All posts by 4207924

JOURNEY OF HUNDRED YEARS FROM LAHORE; TO CALCUTTA AND BACK  FROM 1924 TO 2024. RARE WORK ABDUR RAHMAN CHUGHTAI ON SILK.

JOURNEY OF HUNDRED YEARS FROM LAHORE;
TO CALCUTTA AND BACK  FROM 1924 TO 2024.
RARE WORK ABDUR RAHMAN CHUGHTAI ON SILK.

M.A. Rahman Chughtai participated in his first exhibition in 1920 at the Lahore Museum. On record it is there that all his paintings were sold. He was sending images of his paintings for publication, more so in Modern Review Calcutta, as well as others, like Prabhabasi. The first one got printed in January, 1917. His fame through these publications was spreading in the Art world. By 1920s his works were being exhibited all over India, including Calcutta, Bombay, Travancore, Mussoorie and other places. The big event was a planned exhibition of Indian Art at Wembley and a Board was constituted to select paintings for the same. We have the catalogue of Artworks exhibited at Wembley. The list does not include the painting which is subject of our present research. The work “Charm of the East” was acquired by the Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay. Our researched work is dated 1924, and can be anything. We checked catalogues of both Bombay and Calcutta. A lot of Chughtai Artworks are included there but not this one. It may be surmised that it was not selected for the show at Wembley by the constituted Board. The Indian Fine Arts Committee was appointed on 4th August, 1923, The board was composed of O.C. Gangoly, Lionel Heah, S.N. Gupta, and W.G. Solomon. In total selected 11 paintings of M.A. Rahman Chughtai for the Wembley show. Some must have been rejected. Descriptive catalogue points to three places, that is Calcutta, Bombay, and Lahore. The present painting under reference must have been struck out. Its travel journey seems not to be recorded by events.

On 6th February, 2025, I received an enquiry from Calcutta from a lady Soumitra Kumar Nahar, and interested in knowing about a painting left by her late father, Barun Kumar Nahar, related to M.A. Rahman Chughtai. Later I was told that:

“Based on our research, the work was originally part of the collection of Mr. Gopi Krishna Kanoria, who was born in Patna on May 9, 1917, and passed away on October 16, 1987. He was known for his significant art collection, particularly sculptures and paintings from Rajasthan and Central India. Subsequently, he sold it to Mr. B.K. Nahar, a renowned collector of Bengal School artworks in Calcutta.”

Yes, the painting was on silk, and was by my father M.A. Rahman Chughtai. I confirmed same. Lot of works are sent to me from India, but most are outright fakes.

The name of the painting:

There is a typed name for the painting. It was physically corrected with ink, from D to S, but in restoration correction removed. It normally looks like “Dawan at Hamaliah”, which is basically not right. As the type is obscure and the people there were not familiar with the language, It was presumed that the name meant Dawn, although it was spelled as Dawan in type. in my opinion it is “Sawan at Hamaliah”. What does that mean? “Sawan” means monsoons rain and wind. “Hamaliah” literally means the Himalayan mountains. In the painting itself the hanging stole is flying, as well as a bare chest covered with a damp clothed veil, also in the air. 

The painting is on silk:

The usual working style of M.A. Rahman Chughtai is watercolour on paper. The paper is usually handmade paper of Whatman England. But in the initial period the artist did at times experiment  working on silk. His friend Mian Inayatullah usually painted on silk. The artist is known to have made curtains for close friend Pitras Bokhari (expressed in his letter) as well as lamp shades. A few paintings were done. A friend and neighbour had one of the works on silk, but his son in law had taken  the painting to the UK and the present location is not known. But most of the other works perished. The so-called controversial (actually not) painting “Poison Cup” was there with family of Mian Inayatullah, some years back. Presently  not known. The painting “Fame” made originally in 1917, and modified, exists with a Doctor in the UK, but may not be on silk. In reality this may be the only one Silk painting of Chughtai known to exist and this extremely rare in its existence. Others are open to speculation.

The work has the image of the Moon in it:

Normally due to deciphering of the name Dawan (which is Sawan) as Dawn, it was understood that in the work we see a rising Sun. Upto the best of my knowledge there is very little use of objects as Moon, Morning Star, and planetary correlations. I think there is no painting in which the Sun is shown, simply because the portrayal in Chughtai works is romantic, and subdued. Not as fiery as the Sun. Here we do not see the rising Sun but the sinking Moon. Even the colouring of same shows that. And it speaks of wind and rain on the Himalayan mountains and the figure enjoying the same with a veil covering her naked breasts. The clothes are not vertically done but literally flying in the strong wind. Enough said.

