Poems by Faiz

REPRESENTING ISLAM: COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:23:00 +0000

'Representing Islam: Comparative Perspectives' is an international conference organised jointly by the Universities of Manchester and Surrey and supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council of Britain. It has attracted over 100 eminent national and international speakers.Representations of 'Islam' have a profound influence on political cultures and national identities, as well as on attitudes to immigration, security and multiculturalism. The complexity of the notion of 'Islam' and the heterogeneous responses that it elicits are such that there is no uniform approach to its representation and social construction. The conference addresses this complexity by treating the comparative dimension of recent representations of Islam, encompassing different nations, political institutions, media institutions, and cultures. The conference will be primarily concerned with the press, television, radio, film and the internet. However, it will also include other channels of communication, such as translations, speeches or pamphlets, political discourse, and the visual arts.

International Islamic Conference

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:19:00 +0000

International Islamic Conference
Location: Malaysia
Conference Date: 2008-10-14

The Centre for Poverty and Development Studies, Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya announces the hosting of the International Islamic Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia during 14-15 October 2008. The conference will focus on:
• Defining the concept of poverty and setting the threshold of poverty from Islamic Syariah perspectives.
• Regulatory and institutional framework for establishing and development of distributive mechanisms prescribed by Syariah such as Zakat, Waqf, Trust and others.
• Regulatory and institutional framework for regulating land tenure systems and development of land planning policies.
• Regulatory and institutional framework for development of Islamic financial and commercial transactions system such as Islamic banking, sukuk, al-Rahn, real estate investment trusts etc.
• Influence of Culture, Traditions and Customary practices on economic development, conflicts between official laws and customary practices and its effect in hampering or enhancing the economic development.
• The role of Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) member countries in fostering strategic partnership amongst Muslim nations
• Divorce and effect on incidences of poverty
• Islamic Philanthropy and Poverty Eradication
• Development of Natural Resources and poverty
• Capacity building and development of human resources
• Achieving food security and promoting technology for effective growth of agricultural and livestock sector
• Creating of employment opportunities through establishment of small and medium sized enterprises
• Facilitating access to microloans and preferential loans to fund local development projects and raise income of rural and urban poor
• Poverty and Incidences of Crime
• Poverty and Public Health
• Empowerment of Women and Gender Equalities
• Family Institutions

Contact
Prof. Dr. Pazim @ Fadzim
Othman Centre for Poverty and Development Studies (CPDS)
Faculty of Economics and Administration Studies University of Malaya
50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Phone: (603) 7967 3698 / (603) 7967 3706 Fax: (603) 7967 3662
Email: cpds_conference@um.edu.my

Living Islam in Europe: Muslim Traditions in European Contexts

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:15:00 +0000

Living Islam in Europe: Muslim Traditions in European Contexts
Location: Germany
Call for Papers Date: 2008-09-15

The conference will seek to address issues related to Muslims’ religious practice as well as the institutional settings and translocal dynamics of European societies. It will be held in two consecutive sections:

1. Islamic actors and institutions in Europe This section will include 3 panels on
• Islamic Mission,
• Islamic Education, and
• Islamic practice of organised Muslims.

Here papers will be expected to discuss the evolution and nature of specific actors and institutions. While panels 1 and 2 will be devoted to various forms of Islamic mission and education, panel 3 will allow addressing cross-cutting topics such as gender, morality or religious practice and ritual. The panels thereby trace the differentiation and expansion of religious lifeworlds of Islam in the minority context of a secularised Europe. These are areas much driven by the concerns of Muslim activism. They reflect various forms of adaptation to the local environment as well as the search for legitimation and religious authority under new conditions.

2. On the European and translocal character of Islamic mobilisation This section will include 3 panels on institutional and legal arrangements of state, nation and religion which have affected Muslim settlement in Europe,
• emerging national or supranational governance of Islam in Europe, and
• translocal dynamics with Islamic societies in Asia and Africa with a specific focus on (post)colonial legacies.

Accepted papers will be published as part of the planned conference volume. Priority will be given to the presentation of original research. The final papers will circulate in advance among the participants to facilitate discussion. They have to be submitted by March 31, 2009. The editing of the papers for publication should be completed by 1 June 2009. For participants whose proposals are selected there is a limited budget to cover travel cost and accommodation. Please indicate whether you intend to claim the refund. The decision will be taken by the selection commit-tee.

