Falcon and Tulips: A celebration of Muhammad Iqbal’s life and work


Countries may adopt deceased poets and writers as their national heroes, but great writers’ and poets’ universal writings are truly for everyone to cherish and learn from. Muhammad Iqbal was one of those poets. Iqbal may have certain strains of pan-Islamic ideas in his poetry, but in most part the humanist part of his work has universal appeal. For many in South Asia, Iqbal was the greatest sage who lived in modern times—and that is why they call him the Poet of the East.
Bay Area Urdu cognoscente Hamida Banu Chopra regularly arranges literary meetings in which notable poets are remembered through recitations of their life histories and their work. On Sunday, March 11 such a program was arranged at ICC, Milpitas to remember the life and poetry of Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal.

The event, moderated by Hamida Banu, was presided over by Urdu teacher and community leader Ahsan Syed. The readings kicked off with Arvind Kansal reciting ‘Ram’ and ‘Niya Shavalah’ from Bang e Dara (Iqbal asking his countrymen to forget their religious differences and consider their land the god). After that reading Hamida Banu pointed out Iqbal’s use of Hindi words in Niya Shavalah—she said Sheikh Abdul Qadir, Iqbal’s contemporary and the editor of Makhzin magazine, had written about Iqbal’s study of the Hindu philosophy.

Next was Fatima Hussnain who read the poem ‘Mera watan wahi hai’ from Bal e Jibrael. Mera watan wahi hai is another poem indicative of Iqbal’s early patriotism.

Deepti Warrier hailing from Kerala sang Iqbal’s ghazal ‘Tujhe yad Kya naheeN hai’ from Bal e Jibrael.

Hamida Banu started recounting the important life events of Iqbal by describing a mushaira in Lahore that a 19-year old Iqbal attended. The mushaira took place in Bazar e HakimaN Inside Bhati gate. Famous poets of those times such as Mirza Arshad Gurgani Dehlvi and Mirza Nazim Hussain Nazim (known for his poem Jogi) were there along with their disciples. In the mushaira Iqbal read a ghazal ‘Hasrat nahin kisi ki tamanna nahi hooN mein’ and stunned the audience.

Banu then described Iqbal’s slow journey towards stardom in Urdu poetry. That Muhammad Iqbal being born in Sialkot on Nov 9, 1877 wrote very highly of his father, Sheikh Noor Muhammad, who once asked him to read Quran imagining that ‘Allah is talking to you directly.’

Iqbal learned Arabic and Farsi from Syed Mir Hasan, a scholar, popularly known as Shah Sahib. On Shah Sahib’s recommendation Iqbal got admission in the Mission College. Later, Iqbal went to study in Lahore. Whenever he would come back to Sialkot he would have scholarly discussions with his father. His father wanted him to be highly educated. In 1905 Iqbal left for England and on his way stopped in Delhi where he visited Khawaja Nizamuudin Auliya’s tomb and wrote the poem ‘Iltija e Musafir.’

In 1933 when Iqbal was offered knighthood, he told the Governor of Punjab he could not accept the honor until his teacher would be honored for his scholarship. When the Governor asked Iqbal if Iqbal’s teacher had written any books, Iqbal replied that he himself was a book written by his teacher. His teacher was given the award of Shams Ul Ulma.

It was the time when Iqbal’s poetry got regularly published in Makhzen, run by Sheikh Abdul Qadir Iqbal once told Sheikh Abdul Qadir that he was giving up on writing poetry and wanted to instead use his time in doing something more productive. Abdul Qadir tried to talk him out of that decision but Iqbal was not convinced. Abdul Qadir got Iqbal agree to talk to Professor Arnold and get his opinion on this important matter. Arnold was Iqbal’s philosophy teacher in Lahore. Arnold agreed with Abdul Qadir and urged Iqbal to continue with writing poetry, saying, “Whatever time you give to poetry is not only productive for you, it is also productive for your country and your people.” Banu said today we should be thankful to Abdul Qadir and Professor Arnold for having Iqbal continue the poetry journey.

Iqbal wrote extensively in Persian and is known as Eqbal Lahoori in Iran. The City of Mashhad has an ‘Eqbal Lahoori Institute of Higher Education’ (though engineering rather than poetry is taught at that university—may be because of Iqbal’s emphasis on the importance of active work, in his poetry.)

Hamida Banu described a meeting of Ghulam Bhik Nairang with Iqbal, after Iqbal returned from Europe in 1908. Nairang who lived in Amritsar went to Lahore to meet Iqbal who was not home. Nairang waited till Iqbal returned. Iqbal was wearing ‘an English suit’ when he returned home. But he quickly changed into a tehband (dhoti) and banyan (undershirt) with a folded blanket on his shoulder, and huqqa in front of him. ‘We sat down on the floor and discussed various topics. I lived there for three days. I can tell you he went to Europe and learned a lot of things, but that has not changed his down- to-earth manners.’

Listening to Iqbal’s poetry and life events one cannot help but think how the poet went through various transformations, from starry-eyed patriotism of the younger years and a sense of belonging to the land (urging people to unite despite their religious experiences) to pan-Islamism (a reaction to witnessing might of Muslim rulers crushed all over the world), to becoming a strong advocate of Muslim identity in South Asia.

Next in line was Bay Area poetess, Mahnaz naqvi, who read Iqbal’s poetry from his various intellectual stages.

Ali Hussnain, brother of Fatima Hussnain, recited the poem ‘Chand aur Taray’


Talat Qadeer Khan, a Karachi University graduate, sang the poem ‘Lala e Sahra.’


Hamida Banu pointed out the repeated use of Gul-e-lala (tulip) in Iqbal’s poetry. She said tulip was Iqbal’s metaphor for the lover. She said Iqbal was against the monopoly of religious leaders on religion; she read poetry to substantiate the thesis.

Next was Nasreen Chopra, Hamida Banu’s daughter, who briefly described her mother’s Urdu teaching career over the last 30 years, including a recent stint at IIT Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar where Banu taught two courses. Nasreen said she too learned Urdu from her mother. Nasreen read Iqbal’s famous poem ‘Hamdardee” from Bang e Dara.


