High time I evaluate,
The purpose of my being.
Into another year I graduate,
Alive, with a dream of seeing-
“A world without a border”
Be the new world order.
And…
To stir ripples of ‘feeling’
To propogate waves of ‘caring’
To draw floods of ‘sympathy’
And a tsunami of ‘empathy’.
For millions who strife
For mere neccesities of life.
In a world with ignorance, disease and hunger
Aspiring to make a difference , until I linger.
Ilmana Fasih
18 November 2010
Mere aba-o-ajdad ne hurmat-e-aadmi ke liye,
Ta abad roshni ke liye,
Kalma-e-haq kaha.
Maqtalon, qaidkhanon, saleebon mein behta lahoo un ke hone ka ailan karta hai,
Woh lahoo hurmat-e-aadmi ki zamanat bana,
Ta abad roshni ki alamat bana.
Aur main pa barhana sar-e-koocha ahteyaj,
Rizq ki maslehat ka aseer admi,
Sochta reh gaya.
Jism mein mere un ka lahoo hai to phir ye lahoo bolta kyon nahin ?
Posted by
Ilmana Fasih
23 Nov 2010
Courtesy: Maria Naqvi
I grew up in the residential compound of the Kashmir University Campus and saw many of my dad’s friends visiting our home .
One such person was Jagannath Azad, an Urdu poet who lived in Srinagar Kashmir.
Once , in mid 1970s, while he was sharing some of his poetry at our place, with my father, another friend Balraj Puri and some other guests present, I barged into the room blurting out some lame complaint about my brother.
I had interrupted them so abruptly in the middle of the poetry recital, that I was instantly rewarded with a good scolding from my father, right there in public. I felt so let down that I started to howl.
In order to diffuse the embarrassment, uncle Azad ( as we called him), called me near him and in chaste urdu tried to explain to me,
” Beti aise guftugu ke darmiyan bolna, dakhl dar maqoolat kehlata hai”.
I was barely seven or eight years old, I did not even get a tenth of what he was saying. And instead of heeding to his advice, in a tearful state, I almost mindlessly fired another silly question,
“Uncle how come you know such hard urdu?”
What I had meant without saying in so many words was that Uncle you arent even a muslim, then how come you speak such good urdu?
He just smiled and looked at my dad in awe.
My dad got more furious at my audacity but seeing the situation tried to explain:
“You know this uncle has written the national anthem of Pakistan. “
The uncle just gave half a smile, with a twinkle in his flooded eyes, and looked down. My father got up and gave him a hug.
I ran out of the room again playing and without realising what peice of information my dad had parted to me until just a few months ago when I read an article in Dawn about the controversy of the National Anthem.
And the whole story of my childhood flashed back at me.
However, seen him a number of times all these years, he was a man of few words, and whenever he spoke, it was mostly Urdu shayari. He was an extremely humble man too.
And from here the story of Pakistan’s first National Anthem formally begins:
It is said that the first national anthem was written by Jagannath Azad, a Hindu poet from Lahore who wrote on the personal request of Muhammad Ali Jinnah while he was working with the Radio when Pakistan came into being on August 1947.
Jinnah asked him to write the anthem on August 11, 1947 and it was later approved by Jinnah and used to be the official national anthem for the next year and a half.
According to Jagannath Azad, “The National anthem was written by me in five days time. It was too short time for me but I tried to do full justice to it keeping in mind the road map charted by Jinnah sahib for modern Pakistan.The national anthem was sent to Jinnah sahib who approved it in a few hours. It was sung for the first time on Pakistan radio, Karachi (which was the capital of Pakistan then).
Meanwhile the situation in both east and west Punjab was becoming worse with every passing day and the same set of friends told me in September 1947 that even they would not be able to provide protection to me and that it would be better for me to migrate to India. I decided to migrate to this side. The song written by me continued to be the national anthem for one and a half years.”
