Kashmir has produced a galaxy of sufi poets, iconic mystics and spiritual saints, who were very affectionate towards the society and rendered a meritorious service to the Kashmiri language and literature. Kashmiri sufi poets voiced for brotherhood, peace and prosperity. One of such great sufi poet was Samad Mir. Sammad Mir was born at Narwara Srinagar in the year 1894 and he died in the year 1959. Samad Mir is viewed as one of the most distinguished poets in Kashmir, and his poetry continues to resonate with the cultural and spiritual lineage of the valley. Born into poverty, he achieved public embrace and recognition through his connection to the masses and his command of traditional forms of Kashmiri poetry. His poetry combined themes of mysticism, folklore and human values, reflecting both the beauty of Kashmir's landscape and the suffering of its people. His philosophical and spiritual poetry continues to be celebrated for lyrical richness and depth, and he remains an involved and important poet in Kashmir's literary tradition.
(Kashmiri Sufi Poet: Samad Mir)(Image source: Internet)
Samad Mir was from a Sufi family - the family were originally from Nambalhar (Budgam; father Khaliq Mir was also a Sufi poet but migrated from village Nambalhar to Narwara Srinagar at a young age in search of a livelihood; he began work in a saw mill and ended up marrying after which he had three sons - called Samad Mir, Rahim Mir, and Muhammad Mir. Until the time Samad Mir was of mature age, the whole family settled at Narwara at which point Samad Mir decided to trip back to Nambalhar which he did in his twentie. Rahim stays at Narwara and unfortunately the third brother lecturer, Muhammad Mir died very young say in his twenties.
It is said that once Samad Mir was invited by his disciple, Mohd. Yousuf Parata (who worked at Radio Kashmir Srinagar), to participate in a multilingual literary function (Mushaira) where distinguished thinkers, writers and poets of the day were also in attendance. They were all waiting for the function to commence when the assembled crowd were shocked to see an illiterate man on the stage, wearing feran (traditional Kashmiri outfit garment), with a cap on his head. They were stunned to see an uneducated person holding the microphone to present the program. The function was multilingual so, also, Kashmiri and Urdu writers and poets are reciting their best kalaams.
The function hit its peak when Samad Mir was up and reciting his Kalaam. He stunned everyone with a new form of writing, and read a brand new poem that was written in both Urdu & Kashmiri. At the end of the evening, his poem received huge acclaim and praise from the critics of that time, along with the young men and women present at the function. The poem achieved incredible popularity, grace, and fame in the whole valley. To this day, the immortal lines of the poem are still remembered by almost every Kashmiri.
"Padh Padh Ke Gaya Pather, Likh Likh Ke Gaya Chhur Jiss Padney Sey Sahib Miley Who Padna Hai Aur".
English translation:-
" By studying one turns to stone and by writing got crashed
By which Deity came to know, that Knowledge is different"
Poetry and Sufism
Samad Mir was literate but did not have a formal education. His poetry was dictated to Ali Shah of Wagar, Budgam, who transcribed it for Mir. Mir's spiritual mentors were the following figures: Habib Najar of Wagar Budgam; Khaliq Najar of Batmaloo Srinagar; and Ramzan Dar, Anchidora Anantnag (Kashmir). The poetry of Samad Mir has been compiled in his Kulyaat, the KULTAAT-e-SAMAD MIR, organized by Moti Lal Saqi, a Kashmiri scholar who produced both an Urdu and a Kashmiri proportion of the Kulyaat. The Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages has published the Kulyaat-e-Samad Mir four times, with at least twice it has been revised. Sahitya Akademi of Government of India has published a monograph on Samad Mir; this monograph is in Urdu and Kashmiri. Samad Mir documented over 200 poems. Mir's poetry exemplifies a Sufi tradition of addressing true abstract qualities (e.g., beauty and truth) and illuminating how the true abstract qualities engage with the human and world virtues. Beyond that, there is often some mention of the Prophets, Walis, and Sufi saints of Islam within the poetry. Samad Mir was a wonderful Sufi mystic poet of the 20th Century from Kashmir who has left behind verses of poetry that are heavenly and know new meanings and approaches of the mystic path and divine love. His poetry is poetized with poetic rhythm, meter, complexity of meaning, and understanding of human nature, existence, and divine love.
