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Archive for December, 2006
A journey begins….
Adil Najam’s post on Lahore and its only statue made extremely nostalgic. I am however, excited as I will be there soon to spend the winter vacation.
Adil also reflected on Lahore here. There is a picture that depicts Lahore’s glorious past. The picture shows the famous Badshahi Mosque and also captures the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh ”both reflected in some rain water”.
My favourite is this one on the left- showing the depth of the mosque’s architecture and its self contained spirituality. See how the “view’ elevates upwards like souls reaching out the Highest, the Loftiest…This image has been taken from here.
I know what I will be doing in Lahore - revisiting the Fort, the Shahi mosque, Wazir Khan’s mosque and the Lawrence gardens that would be glowing under the winter sun or freezing at dusk. Winters are fabulous in Lahore notwithstanding the pollution levels that have crossed all limits of public health and saftey.. Such is life and the times we live in!
A visit to Cocoo’s Cafe would be essential to view the splendour of Badshahi mosque and Ranjit Singh’s Samadhi at night.
See this picture on the right borrowed from Conor’s travel blog. The domes and the mist (or is it the glare?) make the place look so surreal. I think the picture was taken from the Cocoo’s or a nearby rooftop.
Of course there will be heartaches to see another hideous plaza illuminated with lights and neon signs that disturb the mood. More trees (see the one above right, in Lawrence taken by Makbruno) would have been offered at the altar of modernity (see the photo below from Metroblog) 
but then Lahore Lahore aye - resilient, booming and a place that is unforgettable for those who belong there - like myself. An emigre - in exile - and never content with any other place.
Provincial? Yes.
Myopic? Perhaps.
Rooted? Yes.
I may have missed the music conference (does it take place now?) that used to be organized every winter and spring but I am sure Data’s shrine is there to stay. It has been alive for almost nine centuries.
Ali Hajwery’s tomb popularly known as Data (literally the giver) Saheb defines the supremacy of Lahore’s station as a leading source of Sufi practice. This is where most Indian Sufi traditions sought inspiration and one of the oldest texts on Sufi thought emanated..
I will be there soon.
More later….
Â
A journey begins….
Adil Najam’s post on Lahore and its only statue made extremely nostalgic. I am however, excited as I will be there soon to spend the winter vacation.
Adil also reflected on Lahore here. There is a picture that depicts Lahore’s glorious past. The picture shows the famous Badshahi Mosque and also captures the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh ”both reflected in some rain water”.
My favourite is this one on the left- showing the depth of the mosque’s architecture and its self contained spirituality. See how the “view’ elevates upwards like souls reaching out the Highest, the Loftiest…This image has been taken from here.
I know what I will be doing in Lahore - revisiting the Fort, the Shahi mosque, Wazir Khan’s mosque and the Lawrence gardens that would be glowing under the winter sun or freezing at dusk. Winters are fabulous in Lahore notwithstanding the pollution levels that have crossed all limits of public health and saftey.. Such is life and the times we live in!
A visit to Cocoo’s Cafe would be essential to view the splendour of Badshahi mosque and Ranjit Singh’s Samadhi at night.
See this picture on the right borrowed from Conor’s travel blog. The domes and the mist (or is it the glare?) make the place look so surreal. I think the picture was taken from the Cocoo’s or a nearby rooftop.
Of course there will be heartaches to see another hideous plaza illuminated with lights and neon signs that disturb the mood. More trees (see the one above right, in Lawrence taken by Makbruno) would have been offered at the altar of modernity (see the photo below from Metroblog) but then Lahore Lahore aye - resilient, booming and a place that is unforgettable for those who belong there - like myself. An emigre - in exile - and never content with any other place.
Provincial? Yes.
Myopic? Perhaps.
Rooted? Yes.
I may have missed the music conference (does it take place now?) that used to be organized every winter and spring but I am sure Data’s shrine is there to stay. It has been alive for almost nine centuries.
Ali Hajwery’s tomb popularly known as Data (literally the giver) Saheb defines the supremacy of Lahore’s station as a leading source of Sufi practice. This is where most Indian Sufi traditions sought inspiration and one of the oldest texts on Sufi thought emanated..
I will be there soon.
More later….
Â
Buzkashi - the ancient game continues …
Further to yesterday’s post, I am reproducing this image from Saira Wasim’s website - this is a powerful painting and says it all.
