LAL-DED OR LALA ARIFA

10 May, 2008 05:55:00

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Along with another luminary Shiekh Noor-ud-Din Noorani, Lal-Ded shines as a bright star in the early Kashmiri literature of the fourteen centuary of the Christian era. Both Shiekh Nooru-Din Rishi and Lal-Ded were great spiritualist who expressed their experience in a form of verse that was very apt, spontaneous and touching every soul of the man. Lal-Ded is said to have been in 1330 A.D. a period of social unrest,moral degradation and foreign invasion.Kashmir was still under Hindu rule, but the society especially at the upper level had become corrupt. There was unrest due to social, moral, economic and political degradation. Lal-Ded was born near Pampore and was married at an early age. By nature she was already inclined to spiritual meditation, but the harsh treatment by her husband and mother-in-law made her to leave her home and renounce the world. She moved from village to village and in the city as well in half naked form. She gained spiritual experience and expressed it in a form of verse, known as Lalla Vakh which touched every soul. She became very popular with the people and out of respect she was called Lal-Ded and Lal-Mouj (mother). Her poetic composition deal with illusory nature of this life. She was against the Worldy pomp and show and against hypocritic character of the upper classes and castes. She exposed the artificial social distinctions, caste barriers, plight of the down trodden and poor sections of the society. She said that God resides on one’s own heart provided one makes genuine efforts to search him by true devotion and dedication. Almost exactly these are also the themes of Shiekh Noor-ud-Din Wali also known as Nund Rishi.

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