Monthly Archives: January 2008

Please watch this evocative video that Going to School – a media organization based in New Delhi – has put together for the girls from Gole Kuan, an urban slum on the periphery of an industrial suburb in New Delhi.

This video attempts to address a question posed by the DAVOS economic forum -
“What one thing do you think that countries, companies or individuals must do to make the world a better place in 2008?” (more…)

by Mozaffar

God’s wisdom is beyond comprehension.

The 10th of Muharram is simultaneously the most celebrated day in the Islamic Calendar, and simultaneously the most sorrowful day of the Islamic Calendar.

It celebrates the day that God saved the Prophet Moses — and his people from the clutches of the Pharaoh.

It mourns the day that God allowed the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad — and his people to be slaughtered by the clutches of Yazid. (more…)

Mir Anis is a classical master of Urdu poetry whose elegies on the struggles between Imam Hussain, prophet’s grandson and the usurper, callous monarch Yazid are immortal. Today is the 10th of Muharram signifying the epic Karbala battle and the martyrdom of Imam Hussain. The mourning for Hussain and his family is not complete without a reference to Anis and his peer Dabeer. Luckily I found a Marthiyaa of Anis, that has been translated into English David Matthews, published by Rupa Co. (more…)

I come across your website while searching some material on sufiism….I must say its a great contribution by you towards promoting what we people used to be and what we should be. May Allah guide you for the best.
Regards,
AKHLAQUE

Khawaja Ghareeb Nawaz’s immortal verses on the status of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS)
Shah ast Hussain, Badshah ast Hussain
Deen ast Hussain, Deen Panah ast Hussain
Sardad na dad dast, dar dast-e-yazeed,
Haqaa key binaey La ila ast HussainAnd a rough translation -

Ruler is Hussain, Emperor is Hussain,
Faith is Hussain , guardian of faith is Hussain .
Offered his head and not the hand to Yazid.
Indeed, Hussain is the foundation of La-ilah (more…)

Rest your cheek, for a moment,
on this drunken cheek.
Let me forget the war and cruelty inside myself.
I hold these silver coins in my hand;
give me Your wine of golden light. (more…)

Meray Derd ko jo Zuban mille
Mujhe apna naam o nishan milay
Mujhe raaz jo ye pinhan milay
mujhe Kainaat ki sarvari
Mujhe daulat i do jahan milay

for video-link (more…)

Indian Muslims Blog is now two years old. The IM team have compiled the best articles published at the blog in 2007. Shameless as it sounds, one of my guest articles – Journeying into Mysticism is included in the category. As the editor Mohib, said the “colorful downloadable pdf file is worth reading for the diversity of views and opinions. IM blog team has been most kind to allow me to occasionally contribute to the space. In the process I have learnt a lot about the country and its Muslim population. But most importantly, I have found a few good friends from Lucknow, Kakori, Bhopal, and Bihar among other places. wah wah, kiya kehnay blogosphere ke…

To blow my own little trumpet in this seamless and infinite blogosphere, here is my piece for those readers who may not have read it earlier.

Journeying into mysticism

I turn my face towards the monsoon breeze and lament that I’m in Delhi for work. How will I manage the sightseeing agenda? The faint scent of champa flowers seems hauntingly familiar and I am reminded of Lahore. Despite my efforts, visa hassles and my non-Indo-Pak-peace-brigade status have prevented this journey from materialising for years. Driving through Delhi at night, I almost start the litany of superficial judgments but stop for fear of falling into the abyss of cliches. Nevertheless, I cannot help but notice the images of exotic India, or the official Incredible India. Yes, incredible is the word.

The Maurya Sheraton hotel is a haven of comfort totally removed from the real Delhi world. This is what I resent about luxury hotels in developing countries: the sense of disconnectedness, the ultimate denial of what lies beneath. Maurya is packed with party-hoppers as there is a huge weekend bash at the hotel. The Delhi party-goers are far more free-spirited than the Pakistani lot. They appear at ease with what they wear and do, and conduct themselves in a remarkably unselfconscious manner. The hotel driver, Uttam Ram, warned me that the ‘real’ India is different, that this crowd is too Westernised and the influence of Bollywood is to be blamed. . . but how can I agree? I live on Bollywood myself. The journey has been too long and that first night in Delhi, I crash on the huge four-poster bed. I am not a party boy after all!