The figure in the work is heavily jewelled:

It reminds us of various paintings done by Chughtai Sahib on the subject of Shiva and Parvati. We use one work of Shakti Devta for same. Other works of Parvati exist of the same type. Not all can be shown here.

The whole episode is full of romance:

A painting goes from Lahore, at the Chabuk Sawaran home of the artist, probably by train, and reaches Cakcutta. It goes through a process of selection and lies somewhere. There is a record that there were eight Chughtai works with O.C. Gangoly and they were not returned. A harsh correspondence is there on the subject. Perhaps this was one of them. Then it gets into the hand of a collector and then it is passed on. And presently being restored, I presume by professional people. Yes, art dies many deaths. But at times it lives on. But as a creation it lives on forever. A Hindu subject by a Muslim artist of repute even then. It unites various nations. Art is a sign of peace, a sign of love. Let us engender this kind of love between our two nations. Yes, harmony will prevail!

UMRO BIN MUHAMMED SON OF QASIM AND LADI – A FORGOTTEN AND LOST GOVERNOR OF SIND

UMRO BIN MUHAMMED SON OF QASIM AND LADI
A FORGOTTEN AND LOST GOVERNOR OF SIND
THE LEGACY OF MUHAMMED BIN QASIM

I do not think we hear much of Muhammed bin Qasim at all. We only hear of the tussle between Islam and Hinduism. The character and life of the man is left uncertain. The love of Qasim and Ladi actually speaks of the rebellion of the women hood in Sindh at that time. When warriors were ordered to assassinate all women folks on the brink of Dahir’s defeat, the warrior attached to Ladi, actually hesitated, and Ladi jumped to the ground from the camel she was riding. In this way she escaped her husband’s (actual brother) wrath, and certain death. When she was saved by the army folks attached to Qasim, it was her luck again. And then Qasim bought her from those who had captured her and certainly it seemed the prophesy had come true. The prophesy was that Ladi would marry a Ruler of Sind and will give birth to another. Not that we believe in any such prophesy as being the truth. It was the love radiation between the two characters.

We are told that Qasim was so much loved, that they put a life size statue of Qasim on the chowk of their main city. But we have forgotten one more thing. The product of the love of Qasim and Ladi, the son born to the living couple. They named him UMRO, and he was brought up in Sindh itself. When Qasim was removed, as the new Caliph did not approve of him (different versions of his death are there), the situation in Sindh had changed after all. Historians talk of a grave of Muhammed bin Qasim in Mosul, here he was tortured at the behest of the new Caliph. This is contrary to the story given in the Chach-nama, which is obviously the floated legend at that time.

In any case UMRO was reared up in Sindh, and must have become popular with the people, as he became eventually a Governor of Sindh. We have not come across more material on him, but we will search for same, as there is evidence here, that the DNA of Qasim is still in Sindh to this day. It reminds me of a 9000 year old skeleton they discovered in a mining cave in Scotland, and after research in the nearby village (the entire’s village DNA sample was taken), they found a match to the DNA. A living person descendant of a miner 9000 years old. What fun it would be to discover a descendant of Muhammed bin Qasim in Sindh?

There was another son of Muhammed bin Qasim and he was named simply as Qasim. He was Governor of Basra for 15 years, and also reached a certain kind of fame in his lifetime. So one leaves for Arabia, the other remains in Sindh. There must be more about them in some archives. Suffice that Qasim did not conquer Sindh in the battlefield alone, he conquered the hearts of Sindh and that is why Sindh never became a Hindu nation again. Three cheers for the icon of all times!

QASIM AND LADI – A ROMANCE OF SIND

QASIM AND LADI
A ROMANCE OF SIND
All is fair in love and war

Everyone has heard about the story of the advent of Islam in this region. And everyone has their own view on it. Obviously for us Muslims, Muhammed bin Qasim is the hero, not because he was a Muslim, but he came in form of undoing wrongs committed here. The Muslim women who had requested to be rescued and how they were rescued by this young man, a mere 17 years old. Many ethnically bound here equate Dahir as their hero, for limited ethnic reasons. Here Qasim was the good guy, and it can be judged from his behavior here. No less that the people of SIND worshiped him as a hero and made a life size statue of him in the chowk of their major city. But here we are talking of a love affair.

