Hassanally G. Rammal wrote under the pen name Suman and was ranked among the most prominent and prolific geet writers in the Indian subcontinent in the 20th century.
Suman was born in Karachi in 1906. He composed over 130 geets in Gujarati, Sindhi as well as Urdu and Hindi. Some of the songs were published in 1970 in a book titled “Suman Sangraah”.
Suman’s compositions have been sung by prominent singers, including the notable Khursheed Nurali. Through a proliferation of recordings, the most famous being “Prem Sandesh”, Suman’s geets gained popularity among Ismailis worldwide, particularly those living in the United Kingdom and North America.
Suman was a versatile and talented writer, contributing articles and poems to a variety of periodicals and newspapers. In addition, he was a playwright for two drama clubs in the Ismaili and Hindu communities in Karachi.
Suman was particularly well versed with Bhakti (devotional love) and Sufi devotional poetry in various vernacular languages, a familiarity that was apparent in the ethos of his compositions.
He was a talented individual with a cosmopolitan outlook towards life. Suman was far ahead of his time. In the 21st century, we are still debating the merits of pluralism and diversity. Suman lived his life with absolute moral and intellectual clarity about these matters. He passed away in 1990.
JollyGul.com Salgirah 2019 Programming Alert!
JollyGul.com will be presenting Suman’s classic geet “Aakhi Aalam Maa(n) Naam Taaru(n) Gaajtu(n) Re” (Your Name Resounds Throughout The World) as part of Hazar Imam’s Salgirah celebrations lineup of videos for the Jamat.
The geet is sung by Khursheed Nurali with music by Prince Aly Khan Orchestra. The song was recorded in 1968 and remains very popular to date – a true classic! Our presentation will be in a video format with running lyrics and translations.
Do not miss these two legends of Ismaili geets – Suman (for his soul-touching lyrics) and Khursheed (for her amazing singing) – as they usher us all into Khushiali celebrations.
Expected launch date of the video: Early December 2019
Credits For Suman Article: Suman Facebook Page, Prof Ali Asani
Mr.Hassanally Rammal was a very popular person in the whole Ismaili community of Karachi. I remember watching one of his very famous Gujrati play “Jeevan Lila”. He was very nice and a noble person.
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