Dr Pradeep Kumar Keshari

 

Hazarat Shah Manjoor Alam, my Peero Murshid and beloved, lives in Kanpur-an important city of north India- which has been abode of many living Sufi masters in the past. I met this great Sufi master, in the year 2002 during my posting in the IDBI bank at Kanpur. I found him having a multifarious personality: a mystic, Sufi scholar, writer, poet, alchemist, Hakim/Vaidya and philanthropist. Subsequently, I accepted him as my second Guru (Peero-Murshid). I have benefited hugely from his kindness and grace. He has talked very little about himself. Whatever I write in the subsequent paragraphs, I have come to know from the reliable sources during my interactions with his devotees and my direct participations. He was born in 1935 into a traditional family in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, (district Gazipur, Nr Varanasi about 300 Km from Kanpur). It seems that he was born with the urge to seek God and blessings of sufi saints & with mystic powers (matherjad in the language of Mehar Baba) to be a Kamil. In his early age, he used to visit some living Sufi Fakirs and offer prayers at many Dargah of Sufis in his village. His ancestors converted from a Hindu (warier community) family. Some Fakirs have born in his family earlier as well. I recently visited and stayed in his house with him and his followers for celebrating Urs of a Sufi saint who settled in his village and was quite dear to him. Every year during mid November he goes with his followers to offer Chader at Dargah of some Sufi saints of his village. Urs is celebrated on his behest with lot of fanfare including holding of village fare, offering of good food to his followers and villagers, conduction of Kawwali and games, etc.

 

In 1951, when he was only 15 years old, he met his first Pir (guru): Hazrat Baba Husaini Shah, from Jajmau (Kanpur), beginning then his spiritual practices. He met his second Pir in 1973: Hazrat Baba Mouj Shah. In my early meetings, Huzur Saheb indicated to me that Hazrat Baba Mouj Shah was disciple of Baba Tazuddin of Nagpur-one of the five perfect masters of Mehar Baba. In 1978, he set up his Khankah (Ashram) in Kanpur, through which he performs most of his activities. In his Khankah he receives people, giving them advise and Dua, conducting Kawwalies and Bhajans, offering Dua and prayer in a traditional sufi way and teaching Sufism to a select/interested few in morning and evening sessions mainly through his explanations of Rumi's Masnavi. These explanations are also hand-written simultaneously. Some of them are published subsequently in the forms of several volumes of books (viz. Rahbare Tarikat). He also conducts and actively participates in Shama on every Wednesday evening in which special Kawwalies/Kalams and other forms of Sufi songs written by him are performed by a music team in a traditional way. He also holds Mehfils on four occasions in a year.

He performs routine pilgrimage with his followers to various famous Dargahs in India, notably twice in a year to Ajmer Sharif via Hazrat Nizamuddin and Kutub Shah at New Delhi and occasionally to Hazrat Baba Tazuddin at Nagpur. In his young and middle age, he used to visit various Sufi shrines and Bihariji temple at Vrindavan. He is extremely secular in life with intellectual outlook but quite traditional in respect of Sufi practices and tarikat. He considers Hazarat Maula Ali Alahissalam to be the father of and ultimate in Sufism as without his seal of approval no one can become Sufi master. Besides his Peero Murshid, he reveres greatly the famous Sufis of medieval period such as Hazrat Abdul Kadir Zilani, Hazarat Moinuddin Chisti Ajmeri (Garib Navaj), Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia (Mahboobe Ilahi) and Hazrat Baba Kutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki and some saints of modern period such as Hazrat Baba Tazuddin, Hazrat Inayat Khan, etc.

He also contributes in and promotes literary activities in the city. Most important among them is holding of Mushaira/Kavita (Urdu/Hindi poetry recitation sessions) in public in which a large number of people participate and famous Hindi/Urdu poets recite poems under the aegis of Raskhan. Raskhan was a Sufi saint-poet and Shri Krishna' (Hindu avatar) devotee born during medieval period. His Dargah in Vraj region is visited by many Hindus and Muslims alike.

 

He is a mystic with proven capacity to cure difficult diseases by Doa with some herbs or water. Many drunkards have given up their habits and criminals have reformed under his influence or due to his subtle treatments. He has transmitted subtle spiritual experiences to many aspirants and has also shown Karamat some times. He has good knowledge of Ayurveda and Unani medicines and manufactures some medicines in a limited quantity through Shahi Lab. He is prompt in protecting his followers from any calamity and helps greatly their right endeavors. He materially helps poor and diseased. He is very sympathetic and patient listener.
 

He has published a series of books including various collections of his own Sufi poems (Gooler Ke Phool in six volumes); Ruhani Guldasta, recounting the lives and teachings of several Sufi fakirs in brief; Kashkol Ruhani, explaining Sufi philosophy, tarikat (method), teachings and life and contributions of some famous sufi masters. Besides, he has authored 7 volumes of a book, Rahbare Tarikat, revealing and explaining spiritual secrets lying in some chapters of Masnavi Sharif (by Hazarat Rumi).
 

He has not been keeping physically well for quite sometime. As a result, these days he mostly stays at his parental home in Kanpur and meets visitors during limited periods of the day. He visits Khankah only on important occasions.