Monthly Archives: May 2009

By PANKAJ MISHRA (NYT) reviews an interesting book that I must read.

Author Wendy Doniger, Professor of the History of Religions, University of Chicago’s Divinity School , writes on this blog about her new work. This new work further consolidates the view that much of the now politically packaged Hinduism was actually a product of colonial scholarship in the ninteenth centruy.

The Battle over Hindu History

For years, some Hindus have argued that the 16th century mosque called the Babri Masjid (after the Mughal emperor Babur) was built over a temple commemorating the birthplace of Rama (an avatar of the god Vishnu) in Ayodhya (the city where, according to the ancient poem called the Ramayana, Rama was born), though there is no evidence whatsoever that there has been ever a temple on that spot or that Rama was born there. (more…)

Reviewed by: Yoginder Sikand

Muslim family laws have for long been—and continue to be—a hugely controversial subject. Critics contend that these laws seriously militate against basic human rights, especially of women. On the other hand, conservative ulema and Islamist ideologues hail these laws as the epitome of divine justice and refuse to consider any changes therein. (more…)

Raza Rumi

News such as this one are truly heart-warming. Not that entry into the Rajesque,elitist IAS is a panacea for India’s grinding poverty and unemployment but it is good to know that opportunities are opening up for the poor and education is making that happen. My only wish is that this also happens in my country and Bangladesh – after all poverty and inequality are not Divine ordained conditions – they have been designed by evil men and their cabals…

Source: NDTV – Twenty-three-year-old Priti Maithil, the daughter of a daily wage labourer in Sehore in Madhya Pradesh has ranked 92nd in the UPSC examinations and it is no surprise that her family is bursting with pride. (more…)

My friend IK has reminded me of W.H. Auden’s poem “Partition,” published in 1966. These moving verses  highlight the absurdity of the way the border was created sixty two years ago: 

Unbiased at least he was when he arrived on his mission,
Having never set eyes on the land he was called to partition
Between two peoples fanatically at odds,
With their different diets and incompatible gods.
“Time,” they had briefed him in London, “is short. It’s too late
For mutual reconciliation or rational debate:
The only solution now lies in separation.
The Viceroy thinks, as you will see from his letter,
That the less you are seen in his company the better,
So we’ve arranged to provide you with other accommodation.
We can give you four judges, two Moslem and two Hindu,
To consult with, but the final decision must rest with you.” (more…)

Ziauddin Sardar’s review for The Independent is worth a read:

Aatish Taseer grew up in Delhi with his Indian mother, a Sikh journalist. The Muslims of Delhi, he says, saw him as one of his own. But his estranged Muslim father in Pakistan was in another country. The troubled personal relationship, he asserts, must have some deep historic and religious undercurrents. To get close to his father, he must understand what Islam means to contemporary Muslims. (more…)

By Archana (Mail Today)

WHEN it comes to weaving a web of words, no one does it as well as Khushwant Singh. The nonagenarian author did it again at the launch of Sadia Dehlvi’s book, Sufism: The Heart of Islam, in the city on Thursday, when he said, “Sadia is a minor miracle herself.It’s a miracle how she has transformed herself from being a social butterfly seen on the page 3 of newspapers and magazines riding a rickshaw to being the principal spokesperson of the problems of Muslims. That she has come out with this book is a big miracle. I hope it brings lots and lots of money for both Sadia and the publishers.”The publisher, HarperCollins India, represented at the event by chief editor V. K. Karthika, and senior commissioning editor Sheema Mookherjee would have positively agreed with Singh. (more…)

Courtesy Fouzia Saeed

DISSPELLING THE MYTHS ABOUT TALIBAN

Myth: The root cause of Terrorism is extreme poverty and lack of education
Reality: This is not true. There are many countries in the world that suffer from extreme poverty but do not have terrorist groups.  Within Pakistan many areas are more poor than Swat, but have not become violent. On the other hand people who have become terrorists are not doing anything to eradicate poverty or provide education. Terrorists merely use the resentment of the marginalized and those resentful of other state actions in the initial phase of their ideological campaign. Once in control, they tax the poor, destroy school buildings and stop girls from going to schools. Most of those who have been killed due to militant attacks are women, peasants and the poor. (more…)

Barricaded Islamabad enveloped by the ghosts of national gloom has one little corner of hope. The Pakistan Academy of Letters, under its dynamic and committed Chairman, Fakhar Zaman, continues to weave narratives that still inspire. Even when the bitterness of our grim present affects us all, Fakhar Zaman was forthright in his views on Pakistan, its future and most importantly, its literary tradition. The venue was the book launch of Fahmida Riaz’s novel Godavari that has been translated into English. Fahmida Riaz is better known as a poet but her unique prose is lesser known. Her short stories and novels are extraordinary pieces of literary works rendered into sheer poetry. Often it is difficult to determine the genre of her ‘prose’ works as the lines between watertight compartments blur and fade away, only to reappear as a gentle reminder to the readers that our author is experimenting in her inimitable style. 

Godavari was published last year by the Oxford University Press and Fakhar Zaman organised its launch under the aegis of PAL only to ensure that there are many indigenous, native voices in English that have yet not caved in to the pressures and inducements of Western publishing houses. Godavari is a deceptively simple story of a few characters visiting a holiday hill resort in Maharashtra a little before the communal riots that shook Bombay and India in the 1980s. But deep within its lines, sub-textual connotations and shifting moods lie tales of discrimination, communal hatred and the unfettered spirits of its universal female characters. The heartening aspect of this book launch was that there were a few dozen enthusiasts present on the occasion, and a few powerful (more…)

Finally Sadia Dehlvi’s book, Sufism: The Heart of Islam (HarperCollins), is published and was launched last week in Delhi. India’s eminent writer Khushwant Singh and historian Mushirul Hasan launched the book while Vidya Rao and Oroon Das rendered Sufi verses with music  and subtle intonations befitting the Sufi path.

Tariqa – the Way of the Sufi

how long
can i lament
with this depressed
heart and soul

how long
can i remain
a sad autumn
ever since my grief
has shed my leaves (more…)

The theory of Tawhid (Unity of Divine Being) has been beautifully expressed by the Persian Sufi poet Farid ud din Attar (1157-1235) in his Mantiq utTair or the Conference of the Birds.

It is a poetic rendition of the consequence of an assembly of the birds of the world who begin their search for their ideal king, the Simurgh. The birds believe their the king to live beyond the mountain of Kaf that surrounds the world. Thousands of birds are lead by the magnificent Hoopoe in this Quest. They cross an endless desert, then the Seven Valleys of Understanding and meet slaves, princesses, hermits and creatures on the way. They learn to confront their fears and once the astonishing landscapes are behind them, just thirty birds reach the end of the journey. To their astonishment the King is none other than themselves and the birds are transformed in to the great unknown bird, the Simurgh resolving the enigma of I and Thou forever. There in the Simurghs radiant face they saw Themselves, the Simurgh of the World- with awe They gazed, and dared at last to comprehend

They were the Simurgh and the journeys end

They see the Simurgh- at themselves they stare

And see a second Simurgh standing there