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The real fight we need to fight


First published in Aman Ki Asha, The News, 29 June 2011
http://www.amankiasha.com/detail_news.asp?id=483


The news didn’t cause much of a stir. After all, it wasn’t a buzz about Bollywood beauties — say Katrina, Kareena or even Veena — or about an Afia Siddiqui, or even a Baba Ramdev or some other ‘hot’ icon that triggers off all-day media coverage. This news report was all about the faceless, nameless women, not one, not two, but millions. But who cares, when there is no nametag, or brand associated with them? Perhaps not many will guess what I am referring to.

Perhaps ignorance is bliss.

I noticed a few tweets, even fewer facebook statuses, a handful blogs that made a passing mention of this ‘news’ which perhaps for many was not much newsworthy in Pakistan, although on the Indian side it was mentioned in quite a few articles and caused relatively more concern.

The news item in question was the recent Thomson Reuters Foundation report according to which Pakistan and India were ranked third and fourth respectively as the world’s most unsafe places for women. If it wasn’t for war-torn Afghanistan and Congo, we would have topped the list. The fifth country in the club was Somalia.

Is it not ironic that India and Pakistan, which also belong to the elite club of the world’s ‘nuclear powers’, also find membership in a club of countries like Afghanistan, Congo, Somalia, and that too on the issue of mistreating women?

The Thomson Reuters Foundation surveyed 213 experts from around the globe, on the five continents, to decide the ranking of the most dangerous nations based on six parameters — health threats, sexual violence, non-sexual violence, cultural or religious factors, lack of access to resources and trafficking.

According to the report some 90 percent of Pakistani women are subjected to domestic violence, a further tragedy being that not even a quarter of them are aware that what they go through is a crime and that there are laws to protect them. They are taught from childhood to bear the marital violence and pressures as culturally appropriate or in the name of religion. Talking in terms of numbers in a populated country like Pakistan, this means a huge figure, to the tune of 80 million or so.

The situation is not much different in India where, despite all the development and booming economy, 100 million poor women are subjected to sex trafficking. The myth is that most of them go into the sex trade voluntarily; the dark truth is that most are lured or kidnapped, and forced into it. The target girl is from the low castes, from the poorest of the poor families — families that can ‘dispense’ with a missing daughter (not a son) and do not make much effort to track her down after she goes missing. What the report did not mention is that 40 percent women trafficked are minor girls.

In both India and Pakistan, rape, dowry deaths, acid attacks, kidnapping, and domestic violence continue unabated and gender inequality persists, although the degrees may vary. And in both, only a handful of such crimes get reported and even fewer are punished.

Both countries can boast of having elected women prime ministers to office decades ago, but in both tens of millions of women today, lead lives worse than cattle. The health and education statistics from India and Pakistan speak volumes for the plight of their women. Their female literacy rates are 54 percent and 35 percent respectively (compare Iran: 73 percent and Sri Lanka: 90 percent) while maternal mortality rates are 230 and 260 per 100,000 respectively (Iran: 37 and Sri Lanka: 60) (Source: http://www.mrdowling.com/800literacyfemale.html).

These statistics follow reports of a 12 percent rise in the defence budgets in both countries. India and Pakistan already spend about 18.6 percent and 23.1 percent, respectively, of their allocated annual budget on military expenditures. Compare this to their budgets on health — 3.5 percent and 13 percent — and on education, 12.7 percent and 7.8 percent respectively (Source: http://www.visualeconomics.com/how-countries-spend-their-money/).

What is the point of harbouring illusions about being secure from the ‘enemy’ neighbour, when one’s own house remains unsafe for millions of one’s own women?

For its part, Pakistan is embroiled in a war situation rife with extremism and violence — but India has a booming economy, and is considered part of the BRIC club (Brazil, Russia, India and China, all deemed to be at a similar stage of newly advanced economic development). What will it take to understand that the key to a real development lies in three words: ‘INVEST IN GIRLS’.

Investing in nuclear warheads for “deterrence” is a poor investment. They shall never be used.

But investing in girls’ education and health will bring phenomenal returns, going a long way towards improving the social and health indicators of the region. The link of women education and empowerment to population control and reduction in poverty is well documented.

