Lessons in celebrating death

FAISALABAD: Shedding tears at a dead person’s funeral is generally considered normal practice. However, the funeral of Malang Baba in Kamalia was brought to the graveyard amid drumbeat and much fan fare. Baba Dildar Hussain disciples laid him to rest while performing bhangra and singing.

“He told us, don’t be sad at my going, I am going to a better place. I want you to dance and celebrate,” said one of the malang’s devotees, Azam. Shahnawaz, an 11-year-old devotee said that Hussain loved music and dance and had stated that he wanted to ‘leave the world’ amid fanfare and song rather than tears.
“We are just honouring his wishes,” he said.

Kamalia resident 90-year-old Baba Dildar Hussain alias Malang Baba told his devotees that his body should be taken to the graveyard with a drumbeat in the background and that his body should be laid to rest with pomp and show.

“He used to say, I lived like a malang and that is how I want to die, so bury me with songs and dancing.

I don’t want any misery,” his devotees said. The devotees believe in the sufi tradition that death is merely a door to meeting one’s beloved, God. “Why should we mourn then, it is a celebration and we appreciate his guidance in making us realise this,” Azam said. “We had tears in our eyes because we had lost him but we danced through it because that is what he wanted,” he said. Dildar Hussain’s body was taken to the local graveyard and was laid to rest while his disciples were performed bhangra for over two hours and sang songs. Locals gathered around the scene to witness the rare sight.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2010.