Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai (1690 A.D.-1751 A.D.), a poet of eighteenth century Sind (Pakistan), has in recent years been acclaimed as on par with the classical poets of the highest order. This book is a tribute to Shah Latif from his profound admirer Professor D.H. Butani (1913-1989), the distinguished scholar, economist, and social critic.
Professor Butani explains what kind of a man Shah was. Shah had two loves-Allah and music. Allah is the central figure in all his poetry, even where it is concerned with earthly love. The music is so sweet that one craves to listen to Shah Latif's Allah.
Professor Butani's inspiration to write on Shah Latif, his philosophy and melody, must have come from some reservoir of spiritual life. In fact his association with Shah began during his childhood and remained his greatest love till his end.
The author sees Shah as a multifaceted personality. Shah, whose life was full of Allah, the Prophet and the Quran, was equally warm in his poetic expressions about Rama, Shiva (Mahesh) and Gorakhnath; he sings of them with the same fervour. In fact, much of Shah's poetry is Vedantic.
One cannot help but fall in love with Professor Butani's Shah Latif. His style is at once sweet, lucid and warm. While reading the book one cannot but immerse oneself in Shah. The main purpose of the author is to bring out from the life of Shah Latif what is fundamental and eternal-a fountain at which one can drink at all times and feel refreshed.
Eminent scholar, economist, and writer, Professor D.H. Butani (1913- 1989), had a long and distinguished career. He held positions in the academic world, Government and the United Nations. He served the country and the world well.
His writings display a rare ability to communicate the anger, irony and compassion of a sensitive scholar moved by the miseries, disappointments and aspirations of his fellow beings.
He had several well-acclaimed publications to his credit, including Economic Development: Loves and Policies (1966), India of the 1970s (1970), The Future of Pakistan (1984), The Third Sikh Wer!: Towards or Away from Khalistan? (1986). He also brought out two books in the Saints of Sind series: Baba Hariram, Saint of Sind (1981) and The Incredible Bhagat Wadhuram, Saint of Sind (1956). This posthumous work of Professor Butani on Shah Latif is in the same series.
Professor Butani lived a great and full innings. He is remembered by his students as an exciting professor, by his innumerable readers as a profound scholar, by his authors as a discriminate editor, and by his numerous friends and admirers throughout the world as a warm human being with a heart of gold.
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