According to the WHO website: “There are several compelling benefits associated with girls’ education, which include the reduction of child and maternal mortality, improvement of child nutrition and health, lower fertility rates, enhancement of women’s domestic role and their political participation, improvement of the economic productivity and growth, and protection of girls from HIV/AIDS, abuse and exploitation. Girls’ education yields some of the highest returns of all development investments, yielding both private and social benefits that accrue to individuals, families, and society at large. Girls’ education and the promotion of gender equality in education are vital to development, and policies and actions that do not address gender disparities miss critical development opportunities.”

Perhaps the key to the peace and prosperity of the region lies in prioritising in the empowerment of the women through education and better health, rather than through piling up arms. That might also save us from the international embarrassments like this.

The real fight that the two neighbours, India and Pakistan, desperately need to fight is not with each other, but together — for peace, prosperity, and women’s development.

Dr Ilmana Fasih is gynecologist and health activist of Indian origin, married to a Pakistani

Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Link: http://www.amankiasha.com/detail_news.asp?id=483

Category:

AmanKiAsha, India, Indo-Pak, International, Pakistan, Peace, Politics, Published, Social Issues, Women

Kabir a day keeps radicalism at bay


First published in english daily, The Islamabad Dateline on 26th June, 2011

Almost 700 years ago, when religious polarisation in the Indian subcontinent was at its helm, a preacher was born. He was named Kabir and he spent the rest of life trying to bind Hindus and Muslims together. Today, as religious hatred is bred into masses and intolerance is injected into young minds one finds it necessary to bring forth Kabir, the champion of religious tolerance and interfaith harmony.

The mystics from united India are more relevant to us than Persian or Turkish voices as they spring from the culture we own. For a relatively more radicalized society in Pakistan, these pluralistic and tolerant voices need to be disseminated vehemently. These great men seemed to be far ahead of their times and Kabir is no exception. Kabir stands tall, in the line of greatest mystics of all time with St. Augustine, Ruysbroeck, Buddha, Rumi, Emre and Hallaj

Kabir’s vision, though timeless in its essence when transformed into simple poetry addresses the basic problems humanity faces today. His message was simple and straightforward — that God is perceived in different forms by different people, but in essence they all talk of One supreme power.

Koi bole Ram Ram, koi Khudai

(Some call him Ram, some name him Khuda)

His honest message offended both Mullahs and Purohits for it challenged their stakes. He was persecuted by both to which he screamed:

Sadhu dekho jag baurana / Sanchi kaho to maran dhawe /Jhoote jag patiyana

(O gentleman, see the world has got mad / I say truth but they run to beat me and believe the fake.)

His intent was not to offend anyone and he made it clear:

Kabira khada bazaar mein mange sab ki khair / na kahoo se dosti, na kahoo se bair

(Kabira Stands in the market place( the world) / Asks for everyone’s prosperity. Neither special friendship nor enmity for anyone).

His mission, through his vision was to promote brotherhood, unity, love and forgiveness beyond regions and religions.

The Hindu says Ram is beloved, the Muslim says Rahim / They fight and kill each other, no one gets the point.

And the point that no one got was:

Maatii Aik Anaik Bhaanth Ker Saaji Sajan Haray
(The Clay Is The Same, But The Designer Has Designed It In Various Ways)

Kabir through his words challenged the authority our society has given to clerics quite audaciously:

The spiritual athlete often changes the color of his clothes
& his mind remains gray and loveless.
Or he drills holes in his ears, his beard grows enormous
People mistake him for a goat.
He shaves his skull & puts his robe in an orange vat,
Reads the Book & becomes a terrific talker.
Kabir says: the truth is, you are riding in a hearse to the country of
death, bound hand & foot.

He even warned against the mindless following of religious preachers and to use one’s own conscience to decide what is right or wrong:

Jaka guru hai andhla, chela hai ja chandh / Andhe andha theliya, dunyu koop parent
(If the preacher is blind (unrealized) and the disciple is also blind, how can they progress further? If a blind shows the path to the other blind, they both are bound to fall in some dead well at some time).

To those bigoted who would not understand this, he remarked:

Phootee aankh vivek kee, lakhe na sant asant
(People have their inner eyes of conscience blind; they don’t see who is real and who is fake)

“What can one do, if, with lamp in hand, one falls in the well”

Bura jo dekhan main chala bura na milya koi / Jab man khoja aapna mujh se bura na koi.

