PRINCE KAMRAN LAHORI – THE FIRST SEEDS OF REBELLION

PRINCE KAMRAN LAHORI
THE FIRST SEEDS OF REBELLION

Kingship over-ruled brotherly love

Kamran Baradari Lahore renovated
Kamran Baradari Lahore renovated

All Lahore is familiar with the baradari of Kamran. Few may know about Kamran, but the baradari, right in the flow of river Ravi itself, attracts attention all the time. It has seen many vicissitudes within its lifetime. It is perhaps the earliest Mughal monument extant in Lahore, even in the region itself. It was once part of the palace garden of Prince Kamran, son of Emperor Babar, the founder of the Mughal Empire. Considered as a sore on the eyes of some previous governments, many times ideas were made to remove it completely, and perhaps replace with a Japanese Garden for Lahore. I myself wrote to UNESCO, when its destruction was planned, and they stepped in to save it. The correspondence is on record here. Even the British cared little for it. It was a toll booth for a long time, as shown in old maps. The Sikhs had destroyed countless monuments near it, including the Garden of Mah-Afroze, wife of Prince Kamran. Its name still lingers near the Badami Bagh Lahore.

Humayun_finally_defeated_his_rebellious_brother_Kamran_in_Kabul_in_1553
Humayun defeated Kamran in Kabul in 1553

Prince Kamran was Governor of Lahore, and coins are found issued in his name, as the self-proclaimed Emperor too. Countless time Emperor Humayoun forgave him (for he loved his brother), but somehow or the other, the seed of rebellion was too much in him, and he stabbed Humayoun in the back, to many times. The Courtiers were adamant, be a brother, or be a King, the choice is simple. On Royal orders, to Sayyid Muhammed (given near Fort of Rohtas), Prince Kamran was BLINDED. Kamran bore the torture in a manly manner, but could not bear the weight of the man, who was pressing him down by the knees. Ultimately the blind Prince Kamran became a pilgrim, and went on a Haj to Mecca. He died in Mecca four years later, begging forgiveness from Allah for his actions in life.

Diwan of Kamran front page
Diwan of Kamran front page

Not much of Prince Kamran survives. A baradari, a few coins, hardly anything else. The most unique survival of the Prince is his personal DIWAN of poems. The only extant copy is in the Khuda Baksh Library Patna, and strangely it is a Royal copy, calligraphed by Mahmud son of Ishaq Shihabi of Herat. It was read by a row of Emperors, and endorsed by them. It was in the possession of Nur Jahan Lahori too. From the poems, we see inside the sensitivities of a Prince long gone, and realize, that given the chance, he too, could have been the ancestor of many other Mughal Kings. But that never happened. Prince Kamran is not alive due to his politics, but his literary skills as a poet.

HISTORY OF PROGRESS OF MUSIC UNDER ISLAM…

HAZRAT UMAR HAD A MELODIOUS VOICE
HISTORY OF PROGRESS OF MUSIC UNDER ISLAM

Priests are always anti-culture in spirit and tone

Music instruments
Music instruments

Sir Richard Burton, the great explorer, toured Arabia in the 19th century, and found ‘Music’ being treated not as ‘haram’ but as makroo’ in that Islamic society. And yet in pockets of that society even, he found people singing and enjoying themselves. Immediately you go through any library of manuscripts, and you find dozens of books written on MUSIC by Muslim scholars of all times.

Musical instruments
Musical instruments

The most melodious voice in the time of the Prophet himself, was of course Hazrat Bilal, the negro. And he was entrusted with the first AZAN. And history remembers that Hazrat Umar had also a melodious voice and used to sing songs. And number of hadees(s) are even there of music being played in the Prophet’s time as well as afterward. Many books bear testimony to music under Islamic hands.

Older interpretations
Older interpretations

The Wahabis took power in Arabia and put Music in the ground of ‘Makroo” but music was ever popular in the times of the Prophet himself. In fact many sayings exist where the Prophet had praised some sort of musical instruments. It is often said that ‘Drum is the music sound of Islam’ and it may be so, but the Prophet liked the “tambourine”. And music was played on many occasions. Weddings are obvious and such festivals as even circumcisions of boys in the family. But music was also heard for pure enjoyment.

