdu. His 'Diwan' (Diwan Aashkara) of Persian Ghazals was published by the then ruler of Khairpur H. H. Ali Murad Khan Talpur. Known as Sachal "Sarmast'-which may be roughly translated as 'divinely intoxicated' - Sachal is considered only next to Shah Latif in Sindhi literature. Here it would not be out of place to delve a little deeper into the philosophical core of Sachal's poetry. It is acknowledged that humans assumed their present form about 1,00,000 years ago. For more than 90,000 years they have remained as hunters and food gatherers but bewildered by their relationship and status in the natural world. Human beings are in awe of nature but still have the capacity to tame it and harness its energies for their benefit. Humans have also moved across the globe many times over in search of food. All this has induced latent anxiety and a sense of insecurity. They have sought to address that insecurity by invoking nature as an ally, conceiving of the supernatural in the form of God, to whom one can turn in an hour of need, and who would be an enormously powerful force. That is the foundation stone of all religions that have sprung up over time. Broadly speaking, religion has been presented at two different levels the world over. At the ritualistic level, God needs to be propitiated by observing rites and sacrifices. At the other level, there are seekers who probe the supernatural to know the nature of Truth itself. The aspect of ritual observances has been in the realm of the priestly class, which, over time, has organised itself on hierarchal lines. In the Hindu religion, it has been characterised by the Brahminical priestly class and in Islam, it is the Mullah, Maulvi, Qazi and others of the same ilk who have taken it upon themselves to interpret enforce 'true' religion. Ascetics and true seekers follow a different path; the philosophers and seers seek knowledge. It has been observed that in History there have been periods where the political establishment and priestly establishment have formed an exploitative and oppressive alliance that results in the misery of the masses. In such cases, philosophers and other spiritual seekers emerge to challenge such forces. In the case of Hinduism, it was the Bhakti cult that resulted in eliminating the priestly class and establishing a direct relationship between the deity and devotee. In Islam, it was the Sufi saints and Sufi philosophy that rose in revolt against the priestly establishment. There were many instances when Sufi saints were punished with death by the religious establishment. Yet, since it was the voice of the mute multitude, it spread widely in Persia and Western India. In the Indian context, both trends often merged as according to the Upanishads and Advaita Vedanta thought, the seeker ultimately declares Aham Brahmasmi. ('I am that Ultimate') and Sufi saints also declared 'In Al Haq' - 'I Am That Truth." The time when Shah Abdul Latif and Sachal emerged in Sind was one of external invasions, turmoil, and strife leading to untold misery to Hindus as well as Muslims alike. At the same time, the axis of local chieftains and religious establishment wrought unprecedented tyranny and misery for the common people. In such a situation, Mullahs, Maulvis and others connected with the traditional and orthodox religious establishment became hated figures. In this scenario, Sufi saints brought a whiff of freedom and solace and voiced their latent feelings, which struck a responsive chord with the mute multitude.
About The Author
Sachal Sarmast (1739-1827), ('the divinely intoxicated') was a Sufi mystic poet who composed poetry in five languages-Sindhi, Saraiki, Persian, Punjabi and Urdu. Born in 1739, he is considered next only to Shah Latif as part of the Holy Trinity of Sindhi literature, which also includes Sami. In a world that is rent with hatred, strife and extremist polarity even as it has entered a space age that does not recognise boundaries, the Sufi ethos and value structure continue to be relevant. More than three centuries ago Sachal had declared: "I feel Ram and Rahim as one. Enjoy the happiness of Love/ Distinctions between/ Believers and non-believers are futile Reject the sense of otherness. These translations of Sachal's dohiras from the original Sindhi, which speak of true Sufi thoughts, are an important reminder of the need for mankind to live in harmony and unity in a deeply divided world.
Mohan Gehani is a noted Sindhi scholar, playwright, translator and poet. Born in Karachi (Sind) in 1938, he belongs to a select community of writers who have lived through the Partition of India. Mohan Gehani is the author of more than 35 books and has contributed to Sahitya Akademi's Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature. He was actively involved in the successful campaign to introduce Sindhi in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. His numerous awards include the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2011 and the World Sindhi Council's Saeen G M Sayed Memorial Award in London. He was a member of the Sindhi advisory board for Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, from 2007-2012.
Menka Shivdasani, an award-winning poet, editor and translator, is the author of five poetry collections, most recently The Seven Queens: Sindhi Folktales Retold in English Verse. She is co-translator, Freedom and Fissures, an anthology of Sindhi Partition poetry (Sahitya Akademi, 1998), and editor of a SPARROW anthology of women's writing (2014). She has also edited The Big Bridge Book of Contemporary Indian Poetry (2024), originally published as two online anthologies in the United States. Menka co-founded Poetry Circle in Bombay in 1986 and has organised poetry festivals for the global movement 100 Thousand Poets for Change since 2011. She is Co-Chair, Asia Pacific Writers and Translators (APWT).
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