For further information please contact:
Robert Robert Pelzer
Zentrum Moderner Orient (Centre for Modern Oriental Studies)
Kirchweg 33 14129 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 80307-216 Fax: +49 30 80307-210
Email: robert.pelzer@gmx.net

The Gulf and the Globe 2009 Conference: Call for Papers

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:12:00 +0000

The Gulf and the Globe 2009 Conference: Call for Papers
Location:
Maryland, United States
Call for Papers Date:
2008-09-15

Paper proposals are invited from prospective participants on the following broad topics:
*Past/present/future security & defense issues
*Political evolution of the Gulf states
*Education and the media
*Ethno-linguistic issues & socio-cultural affairs
*Oil/Energy
*Technology
*Regional and international impact of Gulf wealth & prosperity
*Military history

Contact:

Jeff Macris, PhD Commander,
U.S. Navy U.S. Naval Academy History Dept.
Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies
Annapolis, MD 21402 USA

Phone: 1-410-293-6277 Fax: 410-293-2256
Dr. Saul Kelly
U.K. Joint Services Command and Staff College
Corbett Centre for Maritime Policy Studies
Faringdon Rd. Shrivenham - Swindon SN6 8TS
United Kingdom Phone: +4 4(0)1793 788816 Fax: +44 (0) 1793 788295

Email: macris@usna.edu, skelly.jscsc@defenceacademy.mod.uk
Visit the website at http://www.usna.edu/MiddleEast

Pacific & Asian Communication Association (PACA) Conference

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:09:00 +0000

Pacific & Asian Communication Association (PACA) Conference
Location:
Malaysia
Conference Date:
2009-01-10
Date Submitted:
2008-08-11
Announcement ID:
163473
The Pacific Asian Communication Association (PACA) 2009 Conference focuses on 'Communication Across Cultures'. Scholarly papers on any aspect of communication presented either by individual or panel sessions are welcomed.
Dr. Mohd Nizam Osman Department of Communication
Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication Universiti Putra
Malaysia 43400 UPM
Serdang Selangor, MALAYSIA
email: paca2009@fbmk.upm.edu.my
Phone: +60389648790 (Dr. Mohd. Nizam Osman) +60389648777 (Dr. Siti Zobidah Omar) +60389485950
(fax) Email: paca2009@fbmk.upm.edu.my
Visit the website at http://www.fbmk.upm.edu.my/paca2009

Michigan State University: Call for Abstractors in Persian, Urdu

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:06:00 +0000

Call for Abstractors and Translators

Call for Abstractors and Translators Call for Papers
Date: 2008-09-15

The MCA, Michigan State University has launched the second stage of its project and requires the assistance of scholars to write abstracts on academic books. The MCA project team can provide more information on abstract guidelines when requested.

The MCA will be providing systematic bibliographic indices and abstracts of non-encyclopedic books concerning Muslim civilizations. These will be selected works of scholarship, involving original research and analysis and advances in relevant methodology. The abstracts, written by expert scholars will be provided in any of the following nine languages: English, Arabic, Bengali, French, Malay/Indonesian, Persian, Russian, Turkish and Urdu.

Key Responsibilities

To survey and write brief abstracts of scholarly books selected by the Institute.

To Apply

Candidates should send a brief letter and a curriculum vitae by 15 September, 2008 to:

Ms Karena Avedissian
Administrative Assistant (MCA)
Aga Khan University
4 Bedford Square
London WC1B 3RA
Tel: 020 7907 1053
Fax: 020 7907 1030
Email: ismc.mca@aku.edu

Email: ismc.mca@aku.edu

A few days more, my love!

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:42:00 +0000

Hindi Version

A few days more, my love,
just a few days more
Under the shadows of injustice
we breathe, in duress sore

One tyranny more, we may suffer,
one more helpless cry
Slaves of a fraternal legacy,
helpless we live by

Bodies interned, emotions enchained
Thoughts captive, voice condemned
It’s our courage that we still carry on

Isn't life a shroud that the poor in life gain
That we darn, every second, with our pain?

Tyranny shall live now but not for long
Patience, a fervent plea, it won’t go on

In a wilderness singed with a life-time
We have to live, not just exist …

In alien hands, we tow
Oppression’s heavy plough
We endure, not forever more

This dirt of sorrow encased
In your enchanting beauty
Is a litany of our ephemeral
youth’s vanquished ways…

The wasteful grief of
ember-moonlit night's mystic trail
The listless quiver of the heart,
And bodies wistful wail …

A few days more, my love,
just a few days more ...

