And the tears continue to flow....

O' Maula! O' Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (RA) where are you? Why did you leave us Maula? We mumineen across the globe were eagerly waiting to celebrate your milad mubarak in a few weeks! What my eyes are seeing today, my heart denies to believe and my mind refuses to accept or register.

My eyes that had always seen Aliqadar maula(tus) holding the Miyana  of Aqa Burhanuddin(RA) , saw him holding his Janaza today. The eyes that had witnessed the grand and majestic procession of 100th milad mubarak, and they had seen thousands of mumineen on the streets of Mumbai with joy written on each face, those eyes today witnessed the funeral of Aqa Maula, and thousands of mumineen on the same Mumbai streets, with grief stricken faces. The eyes that for years had seen Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin(RA) doing sajda near his beloved father's qabr mubarak, today saw Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin(TUS) offering sajda near his father's qabr mubarak with same khushu and khudu. The eyes that had several times observed Aliqadar Maula(tus) kissing the hands and feet of Burhanuddin Maula(RA), saw him kissing his qabr today. Alas! How can these eyes stop shedding tears after witnessing such heart wrenching scenes, and how can the inward eye not flash images from past and not compare them.

My heart and tongue that had always uttered the priceless words 'inni wallahe uhibboka ya maulaya' in Maula's hazrat, uttered the same words near his qabr mubarak. The feelings of over whelming love and devotion that had always flowed from heart in his presence, flowed today near his qabr, but this time feelings of immense grief were mixed with love.

The feet that  for years had been trained to stand in queues and carried me to Maula's hazrat innumerable times, carried me to Raudat tahera today, near his qabr. But this time the spring in my steps was missing, instead each step weighed a ton!

My hands that had been lucky enough to get the sharaf of Maula's salaam and talaqqi several times, are holding the flower petals from his qabr today.

My ears that had always listened Maula's sweet voice, are listening his aza today. His affectionate words of "ae mara pyaara pyaara farzando" keep echoing in my ears.

Each fiber of my being misses him and mourns his loss. As soon as i open my eyes in the morning and look at his huge frame, the sad realization hits me. But then i look at the photo of his mansoos, Aliqadar Maula (TUS) , and his presence gives me the strength to go on. He is our greatest solace. May Allah grant Syedna Mufaddal saifuddin (TUS) a long and healthy life till Qayamat. Ameen.

The D word

A dear friend got divorced recently. It was sad and unfortunate. I had been a witness to their courtship days, their fairy tale wedding and the years that had followed. So it was sad and hard to swallow. But having said that, I had also seen the divorce coming long before it actually happened. Now the reason i am writing this post is not to discuss  their divorce, but society's reaction to a divorce! I fail to understand the stigma attached to a divorce. When the religion and the law both permit a couple to go their separate ways if they choose, then who are we to judge and dissect their personal life? Why can't we accept their decision without wagging our tongues? Why all the tsk tsk and the snide comments?

Since this person is a close friend of mine, i have been a target of endless questions from people who barely even know him! Behind the cloak of sympathy, they want to know all the details. What caused the divorce, who will look after the kids, how will he manage the house, blah,blah... When i tell those people to mind their own business, they give me those suspicious looks. They take me for devil's advocate. As if I care! Sometimes i feel like telling them that if you are so interested, why don't you apply for a governess or a maid in his house! (He can do with one!) 

It perplexes me that why is so much negativity attached to a divorce? It is a sad turn of events, no doubt, and certainly no one celebrates a divorce. But why can't we be a little more accommodating as a society? Why can't we accept divorce as a way of life? Why do we need to tag a divorced person with negativity? Why does a divorce seemingly overshadow all the positive qualities of that person? 

The most common comment I hear is that they should have compromised for the sake of their children. I just want to ask everyone a question that when a couple gets divorced, do they decide it overnight? Certainly not! Love may happen at first sight, but divorces do not happen overnight! They as parents must have thought a thousand times about their kids and how their decision is going to affect them. They must have lost a lot of sleep over this. And if they still feel that they should go their separate ways, then we have no right to question their integrity as parents and their loyalty towards their kids. Whatever may be their reasons, it is not for us to judge their decision!

I end the post with a couple of funny images to cheer my friend up! :)

Kashmir_heaven on earth!

                                        Gar Firdaus bar-rue zamin ast
                                        Hameen ast-o, hameen ast-o, hameen ast!!
If there is heaven on earth, it is this, it is this!! The reason why emperor Jehangir repeated this famous couplet by Amir Khusro when he first set foot in Kashmir, is evident as soon as one enters the beautiful Kashmir! It is a place like none other.

