The fashionable Malang

KARACHI: It was in August 2015 that the unique story of a Miami-based man who restarted life as a ‘Malang’ at a shrine in Pakistan went viral on social media platforms.

According to a Facebook page titled ‘People of Pakistan’, the young Malang, an MBA graduate, visited the country to explore the culture of Sufism after completing his graduation studies. Since then, the youth never went back to the United States and had been living in a shrine in “search of peace.”

The social media post further added his quote, “People who visit the Darbar think I’m poor, broke, retard and a dirty drug addict human.”

However, the story of Ahmed Raza, who sits on the leading stairs of Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s mausoleum in rags, as narrated by Jibran Tahir, a content producer, seems to be the story of most of the Malangs.

Raza allegedly used to steal from mosques and markets, looking for anything to fend off starvation. Once he visited the shrine of Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ghazi in Clifton and realised a transformation within him, he begged to be a servant at the shrine. He mopped the floors, cleaned the silver railings and changed the garland sheets. He believed that he owes his life to this remarkable place.

Raza also unravels the routine of becoming a Malang and says that if you meditate for long periods of time, you sink into a state of complete trance. “There is absolutely nothing going through your head.”

He also extrapolates the energy involved in ‘dhamaal’ and describes that a deeper state of mind is when you meditate and feel sheer ecstasy and lightness, a condition which makes a Malang dance endlessly to the reverberating drums and shehnais.

Guided by the hypnotic, repetitive sound of drums, the ritual dance known as ‘dhamaal’ is an act performed at Pakistani Sufi shrines.

Jibran’s concluding remarks on his research on Malangs is intriguing. He says, “After a thorough study of Ahmed Raza’s stories I was able to reach a vague conclusion. Perhaps, hunger can be noted as a common factor in the stories he told; and thus it shall be acknowledged as a prominent element causing the transformation of a young runaway into an old Malang.”

To a great extent, his conclusion stands on sound footing.

Roots of Malang culture

As researchers dig deeper into the roots of this custom, they have found that ‘Malangism’ is the cult of certain people who are often the rejected or abandoned lot of society.

They argue that there is surprising evidence that the pain of being excluded is not so different from the pain of physical injury. Rejection also has serious implications for an individual’s psychological state and for society in general. So in fact the story of the MBA from the US is an exception.

The majority of the Malangs are homeless have-nots of the society who, in many cases, have no option but to live in a state of self-denial by rejecting social responsibilities, such as gainful employment, family life, and social association.

Based on the concept of ‘Tawwakul’ they completely reject the world.

Apparently, it seems that a Malang is not even aware of himself, not aware of his surroundings, not worried about worldly things, but he is fully aware of the shrine, which is now his permanent abode.

He takes care of the tomb of the saint and lights the oil lamps. Sometimes he tends to visitors and accepts donations. Seemingly, he is found dedicated to his cause and spiritual way of life of renouncing the world and all material considerations.

Although drug addiction does not feature uniformly across cultures of traditional shrines, according to reports hashish smoking is a visible, communal, and conspicuous activity associated with Malangs. In the neighbourhood of the holy shrine of Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ghazi, under the Peepal trees, one may find them indulged in hashish smoking as a communal activity.

It’s a known fact that most people develop an addiction because they suffer from things like stress, trauma, abuse, lack of education, low-income, and familial estrangement.

However, the fact remains that the Malangs are cultural icons and an essential part of our mazars or shrines. They are familiar figures in urban and rural daily life in Sindh and they can also be found elsewhere in the country.

They identify themselves by their attire and appearance, such as their long, unkempt hair, flowing beards and their caps. Their right hands and sometimes both, are invariably covered with rings fitted with stones, generally Aqeeq and Feroza, of different shapes and sizes.

Their costume is an important aspect. In fact, this is what differentiates them from the common people. They wear distinctive colourful dresses particularly red, black and yellow or sometimes blue.

Their general get-up includes a long robe, chains, bracelets and anklets, any amount of bead necklaces; they also carry a wooden or metal begging bowl that they hang over their shoulder.

Due to their unique get-up and behaviour pattern, the upper class of our society not only ignores the Malangs but they consider them as good-for-nothings.

The modern world does not have much meaning for them. Yet an aura of mystery surrounding them makes them pretty much intriguing for the people of lower-income backgrounds. This is true especially for those in rural areas flocking around the Malangs for their ‘blessings’. Many of them also believe that they have spiritual healing powers.

It is rightly said that hunger follows no rule but its appetite. So that could be amongst the main reasons for the Malangs to settle down in mazars. Every day without fail, some or the other devotee distributes food to poor people at the shrine.

The most popular langar around the Shah Ghazi shrine helps feed thousands of people every day. It is open 24 hours a day and every other hour, some kind of snacks are being dished out. The free food is also one of the reasons we see so many destitute and poor people always camped out on the footpaths and streets around the shrine.

At least this way they don’t have to worry about getting at least one meal every day.

Qawwali and ‘dhamaal’ are held on every Thursday night and of course at the annual Urs which is indeed attended by a large number of devotees. During the weeklong Urs, the Malangs play an important role in keeping the mazar clean and guiding the devotees.

Abdullah Shah Ghazi is amongst the major mazars in the city. The second one is not as well known. It is called Misri Shah shrine and it is the resting place of Syed Misri Shah Rizvi.