Balraj Puri claims that this version of the story is correct. To let the readers know a bit about Balraj Puri, Wickepedia describes him as:
“Balraj Puri is the leading Indian [[Pundit (politics)|Political commentator] and human rights activist. He is known for his impartial and objective views. Puri is the most widely published political commentator. In his 68 years of public career, he has played a crucial role in Indian politics. He mediated the famous 1975 Sheikh Abdullah-Indira Gandhi accord. He worked for communal harmony across India particularly in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. From India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru to the present Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Puri is constantly consulted on various aspects of the Kashmir issue. He also played an important role in restoring peace in Punjab in 1980’s.”
The words are:
Aye sar zameen-i-Pak! اے سرزمین پاک
Zare tere hain aaj sitaron se tabnak ذرے ترے ہیں آج ستاروں سے تابناک
Roshan hai kehkashan se kahin aaj teri khak روشن ہے کہکشاں سے کہیں آج تیری خاک
Tundi-e-hasdan pe ghalib hai tera swaak تندی حاسداں پہ ہے غالب تیرا سواک
Daman wo sil gaya hai jo tha mudaton se chaak دامن وہ سل گیا ہے جو تھا مدتوں سے چاک
Aye sar zameen-i-Pak! اے سرزمین پاک
Ab apne azm ko hai naya rasta pasand اب اپنے عزم کو ہے نیا راستہ پسند
Apna watan hai aaj zamane main sar buland اپنا وطن ہے آج زمانے میں سر بلند
Pohncha sake ga is ko na koi bhi ab gazand پہنچا سکے گا اس کو نہ کوئی بھی اب گزند
Apna alm a hai chand sitaron se bhi buland اپنا علم ہے چاند ستاروں سے بھی بلند
Ab ham ko dekhtey hain atarad hon ya samaak اب ہم کو دیکھتے ہیں عطارد ہوں یا سماک
Aye sar zameen-i-Pak! اے سرزمین پاک
Utra hai imtehan main watan aaj kamyab اترا ہے امتحان میں وطن آج کامیاب
Ab huriat ki zulf nahin mahiv-e-paich-o-taab اب حریت کی زلف نہیں محو پیچ و تاب
Daulat hai apne mulk ki be had-o-be hisaab دولت ہے اپنے ملک کی بے حد و بے حساب
Hon ge ham aap mulk ki daulat se faiz yab ہوں گے ہم آپ ملک کی دولت سے فیض یاب
Maghrib se hum ko khauf na mashriq se hum ko baak مغرب سے ہم کو خوف نہ مشرق سے ہم کو باک
Aye sar zameen-i-Pak! اے سرزمین پاک
Apne watan ka aaj badalne laga nizam اپنے وطن کا آج بدلنے لگا نظام
apne watan main aaj nahin hai koi ghulam اپنے وطن میں آج نہیں ہے کوئی غلام
apna watan hai rah-e-taraqi pe tez gam اپنا وطن ہے راہ ترقی پہ تیز گام
azad, bamurad jawan bakht shad kaam آزاد، بامراد، جوان بخت شاد کام
ab itr bez hain jo hawain thin zehr naak اب عطر بیز ہیں جو ہوائیں تھیں زہر ناک
Aye sar zameen-i-Pak! اے سرزمین پاک
Zare tere hain aaj sitaron se tabnak ذرے تیرے ہیں آج ستاروں سے تابناک
Roshan hai kehkashan se kahin aaj teri khak روشن ہے کہکشاں سے کہیں آج تیری خاک
Aye sar zameen-i-Pak! اے سرزمین پاک
Courtesy: Omar Khalid Inc.
ANOTHER OPINION:
During a discussion on FB with someone from Pakistan, who claims to have studied it indepth and investigated, has this OPINION about the above claim :
“It’s all fake info, and radio Pakistan has denied it, ADC of Quaid-e-Azam denied that young man of age 29 can never met Quaid-e-Azam.I’m working on this story n i’m one of those people who have got the bottom line of this issue..and don’t mention Beena Sarwar, Ashfaq Naqvi, Luv Puri, Chandar k. Azad. I’ve talked to all of them n they don’t have any argument …”
”Yes he wrote a poem Aye sar zameen-e-Pak …that was sung from Radio Pakistan.. no doubt but he has one argument.. in ANKHEN TARASTIAN HAIN … his Autobiography…it’s not Pakistan who has denied it…even you can’t produce from Ahang…the official publisher of Radio Pakistan that publishes the whole script of daily broadcast..there is not a single proof …”.