Tashie Zaheer, a prominent Urdu poet, was given the task of describing Iqbal’s philosophy of Khudi (self). In his paper Zaheer described why Iqbal thought self-realization was an important pursuit; he said Iqbal used ‘shaheen’ (falcon) as a metaphor for a perfect Muslim because the falcon flies high, does not make nest (is always on the move), and does not eat animals killed by other predators.

Anupama Dalal sang ‘Zamana’ and a ghazal ‘Gaisoo e tabdar ko aur bhee tabdar ker.’

In his short speech, Ahsan Syed, paid tribute to Iqbal and said, “Mir gave us the language, Ghalib gave the language body and form, and Iqbal put spirit in it.”

Hamida Banu concluded the program reciting Iqbal’s poem ‘Doa.’


Listen to the audio of the program here:
http://www.archive.org/details/PoetMohammadIqbalsLifeAndWork

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ڈاکٹر سر محمد اقبال، علامہ اقبال، شاعر مشرق، فلسفہ خودی، اقبال اور حب الوطنی، اقبال لاھوری، سیالکوٹ مشن کالج، گورنمنٹ کالج لاہور، اردو شاعری، پروفیسر آرنلڈ، محلہ حکیماں، بھاٹی گیٹ، مشاعرہ، مرزا ارشد گرگانی دہلوی، مرزا ناظم حسین ناظم، سید میر حسن، نظام الدین اولیا، التجاءے مسافر، رسالہ مخزن، شیخ عبدالقادر، غلام بھیک نارنگ، اقبال وطنیت سے برصغیر کے مسلمانوں کی نماءندگی تک، حمیدہ بانو چوپڑہ، اردو کی تعلیم، آءی آءی ٹی احمد آباد گاندھی نگر، تاشی ظہیر، مہ ناز نقوی، اروند کانسل، انوپما دلال، دیپتی وارءیر، بال جبرءیل، بانگ درا۔



डॉक्टर सर मुहम्मद इकबाल
अल्लामा इकबाल
शयेर इ मुशरिक
इकबाल का फलसफा इ खुदी
इकबाल और हिंदुस्तान
इकबाल और इस्लाम
इकबाल लाहोरी
उर्दू शाएरी
हमीदा बनो चोप्रा
अरविन्द कंसल
मेहनाज़ नकवी
ताशी ज़हीर
इ सी सी मिल्पितास
इंडिया कम्युनिटी सेण्टर
सिअल्कोट
लाहोरे

Looking back with William Dalrymple

A.H. Cemendtaur

On Tuesday, February 28, 2012, over two hundred people attended a performance of reading and music organized by the Berkeley Urdu Initiative at the UC Berkeley. Celebrated historian of late Mughal era, William Dalrymple, read excerpts from his book, “The Last Mughal.” Poetry, beautifully sung by vocalist Vidya Shah punctuated the reading. Shah was accompanied by tabla player Vishal Nagar.

What makes William Dalrymple a much sought after historian is the fact that deep at his core he is a storyteller. Dalrymple writes history books that grab you by your hand and take you back to the era he is describing; he makes you see colors and shapes, smell the aroma of fine foods and the stench of decomposing bodies, and hear the screams of people in distress and the late night music emanating from the royal palace.

In the introduction of the program, Professor Munis Faruqui, historian of Mughal India, said the evening was a part of the much larger program, the Berkeley's Urdu Initiative “launched to honor and extend Berkeley's decades long commitment to the study and dissemination of Urdu.”

Faruqui informed the audiences that since program’s inception in November 2011, almost $130,000 have been raised; in the goal to create an endowment for lectureship in Urdu, UC Berkeley is providing a 3:1 support to the fund-raising effort.

Raka Ray, Chair of the Center for South Asian Studies, introduced William Dalrymple as a historian; a contributor to the NY Review of Books, the New Yorker, New Statesman, and Guardian; and as one of the founders of the Jaipur Literature Festival.

What followed next was a mesmerizing session of storytelling and music. Dalrymple entertained the audience describing the brief period of renaissance at the very end of the Mughal period, and the events around the war of 1857.

“In the 1640s when Milton was sitting in the drab monotone of Puritanical, Cromwellian England, writing ‘Paradise lost’, and was trying to think of an image of grandeur, he chose to have God take Adam on a tour of the future cities of Mughal India. Adam is escorted through Mughal Delhi, Lahore and Agra on his path through future wonders of humanity. For a man of Milton’s generation this was no exaggeration. Mughals by the 1640s controlled almost all of South Asia, almost all of Afghanistan, and a slither of modern Iran.

“By the accession of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar in 1832, almost all of it had been lost. Delhi itself had been plundered three times since the death of Aurangzeb in 1707.


“One of the extraordinary features of this period is that unlike the periods of decline in other empires which normally leave little artistic trace, it is possible to argue that many of the most remarkable literary works to come out of Mughal India follow in the years of decline.

“The great renaissances of history usually take place during times of economic boom. What’s extraordinary about the renaissance that takes place in Delhi in period just before Zafar and during Zafar’s reign is that it takes place during a period of economic decline.

“This is the reason when the British turn up in Delhi in 1803, the first residents, the first ambassadors and diplomats the British sent up to Delhi, far from trying to impose their culture on the Mughal court are themselves colonized.

“David Ochterlony, first of the British residents, sets the tone. He entirely adopted an Indian way of life. He had no less than 13 Indian wives, each had her own elephant.

“By the 1840s, this early period of honeymoon between the British and the Mughals is fast wearing away; 1780 to 1800s, one in three British men were marrying Indian women and cohabiting in Anglo Mughal families; it went down to one in four, 1800- 1810; to one in five by 1830s; and by 1840s it is almost over—it is complete apartheid.

“Alongside the rise of the British power comes the rise of the evangelical Christianity and with it an entirely new spirit. (We see) evangelists using very extreme language; colonels of East India Company reading out the Ten Commandments to their troops.

