RAZA RUMI: A READING OF MEMORY & LOSS
Blog posting written by Rebecca Cox, Cinema and Photography, 16, FLEFF Intern, Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
Of the multiple times I have visited Ithaca College’s intimate Handwerker Gallery, its capacity has never felt so full as it did Thursday, March 30 at 6 p.m.
There were a few dozen black chairs angled around a podium illuminated by a lone spotlight. Scholar in Residence, and Pakistani writer Raza Rumi also hosted by Ithaca City of Asylum – spent the evening reading excerpts from his publications.
Associate Professor in the Department of Writing, Barbara Adams acted as moderator and opened the event by introducing Rumi. She described him as an invaluable resource to students and the community. Adams also briefly mentioned the recent terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium and Lahore, Pakistan.
Rumi began by reading an excerpt from an article published March 30 in the Indian newspaper, The Hindu. The article is a response to the March 27 bombings in Lahore, Pakistan Rumi’s hometown.
The publication provides details of not just the bombing, but of Lahore as a city. He recalls visiting the park Gulshan-e-Iqbal, where the attacks took place, as a child with his family. Rumi also points out that terrorism is a pertinent issue. In the last 10 years, over 60,000 Pakistani’s have perished at the hands of terrorism.
The reading of the article itself was powerful due to Rumi’s personal connection in Lahore. Those listening remained silent throughout the reading, engaging in the words he spoke.
Between readings, the audience eagerly participated in a Q&A moderated by Adams.
Rumi answered questions on the media representation of Muslims in the global media.
The post 9/11 world creates a new kind of Muslim, said Rumi. There’s this whole narrative that has been bent, where the Muslim is inherently violent and a threat to the world.
Later, Rumi read excerpts from his forthcoming memoir that deal with the recent events in his life as a journalist and human rights defender. In 2014, Rumi left Pakistan after he survived an assassination attempt in which his driver was killed.
Citing personal memory and loss of homeland, he narrated the pangs of being away from his homeland. The style of this piece was different from a journalistic article. The memoir was more literary and atmospheric.
While descriptively detailing the night he was attacked in his memoir, Rumi reminisced that he had to leave everything when he had barely started to live the way he wanted to as a journalist and public speaker.
He questioned: Why do I need to even write my story in an era where millions have been made homeless by the turbulence of our times. Later, he addressed this question by saying that he needed a closure, and writing in his view was a way to move on. Even though he had embraced “an autumn of uncertainty.
He also read out passages about the young man whom he had hired years ago to work for his as a driver. Rumi’s affectionate portrait of a real life character, his family and how they struggled to make their ends meet was touching. These real stories were located in the larger context of the country and its inequities.
What struck me were the four simple, yet powerful words that Rumi read while narrating his stories: Being alive is exhilarating.
Raza Rumi’s second book a collection of political commentaries The Fractious Path: Pakistan’s Democratic Transition will be published this summer.
Source: http://www.ithaca.edu/fleff/blogs/fleff_intern_voices/raza_rumi:_a_reading_of_memory__loss/#.WAZH_Y997IV
Hi there, You have done a great job. I’ll certainly digg it and personally suggest to my friends. I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this web site.
I simply want to mention I am just very new to blogs and absolutely loved your web blog. Likely I’m going to bookmark your site . You definitely have perfect article content. Appreciate it for revealing your web site.
One more thing. It’s my opinion that there are many travel insurance web sites of reputable companies that allow you to enter your journey details and find you the quotations. You can also purchase the actual international travel cover policy on internet by using your own credit card. All you have to do should be to enter your current travel information and you can understand the plans side-by-side. Merely find the program that suits your finances and needs and after that use your credit card to buy the item. Travel insurance on the internet is a good way to do investigation for a reputable company with regard to international holiday insurance. Thanks for giving your ideas.
The the very next time I just read a blog, I hope that this doesnt disappoint me around this place. After all, It was my choice to read, but I actually thought youd have some thing intriguing to mention. All I hear is usually a number of whining about something you could fix in the event you werent too busy in search of attention.
If you want to obtain a great deal from this paragraph then you have to apply such techniques to your won webpage.|
Kurye olarak hizmet veren kişiler, bulundukları lokasyondaki her adrese en kısa sürede ulaşma yolunu bilirler. Üstelik verilen bu görevi hava, trafik ve buna benzer diğer olumsuz şartlardan etkilenmeden yerine getirirler. Yani iş hayatı başta olmak üzere hayatın hemen her alanında önemli görevleri üstlenebilir ve başarıyla yerine getirebilirler. Özellikle büyük şehirlerdeki trafik kaosu ve adres konusundaki karmaşa göze alınırsa, kurye hizmetlerinden faydalanmanın bazı durumlarda zorunlu hale geleceği anlaşılabilir. Örneğin İstanbul’un bir noktasından diğer bir noktasına acil şekilde önemli bir evrak ulaştırmak gerektiğinde ya da hastanızın ihtiyacı olan ilacı acil ve güvenli bir şekilde ulaştırmak gerektiğinde, İstanbul moto kurye hizmetimizden faydalanarak sorununuza çözüm üretebilirsiniz.
