Are we caught in a vicious circle of reprisal as far as terrorism is concerned? A day before Jaipur is rocked by explosion; Hubli in Karnataka was scene of another explosion. That too, it was in the court set up for trying terror suspects.

Terror and politicking go hand in hand as is evident after every bomb blast. BJP president Rajnath Singh dubs Jaipur serial blasts as the work of Pakistan and describes it as ‘dangerous’. In a tow as is his wont Mukhtar Ahmed Naqvi calls the Prime Minister ‘weak’ and Home Minister a ‘coward’. They never bothered about it when their party-run Rajasthan state showed leniency in treating its police officer who bumped off Ram Prajapati, the accomplice of Sohrabuddin. That was no mean terror, though DIG Vanzara called it patriotism. Another part of mud slinging is that central government does not share intelligence with state governments. In the case of Ajmer the centre did alert Rajasthan government of possible attack.

The serial bombs exploded at a Hanuman temple in Tripolia Bazaar, Johari Bazaar, Manak Chowk, Badi Choupal and Choti Choupal. Nearly 80 died and 150 were injured. DIG AS Gill said that cycles were used to blow up the bombs. The gleaming cycles in the wreckage remind you of the ones used in Malegaon serial blasts at a mosque adjoining a cemetery and a nearby crowded chowk in September 2006. The IG of Jaipur said that there were eight blasts which went off in just over ten minutes.

As a knee jerk reaction the Intelligence Bureau pointed finger at Harkut-ul Jihad al Islami (of course by now the familiar acronym HuJI) — like a sudden involuntary reflex movement.

There are also self start groups of terrorists. They are modules. A module is each of a set of standardized parts or independent units that can be used to construct a more complex structure. This dictionary meaning of the word seems to be lost on the Intelligence Bureau. Even before reaching the site of the latest attack the bureau says in a chorus that it is the work of HuJI. Even before the details emerge you can hear the chant emanating from mostly Delhi. Jaipur is full 160 miles from there. But the announcement almost coincides with the event.

In the case of Madrid bombing of March 2004 humongous blame ala IB that al Qaeda was behind the attack was belied. A group of immigrants having no links to any terrorist group let alone the most dreaded chose to target trains. They chose what was easily had through some venal adjustment.

Bicycles stationary or parked are currently in use in our country. On the fringe of the crowds praying in a cemetery in Malegaon or the milling crowd around a temple in Jaipur, they can play havoc. But the question is where the security and intelligence people were. A new bicycle should be as much an object of suspicion as an abandoned bag. After Malegaon and Gorakhpur and Faizabad the security personnel should have been instructed into what to look out for. Ammonium nitrate and ball bearing and small pipes as splinters go as standard constituents of easily made bombs assembled at short notice. They can be put in containers and loaded on to new bicycles. They are sure recipe of destruction.

In Malegaon the buyers of the cycle did not ride them. They walked nearly a kilometer from the shop with the explosive material on the cycles. Yet this did not draw attention of the police and intelligence department personnel. A mammoth crowd as at the Hanuman mandir at Tripolia bazaar must have been impossible for the culprits to walk through.

Ajmer draws the attention of the world for the renowned shrine of Khwaja Chisti and Jaipur for its romantic monuments like the hawa mahal and numerous others. Tourist centres or environs were free from the menace of terrorism so far at least outside Delhi. This will be the first jolt to tourist industry. The heart of the old city is also the heart of tourism in Jaipur and in the whole of Rajasthan. The city is one of the three corners of the so called Golden Triangle of tourism in India, Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Anyone visiting Rajasthan also visits the old part of the city. Choosing the shrine and the temples the unmistakable handwriting on the wall is clearly decipherable. There are people who do not want to see that we Indians live together. Therefore we must rise to the occasion in a national spirit of unity and solidarity.

However, the ground reality is different, 15 areas of the city are under curfew 9 to 6 for fear of communal riot. The day time curfew is a sort of ominous barometer of our civil life. This surely had not happened in a proverbially violence prone and intermittently communally charged Malegaon. Hindus and Muslims together donated blood and faced what turned out to be a nightmare where scores of children and women were killed.

Photo: Jaipur

It seems that the blasts were specifically targeted towards causing casualities to Hanuman devotees on a Tuesday. To no one’s surprise, the terrorists are strategically targeting Hindu and Muslim devotees on religiously significant days to disrupt communal harmony.

* Sankat Mochan Temple, Varanasi March 7, 2006: Twin blasts in city left 28 dead, injured over 100. Blasts took place on Tuesday when the temple is packed with devotees.

* Jama Masjid, Delhi April 14, 2006: Low intensity blasts at India’s most famous mosque left 14 injured. First blast took place as the faithful prepared for Friday prayers.