“And the final moment happens on May 10, 1857 in Meerut, north of Delhi. The British had been using the same old rifle, the Brown Bess musket that had seen action against the Jacobites in 1745, and against Napoleon in Waterloo in 1815. It is still in service in 1850s in India. But after the British are completely defeated by the Afghans in the First Afghan War, there is a movement to change this old war horse of the British Army.

“In brought is the Enfield rifle. It is the age of breach loading guns and therefore the bullet comes pre-lubricated. It is greased in a mixture of pig-fat and cow-fat. And the sepoys are required to bite these bullets made in the Dum Dum arsenal north of Calcutta.

“It appears that the Indian version of this cartridge was produced with far too much grease that even the Europeans disliked chewing in their mouth--it was like eating raw Vaseline.

“On May 10, the sepoys refused to bite the bullet. They are led away in chains and sentenced to life imprisonment. That Sunday evening when the British are in the church, the sepoys rise up.

“On May 11, the day after the rebellion in Meerut, the first rebels arrive in Delhi. They slaughter not only the Europeans but also the converts to Christianity. And the uprising quickly assumes a religious and patriotic nationalist character.

“Of the 139,000 sepoys working for the British, 100,000 have thrown in their allegiance to the crown; 100,000 march to Delhi and seek service with the Mughal emperor.

“Zafar is now 82 and not at all the man to lead an uprising. The uprising sinks into chaos because there is no administrative machine to feed, pay and organize this massive army.

“By midsummer the uprising descends into (chaos); each successive regiment refuses to cooperate with the other; goes on its own to fight the British but then disappears into the city at night. All that is gained during the day is lost at night.

“Meanwhile British under John Lawrence in Lahore are recruiting an entirely new army--partly from Sikhs, but also from Pashtun tribesmen of Waziristan and Khyber.

“In August the new army moves from Lahore to take Delhi, on September 14. The new British army enters the city through the Kashmiri gate and begins a massacre of all fighting age males who are alive in the city.

“(This is how a 19-year old British officer described the capture of Delhi.)
‘The orders went out to shoot every soul. It was literally murder. I have seen many bloody and awful sights lately, but such a one I witnessed yesterday I pray I never see again.

‘The women were all spared, but their screams on seeing their husbands and sons butchered were most painful.

‘Heaven knows I feel no pity, but when some old grey-bearded man is brought out and shot before your very eyes, hardness be that man’s heart I think who can look on with indifference.’

“Having evicted the rebel army and having captured the emperor who, through his wife, does a deal with Hudson, the intelligence officer that he would be spared along with his wife and his son Jawan Bakht the British then head off out of the city in order to pursue the rebel army towards Lucknow.

“(This is how another British officer described the British leaving the Red Fort.}
‘The march was simply awful. Our advance guard consisting of cavalry and artillery had burst and squashed the dead bodies which lay swell to an enormous size in the Chandni Chowk. It was a ride that I don’t ever care to take again. Dead bodies were strewn about in all direction, in every attitude the death struggle had caused them to assume, in every stage of decomposition. In many cases the positions of the bodies were appallingly lifelike; some lay with their arms up lifted as if beckoning. The whole scene was weird and terrible, beyond description. The atmosphere was unimaginably disgusting, laden with the most noxious and sickening odors.’

“The emperor who surrendered is kept in the stables of the Red Fort. And there he is put on a show trial. A fantastical plot is drummed up. It is said that this uprising--which in reality has drawn in all sections of the society from India, ranging from Muslim noblemen to Hindu sepoys to tribesmen in Madhya Pradesh--is in fact an international Islamic conspiracy centered on Tehran. Zafar is being accused as the brilliant mastermind at the heart of this wicked Islamic conspiracy. And he is sentenced to life banishment in Rangoon.

“He would leave the city of his forefathers on a bullock cart. The last image we are left with before the last Mughal is deported is of an old man deprived of pen and paper still writing poetry with a charred stick on the white walls of the stable of the Red Fort.”

Has Dalrymple’s work put South Asia historians to shame? If Dalrymple can search primary sources in the National Archives of India to write history books, why can’t South Asians do the same? This train of thought brings us to another important factor in analyzing Dalrymple. William Dalrymple has indeed earned scholarship through hard work, but in marketing that scholarship he was assisted by two traits that he was born with: his race and his language. Among many legacies of the colonial period two still run deep and define our times: racism (a perceived hierarchy of importance of people, from fair-skinned to dark) and English as the language of authenticity. Were Dalrymple not Scottish and were he not writing in English, would his scholarship in Mughal era history have been appreciated as much as it is praised now? It is a tough question to answer.

Listen to the audio excerpts of the program here:
http://www.archive.org/details/WilliamDalrympleVidyaShahVishalNagarBerkeleyFeb282012

Vision 2047: from WBT TV on Vimeo.

Social Contract

There seems to be a universal consensus among people that every human being is born free. No one has a right to subjugate a human being and make that person do things against their wishes. Pursuit of happiness is considered an inalienable right of every soul. Conflict arises when a person decides that their happiness lies in hurting others. That is where the ‘social contract’ comes in the picture.

Without being too concerned about the political theories related to the term ‘social contract’, we all understand that an unspoken agreement exists whenever we are in the company of other people. That unspoken agreement determines the code of conduct of every person in that meeting. For example, when you go and sit together with your friends no one expects you to suddenly get up and start beating the person sitting next to you, or that you would show up at the meeting totally naked.

The ‘social contract’ limits a person’s freedom, but anyone who does not wish to live alone in wilderness and instead wants to live in an organized society, has no recourse but to accept the social contract with the society (thus limiting the personal freedom).

Laws of a country are the most easily identifiable social contract one enters. The first and foremost important part of the social contract is that a person by being present in a place where a social contract exists is agreeing to the enacted social contract. Most social contracts cover the following broad categories.

1. The rights of an individual.
2. The rights related to one’s property.
3. The rights related to common property of the community (air, water, and land).
4. The procedure through which the social contract would be changed.
5. The procedure through which the social contract would be enforced and its breach would be punished.

Most modern societies are democratic in nature. The social contract is decided through mutual consensus. But in large-membership democracies it is easy to feel alienated: one to feel that things are happening without one’s consent, or in fact contrary to the wishes of hundreds of thousands of people like the alienated person. Thus there is a need to have social contracts specific to very small communities.