बोल की लब आज़ाद हैं तेरे

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:57:00 +0000

बोल कि लब आज़ाद हैं तेरे,
बोल कि ज़बान अब तक तेरी

Say that your lips are unbound
Say these words are yours still

तेरा सुत्वां जिस्म है तेरा,
बोल कि जान अब तक तेरी है

That, firm and strong, this body is yours
Say that your life is still yours

देख के आहनगर कि दुकां में
तुन्द हैं शोले, सुर्ख है

See, in blacksmith's workshop,
how the embers burn red

खुलने लगे कुफलों के दहाने
फैला हर एक जंजीर का दामन

Cuffs are set to unlock
Fetters beginning to get loose

बोल ये थोड़ा वक़्त बहोत FAIZ
जिस्म-ओ-ज़बान की मौत से पहले

Say that this time is enough
Before voice and life are dead

बोल की सच जिंदा है अब तक
बोल जो कुछ कहना है कह ले

Say that the truth lives still
Say what you will

Faiz Ahmed Faiz 'Bol ki lab aazad hain tere'

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:51:00 +0000

Faiz Ahmed Faiz

बोल की लब आज़ाद हैं तेरे ...

SpeakSpeak, your lips are free.

Speak, it is your own tongue.
Speak, it is your own body.
Speak, your life is still yours.
See how in the blacksmith's shop
The flame burns wild, the iron glows red;
The locks open their jaws,
And every chain begins to break.
Speak, this brief hour is long enough
Before the death of body and tongue:
Speak, 'cause the truth is not dead yet,
Speak, speak, whatever you must speak.

Translated by Azfar Hussain http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2/faiz.html

Faiz Ahmed Faiz on Last Night

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:48:00 +0000

Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Last Night

Last night your lost memory visited my heart
as spring visits the wilderness quietly,
as the breeze echoes the silence of her footfalls in the desert,
as peace slowly, softly descends on one's sickness.

Translated by Azfar Hussain

Azfar Hussain's translation of Faiz

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:44:00 +0000

Azfar Hussain's translation of Faiz

This is an excerpt from Reading About the World, Volume 2, edited by Paul Brians, Mary Gallwey, Douglas Hughes, Azfar Hussain, Richard Law, Michael Myers, Michael Neville, Roger Schlesinger, Alice Spitzer, and Susan Swan and published by Harcourt Brace Custom Books.

One of the foremost poets in the Indian sub-continent, Faiz Ahmed Faiz was born in Sialkot in Pakistan. He studied philosophy and English literature, but poetry and politics preoccupied him more than anything else. For writing poetry that always antagonizes the ruling Žlite and challenges colonial and feudal values, like such rebellious writers as Ngugi of Kenya and Darwish of Palestine, Faiz had to go to jail repeatedly during both colonial and postcolonial times in Pakistan. Inspired by the Marxist ideology, Faiz's poetry exhibits a strong sense of commitment to lower-class people, yet it always maintains a unique beauty nourished by the long, rich tradition of Urdu literature. His love poems are as appealing as his political poems, and he is considered primarily responsible for shaping poetic diction in contemporary Urdu poetry. Which poems deal with love, and which ones with politics? What evidence is there that Faiz is a courageous poet? What is his attitude towards loneliness and death?

http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2/faiz.html

Loneliness

Loneliness like a good, old friend
visits my house to pour wine in the evening.
And we sit together, waiting for the moon,
and for your face to sparkle in every shadow.

Kagazi Hai Pairahan - Ismat Chugtai

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 06:16:00 +0000

Last night I met a wonderful woman. Ismat Chugtai. Though she died in 1991, yesterday she came alive in form her autobigraphy, Kagazi Hai Pairahan (Paper thin is the apparel). We held an uninterrupted conversation till the wee hours of morning. Mostly, she spoke and I listened, held captive by her boldn frankness.

I have never read any other biography, so candid and simple, yet so powerful.

I hope to renew my friendship with her.

Hope she doesn't dismiss my affection as a juvenile crush.