* Noorani Masjid, Malegaon September 8, 2006: Blasts on Friday coincided with the Shab-e-Barat. First bomb went off outside Masjid. Blasts at Mushaira Chowk and graveyard too. The toll: 38 killed, over 200 injured.

* Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad May 18, 2007: 14 persons killed, more than 50 injured in blasts and subsequent police firing in adjoining areas. Blasts took place during Friday prayers.

* Ajmer Sharif Dargah October 11, 2007: Terror struck the revered Sufi shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti as thousands were breaking their Ramzan fast, a day before the Friday prayers. The bomb inside the complex killed two persons and injured another 28. [Indian Express]

Meanwhile Rediff.com Message Boards, never a sane place for discussions even in normal circumstances, are brimming with anti-Muslim vile after this particular tragedy. This message by one Gaurang Patel stands out for its viciousness:

To make Muslims understand that terrorism can’t be tolerated lets do Gandhigiri against them in the following way:

i) Don’t give them jobs in your company if you have other Hindu person available for the job. Stop all public relations with them. Don’t speak to them unless absolutely necessary.

ii) If you are in partnership with Muslim then slowly by slowly scrap him of partnership or do business of your own or engage other partner which is Hindu or of other religion other than that of Muslim.

iii) Don’t buy any product from Muslims. If they come to purchase at your shop charge them one rupee more as our country is suffering more from some of their members indulging in terrorists attack indirectly by giving shelter to Pakistani Terrorists.

iv) from the beginning of your girl child make her understand that she could do any intercaste marriage other then Muslims.

v) The shepherd community of India should not sell their old cows & buffaloes to Muslims. Hindus should unite together & form some institutions to buy old cattle from shepherd community so that Muslims didn’t get meat to eat atleast from our side.

vi) Never wear any clothing ( shoes,belts, vollets etc etc) made from leadher.

If Muslims had taken path of terrorism then we must make them understand they we can also take actions in our own way….& i think this is the best practice

to show our feelings against them.

thx.
gaurang patel [Rediff.com]

On the positive side, many others are seeing the method in this madness and realizing that the aim of terrorists is to create divisions and mistrust between communities.

The government’s response has been inept and callous with Minister of State for Home Affairs mouthing inanities like “foreign hand”, “Centre stands like a chattan (rock)”.

One of the reasons the government is so ill-prepared to either prevent or solve such terrorist attacks is that there is no follow-up on the previous such attacks. Case in point: Mecca Masjid Blasts. Andhra Pradesh government constituted an inquiry commission under Justice Bhaskara Rao in June 2007 to submit its report on the incident within three months. It has been more than 11 months since then and we didn’t hear anything. I even shot an email to Y Rajashekar Reddy a few months back inquiring him about the status. Nothing.

Nitin Pai summarizes the situation well.

Here’s what it means: that we will just have to ‘live’ with this new threat to life. Or that we will take the battle to the terrorists. [The Acorn]

All this talk of India being the next super-power and demands for UN Security Council seat is mere hogwash if the state can’t protect its citizens who are killed by terrorists at will, at the time and place of their choosing.

Photo Courtesy: Times Of India

‘Girls of Riyadh’ is a novel by a young Saudi woman Rajaa Alsanea. The novel created quite a noise here in the Middle East. For me it was a chance reading. A friend of mine gave it to me even as I had several lying at home, waiting to be read.

Well to start with, the novel may not be a great piece of literature but has its own strengths. The writer took a rather bold subject (more for the society she talks about) and handled it rather well. Her style of writing will especially appeal to the younger net savvy lot of which she herself is a part. The chapters are short and written in form of emails, something which makes for easier reading and also serve as effective bookmarks.

The story revolves around four girls who in a way represent a different section of the Saudi society. It’s about the dreams of young women in a conservative society, role of women in a male dominated Islamic country, and the freedom to choose your own destiny. Sadeem Al-Horaimli, Gamrah Al-Qusmanji, Lamees Jeddawi, and Mashael Al-Abdulrahman (or Michelle) are the seldom unheard voices of a deeply religious nation. The novel talks freely of the girls’ trials and tribulations in the matters of love and marriage. Their own friendship forms the core of the novel.

Alsanea surely has stirred up the hornest’s nest with her view of the Saudi society, no wonder the book was promptly banned in the country. But she has done some service to her kind with this effort. This is what she wants her readers to see, “…little by little some of these women (in Saudi Arabia) are beginning to carve out their own way - not the Western way, but one that keeps what is good about the values of our religion and culture, while allowing for reform.” And hers is a voice of reason too!

On a rather different note, the novel for some reason reminded me of Chetan Bhagat’s style. Although he is a far better writer.