Dr. Ahmed Salami,
I apologize for the late response, and apologize for not pursuing matters to receive the money.
Yes, the money is mine and you are just a custodian. You need to be honest enough as the Auditor-General of the Federation to make sure the money reaches me, because the file has my name on it. In fact, if I don't get the money soon I'll come down to kick your ass.
You wrote, "The truth about this is that the file here on my desk depicts clearly that you did not do anything here to deserve any payment from Nigeria."
This is outrageous! I have worked so hard to get the payment from Nigeria...now, suddenly you come along and start throwing accusations. I cannot take it.
Stop drooling over my money, you shameless Auditor-General of the Federation, and send the check to me--NOW!
The file that has my name on it should also have my mailing address. Please confirm. In case you need to know my address, do let me know, you low-life Auditor-General.
In short, don't even think about cheating me. It is my money and it better be here soon.
Enough,
Cemendtaur

===The above is in response to the following email message=========

From: Dr. Ahmed Salami
To:
Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2012 3:25 AM
Subject: Comfirm Receipt




Hello,

I contacted you because there is a payment file is among other foreign
payment files here in my office for final approval that bears your name. I
do not know if you still have the interest of receiving this money any
longer following what I have seen so far.

The truth about this is that the file here on my desk depicts clearly that
you did not do anything here to deserve any payment from Nigeria.

May be your friends who introduced you to this transaction at the first
time did not give you the correct information of this payment because they
did not have it. I do not want to go into much detail.

I am the Auditor-General of the federation that has the yam and the knife
on this issue at the moment, I know what to do and how to program this
payment in order to make it finally successful this time, but you must be
very sincere and agree to my points and conditions.

If you are ready to cooperate with me, I will normalize all issues in your
file here and I will channel this payment to you in a very sure way.
Get back to me.


Thanks
Dr. Ahmed Salami
Auditor-General of the Federation

NED Convention 2011: Glitz, Glamour, and a lot of Substance

It has become an annual pilgrimage, an event that draws NED University graduates from all over North American and a few even from as far as the UAE and the land of their alma mater. The event is called the NED Convention and it rotates around the US cities. This year's annual NED Convention was arranged by the NED Alumni Association of Tri-State and was held at the Hilton Parsippany in New Jersey, October 7 through 9.

Whereas the convention festivities began Friday night, on the arrival of most of the out-of-town attendees, and ended Sunday morning, the main program was on Saturday. On Saturday the morning session provided opportunities to discuss new ideas, reaffirm identities, and understand how life can be made more meaningful.

Salman Siddiqui, founder of Leo Sunergy, a solar energy company, spoke on the importance of using renewable energy sources. Siddiqui proposed installing a 2.3 MW photovoltaic plant at the NED University to make the institute energy independent.

A panel comprising of Husam Ahmed, Khalid Mallick, Salman Siddiqui, and Safwan Shah discussed the 'Challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship.' The discussion was moderated by Tanweer Mallick.

Dr. Syed Firasat Ali, ex-Mechanical Engineering professor at the NED University, currently teaching at the Tuskegee University, Alabama, spoke on the role of NED alumni in addressing contemporary aspects of their professions.

A discussion on 'NEDians as a force of change in social and political arena' conducted by Amir-ul-Islam, President and CEO of Jersey Precast Corporation, had Akbar Ansari of Procter & Gamble, Anwer Hasan of Maryland Higher Education Commission, Abul Islam of AI Engineers, and Khalid Mansoor of Universal Construction Resources as the discussants.

Evening keynote at the NED Convention 2011 was given by Pakistan's ambassador to the United Nations, Abdullah Hussain Haroon. Ambassador Haroon's message was bold and challenging. He said the US was going through uncertain times--Pakistan too was going through rough times; when uncertainly ruled everywhere, Pakistani-Americans should think about going back to their country of origin, to build their fortunes while building their country.

Ashraf Habibullah is no ordinary speaker. This NED graduate and CEO of Computers & Structures, Inc., takes you back to yonder years by describing the environment of the old NED campus, by humorously reminding you of the basic needs you had in your college days, and by singing TV commercials and popular songs of that era. Ashraf Habibullah's speech at the convention was as entertaining as a convention speech can possibly be.

Behind every annual NED convention go ungodly hours of meticulous planning and days of hard work put by an army of volunteers. At the NED Convention 2011, recognition awards were given to Arshad Rizvi, Shakeel Ahmed, Anas Hashmi, Mubbashir Rahman, Rashid Ali Baig, Amir-ul-Islam, Tanweer Mallick, and several other people whose dedication and hard work made the Parsippany convention a successful program.

It doesn't happen often that a thespian keeps redefining himself to remain in demand as he progresses through years. Actors should learn from Zia Mohyeddin how to be successful at such a transformation. Turning 80 in a couple of years, this theater and film actor of yesteryears now uses his deep theatrical voice to recite fine Urdu literature and enthrall crowds. At the NED Convention 2011, Zia Mohyeddin did something new: besides reading masterpieces of known writers, Mohyeddin read a piece he himself wrote.

People running the show at the NED Convention 2011 were mostly graduates from the 70s and the 80s. It was logical for them to bring singers who were popular in those decades. Besides local artists who sang old songs, two singers who can arguably be called the pioneers of pop music in Pakistan gave enchanting performance at the convention. Muhammad Ali Shehki has resurfaced on the Pakistani music scene after a gap of many years. At the Convention 2011, Shehki sang a number of his memorable songs and made people dance in joy. If Alamgir looks years younger than his age--and despite his failed kidneys--it is for a very good reason: he tremendously enjoys what he does; while performing on the stage, Alamgir sings and dances and gets totally absorbed in the magic he creates. Alamgir's performance at the convention included his popular songs requested by the audience, and a mesmerizing 'Jugni' to end the program.

