CONSPIRACIES AGAINST PAKISTAN
THE BASIC ONES

The campaign against possible Islamic resurgence

If we ever list the basic conspiracies against Pakistan, we will start with:

1. Full attempt not to let Quaid e Azam finish the Constitution that he had started to write. By expediting his death with little or wrong treatment and utter neglect and then stealing the draft constitution which was by his bed side all the time.

2. By deliberate campaign to paint hundred percent Muslim leader as Secular Jinnah to instill wrong message in the youth of the country.

3. To engender language riots, campaign against the solidifying of URDU language and making ENGLISH as the fashionable affluent language of Pakistan.

4. To run asunder all that had the Pakistani Identity or could engender it including Art in Pakistan, with re-writing of syllabi of institutions in Western framework.

5. By terming study of our history and national heroes as retrogressive and not suitable for modern minds.

6. By withholding of economic benefits which were Pakistan’s right.

7. By dividing the country’s geography in such a way that various danger zones would be created, including Eastern Bengal, Kashmeer and other areas. By forcibly taking Hyderabad Deccan from accession to Pakistan.

8. By leaving Quaid e Azam position of non alignment by aligning with the Western bandwagon by going into Western treaties which were not suitable for Pakistan.

9. By buying out our elite and all others who thought well of Pakistan and wanted to do good things for it. By asserting patriotism as product of degenerated minds.

10. By even having the Crescent done wrongly on our National Flag so instead of RISING MOON to give the nation a descending MOON; declining Nation from day one. The National Anthem clearly talks of the Moon on the flag as being of HILAL.

A ROYAL MEETING AT GOVERNOR HOUSE LAHORE
VICEROY OF INDIA AND M.A. RAHMAN CHUGHTAI

1934 Khan Bahadur joins royalty festivities

The British honoured M.A. Rahman Chughtai all the time. The display of his works at Wembley London in 1924 brought him much fame, and his two visits to Europe in 1932 and 1937, brought him closer to British Art Circles. With the award of the Khan Bahadur title in 1934, the artist was regularly invited to state functions at the Governor House Lahore. There are cards in our archives to various of these functions, and this continued even after partition. Every Head of State visiting Pakistan was introduced to our National Artist. That was before, instead of leaders, imbeciles became controllers of Pakistan.

One such visit is that of Lord Linlithgow, Viceroy of India to Lahore. Accompanied by his wife, the Governor of Punjab, Sir Herbert William Emerson threw a party at Governor House Lahore (at that time called Government House). M.A. Rahman Chughtai was invited there and introduced to the Viceroy as an established artist of India. Both the Linlithgows were very fond of Art and were happy to meet the artist. It set the tradition for hanging paintings of the artist at Governors House, and with given time there were 13 works of his in that place. Most of them stolen by ruthless Governors or their chief staffs. I think one or two originals only remain in the House today.

In any case knowledgeable leaders and politicians honoured their artists, and art and culture. Today there is not even a vague hope of same nor in the coming future.

THE SUICIDE RAJA OF LAHORE
FRUSTRATION MADE JAIPAL TAKE HIS OWN LIFE

The victory of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi

Lahore is a strange city. To this day its origin cannot be determined on any scientific basis. It is very clear that the present site is the site of MAHMUDABAD, the city founded by Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi. The Hindu Lahore is undiscovered to this day. Some attributed the ICCHRA area to Hindu Lahore. Others think of it as being near Peshawer. The British divide and rule policy created the samadh of LOH, which strangely turned out to be constructed of British period bricks. Our research established it to be a corner point of the Mazar of Nau-guzza of Lahore (a separate story). Here the narration is different.

It may sound strange to those who do not read the fine line of history, that it was Raja Jaipal,who saw Sultan Sabuktageen as a threat, and decided to march on to Ghazni itself, in the year 986 AD. Yes, Jaipal picked up the fight with Sabuktageen himself, in his arrogance, that he could cut the enemy short. Sultan Sabuktageen met the invading army near Ghazak, which was a place between Ghazni and Lamaghan, and inflicted a severe defeat on the enemy. Raj Jaipal threatened suicide for himself and all his commanding Rajas, so Sabuktageen agreed on financial terms for treaty. Jaipal renegaded on the treaty as soon as he was out of sight of the danger. Jaipal marched on to Sabuktgeen and was defeated again. Two defeats scarred him forever.