We visited this paradise on earth in may this year, and i was smitten beyond words by the captivating beauty of this place. The visit was therapeutic, and it soothed the mind and body and rejuvenated all the senses. All the poems of Wordsworth about the beauty of nature rushed to the mind.

Everything about Kashmir is exceptional, From the famous Dal lake to the snow covered Gulmarg and Sonmarg , the famous gardens of Srinagar, the quaint Pahalgaam or the valley of shepherds, the saffron fields, the Kashmir willow bats, the Jhelum and Lidder rivers, the Kashmiri people, Kashmiri cuisine _ each of these is extra ordinary. And all these require a separate post. :) This post is the first one in my series of posts about Kashmir. I hope i can capture at least a fraction of Kashmir's  beauty in my words. But as they say that ' a picture is worth a thousand words' , so here are some of the shots that i have captured.

My first sunrise in Kashmir. Jammu Srinagar highway

The houseboat where we stayed.....on the soothing waters of  Dal!

The early morning beauty of Dal lake

Sonmarg_ the meadow of gold

Miles to go before i sleep......en route Pahalgaam!

The famous gondola ride in Gulmarg

So dear readers, this is just the beginning, and there's a lot more to come!  :)

Under the mango tree!

There is a lone mango tree in the premises of the school where I teach. It stands tall, majestic and proud. It has been there since many years, even before the school was built. Every morning when I enter the premises, my eyes automatically turn towards the huge tree, and my heart fills with wonder and joy at this miracle of nature. The tree seems to welcome everyone entering the school with open arms.

The silent tree plays a pivotal role in the huge ground of the school. Like a wise old grandfather, it draws children to itself all the time. After an exhausting  PT or karate period, students sit under the cool shade of the mango tree and catch their breath. Sometimes while boys are busy playing cricket, the girls gather around the mango tree and play their girlish games. Or they just sit there whispering, giggling , chattering and sharing their innocent secrets with each other. The tree smiles at their girlish giggles.
Sometimes teachers bring their books and chairs to the ground, and sit under the mango tree, doing their work in peace, away from the hustle bustle of the classes and the staff room.
As soon as the summer starts, the tree is laden with mangoes.The green raw mangoes! Or the kacchi keri in other words. The sense of joy is palpable. Children and elders alike, are drawn towards the tree to get their share of Kacchi Keri.
The tree has witnessed many sports events and cricket matches that are held in the school ground. It has also seen the school develop by leaps and bounds in a few years. It has observed the tiny children blossom with each passing day. And who knows what events and changes it will observe in the years to come!
The mango tree inspired me to write a short poem and here's my feeble attempt at poetry. :)

                                   Under the mango tree

                                   the children play, 

                                  they run, they jump

                                  they skip and hop,

                                  and tired they stay,

                                  under the mango tree. 

                                     

                                 Under the mango tree

                                 the teachers sit,

                                catching a quiet moment  

                                to reflect,

                                in the cool shade 

                               of the mango tree.

                               Under the mango tree

                               waiting for the bell to ring

                               the drivers gather, 

                               they laugh and they joke,

                              and they chatter,

                              under the mango tree.

                              Under the mango tree

                              the birds spring,

                              sparrows, koels and parrots,

                             to gather worms and twig,

                             they build their nests 

                             in the mango tree!

  

It is that time of the year again.....

It is that time of the year again when nights are longer than days! When the sleepy eyes refuse to open and the body refuses to leave the warm  bed early in the chilly mornings. When the air is crisp and cool, and the sunlight is soft and welcome! When sweaters and mufflers become a part of everyday dressing, and when applying moisturizing cream before bed becomes a mandatory routine.  When a steaming mug of coffee and a favorite author give unmatched pleasure.

Winter has always been my favorite season. It is a season of intimacy, warmth, reflection and bonding.It gives us the opportunity to stay inside and reflect, to bond with the family, to enjoy the small pleasures that home has to offer. How well some one has described it ; " Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey and enjoy each idle hour". Winter is the family time in true sense!!

Many of the beautiful memories of my life are connected with this season. I can still recall the sound of cold winter wind against the window of my childhood home. I can hear the voice of my mother as she cajoled us to leave the warm bed and get ready for school. I still remember the color and design of my favourite  sweater. I remember gathering around the old  room heater after dinner and munching on dry fruits. How beautiful those days were! How simple and yet how engaging those small pleasures were!
Winters remind me of my honeymoon. We honeymooned in the quaint hill station of Mussourie in the chilly  winters of December.On one pleasant day we went to a high altitude spot named Dhantoli, situated some kilometers away from Mussourie, to witness snowfall. And just as we returned to our hill top resort in Mussourie, it started snowing there! What a wasted trip to Dhantoli! :) How soft and cool those specks of snow felt. And what a total transformation it was the next morning!  The green landscape had turned white overnight. What a sight! Something that can only be felt and not explained.