(I went on the search for the Bad Guy, Bad Guy I couldn’t find. / When I searched my mind, Non one is Nastier then Me)

He lived to restore the confidence in the common man against the elite clergy or the rulers, who claimed their superiority by virtue of their status. He explained:

Bada hua to kya hua jaise ped khajoor / Panthi ko chhaya nahin phal laage ati door.

(If You are Big so what? Just like a date tree / No shade for travelers, fruit is hard to reach).

He used simple vernacular language, with metaphors from common examples to engage the people around him. People were fascinated by the deep moral messages contained in his simple poetry.

Kabira Garv Na Keejiye, Uncha Dekh Aavaas / Kaal Paron Punyah Letna, Ouper Jamsi Ghaas

(Kabi , Don’t be so proud and vain, Looking at your high mansion / Tomorow you’ll lie under feet, On top will grow Grass).

Ab Tun Aaya Jagat Mein, Log Hanse Tu Roye / Aise Karni Na Kari, Pache Hanse Sab Koye

(When you came in to this world, Everyone laughed while you cried / Don’t do such work, That they laugh when you are gone)

And that it’s not one’s status but one’s deeds which pay off ultimately:

Ek daal do panchi re baitha kaun guru kaun chela / Guru ki karni guru bharela, chele ki karni chela.

(Both the preacher and the follower are together / but both will be dealt according to their deeds.).

The Purohits and Mullahs could not tolerate his audacity, and how he influenced the common man. His words had already penetrated into masses and exposed the self-righteous claims of every clergy. He got expelled from Kashi. He roamed around Benaras preaching his message and passed away in Maghar.

After his death both the Hindus and the Muslims both claimed ownership over him. There are a few legends but one wonders how was the matter resolved. As for now, there exists a Hindu shrine and a Muslim Dargah adjacent to each other at the place where he died.

Kabir’s words are very pertinent to current Pakistan, where religion is manipulated for political ends and justify acts of violence. Voice of Kabir needs to be resonated in our academia and society being the need of time. Why did not we own Kabir like India? – I leave this question to be answered by the reader.

Co written: Ilmana Fasih with Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi.

Category:

Hindi Poetry, India, Indo-Pak, International, Kabir, Pakistan, Peace, Poetry, Politics, Published, RELIGION, Social Issues

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Indo-Pak Express on a high


http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2011-weekly/nos-19-06-2011/spo.htm#6
( Published in The News, Sunday Page on 19 June 2011).

The victory of Indo-Pak Express, Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Rohan Bhopanna, at the Gerry Weber Open Tournament in Halle (Germany) brings a cool breeze amidst the summer heat, to all of us from India and Pakistan. After winning the match they reach to their seats adjacent to each other where their white jackets hang, embellished with the four magical words: ‘Stop War Start Tennis’.

The message is simple and brief, yet has far-reaching implications. The message holds the key to the prosperity of one fifth of the Earth’s population.

They are best friends, both on and off the court, and say that they complement each other’s style of play. Ever since they paired up in 2007, their careers have been marching uphill.

It is not just their game but their spirit to rise above religious and political differences that makes usall proud. They may have yet to fulfill their dream of Wimbledon doubles title, but they have already lifted the biggest trophy of Peace and Sanity.

After one of the tournaments, Aisam had remarked: “There were a lot of Pakistanis and Indians in the crowd cheering for us. And you couldn’t tell the difference, who was Pakistani and who was Indian, they were all mixed together and supporting the same team.”

And indeed this is the truth, no matter what skeptics may say. We have more in common than in differences, whether it be our appearances, our histories or our geographical location.

These talented young men are a living example to the 1.4 billion Indians and Pakistanis that ‘United, we shall stand’.

The duo echo the feelings of millions of hearts that throb in the chests of the people, who aspire for peace and prosperity for themselves, as well as for their neighbours. Like Aisam and Rohan, these millions too could become the real ambassadors of peace in their own right. Together they could reckon to be a Peace Force large enough to defeat any force of hateful extremists or other vested interests that leave no stone unturned to sow hatred and differences between the two neighbours.

History, with three wars and years of tensions, cannot be changed and borders cannot be erased. But these young men have shown us that by ‘being friends’, we can avoid the waste of energies in hatred and blame games, and instead, harness the same energy towards progress and prosperity for the entire region. Let the borders be just on the land, not in our hearts is what the pair teaches.

