HEER WARIS SHAH

Panjabi Poetica brings the living tradition of Waris Shah’s Heer to the San Francisco Main Library through music, storytelling, and film.
For one afternoon, the Koret Auditorium will resonate with the verses of the eighteenth-century Panjabi Sufi poet Waris Shah, whose Heer has been sung, recited, and cherished for more than 250 years. More than an epic love story, it is a profound meditation on love, dignity, faith, and the freedom to choose one’s own path.

Through Heer Waris Shah, Panjabi Poetica, the flagship literary initiative of Art & Tolerance, invites audiences to experience one of South Asia’s greatest literary masterpieces not simply as a text from the past, but as a living tradition, reimagined for contemporary audiences through live music, English narration, and an original film.
“For generations, Heer has lived not only in books, but in memory, music, and song. This performance invites audiences to experience that living tradition together.”
— Sonia Dhami, Curator & Founder, Panjabi Poetica