Three Poems By Iqbal III: Khizr The Guide
By Dr. Ali Hashmi Khizr-e-Rah (Khizr the Guide) Al-Khizr (Arabic: “the Green One”) is an enigmatic figure in Islam. He is best known for his appearance in the Qur’an in Sura al-Kahf. Although not mentioned by name, he is assumed to be the figure that Musa (Moses) accompanies and whose seemingly violent and destructive actions so disturb Moses that he violates his oath not to ask questions. Islamic tradition sometimes describes him as Mu’allim al-anbiya (Tutor of the Prophets), for the spiritual guidance he has shown every prophet who has appeared throughout history. In Sufi tradition, Khizr has come to be known as one of those who receive illumination direct from God without human mediation. He is the hidden initiator of those who walk the mystical path and also figures into the Alexander … Read entire article »
Filed under: Partition, Philosophy, poetry
Three Poems By Iqbal II: Maa Ka Khawab.
By Dr. Ali Hashmi A Psychological Interpretation of ‘A Mother’s Dream’ On the surface this poem is simply a description of a mother’s dream about her young son who is lost somewhere. Some commentators have described it as a lament by a mother whose child has died. However, there is a more life affirming explanation which makes more sense psychologically. The poem starts out simply enough. It is in the first person with a mother describing her dream: ‘Main soey jo ik shab toe dekha yeh khwaab Badha aur jis say meraa iztiraab Yeh dekha kay main jaa rahi hoon kahin … Read entire article »
Filed under: Partition, Philosophy, poetry
Three Poems By Iqbal: Introduction
A Psychological Interpretation By Dr. Ali Hashmi ‘Everywhere I go, I find that a poet has been there before me’ Sigmund Freud One of Iqbal’s translators, the Scotsman Victor Kiernan wrote ‘Mohammad Iqbal, the ‘Poet of the East’, lived a life of which outwardly there is little to be said and inwardly, of which little is known.’ Works on Iqbal by scholars and academicians would fill up a small library, particularly in Pakistan, where he is revered as one of the country’s founding fathers. He was one of the early proponents of the idea of a separate state for the Muslims of British India, a fantastically improbable idea at the time. His eventual whole hearted support for the idea of Pakistan was surprising considering that one of his early poems ‘Tarana-e-Hindi’ (‘Song of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Partition, Philosophy, poetry
Bedtime Story, A Poem
by S.Mubashir Noor Silly goose, Mommy’s gonna tuck you in tight No monsters under the bed No bogeyman in sight And yes on the news, Those people were just playing dead Had a paint-ball fight, Guess they only used red God likes bowling too, And you’ve heard how loud that can be Those people running around Just had wish-lists for Him to read You get extra vacation, For being the good boy that you are And yes you can use their panic room To day-dream in the dark It’s just two brothers scuffling They don’t see eye-to-eye One seeks daddy’s approval, The other in him stick a hunting knife Each believes in the singularity of his purpose Point guns at each other in God’s name But God has left the building young one They’re just poster-children for the holy gravy train. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Children, New Writers, Pakistan, poetry, Society, violence
Civilizations (Mirrors of Our Existence)
From years of our travel We look back Upon these civilizations, From years of adventure We look back Upon these civilizations From days of our inheritance The lands and its cultures The old forms of languages The mystery of Universe The old journey taken By humans and nature together As they traverse From place one to another, In harmony and disarray As we born and die From on to another, As we love and hate The old circumstances And situation, intertwined Through languages and its art, The trails, lost and visible As we look back Upon these civilizations The … Read entire article »
Filed under: ancient civilisations, Architecture, Arts and Crafts, culture, Dance, drama, dynasties, Heritage, History, Identity, Languages, Law, Literature, movements, Music, musings, Nature, Philosophy, Physics, poetry, Politics, psychology
Through Spider's Web
In the bars of Havana, let’s sit down together Let’s stumble upon conversation of new dimensions Let’s go fly fishing, in the deep blue ocean Where once characters were drawn The old sketch book and its torn pages Let’s see it ourselves again, through antiquity Echoes that are drawn out from that stillness Inside you, the celestial objects, as I turn to look As dolphins follow the human touch, amidst that chaos As tales of laughter and journeys return to paper Relief from the episodes … Read entire article »
Filed under: poetry
Poem: The Stars Are So Distant
There remains a mystery to our questions Of who we are and where we belong Of all our quests and questions, The miracles we perform through science Through words of literature and philosophy Through years of humanity and its demise As we ponder in silence and as we reach out There remains a spectacle, far from our wisdom The mankind only to serve, the purpose Of the creation and of our Creator How we live and serve, how we kill and maim In the name of … Read entire article »
Filed under: poetry
Poem: The Leader
They say inspire us, will you hear them? Will you travel with the wind and the moon? Where dreams are high as the minarets As the sky opens up where the eagles fly Near the old ruins, where rivers flow Help us and we will lend you all you need Let that spirit of ours be yours for a change Feel how is to live with days and nights As we extend, as we move, for oasis unknown As our hearts filled with pride, in broken light From the promise of youth to the wisdom of time Remain where you are, where nothing will change If we are the nation, then where will you find Us, near you or far apart in deserts remains Feel that pulse, as the clock ticks away In those hours, in that distance, in that silence Will we ever hear words, … Read entire article »
Poem: Around Us (Betrayal of Conscience)
“Around Us” depicts those events that are currently taking place in Pakistan and how it has weakened our moral fabric, the intangible conscience and all that makes us what we are not”. Engraved in our memory, the old questions Of freedom and justice, as we watch in silence Engraved in our memory, the unfolding events The stories of horror in darkness, The blunders of our masters, out in the open In silence- our hands and minds Engraved in our minds, the old … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture, Democracy, Education, Environment, History, human rights, Islam, Jinnah, Justice, land, Pakistan, Parliament, poetry, Politics, poverty
VIVA LA BRADISTAN MELA
THIS IS BRADISTAN (courtesy Daily Times - this article was first published.Sir Cam was the Guest columnist for Bradistan from Mela 2003.Dil Nawaz’s comments and updates for2008 will appear within brackets 2009 Mela will be held on weekend of 13th and 14th of June 2009) Here in was a mighty fusion of cultures: Eastern, Western, English, Pakistani, Indian, African, Arab and others — a potpourri of sounds, smells, and sights … Read entire article »
Filed under: Arts and Crafts, Cinema, Citizens, culture, Dance, drama, Europe, Heritage, History, Humor, Identity, Images, Imperialism, India, Islam, Languages, Literature, Media, minorities, Pakistan, Photos, poetry, Politics, Punjabi, Reviews, Society, south asia, Sufism, Theatre, Travel, video, youth
Internally Displaced In The War On Terror ..