Subversive poetry in a rebellious atmosphere

Take a poet regarded as the master of resistance poetry and bring his poems to the audience of a university known for a tradition of rebellion and you would see sparks--resulting from the sheer energy of the event. 'Guftugu: Faiz Ahmed Faiz, A Centennial Celebration' arranged by the Berkeley Urdu & Pakistan Initiatives of the Center for South Asia Studies, featuring Faiz's daughter Salima Hashmi, was indeed such an electrifying program.
In Guftugu, held on September 25, at the Bancroft Hotel in Berkeley, Salima Hashmi gave two presentations. In her first appearance Ms. Hashmi answered Professor Saba Mahmood's questions and provided rare insights into the day-to-day life of her legendary father. In her second presentation, Salima Hashmi used slides to explain how art produced by various South Asian artists has been influenced by Faiz's poetry.
Salima Hashmi described Faiz as a very easygoing father; "we children never took him seriously." Hashmi said it was her mother who would make sure the children were going to school on time and were studying. As a child Salima Hashmi would fake headaches and stomachaches to skip school. When Hashmi would make such an excuse, her mother would ask Hashmi to talk to the father, expecting a reprimand from the dad. When Hashmi would tell her father she did not want to go to school, he would comfortably agree that she should not go to school if she did not want to. On other occasions, if she would tell her father she had failed a math test, he would say, "That's fine. I too used to fail math tests."
Salima Hashmi said when a poem would come to his father, he would start humming and would go out for a walk, typically to the Lawrence Garden. When Faiz would return home his relaxed demeanor would indicate to everyone in the household that the poem had been completed.
Salima Hashmi described her father as a humanist who saw people as human beings, beyond their national and other parochial affiliations.
In her other presentation Hashmi elaborated on the influence of her father's poetry on visual art produced in South Asia: from Sadequain's elongated, cactus like human depictions accompanied by Faiz's couplets to works infused by Faiz's poetic themes created by contemporary artists like Naiza Khan, Nalini Malani, Anwar Saeed, Imran Qureshi, and others.
The program organized by a committee comprising of Sanchita Saxena, Raka Ray, Puneeta Kala, Behnaz Raufi, Umair Khan, Saba Mahmood, Munis Faruqui, Adnan Malik, Nosheen Ali, and others was moderated by Munis Faruqui. Besides Raka Ray, Chair, Center for South Asia Studies; Anthony Cascardi, Dean of Arts & Humanities; Qamar Jail, Lecturer in Urdu; and A. Sean Pue of Michigan State University also spoke at the event.
The program included recitation of Faiz's poetry, with and without music. Anil Chopra and Hamida Banu Chopra read Faiz's poems. Tashie Zaheer read his poetic tribute to Faiz.
'Dasht e Tanhai' was sung by Anupama Chandratreya. Irum Musharraf sang 'Mujhse pehli si Mohabbat'; she was accompanied by JahanZeb Sherwani on guitar. The last recitation was of Faiz's masterpiece 'Hum Dekhenge' by Nandita Kala Dabral--poetry so powerful, words so magical, rhythm so enchanting, the poem gives you goosebumps and brings tears to your eyes. And it was a befitting ending to the program, as that prophetic poem epitomizes the hopes and aspirations of the people of South Asia, set in the context of class struggle--the real struggle that the independence in 1947 should have been about, a struggle that time and again has been hijacked by opportunists only to be shamefully framed within the confines of ethnic, religious, regional, and linguistic parameters.

Ten years of violence

San Francisco Bay Area being a haven for peace movements hosted a plethora of anti-war programs on the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. One such event organized by the Friends of South Asia (FOSA) and held at the San Francisco Public Library's Koret Auditorium was dubbed ' Ten Years after 911: A South Asian Reaction.' The program started with a screening of a fifteen minutes long compilation--put together by Saqib Mausoof, the chief organizer of the event-- of video excerpts from various films made on the themes of extremism (Kala Pul), identity crises of Muslim immigrants and their US-born children (Domestic Crusaders), entrapment (The FBI's Jihad), drone attacks (Silent Screams), Afghanistan war (Afghans for Peace), and understanding the growing anti-American feelings in Pakistan (Wide Angle on Pakistan).
Various aspects of 9/11 and the continuing violence and hatred it has unleashed were discussed by a panel comprising of Veena Dubal (Staff Attorney at the Asian Law Caucus), Roshni Rustomji-Kerns (writer, Professor Emerita, Sonoma State University), Dr. Maheen Mausoof Adamson (Director of Research, War Related Illness and Injury Study Center, VA Palo Alto), Yasmin Qureshi (writer and activist), and Fariba Nawa (Afghan-American journalist). The panel was moderated by Sharon Sobotta (Director, Women’s Resource Center, St Mary’s College).
Eminent Bay Area civil rights activist and lawyer Veena Dubal analyzed in great detail the aggressive role FBI has played in post 9/11 USA. Commenting on FBI's growing domestic surveillance network, Dubal said going after the crime was no longer a retrospective activity for the FBI. She said that the new laws have changed the orientation of the law enforcement agencies and now everybody wants to be James Bond.

Ms. Dubal is certainly not the only critic of the FBI. Civil liberties advocates all over the nation have complained of the almost free hand being given to the spy agency. Commenting on the high profile arrests FBI has been making in thwarting potential terrorist attacks, a recent BBC report claimed that the FBI does not only discover terrorist cells, it creates them. The same report explained FBI's modus operandi in cracking terrorist cells: FBI informants recruit gullible Muslims, buy them fake weapons and explosives, offer financial rewards if they carry out terrorist attacks, and finally arrest them for plotting terrorist operations. FBI critics believe that if the public sentiment was not so saturated with Islamophobia in post 9/11 USA, most courts would throw out these 'terrorist cell' cases as mere acts of entrapment by the FBI.

Veena Dubal claimed the annual review of the FBI agents includes whether or not an agent has been able to recruit informants in the community. People who are interviewed by the FBI are asked if they would like to act as informants and in many cases are threatened if they decline. She narrated one incident in which a person refusing to become an FBI informant was punished by being put on a no-fly list.

Veena Dubal said as an attorney she advises her clients not to talk to the FBI agents because of two reasons. First, the FBI agents have been enabled by guidelines to lie to individuals, and second, any misrepresentation of information given to an agent can be viewed as lying which is punishable by law.