After the death of Sultan Sabuktageen, Sultan Mahmud, hardly a teenager, ascended the throne and marched to battle Raja Jaipal. Jaipal was defeated again by the son of his adversary. Again a treaty was signed for a third time and Jaipal renegaded on the same. But this time, something different happened. He came back, lit a pile of fire, threw oil on himself and jumped in the fire. His suicide was that he had been shamed by his adversary again and again.

Raja Jaipal was suicidal but he was not alone. His whole tribe had the suicidal urge in them. He proudly claimed that suicide was their forte. After fear of defeat, they would kill their own wives and children, pull out their own hair, and then indulge in ritual suicide. Suicide was like a ritual for them, and it seems that the Raja Jaipal was the epitome of the SUICIDE BOMBERS of those days. Today stupid local fanatics terming themselves as ardent Punjabis, recall Raja Jaipal with pride. A warrior who renegaded on treaties and was defeated again and again by his adversaries, need no commendation but shame, which according to Hindu beliefs would lower them with each regeneration of life in lower forms of existence. There is no grace in a ruler who breaks treaty, and no grace in a warrior who takes his own life. Raja Jaipal left a legacy, which in a few generations, was wiped from the face of Punjab.

THE AESTHETIC IMPULSE
THE CHILD M.A. RAHMAN CHUGHTAI

Things hardly known by anyone

The first marriage of Mian Kareem Baksh Mimar was within the family. The wife begot him a son, and he named him Muhammed Hussain. The father even with his meager circumstances gave the best education possible to his son, who was a graduate of those times. Then his wife died, and father and son were left alone. Mian Kareem Baksh married for the second time, Chiragh Bibi, and Chiragh Bibi gave him three sons, Abdur Rahman, Abdullah and Abdur Raheem.

The Quranist view of life was there in Chinay Wali Masjid, near Mohalla Chabuk Sawaran and there Abdur Rahman received his Quranic education.This was before the mosque was captured by the Al Hadees group in Lahore. There Abdur Rahman started the lessons to HIFAZ the Quran that his internal desire to become Hafiz ul Quran, just like his elder half-brother Muhamed Hussain. Soon after Baba Miran Baksh volunteered to Mian Kareem Baksh to start teaching naqashi to the three boys and all three enrolled in the Masjid Wazeer Khan hujra class of the Baba. Baba Miran Baksh was married to the sister of Kareem Baksh, that is Karam Nisa and they lived in Kocha Buzurg Shah. For few years these lessons were the first lessons that Abdur Rahman Chughtai learnt in the traditon of aesthetics. Later the brother of Chiragh Bibi, the Mama (uncle) Elahi Baksh enrolled him in the Railway Technical School, near Railway Station, which was in fact the site of the mosque of Qudsia Begum, wife of Prince Dara Shikoh. Creative impulse would not go away.

One day Abdur Rahman was working on his home work for school, that a Crow came and sat on the minaret of the Mullah Ghaus mosque opposite their home. The crow intrigued Abdur Rahman as a subject and on a paper he drew a crow on the minaret of a mosque, and later had the courage to show his drawing to his father. Mian Kareem Baksh was a busy worker, and was absent from the house from Morning till late night. The boys used to play but as soon as the wooden kaaparas (shoes) of the father would sound in the galli, all three would jump n the bed. Mian Kareem Baksh had brought a Muhajir couple from Kashmeer, Ama Tabbi and her husband to the house to give them shelter. It was Ama Tabbi who was more of a mother and father to the kids. One day Abdur Rahman had caught a baitara (bird) on the roof and put it in the kameez of his father. When the father came home to put it on, he was shocked to see the Kameez jumping up and down. Abdur Rahman was obviously caught and reprimanded but things were smooth. In one incident a hundred rupee note got misplaced and the boys were blamed for putting it somewhere. It was later found by chance that a mouse had taken the note to his hole in the wall and it was discovered there, much to the relief of all, for 100 Rs at that time was in all terms a great sum for the family.The past times were enormous, as when there was nothing to do,the brothers with horde of girls and boy cousins, would go over on the roof in the Havelli of their Mama Elahi Baksh and used to bath in the rain and frolic with each other. There was no gender consciousness and at that time, the girl cousins used to jump in the rain, after removing their shirts. A proper romp, naughty but never amorous.