Blast in Karachi

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 07:56:00 +0000

DAWN

KARACHI, Oct 18: Over 125 participants of a procession led by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto upon her return to the country lost their lives on Thursday night after two powerful blasts rocked the slow-moving motorcade edging its way past the Karsaz bridge, on Sharea Faisal.

I saw the news in the morning. 135 people have died. more than 500 are injured. I felt a great surge of sadness.

Few days back there was a blast in a Ludhiana Theatre. Many people lost thier lives.

Be it India or Pakistan, lives are precious. Wherever in the world such tragedies happen, they destroy not just lives; they shaken people's spirit and give a dangerous blow to human spirit.

Isn't there a better way to deal with our grievances ... I hope there is!

I am a non-believer, but tonight I'll pray to my non-existent gods to bring sanity to the world.

Mushaira: The Shrinking Platform Of Urdu Poetry

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:29:00 +0000

A brilliant article on 'Near Extinction of Mushairas'

"Urdu poetry by its nature is composed for the stage. It is supposed to be recited and to be listened. The poet recites the first misraa of his couplet and keeps reciting till he develops a certain expectation among the audience about the content of the second misraa. And then he will surpise them all with something totally different from their expectations. The bigger the surprise, the more the applause. Imagine Ghalib reciting this misraa in a mushaira a few times, "nikalnaa Khuld se Adam kaa sunte aaye haiN lekin" and then following it up with "bahut be-aabruu hokar tere kuuche se ham nikle". This is the primary reason why Ghazal with its two line couplets is the common form of poetry recited in Mushaira. Qitaat and Rubaa’ii with four lines sometimes work. But longer Nazms usually don’t work because of obvious reasons".

----Posted by Mohib June 02, 2007, Indianmuslims.in

बोल की लब आज़ाद हैं तेरे

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 12:15:00 +0000

Poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz

बोल कि लब आज़ाद हैं तेरे
बोल ज़बान अब तक तेरी है

तेरा सुत्वां जिस्म है तेरा
बोल कि जान अब तक तेरी है

देख के आहनगर कि दुकाँ में

तुन्द हैं शोले सुर्ख है आहन

खुलने लगे हैं कुफ़लों के दहाने

फैला है एक जंजीर का दामन

बोल के ये दा-वक़्त बहोत है

जिस्म-ओ-जाबाँ की मौत से पहले

बोल कि सच जिंदा है अब तक

बोल जो कुछ कहानी है कह

{सुत्वां - Well Built, Strong ; आहनगर - Blacksmith ; तुन्द - Gleaming/Sharp

आहन - Iron; कुफ़लों के दहाने - Keyhole}

- Faiz Ahmed Faiz

2007 International Urdu Conference, Sydney

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:54:00 +0000

http://mushaira.org/schedule.php

Upcoming Events

2007 International Urdu Conference, SydneyEvent date: October 19, 2007Place: Sydney, New South Wales, AustraliaOrganized by: Urdu Society of AustraliaParticipating poets/artists: Ahmad Faraz, Noshi Gilani, Ifti Nasim, Safdar HamdaniContact person: Saeed KhanPhone: 61 414 698 634Email: saeedk@bigpond.net.auInfo on the web: http://Description: As a part of its Urdu Festival 2007, the Urdu Society of Australia is organising a series of events in October-November to promote Urdu language and culture. A 3-day International Urdu conference including a Mushaira (Recital) is planned fro 19-21 October 2007 in Sydney.A series of Mushairas across Australia are also a part of the festival. Other events include a book fair to promote works of local and guest writers, book launches and a ghazal evening are also being planned. The conference venue is located at Sydney 's famous Olympic Park. The main agenda of Urdu Conference's is based on two themes: - The role of poetry & literature in promoting peace, understanding and democracy - The development of Urdu language, culture and literature in the WestThe conference committee consists of international representatives from North America, Europe, and Middle-East and is headed by Urdu Society of Australia's Vice President Saeed Khan. The committee members include Dr Shabbir Haider (President Urdu Society of Australia) Rehan Alvi (Sydney), Shamim Zaidi (Melbourne), Professor Samina Yasmeen (Perth), Ashraf Shad (UAE, Middle East/Pakistan), Hussain Majrooh (Lahore), Ashfaq Hussain (Toronto), Iftikhar Nasim (Chicago) and Safdar Hamdani (London). So far the guest poets/witers that have been confirmed include Ahmad Faraz ( Pakistan), Noshi Gillani, Ifi Nasim (US) and Safdar Hamdani (UK). Invitations will be sent to selected organisations, writers and academics around the world to take part in Urdu Conference.

