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Saeen G M Syed, a
visionary leader who pioneered the Sindhi freedom movement, remains a
beacon of the Sindhi people's struggle for national self-determination. He
was repeatedly detained and imprisoned by Pakistani authorities, spending
more than thirty years without trial or ever being charged. He died in
custody in 1995. The Amnesty International adopted him as a
Prisoner of Conscience. Mr. Syed wrote extensively on Sindhi identity,
history, and political conditions in Sindh. His views continue to inspire
Sindhi writers, poets, political and civic leaders, and social and
religious activists. He is widely respected for his forthrightness,
courage, simplicity, and insightfulness. |
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Dedications
Chapter 1
Shah Latif and His Life Sketch
Chapter 2
Era and Political Environment of Shah Latif
Chapter 3
Shah Latif the National Poet of Sindh
Chapter 4
The Sindh of Shah Latif's Imagination
Chapter 5
Shah Latif's Concept of Nationalism
Chapter 6
Analysis of the Ideas of Shah Latif and Dr. Muhammad Iqbal
Chapter 7
The Religious Ideas of Shah Latif
Chapter 8
Important Features of Shah Latif’s Poetry
Chapter 9
The Message of Shah Latif for the Sindhis
Chapter 10
Political Ideas of Shah Abdul Latif
Chapter 11
Our Responsibilities Toward Shah Latif
Chapter 12
Some Selected Verses of Shah Latif From the Point of View of their Themes |
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About the book
Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai is one of the great Sufi poets and intellectuals
of South Asia. He is a notable enlightened humanist, who firmly believed
in the metaphysics of the unity of being and turned the
socio-psychological implications of this metaphysics into subjects of his
impressive poetry. His voice repeats the echo of the ancient Indus Valley
Civilization and is the expression of the same spirit which can be felt in
the poetic works of Baba Fareed, Shah Hussain, Baba Buleh Shah, Khushal
Khan Khattak, Khawja Fareed and other Sufi poets of our region. There is
no end to Shah Latif's admirers. Every Sindhi has the Saint's verses in
his memory and can aptly use them in matters of every day business when
the occasion arises. His writings have been critically studied and a
number of books have been published on the life of Shah Latif, his poetry
and message. Lately, the Pakistan Philosophical Congress organized a
symposium on Shah Latif's philosophy and learned articles were read on his
teachings.
However, it goes without saying that Sain G.M. Syed was the most
remarkable interpreter of Shah Latif. He as born and brought up in a world
which had been nurtured by Shah Latif himself. In this respect, G.M. Syed
appears to be a Second Coming of the great saint. G.M. Syed believes in
the unity of being, in the unity of religions and also in an enlightened
form of humanism. The great saint Shah Latif and Sain G.M. Syed, both
deeply love Sindh, its language and people. They are both the celebrated
sons of Sindh whom the people of Sindh venerate with and equal sense of
pride.
In this book, Syed Sahib has given a simple and direct version of his
guru's poetry and teachings. The book guides us not only to correctly
understand the message of one of the great eighteenth century Sufi
intellectuals but also helps understand the soul that lurking the soil of
Sindh since the ancient times of the Indus Valley Civilization. The book
was originally written in Sindhi. We are indebted to Khadim Hussain Soomro
Sahib who has made the book available in English language for a larger
international readership. The English version is indeed a gift from Sindh
to a trans-cultural world. Soomro Sahib deserves our congratulations for
this service
Kazy Javed |