At 65, Sheikh Nazim is one of Kolkata’s old ‘bhistiwalas’ (water carriers). Every day, he walks along the city’s lanes and bylanes, witness to the living history of its brick and mortar heritage. One of the last survivors of our rapidly changing times, he is still tireless, still inseparable from his water bag or ‘mussock’ (mashak), which is so much more than just a repository for about 30 litres of water. It is, in fact, a repository of an entire history. Some of that history has now been captured in ‘Ripples Under the Skin’, a film by documentary maker Farha Khatun. And Nazim is the face of the film.
Farha Khatun
This is also a story about Kolkata, told from the perspective of a migrant labourer. There was a time when thousands of people like Nazim travelled to Kolkata from Bihar (including what later became Jharkhand) in search of livelihoods. With time, the city became their refuge, giving them a roof over their heads, some form of income, and at least two square meals a day. Some of them managed to scrape together enough money to build a home of their own, some spent an entire lifetime in rented rooms.
Farah’s film is up for screening on December 19 and 21 at the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival, in the Short and Documentary Panorama section. Explaining her choice of subject, Farah says, “I myself came to this city as a migrant in search of a living. Nazim chacha’s story was an inspiration. People like him fight relentlessly to stay afloat in the face of all odds, and help each other whenever needed. My film talks about this bond between warriors, through Nazim chacha.”
Farah herself travelled to Kolkata’s Roopkala Kendra to study film editing all the way from the remote Medinipur (West) village of Belda. Life as a Muslim woman among the city’s teeming millions wasn’t always easy. And her socio-political beliefs didn’t help. Which is what drew her to Nazim, who she met through a journalist friend. As she puts it, “I want my film to talk about the marginalised. We are all connected to water, and Nazim chacha is part of that connection.”
With previous films like ‘I Am Bonnie’ (co-directed with Satarupa Santra and Sourav Kanti Dutta) and the 2021 National Award-winning Urdu film ‘Holy Rights’ (a 53-minute docu on Muslim women kazis), Farah has taken ‘Ripples Under the Skin’ to Barcelona International Environmental Film Festival in Spain, Queens World Film Festival, USA, International Film Festival of Shimla, and other festivals.
Bhistiwalas hark back to a time when Kolkata had no pipelines to carry water. Their mussocks made of goatskin were a familiar sight across the city, carrying water to all quarters. Indeed, the word ‘bhisti’ apparently comes from the Persian word ‘behest’ or heaven, an indicator of the life-giving nature of the profession.
Mussocks slung across their shoulders, bhistiwalas supplied water primarily for cooking and bathing, though until the 195os, many of them were also engaged in washing some of the city’s important thoroughfares. Both Kolkata and Dhaka were home to entire neighbourhoods of bhistiwalas, though the picture has changed beyond recognition now. Of the handful of bhistiwalas who still supply water to a few North Kolkata homes and shops, Nazim is one.
Ripples Under the Skin poster
A demanding profession at any age, being a water carrier at 65 is a stiff challenge. Nazim charges Rs 10 for water supplied to ground floors, and between Rs 20 and 30 for upper floors. There was a time when he could carry up to 40 mussocks of water, which has now come down to eight or 10. At present, his only customers are meat and tea sellers, and forget the big screen, he cannot even remember the last time he saw himself in a photograph.
Kolkata is still home to around 40 bhisti families, most of them originally from Katihar in Bihar. Living in rented homes in central Kolkata, they primarily cater to the areas around Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, Brindaban Das Lane, Marquis Street, Elliot Road, the clientele comprising roughly 30 homes. Beginning their work at the crack of dawn, they visit each home and shop in turn. Nazim is happy with whatever he earns, his strong shoulders emblematic of an equally strong temperament. That is the strength of someone who carries history on his shoulders.
