Poetry at Sangam
Poetry at Sangam showcases poetry in English and translations as well as essays on poetics and news of new releases.
Nimanoo Faqir was a Hindu Sufi saint and poet. Born in 1888 into a royal family in Shikarpur, Sindh, her birth name was Haasi Bai but later on the male name Nimanoo Faqir was given to her as she was the only woman dervish among dominant male Sufi saints. Though she was given a masculine name, she dressed in woman’s garb, often covering her head with a dupatta. Spiritual, simple and pious, since childhood she was a devotee of Lord Krishna. She was married to Seth Pokardas who had a wide interest and passion in music. He was spiritual too, being well versed with singing the Gurbani and annually going on pilgrimage to Haridwar along with his wife. After the unexpected death of her husband, Nimanoo initially lost interest in life. Later in her mystical dreams she had a bolava and she journeyed alone from Haridwar to Daraza (the birthplace of the mystic poet Sachal Sarmast). She was greeted by Sakhi Shahenshah alias Qabul Muhammad who prophetically stated, “We were awaiting your visit.” She made him her guru, and he remained her murshid (spiritual teacher) for fifteen years. She was well accepted as the only Hindu in a male-dominant Sufi sect, and came to be known as Nimanoo Faqir. She built a dargah where Sufi kalaams – mostly her own compositions and those by Sachal Sarmast since she was an ardent devotee — were read regularly, and satsangs and chowkies were held. She even travelled across countries to spread the spiritual teachings of dervishes from Daraza. ‘Haq Maujood’ (1962) is a Sindhi compilation of Guru Nanak’s preachings, and kalaams by Sachal Sarmast and Nimanoo Faqir in Arabic script. Nimanoo Faqir died on 22 March, 1963 in Bombay. She supposedly has a samadhi in Baroda and a dargah in Sindh visited by countless followers even today.