जंग के बीच ‘दमादम मस्त कलंदर’… PAK-अफगान जंग के बीच क्यों जिंदा हो उठा 800 साल पुराना तराना – afghanistan pakistan conflict sufi tarana damadam mast qalandar cultural significance ntcpvp
War sirens are ringing. Ammunition is being fired and even missiles are being prepared. On the other hand, the sky has turned red-yellow, there is hue and cry among the people below. Tell me, does it make any sense that in such an environment, a Sufi tune ‘Damadam Mast Qalandar’ should resonate in the atmosphere. But the same thing happened on this day of Jumma. War has started between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Afghanistan has Pakistan But in retaliatory action early on Friday, 55 soldiers were killed. Along with this, two bases and 19 check posts were captured. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja M. Asif said that Pakistan’s patience has run out. Now there is open war between you (Afghanistan) and us. Now this will be Dama Dum Mast Kalandar.
Voice rising from the 13th century: The legacy of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
It was only here that the attention shifted from the war and stuck on a Sufi tune from the 13th century. Tarana Hi Damadam Mast Kalandar, which is believed to have been written by Amir Khusro about 800 years ago. At that time, there used to be a famous Sufi saint of Sindh (now in Pakistan), Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (1177-1274). This Qawwali song is dedicated to him only. Later, in the beginning of the 18th century, Bulleh Shah embellished it in a new way and then sang it so much that it became famous.
According to Pakistani newspaper Dawn, ‘Damadam Mast Qalandar’ is not just a Sufi kalam, but also a voice of protest against the power and its outdated, entrenched system. It is said that when some people of Sufi tradition started getting a place in the royal courts and Sufis started being given state honors and titles, then the tradition of Qalandar maintained distance from the court culture. This is the reason why even after centuries, the name of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar remains a symbol of spiritual freedom as well as protest and rebellion.
From Sufi Kalam to Politics
According to reports, in 1973, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto used the term ‘Damadam Mast Qalandar’ in the context of predicting political turmoil in the near future. Later Pir Pagaro also used it as a political message. It is also said that just before the court’s decision, Bhutto had said ‘Qalandar, Pat Rakh Jaan’ (O Qalandar, save my honour). However, this is just a claim and could never be confirmed. Because some believers say that Bhutto did not use Sindhi accents so easily in his speech.
Historians also clarify that Saint Jhulelal and Lal Shahbaz Qalandar are associated with different saint traditions, although in the public mind, the images of both often get mixed with each other.
‘Damadam Mast Qalandar’ is considered to be a kalam composed in honor of the 13th century Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. His Dargah is in Sehwan city of Sindh province of Pakistan. On February 16, 2017, the terrorist organization Islamic State attacked this Dargah, in which at least 88 people died. Within just 12 hours of the attack, dozens of devotees broke the police barricades and entered the Dargah and performed the traditional Sufi dance ‘Dhamal’. Dr. Syed Mehdi Raza Shah, the servant of the Dargah, called it an open rebellion against terrorism and
Told as a challenge.
Dhamaal, Dargah and shared faith
Sehwan is about six hours away from Karachi. Most of the devotees from Pakistan come here. Here Hindus and Muslims rise above their religious identities and have fun together. Although some in Pakistan do not consider dhamaal as part of the Islamic tradition, other scholars cite the tradition of Sufi saints like Rumi of Turkey, Amir Khusro of India, Bulleh Shah and Nizamuddin Auliya, where music and spiritual dance have been a means of spiritual practice. Data Darbar of Lahore, where the tomb of Ali Hajwiri (Dataganj Bakhsh) is located, has neither the tradition of dhamaal nor of qawwali.
Differences regarding the composition of ‘Damadam Mast Qalandar’
According to Sindhi poet Nand Zaveri, there are many misconceptions about this song. He says that this Kalam is not only for Ali Shahbaz Qalandar but also for Saint Jhulelal. In the lines of the song ‘Lal Meri Pat Rakhiyo Bhala Jhulelalan, Sindri Da, Sehwan Da Ali Shahbaz Qalandar’, people directly connect the words ‘Lal’ and ‘Shahbaz Qalandar’ with Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. In this way, Jhulelal and Ali Shahbaz Qalandar come together in the same line of Qawwali. ‘Qalandar’ is actually considered to be the highest spiritual title, which is very important. Less given to Sufi saints.
‘Damadam Mast Qalandar’ is called the ‘Sufi Standard’ of the subcontinent. Hundreds of artists in India and Pakistan have sung it in qawwali, folk song and film style. The popularity of this Kalam was not limited only to the Sindhi community. Jhulelal, who is considered a river god, is worshiped in both Hindu and Muslim communities. It is this shared faith that turns “Damadam Mast Qalandar” into a cultural bridge that transcends religious boundaries and keeps the spirit of spiritual unity and rebellion alive.
When Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Asif mentioned it in his statement, this 13th century tune came alive in the mind again with all its glory.
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