Tambourine
Tambourine

The ‘Kitab al-Aghani’ mentions the name of the leading musicians of the time of the Prophet and it included Ibn Misjah, Ibn Muhriz, Ibn Suraij, as well as Yahya Al-Makki. In fact Ibn Misjah was a systematizer of Arabian Musical theory.

The Musical instruments in vogue at that time were the Lute (in Mecca called Qabus), Viols (in Mecca called Rebab), Reed-pipes (in Mecca called Mizmar), Oboe (in Mecca called Zunami), Flute (in Mecca called Qussaba) and the Tambourine (in Mecca called Duff and Ghirbal). The best part is that a selection of the ancient musical instruments of Mecca are preserved in the Rijk Museum in Leyden.

The most remarkable statement is given by the Arab Music Scholar Henry George Farmer and Miss Schlesinger is that MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS WERE INTRODUCED IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE BY THE ARABS, AND THEY HAD INNOVATED SOME INSTRUMENTS AND BORROWED OTHERS FROM PERSIA. It is amazing that Western scholars admit the introduction of many musical instruments in Europe from Islamic sources. And yet we think that Music is ‘Makroo’ based on obsolete views of outdated Mullahs of our time.

Modern interpretations
Modern interpretations

I came across a book written in Delhi on how to play the TABLA in the end of the 19th century, and the Maestro says that the beat of the Tabla is as perfect as the calculations of MATHEMATICS. For Music advancement, the backbone was mathematics itself.

The simple fact is that MUSIC is food to our senses and Allah has asked us to enjoy the Blessings that Allah has given us, and Music is one of them.

WESTERN MUSIC ROCKS EMPEROR BAHADUR SHAH’S TENT!

WESTERN MUSIC ROCKS EMPEROR BAHADUR SHAH’S TENT
A MUSICAL NIGHT IN LAHORE 26TH JANUARY 1712

The last days of Aurangzeb Alamgeer’s son

Julianna Dias Costa 1658-1732
Julianna Dias Costa 1658-1732

In Lahore we have all heard of the Shalami Darwaza, and one can picture it as the Gate of Emperor Shah Alam, son of Aurangzeb Alamgeer. Very little is written on it in history, but we do know that in 1947, the Hindu-Muslim riots had burnt the area down, and the Gate was demolished by the civic authorities, with a plan to rebuilt it with a new one. In fact the design for the new Gate was made by M.A. Rahman Chughtai, but lack of finances, never materialized that project.

Aurangzeb Alamgeer snubbed as a bigot by the Hindu as well as pro-Hindu lobbies was an exceptional man of great taste. To rear up his children, he had acquired the services of a Portuguese women, by the name of Lady Juliana Dias Da Costa, who served the Mughal household during the reign of five Mughal Emperors, that is Aurangzeb Alamgeer, Bahadur Shah Alam, Jahandar Shah, Farruk Siyar as well a Muhammed Shah. Amazing is it not, that a European woman was head of the Mughal harem for decades, and was loved and respected by the Mughal Princes as a family member and carried the Royal Seal with her.

bahadur-shah-i-also-known-as-shah-alam-mughal-emperor-of-india-1707-1712
bahadur-shah-i-also-known-as-shah-alam-mughal-emperor-of-india-1707-1712

Shah Alam spent quite a lot of his time in Lahore itself. He was in Lahore, when the Dutch sent in an Ambassador to his court. His name was J.J. Ketelaar, and he came and camped just outside Lahore. Bahadur Shah was also in a camp near by. Presents were exchanged, hunts were shared and ideas for the future planned by them. Site seeing was being done in Lahore. A Royal presence and a Court visit was not an every day thing. Lady Juliana was the hostess to the Ambassador Ketelaar in Lahore. She took him to show the Shalimar Gardens as well as the Wazir Khan’s former palace, the Pari MahaL inside the Shahalm Darwaza Lahore. This palace was now occupied by Lady Juliana herself and she had it renewed with Christian icons,including a statue of Jesus Christ himself, done in alabaster.

On 26th January, 1712, Lady Juliana requested J.J. Ketelaar to serenade the Emperor and the Queens at night. Three Western musicians came in the tent, and the ladies inspected their instruments; a bass violin, harp and hautbois. And then the band started playing the music. The Emperor and his chief wife Nihar Parwar, as well as the others, listened to the music all night. The band had exhausted itself. The Emperor and his Queens very happy.