The Queen of Sind was love smitten by the looks of Chach. Chach was father of Raja Dahir. Ladi was a product of a love affair. Astrologers had predicted that Raja Dahir’s sister LADI would marry a man, who would rule Sind with full might. A superstitious Raja Dahir ended the speculation by marrying his sister himself, to become that all powerful ruler. But that was not to be so.

Raja Dahir had given instructions for all the ladies of the Royal harem and wives of the courtiers to be beheaded immediately if defeat of the Hindu army was imminent. Warriors watched over these ladies and when the news came of their defeat, the slaughter of the Hindu ladies started by the Hindus themselves. Ladi threw herself from her camel onto those on the ground who were meant to behead her, and in this ruse, they were dazzled to the extent, that it gave time to Arabs to save Ladi from slaughter. The captors took her in their possession.

Muhammed bin Qasim found out about the capture of Ladi, and sought permission from the Caliph in purchasing her from her captors (laws governed behavior). When the permission came, he bought her and made her his wife. The prediction was coming true. Ladi had seen the softness in the looks of Qasim, and Qasim had seen the demure of this exceptional lady. It seems love had happened at first sight.

The Chach-nama gives us flashes of incidents here and there. It also give us a flash of a sister of Raja Dahir ‘Bai’ burning herself and all the other ladies in a fire ritual in a room. It is not clear if Ladi and Bai are two characters or same persons. The death of the lady Bai is mysterious.

We are also told about how Ladi confused the warriors outside the ramparts by mounting a camel and in black dress going for a ride. It was considered a deliberate tactic in favour of the Arabs. If Chach nama had survived in full, we would have had all the information required, but even in the annals of one of the greatest battles in the history of the region, it is intermersed with a love story. The love story of Qasim and Ladi. The end is not known, nor we hear of their children. But it is a ballad for folk singers for all times.

A LOST ARCHITECTURAL MASTERPIECE OF LAHORE; THE MAUSOLEUM OF MIAN LUTUFULLAH KHAN, SON OF PRIME MINISTER SAADULLAH KHAN; GOVERNOR LAHORE.

A LOST ARCHITECTURAL MASTERPIECE OF LAHORE;
THE MAUSOLEUM OF MIAN LUTUFULLAH KHAN, SON OF
PRIME MINISTER SAADULLAH KHAN; GOVERNOR LAHORE.

The obsession with Lahore has run through everybody, but contrary to the merits of solid scholarship, the present writers have no aptitude to search for the truth. A look at one source here or there, and they rush to write things, or do a video on the same. with scant knowledge of resources at the disposal of the researcher. The result research abounds with every kind of mistake. Quick research results in permanent disinformation.

There is at present a Baradari in Lahore, and you find various write ups as well as videos, announcing it as the Mausoleum of Mian Khan. The unfortunate part is that the vandalism of the Sikhs have destroyed the Sarcophagus, and misinformation from our accepted historian misleads us further. Accepting the verdict of Nuruddin Chisti leaves us nowhere the truth. Yes, it is the remnant of Mian Khan’s tomb, but which Mian Khan, there are three potentials for the same.

Mian Saadullah Khan, Prime Minister of Emperor Shah Jahan:

Mian Saadullah was a favourite of the Emperor, and he even picked up a fight with his beloved Prince Dara Shikoh on him. And yet we find no place where he got buried. Some talk of an unknown grave at the complex of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia, but there is no confirmation. Obviously his date of death is known. And that helps us in some ways. To be exact 17th April, 1656.

Mian Lutufuillah Khan, Governor Lahore, important Minister of Aurangzeb:

The most misleading thing is that the date of death given by Nuruddin Chisti does not match with his date of death. The official chronicles like Shahjahan nama as well as Maaseray Alamgeri speaks of him being the eldest son and eleven years old at the time of the death of his father (17th April, 1656) and eulogized by the Emperor, but the Maaseray tells us that he died far away from Lahore, from an appointment of Nazim of Aurangabad, he was transferred to Deputy Nazim of Berar and died on the way there. The exact date is not given but it was between August and November, 1702. Confirmed date of death 1702. All speak of the date of death 1671. One realizes how misleading this has become.

Mian Hafeezullah Khan, commander in Mughal army: 

In Insha Madho Ram, letters exchanged between Munshi Madho Ram of Mian Lutufullah Khan, the name of Hafeezullah Khan is mentioned many times. Letters from elder brother to younger brother exist too. More nature of advice to remain patient in adversity. But he was about five years old at time of death of his father, and would be 21 years old in 1671. Was he of enough higher rank to deserve a grand mausoleum of this nature. Of Course not, he was literally a nobody in the Mughal tiers. And certainly not the Governor of Lahore. 

