Dhikr Dude

I have a paper I need to hand in tomorrow morning (it was due on Friday), and as you know, it is during times like these that I decide to write in Selfistan.

Today's post will not take me too long to write, nor will it use up too many of my brain cells - or yours for that matter. You may have noticed the new RFS header that I put up a couple days ago. If you haven't yet, move your eyeballs slightly upward, and you'll see it.

I was beginning to find the old one a bit too 'graffiti-ish,' a bit too jarring on the eyes, and all-in-all unrepresentative of RFS and myself.

This new one is much more to my taste. The font is one I love (manzanita) and that I use for all my pictures and cards. As well, being in love with Islamic architecture, I love the fact that I now have an arch in the header.

But it goes beyond just the arch. The picture itself is an edit from Aerosol Arabic's Dhikr Dude. Hopefully, it will inspire me to be more thoughtful in my posts - and will restrain me from putting up nonsense (even though some of my nonsense has been translated into papers that profs have loved - case in point the Chai and Orientalism one).

Anyway - back to this paper on the Naxalites (who are actually quite fascinating and under-studied).

Desert Sunset - 16 August 2004

the desolate wind sweeps across the desert
picking up dust, leaves and the occassional call
of a lost bird
and yet,
I am left standing,
waiting for that which will not come.

tired.

the fleeting and warm smile of the unknown
lends me a helping hand in my quest across the desert,
as the gold leaves my fingertips
the cold night surrounds me
and I sit
waiting for the next sunrise.

(ps- hakka noodles)

Kuchh Ishq Kiya, Kuchh Kaam Kiya (Faiz Ahmed Faiz) - AKA - Aaj Kuchh Nahin Kiya

With a paper to finish as soon as possible so I can go to this event on Monday (the paper is due Tuesday morning), one would think that I would get my act together and write the damn thing. But - it's on a topic that I'm not interested in at all (were it not for the professor teaching it - and the amazing things I'd heard about him, I wouldn't have taken the course), and thus I've been procrastinating quite a lot.

Having now sat in the library for almost 6 hours (excluding the amount of time I spent in the SUB eating horrible pizza, and getting my caffeine and sugar fix), I haven't accomplished too much. Yes - I've gotten most of my notes down and have pretty much finished my introduction - but given that I wanted to finish the paper today, it doesn't seem like I've done much. So what have I actually been doing? Well - Dawn and Urdupoetry.com have gotten quite a lot of hits because of me today.

Was reading the Faiz Ahmed Faiz section on Urdupoetry.com and came across this short piece. It's so simple, but yet so true about so many of our lives - and made me seriously think how sometimes I try and do so much that I don't really do anything.

Woh log bahut khush kismat the,

Jo ishq ko kaam samajhte the,

Yaa kaam se aashiqui karte the,

Hum jiite ji masruuf rahe,

Kuchh ishq kiya, kuchh kaam kiya.

Kaam ishq ke aaDe aata raha,

Aur ishq se kaam ulajhta raha,

Phir aakhir tang aakar hum ne,

Donon ko adhuuraa chhoD diya.

To Be or to BJP...That is the Question

I find the political blowup in India about Sanjay Gandhi's son Varun running for election under the BJP banner quite amusing. For those of you who don't know the history behind the issue, it's somewhat of a soap opera, and quite entertaining.

Essentially, Varun Gandhi belongs to the Nehru/Gandhi (no relation to the Mahatma) family, the first-family of Indian politics who has governed the country (in one way or another) for most of the past 60 years through the Congress Party. Here's where the drama seeps into the story. Indira Gandhi, Nehru's daughter and India's Prime Minister during the 1970s and 1980s (until she was assassinated), had two sons: Sanjay and Rajiv. Sanjay was the eldest, and thus the next-in-line to the Indian throne (Prime Ministership). He was also actively involved in politics - and even led a vasectomy and sterilization campaign during 'The Emergency.' Rajiv got married first though - and brought his Italian wife (Sonia) to the family home. When Sanjay got married, Rajiv and Sonia already had a son - Rahul - and Sonia was already established as The Daughter-in-Law in the Gandhi household. Obviously, Sanjay and Menaka (his wife) were jealous.

The problems started now, including fights between Sonia and Menaka for power in the household. And then one day, Sanjay died in a plane accident, and Rajiv came into the limelight - and became Prime Minister. The younger son, became the Prime Minister and the Menaka and her kid(s) were shunted out of the political light. But not for long.

Menaka joined the BJP - the Congress' arch-enemy - and contested parliamentary seats in the same region as Rajiv. Rajiv was eventually assassinated, and like the dutiful daughter-in-law that she is, Sonia took up the political mantle and became the leader of the Congress Party. Today's Indian government, although presided over by Manmohan Singh, is still run with her 'best wishes.' Sonia's children, Rahul and Priyanka, have also made forays into the political sphere - and with the Indian elections in sight (polling starts in less than a month), all eyes are on the Gandhi kids.

Here's where more trouble starts. Varun Gandhi (Sanjay and Menaka's son) has refused to run for the Congress (not sure if he was ever asked to - I doubt it though) and is instead running for the BJP (the Congress' enemy, like I said). There is a massive uproar in India about a son from the Gandhi/Nehru household joining the ranks of the Hindu Nationalist (and possibly pseudo-fascist) BJP [keep in mind that the BJP is an offshoot of the RSS, an organization that was banned by Nehru for its complicity in Mahatma Gandhi's assassination].

To be completely honest, I think the uproar is unfair. Yes, the BJP can be a fear-mongering party at times, but it is largely restrained by its desire to win a sizeable number of parliamentary seats. Obviously, like any other political party in the world, it cannot run on a platform that would alienate a large number of people. If Varun Gandhi truly believes in the BJP's policies, then why not let him run for the party? Stop the smear campaign against him - just because he was born into the Gandhi family, doesn't mean he has to do everything that Aunty/Chachi Sonia tells him to do.

India prides itself on being the world's largest democracy - it's time it lived up to that title.

(apologies for the long post and if it doesn't make sense...)

Sense-less Post

My city has been reborn. It died earlier this week (it snowed - at least it's still March, and not April like last year) - which was natural and expected (to be born again, first you must die) - but I'm excited with this rebirth, as it brings promises of much greatness and happiness to come in the following weeks.

This week has been fabulous. I've worked like maniac, but things are finally starting to come together. Wounds are being healed slowly but surely, and I can finally see the changes. Thank-you. The Journal is off to the printers - so EXCITED! - and I get to see the final, bound version tomorrow. Three papers to write, a project to do, four final exams - the application - and then I'm done. Counting down. 36 days to go.

Back to music...