A physically active child, Abdur Rahman Chughtai was fond of swimming in the river Ravi, in the canal Degh, visiting Mughal monuments, hunting, fishing, flying kites on his roof top, and even just playing cricket, outside the mosque of Maryiam Zamani, wife of Emperor Jahangeer. Picnics were often held at Jahangeer’s mausoleum. But these physical activities, never impaired his aesthetic impulse.

Abdur Rahman himself recalls that on his way back from School, he used to see a painter paint in the Gumti Bazaar and used to stop and watch the man paint at his shop. The Gumti Bazaar painters were a famous painting family which had migrated from Kabul a long time back and were called Moortian walay. A section was called Bindari-ghar, and the artist’s first wife was from that section of the family.

The first aesthetic impulse for the child was that when the mother made him wear a RED JORA to attend a marriage and MARC refused to go out in that jora. He rejected its bold colour, as well as style. He thought it unsuitable for wearing. He was scolded, reprimanded but went on crying and would not budge an inch. So they left him on the stairs crying. When the parents came back from marriage, he was still on the steps, where he had cried for hours, just at the thought of an inappropriate dress for him. His aesthetics were showing their colour.

The death of his father in 1913 made the brothers do many things. One was the opening of a FIREWOOD SHOP in their owned shop inside Yakki Gate Lahore. The two brothers used to sell firewood while Abdur Rahman seated on a charpai at the back of shop used to write dramas, imaging himself to be a great playwright for dramas one of these days. Photography and photo-litho work became his obsession. And he used to paint them with his AEROGRAPH pen giving a coloured work to his clients for his bread earning.

At the Mayo School of Arts, he saw a show of National Paintings at Lahore Museum and felt the inadequacy of the works. He thought he could make better works than that. That led to a spurt of making paintings. The first work was NUR JAHAN MOURNING AT JAHANGEERS TOMB, which he tore after exhibiting in his Mohalla home to friends. Later on some paintings were made while he was in Gujranwalla and sent for publication in Modern Review Calcutta, courtesy of Chatterjee Sahib, the Principal of the Govt Mission School Gujranwalla. And orginally he found fame at the first show of his at Lahore Museum in 1920.

The question always remain. What made him stand outside the common environment? Was it genetic? Was it environmental? Was it a combination of both. Here in Lahore, it is simply said that it was a GIFT OF ALLAH.

WEST PAKISTAN WAS PERFECT AS ONE UNIT
NO NEED TO DEFANG THE SPIRIT OF PROVINCES

Smaller units a ruse to undo Pakistan

I grew up in a United Pakistan. I know the wonders of Unity for our Quaid e Azam taught us Unity, Faith and Discipline. By deliberate contriving of outside powers, these three cardinal principles were alienated from us. A design to undo Pakistan. Now the favourite rap is to create administrative units in the country. A farce by any standards. Enough of divisions, it is time for consolidation.

Of course devolution is good for delivery of services to the masses (local bodies can do that job easily) but not for unity of the country. Five administrative units are playing havoc with people, then we will see a worst tyranny arise and 22 administrative units will play havoc with us and not a single unit would have the gall to challenge any power of any kind. All these self styled reformists will shed their snake skins and depart for outside world, while Pakistan will bleed till death.

In fact the constitutional amendments made by vested interests should be undone, once for all. The Centre should be consolidated again. Traitors brought to book once for all. Corrupt caught and punished in a fierce way. Who will bell the cat? India will, with the help of their new PM. The minute they attack Pakistan, rules of game will change. Traitors will be stark naked. Pakistan will rise as ONE NATION. Agents of foreign countries will flee for their homes broad.