The funny part is that Bahadur Shah died on 28th February, 1712. Some alleged that he had been assassinated by someone present in the lady’s harem. Others said differently. Even the conspiracy of the Dutch was suspected by some. But at that time no one cared at all. Even the body of the Emperor laid unattended for a month before being taken to Delhi. A war of succession started. J.J. Ketelaar left Lahore in a hurry, after bidding farewell to the Queen then in the Lahore Fort. The last music heard by Bahadur Shah was that of the Western band in Lahore. Indeed a serenade of history. Today Western bands rock Lahore all the time. Cars playing western music, television shows, singers imitating western idols (Sonu Dangerous is famous for being Michael Jackson) as well as bands in night long concerts, and teenagers swaying to their music. Yes, Lahore is Lahore. It welcomes all good things. And music is one of the best things of the world. More on that later.

Sonu Dangerous
Sonu Dangerous

CHRISTIANITY COMES TO LAHORE – MISSIONARY ZEALS TURN ZERO

CHRISTIANITY COMES TO LAHORE
MISSIONARY ZEALS TURN ZERO

The story of George Maxwell Gordon

George Maxwell Gordon
George Maxwell Gordon

Sir John Login was entrusted with the conversion of so called Maharajah Dallip Singh, a lost small boy, trying to recover his identity. Obviously a relation was crafted with the Queen of England, and the young Sikh boy embraced Christianity in Lahore. We have already talked about this in a previous blog. Now the missionary zeal was to convert all Lahore to Christianity. The Reverend T.V. French came here with a mission as other priests were there. The most famous is the missionary zeal of George Maxwell Gordon (1839-1880). Nothing wrong with that, but the saying stands, ‘You can take a horse to a trough of water, but you cannot force him to drink’.

Missionary Gordon’s own letters tell us a lot of things. For instance:

“Just think of a journey of 350 miles, from one end of England to the other, and only two Christians”.

Divinty College
Divinty College

He expressed difficulty in coping with ‘a race so naturally suspicious and alien, as the Hindus and the Mussulmans’, and was not content with sitting in the Church. He proposed bazaar propagation, so they hired a place as a chapel in Lahore, put chairs in front of it and invited people to listen to their sermons The experience, again, is told by him:

“One of the most curious features of the bazar preaching in Lahore is, that it has aroused opposition preaching on the part of the Hindus, Brahmans and the Mussulmans alike. It was commenced by the latter, and for weeks Mr French was annoyed by a Wahabi who took his stand at a particular place in the bazar, close to the little chapel, which we have built conjointly with the Americans. In front of this little chapel it is the custom of the missionaries to arrange benches for those who like to listen, and generally there has been a good attendance. Of course the preaching is not confined to this place, but as it was one much frequented, the Wahabi chose it as his point of attack, and often succeeded in drawing away all Mr French’s audience. By and by, a Hindu, ambitious of having his own voice heard, started a preaching on the opposite side, and attracted a large congregation. Then a Brahman followed , and the missionary of the Gospel was between these fires. Now (strangest of all) the Mussulman, Hindu and Brahman have made a joint-stock company, and they all preach from the same platform to the same audience.”

Chaplain-Abdul-Masih-Salih
Chaplain-Abdul-Masih-Salih

The real fact is that these missionaries were dedicated and believed in their mission, but the conversion of the local families became impossible for them, and in the end, all they could convert was the poorest rung of the ladder, and that all with promises of rewards of materialistic kind, as well as opportunities to develop.

An interesting story is there about the first Church built in Lahore in Akbar’s time. There is even a separate book on same. A report of Agra is there of a dozen people embracing Christianity. And then we hear the complaint of the Chaplain, that by the summer vacations, all had left, and there was not a single person left as a result of conversion. The same story seems to be repeated in Lahore. Muhammed Salih seems to be the exception. Chaplain Abdul Masih made history as a chaplain.

Everyone has a right to propagate their views and the missionaries were welcome to them. God bless them for their dedication! But how many Lahorites they converted, we do not know, but we can surely guess! The result is the composition of Lahore today in itself.

