Monthly Archives: September 2014

Looking for Shahid

September 18, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, NRI's / PIO's, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Kashmiri poet Agha Shahid Ali. / Photo: Special Arrangement / The Hindu

A tribute to Kashmiri poet Agha Shahid Ali on his 10th death anniversary.

Missing me one place search another/I stop somewhere waiting for you. Walt Whitman

The 10th death anniversary of the extremely talented Kashmiri poet Agha Shahid Ali (February 4, 1949 – December 8, 2001) again draws us to his poetry. Shahid’s name – the Persian “beloved” and the Arabic “witness” – is a signature of what adorned both, his life and craft. It is incredible to know how much Shahid was loved and how much he loved in return.

His poems exude the saffron of feelings, like the shaded yellow leaves of dusk. Friends, lovers, martyrs and a suffering mother overwhelm his poetry. Their voices add to his voice. Shahid is an embroiderer of language. It isn’t easy to catch him or let go as he invites you to unravel his deepest and most intricate feelings and concerns.

Need to be heard

Shahid evokes a mythical language of history, where he creates an urgent need to be heard against eras of loss. Like in the beginning of this beautiful poem, ‘A History of Paisley’: You who will find the dark fossils of paisleys/one afternoon on the peaks of Zabarvan –/Trader from an ancient market of the future,/. . . won’t know that these/are her footprints from the day the world began/when land rushed from the ocean, toward Kashmir.

Shahid’s Kashmir is a place looking for its future in the reclamation of its many pasts. In a poem dedicated to his friend Suvir Kaul, Shahid writes: We’ll go past our ancestors, up the staircase,/Holding their wills against our hearts. Their wish/Was we return – forever – and inherit…

Inherit what? The glass map of our country, says Shahid. But this country cannot be inherited without hands blossoming into fists/till the soldiers return the keys/and disappear. The soldiers must leave first, before the country can be painfully stitched back to recognition and the birds of childhood will find voice and the nameless graves will stir with names.

Shahid’s Kashmir, which he calls an imaginary homeland, echoing Salman Rushdie’s India, is nevertheless not a name attached to the idea of a nation. The word nation goes interestingly unmentioned in Nehru’s The Discovery of India, where he called India “a myth and an idea, a dream and a vision”. This appears significant today as the nation has not allowed India to dream generously and the idea of India has degenerated. The line of control has controlled India’s vision since Independence. We have to go back in time and hear how Kashmir and India spoke to each other. India should abandon the West’s language of nationalism. India should refuse to be among the “Rest” of the West’s imagination.

As Shahid asks in a poem: Will the middle class give up its white devotion? Just as Shahid learnt of Kashmir through the poetry of Lal Ded and the rishi Sheikh Noor-ud-Din, the idea of India needs to be revisited through Arab and Chinese travellers of the past, through Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim mystics, through Kabir, Bulleh Shah, Khusrau and Dara Shikoh. On lines drawn over a map of glass, looking for his other in the darkness of history, Shahid discovers the emblem of clarity: I must force silence to be a mirrorto see his voice, ask it again for directions.

Shahid, blind from the start, waits to ask his beloved adversary for directions. In his endearing letter of complaint to his other, the Hindus, Shahid mourns the severing event of their exodus. He is pessimistic about the possibilities of rapprochement: There is everything to forgive. You can’t forgive me. Shahid seems to suggest, if the other, driven by fondness (philia) and not reason, is willing to forgive, then there lies a long, shared history worth forgiving for.

Fate of Kashmir

As a poet of Kashmir’s struggle for dignity, Shahid paid his tributes and condolences to its martyrs and upheld their innocence. He attested fortune’s shame on the death of 18-year-old Rizwan. But even as Shahid was tormented by the fate of Kashmiri boys whose bodies were broken till they could sing no more, he asserted a lyrical, Brechtian resilience: Freedom’s terrible thirst, flooding Kashmir,/is bringing love to its tormented glass./Strangers who will inherit this last night/of the past? Of what shall I not sing, and sing?

Looking for Shahid you find yourself hearing a “witness” who dreams against the paranoia of borders. Looking for Shahid you find yourself marooned in the wailing of Paradise. Looking for Shahid you find a “beloved” hiding and seeking, veiling and unveiling, telling his lover amidst the fog: when you divide what remains of this night/it will be like a prophet once parted the sea.

