Prof Dharam Singh's book ‘Sadda Sufi Virsa’ brings lesser-known facets of Sufism to fore

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 26

Prof Dharam Singh, former head of Punjabi School of Education at the GNDU, who is a recipient of the state award for his contribution to Punjabi language, has come up with his 15th book. Titled ‘Sadda Sufi Virsa’, it is an extensive compilation of the history of Sufism and its impact on the contemporary literature.

Dharam Singh, who has a 34-year long career as an educationist and has been at the forefront of research regarding the Punjabi language, says that the book has a special segment dedicated to the lesser known concepts of Sufism such as wilayat, tariqat. “My book has four segments that feature different subjects under the history of Sufism. I talk about the legacy of Sufi scholars that are known as minor poets, often ignored in history but, play a significant role in building and promotion of Sufi tradition in Punjab. Many people know about Baba Bulleh Shah, Baba Farid, but not many know about Syed Akbar Shah or Baba Vajeed, Jaan Mohamad, who were all significant proponents of Sufi literature throughout the history,” he says.

Using his research skills, he has dedicated an entire segment to mention Sufi source books, usually written in Urdu or Persian but translated to Punjabi. “There were many noted poets in early 12th century, who brought Sufi literature to this region and introduced many concepts. This literature was later translated in Punjabi. These books were mostly about Sufi mystics,” explains Prof Singh.