A little research clarifies many things, and nothing is to be taken for granted in any research, till documentation proves otherwise. For a body to be carried to Lahore, from Berar thousands of miles away, required an important royal position. Only Mian Lutufullah Khan had it.

Seal of Mian Lutufullah Khan and various references, including portrait: 

Many manuscripts carry the seal of Mian Lutufullah Khan, and some carry his brief notes too. But a portrait classified his face all the more. We have included it in the portrayal of this documentation. 

The Mausoleum of Mian Lutufullah Khan:

The earliest description is given by Nuruddin Chisti and we have recorded all of it in our book on same. But the best dividend is picture. I am sure none of you have even an idea of the same. By the time I photographed it, some things were still intact. But greed won. No one cared to restore it. By and by more fell. One mosque (the other jawab of same gone) still remains and no one even talks of it being part of the structure. So enjoy our snapshots. The big panorama is in the book and I will not publish it on internet to be copied endlessly by empty researchers. You can always get a copy of our publication free of cost from us, only for love of Lahore. We are Lahoris and we spread truth. And one other thing. It is a mausoleum made by my architect ancestor Lutufullah Ahmad Muhandis and we love it.

Chabuk Sawaran and Haveli of Mian Khan, both in Lahore:

Wall to wall, that is how much we are attached to same. Two Lutufullahs both of Lahore, and got together in an architectural marvel of Lahore. Please remember the same, not as a baradari of 1671, but as a grand project of 1702. Study our book for more information. Well done! Memories can live too.

GREATEST BANE IS DESIRE TO REWRITE HISTORY WITH MODERN EYES – LAHORE SUFFERS MOST AS DEARTH MUSLIM WRITERS INTROSPECTION – NO AZAN ALLOWED IN LAHORE FOR DECADES, DESTRUCTION OF MOSQUES.

GREATEST BANE IS DESIRE TO REWRITE HISTORY WITH MODERN EYES;
LAHORE SUFFERS MOST AS DEARTH MUSLIM WRITERS INTROSPECTION.
NO AZAN ALLOWED IN LAHORE FOR DECADES, DESTRUCTION OF MOSQUES.

Times change. Certain civilizations clash at times, at other times get knit in cohesions. The story of Sikhs is like that. At times Sikhs clash with Muslims, and then get together in the garb of being Punjabi orientation. It is a consistent ups and downs. Our own family has been involved with Sikhs all the time. My great grandfather Mian Salah Mimar actually worked for Sikh Court in the early 19th century. Khalsa Darbar Records do include names like Darogha Imarat Qadir Baksh and Raheem Baksh Mimar. But my father M.A. Rahman Chughtai had a multitude of Sikh friends, which included people like Bhai Vir Singh, Puran Singh, Satsarthyi, Sumer Singh and others. It started earlier. 

Around 1920 M.A. Rahman Chughtai got typhoid fever and a stage came when all hope was being lost. It was suggested that he should go to Kashmeer for recovery. In Simla a Sikh Doctor used to come on horseback to treat him. Later on it was found that the Sikh Doctor was instructed by Bhai Vir Singh to treat Abdur Rahman Chughtai. In Simla a meeting of Sikh friends took place, which included Joginder Singh, Dr Thakur Singh, and Sunder Singh Majeetha in praise of the Art of M.A. Rahman Chughtai. There used to be a lot of visitors at home at the studio of M.A. Rahman Chughtai. Even after partition a lot of Sikhs used to frequent the place. The story writer Satyarti was one of them. Another was Khushwant Singh who came to visit Chughtai with his wife.  The artist Ishwar Singh was his very best friend. The Sikhs always considered M.A. Rahman Chughtai a Punjabi representative in a Bengal dominated art environment in India. 

So we carried no prejudice for others. But that does not mean we could erase the discomfort of the past happenings. All was not golden in the Sikh era in Lahore. The happenings are all part of our history. Mufti Ghulam Sarwar Lahori (Tarikh Punjab) says it is wide and clear that nearly 2000 Islamic monuments were destroyed here during the Sikh rule. Most of the mosques in Lahore were used as dumping grounds for various things. Stables for horses and cattle. Living place for others. For many decades no AZAN was allowed in Lahore and the British had to point it out to Sher Singh to allow same, as it was posing difficulty in integration of society. The antics of the Maharajah Ranjit Singh with Mai Moran is separate history. What happened to famous monuments like Mausoleum of Jahangir, Nur Jahan and Asif Khan is history. Looted marbles laid in the Golden Temple as a matter of record. Even graves of Nur Jahan as well as Jahangeer defiled in all ways. Written history as well as oral records the pathetic attitude to the body of Nur Jahan and the bones thrown outside for the wild dogs. In fact the notorious three Sikh Chieftains responsible for the destruction of the domes of the minarets of the Badashahi mosque, and in those times, it is recorded by foreign visitors like G. Forster that:

” The Siques….. they beseiged… they took the city of Lahore…committed violent outrages. The mosques that had been ever rebuilt or restored to use by the Mohammedans, were demolished with every mark of contempt and indignation; and the Afghans in chains, washed the foundations with the blood of hogs.” 