Being a first time effort from a 25 years old author, “Girls of Riyadh” is worth a read. I especially liked the chapter dealing with the classification of human populations based on different factors. As for it being a bestseller in the Middle East, it’s more to do with the subject.

TREACHERY OF THE ELITE

While it is true that the Sikh, Maratha and some other Hindu princely states supported the British army in this revolution, it is also true that some princely states eg Rampur, Tonk, Jhajjar, Loharu, Hyderabad, Patiala etal also actively supported the British army.

More than anything it was the gross betrayal by a large number of Delhi’s elite who collaborated with and spied for the British and helped them in every possible way in the May-September 1857 occupation of Delhi by the mutinying sepoys, that resulted in the defeat of the sepoy army.

When the British-Sikh-Gurkha-Pathan army attacked Delhi in September 1857, the sepoy army had an upper hand in beating back the British attack in the first month. At that time General Arcdale Wilson, the leader of the British army was seriously planning to withdraw from Delhi.

At that instance when about 70,000 Delhi citizens assembled outside the Red Fort to join the sepoy army, on the urging of the sepoy army Zafar did mount an elephant and started to come out of the gate of Red Fort to address the Delhi citizens. But at that time his prime minister Hakim Ahsanullah Khan persuaded Zafar to return to his palace inside the Red Fort telling him that it was too risky to go outside. Zafar made the excuse that prayer time was approaching and refused to leave the Red Fort and address the mixed Muslim-Hindu Delhi citizenry. He also sent a letter to the British General Wilson telling him that he was protecting many British families in his palace and was telling the sepoys to go away.

Bahadur Shah Zafar’s own prime minister Hakim Ahsanullah Khan, Zafar’s youngest and chief queen Zeenat Mahal Begum and her son Prince Jawan Bakht collobotated actively with the British and constantly spied for them. Similarly Delhi’s top Hindu elite also collaborated with the British army. In September 1857 as the British army finally got the upper hand, several Mughal princes including Zafar’s sons eg Jawan Bakht and his queen Zeenat Mahal showed the British army where the treasure and jewelry of the other queens and princes were kept.

Zeenat Mahal Begum and Prince Jawan Bakht’s primary goal in this revolution was to collaborate with the British fully in order to get Jawan Bakht appointed as the successor to Zafar. Indeed this is how earlier Zafar himself had become the king of Delhi. Even though his kingdom did not stretch outside the Red Fort.

When the sepoy army became angry with Hakim Ahsanullah Khan for his treachery and collaboration and set fire to his opulent mansion, no less a person than Zafar’s Poet Laurate Ghalib lamented that fact in a letter to one of his friends. Indeed after the British occupation of Delhi when the British dragged Ghalib out of his house and presented him to a British army officer, he begged for his life saying: ” I am sorry I did not present myself to you earlier. I do pray for your success and have done so all along from my house.” Ghalib reminded the Firangi officer that in earlier years he had written Qasidas and Masnavis in praise of Queen Victoria praying for her long life and long rule in India.

DECADENCE OF THE ELITE

It is not out of place to point out that in the Delhi of that era personal immorality and lack of character among Delhi’s elite had sunk to an all time low. Many Mughal princes had multiple affairs with many women including concubines from Zafar’s own haram. Drinking liquor regularly, gambling heavily, indulgence in kite flying (patangbazi), pigeon fighting (kabootarbazi), cockfighting (murghabazi), spending evenings in the parlours of courtesans (tawaif parasti), and taking large loans from the Baniyas were the accepted way of life

Many a Urdu poets of the first half of the 19th century (1800 -1857) appreciated such practices in the garb of liberalism. For instance renowned poet Mirza Sauda wrote:

“Aya hoon taaza din ba haram shaikhona mujhay

Puja namaaz say bhi muqaddam bahut hay yaan.

Kaaba agarchay tuta to kya jaae- gham hay shaikh

kuch qasr-e-dil nahin kay banaya na jaa-e-gaa.”

Another renowned Urdu poet of the era, Qaaim Chandpuri wrote:

“Jis musallay pur chirakyay naa sharaab

Apne aain main woh pak nahin.”

Ofcourse such fringe-liberalism drew strength from the practices of a few deviant Sufis from the earlier eras of emperors Shahjahan and Jahangir. For instance in that era there was a well known Hindu mystic in Banaras by the name Jadrup to whom several deviant Sufis and Muslim courtiers used to do sajda. When enquired, they justified it by saying that doing sajda to someone who is a source of much knowledge is permissible in Islam.

Even as the revolution was fading and the British were gaining the upper hand many Mughal princes and noblemen, most notably Prince Jawan Bakht, pleaded with the British army officers for British liquor and cheroots (British cigarettes), and traded many secrets of the Mughal household and the Indian sepoy army for these indulgences.

