On "Shopping Plazas"

(A friend asked me: Have I ever been to interior of Sindh? It took me to - purani diary se aik warq - Sujawal 2005)

Gaya tha main us purane Shahr

Sab kuch badal gaya hai
Na to ab woh school ke paas purani nahr hai aur na hi woh aaloo chole wala ram chand

Aur school se tumhare ghar tak woh jo 
aik purana sa mandir tha
Jo dhundhta tha kharabi ke bahaney kab se*
Jis ka chaak har baam, har ik dar ka dame-aakhir tha*
jahan har shaam, tumhara kumba pooja ke liye deep jalaya kerta tha
 - woh bil-aakhir ujaR gaya hai

(suna hai, mohalle ke saare hindu hindustan chale gaye)

Ab wahan aik shopping plaza hai
- aur us ki bunyadoN main madfoon hamara bachpan

- tumhe woh qadeem misri "King Tut" yaad hai na - jis ki kahani hum ne pehli baar 2 aane wali library se le ker paRhi thi - woh jis ki qabar kai hazaron saal baad daryaft hui, aur saari duniya hairaan reh gai
- haan andar sab kuch wesa hi tha

magar ooper dukanain aur jhoot fareb ke karobaar ka shor-o-goga tha

Gaya tha main us purane Shahr

*taken from Faiz poetry

An article to ponder

This article in NY Times published about 3 weeks ago and made some waves. In the beginning, I ignored it but as forward keep coming, I read it and indeed found it interesting. Read at your leisure

"can-evolution-have-a-higher-purpose"

He answered: “Yes, yes. There’s one theory of the universe that I rather like — I accept it in an almost joking spirit — and that is that Planet Earth in our solar system is a kind of zoo for extraterrestrial beings who dwell out there somewhere. And this is the best, the most interesting experiment they could set up: to set up the evolution on Planet Earth going in such a way that it would produce these really interesting characters — humans who go around doing things — and they watch their experiment, interfering hardly at all so that almost everything we do comes out according to the laws of nature. But every now and then they see something which doesn’t look quite right — this zoo is going to kill itself off if they let you do this or that.” So, he continued, these extraterrestrials “insert a finger and just change some little thing. And maybe those are the miracles which the religious people like to so emphasize.” He reiterated: “I put it forward in an almost joking spirit. But I think it’s a kind of hypothesis that’s very, very hard to dismiss.” 

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/12/opinion/can-evolution-have-a-higher-purpose.html?_r=0

On "sense of moral privilege"

(Raskolnikov as he argues on ethics of violence in 'Crime and Punishment' of  Fyodor Dostoevsky - not just a novel but one fine commentary on poverty, crime, social norms, politics, religion and conscious)

"I simply hinted that an ‘extraordinary’ man has the right... that is not an official right, but an inner right to decide in his own conscience to overstep... certain obstacles, and only in case it is essential for the practical fulfilment of his idea (sometimes, perhaps, of benefit to the whole of humanity).
......
Then, I remember, I maintain in my article that all... well, legislators and leaders of men, such as Lycurgus, Solon, Mahomet, Napoleon, and so on, were all without exception criminals, from the very fact that, making a new law, they transgressed the ancient one, handed down from their ancestors and held sacred by the people, and they did not stop short at bloodshed either, if that bloodshed—often of innocent persons fighting bravely in defence of ancient law—were of use to their cause. It’s remarkable, in fact, that the majority, indeed, of these benefactors and leaders of humanity were guilty of terrible carnage. In short, I maintain that all great men or even men a little out of the common, that is to say capable of giving some new word, must from their very nature be criminals—more or less, of course. Otherwise it’s hard for them to get out of the common rut; and to remain in the common rut is what they can’t submit to, from their very nature again, and to my mind they ought not, indeed, to submit to it...

