My new book, Excelsior: The Story of Wynberg-Allen School

Here is the cover of my new book, Excelsior: the Story of Wynberg-Allen School, published by Niyogi Books. The book celebrates the history of this 125-year old institution and revisits the legacy of Anglo-Indian schools to the Indian school system:

Mera Paigham Mohabbat Hai, 26 Sept: Invite

Hindustani Awaaz, in collaboration with the Attic and SAHMAT, takes great pleasure in inviting you to an evening of poetry recitations.

THE ATTIC 36 REGAL BUILDINGS, NEW DELHI  TEL: 23746050
www.theatticdelhi.org

 


thursday 26^th september
6.30 pm “Mera paighaam mohabbat hai” organized by Hindustani Awaaz & SAHMAT

An evening with SAHMAT – to coincide with the three-day seminar on Secularism and the Arts -- where Saif Mahmood, Panini Anand and Kanishka Prasad take you through a journey of the pluralistic landscape and secular ethos of Urdu and Hindi poetry.

Saif Mahmood
Saif Mahmood is a New Delhi-based litigating and corporate lawyer, holding a doctorate in Comparative Constitutional Laws in South Asia. He speaks and writes on diverse issues ranging from law to literature. Founder of the online group, South Asian Alliance for Literature, Art & Culture (SAALARC), he remembers most of his Ghalib, Iqbal and Faiz by heart, recites them effortlessly and translates them into English cautiously. Saif has been associated with both Hindustani Awaaz and SAHMAT. He blogs on besabab.wordpress.com and is currently writing a series on Urdu poets of Delhi titled “Dilli jo ek sheher tha”.


Panini Anand
A fearless journalist and courageous writer, Panini Anand, has been involved in theatre, documentaries, puppet shows, songs and poetry for mass movements and people’s struggles for more than a decade. He has frequently aroused audiences with his heart-warming recitation of prominent as well as lesser-known Hindi poets alike.

Kanishka Prasad
Architect by profession, photographer by passion, peoples’ rights activist in practice and romantic at heart, Kanishka Prasad is almost omnipresent when it comes to literature, art and culture. His mobile handset is a repository of Hindustani poetry and his calendar reads like a Delhi Diary.  Having inherited a rich cultural, literary and academic milieu, Kanishka has been involved with SAHMAT since childhood.

A Seminar on Secularism, followed by poetry readings

Friends, I have helped put together a seminar on Secularism with SAHMAT. The seminar will be from 26-28 Sept at the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi. The details are given below. Do try and come for some of the sessions.

 

Also, join us on the evening of 26th September at the Attic, Regal Building to hear Saif Mahmood, Panini Anand and Kanishka Prasad recite poetry in a programme entitled 'Mera Paigham Mohabbat Hai'. This part of the programme is in collaboration with Hindustani Awaaz and the Attic.

 

 

 All are welcome.

On Faiz and the vexing issue of copyright, in The Hindu, 22 September

Here is my article on Faiz and the issues concerning his copyright...


http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/being-fair-to-faiz/article5149505.ece?homepage=true

Pages from Mamu's Autograph Book, circa 1947

Flipping through the pages of my Mamu's ancient, somewhat battered Autograph Book (Mamu is Masha Allah close to 75 years of age), I came across this little nugget by Sahir Ludhianvi, written in his own hand:

Hameen se rang-e-gulistan, hameen se rang-e-bahar
Hameen ko nazm-e-gulistan pe ikhtiyar nahiin

 
Btw, Mamu's Autograph Book contains gems from some of the greatest writers, thinkers, poets, teachers of his times including the one much-quoted one by Zakir sahib, 'Jo kaam karo dil laga kar karo; agar woh iss qabil hai ke kiya jaye to iss qabil bhi hai ke dil laga ke kiya jaye.'



Here's another gem from Mamu's Autograph Book; this one is by his own father, Ale Ahmad Suroor and is dated October 1947:

Kaash tumhe hum se achcha zamana mile aur uss zamane ke badalne mein tumhara bhi hissa ho. Mulk aur qaum se mutalba kum karo; usse do bahut kuchch. Yeh baat mushkil hai magar badi baat hai.

And another treasure, a sher by his father Ale Ahmad Suroor:

Har ek jannat ke raste ho ke dozakh se nikalte hain
Unnhi ka haq hai phoolon pe jo angaron pe chalte hain

Haqayaq unn se takra kar naye pahloo badalte hain
Bade hii sakht jaan hote hain jo khwaabon pe palte hain

On Bhimbhetka, in The Hindu, 1 September 2013

My article on Bhimbhetka, near Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in The Hindu, 1 September 2013. It begins with these lines by Ijlal Majeed, the Urdu poet from Bhopal:

Jangal jangal phire darinda
Gharon mein but garhe darinda

http://m.thehindu.com/features/magazine/rocks-of-ages/article5075148.ece/

Invite for 29 Aug: Why Sahir Ludhianvi Speaks to Me

Dear Friends, I am delighted to announce the next event in the Hindustani Awaaz series 'Why it Speaks to me'.

 Pervaiz Alam, broadcaster-journalist-academic, will tell us why Sahir Ludhianvi 'speaks' to him on Thursday, 29 August 2013.

Venue: The Attic, Regal Building, Connaught place, New Delhi
Time: 6.30 pm sharp

Please join us for Tea at 6.00 pm.

All are invited.