Anniversary celebrations: 971st urs of Data Sahib begins
Naat and qawali sessions attended by hundreds of devotees.
LAHORE:
The three-day celebrations of the 971st urs of Hazrat Ali bin Usman Al-Hajveri known as Data Ganj Bakhsh started on Thursday.
Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Punjab Religious Affairs Minister Atta Muhammad Maneka inaugurated the celebrations by laying a floral wreath and opening a milk sabeel.
Security at and around the shrine was stringent. The tomb was decorated with colourful lights and buntings. Roads leading to the shrine were closed for traffic. Walkthrough gates were installed on the entrances to screen visitors.
Business in the streets near the shrine remained low; some shops were closed.
A large number of devotees visited the shrine on Thursday. Groups of malangs (mendicants) had set up tents on footpaths nearby. Some of them danced to the beats of drums. “Milkmen from across the province send us milk,” said Chaudhry Babar who was managing one of the sabeels.
“We have arrangements to stock 90,000 litres of milk for devotees. We add sugar and cardamom to make it more delicious. The sabeel will operate for 18 hours a day for three days.”
Babar said the sabeel’s management presented a chaddar, sweets and a meal to each milkman during their stay at the shrine.
“It is our tradition to bring milk to offer at the saint’s urs,” said Habib Gujjar who said his party of 30 milkmen had brought 1,500 litres from Faisalabad.
He accused police officials of robbing them on the way on the pretext of security checks.
The Faizan Welfare Organisation has set up five medical camps at the shrine to provide first aid to the devotees, who might need it.
“We have been doing this for 33 years. Today, we provided medical care to 138 visitors who complained of fever, cough and headache. We also treated some people for minor injuries,” Muhammad Ashraf from the organisation said.
“The sale of food increases during the urs. A large number of people offer alms during these days,” Tariq Ali, a cook near the shrine, said.
Haider Ali, a resident of Arifwala, said he had been distributing langar food at the urs for 10 years.
“We came to the shrine to make a livelihood. The more visitors there are the more money we make,” said Allah Ditta who was leading a group of drumbeaters from Hujra Shah Muqeem.
Several sessions of naat and qawali were held on the first day. Cleaning arrangements were not up to the mark.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2014.
The three-day celebrations of the 971st urs of Hazrat Ali bin Usman Al-Hajveri known as Data Ganj Bakhsh started on Thursday.
Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Punjab Religious Affairs Minister Atta Muhammad Maneka inaugurated the celebrations by laying a floral wreath and opening a milk sabeel.
Security at and around the shrine was stringent. The tomb was decorated with colourful lights and buntings. Roads leading to the shrine were closed for traffic. Walkthrough gates were installed on the entrances to screen visitors.
Business in the streets near the shrine remained low; some shops were closed.
A large number of devotees visited the shrine on Thursday. Groups of malangs (mendicants) had set up tents on footpaths nearby. Some of them danced to the beats of drums. “Milkmen from across the province send us milk,” said Chaudhry Babar who was managing one of the sabeels.
“We have arrangements to stock 90,000 litres of milk for devotees. We add sugar and cardamom to make it more delicious. The sabeel will operate for 18 hours a day for three days.”
Babar said the sabeel’s management presented a chaddar, sweets and a meal to each milkman during their stay at the shrine.
“It is our tradition to bring milk to offer at the saint’s urs,” said Habib Gujjar who said his party of 30 milkmen had brought 1,500 litres from Faisalabad.
He accused police officials of robbing them on the way on the pretext of security checks.
The Faizan Welfare Organisation has set up five medical camps at the shrine to provide first aid to the devotees, who might need it.
“We have been doing this for 33 years. Today, we provided medical care to 138 visitors who complained of fever, cough and headache. We also treated some people for minor injuries,” Muhammad Ashraf from the organisation said.
“The sale of food increases during the urs. A large number of people offer alms during these days,” Tariq Ali, a cook near the shrine, said.
Haider Ali, a resident of Arifwala, said he had been distributing langar food at the urs for 10 years.
“We came to the shrine to make a livelihood. The more visitors there are the more money we make,” said Allah Ditta who was leading a group of drumbeaters from Hujra Shah Muqeem.
Several sessions of naat and qawali were held on the first day. Cleaning arrangements were not up to the mark.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2014.