PATHAN GANGS IN LAHORE IN 1907 – STEALING GUNS IN BROAD DAY LIGHT

PATHAN GANGS IN LAHORE IN 1907
STEALING GUNS IN BROAD DAY LIGHT

Strange criminal behaviour of thieves

Pathan warrior
Pathan warrior

Sir Henry Craik , who later became Governor General of Punjab, wrote impressions of Lahore in 1908. I find some of these impressions most bizarre. Here we note Craik’s observation of gun thefts in Lahore. He says:

“One official will tell you of the strange devices of the Pathans in search of firearms, which it is his business to detect. They have to be tracked across the jungle; and in little groups of five or six, meeting at some distant point during the night, and by day wandering singly about the towns disguised as pedlars, they pass far south of Lahore after this on quest– the impounding of guns, which fetch about pounds 100 apiece in their own country. Their boldness is marvelous. They have been known to enter an English barracks in the quiet of the early afternoon, when Tommy Atkins is resting after dinner, and to carry out stand of arms without detection.”

Pathan with gun
Pathan with gun

And how they do it:

Feigning the carrying of dead relative back to their country, they loaded a coffin on a railway train. The respected officer suspected their motives and got the coffin opened at the Railway Station and found out that there was a dead dog in it, long with goodly store of rifles. Great care is being taken by the authorities to curb the crime of various criminal gangs operating in the city.

The obsession of arms and ammunition with our brethren the Pathans is recognized from ages. A Pathan is not complete without a gun. Men of war, they have to get their hands on such a source, as to enrich themselves with fighting power. The British, the Russians and even the Americans came face to face wit the dilemma of modern age. But the Pathan is not living in this age at all, it seems. Centuries have not made as difference in their love and use of guns. That is why when the British outlawed gun manufacture of Lahore, the Lahori bandook sazs migrated to the border areas and resumed their business there. Lahore served their brethren Pathans in more ways than one.

OUT OF JOBS READY TO SELL SOULS – THE NEW MISCREANTS OF PAKISTAN

OUT OF JOBS READY TO SELL SOULS
THE NEW MISCREANTS OF PAKISTAN

Following guidelines of Masters

Devil inside us
Devil inside us

The very title of articles appearing in newspapers are perplexing in all ways. The titles and the issues are not ours at all. The rose tinted glasses from which the issues are generated, have the strongest suspicion attached to them of what is locally known as ‘chamaq’. This unnatural shine is obviously the financial rewards given to the writer for propagating anti-Pakistani ideas in the society. There is so much shame here, but shame is relative now. You soon overcome the shame by doing the things you longed to do, when you were out of job. Now the whole world seems to be in union with you, in the mirage of shamelessness.

I am indebted to my parents. Their dreams were not for themselves alone. They dreamt of serving the nation. Honesty prevailed in their life. Contentment and happiness they had, even when they had no meal for that day. Higher values were taught to them, not that of philistines. And the same values they taught to us. Progress was related to all not for the few. But those who lived ion the streets were the street smart people. They evaded inspiration from their parents and loved ones. They behaved invariably like rascals of the society.

Devil buying souls
Devil buying souls

Only bad gets coverage now. Watch headlines all over the world. A wrong is commit’ed. In minutes the wrong-doer is splashed all over the world as some sort of hero of the new world. The worst the action, the more hype given to the incident as well as the persons involved in the same. Is there ever any BREAKING NEWS of something good happening in the world? You can check for yourself. Make a list of all the news in the newspapers, television, anywhere. The same principle reigns. Bad is projected, good is covered up as meaningless. The glamour of rascals is everywhere. We see television seasons, films, novels, everywhere, making important meaningless people of the world. In Pakistan the heroes of the 1950’s and 1960’s are not IN at all. The heroes of the 2000’s are those with anti-Pakistan mission. People who think Islam is an out-dated mode of living. The national shame is phenomenal.

The remedy to fight rascals is not to become a rascal yourself. You have to continue believing in law and order, morals and ethics, things that govern the spirituality of life. The mode which makes the green grass looks greener, and even the dried up grass, the possibility of becoming green again. That is why holding onto to your values is the key to survival of humankind. And when you realize that is exactly what Allah expects you to do. Fight Evil with Virtue. That is the test of Allah, the hammer which makes mere gold into aesthetically pleasing jewelry (modern spelling not traditional ones).