A map dated 1725 shows the cupolas of the Badashahi mosque intact. It was in the Sikh times that destruction took place.

The historian Ganda Singh knew all the details and was trying his best to present Sikhs in best light. The answer is not as simple as that. To try to hide the past is not the answer. It is best to face the past as past, and turn a new page in history. Worst things happen. If we rekindle the spirit of love and forgo the past, to carve a new future. Sikhs and Muslims are natural friends in many ways. Both are emotional people.  Love vindicates them. Both believe in their RAB, natural ideology. Part of Pakistan shares the language too. Yes, we can be real long term friends. We can share our love for each other. A lot of bad has happened between the two communities. Let  us not repeat them. Let us start anew. No need to hide the past. Carve a new future.

LIMITED EDITION MURRAQQA CHUGHTAI DEDICATED TO NIZAM HYDERABAD; BUT WORKS PURCHASED BY PRINCESS DURRE SHAHWAR DAUGHTER-IN-LAW.

LIMITED EDITION MURRAQQA CHUGHTAI DEDICATED TO NIZAM HYDERABAD;
BUT WORKS PURCHASED BY PRINCESS DURRE SHAHWAR DAUGHTER-IN-LAW.

The legendary work Murraqqa e Chughtai had evoked hopes for the artist M.A. Rahman Chughtai, that the dedication to the Nizam of Hyderabad, would bring financial recompense for the artist. He sent his younger brother Abdullah Chaghatai to Hyderabad to present the same to the Nizam. The holidays were running out, and Abdullah obsessed with his naukri, accosted the Nizam in the Jamia Masjid and handed over same. Sir Akbar Hyderi, Prime Minister complained to the artist that if the presentation had been made in Court, the Nizam would have granted a great financial reward for same. The  bubble of possible hope bursted there and then.

Although in the end the limited edition of 210 copies all got sold, but much of the payment did not reach the artist. Frustration was at its height. So much work and energy not getting the rewards it deserved. The fifteen paintings which were to be given to the Maharani of Cooch Bihar perhaps held in limbo. The file lost due to negligence of a family member. Research on but gaps are there. Somehow in the end the famous Princess of Hyderabad, daughter in law of the Nizam, decided to buy them all. This is confirmed from the own writing of the artist. The result all the works were hung in the Nizams Palace in New Delhi. After conversion into the President’s House, it is unknown where the paintings went after that. In India, Australia, or elsewhere. No one would destroy them. Perhaps in the treasury house of the Government of India. Stray pieces have appeared here and there. Even in Karachi someone brought two of them. Waiting discovery sooner or later. But even the 210 copies of the book extremely rare. We do have a few copies but none traceable in what is now Pakistan. Probably more in Indian region or abroad in famous collections. Even Dr Allama Iqbal presented his copy to a young girl student. Tracing takes long time!

In the last year of Independent Hyderabad, a show got planned and inaugurated by the Vice Premier of Hyderabad State. All that on record. A write up by Hassan Yar Jang exists when he migrated to Karachi. An Arts exhibition held in Hyderabad Deccan in  1948, husband of Princess Durre Shawar did attend the show, and perhaps even bought some paintings. Prince Azam Jah of Berar is seen in photographs admiring the Chughtai paintings in Hyderabad. Art moves and knits past, present and future in different ways. Chughtai Art indeed forever!

A FUTILE ATTEMPT TO BELITTLE DR ALLAMA IQBAL; FLOCK OF NEGATIVE PEOPLE WASTING THEIR TIME.

A FUTILE ATTEMPT TO BELITTLE DR ALLAMA IQBAL;
FLOCK OF NEGATIVE PEOPLE WASTING THEIR TIME.

