Subscribe
Archive for the ‘World Writers’ Category
Einstein on Religion and Science
Came across this brilliant quote from Einstein:
“In their struggle for the ethical good, teachers of religion must have the stature to give up the doctrine of a personal God, that is, give up that source of fear and hope which in the past placed such vast power in the hands of priests.†Read the rest of this entry »
The inequitable world that we live in (on the “filthy rich”)
Negotiating with my middle class guilt, I have been pondering over this article. I had posted on Richistans earlier - somehow the obscenity of excessive (many would disagree here) wealth continues to irk me and thankfully countless others.
On the eve of Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary
Centuries ago, Guru Nanak composed these lines:
Within every body
Is the Lord hidden;
Within every body
Is His light.
Dalrymple on gods and monsters
In an era when most British officials were interested only in exploiting India, a few remarkable men celebrated Hindu art and culture. William Dalrymple explores the rich legacy of their collections and commissions. See more.
Fukuyama defends his Neocon legacy…
 This is a good review of After the Neocons: America at the Crossroads by Francis Fukuyama. Read the rest of this entry »
Of Autumn and Roses
I sent this poem to Fahmida Riaz a few days ago to comfort her. Little did I know that there would be another death of a close one; and I had to read it again to console myself! Read the rest of this entry »
The almost forgotten radical message of Iqbal
Yesterday was the Iqbal day- year after year it has become just another empty ritual. High sounding speeches and statements, visits to Iqbal’s tomb in the spectacular Hazoori Baagh and negligible focus on his message and vision. Read the rest of this entry »
Happy Diwali - on light and triumph
Indians and Hindus in Pakistan are celebrating Diwali today - I wish them a very happy Diwali. There will be fireworks and festivities signifying Ram’s return after a long exile. Read the rest of this entry »
Nothing but a figure of clay
Wealth has no permanence: it comes in the morning, Read the rest of this entry »
Fahmida Riaz on the Wall
My young friend has translated Fahmida Riaz’s words, and how inspiring these are.. Read the rest of this entry »
Byron: the elusive poet
I stumbled on this article on Byron - a romantic poet - who died young but left a legacy of fine poetry, political vision and surely a lifestyle ahead of his age.. Read the rest of this entry »
How rarely these few years (Seth)
“Naught to do with existence”
From Rumi’s Mathnavi (book III) - a parable most beautiful. Read the rest of this entry »
Longing - a short poem
This little poem by the famous Turk poet Aziz Nesin was left on Jahane Rumi by Sherry - I love it so much that I am re-posting it here -
You made me wait so long, so long that
I got used to missing you
You came back after a long time
I now love longing for you more
than I love you
(translated by Suleyman Fatih Akgul)
Celebrating Eid with Rumi
It’s a habit of yours to walk slowly.
You hold a grudge for years.
With such heaviness, how can you be modest?
With such attachments, do you expect to arrive anywhere?
Be wide as the air to learn a secret.
Right now you’re equal portions clay
and water, thick mud.
Abraham learned how the sun and moon and the stars all set.
He said, No longer will I try to assign partners for God.
You are so weak. Give up to grace.
The ocean takes care of each wave
till it gets to shore.
You need more help than you know.
You’re trying to live your life in open scaffolding.
Say Bismillah, In the name God,
As the priest does with knife when he offers an animal.
Bismillah your old self
to find your real name.
From “The Essential Rumi”published by Castle Books.
Coffee and Sufism - the ancient links
Thanks to Zainub, I came across this article on the Superluminal blog that traces the links between coffee and Sufis rather well. Coffee or Qehva was used by the Sufis to stay up for dhikr (Divine remembrance) sessions. The picture on the right also courtesy Superluminal depicts an Ottoman coffee house. Here is an excerpt:Â
Most modern coffee-drinkers are probably unaware of coffee’s heritage in the Sufi orders of Southern Arabia. Members of the Shadhiliyya order are said to have spread coffee-drinking throughout the Islamic world sometime between the 13th and 15th centuries CE. A Shadhiliyya shaikh was introduced to coffee-drinking in Ethiopia, where the native highland bush, its fruit and the beverage made from it were known as bun.It is possible, though uncertain, that this Sufi was Abu’l Hasan ‘Ali ibn Umar, who resided for a time at the court of Sadaddin II, a sultan of Southern Ethiopia.‘Ali ibn Umar subsequently returned to the Yemen with the knowledge that the berries were not only edible, but promoted wakefulness. To this day the shaikh is regarded as the patron saint of coffee-growers, coffee-house proprietors and coffee-drinkers, and in Algeria coffee is sometimes called shadhiliyye in his honor.
The piece also narrates the story of coffee’s secularization over the centuries; however, it tells us how qehva continued to be a favourite among the Sufis.
Despite coffee’s eventual secularization, the fondness for it in Sufi circles and the motives for its use were not lost. Helveti dervishes were among those who enthusiastically drank coffee to promote the stamina needed for extended dhikr ceremonies and retreats.
Remembering Neruda on Support Burma Day
The monks in Burma have resisted the oppression with grace and immense selflessness. I am reminded of a poem The Dictators by Pablo Neruda that captures the hollowness of arbitrary rule and violence that haunts our collective conscience..
An odor has remained among the sugarcane:
a mixture of blood and body, a penetrating
petal that brings nausea.
Between the coconut palms the graves are full
of ruined bones, of speechless death-rattles.
The delicate dictator is talking
with top hats, gold braid, and collars.
The tiny palace gleams like a watch
and the rapid laughs with gloves on
cross the corridors at times
and join the dead voices
and the blue mouths freshly buried.
The weeping cannot be seen, like a plant
whose seeds fall endlessly on the earth,
whose large blind leaves grow even without light.
Hatred has grown scale on scale,
blow on blow, in the ghastly water of the swamp,
with a snout full of ooze and silence
(available online)
An online petition by Avaz can be found here. This group is now placing ads across the global newspapers to raise the pressure on Burmese authorities.