Dubal said the FBI is not happy with civil liberties lawyers like herself. In one encounter with the FBI Dubal was asked to become a partner with the Bureau. When Dubal politely refused she was told many community organizations are partners with the agency-- FBI considers Muslim Advocates and the Sikh Coalition to be its partners.

Listening to Fariba Nawa you would be justified to wonder if all Afghan-Americans are as confused about the US involvement in Afghanistan as Nawa is. Nawa liked US removing the Taliban from power; she does not like the US occupation, but is afraid Taliban would again take control of Afghanistan if the US leaves.
"What has changed for the Afghan American community is that many of them are going back. We go back, we live there, we work there as translators. A lot of people have become richer from the contracts the US government is handing out . You will hear from my community saying that we are happy that the US intervention occurred. What we had before, with Taliban, was not an option.
"During the Taliban rule women could not go out, could not work, could not do many things. But we at least knew our children were safe because bombs and rockets were not raining on us. Now (under American occupation) we are free to do things but we don't feel secure to leave the house, neither do our children, neither do our husbands.
"If you do a survey in Afghanistan and ask people if the US should leave and the combat mission to stop, most people would say, No. But they would give conditions for it, and there is a reason why. We have very pesky neighbors like Pakistan, Iran, and former Soviet republics who have historically used Afghanistan as a pawn and will continue to do so.
"I think a lot of good has come out of it (the American intervention) but not for the long term. War is not a long-term solution--we need a political solution. "
Yasmin Qureshi said that as a Muslim woman, growing up in India, she always felt her family was seen with suspicion and that was the reason she relocated to the US. But after the 9/11 attacks she saw the same kind of mistrust about her community from fellow Americans. She said she has learned to fight back.
Maheen Mausoof Adamson said after 911, it has been a constant battle to be an observant Muslim without being labeled as a fundamentalist. "There is a difference between learning the fundamentals of Islam, and being a fundamentalist."
Sharing with the audience her experiences as the Director of Research, War Related Illness and Injury Study Center, VA Palo Alto, Adamson said she sees a lot of veterans coming back with Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) along with traumatic brain injury. Being far away from the battleground, far removed from the people who get killed, she said she is "seeing the impact of war on people who are pulling the trigger. They are paying a heavy price."
Adamson described how young people, who believe they need to fight for their country are suddenly taken out of their nice environments in the US and sent to Iraq and Afghanistan; they take part in combat operations and one day come back to the 'sanitary environment', without going through any acclimatization. They are asked to carry on with their lives as before. But now things are different for them. They have seen war and have been exposed to a lot of bad things.
Discussing an issue not widely known, Adamson said, "American female soldiers have been sexually abused in military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are afraid to go to the bathroom at night because they know that they would get abused or get raped. " Adamson said quite a few female soldiers develop urinary tract infection because of not being able to go to the bathroom at night--many develop PTSD from this trauma.
Adamson said she is also witnessing cases of domestic violence that are related to PTSD. In one instance, wife of a patient confided in her how every night the veteran would take her to the bathtub, tie her up and beat her silly--he would then cry and would say he did not know what he was doing.
Roshni Rustomji-Kerns said the terrorist attacks of 911 did not shock her. What surprised her was people's reaction to the attacks. "Why is everybody so shocked by this?" she asked, "The shock should be why it (violence) is still going on."
Rustomji-Kerns said the 911 attacks gave way for racism to come out. On the need for people to understand each other she thought the challenge was, "How do we talk to people who are not in the same choir we are in."
FOSA's commemorative program was in part group's seventh annual literary evening. In the literary readings part of the program Dr. Khawaja Ashraf (travelogue writer, Urdu novelist, writing as K Ashraf), Maryam Turab (Urdu columnist), Saqib Mausoof (writer and filmmaker), and Roshni Rustomji-Kerns read their writings related to the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
Maryam Turab's short Urdu article was on her thoughts as a Pakistani-American woman on the 911 attacks and the bloodshed that has followed, and on her frustration that on September 11, 2001 a small group of people hijacked Islam and defined it to the world.
Dr. K Ashraf's Urdu article explained how, after the 911 terrorist attacks, US citizens are made to choose between security and freedom--that peace can only be restored when people all over the world would feel free and secure.
Saqib Mausoof called his causerie a personal catharsis. The piece was about events and popular discourse shaping the thoughts of a Pakistani immigrant in the US.
Roshni Rustomji-Kern's essay was on the horrors of wars she has seen from her childhood. "Stop glorifying wars. Instead of processions and parades, we should have days of mourning shared by everyone...victims and victimizers."
Q&A
In the Q&A session there was a lot of interest in understanding Fariba Nawa's point of view--and for a good reason. In anti-war discussions you don't normally hear people favoring war.
" Anti-war people come up to me and say, 'Sorry, we are bombing your country; we are doing terrible things to Afghans.' Well, go to Afghanistan and they will welcome you."
She acknowledged the rural-urban divide in Afghanistan and thought if a survey was done in Afghanistan, people living in urban centers would favor US occupation whereas Afghanistan's rural population and especially those living in the South would like the US to be out.
She was of the view that till 2005 US involvement in Afghanistan was viewed favorably by most Afghans. "What we are seeing now is a combination of many things. One is the corruption of the Afghan government...a very big factor in the success of the insurgency. In the beginning the insurgency was not successful in the North at all, but now it is.
"If the US leaves, what is going to happen? A civil war is inevitable. I would like more discussion about a peace keeping mission in Afghanistan.
At the crux of the matter is the idea of a group of people (government) ruling over a country, how a decision is made about who would rule the country, and if certain communities do not agree with the government and the laws they are forced to live under, what should they do. Is war the only way to remove an oppressive government? Hardcore anti-war advocates would strongly disagree. A parallel argument can be found in the debate over capital punishment. People who oppose capital punishment argue that a person is much more than the crime that person has committed and is being punished for; killing a person as a revenge for a criminal act is killing all the possibilities that individual holds. War is a form of capital punishment--on a much larger scale, with more indiscriminate killings. How can war be justified?
But then what do you do with dictators, unpopular governments? How do you rescue people from juntas that grab power through undemocratic means? It behooves peaceniks to provide an answer to the people of Afghanistan.
Complete audio recording of the program is here:
http://www.archive.org/details/TenYearsAfter911ASouthAsianReaction

Ten Years after 911, A South Asian Reaction



It has been ten years since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the world has drastically changed in these ten years.