Ripples Under the Skin (Hindi, 29 minutes) will be screened at Nandan-3 at 2.00 pm on December 19 and at Sisir Mancha at 1.30 pm on December 21
source: http://www.getbengal.com / Get Bengal / Home> Culture> Film, Theatre & TV / by Suman Sadhu / December 17th, 2022
Okhla-based leading Arabic scholar, author and recently retired Jamia Prof no more
A well-known Arabic scholar, author of several books and editor of Urdu monthly magazine Allah Ki Pukar, Professor Syed Khalid Ali Hamidi, passed away a few hours ago in a local hospital in Okhla, according to family and friend sources.
The reason behind his sudden death couldn’t be ascertained till the filing of this report as three days ago he was live on his YouTube channel: Tazkeer e Quran By Khalid Hamidi. After the third Covid wave hit India, including Delhi and curbs being imposed to control the spread, Professor Hamidi was holding his weekly Quran porgramme online, interacting with his fans in the virtual world.
UPDATE: It was today (Wednesday morning) when while going out for some work, he fell in his parking and died within hours in a local hospital where he was rushed, said a resident who knows the family, adding that he could not be resuscitated in the hospital.
Born in 1956 in Rampur to Syed Hamid Ali, a writer and Jamaat-e-Islamia (Hind) stalwart, and Aisha Bee, Professor Hamidi was a known face in Okhla and Jamia. He retired from the Arabic Department of Jamia just a few years ago where he was Head of the Department.
Professor Hamidi initially studied in madarsa and did Almiat and Fazilat from Jamiatul Falah in Azamgarh. After which he came to Jamia and did his BA in 1979 and MA in 1981 from the university. He was a gold medalist at Jamia. His PhD was on India’s contribution to Hadeeth literature in Arabic in six volumes.
He did a doctorate in Arabic in 1993 and then joined Jamia as a lecturer in 1981. Besides a prolific writer, Professor Hamidi was a good orator.
Professor Hamidi’s father Syed Hamid Ali disassociated himself from JIH in later life.
Prof Hamidi was also a critic of JIH policies. He was a well-known Islamic scholar and wrote 20 books and used to give dars-e-Quran at his Abul Fazal residence every Saturday and Sunday, said sources.
Till his last days he continued to publish his magazine Allah Ki Pukar where he penned hart-hitting opinion pieces.
Friendly with junior, he was known to shares his view openly.
source: http://www.theokhlatimes.com / The Okhla Times / Home> Local / by theokhlatimes / January 19th, 2022
On India’s Republic Day, a Mushaira was organized in the Engineering and Polytechnic Auditorium of Jamia Milia Islamia University, Delhi. This event saw some of India’s most prominent Hindi and Urdu literary voices as Ashok Chakrdhar, Ahmad Mahfooz, Dinesh Raghuvanshi, Salma Shaheen, Ahmad Naseeb Khan, Aleena Itrat Rizvi, Majid Deobandi, Shehpar Rasool, Khalid Mubashir, Khalid Mehmood, Chandradev Yadav, Durga Prasad, Shahid Anjum, Moeen Shadab, and Khan M Rizwan.
Patriotic poems remembering heroes of India’s national freedom struggle, and India’s democratic values, diversity, and unity were recited. This event coincided with many universities across India experiencing student unrest over issues that can distract students from their studies.
Dinesh Raghuvanshi said, ‘apni mitti pe agar naaz nahi kar sakte, zindagi hum tera aaghaz nahi kar sakte’ or when Majid Debandi recited ‘Jis ke dil mein watan ki azmat hai, hum usey apni jaan kehte haen’, the hall resounded with applause. That was the true culmination of this event meant to send a message of solidarity and unity from this most important educational institution of the country.
It was a well-attended event Presided over by the Vice Chancellor Professor Najma Akhtar.
The message from the poetic symposium was clear – a vocal minority cannot be allowed to hijack the peaceful and progressive atmosphere of the University. The University has always played a significant role in nation-building through quality education and, giving good professionals to the country. It also conducts research and promotes cultural diversity, and encourages students to become informed and socially responsible citizens who can contribute to the development of the country.