A long standing friend revealed his low IQ after a long time. He simply said ‘What was Iqbal?’ in a demeaning way. ‘Certainly not a philosopher, perhaps, yes merely a children poet’. It was a stunning revelation, and he went out blurting his father’s statement, that Iqbal used to write obnoxious verses on his favorite prostitutes of Lahore. Most Mullahs generate an alcoholic impression of Iqbal, and a relative came back from the USA with the knowledge that Iqbal was a murderer too. The Hindu lobby was projecting on their blogs that he was even a murderer of a prostitute of Hira Mandi Lahore. A so called ‘hamdard’ of Iqbal was projecting that when Iqbal said salam to a citizen of Lahore, the man to spite him, uncovered himself by throwing down his dhoti. A famous Pakistani lesbian termed both Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal as homosexuals and then retracted her statement after she lit anxiety in many quarters, and she could not handle the fall out, for in certain quarters abroad, it was a positive thing. Add more and more juicy things. Belittle the message of Dr Allama Iqbal, the founder of the idea of Pakistan. The Iqballian thinking dangerous for the enemies of Pakistan.

The Chughtai Artist house was a meeting place of the best and worst of Pakistan. The writers, the poets, the artists, the bureaucrats, you could see most of the bigger names at home all the time. Hafeez Jullundri would come with his British wife , laughing loud with the artist Chughtai. ‘Abhi to main jawan hoon’, surely. Faiz could emit cigar smoke from his mouth like a chimney gone awry. One could even see Hanif Ramay on his bicycle, coming to get some designs made for his magazine. Qudratullah Shahab spun his magic. Sufi Ghulam Tabbassum much loved. The list is endless and no time to list all of them. Dr Nazeer Ahmad and Dr Muhammed Din Taseer were particularly close. Colonel Majeed Malik could take the nomenclature of being Chughtai’s best friend. Pitras Bokhari also lived nearby, and was a close associate. Of course Agha Babar had his own episodes to trace. Ikram Sahib, federal secretary could talk of the book he wrote on Pakistan and took advantage of Chughtai all the time. Justice S. A Rahman was there too. When the Chief Justice got slapped by the daughter of a famous politician, at a function at Alhamra, it was not an ordinary affair, and S.A Rahman proved that he was a gentle lamb. You name it, we saw them at home. These were the people who promoted URDU as the language of Pakistan, and all of them were fanatics about the modern language of Islam.

A longer time back, after work was done, there was a habit in the house. The three Chughtai brothers, Abdur Rahman, Abdullah and Abdur Raheem would move with Dr M D Taseer and they would all go to the house of Dr Muhammed Iqbal and till late at night, chat their hearts out. The laughter of them would reverberate long distance away. Dr Iqbal would not mutter English, or Urdu, or Persian, but share jokes and pleasures in plain Punjabi. It went on for nearly twenty years. Even at the Round Table Conference in London in 1932, Abdur Rahman Chughtai was there with Dr Iqbal. That is why tears would come to the eyes of Chughtai when he would recount Iqbal. And again and again he could say ‘hazar sal nargis apni bay noori pay roti hai bari mushkal say hota hai chaman may deeda war paida.’

IQBAL WAS NOT A GREEK ARM CHAIR THINKER. He reached the people direct in Badshahi mosque, Sheranawala gate School or Islamia College or elsewhere. He addressed people and people wept at the plight of Muslims all over the world. Iqbal has channeled the NATIONHOOD of people, indeed he had reconstructed Islam as a religion in his sayings to people itself. People wept with him. And the environment of Lahore was anti-Mullah in all way. The Quranic revolution was going on here in the Chinay-wali masjid Lahore. It ended in Lahore hosting Ghulam Ahmad Pervaiz, the Adviser on Islamic Affairs to the Quaid-e-Azam himself.

To paint such a philosopher in lower light is the mind of wicked foxes and senile crows all over the world. Dr Iqbal was a man par excellence A true Mard-e-momin. His message was simple Islam had got Persianized with time and the Persian version was in vogue here. Iqbal stressed a back to original Islam position, back to the Arab foundation, back to the Quran itself. The people who had distorted Islam through the centuries fumed at the gall of the man trying to bring in renaissance, to undo centuries of Mullah’s mischievous conceptions.

The hypocrisy of promoting Iqbal in Pakistan is evident too. Lip service alone, not a reconsideration of ijjtehad in Islam. Except for permanent values given by Allah, everything else can be changed by common consent. Democracy very relevant here. Pakistan was the first step in telling the world the beauty of the Islamic system to live peacefully in co-existence with the world, without sacrificing an iota of self respect and equality of the nation as a whole. In the end we have to prevail, if not for ourselves, for our salat to Allah Al-Mighty.