It does not need rocket science, but just a flicker of change in one’s thinking to turn this hatred into love. It does not even need too many bureaucratic visits, MOUs or anti-war treaties if one and a half billion people of this subcontinent decide to make Aman ki Asha into a real everlasting peace.

Indians and Pakistanis are 1.4 billion people together, sitting beneath the noose of nuclear weapons in the region. True, that the possibility of these being used is negligible, but then why such a hefty expenditure in developing, maintaining and improving their ‘killing’ capabilities in the name of big meaningless words like ‘nuclear deterrence’?

We do not deny that there aren’t serious differences and contentious issues, but three wars and numerous tensions have failed to solve them. Nor will the missiles and nuclear weapons resolve them in future. There is no issue which cannot be settled through peaceful negotiations. So for the sake of the well being of the huge numbers of people at stake, it is time we give lasting peace a real chance. Tensions and wars benefit few, but peace shall benefit each one of us across the subcontinent.

The political tensions provide an excuse to the vested interests (outside the region) to continue getting both sides to buying arms and building arsenal for ‘safety’, amidst poverty, hunger, ignorance, illiteracy for millions on both sides. What if this money was used for development and not arms build up?

Let us ask for our ‘safety’ not through arms and ammunition, but through regional cooperation in education, health, alleviation of poverty and economic activity. This is only possible if both sides are at peace with each other.

Is this asking for ‘lasting peace not tensions’ that farfetched a dream? Maybe the idea looks a dream, but then dreams do come true too.

And Aisam and Rohan have shown us just that. Congratulations Indo-Pak Express. You make us proud.

ilmana_fasih@hotmail.com

Category:

AmanKiAsha, India, Indo-Pak, International, Pakistan, Peace, Politics, Published, Sports

Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt !


Courtesy: Faking News

Poor ostrich is often associated with the belief that it sticks its head in the sand during times of trouble. Of course this is a myth and no ostrich is foolish enough to do that. Thanks to the mankind, and his state of denial that he has attributed this term to the poor ostrich. I am sure ostriches and other animals must be calling this as ‘human effect.

(Ostrich effect is a term used in behavioural finance for the avoidance of apparently risky financial situations by pretending they do not exist.).

We human beings are the masters of denial. Whether it is health, finance, social, political situation—personal, or public we live in denial. We bury our heads in sand of denial of and on.
Who would know the bitter effects of denial than I myself. I still suffer from its guilt now almost a decade on.

On visiting my parents in Delhi in July 1997, I clearly remember how my mom begged to me that she felt that my Papa wasn’t well and he needed a thorough medical checkup. I took heed to her concern and talked to my father, that he needs to see a doctor. He scoffed off the idea that the sweating he gets while walking has nothing to do with his heart but due to humidity in the monsoon season. We went on long walks together, where his pace at 64 years of age was still faster than mine.

I continued to watch him with a side gaze, off and on, to see if I could get a trace of some unwell signs in him. He was radiant as ever, with barely few hair grey in the sideburns and and intact zest for life.

How can my Papa be having a ‘serious’ problem ? I questioned myself several times..

He convinced me that my mom was obsessed. We went for a basic blood test which was all well. Mom wasn’t convinced. But my confident Papa, shooed her idea of an echocardiography for the heart.

Twenty days after I left, I got the news that my Papa passed away, hale and hearty, while working on a computer, typing a chapter for his new book. He had a massive heart attack.

I have not forgiven myself ever since, for having lived in denial, to escape harsh reality. Had I faced the truth head-on, life would have been different.

In a wider context, all human beings live in denial—with just the difference in the degree. We deny everything and then wrap it in the garb of ‘conspiracy theory’.

A quote goes: ‘The abuse dies in a day, but the denial slays the life of the people, and entombs the hope of the race’.

On one extreme end are those who deny Holocaust, the landing of man on Moon, the 9/11 incident, even the  Abbotabad operation in which Osama Bin Laden was nabbed and killed. The other milder extreme are those who express “ We have stopped watching news because it is very depressing.”

How can anyone close their eyes to what’s happening around? My mind often tickles.

In the local context, one sees that denial has become a way of life  in Pakistan. There are many who refuse to accept the problems of Pakistan and pass the buck on others—most favoured excuse being America or India.

Twenty years ago when I was new to Pakistan, first ‘conspiracy theory’ hurled at me was that Pakistan’s big or small problems are because it wasn’t given the ‘right’ piece of land during partition. I remember having had frantic arguments, with myself as a new bride alone on one side, and many old and young, mostly men on the other.