Jamia Millia Islamia was founded in 1920 as a non-government, secular university in Delhi, India. It was established as a response to British colonial rule and the Indian independence movement. It played a significant role in the independence struggle by educating and empowering the youth to participate in the freedom movement. In the post-independence era, Jamia has continued to be a center of excellence in education, research, and cultural exchange, serving as a model for an inclusive and equitable society.
Jamia Millia Islamia has produced many noted alumni who have made significant contributions in various fields such as politics, arts, media, and academics. Some of the notable alumni include Salman Khurshid, former Union Minister of India, and Shah Rukh Khan, a Bollywood actor, and film producer. Mukul Kumar, aerospace engineer and former NASA scientist, Saeed Akhtar Mirza, film director and screenwriter, and Nafisa Ali, actor, and social activist.
Jamia Millia Islamia was recently ranked as one of the top universities in India by several national and international ranking agencies.
The University has a vibrant student political culture and is known for its strong student activism and political engagement. Various student groups play an important role in shaping the discourse on important national and local issues, and in advocating for student rights and interests.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by ATV / posted by Aasha Khosa / January 31st, 2023
Afeefa K wins first place with an “A grade” in Kannada speaking this year in the Kerala State Festival
At the Arts Festival, which concluded on 7 January, the topic for Kannada speech was “role of voters in democracy”. Afeefa said she explained the misuse of voters and how it damages society.
Afeefa, a student at Shimogga’s KPCL High School in the tenth grade, was forced to leave school as soon as the Karnataka government banned the hijab in February of last year.
She is currently enrolled in Darunnajath HSS, a school located in Karuvarakund, her grandfather’s hometown and a town in Kerala’s Malappuram district.
Source: Maktoob Media
source: http://www.thehindustangazette.com / The Hindustan Gazette / Home> National> Karnataka / by Ayesha Mastoor / January 11th, 2023
Kashmir’s unofficial poet laureate, he gave voice to the rich culture of a bitterly divided territory and helped give his mother tongue a distinct literary identity.
Rehman Rahi in 2007, after becoming the first Kashmiri to win India’s highest literary award.Credit…Sipra Das/The The India Today Group, via Getty Images
New Delhi:
Rehman Rahi, a celebrated Kashmiri poet who devoted his life to promoting and preserving the Kashmiri language and gave its poetry a distinct identity, died on Monday at his home in Srinagar, Kashmir’s biggest city. He was 97.
His son, Dr. Dildar Ahmad, confirmed the death.
Throughout his career as a writer and university professor, Mr. Rahi was committed to Kashmiri, a language he considered the source of Kashmiri identity and essential for preserving the ancient culture of a divided territory.
He published more than a dozen books of poetry and prose in Kashmiri and is credited with restoring the language spoken by more than six million people to the realm of literature, lifting it out of the shadow of Persian and Urdu, which once dominated the literary scene in Kashmir, a disputed territory that straddles India and Pakistan.
“He introduced intellectual richness, modern sensibility and accessibility to Kashmiri language and poetry,” Muhammad Amin Bhat, a Kashmiri television anchor and president of Adbee Markaz Kamraz, the region’s oldest literary organization, said in an interview this week. “Without a doubt, he was the greatest living poet of modern Kashmiri language.”
Over a career that spanned many decades, Mr. Rahi won dozens of awards, including the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honor, in 2000, and in 2007 the Jnanpith Award, India’s top literary prize, becoming the first Kashmiri to do so.
In 1961, he won a literary award from India’s National Academy of Letters, for his poetry anthology “Nawroz-i-Saba” or “Advent of the Spring Breeze,” (1958).
Like most Kashmiris, Mr. Rahi grew up speaking conversational Kashmiri, but the language had been removed from schools — the Indian government viewed it as subversive — and its formal speech had fallen into disuse.