The British Lieutenant Edward Omanney wrote the following telling words in his letters about Zafar’s chief queen Zeenat Mahal Begum and her son Prince Jawan Bakht, ” What an instance of the state of morals and domestic affairs of the Royalty ! Mother and son at enemity, the son trying to form a connection with his father’s concubine, and setting at nought the precepts of his religion, buying from and drinking the liquor of an infidel.”

Photo: Wikipedia

Her being was a source of strength to many who saw and felt her piety. Many took sustenance from her selfless work for the downtrodden and marginalized in a fast changing society, where sectarianism has become entrenched in the halls of power. In that respect she became a dear friend to all who cared. To them she was popularly known as “Didi” (respected elder sister in Hindi).

Her passing is particularly sad, because she was a great soul. She was seventy-nine years old and no one has defied the law of nature to live forever. Her life was a beacon and her death should be a time of reflection. People like her are a gift to humanity by the providence. Fortunately humanity continues to produce people like her in every generation to carry the torch of humane concerns. Democracies, though imperfect, provide secular saints such as Nirmala Deshpande a modicum of sustenance to nudge the conscience of many to uphold the values we often preach, but do not practice.

All freedom and justice-loving Indians loved and respected her. Muslims, Christians and untouchables in India are especially indebted to this frail woman born in a Brahmin family, for her tireless efforts against discrimination and marginalization. Her fearless stand rallied many Indians against the pogrom carried out by the fascistic provincial government of Gujarat against Muslims in 2002, in which about 2,000 Muslims were brutally burned and massacred.

She saw the tyranny of governments cloaked in crass nationalism, used as an excuse to foster hatred. She tried to bring the peoples of India and Pakistan, former brothers, now contentious neighbors, towards understanding and amity. She knew that constitutional safeguards work only when the majority community considers it a duty to protect the minority rights. Therefore she took up the cause of marginalized minorities in India.

In her memory, Muslims all over the world, especially in India and Pakistan, owe it to Islam and humanity to convince the Muslim majorities in all countries to protect the rights of minorities. Thoughtful Muslims in Pakistan and Bangladesh have found their voices in Nirmala’s Gandhian tradition to speak up for Hindu and Christian minorities. Their rights have been violated by some out of visceral hatred or financial gains, especially resulting from seemingly good, though egregious blasphemy laws.

Protecting the minorities is a test of civilization. It protects the rights of all. Looking the other way or ignoring small violations of human rights leads to greater discrimination and injustice.

She adhered to the best of the creeds that humanity offers. Widely known as a Gandhian, she was able to carry the torch of Gandhi Ji’s ideals at a time when Gandhi Ji’s name is reviled by a large section of Indian polity or at best is used only for ceremonial purposes by those who profit from his name, but consider his ideology and humanity to be impractical or at best, quaint.

Of course the Gandhian path that Nirmala Deshpande traveled is difficult to follow. Gandhi Ji did not live an easy or opulent life. It is certainly much more difficult than succumbing to self interest in the pursuit of wealth and political power to the detriment of the weaker sections of the society.

Humanity has innate potential to rise above its selfish baser instincts, but only a few harness it to help lead their people towards a better tomorrow. She lived in the tradition of the great conscience keepers of their nations.

Photo: www.NirmalaDeshpande.org

But CK’s long association with the Congress goes even before Independence. He was part of Quit India movement when he was very young. It means that he has been part of the Congress for more than 60 years and 30 of those years as a Congress MP. So what will it take for an old Congress man like him to resign from the Congress?

Counting from 1971 when he first got elected to Lok Sabha, there have lot of events that happened in nation’s history that could have prompted him to be disgusted by the Congress and its policies and resigned in protest. We have some of the darkest incidents happened during Congress rule e.g. emergency, some of the worst riots against Muslims, the movement to destroy Babri Masjid, terrorism spread in many parts of India. Lot of scandals including Bofors and horse-trading of MPs. But none of these affected CK in fact he defended the government when in Parliament after Babri Masjid was destroyed. He continued in his position as the Railways minister.

So, if these big issues can not move him what made him to think about resigning from Congress now? He was apparently angry that his grand son was not put by his party for the assembly election of Karnataka.

It is a different matter that his son-in-law was already given a ticket. Read the story below from Pioneer. With leaders like these, who needs BJP?

Satisfied with Sonia’s assurance, Sharief withdraws resignation

Daily Pioneer

Pioneer News Service | New Delhi

Monday, April 28, 2008

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday managed to pacify former Railway Minister C K Jaffer Sharief, who had resigned from the party after his grandson was denied a ticket, with an “assurance”, and the six-time MP from Karnataka withdrew his resignation.