And after that for whatever happened in Pakistan, some  of my  ‘friends’ and kin, in Pakistan made sure that I knew that all that was happening was due to India.

The latest being the PNS Mehran incident—in which a ‘friend’ of mine took pains to mail to me in India that it all happened because of the involvement of RAW agents and that the proof she had was that those men who came there were uncircumcised. I did not shock me, for I had heard the same explanation when the armed men had attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore. And worse of all, many among my other kin and friends did not disagree with her.

I do not find these stories amusing any more. Mass denial has become a “National Sickness”. And conspiracy theory is it’s outward symptom. I fear that the way things are moving this sickness may lead to our demise as ‘thinking’ and ‘reasoning’ individuals.

So aptly has the following quote by Meredith Grey summed up ‘denial’ :
Sometimes reality has a way of sneaking up and biting us in the ass. And when the dam bursts, all you can do is swim. The world of pretend is a cage, not a cocoon. We can only lie to ourselves for so long. We are tired, we are scared, denying it doesn`t change the truth. Sooner or later we have to put aside our denial and face the world. Head on, guns blazing. De Nile. It`s not just a river in Egypt, it`s a freakin` ocean. So how do you keep from drowning in it?

Category:

India, Indo-Pak, International, Pakistan, Peace, Personal, Politics, Social Issues

Obama, You’re born Lucky !


With the operation accomplished to nab Osama Bin Laden, it isn’t unusual at all that no soon the news was out, conspiracy theories started cropping up. Every Tom Dick and Harry becomes Sherlock Holmes with describing flaws into the details of the operation, about the photograph not being his (the hair being darker than his,), his face not resembling, that he was brought here and declared dead to enter Pakistan( as if they haven’t already), or that Pakistani intelligence did it all and then Americans took the credit. As many mouths, as many stories…
Being an anti conspiracy theorist and a true fan of a lucky man called Obama, I believed every word of what Obama said in his address. I know Obama must be as desperate as anyone in this position to increase his popularity ratings for the next term. But just to say that he will stage a false drama and tell such a huge lie to achieve those, I doubt.
Yes, luck has failed him in his fiscal policies or in getting his health plan implemented but he just hit a huge luck home run as Commander-in-Chief.
I may be unrealistic in taking his words for truth, because I continue to be as fascinated by this brilliant man as I was when I first noticed him during the Presidential campaign.
With Bush’s doubtful mental abilities, who wasn’t even sure of who was the current Prime Minister of India during his election, Obama’s brilliance and thorough knowledge about the world was such a striking contrast. He definitely was a presidential material. And then to be a lucky first man of color to become an American president—it was not just me but the whole world found him mesmerizing. Lucky was he to be a blue eyed of the entire globe.
Knowing the details of his parentage—being multiracial—Dad from Kenya, Mom a white American, step Dad an Indonesian, Grandmom a practicing Muslim, he sure was born lucky—to have lived in various cultures.. A man exposed to so many cultures, religions and travelled widely in childhood ( including Pakistan)—had to be a man with wide horizons and huge luck.
And after all, to have gone to Harvard for the graduate studies, being president of the Harvard Law Review and tenure as a constitutional law professor were no small luck to be so brilliant.
On hearing his live Presidential address – extempore, flawless, no stuttering, no forgetting, no written paper and the substance that he spoke for almost 45 minutes, I was all head over heals for his oratory.
Obama got a Nobel Peace Prize with no substantial achievements. In his thank you speech, in a very matter of fact way, he mentioned his surprise on being chosen for it and remarked that there were others who deserved to get this prize more than him. Yes he was less deserving but got it for he was luckier.
His occasional acknowledgement of having ‘Muslim relatives’ is too an act no less brave considering how he was maligned for having a Muslim name or Muslim roots during the campaign. Not just lucky, he’s brave too.
Just a couple of days ago he cornered Donald Trump with humour. The president poked fun at his birther theory and his background on the celebrity apprentice at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. The humour rolled the audience into fits of laughter.