Shahid, the playfully deceptive non-believer like Ghalib, once wrote in a ghazal: I (who) believe in prayer but could never in God. Elsewhere he countered Nietzsche, asking: When even god is dead, what is left but prayer?

Shahid seems to suggest, even an atheist is bound to a relationship of affect with this world. This relation can make an ethical demand on him in the heart of a despairing, Kafkan moment – to pray in god’s absence, to pray without hope, but pray nevertheless, as an unfathomable, mad duty towards the other. Shahid waits for us at the other end of that prayer.

Manash Bhattacharjee is a poet and scholar living in Delhi.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Sunday Magazine / by Manash Bhattacharjee / December 03rd, 2011

Honour and loyalty are this soldier’s hallmark

September 16, 2014Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issuesmpositiveone@gmail.com

Rasool Khan./ -PHOTO: S. HARPAL SINGH / The Hindu

This former Sepoy of the Royal Indian Service Corps, did not join Netaji’s Army as he had taken an oath to be loyal to the outfit he served

Honour and loyalty are known to be the mark of a perfect soldier. And World War II veteran, Rasool Khan, a resident of Chanchalguda in Hyderabad, fits the bill notwithstanding his age at over 90 years.

This former Sepoy of the Royal Indian Service Corps, a British Army unit active in the Burmese front during WW II, had even denied himself the chance to enrol in Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army as he had taken an oath to be loyal to the outfit he served.

“We were excited when we got an offer to join Netaji’s force but were bound by our oath,” says the ex-soldier, referring to the days when feelers were sent to Indian personnel in the British Army in Burma to desert their units. “We came out of the War with honour,” he adds as he throws light on the crucial period in World history.

The veteran was talking to The Hindu after being honoured at the ex-servicemen rally, which he came to attend in Adilabad, on Sunday. However, he observes, “The uncertainty of those times was quite an experience.”

Born on September 9 1923, Rasool Khan had enrolled in the British outfit in Secunderabad in 1939 at the tender age of 16. He was trained in a military training facility in Allahabad before being shifted to the Burmese front in an anti-aircraft gunnery unit.

“We never got a chance to use the anti-aircraft guns during all the six years I served on the front. Life in the trenches and open jungles, however, taught me to be tough,” says the nonagenarian ex-solider, who has remained single.

The fast paced events associated with the country’s independence made people forget about WW II and its veterans, which had Rasool Khan live a life of virtual seclusion. “Humku koi bhi nai puchte the,” he says in a typical Hyderabadi accent as he talks about the condition of WW II veterans in the wake of independence.

Later in life nevertheless, the ex-soldier was given employment in the Army Supply Corps (Maintenance and Transport) at Ramagundam. He is thankful for the support given by the Army.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by S. Harpal Singh / Adilabad – September 15th, 2014

Haj pilgrims opt for Bareilly’s surma

September 16, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Bareilly :

Scores of Haj pilgrims across the world traveling to Mecca prefer to apply ‘Bareilly-wala surma’ (kohl manufactured in Bareilly) rather than the kohl prepared in other Asian and Arab countries.

A city-based manufacturer claimed that the demand for Bareilly’s surma increases by over 30% during Haj time as compared to other seasons.

The USP of Bareilly’s surma is that it is finely grinded and instantly provides cool comfort to the eyes, he says.

“While preparing surma, other manufacturers based in India and other countries use a grinder and other modern appliances for crushing the semi and precious stones. However, we still stick to our traditional method of using baton stone (sil batta) which helps us finely crush the metal or stone,” said M Haseen Hashmi (67), the manufacturer of Bareilly’s surma.

He claimed that it was his ancestors who made surma popular in the country after setting up their firm in 1794. Since then, generation after generation of Hashmi’s family has been producing surma. At present, hundreds of people in Bareilly work under him.

Even the baton stone used in the preparation of surma is unique. “The stone is black and it is available in Jaipur. The black stone crushes the metal into fine pieces but metal is unable to grind the black stone,” said Hashmi, as he recalled that it was the same black stone with which Shahjahan wanted to build a black Taj Mahal.

He added, “The main ingredient of Bareilly’s surma is the stone of Kohetoor mountain which is located in Egypt. From there, it is exported to India and we purchase it from traders.”

Shabbu Miyan, who is the manager of Khanquah-e-Niyaziya and younger brother of Sajjadanasheen, said, “It is mentioned in the holy Quran that applying surma extracted from the Kohetoor mountain is pious and good for eye-sight. Even Prophet Mohammed used to apply surma made from Kohetoor stone before going for prayers and sleeping.”