....I only believe in my leading idea that men are in general divided by a law of nature into two categories, inferior (ordinary), that is, so to say, material that serves only to reproduce its kind, and men who have the gift or the talent to utter a new word. There are, of course, innumerable sub-divisions, but the distinguishing features of both categories are fairly well marked. The first category, generally speaking, are men conservative in temperament and law-abiding; they live under control and love to be controlled. To my thinking it is their duty to be controlled, because that’s their vocation, and there is nothing humiliating in it for them. The second category all transgress the law; they are destroyers or disposed to destruction according to their capacities. The crimes of these men are of course relative and varied; for the most part they seek in very varied ways the destruction of the present for the sake of the better. But if such a one is forced for the sake of his idea to step over a corpse or wade through blood, he can, I maintain, find within himself, in his conscience, a sanction for wading through blood—that depends on the idea and its dimensions, note that. It’s only in that sense I speak of their right to crime in my article.... .....

The first category is always the man of the present, the second the man of the future. The first preserve the world and people it, the second move the world and lead it to its goal. Each class has an equal right to exist....."

Bayan Pir Shams Multani ka

Shehar Multan ki 3 cheezain bohat mashoor hain - Gird, Garmi aur Gada - Aur mujeh is ka khob tajarba huwa

Ye 1997 ki baat hai. Main Pakistan ja raha tha. Chalte huwe mere aik roommate ne kaha ke: "Mujhe residency nahi milti. Hum Multan main Hazrat Shah Shams ke manne wale hain. Ye meri niyaz ke paise hain. Agar tum Multan ja ker unki mazar pe de do to mujeh tasalli rahe gi". 

- Main to khud Allah Rasool se munkir tha, magar us ka dil rakhne ko waada ker liya. Irada to yahi tha ke Karachi main kisi mazar pe de ker usey jhoot bol dunga, magar pata nahi kiya dil main aayi ke main Multan chala gaya.

June ka Mahina tha - aur jis din main train station se utra shehar main aandhi chal rahi thi (sandstorm) - ye wahan ke makeenoN ke liye aam si baat thi. Darjaaye hararat (temperature) 46 degree centigrade tha. Main station ke saath aik aam se hotel main theR gaya. Shaam ko garmi kuch kum hui to main ne aik Taxi li aur Hazrat Shams Multani ke mazar pe chala gaya. Niyaz ke paise wahan nazar kiye, hasbe wada dost ke liye dua maangi, aur Chai peene aik hotel pe beth gaya. 

Hotel ke saath hi gada-garoN aur faqeeroN ki mehfil jami thi. Harmonium pe bari sureli awaz main aik faqeer, Hazrat Shams Multani ka kalam ga raha tha. Allah jaane us kalam main kitni sachhai hai - magar kahani kuch yun thi ke - farishta Allah ke rasool se kalam ker raha hai - aur kehta hai - Is duniya se main aahista aahista aik ke baad aik ker ke das cheezain (10 things) le jaun ga. Jab ye das cheezain chali jaayain to samjhna qayamat ke asar hain. Main ne jeb se pen/diary nikali aur ye das batain note ker li. Bohat saaloN baad ye kagaz haat aaya.

Farishta Rasool se kehta hai 

Paheli baar cheezon se barakat le jaun ga
Dusri baar rishton se mohobat le jaun ga
Teesri baar Allah ki rahemat le jaun ga
Chothi baar Aurat Mard se sharam le jaun ga
Paanchwi baar daulat walon se sakhawat le jaun ga
Chati baar logon ka Iman le jaun ga
Saatween baar Logon ka Qol Qarar le jaun ga
Aathween baar hakim se adal le jaun ga
Naween baar duniya se sabar le jaun ga 
Dasween baar ilme-Quran le jaun ga

Sach poocho - to ye sab kuch duniya se kab ka ja chuka!! 
 -  magar na to zara sa koi patta hila, na koi qayamat aayi  
------ Allahu Alam

Baqol Faiz:: 
Rakht-e-dil bandh lo, dil figaro chalo 
phir hameen qatl ho aain, yaro chalo

Father

Hasan Koozagar

(My hats off to this beautifully done Tele version of N.M Rashid's classic "Hasan-Koozagar*)

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/OsCnvuMK-0o

Hasan Koozagar is said to be the true tell of NMR. It is said that while on deputation in Iran somewhere in the 1950s, he fell in love with an Iranian girl, which took a lot of toll on his life, job, poetry, and painting. He wrote Part 2 of Hasan Koozagar when he returned to Iran later, but part 2 never found that audience as Part 1.