In a fundraiser dinner in New York looked more like a stand up comedian than a President of USA
“My name is Barack Obama.I was born in Hawaii,” he continued, which elicited cheers and applause from the audience of supporters, “the 50th state of the United States of America.”
“No one checked my ID on the way in,” he said. “But just in case …” Obama added and reached into his breast pocket before pulling his empty hand out and chuckling.
The lady luck gave him an excellent sense of humour too..
And now the credit of nabbing the world’s most wanted criminal. Bush tried his best, lied about weapons of mass destruction in a desperate attempt to prove his credibility, got shoed, but still failed to catch Osama.
And this brilliant and lucky man—got him quietly in a small operation with minimal collateral damage, and personally supervised it through camera. And no matter what anyone may claim, he got it done with such neatness deep inside Pakistan, leaving the Pakistani officials speechless, faceless and spineless.
Lucky you are Obama. History will go down with you getting the Osama Credit. And probably you will win the second term too.
What else is mother luck bringing for him in future? A fan in me awaits.
I know I may be unduly fascinated by this lucky man, whom many find an unsuccessful president.
And of course, lastly, you are lucky to have me as your ardent fan, you lucky Obama !

Category:

Humour, Indo-Pak, International, Pakistan, Peace, Politics

Eat, sleep, breathe…dance!~ World Dance Day( April, 29).


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We Dance…

God’s the choreographer
The world’s a dance floor
Our lives are the rhythm
Emotions are the music
We are the dancers,
We dance in laughter,
We dance in tears,
We dance in madness,
We dance in fears,
Dancing in our lives awake
With ambitions we tap
And with hope we shake
To replicate our dreams.

The dance is one of the many human experiences which cannot be suppressed. Dancing has existed at all times, and among all peoples and races. The dance is a form of expression given to man just as speech, philosophy, painting or music.

Apart from war, dancing is the chief factor making for social solidarity in primitive life. The value of dance as a method of individual and national education was recognized as civilization became increasingly self-conscious. In the Laws Plato remarked that a good education includes knowing how to dance and sing well.

Quotes:

”Let us read and let us dance –
two amusements that will never do any harm to the world.”
~ Voltaire

Dancing is the loftiest, the most moving, the most beautiful of the arts, because it is not mere translation or abstraction from life; it is life itself.
~Havelock Ellis

Talk about dance? Dance is not something to talk about. Dance is to dance.
~Peter Saint James

Category:

Art, CULTURE, India, Indo-Pak, International, MY POETRY, Pakistan, Peace, Poetry, Women

Oh! the Souls of the Subcontinent


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Oh! the souls of the subcontinent,
Let for amity be our energies spent.

Aren’t we neighbours? Shall be forever,
Let being friends be our real endeavour.

How can the love our hearts not seal?
How can the vibes our minds not feel?

It’s not just the past, we both share
Also the culture and faith that we so care

How can my eyes and yours deny,
Shared treasures, that make us sigh!

Himalayas on our heads so stand,
Lofty mountains guarding our land.

The twists and turns in Indus river,
Who’s ancient stories make us shiver.

Enchanting Thar and its golden sands,
Weave beauty in each of its strands.

And then the grand Arabian Sea,
That enthrals both you and me.

How could we now live apart,
We’ve been one, from the start

Oh! those lines on our lands sketched,
Let they not, on our hearts be etched.

IlmanaFasih
Note: An FB friend Rashmi Talwar made ammendment in the last verses with magic words. How could I not accept her suggestion:

How could we now live apart,
We’ve been one, from the ‘very’ start

Oh! those lines on our lands sketched,
Let they not, on our hearts ‘forever’ be etched.


Category:

India, Indo-Pak, MY POETRY, Pakistan, Peace, Personal, Poetry, Politics, Social Issues

A Veil in the Eyes of Men


As the conservatives and the liberals stay engrossed(for their own reasons) with the banning of Veil in France, I sent in a message to some select non Muslim guys (as they would be more objective) in my friends list to inquire :

What do you think when you see a veiled woman?

( I kept the question open–they could think of the Islamic veil or the Indian veil–it was left to their imagination).

The answers I got in almost 4 hours were fascinating (though qiuite expected). I had heard my own hubby and brothers talk on those lines on occasions…

A veil…

Replies almost instant:

…makes her a mystery that needs to be solved.

…tempts me to find out what lies behind it.

…feels an uncomfortable itch to lift it.

…turns her instantly into a forbidden fruit.

Within 4 hours :

…makes my eyes acquire an X ray wavelength to pierce through the barrier.

…makes all my five senses alert.

…highlights the deep, dark, beautiful eyes and wants to know what else?