Though surma prepared in Bareilly is available in more than 80 varieties, a majority of Haj pilgrims from all over the world opt for surma gulab. “It is a general surma and can be applied by anyone,” said Hashmi. Apart from this, pilgrims prefer to apply ‘surma mamira 777’ and ‘sadi kajal’. ‘Surma mamira 777’ actually causes irritation in the eyes, but cleans all impurities, he claimed.

Sadi Kajal is for women and enhances the beauty of their eyes. The other popular variants help in curing diseases related to eye-sight like red spot in sclera (white area of eyes), eyes pain and also help in improving eye-sight, Hashmi claimed.

The manufacturer provides Bareilly’s surma to agents in Mumbai and Delhi who later export it to Arab countries. As pilgrims offer prayers at Mecca on Eid-ul-Adha or Bakri-Eid, the demand for the city-based surma soars by 30% three months before the festival.

Masqood Hasan, a timber businessman who will be leaving for Haj soon, said, “Applying surma is following Prophet Mohammed. As people across the country are attracted to Bareilly’s surma, I always get surma packed to gift it to my relatives and friends whom we meet during Haj.” Another Haj pilgrim, Shahida Mahmood (42) said, “Bareilly’s surma not only provides comfort but also protects the eyes from all diseases.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bareilly / by Priyangi Agarwal, TNN / September 08th, 2014

Eminent Urdu scholars, poets honoured

September 16, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Educationmpositiveone@gmail.com

It was Urdu that astronaut Rakesh Sharma used when he was asked by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to describe how India looked from space. “He said, ‘Saare jahaan se achcha Hindustan hamara’ using poet Muhammad Iqbal’s poetry,” said Fathima Muzaffar of the Indian Union Muslim League. That is enough reason to take pride in the language and promote it, she told a gathering of Urdu scholars and poets at a function here on Tuesday.

She said non-speakers tend to dismiss it as a language used for mushairas, qawwalis and ghazals. But it is a rich language with a literature of its own. “There is a mistaken belief that learning Urdu may hinder one’s economic prospects. But everywhere in the world mother tongue is respected. In European countries, children learn in their native language,” she said. She urged R. Thandavan, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Madras, who inaugurated a seminar on Sardar Jaffri – life and contributions’, to create more job opportunities for Urdu speakers.

University of Madras Vice Chancellor R Thandavan (right) presents an award to Md. Ubaidur Rehman (left), head, Department of Urdu, The New College. —PHOTO: K.V. SRINIVASAN / The Hindu

Dr. Thandavan said he had high regard for the language though he did not understand it as well as Hindi. He launched five books and distributed awards to Urdu scholars and personalities who had contributed to the language and the community.

Syed Sajjad Husain, head of the Department of Arabic, Persian and Urdu, which organised the seminar, said 25 eminent scholars, poets and personalities were honoured for their contributions.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – January 01st, 2014

Remembering ‘nana’

September 16, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainmentmpositiveone@gmail.com

Zishan’s photographs documenting his grandfather / The Hindu

PHOTOGRAPHY Watching Zishan Akbar Latif’s exhibition was an experience in itself leaving many feeling cathartic

In this deluge of exhibitions, there are a few which can’t escape attention. Mumbai-based photographer Zishan Akbar Latif’s first ever show “95 Mani Villa” was one of those. First, I wanted to see it because of professional requirements. Importantly, I wanted to see it for myself.

For last couple of years, I have been toying with the idea of recording my grandmother with the intention of documenting the beautiful traditional songs that have been passed on from one generation to another in this family of Madhya Pradesh. The region’s cuisine, its peculiar customs, that I have got a glimpse of while growing up were other aspects I sought to record through my nani who is in her 70s, now.

