When hate or peace become a business

In my last trip to India, I was strolling for window shopping, in one of my favourite spots in New Delhi, when I heard some loud speaker announcements nearby. I saw a Yogi on a big screen, speaking with utmost tranquility. Some of the words I could recall are: “Want is always hanging on to [...]

O’ the wandering mind ~Kabir

Kabir has hardly spared any animate and inanimate examples to ridicule the bigots who have great illusions about their self image and through their beliefs repeatedly,  make a fool of themselves. In the same spirit, I came across yet another simple yet interest verses. Poem 1:  Apanpo aap hi bisaro. Says Kabir, they  fall prey [...]

Abida Parveen, the therapeutic

If music is a mountain range, its Mt Everest is Abida Parveen. A summit of Sufi music, which no soul can surmount. The Queen not only drowns herself in the music she sings, but she sweeps along her listeners too, in the tides of the overpowering words that flow out her throat. After the plunge, [...]

Kabir, just be kind and tolerant !

Kabir leaves no examples to teach and stress to  human beings, in his own simple ways, the lessons of humility, tolerance and open mindedness. In other verses, as in previous post, he gives examples from the living world, like animals,  or even from  trees, rivers and oceans. In the verses mentioned below, he  picks  the most modest of [...]

Son comes before the mother~Kabir

Pahilaa poot pishairee maaee. Gur laago chele kee paaee. Ek achanbhou sunahu tumh bhaaee. Dekhat singh charaavat gaaee Jal kee mashulee taravar biaaee. Dekhath kutaraa lai gee bilaaee Talai re baisaa oopar soolaa. Tis kai ped lage fal foolaa Ghorai chari bhais charaavan jaaee. Baahar bail gon ghar aaee Kahaat Kabeer ju is pad boojhai. [...]

Jhini jhini bini chadariya…~Kabir

  Jhini jhini bini chadariya. kah ke tana, kah ke bharni, kaun taar se bini chadariya ingla pingla taana bharni, sushumna tar se bini chadariya. ashta kamal dal charkha doley, panch tatva, gun tini chadariya saiin ko siyat mas dus lagey, thonk-thonk ke bini chadariya. so chaadar sur nar muni odhi, odhi ke maili kini [...]

Wah ghar sab se nyara~Kumar Gandharv ~Kabir

Sakhiya Wah Ghar Sabse Nyara, Jaha Puran Purush Humara Jaha Nahi Sukh Dukh Sanch Jhuth Nahi Pap Na Pun Pasara Nahin Din Reyn Chand Nahi Suraj, Bina Jyoti Ujyara Nahin Tahan Gyan Dhyan Nahin Jap Tap Ved Kiteb Na Bani Karni Dharni Rehni Gehni, Yeh Sub Jahan Hirani Ghar Nahin Aghar Na Bahar Bhitar, Pind [...]

Avval Allah, Nur upaya, qudrat de sab bandey…

This blog post is a tribute to the bravado of my#Sikh brothers, who stood up in respect for humanity beyond faith during the #UKriots. It was devastating to see the peoples power gone berserk in UK riots, as the  arson and looting carried on unabated into the fourth night . Unfortunately against the sheer numbers, [...]

Kabir a day keeps radicalism at bay

First published in english daily, The Islamabad Dateline on 26th June, 2011 Almost 700 years ago, when religious polarisation in the Indian subcontinent was at its helm, a preacher was born. He was named Kabir and he spent the rest of life trying to bind Hindus and Muslims together. Today, as religious hatred is bred [...]

Koi Sunta Hai: A Film on Kabir by Shabnam Virmani

A incredibly beautiful film on how Kabir Poetry is woven into the Folk Music in India. View this movie at cultureunplugged.com