Sharief’s resignation had sent shock waves in the party ahead of the crucial Karnataka Assembly elections next month. The resignation came from Sharief, who is the head of Congress’ manifesto committee in Karnataka, two days before the party had to release its election manifesto. After losing successive Assembly elections in States, the Congress wants to keep its pack together in Karnataka. Sensing trouble before the polls, Sonia summoned Sharief on Sunday. He met the party president. Though Sharief was accompanied by his grandson Rehman, only general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Prithviraj Chavan was present during the meeting. Rehman said he waited outside.

After a brief meeting with Sonia, Sharief climbed down from his earlier stance and said that he was “satisfied”. Emerging from the party president’s 10 Janpath residence, Sharief said: “I am in full agreement with the Congress president’s view that the country would be going for elections in a year’s time and so our first priority is to defeat communal forces. Karnataka will be the first State to do so.” He said he was satisfied with “the assurance” given by the party president. “I agree with Soniaji that secularism and unity of the Congress is paramount in this election.” When asked if he had withdrawn his resignation, Sharief said: “You mean I need to say that? It is automatically withdrawn.”

Sharief’s grandson, Rehman, had sought a Congress ticket from Shivajinagar and had given a choice of two other constituencies. Almost rubbing it in, the party decided to field Roshan Baig, Sharief’s rival for minority votes in Bangalore North from Shivajinagar constituency. The party said Baig was chosen over Sharief’s grandson Rehman on the criterion of the ability to win and also because Sharief’s son-in-law Syed Yasin had already been given a ticket to contest from Raichur. Following this, Sharief resigned pushing Congress in a corner. Though he maintained that it wasn’t because of denial of ticket to his son, leaders knew what had caused the anger. [Daily Pioneer]

A majority of the people who reacted to the murder of Rand Abdel Qader 17 year old Iraqi by her father did not mention Islam. Their primary concern was humanitarian. Her love for the British soldier is a human quality. For that she should not have been killed. Many are dismayed that the British soldiers should have had more civilizing effect on the people to have prevented such an incident. This pious feeling is paralleled by the concern of the prophet at the birth of Islam. Then why did this aberration take place. It could be that the father felt that his family’s respect was compromised by her truant behaviour. What would others think about him and his progeny must have driven him to outrage. But as a person true to his faith he could have abided by observing patience in the time of tribulation. That could have healed what he believed outrage until a better day when his daughter could have proved to be more obedient and observant of certain practices which would have redeemed her. She could still have lived a life of piety and become the sources of forgiveness for the family as a whole. May be she could have won over her outsider husband to her faith. This interpretation of the complex situation would have been far more honourable than the fate she met. This would also have carried with it the injunction of keeping patience where you can’t help for Allah does see what you otherwise cannot see.

A second reason could be political. Iraq is under occupation. Since 2003 hardliners have taken over the society which under Saddam Hussein was the most educated and tolerant in the whole Middle East in matters relating to women. The hardliners take a stricter and punitive view of women. Why not an ameliorative view as is often the practice laid down by the prophet himself and those who lived around his time. But the people now fail to understand that the women alone should not be expected to carry the badge of honour of the culture they live in. A male Iraqi in love with an American soldier would have gone on without any furor and certainly no stigma. Perhaps they could marry later when the hubbub settles down. So, is Rand Abdel Qader another casualty of the war in Iraq?  

Why has the transition from Jahilia to Islam and to this wonderful world of today where human rights predominate everything failed to root out honour killing?  Talking of the faith it is positive aspect that a rainbow of choices is available in matters of faith. Some verge on extremism and others on sobriety. The much discussed jihad for example is noblest when one soberly controls himself or does not allow his self to override other things. The other options range in extreme passions.

Such extreme passions were the undoing of the father, Abdel Qader Ali. Someone told him that his daughter was talking with the 22 year old British, Paul. He rushed home and strangulated her. He stood on her throat like a colossus until she breathed her last. He shouted that he was cleansing the honour of his family. His terrified wife rushed out and since then is in hiding. Then with his sword he stabbed her repeatedly even when there was no life left in her. Each of the thing he did and said permanently damns him because his insane rage stifled out reason which the prophet had praised and wanted others to emulate. How could the father forget the sober counsel in despair of inallahe maasaberin, Allah is with those who keep patience? This Ali bears the name of the son in law of the prophet. That Ali was the most powerful of his time. Once a man spat on him. In his anger he could have finished the other by a single blow. He practiced the noble jihad of controlling himself and then forgiving the other.

That Rand was not given normal burial and that her uncle spat on her body speak of the raw passions which in fact Islam arose to check. This is tragically ironic that the infantry soldier Paul had had no physical contact with her, no holding of hands, or kissing let alone anything beyond this. “She never did anything more than talk to him,” said Zeinab, her friend and confidant. “She was proud to be a virgin and had a dream to give herself to the man she loved only after her marriage.”