Titled as Buzkashi (the ancient “goat grabbing” game from Afghanistan), this painting mixes various subcontinental motifs and themes to present artist’s vision of today’s Pakistan. You may not agree with the story but the creative force is simply overwhelming…
Read more here on the details on the painting.
This image is from the collection at Smith Collge Muesum of Art.
Buzkashi - the ancient game continues …
Further to yesterday’s post, I am reproducing this image from Saira Wasim’s website - this is a powerful painting and says it all.
Titled as Buzkashi (the ancient “goat grabbing” game from Afghanistan), this painting mixes various subcontinental motifs and themes to present artist’s vision of today’s Pakistan. You may not agree with the story but the creative force is simply overwhelming…
Read more here on the details on the painting.
This image is from the collection at Smith Collge Muesum of Art.
Miniature painting -the global traumas narrated by Saira Wasim
Saira Wasim is a prominent Pakistani miniaturist. I found a link to her website hidden in my unread emails. Some of her recent paintings are terrific. The image on the left is borrowed from here.
Anna Sloan, art historian, writes:
“Teeming with figures captured in mid-action, paintings by Saira Wasim present grand narratives. If it weren’t for their petite size and two-dimensionality, they might be mistaken for Greek mythology, Baroque opera, epic film, or other monumental genres. Yet, these small paintings represent a singular creation, one that transcends any individual medium or genre. In Wasim’s hands, the centuries-old format of the miniature painting has been transformed into a stage for human drama, a jam-packed cinematic space that approaches the grandeur of Cecil B. DeMille and the glamour of Bollywood. Like the protagonists of such grand genres, Wasim’s characters gesticulate, prance, shoot, and fly in majestic style. They laugh and boast in hideous fashion, and morph into grotesque hybrid creatures that hint at transcendent themes of good and evil.”
For instance see this powerful representation displayed on her website with the lyrical title, Lamentation of Innocence (Genocide),2005
 
One of the paintings -  Buzkashi - narrates a tale of contemporary Pakistan. The depiction of political and social undercurrents may be “subjective” but her work surely adds a new dimension to political art from Pakistan. Wasim’s websites states: “Buzkashi (literally means “goat-grabbingâ€) is an ancient game, national sports of Afghanistan and also played in many parts of North West Pakistan. It’s also called wildest game on earth. Here ‘Buzkashi’ is a metaphor of Pakistani politics, where every leader grabs for control of the country and every stronger wants to rule the weaker …”
The image on the left - Friendship After 11 September 1, (2001) found here - contextualizes and comments on the close relationship between Pakistan’s President General Musharraf and the US President after 9/11. There is an eclectic mix of realism, comedy and circus - there is movement and drama alive in the miniature format.
And this one is my favourite:  Mission Accomplished showing George Bush riding a cow with Tony Blair and the Pakistani President. South Asian motifs blended with strains of Western art, this painting cleverly sums up a myriad of perceptions and reactions to this tripartite alliance on the global scene. The image has been reproduced from the BBC website.
Wasim is expanding the frontiers of the traditional genre of miniature painting. It is a tremendous service to keep this art form alive and relevant.
Occupy yourself with your own inward self! - Rumi
Oh heart, place no honey in the mouth of the
ill! Speak not of entrancing eyes in the assembly of the blind!
Although God is nearer to His servant than his
jugular vein, He is far from those who are far
from Him.
Occupy yourself with your own inward self!
Then like moons the concealed maidens will come out in theophany from behind their veils!
Although in this work you will be lost to
yourself and the world, outside of yourself and the world you will be famous.
If you are the moon of union, give a sign of
your union! Tell of the arms, the silver breasts, and the faces of the houris!
And if you are yellow gold from separation’s
heartache, where is separation’s burning brand? Only the coins of the wretched are so dull and tarnished.
Since you have no love, at least perform the
duties of servanthood, for God will never neglect the wages of the wage earners.
Know that love for God is Solomon’s seal-how
should Solomon’s income be related to the wages of ants?
Throw away the garments of thought and
cogitation, for the sun only shines upon the naked!
Seek refuge in the locks of Shams-i Tabrizi, for
they rain down musk and will protect you from tyrants.
Translation by William C. Chittick
Courtesy: Sunlight
a Prayer on Inspiration …..
My friend Sadiq has shared this prayer posted on his blog Inspirations and Creative Thoughts.
He calls this a prayer on Inspiration, Work and becoming an Instrument …
My Lord give me the strength to work for & towards the very inspirations that you send to the heart, so that i be an instrument for Thy Will. Amen
Read more here
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