I certainly do not know what is fake in this information. I do trust my memory, my ears and the uprightness of uncle Azad I knew. People who draw conclusions from history written in Pakistan, do they have an answer to the question:
Why did the National Anthem Committee (NAC), to have a new anthem, come up 3 months after the demise of Quad-e-Azam, and not in his lifetime?
Any answers for that ?
P.S. Please follow this up with another related blog of what happened next: https://thinkloud65.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/the-story-of-qaumi-tarana/
The secret of happiness ( from ALCHEMIST))
A merchant sent his son to learn the Secret of Happiness from the wisest of men. The young man wandered through the desert for forty days until he reached a beautiful castle at the top of a mountain. There lived the sage that the young man was looking for.
However, instead of finding a holy man, our hero entered a room and saw a great deal of activity; merchants coming and going, people chatting in the corners, a small orchestra playing sweet melodies, and there was a table laden with the most delectable dishes of that part of the world.
The wise man talked to everybody, and the young man had to wait for two hours until it was time for his audience.
With considerable patience, the Sage listened attentively to the reason for the boy’s visit, but told him that at that moment he did not have the time to explain to him the Secret of Happiness.
He suggested that the young man take a stroll around his palace and come back in two hours’ time.
“However, I want to ask you a favor,” he added, handling the boy a teaspoon, in which he poured two drops of oil. “While you walk, carry this spoon and don’t let the oil spill.”
The young man began to climb up and down the palace staircases, always keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. At the end of two hours he returned to the presence of the wise man.
“So,” asked the sage, “did you see the Persian tapestries hanging in my dining room? Did you see the garden that the Master of Gardeners took ten years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?”
Embarrassed, the young man confessed that he had seen nothing. His only concern was not to spill the drops of oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.
“So, go back and see the wonders of my world,” said the wise man. “You can’t trust a man if you don’t know his house.”
Now more at ease, the young man took the spoon and strolled again through the palace, this time paying attention to all the works of art that hung from the ceiling and walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around the palace, the delicacy of the flowers, the taste with which each work of art was placed in its niche. Returning to the sage, he reported in detail all that he had seen.
“But where are the two drops of oil that I entrusted to you?” asked the sage.
Looking down at the spoon, the young man realized that he had spilled the oil.
“Well, that is the only advice I have to give you,” said the sage of sages. “The Secret of Happiness lies in looking at all the wonders of the world and never forgetting the two drops of oil in the spoon.”
from the book “The Alchemist”
PAULO COELHO:
The story above is taken from my book “The Alchemist”, currently 150 weeks in the New York Times Bestselling list + one of the Top 20 Bestselling Books from all timesTHANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT!
This was narrated by an IAF pilot to IIT students during a Seminar on Human Relations:
Venkatesh Balasubramaniam (who works for IIT) describes how his gesture of booking an air ticket for his father, his maiden flight, brought forth a rush of emotions and made him (Venkatesh) realize that how much we all take for granted when it comes to our parents. My parents left for our native place on Thursday and we went to the airport to see them off. In fact, my father had never traveled by air before, so I just took this opportunity to make him experience the same. In spite of being asked to book tickets by train, I got them tickets on Jet Airways. The moment I handed over the tickets to him, he was surprised to see that I had booked them by air.. The excitement was very apparent on his face, waiting for the time of travel. Just like a school boy, he was preparing himself on that day and we all went to the airport, right from using the trolley for his luggage, the baggage check-in and asking for a window seat and waiting restlessly for the security check-in to happen. He was thoroughly enjoying himself and I, too, was overcome with joy watching him experience all these things. As they were about to go in for the security check-in, he walked up to me with tears in his eyes and thanked me. He became very emotional and it was not as if I had done something great but the fact that this meant a great deal to him. When he said thanks, I told him there was no need to thank me. But later, thinking about the entire incident, I looked back at my life. As a child, how many dreams our parents have made come true. Without understanding the financial situation, we ask for cricket bats, dresses, toys, outings, etc. Irrespective of their affordability, they have catered to all our needs. Did we ever think about the sacrifices they had to make to accommodate many of our wishes? Did we ever say thanks for all that they have done for us? Same way, today when it comes to our children, we always think that we should put them in a good school. Regardless of the amount of donation, we will ensure that we will have to give the child the best, theme parks, toys, etc. But we tend to forget that our parents have sacrificed a lot for our sake to see us happy, so it is our responsibility to ensure that their dreams are realized and what they failed to see when they were young. It is our responsibility to ensure that they experience all those and their life is complete. Many times, when my parents had asked me some questions, I have actually answered back without patience. When my daughter asks me something, I have been very polite in answering. Now I realize how they would have felt at those moments. Let us realize that old age is a second childhood and just as we take care of our children, the same attention and same care needs to be given to our parents and elders. Rather than my dad saying thank you to me, I would want to say sorry for making him wait so long for this small dream. I do realize how much he has sacrificed for my sake and I will do my best to give the best possible attention to all their wishes. Just because they are old does not mean that they will have to give up everything and keep sacrificing for their grandchildren also. They have wishes, too.. Take care of your parents. THEY ARE PRECIOUS.