DEVELOPMENT OUR CULTURES THROUGH INTERACTIONS; GAINS, LOSSES NATURALLY AND THROUGH OBLITERATIONS.

DEVELOPMENT OUR CULTURES THROUGH INTERACTIONS;
GAINS, LOSSES NATURALLY AND THROUGH OBLITERATIONS.

I was born in Pakistan, in a house of Culture, and lived my life in the city of Lahore, a center of Culture. Pakistan had already inherited an admixture of East and West. Our leaders were of both types, Eastern as well as Western. But both were turned to progressive Islamic ideals. Our house was like that too. I was sent to an English Medium School and yes they taught us a lot of things, but they also tried to inculcate in us values which were foreign to us. We started the day with a biblical prayer of “Our father thou Art in Heaven”, while most of the Urdu medium schools started their day with a poem by Dr Allamaqbal “Lap pay aati hay dawa meri”. Our courses talked off tales suitable for the Western people, like claiming our iconic Tipu Sultan was a villain, by British standards. The silliest thing possible we were also meant to commemorate Guy Fawkes day, nothing to do with our own environment. Burning wood in memory of the saving of British Parliament centuries ago. I say this for the British left us with a lobby of people determined to save the day for them.

So natural interaction would result in winning of our own cultural legacy. So it had to be obliterated. One day sitting in the LDA office, senior LDA official was telling me, that if we destroy all old buildings (even Mughal ones) and nobody cared, but when we touched a British period work, a great hullabaloo was created and we were always forced to stop. Similarly the great effort by our intellectuals to promote the Urdu language was attacked and barriers in full creation. A controversy between Urdu and Bengali language was created in same way.The National Anthem was always attacked, and is under attack even today. The Bhutto Administration was after replacing same with Sohni Dharti, to undermine our Islamic content. The great Punjabi debate goes all the time. Arabic unites us as Muslims. Culture unites us too. 

Dr Allama Iqbal has been under attack all the time. By literal morons and agents of foreign lobbies. So has been the Quaid e Azam. A person who affirmed that he was a Muslim is attacked all the time at parochialism. So it was natural that the National Artist of Pakistan M.A. Rahman Chughtai would  be attacked all the time. The attack was against the aesthetics of Pakistan.  It was not clear right in the beginning but the 1952 exhibition show in Karachi was a threat to others. On record ten thousand people attended the same for 13 days, but the Governor General Ghulam Muhammed without looking at the works talked of stopping at looking in the past and moving in the future. Told to me by Information Department S. Amjad Ali Sahib. In a newspaper write up, Jalaluddin Ahmad highlighted the same feelings, along with the positive feelings that he could not undermine. He simply said:

Naturally enough, not all of them were equally appreciative. Divergent and vastly different views were expressed, ranging from rapturous enthusiasm to downright criticism of the art form, subject matter  and technique. But they were all impressed by the tremendous impact of Chughtais rich and powerful imagination, his superb draughtsmanship, and his exquisite colour-work.”

He repeats on a conservative estimate 10,000 men and women, including young students of art as well as veteran artists and art critics spent one evening or more at the Y.W.C.A. So who were those unhappy of these more than ten thousand people.

Some lobbies really unhappy with art developments in Pakistan.  All of a sudden forcible campaigns to put Pakistan on the bandwagon of the West.  Artists like Lester F. Pross came to the University of the Punjab. M.R. Sponenburg came to Mayo School of Arts now National College of Arts. It was forbidden to talk of the presence of any Pakistani Art. And suddenly new artists coming from all over the world. Some from India. Some from Paris. Some from England. Now exhibitions were being held in Murree far away from cultural capitals. The inspirations had changed. Pablo Picasso was the main hero of these Pakistani uprising stars, but there were others. With time it became Jasper Johns, and still even monkeys were the inspiration. Can you imagine on actual stage art is being made by artists with their MALE GENITALS. There is consciousness for the West with these inspirations, but what about us?  Art is not Art for Art sake, but politically motivated to give Islamic values the fun and go thing. I have seen a work being seen through the small gauze of an old burqa woman of a pornographic display. An old lady enjoying sexual episodes. Humiliation of the concepts of Islam. It is okay to criticize wrongs of any society but to put a question mark on values is against the principles of humanity itself.

