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Archive for March, 2008
Why Jodhaa Akbar is a disappointment?
The challenge of translating a historical era into a cinematic endeavour is daunting, especially when it concerns historically contested subjects such as the fabled love between 16th century Mughal Emperor Akbar and Jodha Bai, the legendary princess from Rajputana who later ruled India as Empress and symbolised the Hindu-Muslim accord of the times. However, it is not historical accuracy, or lack thereof, which defines the rather exasperating cinematic narrative of an otherwise glorious period of the subcontinent’s history. It is the facile treatment of history, its interpretative variants and its actors that makes the Bollywood film Jodhaa-Akbar a disappointment.
Akbar’s reign symbolised the zenith of the Mughal Empire and also some of its unique attributes. Whether it was the secular, tolerant governance based on the Sulah-i-Kul (peace with all) policy, opening up the frontiers of theological discussion, effective administrative systems or promotion of Indo-Mughal art forms, Akbar was a pioneer in most respects.
Jodhaa-Akbar attempts to capture the essence of that particular moment: the Indianisaton of the Mughal court and most importantly, the royal household. Whether it is to do with the grafting of a temple within the Agra fort or the introduction of vegetarian meals, these were significant markers for centuries to come, enabling a tiny Muslim minority to rule the non-Muslim majority. But the film fails to handle this momentous phase of history appropriately and instead churns out a masala mix that, despite the massive budget, results in mediocre film-making.
This is not to say that the film is without merit. It is visually stunning in places and A R Rehman’s music is outstanding. The two stars – Ashwariya Rai and Hrithik Roshan – provide glamour and unreal beauty. The settings are competently improvised and yes, the feel of the whole cinematic experience does convey the clichéd Mughal aura of splendour, excess and a hybrid aesthetic. Rai and Roshan exude that enigmatic chemistry which makes them an attractive pair on screen.
But it is the treatment of the subject, characters and nuances that disappoints, especially when one remembers director/producer Ashutosh Gowariker’s earthy and under-your-skin rendition in Swades . In the pursuit of commercial success, Ashutosh relies on soft plagiarism. The battle scenes remind one of the Hollywood blockbuster Troy; the inanimate army contingents resemble those in Gladiator; and the sword fighting sequences re-enact the visual tricks of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon . But these are all still pardonable. Read the rest of this entry »
A stove is better than Bulleh
“Main NeevaaN Mera Murshid Uccha…
Main UcchiyaaN naal sang laayeeâ€
I am lowly my spiritual guide is lofty!
I have tied my fate to such lofty ones!
“Bulleh naaloN chullaah changaa
jis te ann pakaaee daa
ral faqeera majlas keetee
bhora bhora khaaee daaâ€
A stove is better than Bulleh
because at least you can cook food on it
Saints sit together to eat
and share their food with each other
“Bulleh Pi sharaab tey kha kabab,
par baal haddaan di ag,
Chooree kartay bhan ghar rab da,
ais thuggan de thug noo thug.â€
O Bulleha, Drench yourself in wine and feast
ignite the fires flaming out of the bones.
stealing, break into the house of God
and swindle the cheat of cheats.
“Mulla tay mashaalchi dohaan ikko chit
Loukan karday chananan, aap anhairae vichâ€
Mullah and the torch-bearer, both from the same flock
Guiding others; themselves in the dark
Fascist Wilders should be ignored
“..calling it a film is to abuse both the English language and the legacy of cinema”
Yesterday, a friend sent an internet link to Mr Wilders’ crappy excuse of a “film”. It was so silly, distastefully offensive that I felt pity at Wilders’ utter lack of talent and skill. By according more attention than the idiotic film, the Muslims will only make him more popular and a rallying point for Islamophobia disguised as freedom of expression. Wilders has to be ignored and all peaceful protest against Islamophobia should continue.
As always, my dear friend Ali Eteraz is on top of things - by way of his intelligence and wit evident from this excellent article.
What I’m really wondering: is Wilders’ protesting against Islam or the monopoly extremists already have over grainy, low-budget, YouTube videos? …….
The rest of the film is a mixture of conflating the most painful and heart-wrenching images from terror-strikes with extremist imams, in an effort to turn the entirety of Islam into a demonic edifice. This is neither new, nor interesting. It is a facile trick for facile minds….
On Bhagat Singh, his vision and Jinnah’s support for his struggle
A few days ago, Irfan Habib, a noted researcher and author of TO MAKE THE DEAF HEAR — Ideology and Programme of Bhagat Singh and His Comrades sent his thoughtful piece on the legendary Bhagat Singh.