Sunday morning passes in work – yes, I work on Sundays and have often thought of killing myself for accepting such terms in my mortal life. After an afternoon nap, I wake up to a sense of regret for having wasted a day in Dilli. I get in touch with Sadia Dehalvi, hoping for her company during my visit to Nizamuddin Auliya’s tomb. She is already planning to go there and we plan to meet a little before sunset.

I reach Mathura Road in an hour and soon find myself wading through its distinctly medieval ambience: labyrinthine alleys, crowds of beggars and street-vendors, a bazaar mood. To my delight, I spot a sign pointing towards Ghalib’s mazaar . This is a traditionally Muslim area: there are several signs offering Umra packages and most signs are in Urdu. The stereotype of suffering Indian Muslims gains currency here. I try not to notice all that and walk around until I find Ghalib’s mazaar . Having being fixated on Ghalib and his poetry for the better part of my life, I am a little disappointed by the matter-of-factness of the place. Even though the tomb has recently been renovated after a court order, it is quite low-key. Nevertheless, the area retains a unique atmosphere and the building itself is somewhat alluring. Near it is the Ghalib Academy, but I rush to Nizamuddin’s dargah and follow the scent of desi roses until I find my way to the tomb. (more…)

I had written this piece for Shirazi Saheb’s wonderful blog – The Light Within. I am cross-posting it here. There is just one omission from the list below and that is the unique, powerful blog of Ali Eteraz. One of the reasons for this calculated omission is that this is not a Pakistani blog in my view but a global platform and a loud voice of reason. You can disagree with Eteraz but you cannot discount the force of his writing.

I have to admit that selecting Top Ten from Pakistan blogsphere was a difficult task. I used an arbitrary criteria: quality, diversity, regularity; and value-addition to Pakistani blogosphere. As you can tell this is a pretty subjective criteria and I apologise if I have missed out the good blogs (I write these lines stuck in a traffic jam with no internet access).

The list is not ranked  there is no way that one can do such a thing (more…)

It was in the dargah compound of Ajmer when our phones started buzzing with friends and relatives wanting to share grief on the loss of a woman who was both loved and hated but never ignored. This was the typical winter dusk and we were returning from a soulful traditional dua-i-roshnayee (pre-sunset prayer) where candles are lit in remembrance of the much revered Khawaja. Amidst frantic phone calls from grieving friends, the shock was cushioned in the mystical atmosphere as one reaffirmed that God’s will was above everything. But the aching sense of loss for Pakistan haunted us despite the calming effect of Ajmer. (more…)

by Shreekant Gupta

During a recent visit to Delhi I mentioned to my aunt that I planned to visit Rawalpindi next week for a wedding. Her expression changed to one of worried concern. “But beta is it safe to go there?” she asked. I assured her that if there was one country in the world where I could blend and not feel out of place and where I was welcomed with open arms it was Pakistan. Having been there on four previous occasions once with a group of students from the Delhi School of Economics traversing the country for two weeks, I had ample experience of the legendary Pakistani hospitality and warmth to assuage her fears. But her comment set me thinking. Why is Pakistan attracting such bad press these days? It is often dubbed as the most dangerous place in the world. Certainly there are parts of the country that are seriously troubled and occasionally the violence spills over into the major cities. (more…)

The flames that dance with love -
O Beloved, be like that to me.
The burning heat within the fire -
O Beloved, be like that to me. (more…)

Before I could write about meeting a fellow blogger in Delhi, Sidhu posted this account of our meeting. It was amazing to meet a friend in the blogosphere in person. Sidhu is a mild-mannered and intelligent person; and travelled a long distance to meet me in South Delhi where I was staying. There is much that we share: a common heritage, a language that removed all the social barriers and of course blogging. I am cross-posting Sidhuji’s piece below: (more…)

The Light Within has placed Jahane Rumi in the top ten Pakistani blogs. This ranking has been made on the basis of a statistical analysis of the Pakistani blogs. This is quite pleasing. Interestingly, the list (other than my blog!) coincides with my assessment of the blogs that I made earlier… (more…)

When I breathe, I feel guilty

Guilty because she can breathe no more

When I think, I feel guilty

Guilty because she can think no more (more…)