How time flies! 2012 has come to an end, and it only seems yesterday when we had welcomed this year. Can't  believe its almost over. At this time of the year last year, I was battling some conflicting emotions, and here I am, still battling those conflicts and hoping for some impossible miracles to happen.Seasons are passing by, but the hope remains, and the life goes on...........

Desert_ the kingdom of sand!

Desert! A vast expanse of sand! A timeless space of beauty, silence and longing! A land full of mysteries. Who knows what secrets lie beneath those infinite grains of sand, what untold stories are buried under those dunes!

 A desert fascinates me greatly. It appears mysterious to me , like an enigmatic woman beckoning its admirers. The amazing stories of explorers of Sahara,Gobi and Rub al khali keep me occupied for hours. My mind travels with them into the depths of the desert and observes the native desert people, the bedouins, the caravans on camels and the desert culture. May be having Rajasthani genes in my body has to play some role in my love for desert. Though I have never actually been inside the depths of a desert, but i have experienced desert from its fringes. I have got a taste of desert in Sind, UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and my ancestral land of Rajasthan! I keep wondering that what lies beneath those huge sand dunes, how does life survive in desert! 

Desert teaches us many things. Take for instance the phenomenon of mirage. To run after something that doesn't even exist! And how many mirages we chase during the course of our lives? Running after illusions! Finding meaning where none exists, looking for comfort in materialistic things. And then we finally realize that we have been running after mirages all this time! How devastating that realization must be to a man who is dying of thirst, and who has pinned his hopes on the mirage!!

An interesting phenomenon occurs when it rains in desert.The dormant seeds come to life and overnight the flowers blossom, transforming the barren land into a pretty sight! Isn't that miraculous? Sometimes a barren soul blooms into a beautiful entity by the power of divine love and water of knowledge! And that is what a true miracle is! Total transformation! 

Thinking about desert and thirst invokes images of Karbala. Of the thirst and hardships endured by Imam Husain(a.s) and his family, in the scorching heat of desert. But they endured it all without faltering because the soils of their souls were fertile and nourished with divine love and pure water of knowledge!  The desert turned into garden of Eden for them.

This world is but a desert full of hardships and mirages! Those who successfully cross it without getting engulfed by its vastness and its mirages, reach the evergreen gardens of eden!

بارش کا موسم

                                              روک سکو تو روک لو بارش کی پہلی بوندوں  کو

                                               !کچچی  مٹی  تو مھکے گی ہے مٹی کی مجبوری

بارش کا یہ خوبصورت موسم ! سورج کا بادلوں کے ساتھ آنکھ مچولی کھیلنا ! کبھی قوس و  قزح کے رنگوں کا افق پہ بکھرنا  ! کبھی نرم نرم بوندوں کا مٹی کو مہکانا تو کبھی موسلادھار بارش کا رات بھر برسنا . بجلی کا چمکنا اور بادلوں کا گرجنا

بارش کا موسم بھی کتنا حسین اور خوشنما ہے . جب ہر چیز نکھری نکھری دھلی دھلی محسوس ہوتی ہے . ہر پتہ ہر بوٹا ہر گل خوشی اور سرمستی سے لہراتا ہے مٹی کی سوندھی خوشبو حواسوں پہ چھا جاتی ہے . یہ وہ موسم ہے جب دل بلاوجہ خوشی سے جھومنے لگتا ہے . جب ٹپ ٹپ  گرتی بوندوں کی آواز ہر موسیقی سے بھلی لگتی ہے. جب دل چاھتا ہے کے تمام   فکروں سے آزاد ہو کر کھلے آسمان کے نیچے کھڑے ہو کر ہر بوند کو اپنے اندر سما لیں . یہ وہ موسم ہے جب انکہے  ،انجان  
جذبے پروان چڑھتے ہے، جب دل میں نئی امنگیں انگڑائیا ں  لیتی ہے. جب دل سے تمام شکوے اور کدورتیں دھل جاتی ہے اور دل چاہتا ہے کے سدا یہ خوبصورتی قائم رہے، یہ رم جھم کی نرم آواز سدا  دل کو لبھاتی رہے .