Aadil Shah I wrote the poem below sometimes back to try and express the feelings of those who are displaced from their homes by the beast of terror and war. In March, the situation of the IDP’s wasn’t as grim as it is now as they’re pouring into the city of Mardan with each the passing hour. Our house, the mixture of mud and stones, was feeble, yet it homed our aspirations in all the moods of life; when the sun smiled, … Read entire article »
Pushto Poetry: Things are like they were!
Aadil Shah The poem below is breath-taking in its original content in Pushto. My love for the verses made me try and ruin them through a translation but that could be forgiven, for everything is fair in love and .. err .. I don’t wanna talk of war as it reminds me our war ravaged Pushtun belt — a sad sad story being played in our backyards. Lets look at the rich Pushto literary tradition and we’ll find people like Rehman Baba, Khushal Khan, Ghani Khan, Amir Hamza Shinwari and many many more who stirred the hearts and souls through the magic of their words. … Read entire article »
The Disease called “Indifference”
There is no cure for indifference It kills, it maims, it destroys, it breeds Flows like blood in our veins and existence Benefit we cannot neither from past or future As we see tombs built from its marble and wood Neither the locksmith can unlock or the scholar Like an old disease it roams in our land See we all day our morals and ethics As it shackles the conscience, in me and you As we destroy ourselves through its mechanics Indifference has no cure, it offers us no peace Conscience is far away, like flown away birds Remain in view, the old excuses and of drama Build we houses to protect our siblings and progeny Built have we nothing, only the hollow pride Of progression and of change as we beg In this barren and dry land, only the heart That aches all we see, all … Read entire article »
Filed under: Citizens, Democracy, Pakistan, poetry, Politics, Society
Poem: Waris Shah Vs Aitzaz Ahsan
by Bradistan Waris Shah Vs. Aitzaz Ahsan (In the Court of Supreme Judge ALLAH The Almighty) A Tribute to Late Amrita Pritam aaj aakhaaN Aitzaz nuuN aaj aakhaN AITZAZ AHSAN nuuN, kitoN Chamber vichchoN bol, te aaj kitab-e -Knoon daa koii aglaa varkaa phol ik Uthyaa sii Wada Kanoon Daan, tuuN likh likh maare Byaan, aaj SWAT DE Dhiyaan rondiaa, tainuN Aitzaz Ahsan nuN kahen Jaag dardmandaaN diaa dardiaa, Jaag Pakistani Jaag … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, ancient civilisations, Arts and Crafts, Citizens, culture, Democracy, Europe, Fiction, Heritage, History, human rights, Identity, India, Islam, Islamism, journalism, Justice, Languages, lawyers movement, Left, Literature, Love, Media, minorities, movements, Music, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Philosophy, poetry, Politics, Punjabi, Religion, Rights, Rural, Society, south asia, Sufism, Taliban, Terrorism, youth
Obituary:Javad Nurbakhsh- A Sufi Soul
A leading Iranian Sufi, he was also a noted psychiatrist, author and medical clinic director By Leonard Lewisohn The Guardian, Wednesday 7 January 2009 The master of a branch of the Nimatullahi order of Sufism in Iran, Dr Javad Nurbakhsh not only furthered the cause of his religion, but was also one of the country’s leading psychiatrists. When the upheavals of the Iranian revolution in 1979 caused him and many others to emigrate, he continued to organise the practice of Sufism abroad till his death in Britain at the age of 81. Sufism is the mystical tradition within Islam whose followers – Sufis, or dervishes – espouse a religion of love based on poetry, music, and utilising various esoteric contemplative practices, the most important of which is a type of interior prayer … Read entire article »
Filed under: ancient civilisations, culture, Europe, Heritage, History, human rights, Identity, Iran, Islam, Love, Philosophy, poetry, Religion, Sufism, Travel, Writers
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