“I see more and more that my work goes infinitely better when I am properly fed, and the paints are there, and the studio and all that. But have I set my heart on my work being a success? A thousand times no. I wish I could manage to make you really understand that when you give money to artists, you are yourself doing an artist’s work, and that I only want my pictures to be of such a quality that you will not be too dissatisfied with your work.”
Vincent van Gogh
Written by Agha Mehr Gul.
The rescue of the Chilean miners trapped 600 feet below the earth for almost 70 days was really dramatic. Life still has value in some countries.
It got me thinking, what the situation might have been had these miners been Pakistanis…..
To start off, of the 30 odd miners, half of them would have been killed within the first 48 hours by the other half over arguments as to who among them was responsible for the collapse of the mine. And if rescue did come, they would be pulling each other down to be the first one out!
Meanwhile, on the surface…
Rehman Malik would have announced within the first few moments of the incident that all the miners were dead, only to retract his statement later.
Zardari would have flown abroad to muster diplomatic support from France and be enjoying life wining and dining in his chateau.
The Prime Minster could have come out with his usual statement that if such an incident had taken place, he was not aware of it, but such things happen everywhere, his govt just Inherited Old practices of mines collapsing…..
Nawaz Sharif would first join hands with the PPP in saving the lives of the miners and then turn against his “bhai” alleging that this was a plot to gain votes.
Imran Khan would be blaming the Americans and then Pak Army for the collapse of the mine.
Altaf Hussain would want the government to hand over the rescue operation to the army.
Ejaz Butt would be trying to figure out who would lead the rescue team.
A Geo reporter would be the first person to reach the miners.
Hamid Mir would have uncovered corruption and mismanagement of funds allocated to the rescue plan.
Iftkhar Chaudhry would take a suo motto and then launch an investigation to find out if any of the miners had benefited from the NRO.
The police would try to stop the miners lawyers from reaching the site, resulting in a clash and “the law” of the country would beat the crap out of each other.
And while the rescue shuttle, which would probably be a rusted barrel tied with a worn out rope being pulled (remember it’s load shedding time) by an old undernourished overworked donkey with flies on his wounds, is lowered into the ground, an American drone bombs the place, killing not only the miners but their families as well. US govt would announce, Mission accomplished. Saying, Militants who were trying to dig their way into Europe before swimming to the USA were happily all killed!!!The World led by David Cameron and UN would applaud the US action.
Rehman Malik : “The miners were already dead before the drone
30,NOVEMBER 2010
Life is a fact,
Living is an art.
Upon us to act,
With choices called ‘smart’.
Neither with options ‘wierd’,
Nor should be feared.
But accept with grace,
The hardships we face.
Whether sweet or sour,
Are the grapes of life,
Stay who we are,
Without bitterness or strife.
Would rather not live,
Than leave my sanity.
More fulfilling to ‘give’,
Than ‘take’ for vanity.
Life’s road takes turn,
Brings lessons to learn.
With display of dignity,
We ascend to eternity.
Ilmana Fasih
10 November 2010
Dulles Airport, Washington DC.
Blind to Bounds 
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