Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911 – 1984) was a Pakistani poet par-excellence. A staunch Marxist, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature and awarded the Lenin Peace Prize. His strong opposition to illiberal political and religious ideologies resulted in frequent jail sentences and forced or self-imposed exile in England and Lebanon. In 1990, Pakistan …
Smorgasbord
A dear friend and I met recently for our monthly lunch. It is always the same location and pretty much the same menu – a cool one accompanied by guacamole and nachos, followed by soup and a sandwich with coffee to conclude our session that usually extends from 12.30 pm to 3.45 pm. In spite …
If music be the food of love, play on …
We often chant the “Primordial Sound” – AUM (OM) when meditating. The most ancient scripture of India (possibly, the world), Rigveda states “First the Absolute (Brahma), then follows Waak (Sound) – the vibrating energy – which becomes the universe”. Sound (nada) is believed to be at the heart of the process of creation. In Hinduism, …
The Key to ….
There was a time in India, when school teachers habitually encouraged their students to use a kunji (literally, “Key”) for each subject that they taught. These were slim Tutorial pamphlets in the form of Frequently Asked Questions on key aspects of a subject/topic. For instance, there were kunjis on vyakaran (grammar), prose and verse by …
wealthisnotmoney 