Hasan Koozagar continues to mesmerize readers at one end due to its language's profound effect. On the other hand, this was a unique experiment of developing a wholly human character/psych in poetic form. 

Hasan Koozagar har insaan ke andar basne wali us khoi hui mohbbat ki kahani hai, jo aahista aahista use andar se ghun ki tarah kha jaati hai.

On "Unnecessary Truth"

As I am getting older, I tend to agree that

"Bagair zaroorat ya be-moqa bola huwa sach bhi fasad hi bapa kerta hai. Jis cheez ka parda Allah ne rakha ho - us pe zaroorat na ho - to hijab paRe rehne dena hi aqalmandi hai"

Urdu adab ki aik trajedy

Urdu adab ki ye aik aesi trajedy, jo mujeh aksar udas ker deti hai. Jab pehli baar Parveen Shakir ki mulaqat Joan Aelia se hui to unhon ne kaha: "Hum aap ki Shayeri se bohat mutasir hain". To Jaun sahab ne jawaban ye shyr paRha:

‎کتنی دلکش ہو تم ، کتنا دِل جو ہوں میں 

‎کیا ستم ہے كے ہم لوگ مر جائینگے

Uske kuch arse baad Parveen Shakir is Jahane faani se kooch ker gayiN. Jaun sahab ke intaqal ke saath ye shyr lafz ba larf sach saabit ho gaya. Parveen Shakir apni ain dilkashi ke joban per - aur Jaun sahab jab Urdu mushayere ke sab se dil-Jo shayer Therey - chaley gaye

Dusra misrah peechle do-teen mahinoN se aksar mujeh raat ke ghoop andheroN main haunt kerta rehta hai

Queen

"King or Castle?"
"Queen!"

On "Meditation and Discipline"

Few days back, a friend mentioned about meditation. It brought back to my memories this picture - The first step of meditation is discipline as you can see neatly placed footwears of monks at the entrance of worship place.

On "Bit Bit Dying"

Azan

"You went to Pakistan after good 30 years. How was your trip? Do you miss Pakistan after coming back?"

"I don't miss Pakistan but yes I do miss one thing since I am back. I feel very empty without it"
.
"Interesting! what is that?"

"Yaar apne mohalle ki masjid ki paanch waqt ki azan ki awaz ko bohat miss kerta hun. Mujh jesa daheriya - aur magreeb ki zindagi main dooba huwa - womenizer - aur har raat whisky peene wala aadmi - ye baat kahe to ajeeb hi lagta hai - magar sach bhi yahi hai".

Miracle of Red Mountains

"Shayed ye sach hai ke laal pahaRon pe jo kaleesa hai
   - woh kaleesa jis ke parto main maryam sadion se apni aulad ko god main uthaaye khaRi hai
-- wahan jaa ker dua maangne se maryam ki mamta ke sadqe har dua qabool ho jaati hai"

(Above post was written years ago when I visited Sedona and prayed at Chapel of the Holy Cross and my prayer was indeed answered. It is one unique place on earth where mountains have naturally formed Madonna and child on rocks. Found in my one old diary).

A Quote

TOO MUCH ABSTRACT THOUGHT MAKES MEN CRUEL

~  'dostoevsky'

Man O Salwa

"Jo aasman se utray wahi Man O Salwa 
- Werna zameen se siwaaye kakRi sabzi ke aur kiya ugg sakta hai"

Sach

Sach to paani ki tarah hota hai 

 - jo har kisi ko, uske apne gondhe huwe piyale main milta hai
 - baRi baat -
usey Suqraat ki tarah peene ki hai

Race

"Tum ne class ki aakhri bench pe bethne wale us laRke ko to dekha hoga, jo zindagi ki race main sab se aage nikal jaata hai - or phir aik din use aehsaas hota hai - ke kahin koi galati ho gai hai"!