Urdu Clips of Famous Poets

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:53:00 +0000

http://mushaira.org/

Home of Urdu poetry online

Mehfil-e-Mushaira online is the first ever web site to present audio clips of Urdu poetry in poets' own voice. This collection of audio is from mushairas held all over the world and covers a wide range of poets. An English translation of the poetry is also provided for select pieces.
Other popular sections of the site include a poetry contest, Readers' Poetry (a platform for young poets to post their poetry), news, schedules and reports of mushairas and urdu literary activities around the globe, and a list of organizations serving Urdu.

Ghazal evening in Singapore on October 26th, 2003

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:51:00 +0000

Ghazal evening in Singapore on October 26th, 2003

mesmerizing evening of Ghazals

Artist :Jasvinder Singhon

October 26th, 2003

More details will be available soon.

Ghazal evening in Toronto, Canada on October 18th, 2003

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:49:00 +0000

Ghazal evening in Toronto, Canada on October 18th, 2003

A mesmerizing evening of Ghazals

Artist :
Jasvinder Singh

on
October 26th, 2003

More details will be available soon.

Urdu Poetry / Upcoming Events / Mushaira / Poetry reading

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:27:00 +0000

2007 International Urdu Conference, Sydney

Event date: October 19, 2007

Place: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Organized by: Urdu Society of Australia

Participating poets/artists: Ahmad Faraz, Noshi Gilani, Ifti Nasim, Safdar Hamdani

Contact person: Saeed KhanPhone: 61 414 698 634
Email: saeedk@bigpond.net.au
Info on the web: http://

Description: As a part of its Urdu Festival 2007, the Urdu Society of Australia is organising a series of events in October-November to promote Urdu language and culture. A 3-day International Urdu conference including a Mushaira (Recital) is planned fro 19-21 October 2007 in Sydney.A series of Mushairas across Australia are also a part of the festival. Other events include a book fair to promote works of local and guest writers, book launches and a ghazal evening are also being planned. The conference venue is located at Sydney 's famous Olympic Park. The main agenda of Urdu Conference's is based on two themes: - The role of poetry & literature in promoting peace, understanding and democracy - The development of Urdu language, culture and literature in the WestThe conference committee consists of international representatives from North America, Europe, and Middle-East and is headed by Urdu Society of Australia's Vice President Saeed Khan. The committee members include Dr Shabbir Haider (President Urdu Society of Australia) Rehan Alvi (Sydney), Shamim Zaidi (Melbourne), Professor Samina Yasmeen (Perth), Ashraf Shad (UAE, Middle East/Pakistan), Hussain Majrooh (Lahore), Ashfaq Hussain (Toronto), Iftikhar Nasim (Chicago) and Safdar Hamdani (London). So far the guest poets/witers that have been confirmed include Ahmad Faraz ( Pakistan), Noshi Gillani, Ifi Nasim (US) and Safdar Hamdani (UK). Invitations will be sent to selected organisations, writers and academics around the world to take part in Urdu Conference.