Never, never under estimate the Spirit of Pakistan. Allah governs us! We love the Prophet (PBUH) with our hearts and souls, and fear of death will not undermine our struggle to bring back the Pakistan, that was the first step towards World Peace.

WAZEER UN NISA BEGUM (AMA DODEE),
THE FIRST WIFE OF M.A. RAHMAN CHUGHTAI

A Saint of a person under any terms

By tradition mothers insisted on getting their sons married at an early age. Those were those times an their lesson was that timely marriages prevented social wrongs of any kind. Young children would not at that time even know any aspect of marriage. It was really like a GUDDI GUDDA affair. Chiragh Bibi, mother of Abdur Rahman Chughtai, sought the hand of Wazeer un nisa, a relative from the Chughtai clan itself. Mian Kareem Baksh had a talk with Mian Ji, father of Wazeer un nisa. Chiragh Bibi went and met Babey Ji, mother of Wazeer un nisa. The whole function was arranged, but with a condition. All three sisters, Fazal un nisa, Wazeer un nisa, as well as Aziz un nisa would be married at an interval one week each. Three marriages took place and in 1911, the three Dullas arranged for a group photograph. The record is in front of us.

Months passed and miracles were expected, but the cousin of the artist found out, that both man and wife, had no concept of marriage at all. The couple hardly even talked to each other. Today’s common knowledge was scarce at that time. In any case development took place and years later, there was a pregnancy. A son was born to Abdur Rahman Chughtai, but some things had gone wrong. Cousins marriages led to genetic defects and the son carried some issues, unknown to us, and died some time later. A painting of M.A. Rahman Chughtai of that period depicts a strange topic that is entitled as HER BLIND SON. Speculation can be that son was blind too, but that is unknown. With the death, came another issue. Wazeer un nisa had developed womb cancer, and could never have a child again. A broken family was the result of this, but both man and wife held onto each other all their lives.

Wazeer un nisa could do all things possible. Taking care of an entire family (three brothers family), cooking, washing, teaching, what not? The lady was famous for teaching the QURAN to all those who came to her, which include Mohalla girls as well as girls from far away. She performed Haj twice, and before her death, had gifted away all her belongings, and had even a coffin ready for her own death. She even had allocated money for the Quran to be read every thursday after her death, and money for the Chelum too. She was really thorough in her planning.

The Saintly person was the Judge of the family, far and wide. She would settle all disputes, arrange marriages, parties, what not? She remembered birthdays, wedding days, with appropriate gifts for everyone. And when nothing else was there, she flew kites with her husband and children (she was like a mother to many). She as a born story-teller and her favourite stories were from the Quran. I would sit in her lap and she would tell me one story after another. She gave me all the love in the world, but most important SHE GAVE ME IDEOLOGY. But that is another blog.

SCRIPTING PAKISTAN’S DESTRUCTION BY 2015
THE RESILIENCE OF THE PAKISTANI PSYCHE IS BEYOND LOGIC

Safety and thought of death be damned

Contrary to the Western child, the Pakistani child is born with the strongest belief in Islam. However he may renegade from life., his belief in the Al Mighty is not negotiable. Even today when the Pakistanis see the family of Shaheeds raising their heads in pride, death be damned for every Pakistani. Shahadat is not considered death but a quick entry into a better life. No wastage of judg’ments and other things. Direct access to heavenly life. Everyone Pakistani believes that hundred percent.

With the same emotions, comes the emotions of sending the enemy to hell as quickly as possible. That is why the enemy does not know and should know, that if it ever comes to the real thing, Pakistan will never hesitate to use the nuclear option. We have the lesser defused things , yes, but even if the same big thing has to be to be used, it will be done, as it happened in the the Planet of Apes, when the astronaut blows the Apes to Kingdom come (he goes with them too). Love of life is good but love of honour is utmost.