In the 1950s, he attended a poetry reading in the village of Raithan in central Kashmir, where a Kashmiri poem was greeted with tremendous applause. Mr. Rahi then went onstage and read his work in Urdu, then the region’s official language.
“No one understood it,” he said in an interview with The New York Times last year. “That day I started learning Kashmiri.”
That was the beginning of his long love affair with the language, which he described in his 1966 poem “Hymn to a Language”:
O Kashmiri language! I swear by you, you are my awareness, my vision too the radiant ray of my perception the whirling violin of my conscience!
He also promoted Kashmiri in more concrete ways. He was one of the biggest supporters of a campaign to restore the language to schools, an effort that finally succeeded in 2000. He helped recruit teachers and scholars to teach Kashmiri and created a course to teach it to children.
More recently, his poems addressed the despair of the Kashmiri people living at the heart of a bitter and longstanding dispute between India and Pakistan.
One untitled poem reads:
It may not be possible to speak, what can we do? It may not be possible to bear burdens of the heart, what can we do? The flower may refuse to blossom but does it have the right? There is a fire burning in its bosom, what can we do?
Rehman Rahi was born Abdul Rehman Mir on May 6, 1925, into a poor Muslim family in the Wazpora area of the city of Srinagar.
His father, Ghulam Muhammad Mir, a day laborer, died when Rehman was 14; his mother, Rahat Begum, was a homemaker. After the death of his father, he was raised by a maternal uncle.
Rehman studied Persian at Sri Pratap College and English at Kashmir University, both in Srinagar, earning a master’s degree in each language. He started writing while in college, adopting the pen name Rehman Rahi.
He worked briefly as a clerk in the department of Public Works, earning just a few cents a month and sometimes traveling dozens of miles to northern Kashmir for his job.
He then joined a regional Urdu-language newspaper, Khidmat, as an opinion writer. In 1947, the Indian subcontinent was partitioned into India and Pakistan, leading to widespread violence between Muslims and Hindus and cleaving what had been the princely state of Kashmir.
For years, Mr. Rahi wrote about the pain and anguish that the upheaval had inflicted on millions of ordinary people and how it had shaped their experiences and encounters. He also started writing poetry.
In 1964, he joined the Persian department of Kashmir University as a lecturer, and in 1979 switched to the recently created Kashmiri department.
He married Zareena Mir, who died in 2019. Along with his son, Dr. Ahmad, Mr. Rahi is survived by two other sons, Dr. Javed Iqbal and Dr. Farhad Hussain; a daughter, Nighat Nowsheen; and five grandchildren.
He retired from the university in 1985.
Mr. Rahi was sometimes criticized for having failed to engage with the brutal conditions faced by many Kashmiris, who have been oppressed by both Indian security forces and Kashmiri militants fighting for independence from India.
While working for the newspaper Khidmat, he joined the Progressive Writer’s Association, which was affiliated with India’s Communist Party, and early in his career he had a reputation as a progressive poet.
But he later denounced Communism and became more guarded about his political thinking.
As Kashmir plunged deeper into turmoil after an insurgency began in 1989, Mr. Rahi’s poetry grew more somber, expressing anguish over the mounting violence, yet he continued to avoid addressing the politics around it. He saw literary modernism as a new framework for examining the human condition.
Abir Bazaz, a professor of Kashmiri literature at Ashoka University, outside of New Delhi, said Mr. Rahi’s reticence had been a valid response to the conflict.
“Rahi’s political silence, a refusal to take sides in the vicious cycles of insurgency and counterinsurgency in Kashmir, does offer a hope for a path beyond the violent binaries that have shaped the Kashmiri present,” Dr. Bazaz said.
He cited a poem Mr. Rahi wrote in 1995, at the height of the insurgency, seemingly justifying his detachment:
Looking at that state, I only desired madness and silence I was told your fate, dear, is madness and silence
But in the Times interview last year, looking back on his career, Mr. Rahi expressed regret, faulting himself and other poets for failing to sufficiently grapple with the difficult realities on the streets of his homeland.