Rand was a student of English and had worked for charity for displaced families. She was charmed by the blond appearance of the soldier. He gave her small gifts, like cuddly toys. Caring is loving. That turned out to be his fault if not an outright crime. Her friend Zeinab would tell her of the difficulty of an alliance with a Christian. This failed to dent her resolve.

What is most agonizing is the attitude of the relatives as well as the authorities. Rand’s mother Leila Hussein reportedly told that she had called out for her two brothers so they could get their father away. But when he told them the reason, instead of saving her they helped him end her life. The father was of course arrested and then released within a short time, within two ours. His wife has got divorced and fears reprisal because a man divorced by his own wife is looked down upon in that country. But what about Rand who could not bear to “hurt a petal on rose”!

A week that saw another bizarre incident in which a man in Austria kept his daughter under his thralldom for 24 years as his mistress and fathered seven children upon her speaks volumes of how man is still in the dark ages in his treatment of woman. Which society is more evolved and which is less evolved is unclear. How many messengers of god have come to inform and reform human beings! But the condition of woman has not changed much.

Any time one reads something on Saudi Arabia there is looming curiousity about the life and person of Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, the world’s fifth-richest man. There are few individuals as unique, enigmatic, and colorful as this member of the Saudi Royal Family. His life is a revealing portrait of a unique person whose presence and impact on the global economy is unmatched.

Like investment guru Warren Buffett, Alwaleed has became hugely successful through a number of strategic high-profile investments. He makes his international investments through Kingdom Holding Company and Time magazine has nicknamed him the Arabian Warren Buffett.

In a fascinating and characteristically insightful biography, international journalist and broadcaster Riz Khan, formerly of CNN, offers a revealing insider’s view of this business genius who is estimated to be worth approximately $24 billion. He based his writing on in-depth interviews with the Prince’s family, entourage, and closest business associates which includes top names such as Sandy Weill, Rupert Murdoch, and Jimmy Carter.

The book deals with Alwaleed’s family history, the origins of his powerful drive to succeed, his phenomenal achievements in rescuing beleaguered companies, his investments in top brands, his unique approach to investing and some of his most lucrative strategies.

From Humble Beginnings

Alwaleed began his business career in 1979 after graduating from Menlo College in California. Funded by a $30,000 loan from his father and a $300,000 mortgage on his house, he initially brokered deals with foreign firms wishing to do business in Saudi Arabia. This was followed by land deals in the 1980s along with major investments in the Saudi banking industry. After these initial successes, there was no looking back for this Saudi prince who has carved out a deep niche as an entrepreneur and international investor.

Alwaleed is the largest single foreign investor in the U.S. economy, with interests in almost everything that touches the American lifestyle. This billionaire prince’s story unfolds in gripping detail, with a relatively modest bank loan to build an empire that embraces some of the world’s best-known brands from Citigroup and Disney to Apple Computers and the Four Seasons Hotels.

Alwaleed’s activities as an investor came to prominence when he bought a substantial tranche of shares in Citicorp in the 1990s when that firm was in difficulties. His holdings in Citigroup now comprise half of his wealth worth approximately US $ 10 billion.

He also currently holds a 17% stake in Euro Disney SCA, the organization which manages and maintains the Disneyland Resort Paris in Marne-la-Vallee, France. He has also made large investments in AOL, Apple Inc, Worldcom, Motorola, News Corporation Ltd and other technology and media companies.

His real estate holdings have included large stakes in the Four Seasons hotel chain and the Plaza Hotel in New York. He has also made investments in London’s Savoy Hotel and Monaco’s Monte Carlo Grand Hotel. Alwaleed purchased the Savoy Hotel in London for an estimated GBP £250 million in which he owns an estimated 16% stake. His company, Kingdom Holdings acquired Toronto, Canada-based Fairmont Hotels for an estimated US $3.9 billion in partnership with the U.S. real estate firm Colony Capital.

Charitable contributions

Prince Alwaleed is heavily involved in charitable activities across the Middle East, Asia and Africa, and is estimated to donate more than $100 million annually to charity.

In America his charity includes a donation of $ 10 million to New York City towards relief efforts after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Alwaleed also donated $500,000 to the George Herbert Walker Bush Scholarship Fund in 2002. In December 2005, he donated $20 million each to Harvard University and Georgetown University to finance new initiatives aimed at enhancing the study of Islam in the Western academy and to foster understanding between Muslims and Christians. The Weill Medical College of Cornell University also received a donation $10 million in 2006 to establish the Institute for Computational Biomedicine in his name. Finally, Alwaleed donated $1.48 million to the Islamic Society of North America in 2007.