THE MYTH OF HIRA MANDI – NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT

THE MYTH OF HIRA MANDI
NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT

Efforts to resolve issues

In recent years the world is paying attention to the Hira Mandi of Lahore. First there were few documentaries, then few books, and then few films, all bent upon blackening the face of a Muslim culture, gone awry. The world’s oldest profession is not limited to the ‘Hira Mandi’ of Lahore. It is related to every society in the world, but the West has made it a modern institution of SEX-WORKERS. Funny, isn’t it. Romanticizing the worst of your social network. And the amazing part is that in a western society, where not only sex is allowed, but is routine in a guiltless environment, there is still the need for the sex workers to go into action. And the dirtiest act are filmed in photographs and video, and quaint practices, exported all over the world.

Sex workers of Lahore
Sex workers of Lahore

Some years back a ring was broken in Ceylon, where a missionary institution of a beach city, international monsters flocked to that city, to have sex parties with small boys. On television one could see photographs of the practices. But the Hira Mandi of Lahore still attracts international media attention, and neglect their own dirty linen washed in public.

What was Hira Mandi? A market set up to sell ‘ghala’ food stuffs by the handsome Sikh Sardar Hira Singh, son of Raja Dhian Singh. People fancifully think that the reference to ‘Hira’ is the reference to the ‘diamonds’ being rented out there, meaning the ‘kangris’ of Lahore. Obviously a misconception under all counts. So who made ‘Hira Mandi’ the den of prostitutes? The British, of course. And why? For that we have to study the history of Lahore.

My uncle used to tell me that ‘kangris’ of Lahore were everywhere. Every mohalla had a house of a prostitute too. If not all, at least most. That became an administrative issue. When the British took over Lahore in 1849, they had to consolidate the law and order. Laws were passed to regulate Gambling, as well as prostitution. The Hira Mandi was selected as a Red Light area, not merely for its convenience, but also due to the fact that the Badshahi mosque was just near the place. That gave them good propaganda mechanism to bring dis-credit to the Muslims here. But that is not all.

Prostitutes of Lahore
Prostitutes of Lahore

The British issued a licensing system for prostitution in Lahore. The Hindus got the license by saying that it was part of their religious duty. The Muslims declared it to be a ‘Muta’, or temporary marriage, to provide relief to travellers. For that all prostitutes had to declare their allegiance to the Shia doctrines, and that is why you see all Kangris of Hira Mandi following the Shia doctrine, and in the period of religious mourning, Hira Mandi is the one place, which is totally closed. This is not any calumny, but a fact of history, which cannot be challenged by anyone. Everybody knows it, and it was initially told to me by a reputed lawyer, of yester- years. That is the license system.

History goes further back to that. And that is when Aurangzeb Alamgeer had eliminated prostitution from Lahore, who brought it back? And that is another story!

A BROKEN WALL AND EQUILIBRIUM – VELOCITY OF CIRCULATION AND BALANCE

A BROKEN WALL AND EQUILIBRIUM
VELOCITY OF CIRCULATION AND BALANCE

Natural way and life’s balancing acts

broken vintage stone wall
broken vintage stone wall

A portion of my boundary wall fell down. A loud thud in the morning and twenty feet wall was no more. Yes, I had seen a couple of cracks and knew I had to repair it. But in the issues of life, some things get neglected and then we hear their proclamation for attention with such a big thud. But my sufferings alleviated some houses.

The velocity of circulation we all know is an economic concept. When we spend ten rupees, the multiplier effect of that spending brings relief to multiple households. That ten rupees become something else all together. That is why Allah teaches us not to horde wealth. To let people drink from the flowing water of Allah’s bounties for humankind.

Switzerland is going nowhere now as a safe haven for corruption. The buzz word is Caymann Islands. A small land in an ocean of nonentity, made famous by having surplus wealth of the world. Our Pakistanis (less than 100) with possible 120 billion dollars in Switzerland must be thinking of moving to Cayman Islands too, and surely some would already be there by now. A couple of hundred people in the world owning possibly 90% of world’s wealth. Where is the rationale for that? When that kind of money is out of circuit of the world, famines, starvation and issues are naturally there. Who will guarantee equilibrium. When individuals wake up from their slumber, so does nations. And when they do not wake up, then they too hear a thud. But that thud is not a small thud like mine by accident, that is the catastrophe of human existence.