Unlike other acts of terrorism, the 9/11 attacks were a TV sensation--it was the most horrible reality show one could ever watch. Live telecast of the second plane hitting the World Trade Center and the subsequent collapse of the two towers were viewed by millions of people all over the world. Though the western news agencies and the Bush administration were quick to put the blame of the 911 attacks on Bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda organization, conspiracy theorists kept coming up with imaginative ideas to 'better' explain the attacks. In 2002, after a lot of public outcry, US Congress put together a commission to independently investigate the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A comprehensive report prepared by the 9-11 Commission laid many of the wild theories to rest. The 567 pages long report goes in great detail about the terrorist attacks and in providing 'evidence'--most of it coming from Khalid Sheikh Mohammad's testimonies--that 9/11 attacks were indeed planned and funded by Al-Qaeda. Some would argue that on 9-11, the US paid an unfortunate price for the destruction of the USSR--the CIA-created Jihad network came back to bite the hand that once fed it.

Shortly after the 911 terrorist attacks, letters containing Anthrax spores were found in envelopes mailed to several media outlets and to two senators. The note enclosed with each letter read, 'Death to America. Allah is Great.' The anthrax attacks created a media frenzy and the attacks' connection to Al-Qaeda and the 'fundamentalist Muslims' was obvious to many. Ten years after the Anthrax attacks the case involving the use of biological weapon is closed and all blame has been put on a dead man, Bruce Edwards Ivins, a researcher at Fort Detrick, the center for US Army's biological weapons of mass destruction . There was never a public inquiry of these attacks, but the damage was done. Anthrax attacks created the necessary atmosphere of fear conducive to the passage of the PATRIOT Act, a drastic 'legal recourse' to keep an eye on the enemy within. Anthrax attacks also provided a pretext for the US to attack Iraq, "a country stockpiling 'weapons of mass destruction.'"
On this coming anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks George Bush and Barack Obama would visit the World Trade Center site in New York and would meet with people who lost their loved ones on September 11, 2001. Obama and Bush's speechwriters would craft the best speeches most suitable for the occasion. On the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Obama and Bush would deliver these heartwarming speeches--using teleprompters--with somber faces, resolute demeanors, and determined voices; speeches which in truth would be the masterpieces of doubletalk. Only the flag waving naive would agree with the official story and would understand why the War on Terror should go on.
And on the same day, several peace groups would have a very different type of 911 remembrance. These other type of commemorative programs would be protests against the war and appeals for peace. One such program is being arranged by the Friends of South Asia (http://friendsofsouthasia.org/). "Ten Years after 911, A South Asian Reaction: Films, discussions, and literary readings" would be held on Sunday, September 11, 2011, 1- 4 pm, at the Koret Auditorium, San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco. The event is free and open to all. For those who attend the program it would be an excellent opportunity to share their own 9-11 stories and a catharsis of 9-11 related emotions.

Photo courtesy of americanheritagevillage.net

Imagining how Jinnah would feel about today's Pakistan: PACC celebrates Founder's Day


Delectable food, two eloquent speakers, a short video presentation imbued in good old nationalism, and a scintillating performance by renowned singer Munni Begum marked this year's well-attended Founder's Day celebrations, held at the Chandni Restaurant in Newark, California. The tradition of celebrating the Founder's Day program on December 25 was started by Bay Area attorney Javed Ellahie (under the umbrella of the Pakistan Founders Celebration Committee) and was taken over by the PACC (Pakistan American Cultural Center) after the latter's inception. The program that has been annually held without an interruption gives Pakistanis, especially non-Christian Pakistanis, living in the San Francisco Bay Area something to do on the Christmas day.

Founder's Day 2010 program, moderated by Bay Area Urdu connoisseur Annie Akhter,
started with guitar renditions of the US and Pakistani anthems artfully played by young Ayaz Latif. Next in line was PACC President-elect Noreen Tariq's short speech. A short video presentation with Junoon's Junoon-say-aur-ishq-say-milti-hai-azadi playing in the background--video put together by Farrukh Shah Khan--was then showed to set up the stage for the speeches to follow.

The theme of this year's Founder's Day program was Jinnah in 2010, as in how would Mohammad Ali Jinnah feel if here were to come out of his grave and visit today's Pakistan. Countries are expected to survive much beyond the lives of their founding fathers. So this rhetorical question about Jinnah can be asked about all the people who fought for independence and finally got a piece of land liberated. How would George Washington feel visiting today's US? [Probably pleasantly surprised to see the size of the country grown tremendously, but a little alarmed by the growth of the federal government.] How would Simon Bolivar feel visiting today's Gran Colombia (Spanish South America)? [Probably a bit dismayed on seeing the land he liberated fractured into separate countries and sometimes not getting along with each other.] How would Lenin feel seeing the Soviet Union no more? How would Mao Tse-Tung feel seeing the economic system of the country changing direction? And near us, how would Gandhi feel, if he were to brought back to life?

In his speech on Jinnah in 2010 Brigadier General (Retired) Feroz Hasan Khan, lecturer at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, said that if Jinnah were to visit Pakistan today he would not be very happy because when he would take his expired passport for renewal, he would be asked to fill out a form that uses abusive language for the religious leader of a significantly large minority of Pakistan.

Feroz Khan said that people have been painting Jinnah in the light they themselves want to see Jinnah in. In Feroz Khan's opinion Jinnah was a secular person--not an atheist, but a person ready to live with others (of opposing views).

Khan said Jinnah wanted to see Pakistan a modern Muslim state. He said that if Jinnah were to come back he would be disappointed by Pakistan's economic condition. Khan said that nations develop using tangible resources such as their territorial size, the quality of their population, their military strength, and their economic potential; four intangible things that make a nation include national cohesion, domestic stability, international prestige, and the supporters of allies and friends.