A Pakistani mechanic can solve complex problems with simple tools. One is amazed at the ingenuity of even the illiterate man. No theory of levers in physics for him, he will try with his best with whatever is available, and in the end he will deliver results with a sheepish smile, that Allah helped him achieve same. The victory is not of his making at all. He will never take personal credit for same. The Pakistani mind could know first hand that a super power will try to electronically blanket to freeze any nuclear test (those done years back), and anticipating the delay of few seconds, had the second option in hand of a direct physical wire to detonate the test. Whose face turned black? Not ours. We raised our head in pride. Do not undermine us or write us off that easily. Other Muslim nations fell in days, weeks, or months. It is years when project 2015 started, and we are still standing,. We are Islam’s last hope, and we know that. And you know that too.

Write all your scripts down, Allah is writing a script too. And those who are ready to give everything for Allah, even their lives, will remain standing. Amen!

LAST WORKING YEARS 1972-1974 M.A. RAHMAN CHUGHTAI
WORK BUT WORK FOR WHOM?

The future looked so far away

A time becomes really sad, when the will to live is gone. The issues roving around an artist’s head catch him unaware, when one day he realizes that things are lost. The society has stopped in it’s track. Materialism has invaded bureaucracy and the politicians in power. Ruthless exploitation has started. A sensitive heart and mind then calls it a day. The will to live is gone.

Last work

But the physical death is nothing. What the artist creates, the same makes him live forever. It is sad that in his lifetime, he found love and respect from his own people. After his death it was the world who honored him not his people. The Intellectual and cultural Pakistan became barren. It was no longer a desert in bloom. Chughtai used to say many times. Can anyone name the Shah of Iran in the times of Omar Khayam? No one really can. Yet, everyone knows Omar Khayyam. Hundreds of years from now, who will remember the imbecile leaders we have. No one. Even history will not think of them as worthy of even a word in comment. But the people who make life, enrich life, are there forever. They are fulfilling a divine mission of enriching life itself.

The test of Allah is FORBEARANCE or a local term BARDASHAT. But for how long? When are the limit reached? Mullahs talk of the wrath of Allah, but forget the Wrath of the people. People change things. An era of change can be seen in Pakistan. Halaku Khan was standing outside Baghdad and the Mullahs were arguing over reciting Ameen in low tone or high tone. Baghdad was ransacked in the shortest spell known in history. And the strangest thing happened. Halaku Khan the infidel erased Islam and his own children embraced Islam. The death of a system spurs a growth of a new system. A new system to replace the outmoded one. If I was a foreigner and would see the working of so called Muslims in our capital. I would join the band of Islamophobics around the world. The miserable plight of Muslims is due to their lack of vision and lack of Identity. Culture gives that. Once culture is gone, Identity is gone too. We thank All Mighty Allah that our Pakistani Army has Identity and full faith in the Pakistani idea. Amen!

TWO AMERICANS IN TOWN
DIRECTING FLOW OF ART EDUCATION

Pakistan climbs the bandwagon of the West

Professor Lester F. Pross of Berea College, Kentucky, USA entered Department of Fine Arts, University of Punjab with his own ideas of advancement. Dr Mark Buchanan of Washington, was supporting his theories about redirecting Art education in Pakistan. Sidney Spedding , Principal Mayo School of Arts, a British educationist was directing the formation of National College of Arts. The syllabi of both places were updated to world standards, and the student was to learn everything, about everywhere. The only taboo word in the syllabi was PAKISTANI ART. Both institutions were turning an absolute blind eye to Pakistani Artists, and the strange part is that not only there is no mention of Pakistani Art, even the Bibliographies do not mention any book on Pakistani Art. In English Medium Schools students were reprimand for talking in Urdu, in these two places the students were punished for even thinking about Art in Pakistan. The students were indoctrinated to align themselves to West, not with their own environment, and everything done here was dubbed as colonial in character. For them national artists were a legacy of colonialism, in contrast the very same artists fought against colonialism. And the interference was not merely verbal. In fact Sidney Spedding had submitted a written proposal to the Economic Planning Commission in 1954 to undertake this overhaul of system.

The NCA site records:

“Professor Mark Ritter Sponenburgh, the first principal of NCA, introduced the modern art college curriculum at the NCA, in 1958. The modern movement in Pakistani art had already begun with Professor Shakir Ali, teacher and principal at the NCA. The students of Professor Mark Ritter Sponenburgh spearheaded modern art education at the NCA, the first art college in Pakistan.”