The project in my mind was merely anthropological until I saw Zishan’s just concluded exhibition, which inspired me to give it a spin and explore the personal world of both my grandparents. Not just my nani’s songs, the sole picture of my grandparents together after they got married in 1951, my grandmother’s colourful hairclips, her bright glass bangles, the paan box they open after every meal, the memories of their dead son and daughter the old couple have clung to, the letters my grandfather writes every single day to the Prime Minister, the President, various political parties and ministries, his poetry and the stories of the various wars he fought in as an army person. I also wish to make my 85-year-old grandfather relive the life in D-20, Delhi Cantt, where I would return to post school every day to play with his hand-made toys in an unimaginably huge garden that he single-handedly maintained…his handcrafted tables, chairs…

95 Mani Villa, brilliantly curated by Amit Mehra, is a similar navigation of memories although with a different approach. It starts with a young photographer setting out to document the last few years of his grandfather Dhanji Anklesaria in 95 Mani Villa in Jhansi. In a pitch dark room, Zishan lets the viewer into his intimate world through the backlit black and white images of his late grandfather.

Shot on film, Zishan captured the last two years of Dhanji’s life trying to understand him better. “It was because of him that my mom had eloped with my father. He reconciled to the fact late. Then he had an estranged relationship with his son, who married a divorcee, a non-parsi, having kids at the age of 53. While he had reconciled with my mother marrying a Muslim, he couldn’t accept his son…I wanted to know him better,” says Zishan.

Frequenting 95 Mani Villa to spend time with his ailing grandfather, Zishan captured his last birthday, his routine, his phone – his only connect to the outside world, his harmonium, his dog, a constant companion and his loneliness. “I wanted to create a surreal space which would enable people to experience and identify with it. It wouldn’t have had the same effect if I had shown just simply displayed prints. And I always wanted to have an AV in the show. The darkness was also intended to prevent the viewer from getting distracted.”

While such personal work could have gone into cliches, Zishan’s work eschews all of them. The subtle, aesthetic shots weave a poignant narrative of inter-personal relationships, memory and familial bonds. “When I started shooting him in 2010, I was shooting to document him, not for a show. But everyone who saw the pictures asked, ‘Where is the grandson?’ There was a distance. By the end of it, everything came together, I as a photographer and I as a grandson.”

SHAILAJA TRIPATHI

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Shailaja Tripathi / December 14th, 2013

Poets from five States participate in Mushayira

September 16, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issuesmpositiveone@gmail.com

Poets from five States participated in a poetry fest organised in Bidar on Monday night by several literary organisations.

Poets used Shayari couplets, Ghazals and Tarannums to send a message to society. The issues they chose ranged from love, heartbreak, mother’s love, the life of the Prophet Mohammad to the recent carnage in Muzaffarnagar.

B. Narayan Rao, former Zilla Panchayat member, who inaugurated the Mushayira, lamented that Urdu was being limited to Muslims. Urdu is the language that binds India together. “While millions of non-Muslims speak Urdu, millions of Muslims in several States don’t understand the language,” he said.

Tanveer Ahmed Salman, who anchored the Mushayira, said Bidar was the city where the first Urdu book “Masnabi Padamrao Kadamrao” was published in the 14th century. This remains a matter of pride for us, he said. It has produced poets of global repute like Hazrath Ishqui in the 18th century and modern day favourites like Rashid Ahmed Rashid and Suleiman Khatib.

Deputy Commissioner P.C. Jaffer released six books. He said though the number of people who spoke Urdu was increasing, the number of those who could read and write the language was decreasing. “This is the problem with most Indian languages. We should make concerted efforts to preserve Urdu and other Indian languages,” Mr. Jaffer said.

The books that were released included Bidar Ke Asare Kadima, a note on the monuments of Bidar, by Abdul Samad Bharati; Tazkara Mahamud Gawan and Jahan-e-Kaleem by Nissar Ahmed Kaleem; Nashrah and Saad by Ameeroddin Amir and Ghanti by Hameed Saleem.

Poets from Karnataka, Andhra, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa participated. They included Misbaq Azmi, Akram Nakkash, Saifuddin Saif Ghori, Naveed Abdul Jaleel and Nooruddin Noor.

Poets from Bidar like Mohammad Yousuf Raheem Bidri, Mukhtadir Taj, Nissar Ahmed Kaleem, Basit Khan Sufi, Ameeroddin Amir and Rehana Begum participated.

The surprise package was the singing of two ghazals by Deputy Conservator Forests Sunil Panwar. “A native of Uttarakhand, he learnt to read and write Urdu after being posted to Bidar,” Mr. Bidri, who was a member of the organising committee, said.

‘Bidar has produced poets of global repute like Hazrath Ishqui, Rashid Ahmed Rashid and Suleiman Khatib’
We should make concerted efforts to preserve Urdu and other Indian languages: P.C. Jaffer

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Bidar – December 10th, 2013