Feroz Khan said if Jinnah were to come back he would be surprised by the resilience of the people of Pakistan. And we would be pleased by the optimism and valor of the Pakistani youth. Khan said he did not have an answer for how Jinnah would feel about Pakistan being a nuclear state today.

The next speaker on the topic of 'Jinnah in 2010' was Sabahat Rafiq (also known as Sabahat Rafiq Sherwani). Sabahat Rafiq said that (even when he demanded a separate homeland for the Muslims) Jinnah cannot be called a fundamentalist. Plain and simple, Jinnah could see the ground realities. Jinnah was initially a Congress leader but when he saw the prevailing mindset and realized how democracy in the independent India would in fact be a form of the largest religious group's domination over other minorities Jinnah parted ways with the Congress.

Sabahat Rafiq said if Jinnah were to come back today he would ask the majority of Muslims in Pakistan to not impose their values on others [for this was the very fear Muslims had when they demanded a separate homeland].

She said Jinnah would ask the expatriate Pakistanis to help the people of Pakistan who work in very unfavorable conditions and still make the country work. Rafiq thought the nuclear capability of Pakistan was a good deterrence and "that is why we are safe today."

She asked Pakistanis to not renew the debate on the ideology of Pakistan and instead work with what they had and make it better.

A short Q&A session, in which the uneasy questions were apparently sanitized, followed the two 'Jinnah in 2010' speeches.

In response to 'Who is a modern Muslim?' Feroz Khan said a modern Muslim is one who blends well in the 21st Century atmosphere and who does not want to pull the society back to some bygone era.

Responding to the question 'What needs to be done at the grassroots and what needs to be done at the higher level, to improve things in Pakistan?' Sabahat Rafiq said the democratic process should be let to continue without interruption.

In response to 'Is nuclear power a liability or an asset?' Feroz Khan said the nuclear capability is never a solution for the domestic problems. He said that it has been twelve years since Pakistan acquired nuclear capability, but that prowess has not given the country any internal security.

Answering 'What would Quaid think of Pakistan military's extraordinary strength (in comparison to the other institutions) today, Feroz Khan said if Jinnah were to come back to life he would be mad both at the politicians and the military leadership. Defending his former employer Khan said if the institution of the Pakistan army is stronger than other national institutions then efforts should be put in making other institutions stronger instead of making the army weaker.

Next in line was Farrukh Shah Khan, PACC's current president, who thanked the audience for their attendance and announced PACC community service awards for Dr. Khalid Siddiqui (Bay Area Islamic scholar) and Tashie Zaheer (Urdu poet and organizer of monthly Urdu literary meetings, under the banner of the Urdu Academy of North America). These awards were given for the outstanding community services of the awardees.

PACC regularly hosts a karaoke night on the last Sunday of the month. Two karaoke artists of the PACC music nights, Yasmeen Haq and Asghar Aboobaker (PACC founder and financial wizard) sang songs to give audience a taste of how the karaoke nights go. Much more than their singing abilities the performers were applauded for their courage to stand in front of the one-hundred plus strong audience and sing. An alluring flute performance by Amjad Noorani followed the karaoke.

And then came the part of the program which for many was the main attraction of the event: performance by Munni Begum. To an enthralled audience Munni Begum played harmonium and gracefully gyrated her shoulders in rhythm singing poetry of love and hedonism; her performance continuing till late at night proved the point that if you earn your living through work that you really enjoy you can keep doing it for a very long time and till a very old age.

[See more photos here:
http://pakistanlink.org/Community/2011/Jan11/07/01.HTM]

جناح دو ہزار دس میں، پاکستان امریکن کلچرل سینٹر، منی بیگم، چاندنی ریستوراں، جاوید الہی، عینی اختر، ایاز لطیف گٹار، نورین طارق، جنون، جنوں سے اور عشق سے ملتی ہے آزادی، فرخ شاہ خان، بانی پاکستان کا دن، محمد علی جنا، جارج واشنگٹن، ساءمن بلیوار، لینن، ماءو زے تنگ، گاندھی، بریگیڈیر جنرل ریٹاءرڈ فیروز حسن خان، لیکچرار نیول پوسٹ گریجویٹ اسکول، مونٹرے، کیلی فورنیا، فیروز خان، صباحت رفیق شیروانی، فرخ شاہ خان، کمیونٹی سروس ایوارڈ، ڈاکٹر خالد صدیقی، تاشی ظہیر، اردو اکیڈمی آف نارتھ امیرکا، کیرااوکی ناءٹ، یاسمین حق، اصغر ابوبکر، امجد نورانی، بانسری، ممتاز گلوکارہ منی بیگم۔

Group photo of Urdu Academy organizers and regulars, at the end of a program on Meeraji.

Audio recording of the program is here:

http://www.archive.org/details/MeerajiUrduPoet

उर्दू अकादेमी ने मशहूर शयेर मीराजी के ऊपर एक प्रोग्राम क्या

[tags: اردو اکیڈمی، تاشی ظہیر، ڈاکٹر غزالہ انصاری، نصیر ہمایوں، جاوید عمرانی، مکیش ککڑ، وقار خان، عاصم باجوہ، معراج غزالی، ڈاکٹر طاہر محمود، عبدالستار غزالی
]

This month's Urdu Academy program was on Meeraji, an avant-garde Urdu poet.
In this picture you see Naseer Humayun emceeing the program.
E-flyer of the program is produced below.


www.urduacademy.org
URDU ACADEMY of North America's
Monthly Mehfil-e-sher-o-sukhan

WHEN: Sunday, November 21, 2010

WHERE: CHANDNI RESTAURANT
5748 Mowry School Road Newark, CA 94560
Balentine Plaza, opposite Hilton
Ph: 510-668-1051

NO HOST LUNCH
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Khush Amadeed (Welcome)
& Program review

TASHIE ZAHEER

YOUR HOST
M. Naseer Humayun

PROGRAM
2:00 - 5:00 P.M.
JANAB SANAULLAH DAAR
Commonly known as:
"MIRA JI"

KI SHAKHSIAT AUR KALAM KA JAEZA
AUR
UNKA MUNTAKHIB KALAM