Incidentally, Bhagat Singh was hanged on Pakistan’s Republic Day - March 23 though nine years prior to that - in Lahore - thereby adding another dimension to the symbolism of March 23 for Pakistanis. Bhagat Singh for his principles, struggle for just causes and valour is a shared hero.
I am quoting some of the passages from Habib’s article below. Citing a Tamil newspaper editorial of 1931, Habib writes:
One of the most articulate and strong reaction was seen in far away Tamil Weekly called Kudi Arasu, where Periyar E.V. Ramasami wrote an editorial on March 29, 1931. Besides being critical of Gandhi and the Congress for failing to save him, Periyar saw in young Bhagat Singh an ally who stood for rationalism and spoke against caste oppression. He began by writing “there is no one who has not condoled the death of Mr. Bhagat Singh by hanging. There is none who has not condemned the government for hanging him.†The above lines reflect the widespread acceptance of Bhagat Singh as a national hero, much beyond the limits of Punjab, and more significantly, within this short political life. There is no reason to believe that his persona was created by scholars through their exploration and interpretation of historical records.
Habib concludes with these words- Read the rest of this entry »
In Love that Long
am here, this moment, inside the beauty,
the gift God has given,
our love:
this gold and circular sign
means we are free of any duty:
out of eternity
I turn my face to you, and into
eternity:
we have been in
love that long.
Rumi
Version by Coleman Barks, with Nevit Ergin
“The Glance”
Viking-Penguin, 1999
The Kite Runner: the Afghan tragedy goes unexplained
Khalid Hoseni’s book, now turned into a film has been a best seller. It is touching as a personal narrative and indeed quite well-written. However, the issue with the book and more so with the film is this redemption - the saviour complex - that subtly ties in with the political discourse on Afghanistan. That external forces need to save it and somehow repair its fissures and heal its wounds. What can be farther from the truth?
Found this engaging review - am quoting some passages here: Read the rest of this entry »
Khowaja Fareed - the mystical voice of Southern Punjab
A friend, for the lack of a better term (why are we always hankering after labels and identities for some associations that lie beyond the act of defining), wrote this piece for Jahane Rumi. She is a follower of the Sufi creed and this is what created a bond between us that refuses to go away despite the different paths and lives we have led. The connection has stood the winds of time. There is an audio-link at the end as well.
Recently while going through some of my late grandfather’s books, I was struck by a feeble looking Deewan of Khowaja Fareed. Feeble because it bore the date of 1964 for its inclusion in his impressive book collection. Expressing the thrill of holding a book which had travelled 44 years in time to reach me is beyond words. Needless to say with what intensity the book’s contents kept me immersed in them for almost two hours with un -interrupted focus which is a rare event in an ever-reaching-out-to-meet-a-target kind of life style we are used to. Read the rest of this entry »
Ready to drink every flame
rocking and rolling
what have you been drinking
please let me know
you must be drunk
going house to house
wandering from street to street
who have you been with
who have you kissed
who’s face have you been fondling
you are my soul
you are my life
i swear my life and love is yours Read the rest of this entry »
My travels to Delhi
Finally, I wrote a piece on Delhi ……
Delhi’s present day chaos cannot belittle its grand past, which created a civilisation and shaped the contours of Indo-Muslim identity
When travels come, they come in battalions. Such has been the trajectory of my recent sojourns to Delhi. Travel to India can be, at best, random and left to a game of chance, given how the officialdom on both sides of the border ensures that people don’t cross real and imagined boundaries. Coincidence, or as my less rational side would say, the calling of the Delhi and Ajmer Saints, enabled me to land in Delhi twice in less than three months.
My most recent visit is in some measure courtesy of TFT. My obituary on Urdu’s towering writer Qurratulain Hyder in TFT last August was read by the immensely talented Rakshanda Jalil, media coordinator at Jamia Millia Islamia. A few months later she sent me an invitation to talk and present a paper at a seminar on the legacy of Qurratulain Hyder. There was no way that I could have refused this invite. Ms Hyder is my all time favourite writer; Delhi, an incomparable city to visit; and above all the opportunity to explore Jamia, a historical seat of learning associated with luminaries such as Maulana Azad and Dr Zakir Hussain could not be missed.
