HYDERABAD: The three-day 270th annual Urs of great Sufi Saint and poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai begins today (Wednesday) at Bhitshah, Matiari district
The Sindh government have announced public holiday in Sindh on account of the Urs of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai today.
The festivities will start with the laying floral wreath at his mausoleum in the morning which will be followed by a cultural exhibition.
The chief guest will also inaugurate a cultural village set up at the Shah jo Bagh or Garden of the Shah. Another important feature of the Urs would be Sugharan je Kachahri in which folk poets will present their poetry in traditional Sindhi forms.
In the evening Malh pehlwans from across Sindh will flex their muscles in a Malakhro (traditional wrestling), another regular feature of the three-day Urs.
First day’s celebrations will culminate with Lateefi Rag Rihan in which singers would present mystic poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai in a particular manner. It would continue for all the three nights of the Urs.
On the second day of Urs the 2nd international Literary Conference will be held in which literary personalities from Sindh and across the world will present their papers on the literary work and different facets of the life of Shah Bhitai.
Distribution ceremony of Latif Awards will be held on the third day of the Urs.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah is expected to distribute awards to the distinguished persons who have excelled in their respective fields and achieved laurels for the country.
Tens of thousands of devotees have started reaching Bhit Shah Town to pay homage to great sufi saint and poet, and they are setting up their camps to stay for next three days so that they could participate in celebrations of the Urs.
For security of devotees, a contingency plan has been devised to meet any eventuality or threat. Control rooms have also been set up to ensure strict vigilance over the proceedings round the clock.
A makeshift shopping centre has been established near the shrine to offer meal and other necessary goods to devotees while restaurants and tea shops have been renovated by their owners to celebrate the Urs in a befitting manner.
Various government departments have established their camps in different parts of the town while health department has also set up medical camps and mobile medical teams to provide medical treatment if required by the visitors.