“We stood with pen and paper on banks of a river filled with blood,” he said, “and chose not to see the pristine water had turned red.”
Sameer Yasir is a reporter for The New York Times. He joined The Times in 2020 and is based in New Delhi. @sameeryasir
source: http://www.nytimes.com / The New York Times / Home> Asia Pacific / by Sameer Yasir / January 11th, 2023
A two-day exhibition celebrating the achievements of Muslim women will be held at the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad on October 1 and 2 by the Intellectual Learning Methodologies (ILM) Foundation in association with the Shaheen Group of Educational Institutions, Islah and Asli Talbina.
The exhibition is aimed at educating the common man about the astounding accomplishments of Muslim women.
Achievements of 40 women in different fields will be showcased and details of their accomplishments will be explained through posters, Siasat.com quoted Dr Lateef of ILM Foundation as saying.
The exhibition will be inaugurated by Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, general secretary of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
According to a study of early Islamic history, took an active part in all walks of life. These women excelled as rulers, warriors, nurses, scholars, jurists, teachers, traders and companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
When Dr Lateef started working on the subject some one-and-half years ago he stumbled upon the names of nearly 10,000 women who had made immense contributions in their field.
Ayesha, the wife of the Prophet Muhammed, who made a huge contribution to the cause of Islam through her intelligence and scholarship is among some of the well-known names whose achievements will be showcased at the exhibition.
“Lives of early Muslim women represent exemplary models, transcending time and boundaries. And they are a great source of inspiration,” Dr Lateef told the website.
Organisers also plan to take the exhibition to several parts across the country after Hyderabad. Juveria Sabir and Zoha Ansari, working at the Edventure Park, a start-up incubator have been working relentlessly to showcase the exhibition on inspiring women achievers.
The two-day exhibition with a free entry will be held in Salar Jung Museum’s eastern block from 11 am to 5 pm.
source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate / Home> News / by Rabia Shireen / September 27th, 2022
On the occasion of the 74th Republic Day, 91 persons were selected for Padma Shri awards under various categories across the country, including two persons from Jammu and Kashmir.
The names of Mohan Singh and Ghulam Mohammad Zaz were announced on the eve of Republic Day on Wednesday after the approval of Sadria Jamhoori.
Mohan Singh was honoured with the Padma Shri award for his valuable services in the field of literature and education, while Ghulam Muhammad Zaz, a resident of the Zaina Kadal area of Shahr-Khas, who has a unique distinction will be awarded in the field of art.
The Padma Shri Award is one of the highest civilian awards in the country which is given in three categories. These awards are presented by the President of India at a formal ceremony usually held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in March or April every year.
Ghulam Mohammad Zaz from Kashmir is the last artisan to make santoor in Kashmir. He has inherited this work from his family. Ghulam Muhammad Zaz is not only the eighth generation of his family but also the last artisan of the entire Kashmir who is a santoor maker.
Expressing his views on this occasion, Ghulam Muhammad Zaz expressed happiness and said that it is a happy thing to select him for this honour, but he was saddened by the fact that this honour was not given to anyone in his last eight generations. could be found
“It is very sad that this honour is being given, but the sadness is that this honour should have been given long ago,” he said.
He added that it is a matter of pride for me and the Kashmir Valley as our work and art is being appreciated at the national level.
It is to be remembered that Ghulam Muhammad Zaz is moving forward to make instruments used in classical or mystical music apart from the santoor. (ANI)
This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print / Home> India / by ANI / January 26th, 2023
Author of several Odia books, Hussain had also translated the Hindi novel ‘Rani Laxmi Bai’ into Odia which was later published by the National Book Trust in 2012.
Litterateur Hussain Rabi Gandhi
Bhubaneswar :
Eminent Odia writer, former president of Odisha Sahitya Akademi and politician Hussain Rabi Gandhi passed away at Cuttack on Saturday. He was 75 and undergoing treatment for old age-related ailments at SCB Medical College and Hospital.