Caymann Islands
Caymann Islands

Dr Allama Iqbal immortal poem says ‘Mera kam ghareebon ke himayat karna’, that “My work is to favour the poor”, and that equilibrium is the ‘farz’ duty of every thinking person to help the under privileaged achieve balance in society. Otherwise hurricanes come with destruction only. The shame of betraying fellow human beings, Allah will never forgive!

DR RABINDARNATH TAGORE AND ABDUR RAHMAN CHUGHTAI – ART AND ARTISTS UNITING TWO NATIONS

DR RABINDARNATH TAGORE AND ABDUR RAHMAN CHUGHTAI
ART AND ARTISTS UNITING TWO NATIONS

The power of aesthetics for peace

Golden Book of Tagore 1931
Golden Book of Tagore 1931

Dr Rabindarnath Tagore as well as his nephew Abindaranath Tagore and his school of art dominated the cultural scene of India. There was no room for any other region to intervene in their domain. The story of Tagores and Chughtai is a long one. Suffice to say that interaction was inevitable between Bengal and Punjab.

The Story-teller tribute to Tagore
The Story-teller tribute to Tagore

In 1931 to commemorate 70 years of Rabindarbnath Tagore an exclusive limited edition book, namely the GOLDEN BOOK OF TAGORE was issued, and the world sent their compliments to the poet. Abdur Rahman Chughtai also presented his tribute to the great Tagore by donating an image of the first version of the ‘Story-teller’ for the publication. It was strangely printed, when all chances were that it would be rejected. It is a historical document this book and in 1931, highlights the position of Abdur Rahman Chughtai in the scheme of things.

Dr Rabindarnath Tagore
Dr Rabindarnath Tagore (click for large view)

Dr Rabindarnath Tagore was also appreciative of the art of Chughtai and we see this letter in our archives and it gets exposed here. The summary of all this is, that however diverse the cultures, Art and Aesthetics have the power to unite nations, not in losing their own Identity, but in forging feelings of love.

THE MURDER OF AMRITA SHER-GIL IN LAHORE – A JEALOUS HUSBAND POISONS A NYMPHOMANIAC

THE MURDER OF AMRITA SHER-GIL IN LAHORE
A JEALOUS HUSBAND POISONS A NYMPHOMANIAC

A bizarre case of Lahore

Catalogue
Catalogue

M.A. Rahman Chughtai was introduced to Amrita by her father Umrao Singh Sher-gil. Umrao Singh was a valued and respected friend of the artist. In the meeting Dr Allama Iqbal was also there and he too, was introduced to Amrita. The father, Umro Singh expressed high hopes for her. The father was a specialist on Omar Khayyam as well as Sufi poetry and Chughtai had many discussions with him. When Amrita Sher-gil came to settle in Lahore, and wanted to hold an exhibition here, people co-operated with her. The story is best told in the Foreword to her catalogue. I think hardly anybody would have it, and many chatter box Totas speak of Amrita, without knowing anything about her.

Foreword one
Foreword one
Foreword two
Foreword two

That very day Amrita was coming to see M.A. Rahman Chughtai, when she died and the artist wrote a condolence on her, which we can print later. The first version is attached with this writing. Suffice to say that her death was an enigma and could not be officially resolved to this day. But people knew the personality of Amrita. She had excessive sexual appetite and she quenched it with affairs with many people. Her Hungarian husband Dr Victor Egan did not like that, although he loved her very much. A jealous husband with access to sophisticated poisons, poisoned her to death. That was the story everybody knew in Lahore and is known in art circles. Excess always produce an excessive reaction. The gallery fell through, as well as the proposed clinic of the husband. No body won, every body lost. Lahore which was ready to host the Sikh artist lost her in the same moment. The discussion on art which was supposed to happen with M.. Rahman Chughtai and Amrita Sher-gil never happened. This is how fate operates, by spinning endless tales of mystery.

Amrita in Paris
Amrita in Paris