Calligraphy of Bulleh Ki Jana Mai Kaun

Bulleya Ki Jaana main Kaun is a verse which no can forget if he has ever studied Bullah. The inspiration this verse commands is second to none, pharmacy as for me this verse was a starting point of falling in love with the work of Bullah Shah. This series of paintings consisting in form of a book are designed by me. The word “DOEE” ( ??? ) (in Punjabi means the life observed in this world and the hereafter) is placed on the book cover which is the concept of Baba Bulleh Shah.
This verse always forces me to raise the question of who I really am, it makes you question the very reality in which we live in. The poetry is so self-enlightening that if makes me search for my identity as an artist and even to the extent as a person.
The title or the repetitive theme in this poem hinges on “Bhulleya ki jaana main kaon, ki jaana main koan”. The poet displays his journey in the poem as he rids himself from all of the trappings and social bindings. Seeing the bold nature of the poet I am also inspired to go beyond the boundaries of social norms and values to the extent where lines of social status have become invisible. The very fact that in such a world where caste and tribe can become meaningless is the reason my love for Bulleh Shah grows. His work motivates me to see the world just as a human being not bound by any social limitations.

From the top of the book, the viewer can see the embryo’s face and a small picture of birds flying in a cage. The idea of the book is to show a bit of everything from all the pages of the book and cause curiosity amongst the viewers. This depicts the idea that life cannot be merely understood looking from one point of view and if we are to really appreciate the beauty of it, one has to break away from all social barriers to understand it.

The first painting is of the embryo in the womb which shows how I am free of all barriers and social standings. It shows me how pure and innocent I am in the womb. The placenta is a form of nutrition to the baby and it is transformed to a rope outside of the womb.

The rope is connected to a painting of the birds flying (this however is still hidden for the viewers and they can only see a glimpse of the painting.)

The second painting shows a hand holding a ball which contains time-glass. The hand is still tied to a rope which is tied to the same picture of the birds flying.
Yet again the viewers can only see the picture of birds flying. The ball symbolizes the earth,the time glass shows how much time we have in this world. Everything is made in glass, and the time glass is broken in the painting which shows the time is slipping rapidly. And it is only matter of time that everything can be taken away. The hand is shown to be in pain, when it is tied to the rope, which symbolizes how tired one feels in this world carrying the expectations of the people in this world. However it can be seen that the rope is slightly getting weaker in this painting which shows our life may end anytime.

The final painting shows a pouch full of gold, jewelry and all kinds of wealth, and this time the painting illustrates that the rope is broken. The viewer can finally view what the glimpse of the birds was all about. The viewer will be able to see birds flying in a cage, trapped in a bottle, and the rope tied to the bottle. The pouch shows the worldly things of this world and if one frees themselves of these material possessions, the rope is broken and it is left upon the viewer to decide if whether they see themselves free from this world? Do they perceive the bottle to be another earth, full of restrictions and barriers? Or do they see themselves free? Or do they see themselves just trapped in another bottle same as the one they already detached from?