In France his charity includes a donation of $20 million to the Louvre Museum, the largest gift ever to the world’s largest museum.

Alwaleed donated $8.3 million in the form of goods and cash to support relief and reconstruction efforts in wake of the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. He also gave $2 million dollars for the development of the remote regions of Pakistan that include Kahuta, Jhelum valley, and the mountainside region of the Swat River valley.

Alwaleed financed the building of the headquarters of the Fondation Pour l’Enfance, an organization dedicated to improving the living conditions of Malian and African children in Mali.

A balanced identity

The billionaire prince has a colorful life style true to his name and status. He owns a Boeing 747 jet that is converted for his private use. He has also ordered the world’s largest passenger aircraft Airbus A380, for private use. The aircraft will be delivered to him in 2010. He owns the yacht Kingdom 5KR, which was seen in James Bond movie Never say Never Again.

The jet set billionaire’s life on one hand revolves around the world of Wall Street, with limousines and designer labels and on the other he has a close and emotional relationship with the desert and its people. His identity sits on the fence separating the Arab world on one side, with tents, camels, and rifle-toting Bedouins and neon lights and the skyscrapers of the West.

Alwaleed is a 21st century ambassador acting as a bridge to connect the Middle East and the West. He has taken a notable pro-American stance and has been diligently working to erase the enemy image of the Arab in America. He has done so by financing a $10 million American studies program at the American University in Cairo. Similarly, his deep involvement in America, where he spends consider time, is to build the image of Arabs, particularly Saudis as friends of America and not their enemy.

The 53 year old Prince is married to Princess Ameera. He had been divorced three times and has two children - Prince Khaled and Princess Reem - from his first wife, his cousin Princess Dalal.

Alwaleed, despite being the nephew of King Abdullah,has stayed outside of the core of political power in Saudi Arabia. He is known for his liberal views and is vocal about women’s rights. He has hired the first female airline pilot in Saudi Arabia, to be part of his staff.

The book - Alwaleed the billionaire Prince - is a scintillating account that successfully reveals a portrait of a remarkable individual whose presence in the global economy is unmatched. Riz Khan has done a commendable job in bringing out the details how this extraordinarily hardworking character has achieved this iconic status.

Brilliantly written, racy in style, the book quotes Alwaleed saying; ‘I see myself as a businessman who is a member of the Saudi royal family. God has blessed me with great wealth, but this comes with obligations. Those who build bridges must be capable of seeing the big picture.’ This is the sum and substance of this fascinating book.

Syed Ali Mujtaba is working journalist based in Chennai. He has taken his PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He was a Jefferson fellow in fall 2003. He blogs at Mujtabas Musings. This book review was first published at Dinar Standard.

Sometime the depth of the verses, fused with the presentation takes audience to an otherly high which was felt last night too. At times there were goosebumps and surges with the strong emotion that is created in Qawwali performance. The Sufi Qawwalis are considered as zikr or divine remembrance if listened with spiritual understanding and depth.

What is Sufi Qawwali?

Qawwali is derived from the Arabic word qaul, literally meaning “saying” but has taken on the meaning of “belief” or “credo” in South Asian languages. Qawwali is spiritual in essence; it is the devotional music of the Sufis to attain trance and mystical experience - originating in the 10th century and blossoming into its present form from the 13th century onwards.

Strong voices and explosive hand-clapping characterize the devotional music known as Qawwali. An ensemble of usually twelve performers conveys a spiritual message through music and song based on mystic poetry by Sufi masters. The texts usually deal with divine love (ishq), the sorrow of separation (hijr, firaq), and the union (visal), these concepts being symbolically reinforced and illustrated by the music. Qawwali blends Iranian and Central Asian poetic, philosophical, and musical elements into a North Indian base, combining popular music with classical traditions.

History

Qawwali is inseparable from the name of a Persian court musician, composer, poet, and mystic of that period: Amir Khusrau (1254–1325). Amir Khusrau experimented with musical forms, combining the Indian and the Persian, the Hindu Bhakti and the Muslim Sufi to produce the present form of qawwali.

Qawwali thus became a popular expression of Muslim devotion open to all faiths throughout Northern India. This form of music rapidly became a vehicle for the Islamic missionary movement in India, while at the same time reinforcing the faith of the Muslims. In many cases, the original Persian mystical text is followed by a translation in the local idiom sung in the same manner as the original. Still in this time, Qawwali remains an expanding form of music enjoying universal popularity in South Asia and beyond.

Setting

Although qawwali has today become part of mainstream music,it is traditionally a part of Sufi ritual at the shrine of a saint on a Thursday evening. Large gatherings of qawwali are held at the death anniversaries of Sufi saints,in which their death is celebrated as marriage with the Eternal (‘urs). Qawwali groups play day and night, the best performing at the end.