Urdu Language Resources

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 12:17:00 +0000

http://theory.tifr.res.in/bombay/history/people/language/urdu.html

Fonts and Software

C-DAC, Pune: Unix, DOS, Windows, Mac; a range of wordprocessing and related software.
InPage: Windows 3.1 or later; page layout software, uses Nastaleeq fonts (can mix with Roman). (Also available here).
InProS: The UrduPro editor project is now (5/97) abandoned.
Urdu Computer Nizam: Apple Macintosh or compatible; adds bilingual capability to all WorldScript compatible applications, 8 Nastaleeq and 8 Naqsh fonts. Seems to contain as subset postscript fonts.
Aapka: Operating system unspecified; WYSIWIG Nastaleeq word processor, bundles an Urdu spell-checker.
Universal Word for Windows: Windows 3.1, 3.11 or Windows 95; word processor with more than 100 languages bundled in.
Universe Gamma Multilingual Wordprocessor: Windows 3.1 or later; word processing and font system.
Global Plus: Operating system not mentioned; word processing and desktop publishing, 20 Nastaleeq, Naqsh and decorative fonts.
Urdu98: Windows 95/98/NT; urdu keyboard and Nastaleeq fonts to interface with MS Word, MS Access97, MS Internet Explorer, FrontPwge 98 and other software.
Shareware/Freeware:
Khat-e-Naqsh: Windows, Mac, unix TruType and postscript Naqsh fonts mapped to ascii keyboard, right to left utility; fonts can be embedded inside html files. Also available is a version for Nastaleeq.
Maktoob: web; free English/Arabic web based e-mailing.
PageComposer: Windows 95; complete desktop publishing and word processing system; 18 Nastaleeq fonts with wysiwyg editing; supports OLE 2.0 objects; also has a proprietary version.
ParsNegar: MS Windows 3.1x and Windows 95; editor with fonts bundled in; shareware with 30 days free trial period.
Sadaf: DOS and Windows; word processor; freeware.
Thadani: TrueType fonts. Not checked: any report will be welcome.
Urdu Tex: is is part of the ArabTeX package. Consult the ArabTeX home page for more information. See also another information page on it.
U-TRANS:N is an Urdu transliteration program by Tabish Qureshi. It can be freely dowloaded and allows display of Urdu text inside HTML pages.

Language Tutorials and Teaching Aids

Urdu teaching software:
Ukindia Urdu Reading Lessons: Web pages to teach reading in Urdu.
Language Master: Proprietary Urdu teaching software.
Urdu Quaidah Proprietary Urdu teaching package by Humwatan Software for Windows 3.11 or Windows 95.
Urdu Language dictionaries:
Dinesh Prabhu's dictionary is saved at many locations: [1] [2] [?]
Hindi/Urdu dictionary and thesaurus (by Usman Qazi) grows intermittently.
Urdu dictionary: rather well organised.
English to Urdu lookup: medium sized vocabulary gives results in Naskh (no font download necessary) and also transliterates into the Roman script..

Urdu Reading group in London

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 12:14:00 +0000

Urdu Reading Group

Urdu reading group meet Thursdays, monthly, 6pm-8pm at Southall Library.

Next meeting 12 July, 9 August and 6 September.

For further information telephone Shahid Hussain on (020) 8810 7664

or email: shussain@ealing.gov.uk

तेरी समुन्दर आंखों में

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:46:00 +0000

Poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz

ये धुप किनारा शाम ढलें,

मिलते हैं दोनो वक़्त जहाँ,

जो रात ना दिन, जो आज ना कल,

पल भर को अमर, पल भर में धुआं

इस धुप किनारे पल दो पल

होठों कि लपक बाहों कि खनक

ये मेल हमारा झूठ ना सच क्यों रार करें,

क्यों दोष धरेंकिस कारण झूठी बात करें

जब तेरी समंदर आंखों में

इस शाम का सूरज डूबेगा

सुख सोयेंगे घर दर वाले

और रही अपनी रह लेगा

Translation from Urdu original by Advait

Sunshine, Sunshine

on the edge of sunshine

dissolve into the evening sky

two halves of day and night

to merge in shadows of twilight

Which is neither night, nor the day

where’s no tomorrow, nor today

a moment immortalized

yet again, in a moment vaporized

Sunshine, Sunshine

on the edge of sunshine

in drops trickles

a shiver of hesitant lips

a jingle of the bangles

sliding down eager arms

Our betrothal, behold

is not a lie nor a stubborn truth

then why we crib or complain or blame

for what, should we reason

the veracity of love

Sunshine, Sunshine

on the edge of sunshine

when, in the ocean of your eyes,

into the evening sky, crimson sun descends

this world would sleep in merry bliss

and the traveler would begin

afresh, a new journey, a new end

Original Poem by Faiz Ahmed faiz

Faiz Ahmed Faiz

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 11:28:00 +0000

Life of Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Original Article from http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/faiz.htm

Pakistani poet and journalist, who combined in his poetry the themes of love, beauty, and political ideals into a vision of a better world and goodness. Faiz's first language was Punjabi but he gained fame with his poems written in Urdu, a language similar to Arabic. Due to his opposition to the government and military dictators, Faiz spent several years in prison and was forced to go into exile at different times in his career. Next to Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938), Faiz is one of the best-known poets of Pakistan.

The suspense that lasts between killers and weapons
as they gamble: who will die and whose turn is next?
That bet has now been place on me.
So bring the order for my execution.
I must see with whose seals the margins are stamped,
recognize the signatures on the scroll.