On 29th December, 2012, the American was remembered here:

“A reference in memory of the late Mark Ritter Sponenburgh, the founder principal of NCA, who passed away at the age 95 at his home in Oregon, USA, was held at the National College of Arts.”

And strangely his background is listed amongst others as:

“In early 1942, Sponenburgh volunteered for the U.S. Army, assigned to Combat Intelligence Training and the Corps of Engineers as an instructor. After working in the cartography section, dictating and reproducing maps as the command prepared for D-Day, in 1945 he requested transfer to Monuments and Archives (G-5).”

Everyone is free to believe in issues and to practice them. We have no qualms about anyone’s action. But redirecting a compete nation away from home seems to me, having roots in some kind of bias, vested interests or perhaps even malevolency. But what we are to say? The result is obvious. A new breed of artists were created. There was no creativity spurring their imagination. Their utmost desire was to imitate everything done abroad. In this imitation they lost their identity completely. DOABI KA KUTA NA GHAR KA NA GHAT KA is a favourite saying used by many people. We won’t say that. We just say what was achieved with this ART GIMMICKRY IN PAKISTAN. The cohesion in the country was lost. The PICASSO DERIVATED ARTISTS died their natural death with Pablo Picasso.

With the import of Western Art traditions, there was import of Western campus values and which led to free license, which a Pakistani society could not have ever allowed. The culmination was the GHAZALA SANA RAPE CASE OF NCA, and strangely you Google same, and you won’t find a single reference to a most important case of our art history. Big names were alleged to be involved in same, and the Federation of Pakistan came to their rescue. But that is a place for another blog.

THE STRUGGLE OF USTAD ALLAH BAKSH
PUBLIC APATHY LINGERS ON IN SOCIETY

The bureaucratic belief that artists live on air only

Allah Baksh was very close o M.A. Rahman Chughtai , and when I was born, Allah Baksh gave a big party for his friend Chughtai the Artist. He specially gifted me with a pair of LAKHA pigeons, pure white, who would straddle like Kings in any lawn. I have seen Allah Baksh with my father, many many times. Even on the death of M.A. Rahman Chughtai, he was silently sitting on a chair outside our garage. Unlike Shakir Ali who went to a YMCA meet on the death of Chughtai the artist, on 18th January, where he suffered a massive heart attack, and later died after a few days in hospital; Allah Baksh was contemplating something else. He knew like the past, the future was bleak for the artists too. Only once Chief Minister Hanif Ramay who was a student of Allah Baksh, bought a painting of his for Rs 50,000 for the Punjab House. I do not think anything worthy was done for him.

After his death I visited his house and met Master Aziz, who was the adopted son of Allah Baksh (a nephew actually). There was another Aziz before that. Allah Baksh had lot of students at his house and his earnings were the meagre fees given by them to him. Again after some time passed, I had met Majid, who migrated from the country in disgust. The family of Ustad Allah Baksh had opend a grocery shop outside their house in a small lane. An artist family could not subsist on the earnings of one of the major artist of the region, not only Pakistan. Obviously there is no shame for the family, the shame is of the society who pay no heed to aesthetics or artists of the region. Literary giants suffered the same fate. You had to dishonour Pakistan, dishonour your way f life, to succeed in the materialistic world. These people knew they could do nothing like that, but there are many who sold their souls and their children reap the benefits to this day.

When M.A. Rahman Cugtau founded Alhamra (named by him, idea by him, execution by him, first show by him, insignia by him), there was need to promote other artists. With Justice S. A. Rahman, MARC pioneered the idea of an Allah Baksh show and one was held at Alhamra in 1952. Strangely S.A. Rahman Sahib in the introduction talks of PUBLC APATHY TOWARDS THE ARTS.

There used to be hundreds of paintings of Allah Baksh lying in his academy (home). Probably destroyed or wasted by others. The School is no more. No one to teach, no one to care for same. Even the people who remember Allah Baksh in Muslim Town are not there. But artists live. Artists survive the philistines who make life hell for them. Allah Baksh will prevail.