Qawwalis are heard by “the friends” (a term denoting members of Sufi orders) and by lay audiences attracted by the occasion. Drawing and holding the attention of a heterogeneous audience is the skill that the performers of qawwali attain. They claim that qawwali breaks the barriers of language and draws people closer to divinity. They do this by attempting to alter the state of consciousness of the audience in order to make them more receptive to the content, which is of a syncretistic and mystical nature.

Interestingly yesterday’s concert was also scheduled on a thursday night, which traditionally is designated in islam as holy night. Pure Qawwali has the quality of Zikr or Divine Remembrance.

About Mehr Ali and Sher Ali, the Artists

Mehr and Sher Ali were born in the Pakistani border-town of Kasur in the early 1950s and received their earlier training in classical music from their father who was a court classical singer. Their father then became the disciple of Fateh Ali Khan, the father of the famous Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and young Sher Ali was the student of Bakhshi Salamat Ali Qawwal. Mehr Ali and Sher Ali thus acknowledge that the family of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is their “Ustad Gharana” or “Teacher House,” a term imbued with veneration among musician circles in Pakistan and North India. The music of this group has its origins with the Talvandi classical school of Hindustani music.

Mehr Ali was taught by Muhammad Ali Fareedi, an ordained Sufi qawwal of the shrine of the 13th century Sufi, Baba Farid. Mehr Ali was thus trained in Sufi philosophy, poetry, texts, and rituals. All qawwals must have a deep knowledge of Sufi poetic texts. The group feels that their music brings harmony and peace to the soul and projects the message of love and unity for all. “We sometimes go into a trance during our performance, so moved are we by the text and music,” says Mehr Ali. They believe that qawwali goes beyond the limitations of orthodox religion and is a universal invitation to all living beings to share in the feelings of the powerful emotion of pure love, the pain of separation, and the joy of union.

‘The Last Mughal’ by William Dalrymple has to be one of the most engaging and engrossing historical account of the great Indian mutiny of 1857. The book sensitively handles the issue with a balanced approach in terms of the references. Keeping in mind the local sensibilities Dalrymple relied on an impressive list of sources, including people from Zafar’s court and other royals. So you have manuscript sources in European languages, unpublished manuscripts and dissertations, Persian and Urdu sources, contemporary works and articles in European languages, and secondary works and periodical articles being referred to every now and then by the author.

To make life easy for a history student, through out the book Dalrymple gives the source name and the page number to authenticate his claim.

There are several things that saddens one after reading the book. The one that glares out from the rest is the way the great mughal capital was treated. Delhi once a city of art, beauty, culture, and a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity was devoid of everything it stood for. The Indian rebels were as much to blame for the city’s loss as were the British.

You could share the grief of Bahadur Shah Zafar as the helpless soul who saw his sons and empire going down in front of his eyes. The once peaceful and poetic city was turned into a mass graveyard with bodies rotting in the open, and destruction all around. The last nail in the coffin was the mindless violence that followed in the aftermath. Many great poets of the era lost their lives and rare poetic work was lost. Worse was the treatment of the emperor Zafar. He was exiled to Rangoon, confined to a small house with a handful of loyal followers, his death a hush-hush affair, and his place of burial kept a secret for 129 years till it was accidentally discovered.

And you won’t miss the fact that we lost a great cause and the war due to a complete lack of discipline and unity.

Dalrymple’s work gives you a beautiful glimpse into the life and times of the great Mughal during his late years. The fight for succession, influence of a eunuch, poet as court members, celebration of Hindu festivals with equal fervour, a royal wedding of monumental scale, old world charm of a flourishing city, Dalrymple has woven it all seamlessly. History has rarely been this fascinating!

Dalrymple introduces the main characters in a separate section before the actual book, and that makes his narrative easy to follow. When it comes to Bahadur Shah Zafar, Dalrymple gives a very poignant account bordering on pity at times. But it is his love for the city of Delhi that you won’t miss throught the novel. Maybe that’s why his family divide their time between Delhi, London, and Scotland.

This one para more or less summarises the whole book-

“He (Zafar) is blamed by some nationalist historians for corresponding with the British during the fighting, and by others for failing to lead the rebels to victory. Yet it is difficult to see what more Zafar could have done, at least at the age of eighty-two. He was physically infirm, partially senile and had no money to pay the troops who flocked to his standard. Octogenerians can hardly lead a cavalry charge. Try as he might, he was powerless even to stop the looting of Delhi by an insurgent army that proved almost as much a threat to Zafar’s subjects as it did to his enemies. Yet the Mutiny Papers bear eloquent witness to the energy he expended trying to protect his people and his city.”

The reality will bite you at times but didn’t they say “Everything is fair in war!” A must read book for all the history lovers.