(from 'So Bring the Order for My Execution', trans. by Agha Shadid Ali)

Faiz Ahmed Faiz was born in Sialkot in the Punjab, then a part of India under British rule. His family were well-to-do landowners. Faiz's father was a prominent lawyer, who was interested in literature, and whose friends included several prominent literary figures, including Sir Muhammad Iqbal (1873-1938), the national poet of Pakistan. Faiz received his education at mission schools in Sialkot in the English language, but he also learned Urdu, Persian, and Arabic. His first poems Faiz wrote already at school. He studied English and Arabic literatures at Government College, Lahore, receiving in 1932 his M.A. in English, and in Arabic from Oriental College, Lahore. Besides formal studies, very important for Faiz's development was participating in the activities of literary circles, which gathered at homes of established writers. After graduating he worked as a teacher from the mid-1930s in Amritsar and Lahore.

In the 1930s Faiz came under the influence of the leftist Progressive Movement. Under the leadership of Sajjad Zaheer (1905-1973), authors were expected to follow the dictates of the Socialist Realism, but by the 1950s the movement had ceased to be an effective literary force. During World War II, Faiz served in the Indian army in Delhi, and in 1944 he was promoted to the rank of Lieut. Colonel. After the Islamic republic of Pakistan was established in 1947 the country experienced an era of chronic political instability, heightened by tensions between Hindus and Muslims. With the division of the subcontinent, Faiz resigned from the army and moved to Pakistan with his family. Alys Faiz, whom he had married in 1941, later published a book of memoirs, Over My Shoulder (1993), about her life as a British expatriate living in Pakistan. Alys died in 2003. India's awakening Faiz called a ''night-bitten'' morning, a ''pockmarked'' daybreak. Faiz became editor of the leftist English-langauge daily, the Pakistan Times. He also worked as managing editor of the Urdu daily Imroz, and was actively involved in organizing trade unions.

In 1951 Faiz and a number of army officers were implicated in the so-called Rawalpindi Conspiracy case and arrested under Safety Act. The goverment authorities alleged that Faiz and others were planning a coup d'etat. He spent four years in prison under a sentence of death and was released in 1955. During this perod Alys Faiz worked for the Pakistan Times to support his family. Faiz became the secretary of the National Coucil of the Arts, and in 1962 he was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union. During his years in exile he was editor of the magazine Lotus in Moscow, London and Beirut. In Pakistan his poems, which renewed the traditional romantic imagery of Urdu poetry, gained a huge popularity. Faiz also supported to the use of regional languages of Pakistan in education, the media, and literary expression. After a period of exile in war-torn Lebanon from 1979 to 1982, Faiz returned to his home country. He died in Lahore on November 20, 1984.

Faiz's first collections of poetry, Naqsh-e faryadi (1943), Dast-e saba (1952), and Zindan Namah (1956), were politically motivated, and include some of his most famous poems based on his prison experiences. Faiz describes his life behind the walls, in confinement, finding consolation in the thought that "though tyrants may command that lamps be smashed / in rooms where lovers are destined to meet / they cannot snuff out the moon..." (from 'A Prison Evening') His tone is introspective along the conventions of ghazal, the favorite form of traditional Urdu poetry. But Faiz also expresses feelings of other political prisoners when he writes: "I make a toast to my friends everywhere, / here in my homeland and scross the world: 'Let us drink, my dear ones, to human beauty, / to the loveliness of earth.'" (from 'Solitary Confinement'). Fredric Jameson has argued in his essay 'Third World Literature in the Era of Mulatrinational Capitalism' (Social Text, fall 1986) that "the story of the private individual destiny is always an allegory of the embattled situation of the public third-world culture and society". In one of his prison poems Faiz paralles his own fate with the authoritarian system outside the prison : "If you look at the city from here / there is no one fully in control of his senses. / Every young man bears the brand of a criminal, / every young woman the emblem of a slave." (from 'If You Look at the City from Here')

