Sunday, August 18, 2013

Nida Fazli


CSA’S EVENING WITH NIDA FAZLI. 18 Aug 2013
 





“Kabhi kisi ko mukammal jahaan nahi milta
kahin zami to kahin aasmaa nahi milta.”

“Hoshwalon Ko Khabar Kya
Bekhudi Kya Cheez Hai
Ishq Ki Jaye Phir Samajhiye
Zindagi Kya Cheez Hai….”

“Tu is tarah se meri zindagi mein shameel hai
jahan bhi jaun yeh lagta hai teri mehfil hai….”

Immortal lyrics, these! We have been humming them for quite a while now. So much so that they have become part of our day-to-lives. So how do we react when the composer of these verses decides to visit our city? We throng in large numbers to get perhaps a fleeting glimpse of the man who has said so much on our behalf, so much love, emotion, pain and ecstasy in the most appropriate, in the barest minimum words!
This is exactly what happened today when Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi organized a session with the Urdu poet lyricist Muqtida Hasan Nida Fazli, popularly known as Nida Fazli, who has been writing verses for almost half a decade now.  At the UT Guest House the hall overflowed with listeners who listened with rapt attention as Nida Fazli recited poem after poem, one doha after another, ghazal after ghazal. He was quite unstoppable. When the torrent of poetry stopped the audience would not let him go. They engaged him in a lively conversation, not just about his poetry but also on wide-ranging topics, from the language used by poets to the politicization of literature, from the literature of partition to the commercial aspects of lyricism today. Nida Fazli, being the seasoned veteran and expert public orator that he is, remained unfazed as he engaged with the audience.
Mr Fazli is an extremely well-read man. He makes frequent references to Amir Khusrau, to T.S. Eliot, Wordsworth, Whitman and other writers from across the globe. At the same time he comes across as well-rooted in Indian culture and tradition, bonding strongly with the aam aadmi, the common man rather than the privileged classes. He is a man deeply committed to literature and repeatedly emphasized the need to respect men of letters. The worth of a society, according to him may be measured by the respect it shows to its writers. He does not believe in barriers that divide man from man. On the contrary, he is convinced of a common human spirit pervading mankind, no matter what religion and background one hails from.
'Duniya jise kehte hain jaadu kaa Khilona hai
Mil jaaye to mitti hai kho jaaye to sona hai'.

The evening had a certain magic about it: the golden halo of poetic creativity that surrounded the poet seemed to expand and grow to such an extent that it enveloped the entire audience sitting in the hall and also spilling out of it. There was a bonding between the speaker and the listeners which lingered long after the session came to an end.


Some photographs of the session are attached. Others will soon be available on CSA’s FB and Blog.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Arun Shourie's Book

Arun Shourie on his book:

He is a man who calls a spade a spade. He is not afraid of ruffling feathers. He has been there, done that and has no regrets. A man with a deep sense of commitment who does not believe in living in delusions: that is Arun Shourie for you. 

Dr Arun Shourie was in the city on an invitation from the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi. A PhD in economics, he is well known as a statesman and journalist but this morning he donned another mantel and spoke to an extremely receptive audience as writer: a man who has been through intense suffering and emerged as a strong and noble soul. Shourie is the father of a special child and the spouse of one who suffers from a debilitating Parkinson's disease. What is it like being trapped in such circumstances and how does one cope? He survives and keeps going with the help of a positive approach to life. He is not afraid of talking about his experiences, relating them to wider issues, reaching out to the world beyond his immediate circle. 

In his address today Dr Shourie remained focused on his book Does He Know a Mother's Heart? that begins with private pain but transcends to a public plane as the author shifts his attention to theology and religion. If there is a all-knowing God the father, he asks, why does he make his children suffer? Why does he cause them pain? Why does he punish them, torture them, crush them under piles and piles of suffering? There are no answers to these questions but we human beings, seeking a momentary stay against pain and grief, hang on to the abstract concept of an omnipotent deity.

So what is his advice to those who are faced with similar situations? Arun Shourie lists a few practical steps. Help others, he says, particularly those who are unable to return your favours; focus on the essentials, not on trivia; never look for reasons or for a purpose behind your suffering (for there is no design, no purpose); do not lapse into self-pity; do not be under the delusion of reprieve for fore will be none; above all, accept your situation cheerfully. Sounds like easy advice but Arun Shourie has actually been practising all this over the last three decades and more, ever since the birth of his son, the special child. 

The audience listened spell-bound to Shourie. It was evident that he had touched a sensitive spot in the hearts of all those who were present. When he finished there was a barrage of questions for him, asking him practical advise on the everyday management of suffering. With wit, humour and infinite patience, Dr Shourie responded to their queries. He further mentioned that he is now working on a book on spirituality and mysticism, exploring the many things that are beyond the ken of the human brain.
 
The session was organized under the auspices of the Chandigarh Heritage week being held in the city. Tomorrow (on 18th August) CSA will hold a session with the poet-lyricist Nida Fazli at the UT Guest House at 5.45 pm.

Photographs of this morning's session with Arun Shourie will soon be posted on the CSA blog and Facebook.

Friday, August 9, 2013

UPCOMING EVENTS:
CHANDIGARH HERITAGE FESTIVAL
Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi invites you to a special session with the
statesman, leader, journalist and writer whom we all know so well 

ARUN SHOURIE 

the author of Does He Know a Mother's Heart?
will speak of writing as a therapeutic process
on 17 August 2013
at 10.45 AM 

AND
Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi 
invites you to a special session with the
POET AND LYRICIST

NIDA FAZLI 
on 18 August 2013
at 5.45 PM 

Venue for both events: UT Guest House
Sector 6
Chandigarh

Join us, please!