Wow, awesome blog structure! How long have you ever been running a blog for? you made blogging glance easy. The entire look of your web site is magnificent, as well as the content!
Hello, I think your site could possibly be having web browser compatibility issues. Whenever I take a look at your website in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in I.E., it has some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Aside from that, wonderful site!|
Hi there, I think your website could be having web browser compatibility issues. Whenever I take a look at your blog in Safari, it looks fine however, when opening in IE, it has some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to give you a quick heads up! Aside from that, wonderful site!|
We are a group of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community. Your site offered us with valuable information to work on. You’ve done an impressive job and our entire community will be grateful to you.|
I was excited to find this page. I want to to thank you for ones time due to this wonderful read!! I definitely loved every bit of it and I have you book marked to look at new information on your website.|
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on %meta_keyword%. Regards|
I have read so many articles or reviews concerning the blogger lovers except this paragraph is really a fastidious paragraph, keep it up.|
I read this post completely about the resemblance of most up-to-date and preceding technologies, it’s awesome article.
I’ve been surfing online more than three hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty worth enough for me. Personally, if all site owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the internet will be a lot more useful than ever before.
excellent issues altogether, you just won a brand new reader. What would you suggest about your put up that you simply made some days ago? Any positive?
I do trust all the ideas you have presented for your post. They are really convincing and can definitely work. Nonetheless, the posts are very brief for novices. May just you please extend them a bit from subsequent time? Thank you for the post.
Normally I don’t read post on blogs, however I would like to say that this write-up very forced me to check out and do so! Your writing taste has been surprised me. Thank you, very nice article.
Hey there. I discovered your web site by means of Google at the same time as searching for a related topic, your website came up. It appears to be good. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to come back then.
Magnificent goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you are just too great. I really like what you’ve acquired here, really like what you are saying and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still take care of to keep it sensible. I cant wait to read much more from you. This is really a terrific web site.
Excellent website. Lots of helpful information here. I am sending it to a few buddies ans also sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks on your effort!
I conceive this internet site has some very wonderful information for everyone :D. “I like work it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.” by Jerome K. Jerome.
Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to more added agreeable from you! However, how can we communicate?
I and also my guys happened to be reviewing the nice solutions found on your site and so unexpectedly developed an awful feeling I never thanked the web blog owner for them. My ladies came totally stimulated to read through all of them and now have unquestionably been taking advantage of those things. We appreciate you turning out to be really accommodating and also for obtaining this form of marvelous tips millions of individuals are really wanting to know about. My personal sincere regret for not saying thanks to you sooner.
Thank you, I’ve recently been looking for info about this subject for a long time and yours is the best I have found out till now. But, what in regards to the bottom line? Are you sure in regards to the supply?
F*ckin’ awesome issues here. I am very satisfied to look your post. Thank you so much and i am taking a look ahead to touch you. Will you please drop me a e-mail?
I truly appreciate this post. I’ve been looking all over for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thanks again!
Hello, i think that i saw you visited my web site thus i came to “return the favor”.I am attempting to find things to enhance my site!I suppose its ok to use a few of your ideas!!
Thank you for the sensible critique. Me and my neighbor were just preparing to do a little research on this. We got a grab a book from our area library but I think I learned more clear from this post. I am very glad to see such magnificent information being shared freely out there.
I got what you mean , regards for putting up.Woh I am delighted to find this website through google. “Delay is preferable to error.” by Thomas Jefferson.
I not to mention my friends have been analyzing the good points from your web blog and then quickly developed a terrible suspicion I never expressed respect to you for them. The guys were consequently stimulated to read through all of them and now have extremely been tapping into these things. Thank you for truly being quite thoughtful and then for making a choice on some fantastic topics most people are really wanting to know about. Our own sincere apologies for not saying thanks to sooner.
Does your blog have a contact page? I’m having trouble locating it but, I’d like to shoot you an e-mail. I’ve got some ideas for your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great website and I look forward to seeing it develop over time.
Good write-up, I am regular visitor of one’s website, maintain up the nice operate, and It is going to be a regular visitor for a lengthy time.
I do trust all of the concepts you’ve presented to your post. They are very convincing and can certainly work. Nonetheless, the posts are too quick for starters. May just you please lengthen them a bit from next time? Thanks for the post.
Some really great information, Gladiola I detected this. “What’s a man’s age He must hurry more, that’s all Cram in a day, what his youth took a year to hold.” by Robert Browning.
I needed to send you a very little observation so as to say thank you yet again considering the marvelous techniques you’ve featured in this case. It is so wonderfully generous of you to offer unhampered exactly what many individuals could possibly have distributed for an electronic book in making some profit for their own end, particularly since you could have done it in case you considered necessary. These suggestions additionally worked like the fantastic way to realize that the rest have a similar zeal the same as my very own to learn way more with reference to this problem. I’m sure there are millions of more pleasant opportunities ahead for folks who look into your blog.
This is very interesting, You are a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your fantastic post. Also, I have shared your site in my social networks!