Delhi is not an ordinary South Asian metropolis. Its present day chaos cannot belittle its grand past, which created a civilisation and shaped the contours of Indo-Muslim identity, nourished the Urdu language, produced the finest verse in Hindustani and Urdu and fashioned a fabulous architectural legacy. This is why Delhi fascinates me endlessly. Each time I visit, I find a mohallah of the old dilli that concerns an important event or personality. Even better, another hitherto unknown monument is introduced to me; it is like a newly discovered continuation of an enjoyable book. One has only to casually drive around the city to find that it is dotted with monuments. I cannot complain that they are neglected in India; considering that Pakistan’s mighty administrators erect Shaminaas on Mughal monuments for personal parties, how can one grumble about the infidel neighbours! Read the rest of this entry »
Holi has a Muslim History too
Found brilliant post written by Yousuf SaeedÂ
Holi, being celebrated across India, may be the most colourful Hindu festival but it has a Muslim history as well.
Sufi saints like Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia and Amir Khusrau in their chaste Persian and Hindi loved the festival. Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, whose Holi ‘phags’ (songs) are relished even today, allowed his Hindu ministers to tinge his forehead with ‘gulal’ during Holi festival each year. Read the rest of this entry »
The Irreverent Hero Islam Forgot
Tehelka magazine has this story on how magic and adventure render the Hamzanama the most popular oral epic of the Islamic world.
WILLIAM DALRYMPLE tracks its mad energy in its first-ever compilation in English
IN JUNE 2002, as Pentagon strategists were making their plans for the invasion of Iraq, a short distance away down Washington’s National Mall, the Freer- Sackler Galleries at the Smithsonian were showing one of the most interesting exhibitions of Islamic art seen in the US for years. Ironically, the show was made up of illustrations of a story largely set in the very Iraqi cities which were shortly to find themselves as targets for the Pentagon’s munitions.
A few gems from Muhammad (pbuh)
 On the blessed day of birth of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), I am posting some of his sayings as we know them through Hadith. The reason why I like the selection was that these words evoke his humanity - as a counterpoint to the deification done by some Muslims and vilification done by those who think that Crusades are not over.
I have always adhered to the belief that the Prophet was sent as a ‘Blessing for all Mankind’ - Rehmat ul lil Alimeen -and therefore no distinction could be made between one individual and another on the basis of religion, caste, colour and creed. The Prophet never made a distinction and nor should we. I am reminded of his prayer: ‘Oh God! I bear witness that all Thy creatures are brothers ’ (quoted in the Sunnan-i-Abu Da’ud). Read the rest of this entry »
Of old-journalism, new media and myopia
Three quotes from this story covering the Project for Excellence in Journalism’s annual State of the News Media report struck me:
It was believed at one point that the Net would democratize the media, offering many new voices, stories and perspectives. Yet the news agenda actually seems to be narrowing, with many Web sites primarily packaging news that is produced elsewhere…., Two stories - the war in Iraq and the 2008 presidential election campaign - represented more than a quarter of the stories in newspapers, on television and online last year, the project found.
Faiz’s Aaj bazaar mein pa-bajo-lan chalo … translated & explained
Another translation of Faiz rendered by a Toronto based poet - Anis Zuberi. This is a timeless poem or nazm, aaj bazaar main pa ba jolan chalo has been translated and explained below. I am also posting a video that shows Faiz reciting the poem followed by a beautiful rendition by Nayyara Noor.
Aaj bazaar main pa ba jolan chalo
aaj bazaar main pa bajolan chalo
let us walk in bazaar in shackles
Chashm-e-nam, jaan-e-shoreeda kafi nahin
wet eyes and restless soul is not enough
Tohmat-e-ishq-posheeda kafi nahin
being charged for nurturing concealed love is not enough Read the rest of this entry »
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sings Bulleh Shah
I had earlier posted a video of Abida Parveen singing Bulleh Shah. While that is an all time favourite, the global voice of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has also rendered Bulleh Shah with great ease and soulfulness. I am grateful to Cubano for opening the doors into this magical world of music. No words can capture the sheer beauty of this music. Videos are posted below Read the rest of this entry »
Try Photofun
Photofun is an Internet Web Portal that is used for photo sharing. The engine that underpins the web-site is used to support the manufacturing process so customers in “real-time†can store their digital photos, then publish, share, and convert them into photo products.
At Photofun, You can hold personal business cards, holiday photo cards, and develop photo books. Read the rest of this entry »
Turkey in radical revision of Islamist texts
Turkey is working on a revolutionary new interpretation of the Prophet Mohammed’s reputed sayings, known as the Hadith.The project is aimed at allowing millions of Muslims to re-evaluate their religious obligations in the light of modern ways of living.
Full article here