Author of several Odia books including ‘Mukta Purbasa’, ‘Hajijaithiba Manisa’ and ‘Punsacha Salabega’, Hussain had also translated the Hindi novel ‘Rani Laxmi Bai’ into Odia which was later published by the National Book Trust in 2012. His story ‘Galpa Samaraha’ was included in the Odia syllabus of Plus II.
At the Odisha Sahitya Akademi, he served as the vice-president from 2005 to 2008 and then as the president of Akademi from 2008 to 2010. Hussain was also the former editor of the state government’s ‘Utkal Prasanga’.
Inspired by the legendary Biju Patnaik, Hussain had joined the undivided Janata Dal in 1988 and was appointed its general secretary. He served as the general secretary of Biju Janata Dal from 1998 till 2005 and the ruling party’s observer for Deogarh and Sambalpur elections.
He was conferred the title of Biplabi Loka Kabi by the mayor of Cuttack in 1994. He was also awarded Utkala Jyoti and Gangadhar Meher Kabita awards for his notable contributions to the field of Odia poetry. People from all walks of life condoled his death. Expressing grief at Husain’s demise, Governor of Odisha Prof Ganeshi Lal said Odia literature will forever be in debt for his contributions.
Mourning his death, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said Gandhi had a long association with Biju Patnaik and later with BJD. “He has contributed immensely in strengthening the Biju Janata Dal and promoted the values of Biju Babu and BJD.” An established writer, who contributed immensely to Odia literature, his death is a great loss to the state, Naveen added.
“I am saddened to hear the news of the passing away of Hussain Ravi Gandhi, a prominent literary figure of Odisha and former president of the Odisha Sahitya Akademi. May the immortal soul rest in peace,” Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bhubaneswar / by Express News Service / January 28th, 2023
We are celebrating the 811 annual Urs (death anniversary) according to the lunar calendar of Khwaja Gharib Nawaz of Ajmer who was born on February 1 1143 AD in Sijz, Sistan, Iran. He left the world on March 15, 1236 AD in Ajmer, Rajasthan. Since that time his disciples and followers have been celebrating his death anniversary as per the Sufi traditions.
The Sufi mystics celebrate the death and not birth as for them death means a reunion with Almighty Allah.
He was brought up in Khurasan, Iran, while his father Ghayasuddinn died when he was 15. He studied in Isfahan, Samarqand, and Bukhara, and went to Baghdad in search of a spiritual mentor. There, he met Hazrat Khawaja Usman Harooni. Thereafter, he went to visit the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Eventually, he came to Ajmer in India via Lahore where he lived for the rest of his life and became his resting place after death.
It’s a surprising truth that Muslim kings ruled for around 800 years over India and built many historical monuments such as the Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Humayun Tomb, and Qutub Minar, and yet none of them is alive in the hearts of people except in the history books. Unlike kings and rulers, Khwaja Gharib Nawaz won the hearts of millions of helpless, poor, weaker, and underprivileged people and seekers of truth. With divine mercy, he became Gharib Nawaz (supporter of the poor), though his original name is Moinuddin (helper of the religion).
He fulfilled Huqooq ullah (God’s rights) and Huqooqul ibad (human rights) equally and served the weak and poor, loved the unloved, and fed the hungry irrespective of caste, creed, gender, and religion. It was his outstanding service and love towards humanity that attracted people from across the society, unlike any rulers. They loved and followed this Sufi mystic and therefore he was called “Sultanul Hind”, the king of the Indian subcontinent. He then developed the Chishti Sufi order in this subcontinent and became the Sufi mystic with the highest following in the world.
The scene outside the Ajmer Sharif dargah
The uniqueness of his Sufi order and his character was that he greatly impacted others with his pious character and selfless service and he accepted and accommodated the local traditions and made them part of his Sufi order.The message of universal fraternity, harmony, and brotherhood spread by the Sufis saints was so loud and inclusive that even after their union with God (Wisal-e-ilahi), their hospices remain abuzz with the people of all walks of life.
