Sufi Night: When the soul listened

When the world feels tangled in noise and restlessness, very few things can offer solace like Sufi songs do. On Friday evening at Jatra Biroti, 'Sufi Night' became that rare moment of pause, a space where the soul could exhale.

When Shamim Hasan took the stage with his band Kandari, his voice rose in melody and meaning. As he started singing, he truly became a kandari — a helmsman guiding hearts adrift, offering a drop of stillness in a chaotic world.

Jatra Biroti offered its signature ambience—just right for Sufi music. In a warm, low-lit room, performers sat on a simple stage as the audience lounged on floor cushions. The gentle lighting added a sense of closeness and calm, reminiscent of a classic Sufi mehfil.

Shamim started the evening with the hauntingly beautiful 'Allah Bolo Mon Re Pakhi,' setting the tone for the night. The song, penned by the mystic bard Lalon Shah, serves as a powerful reminder of life's impermanence and the futility of worldly attachments.

Through its simple yet profound verses, it urges the listener to turn inward, to remember the Creator, and to prepare the soul for the inevitable solitude of death. As Shamim Hasan sang it with quiet intensity, the room fell into a reflective hush. The song's central message — that we come into this world alone and must leave it alone — resonated deeply, inviting the audience not just to listen, but to feel and contemplate.

A Sufi music session would be incomplete without the soul-stirring rhythms of qawwali, but what followed was even more captivating: a medley of two timeless songs from two different cultures. Shamim performed a seamless medley of the legendary folk singer Abdul Alim's 'Duare Aishache Palki' and Sabri Brothers' 'Bhar Do Jholi Meri Ya Muhammad' — two spiritually charged songs from different languages, yet bound by a shared longing for divine mercy.

The first, a Bangla Sufi song, reflected on the final journey of life, the moment when all worldly ties fall away and only one's faith remains. The second, a beloved Urdu qawwali, was a desperate plea for the Prophet's intercession and generosity. Together, they formed a powerful arc — from the inevitability of death to the hope for salvation.

The transition between languages and melodies felt organic, and the message universal. With tenderness and restraint, Shamim fused together the themes of mortality, surrender, and grace, reminding listeners that in the face of life's ultimate truth, humility and devotion remain the soul's only true companions.

Shamim Hasan's fusion of Kazi Nazrul Islam's 'Uchaton Mon Ghore Roy Na' and a popular Rajasthani folk song, 'Kesariya Balam', created a poignant dialogue between longing and welcome.

The Bangla song speaks of a restless heart unable to stay at home, torn by desire and absence. In contrast, the folk classic gently calls the beloved to return. Together, they formed a powerful emotional arc — one expressing the ache of departure, the other the hope of reunion. Despite their different origins, the songs complemented each other beautifully, united by a shared theme of love, separation, and yearning.

As the evening deepened, Shamim brought the crowd to a euphoric high with the timeless qawwali 'Mera Piya Ghar Aaya,' a celebrated composition by Bulleh Shah, popularised by the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. 

Brimming with ecstatic joy and divine reunion, the song blurs the line between earthly love and spiritual union. The crowd began clapping in sync with the tabla's beat, drawn in by qawwali's hypnotic rhythm and the energy pulsing through the room.

After performing a few more qawwali songs, Shamim returned to Nazrul for a while — with 'Alga Koro Go Khopar Badhon' this time — the tale of a heart ensnared by a lover's charm. As the words unfolded, the crowd sang with the artistes, resonating with its teasing intimacy and the sweet ache of desire.

Following that, Shamim moved through a soulful selection of qawwali classics like 'Mere Rashke Qamar' and 'Kali Kali Zulfon Ke,' each song blending stories of love and longing.

The evening came full circle, beginning with 'Allah Bolo Mon Re Pakhi' and ending with 'Allah Hoo Allah Hoo,' a timeless invocation that beautifully captured the boundless presence and unity of the Divine, leaving the audience immersed in a profound sense of devotion and spiritual connection.