Moderate Muslims It is good to see harimau in good humour at #250. And why not..after all the parivar has won hands down in Gujarat despite the predictions of the doomsday sayers after the rout in UP, Punjab and Himanchal Pradesh.

The Unmaking Of Gujrat Here is the latest from Rediff.com on the future of things to come.
Apologists for indian secularism......... please don`t bother.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
`Hindu Rashtra` in two years: Togadia
[The Bharatiya Janata Party`s victory in Gujarat was a turning point in Indian history and the experiment of the `Hindutva lab` will be repeated in Delhi, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia said on Sunday.

Togadia told a press conference in Jaipur: ``The Hindutva lab has started functioning... the BJP has won all the three seats where by-elections were held in Rajasthan. The final result will come by the next assembly election in the state.

``When madrassas in various parts of the country can train jihadis, why can`t the VHP set up its Hindutva lab?

``The minorities should decide how they want to live in India... The VHP will not decide their future... it is a question of co-existence in the Hindu Rashtra.

``A Hindu Rashtra can be expected in the next two years... we will change India`s history and Pakistan`s geography by then,`` he added.]

Uniting Muslims on Eid sameerJB

Gar Qabz nagahaN, dheela azarband kun
Yak chamcha-e-Shahi Gulqand imdad kun

LOL ;)

Foreword of Aag ka Dariya S.P.Wakil #8
[There must have been a reason behind the appearance of this confusing piece here, the reason, that is, which I have not been able to fathom.]

You are not the only one, hence my ``dakhal dar maqoolat`` at #6.

Ras#7
Although a film named ``Aag ka Darya`` was made in Pakistan, it had nothing to do with the novel.

Foreword of Aag ka Dariya To continue this tradition of Qurrat-ul-Ain Haider`s foreword, here is a
quote from her foreword to Javed Akhtar`s collection of poetry
Turkash,which might be of some relevance here.

“It should be understood that the cultural centres of north India--- from
Rohailkhand, Avadh, Purab Desh to Bihar were famous for their schools, libraries
which were patronized by the educated elite. After 1947 this great cultural
heritage died without a whimper. This was the last link of the destruction that
befell Baghdad, Delhi and Lucknow. Now there is nothing left to destroy. The
derelict and abandoned structures that we see now were once alive and occupied
by caring, cultured and educated people. These places were the centre of Muslim
aristocracy. Nearly 60-65 years ago some youngsters came sloganeering out of
these cities and towns: they were Sajjad Zaheer, Sibte Hassan, Majaz, Ali Jawwad
Zaidi, Sardar Jafri, Kaifi Azmi and Jan Nisar Akhtar and a little senior to them
from Maleehabad, Josh --- the revolutionary poet.

These youngsters owed their allegiance to a party that had had mixed up its
priorities and had wrongly attacked religion. That may have been correct marxism
but certainly bad politics. This had an adverse effect on the generally passive
religious populace, turning them against their Party and in the aftermath of
independence paved the way for Jamaat Islami and Jan Sangh. Bravo!--- there was
a time when these very masses waited to be led by the Party.”

The Endangered Species #115

Khoob parda hai ke chilman se lage baithe haiN
saaf chupte bhi nahiN ,saamne aate bhi nahiN

Gandhi, Godse and Geeta dost-mittar ji,
tau ye aap they? maafi ka talabgar huN, lekin mera andaza sahi nikla.
Literal translation: nowhere to go away,nor a place to stay. or in simple english : catch-22.

Gandhi, Godse and Geeta PS to #3
Mr.Tandan,
I apologise for a tasteless query in a tasteless manner.

Larka, Larki Aur Smartee Smoothly flowing narration garnished with wonderful sense of humour. A
little editing could have helped though. By the way, the word ``paaon maiz``, is it a corruption of the word ``pai-maaish`` meaning to measure. And saving all that gold was hilarious.

Gandhi, Godse and Geeta You raise intresting question. Na jaay raftan,na paay maNdan, as far as I am concerned. But I might learn from the interactions of others,more knowledgeable in the subject.A little nit-picking: isn`t it Bheeshm rather
than Bheesham...unless you are a Punjabi.
Regards.

The Sad Reality of Arranged Marriages in South Asia { It is high time nations realized that giving equal rights—social and political influence, for example--to one half of their population, i.e. women, will go a long way in solving prevalent social problems.}

Certainly....... and why only to women,it should be for all the people so that social problems are sorted out ... but how does the arranged marriage come into this scenario?

#103
LOL :)

Harpreet,
The migration of the UP/Bihari labour force into Punjab and their acceptance of the local language and customs makes for an intresting study.IMO the number might not be large enough to ring the alarm bells yet. In the same vein,have you ever considered the plight of Delhi wallas and their culture which has been completely submerged by Panjabi culture and language,after partition.The only real Delhiwalla you may come across would be in the Chitli Qabar,Chandni Chowk and Nizamuddin area.Isn`t that how societies and cultures evolve?
Regards.

Sir Leslie Wilson On the Tracks
When ``Salute Her Highness`` was published on Chowk, I was excited, that for the first time an article on `railways` was onChowk,unfortunatelty, it was any thing but...and the latest..........I don`t want to be rude,just one question,where is the article?Where is the creativity? I find DIY manuals more invigorating.
Regards.
a rail buff

The King’s Gambit: Chapter 5 (The Diplomat) #53,

t,
`aap kehtay haiN tau phir theek hi kehtay hoNgay`
regards.

The King’s Gambit: Chapter 5 (The Diplomat) Rafique saheb,
I am a Pakistani who has a little knowledge of India.Your insistance on making Lahori Gate as a nationalistic spot,in my opinion is not right. The Red Fort or its Ramparts may be construed as a nationalistic or most nationalistic spot(that`s for the experts to decide),theLahori Gate happens to be the main entrance to the fort which opens into a large covered
hall where you find many stalls selling tourist junk.Once you cross the hall,you come into the open garden,on your right would be Naubat Khana,now converted into a museum,and other buildings which house para-military offices etc.Straight ahead and on the left side which is west(?) is the Diwan-e-Aam,Diwan-e-Khas,Ldies quarters and the prettiest mosque in India..Moti Masjid.Coming back to the nationalistic spot..viz: The Ramparts: You reach the ramparts through stairs and when you reach the top,you have Chandni Chowk in front of you(south),on your left is the great maidan,at the end of which is the imposing Jama Masjid on a
raised platform.There is also a small masoleum of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad on the eastern edge of the great maidan.
Would a Pakistani consider the approach roads to Minar-e-Pakistan as a nationalistic spot or would it be the Minar-e-Pakistan itself?
Refards.