On top of all Indian shrines, the Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti known as Daghah Khwaja Gharib Nawaz in the heart of Ajmer city surrounded by Tara Gadh hills is the shining example of love, harmony, unity, and fraternity.
Maulana Rumi beautifully talks about the human heart:
Ek dil behtar hazaran Ka’be ast
(One heart is far better than a thousand Ka’baas).
He further says (Translated version):
Bring your heart in your hand; your soothing is more important than a pilgrimage. A single heart is better than a thousand Ka’abas. The K’aba was built by Allah’s Khalil (friend) Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim (Abraham), while the heart, in contrast, was created and tested by the Almighty God Himself.
The great Sufi saint of India Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty who is also known as Gharib Nawaz of Ajmer often taught the people: love towards all and malice towards none. His disciples and successors held this message of their mentor by tooth and their hospices became the center for spreading universal love and affinity. His disciple Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi often recited the following couplets of Persian poet Abu Said Abul Khair:
“If people spread thorns in your path, you just put flowers in their way; otherwise the entire path would become thorny”.
Sufi saints in a prayers at the Dargah during the Urs
Today, we Muslims in India must not forget what Khwaja Gharib Nawaz of Ajmer Sharif and Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi taught us.
The love, fraternity, and affection shown by the Sufi saints to the common people won their hearts, and their hospices (khanqahs were the center of love where people from all walks of life began to flock to seek succor for their miseries. These Sufi saints respected the local customs and culture to the extent that even many of them became vegetarian due to respect for their non-Muslim brothers. Khwaja Gharib Nawaz, Khawaja Nizamuddin Aulia, Sarmad Shaheed, Bu Ali Shah Qalandar, and many others had become pure vegetarians in respect of their non-Muslim brethren. Their philosophy was simple: live and let live; love and compassion to all, no hate or discrimination on the ground of caste, creed, culture, religion, and gender.
Chishty Sufis continued to adopting of local traditions. For instance in Delhi, Hazrat Amir Khusrau was the one who started celebrating Basant Panchami to make his mentor Nizamuddin Auliya happy. Since then, the Basant celebration is continuing on the premises of Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya.
Being a Persian scholar and follower of a Sufi order, I came across the anthology of Sufi poets like, Rumi, Jami, Khusro, Shah Niaz be Niaz, Baba Bulle Shah, Shah Zaheen Taji, Bedam Shah Warsi in both Urdu and Persian languages. Their metaphysical and mystic poems were very impressive, moving, and touching. This has increased my curiosity to know more about it, I got a chance to attend a 3-day-long Sufi music concert in Delhi, organized by famous music composer and film director Muzaffar Ali with the title of Jahan-e-Khusrau in Humayun tomb. This concert is organized by him every year and attended by world-famous Sufi musicians and vocals from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, and many other countries. However, every year the well-known vocalist Abida Parveen of Pakistan steals the show.
As soon as she starts her melody in the most fascinating and moving voice, the people begin crying in their hearts. It seems as if she is on the direct hotline with the Almighty God. Though more than 2 decades have passed, I still remember the rhythm of her voice and her selection of poems from the anthologies of Amir Khausrau, Baba Bulle Shah, Shah Zaheen Taji, and Shah Niaz Bareilvi.
The following metaphysical mystic poems of Shah Niaz Barelvi recited by Abida Perveen attracted my special attention:
Yaar ko hum ne ja baja dekha, kahin zahir kahin chupa dekha…
I saw my beloved everywhere, somewhere apparent and somewhere hidden.
Kahin mumkin hua kahin wajib, Kahin fani kahin baqi dekha.
Somewhere He was merely a possibility and somewhere He was imperative. Somewhere I saw Him ephemeral, and somewhere I found him eternal.
Kahin wo badshah takht nashin, Kahin kasa liye gada dekha.