…makes her a magnet and me an iron file.

…makes her more sought after.

…makes her look ugly.

…makes my mind join the dots that the eyes could see behind the black screen and make a complete picture.

…makes me give them a second and a third look.

…makes me feel sorry for them.

Two of my friends replied much later”

…There is nothing to see and think about a veiled woman.

…I dont judge her. Its entirely her choice and her culture which needs to be respected.

Looking at the earlier posts, makes me scratch my head: “Is this for which one is told to wear a veil ?”
The following words came about…

A Veil

A Worthless cover
Envelopes me
An illusion
‘Safeguard’.

Exposed, I am
Screaming ‘mystery’
Pitched out there
As tempting
As a Forbidden fruit

A meaningless veil
Feeble and frail,
Nothing it sheilds
But takes off from me,
Who really am I.


Context: The ‘hot’ discussion on Veil ban in France is currently on…

Category:

CULTURE, General, India, Indo-Pak, International, Islam, Pakistan, Personal

A Chhaap Tilak & other Collection of verses ~ by Farid Ayaz & Co.


This beautiful rendition of Chaap Tilak with magic spilled by Farid Ayaz, includes verses from Hazrat Sultan Bahu, Moalana Rumi and Kabir Das that were appropriate to the mood and common thought.

Amir Khusro:

Apni chhab banaye ke , main to pee ke paas gayee,
Jab chhhab dekhi peehu ki, main to apni bhool gayee.
I went to my beloved, with my own glow,
When I saw His ‘aura’, I forgot my own.

Chhap tilak sab cheeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Chhap tilak sab cheeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Prem bhatee ka madhva pilaikay
Matvali kar leeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Gori gori bayyan, hari hari churiyan
Bayyan pakar dhar leeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Bal bal jaaon mein toray rang rajwa
Apni see kar leeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Khusrau Nijaam kay bal bal jayyiye
Mohay Suhaagan keeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Chhap tilak sab cheeni ray mosay naina milaikay
You’ve taken away my looks, my identity, by just a glance.
By making me drink the wine of love-potion,
You’ve intoxicated me by just a glance;
My fair, delicate wrists with green bangles in them,
Have been held tightly by you with just a glance.
I give my life to you, Oh my cloth-dyer,
You’ve dyed me in yourself, by just a glance.
I give my whole life to you Oh, Nijam,
You’ve made me your bride, by just a glance.

Sultan Bahu:
Alif Allah chambe di booti, Murshid man wich laaee hoo
Nafee asbaat da pane milia, Har rage harjae hoo.
My Master Has Planted in My Heart the Jasmine of Allah’s Name.
Both My Denial That the Creation is Real and My Embracing of God,
the Only Reality, Have Nourished the Seedling Down to its Core.

Kabirdas:
Naina chupaye na chupe so pat ghoongat ki ote
Chatur naar aur soorma so karein laakh mein chor
The eyes could not be hidden behind the veil,
Tho’ the clever woman and the wise man tried their best (to hide ).

Bulleh Shah:
Ilmon bus kariye Oo yaar
Tainnu ikko alaf darkaar
Forget the pride in your knowledge O’ friend
One Alif is all you need

Mevlana Rumi:
beshno in ney chon hekaayat mikonad,
az jodaayee ha shekaayat mi-konad,
Listen to the (ney) reed flute, how it tells a tale of separation,
I want a bosom torn by severance, that I may unfold the pain of love desire.

Kabirdas:
Sun Kabira bansuri kahe nirali baat
Nagar dhandora peet ti hai choota pi ka saath.
Listen Kabir to the flute’s unique lament
Announcing everywhere that it is parted from it’s beloved

Category:

Amir Kusro, Farid Ayaz ka Jadoo, India, Indo-Pak, Kabir, Music, Pakistan, Poetry, URDU POETRY

Chitti Hatia~a film on Indo-Pak Friendship by Sharad Sharma


http://www.cultureunplugged.com/embed.php?width=700&height=480&video=http://cdn.cultureunplugged.com/lg/CHITTI_HATIA.mp4&m=1958&u=0&thumb=http://cdn.cultureunplugged.com/thumbnails/lg/1958.jpg&sURL=http://www.cultureunplugged.com&title=ChittiHatia&from=SharadSharma

Category:

Film, India, Indo-Pak, Pakistan, Politics, Social Issues