Samad Mir perpetuated the Sufi mystical tradition within Kashmir's 20th century poetic context, as a great and well known Kashmiri poet barred from traditional education, illiterate, but using Sanskrit and Hindi in his work. Almost every poet within Kashmir has incorporated dialect of Arabic and Persian into their poetry, writers of the soil have been in various ways influenced by the poetry of Arabic and Persian poets. Samad Mir was the first Sufi mystic poet who effectively employed Sanskrit and Hindi words into his poetry, his mastery of both languages is evident, even to people versed in Arabic and Persian poetry. He was both illiterate, and stayed away from formal schooling, yet his poetry reflects a distinct integration of Islamic Sufism. Even well-informed individuals of both Sanskrit and Hindi would not identify fault in any of his poetry. Clearly even as an illiterate man, Samad Mir exhibited immense knowledge, wisdom, and talent.
"Alim Gaw Alim-e-Ludni
Tchalim Shakh Aam Badni
Porum Na Kaseh Nish Toosh
Karis Aarasteh Yaari"
English Translation:-
Knowledge is, knowledge of Deity
Doubt I left when I saw my Mursheed
I did not bow for the sake of knowledge
But my beloved (Mursheed) blessed me
Samad Mir (1894-1959), famous for his fantastic long poem Akanandun (The Only Son), represented the Sufi-mystic vision of Kashmiri Poetry in the 20th century. Samad Mir uses the tale of Akanandun to convey his own ideas of mysticism and gives what has been interpreted as a synthesis of Tassavuf (sufism) and Trika (Shaivism). He was able to transform experience into poetry.
Examining the writing of various poets of Kashmir leads to a realization that most poets think similarly, while the presentation is different. However, Samad Mir being the best of the bests seems to be expressing entirely different ideas. After a complete reading of a poem, it appears to be poetized on Tasawwuf but on the flip side it tells us about this world and the living entity. During the initial years of his poetry, he faced critique for using a different style of poetry, but time evidences value, and, gradually Samad Mir's poetry became recipes for everyone and they began feeling the beauty and love of the poet. A couple of decades later, Samad Mir is known by everybody as a famous, respected and acclaimed poet of Kashmir who simply practiced and defined the poetry traditions of others.
The most well-known and widely accepted image of Samad Mir, holding a microphone in front of him, is also available in the same function of Radio Kashmir Srinagar at Shalimaar garden Srinagar. At present, the Khalifas from the lineage of Samad Mir are Gh. Nabi Hundoo, a resident of Buhri Kadal, Bashir Ahmad Beigh, from Safa Kadal, and Gh. Rasool Mir, the eldest son of Samad Mir. They all live nearby and frequently come to our house.Once I was conversing with Gh. Rasool Mir regards his father and asked how did he wrote down his poems. He said that when Samad Miracle started to compose poetry frequently and any idea would strikes his mind, he would call me (Gh. Rasool Mir) and asked me to write it down for him being illiterate.
Gh Rasool Mir mentioned that at that age, he was a kid and he did not often have the ability to write complete lines accurately, sometimes he did not write complete words, sometimes he did not write full lines at all. When his father, Samad Mir, would ask him on another day to read the lines he had written, and sometimes it was nearly impossible to read these letters he had so poorly written. Therefore, much of the Kalaam of Samad Mir was lost in the poorly written lines of his son. Another resident of Wagur village, Ali Shah (known as Ali Saab) also used to write the poetry of Samad Mi.
A vast body of his writing was compiled and committed to memory by his students who utilized to recite their Mursheed,Kalaam, in functions or Mehfil-e-Samma. One more name, he cannot be left out, one of the best singers of Kashmir, king of Chakri (a kind of traditional song), Ghulam Ahmad Sofi, he remained related to Samad Mir for a quite long time and sung so many Kalaams in presence of Samad Mir in functions.
Sag-e-Ashaaf Kahaff Laag Jaananas
Tag yeye Godeh Kaas Panas Tchai
Rag-e-Nistar Dith Lageh Har Taanas
Tag yeye Godeh Kaas Panas Tchai
Be faithful to your beloved as dog of Ashaaf Kahaff
If you can do, eliminate your shadow first
(Shadow makes you two; alter it in oneness because deity is One)
Prick anywhere in vein causes pain in entire body
If you can do, eliminate your shadow first
Samad Mir died on 9 January 1959 at his Nambalhar home. He was buried at Agar, Nambalhar (Budgam district).
(Writer: Vivek Koul, owner of this blog)
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