Dil

Jo mera tha
Woh bhi mera raha nahi
Seenay mein kabhi kuch
Dharkta bhi tha.
 
10th April 2012

Meri khamshi ko day nawa

Meri khamshi ko day nawa
Meray angar ko athishein day bana

Meri veeraniyon ko sairab kar
Meri zulmaton ko mehtab kar

Mein bhatak raha hun dar-badar
Mera tamam kar day tu safar

12.00 am 3.2.2011

Khush tha k azaad hun

Khush tha k azaad hun uski yaad k zindaan say,
magar woh qaid-e-musalsal thi abhi aur bhi baki...
 
24 Jan 2011

Humanity is dying

Progress.

The word appears to have been realized as sophistication in science and technology lead to leaps in my facets of life. More and more urbanization, a flurry of products and services, the optional turning into needs, there is so much happening these days.

We are all in a mad frenzy to acquire and consume more and more, not matter what the commodity/service is. The natural capital given to us by mother earth is being monopolized, consumed and diminished as each moment passes by.

Very little or no thought is being given to change our consumption patterns of natural resources. The path towards moderate consumption is very less trodden and that too by far too less.

Any human who has a patch of land has the sense to moderate his/her consumption, take steps to replenish whatever the land is giving him/her & to make sure not to damage the land, the source. Then was as humans; as one collective group do we not have the sense to be moderate, to conserve, to take care of the one piece of land that we have. Its not like we have another planet to migrate to in case this one dies.

Seems like its going to be too late before we open our eyes to the larger picture.

Following are some words echoing the same sentiment as above:

Is this the time?
The time of deliverance
The day of freedom

A new horizon beckons us
A new world awaits us

If only we could wake up
If only we could see
That there is a world beyond us
A world that does not revolve around us

We
The people
Hordes of zombies
Gnawing at this world
It screams…it groans
As we slowly consume it alive

Not aware
That we are this world
Without it we would be nothing.

No, this isn’t the day
Its just another day
Leading to our impending doom

Humanity is dying…

Pappu Saeen, Shah Jamal...a night to remember..

Since settling in Lahore, one of my cousins had been egging me on to go to Shah Jamal's shrine to listen to Pappu Saaen.

I had seen Pappu Saaen on TV performing with the band Overload so it didn't take me long to agree to the trip. As I was told, Pappu Saeen plays every Thursday night at Shah Jamal's shrine.

So here we were entering Shah Jamal's shrine on Thursday 23rd Aug at around 9:30 pm. We entered a small brick courtyard...nothing fancy...just a brick floor with a large oval marked with chalk...couple of dusty rugs for the audience to sit. There was a big tree inside the courtyard which was perhaps as old as the shrine itself...who knows how much it had witnessed and of what nature.

A small gathering of boys and men had assembled...waiting for Pappu Saeen and party. Pappu Saaen arrived a couple of minutes later, clad in his a large black kurta and dhoti...his oiled curly long hair and beard making him an imposing figure. 

Pappu Saeen was joined by one of his disciples and a young man with some sort of an african drum...a tamboora perhaps. Someone told me he was part of Overload but I wasn't sure.

The three drummers fiddled with their drums, tweaking them to get the sound just right and then it began..

The beat began slow and steady...building up into a frenzy slowly..the audience began to tap their feet and nod their head as the infectious beat began to take control. The air was heavy with weed smoke which was being smoked in abundance...soon the weed and the beat began enticing the audience to step inside the oval and then the frenzied dance began...men & boys...dancing feverishly...whirling around like turkish dervishes...lost in a world of their own...the beat of Pappu Saaen's might Dhol taking them to heights and places only know to them.

And suddenly at one point I felt like everything had slowed down...when everyone was engrossed and lost...whether standing passive or dancing...everyone was connected to that one beat...following the ebbs and cresendos..the whirling ones twisting and turning around one axis...perhaps connected...perhaps thinking about the One above.

And I'm back

Well I am finally back after a hiatus of many months...not that anyone cares or follows my blog for that matter.

Saw "Fast Five" yesterday on the big screen...gosh...some of the scenes especially the climatic "safe" scene had me at the edge of the seat...it literally felt like the cars/debris was going to hit me..true cinematic experience.

What else to say...currently suffering from a brain drain...punching numbers and writing code has taken away any feeble ability i had to write poetry or prose...

What have we become?

Eid day...a cold morning...mosque...molvi sahib told everyone to forgive and forget...to embrace each other...I came home and turned on the TV....news strip....exchange of fire in Karachi between two rival groups...many killed..

We muslims...even of the weakest faith...what have we become? Animals? Or do we think of others as animals? We maim, shoot and kill without thought..on Eid day!

Have we totally lost it? Restraint, tolerance & peace...these aren't alien words/notions...these are the very things our religion taught us and still we blatantly move on in a fit of rage.

Its been too long and too many times...blaming India, America, Jews...how many times will be cover our shame with pointing fingers at others rather than looking at ourselves in the mirror.

Lord help us.....