Somewhere, I saw Him a king sitting on His throne, and sometimes I saw Him mendicant with a begging bowl.
Kahin wo dar libas e mashooqan, Bar sare naz aur ada dekha.
Somewhere He was in the most beautiful attire, displaying His unique charm and attraction.
Kahin ashiq Niaz ki surat, Seena giryan to dil jala dekha.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi handing over a Chadar for offering at the tomb of Moinuddin Chisty for the Urs
Somewhere He was like a lover Niaz, beating his chest and his heart was in flame.
This unique hymn of God almost mesmerized the entire audience. There was a pin-drop silence as the people felt that divine light is pervading from all sides. After hearing this fabulous hymn, I decided to pay my obeisance at his shrine built about 300 years ago in Bareilly.
Though he associated himself with both the Chishti and Qadri orders of the Sufis, he favoured the Chishty order in which the saints were encouraged to reach the maximum number of people whoever they may be. In the footsteps of his predecessors, he also followed the local customs and traditions to win the hearts of people from all creeds and castes. His main emphasis was to clean the heart instead of cleaning the apparent body and clothes.
The Chishty Sufi order was established in Indian Sub-Continent by Khwaja Gharib. It’s organised by Baba Fariduddin Ganj Shakar Pak Patan and it flourished to the highest level by Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi. The basic philosophy of Chishty Sufis is to love the unloved, welcome the ignorant, and serve the unserved. They united the human heart and lived in harmony by their nature of acceptance of others’ good things from local tradition and influenced others by their pious and selfless character. They said that whoever comes to us give them food and don’t ask about their religion. that’s the beauty behind flourishing their Sufi order even though it’s increasing day by day after 800 years. Khwaja Gharib Nawaz shrine is 5th largest gathering spiritual place in the world after the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudia Arabia and Najaf and Karbala in Iraq..
Right from Khwaja Gharib Nawaz of Ajmer to Baba Farid Pak Patan, Nizamuddin Auliya Delhi, Sabir e pak in Peeran Kaliyar, Amir khusrau Dehlavi,
Sarmad Shaheed, Bande Nawaz Gesu Daraz in Gulbaga, Baba Tajuddin in Nagpur, Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir Simnani in kichowcha and Alaul Haq Pandvi in Bengal, Shah Niaz in Bareilly and Haji Waris Ali shah in Dewa have their respective chains of Sufi shrines spread all over the Indian Sub-Continent. They continue to rule over millions of hearts through their unique philosophies of unconditional love and compassion. Anyone observes the impact of local traditions in their shrines’ rituals and amongst their followers.
Dr. Hafeezur Rahman is an author, Islamic scholar, TV host and the founder of Sufi Peace Foundation.
source:http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home / by Dr Hafeezur Rahman / posted by Aasha Khosa / January 29th, 2013
Sikander Mirza Changezi, Founding Member of Shah Waliullah Public Library, showing the Diwan [book] of the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Diwan-e-Zafar. Photo: Video Screengrab.
Located in a narrow lane in front of Jama Masjid, Old Delhi, Hazrat Shah Waliullah Public Library is home to around 25,000 books including rare works in Urdu, Hindi, Persian, Arabic and English.
When the area witnessed communal riots in 1987, a group of young individuals formed the Delhi Youth Welfare Association (DYWA) in Shahjahanabad – today’s Old Delhi, to help people with food and medicines.
With time, the group started expanding its activities to education and opened a library in 1994. This library was named after the revered Islamic scholar, Hazrat Shah Waliullah, who was a Muslim reformist in 18th century India.
Reporter, Camera & Edit: Oohini Mukherjee, Zeeshan Kaskar.
Special thanks: Taqi Mohammed, Mohammad Naeem, Sikander Mirza Changezi.
source: http://www.himalmag.com / Himal, South Asian / Home> Culture> India> Video / by Oohini Mukherjee and Zeeshan Kaskar / October 04th, 2022