In spite of his Marxist beliefs, Faiz did not burden his poems with ideological rhetoric. He fused classic traditional forms of poetry with new symbols derived from Western political ideas. However, in an interview Faiz has criticized the view that a poet "should always present some kind of philosophical, political or some other sort of thesis..." Like Muhammad Iqbal, he reinterpreted the most important theme in the Urdu ghazal, the theme of love. The word ghazal comes from Arabic and has been translated as "to talk with women" or "to talk of women." Faiz often addressed his poem to his "beloved", who can be interpreted as his muse, his country, or his concept of beauty or social change. "Your beauty still delights me, but what can I do? / The world knows how to deal out pain, apart from passion, / and manna for the heart, beyond realm of love. / Don't ask from me, Beloved, love like that one long ago." (from 'Don't Ask Me Now, Beloved') The traditional beloved of ghazal cannot offer the poet answer to human suffering and social problems - "Bitter threads began to unravel before me / as I went into alleys and in open markets / saw bodies plastered with ash, bathed in blood. / I saw them sold and bought / again and again. / This too deserves my attention."

For further reading: Encyclopedia of World Literature in the 20th Century, vol. 2, ed. by Steven R. Serafin (1999); Over My Shoulder by Alys Faiz (1993); The Tradition and Innovation in the Poetry of Faiz by G. Ch. Narang (1985); Dear Heart: To Faiz in Prison, 1951-1955 by Alys Faiz (1985); 'Tradition and Innovation in Urdu Poetry' by G. Narang, in Poetry and Renaissance: Kumaran Asan Birth Centenary Volume (1974); 'The Pakistani Poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz' by M.A. Malik, in Afro-Asian Writings, 22 (1974); A History of Urdu Literature by M. Sadiq (1964) - For further information: Faiz Ahmed Faiz - Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984) - Faiz Ahmed Faiz: Life and Ghazals - Faiz Ahmad Faiz - Faiz Ahmad Faiz (1914-1978): Selected Poems - Faiz Ahmed Faiz - Faiz Ahmad Faiz, interview by Dr. Ebadat Brelvi - Note: The exact date of Faiz's birth is unclear - he used the date 7th January 1910, in some sources it is February 13th, 1911; or the year 1912.

Selected works:
Naqsh-e faryadi, 1943
Dast-e saba, 1952
Zindan namad, 1956
Mizan, 1964
Dast-e tah-e sang, 1965
Harf harf, 1965
Sar-e vadi-ye sina, 1971
Poems by Faiz, 1971 (trans. by V.G. Kiernan)
Rat di rat, 1975
Sham-e shahri-yaran, 1978
Mere dil, mere musafir, 1980
Nuskha-Hai-Wafa, 1984
The True Subject: Selected Poems of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, 1987 (trans. Naomi Lazard)
The Rebel's Silhouette, 1991 (trans. by Agha Shahid Ali)
The Rebel's Silhouette: Selected Poems, 1995 (rev. ed. trans. by Agha Shahid Ali)
Poems of Faiz Ahmad Faiz: A Poet of the Third World, 1998 (trans. by Mohammed Zakir, and M.N. Menai)
100 poems by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, 1911-1984, 2002 ed. by Sarvat Rahman
Selected poems of Faiz Ahmad Faiz: With original Urdu text, roman and Hindi transliteration and poetical translation into English, 2002
Culture And Identity: Selected English Writings of Faiz Ahmad Faiz, 2006

Interesting link for Faiz

surenderpanthri@gmail.com (Advait) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 11:17:00 +0000

I found this link on the web while searching for more information on Faiz Sahab.

Information curtesy Library of COngress Delhi Office's 'The South Asian Literary Recordings Project.

The South Asian Literary Recordings Project was originally conceived by the New Delhi office of the Library of Congress as a way to celebrate the Library's Bicentennial overseas. Aimed at recording the voices of prominent authors from the region reading excerpts from their works, the project built on the Library's tradition of complementing its paper collections of world literature with recorded readings by authors.

All the recordings were made in cities where qualified sound technicians and appropriate equipment were available. While this limited somewhat the reach of the project, it ensured quality recordings. Recordings are available in Realmedia and MP3 formats.

The original recordings and accompanying biographic and photographic materials are housed in Washington at the Library's Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. Access to them is through the Library's Recorded Sound Reference Center. The decision to digitize the entire collection and make it available on the Library's web site is in step with the Library's policy to share its unique treasures with the American people and the world at large. With this collection, the Library is pleased to open another window onto the literatures of South Asia. This project is a work-in-progress and new readings will be added to the digital collection as more authors are recorded, and as earlier recordings made in the seventies and eighties are digitized.