Ghulam Mohiuddin known as Firdous Baba, a senior citizen in his late 80s, is resting on a parapet in Srinagar’s downtown Kashmir and reflecting on his past as a member of the Sufi order. While recalling the events, a glow can be seen in his eyes.
Sufism activities in the Kashmir Valley were discontinued for a number of reasons, including the emergence of new cultural norms. Years later, in an effort to restore the Sufi tradition’s former splendour among the valley’s inhabitants, a young man named Firdous Baba tried to revive it there. Baba held a number of seminars and Sufi events throughout the Kashmir Valley to raise awareness of the mystic branch of Islam in an effort to revitalise it. “Sufism has to be revived in this sub-region because it encourages the peaceful coexistence of all religions. In my opinion, Sufism needs to be introduced into every home in the Valley as it nourishes one’s soul to live in peace,” claims Firdous Baba, the chairman of the GSPF Unit in Jammu and Kashmir.
While Kashmir has always offered the unique nature of Kashmiri spiritual thoughts that seeks to combine elements of Shaivism with Sufism, Baba while promoting and propagating the legacy of Rishis and Sufis said, “In the current turbulent global and regional environment, it is the best time to spread and uphold the tradition of Rishis and Sufis. At this crucial moment in history, the iconic role of the Sufis and Rishis in Kashmir’s cultural revolution needs to be revived,” he said.
According to Baba, Nund Rishi, also known as Sheikh Noor-ud-Din, played a significant role in fostering a sense of humanism that is superior to all other religions. He said that Nund Rishi was an enlightened individual who was respected by both Hindus and Muslims and he is trying to impart the teachings among people through conferences, seminars, discussions etc.
Baba is working on the origins of the real Kashmiriyat, which upholds racial, religious, and social equality as well as worldwide brotherhood.
“People here have lost touch with their traditional spiritual beliefs, which is one of the main causes of societal turmoil, and I am putting my all efforts to revive back the lost glory for co-existence,” he added. Apart from promoting Sufism for co-existence in Valley, Baba is giving his every effort to promote sports too by enlisting youngsters for a healthy future.
“It is a fact that full-time sports and recreation for youngsters appeared to be a faraway dream in Kashmir. Since youngsters who aspire to become future star players rely on various organisations for patronage, I decided to make some efforts to give back to those sports aspirants who pursue their careers in sports and dream big,” says Baba.
Baba is focused on J&K sports and helped to create and advertise special events that put sports teams or athletic personalities of Jammu and Kashmir in a positive light in the communities that they serve.
“I always yearn to strengthen peace and development in J&K, and that’s the reason I worked on various sports-related projects and proposals seeking more and more involvement of youth in the journey that will lead to a peace process. My only aim is to defeat the nefarious and ill designs of the enemy country through channelizing the young energies into sports,” said Baba.
Baba entered the sports arena only to promote sports as a form of entertainment. He supported and sponsored thousands of sports events, including cricket and football tournaments, rural knock-out tournaments, organised girls’ defence training camps, and dance classes, and distributed equipment among youngsters all this was done when a sports vacuum in the erstwhile state was developed post-2018.
“We all know that there are very few opportunities that allow professionals to interact with their favourite, famous athletes. I put in small efforts to help those athletes and sports organizations so that they reach their full potential by involving the top stars of the country in Kashmir Sports. Apart from Fit and healthy J&K, our initiative in Sports is a new rise of peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir,” he added. (ANI)