If I get on the roof of my house and I look around. I see not proportional architecture, but minars and shapeless gumbands. A civilization that created the greatest feats of art and architecture is reduced to shopping for second hand joggers and clothes from rehri walas. The Art of calligraphy is in ruins. Copyists copying the past with no abilities. The West left us in a lurch but never left us. Our Culture is an object of shame and by repeating the past, we think we can save ourselves. Each generation of Muslims took culture forward, a blend of past and present as a beacon for the future. The World culture is good to emulate for its world values. Let us stop differentiating between East and West. Rudyard Kipling was a racist. The Quran was for all, not for a segment of the society. Cultural progress can be achieved without sacrifice. Let us talk of positive values and negative values. From wherever we get positive vibes. Welcome to same! To close we quote Dr Allama Iqbal once again:

“WHAT IS ART WITHOUT THE STRIKING POWER OF THE MOSES STAFF!”

A FEW GLIMPSES OF INAUGURATION OF NEW WING OF CHUGHTAI MUSEUM. COMPLETING FIFTY YEARS.

A FEW GLIMPSES OF INAUGURATION OF NEW WING,
OF CHUGHTAI MUSEUM. COMPLETING FIFTY YEARS.

A new era began with the inauguration of the new wing of Chughtai Museum. Not completely ready, and a lot of things waiting to be there. A new era of frames, and new writings. Be with us, as we do more. Thanks!

DECADES OF CONSPIRACY AND THE FLOWER OF PAKISTAN; YES STILL BLOOMING, GETTING READY TO BE GREAT AGAIN.

DECADES OF CONSPIRACY AND THE FLOWER OF PAKISTAN;
YES STILL BLOOMING, GETTING READY TO BE GREAT AGAIN.

It is proverbial that Dr Allama Iqbal conceived Pakistani State, and Quaid e Azam gave it its form. No one needs to tell this again and again. And yet from day one there was a segment allergic to same. Why were they not happy with  the Idea of Pakistan?  Possibly many were purchased by foreign lobbies to undo Pakistan. There were others whose financial resources were damaged for the same. Some gained finances others lost finances. But there were still others who feigned to be intellectuals but were really morons, not able to understand the far reaching idea of same. The lectures of Dr Iqbal about the “Reconstruction of Religious thought in Islam” escaped their low IQs, and they termed it as  blunder. Preposterous thinking if there was any thought in it. The Idea was not Pakistan, but the Idea was requiring a geographical entity to experiment with the Islamic system, to enable egalitarismism to its fullest extent, and equal opportunities to all. If not Pakistani area, it could be any area of the world to imbibe the Idea of Pakistan.

Allah declares the Quranic message for all mankind, and also declares that no other system will last for long. Time period of Allah is different from time period of ours. Even the easy declaration of everything made in six days is misleading, for Allah’s days span periods of revolution and evolution. An undetermined period of time. The Idea of Pakistan was the first step towards implementing Islam  Not Islam as a religion but as a Deen being the challenge to religion itself. It is not about the personal relation between Allah and the Individual, it is the implementation of the Laws of Allah into practical life to achieve the utmost goals of humankind.

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi threw the Two nation theory into the sea and it emerged again on its own, without help from anyone. The sophisticated intellectuals of Indian politicians were gradually replaced by fanatics, with some claiming things which were totally absurd, by building temples on unproven sites. A network of these spies are working in Pakistan claiming absurd things. They can ee Hindu houses, temples and wealth in Pakistan as well as Lahore, not realizing that after the War of Independence in  1857, the Muslims were thrown in the corner, with poverty abounding in their lives. Only few emerging Muslims were loyal servants of the British. The Brown Sahibs surely. A reign of misreporting about the Muslims engendered by the fanatics in India is rampant. Creating tall stories of the past, totally unbelievable. One will find sex stories as well as incestuous stories about the Muslim rulers all the time. Without any documentation evil stories are generated about the Mughal Princesses including Jahan Ara, Roshan Ara, Zebunisa, as well as others.  Fertile minds of the Indians love to produce obnoxious tales of decadence. In a system riddled with castes, the Muslims brought in the region egalitarianism. From  a few thousands, they became millions, not due to the sword, but through a totally different concept of cultural integration. There was no need to fear the invaders in any way.

Co-existence is the lesson of Islam. No one can force a way of life into life of another. It is the acceptance that matters. Allah tells us never to impose another way of life. The motto is to LIVE AND LET OTHERS LIVE. A purely healthy outlook of life. The religious priests of Islam do the most damage to Islamic thinking by stressing not on the Ideals of Islam but blatant small worthless rituals. So come back to the reality of the Ideals of Islam. PAKISTAN FOREVER! Unity, faith and discipline. Let us make Pakistan great again. Let us return to our actual way of life.