Magarbatti: Readables & Audibles

06/05/2026

A Demystified take on "Nal Sajān De Rahiye" in contemporary Urdu.

Volume Two of The Variorum features further exegesis of the Punjabi Kafi by Hazrat Madhu Lal Hussain in various international languages and hybridised genres of electronic music. The global multi modal landscape unfolds as we restart this round trip from India to China, Japan, USA, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Persia and Arab world, back to Pakistan. A whopping 18 track journey, exploring a massive range of poetic styles from across the world.

12/04/2026

YouTube:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmkUKT6yz0X62dYlFf3i-pL38DG9w1ZVJ&si=CPSnsLLns0XrcHpk

06/04/2026

25/03/2026

25/03/2026

A journey of love, longing, and self-realization … The river whispers, the heart answers.

نال سجَّن دے رَہِیۓ

رَہِیۓ وو!

لَکھ لَکھ بَدیاں تے سَو طَعنے، سبھّوُ سَر تے سَہِیۓ

توڑے سروَنجے دَھڑ نالوں، تاں بھی حال نہ کَہِیۓ

سُخَن جِیہنان دا ہَووے دَارُو، حال اُتھّائیں کَہِیۓ

چَندَن رکھ لگا وِچ ویڑھے، زور دگھانے کَھہِیۓ

کہے حُسَّین فقّیِر سائیں دا،

جِیوَندِیاں مَر رَہیِۓ

Stay with the Beloved, oh stay—

Through storms of scorn, a million lashes' sway.

A hundred thrusts upon the head endure,

Severed from His glance, yet silent, pure.

No balm of words, no sandal's soothing grace

Can heal this fire—proclaim in every place!

Life is to die while living, lost in flame,

Hussain the mendicant sings the Beloved's name.

Translated by

19/03/2026

رَبّا میرے حال دا مِحرَم توں

اَندر تُوں ہیں، باہَر تُوں ہیں، رَوم رَوم وِچ تُوں

تُوں ہیں تانا، تُوں ہیں بانا، سَبھ کُجھ میرا تُوں

کَہے حُسَّین فقِّیر نِمانا، میں ناہیں سبھ تُوں!

- Hazrat Madhu Lal Hussain RH

The Variorum

— An Interpretative Multilingual & Multimodal Exegesis of Hazrat Madhu Lal Hussain RH.

Introduction

Hazrat Madhu Lal Hussain (RH) occupies a seminal position in the Punjabi Sufi tradition. His Kafis, written in 16th-century Punjabi, are mystical explorations of divine love, spiritual longing, and human consciousness. The present project, The Variorum, seeks to reinterpret and reimagine Hussain’s Kafis as a transmedia, multilingual, and musically hybrid oeuvre, preserving their spiritual essence while translating their metaphors for a contemporary, global audience.

The work operates at the intersection of literary exegesis, poetic paraphrase, and musical transcreation, utilizing modern tools and frameworks to both honor and expand the reach of Sufi philosophy.

Music Ensemble
Album Collaborators
Artefactor