ALL PEACE INITIATIVES START WITH ACCEPTANCE,
NO ONE LIKES AMITY IN RELATION OF NATIONS

A miniature with a peace message between nations and scholars bent upon creating other narratives. No objection to truth. But is it truthful to call a simple new moon as a Solar Eclipse. Taking out some random reference in old texts and not one work like that in the whole world. A unique painting with a unique message. Compare an actual Solar eclipse to a New Moon in a painting. Even the sky at the back of the moon can be seen. Nothing like that in an eclipse. And even the shape is inverted in a smaller circle. Eclipse has a circle all around the Sun.  At least watch and compare!

When the Sun goes in an eclipse, darkness follow. Clouds and everything cannot be seen. This miniature has a clear sunny light full of exuberance. An actual eclipse is so harmful to the eye and one cannot even look at it without proper glassues or equipment. Do not trust the Gora or the bigoted! Overwhelm your heart with love.

THE NUISANCE OF BARKING DOGS IS UNBEARABLE NOW
PERHAPS BARKING DOGS SELDOM BITE BUT DEGRADING
THE SPIRITUAL IDEOLOGY OF PAKISTAN BEYOND BEARING

Intellectuals created Pakistan, and lakhs lost their lives for it. The gift of Pakistan was unparalleled in the history of the world. A nation reevaluating the baggage of countless centuries making a resolution to go back to Quranic society as proposed by Allah himself. Under the mentor  ship of Dr Allama Iqbal, Quaid e Azam resolved to do away with Parliamentary democracy as a dead system and revitalize it in accordance with the requirements of modern times, On one hand he  chose the Austrian convert to Islam Dr Asad ullah to devise such a system and gave unparalleled freedom to thinker Ghulam Ahmad Pervez to call on him at any time with out even an appointment. The Quaid himself was working in writing a Presidential system based on the French model of constitution. Somebody stole that constitution as witnessed by Begum Shahnawaz herself.

The wisdom of Jawaharlal Neghru prevailed in many ways. On one hands he made ZEROS of all the Maharajas, Nawabs and Feudal Lords of Hindustan. He ruthlessly used the Sikh community to his advantage, and the emotional Sikh fell prey to his workings. Now they chase the ideal of Khalistan all the time. On other hand he kicked all the dissenting Mullahs used by him out of the country, to go to Pakistan and play havoc with same. Here foreign lobbies created a new class of Brown Sahibs, to follow their agenda in never giving an opportunity for the country to rise out of the quagmire. And now a new breed of zealots are undermining the brilliant policies of Nehru and his family. Short sighted with hatred pouring out of their pores.

We have heard of the idiom AXING THE VERY BRANCH YOU ARE SITTING ON. And we have forgotten what the British said to Mir Jaffers. TUM APNI KOM KA NAHI BANA, HAMARI KOM KA KESAY BANO GAY. Pakistan is an experiment for world culture. These barking dogs can be seen barking all the time in the entire range of media, giving birth to FAKE NEWS and FAKE NOTIONS. Pakistan has been on the threshold all its life. The resilience of its people is phenomenal. Pakistan will prevail in the end. Nothing can stop it for it  is built on the shahadat of lakhs of people. A shahadat which dates it back to centuries of struggle. Go drink your alcohol at foreign bars Mir Jaffers. Allah’s Law of Retribution has caught you in a death fit.

NO VALOUR OR PRINCIPLES IN HYBRID WARS EVER GOING,
ZOMBIES ON FOREIGN PAYROLL GENERATING CONFUSIONS

We all know what is going on in the world, but we lack the capacity to take on the zombie armies who sit in front of computer desks and generate anarchy all over the world, merely for petty gains. An official definition of Hybrid war is:

“Hybrid war is a military strategy that employs political warfare and blends conventional warfare, irregular warfare and cyber warfare with other influencing methods, such as fake news and foreign electoral intervention.”

Got the idea! Rendering military irrelevant and confusing the minds of illiterate people by the so called educated uncivilized ones. Strange contrast the Army is cheering the completion of democracy and the people involved in legal debates upholding the rights of corrupt regimes. WHAT AND WHERE ARE THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE? Alas no one cares for the people. We talk of uprisings but the placid people of Pakistan cannot be provoked into constructive action. Thy will continue to suffer in monks stupor. Fatalistic malangs is all that we can produce. Sipping TUF MALANGAS to calm them forever. Our Prophet (PBUH) on Divine mission had to go on war himself to enforce the rights of the people as guaranteed by Allah. You have let Snakes prosper, get fat and agile. You cannot kill them with air blown through the mouth. Allah does not save Nations that can do nothing for themselves. The drama will have an inevitable end. Will everybody merely watch as Pakistan perishes? Fear of losing status quo stops people. Take a risk for our tomorrow. The children in mother’s stomach will cry in pain forever. There is no Khalid bin Waleed for us. Become Khalid bin Waleed yourself!

1937 A RIDICULOUS OFFER OF RUPEES TWO EACH FOR ENTIRE EDITION,
OF CHUGHTAI’S PAINTINGS BY RAMA KRISHNA BOOK SELLERS LAHORE:
REBUKE BY M.A. RAHMAN CHUGHTAI OVER BANIA PREJUDICIAL ATTITUDE

The two nation theory was ever active in Lahore. Two Art groups operated in the city. One was the Punjab School led by M.A. Rahman Chughtai, which Lionel Heath called as the new and modern school of art. The other was the Bengal School led by its student Roop Krishna. Not only had Roop Krishna learnt things from Abanindranath Tagore, he had even written an article on him by referring to him as “MY MASTER ABANINDRANATH TAGORE”. Roop Krishna and a number of his brothers as well as his father, were Book sellers and Publishers in Lahore. Even today we can see remnants of their shop in the chowk of Anarkalli Lahore. The other representative was Samarendranath Gupta, Assistant Vice Principal of Mayo School of Arts. They all carried deep resentment against M.A. Rahman Chughtai. Today analyst sing songs of the Bengal School as a group of forward looking people, and nothing can be further from the truth. Parochial and single minded they allowed no other art movement in India to flourish in any way.

Our job is to present proofs. In 1937 M.A. Rahman Chughtai was n London and his brother Abdur Raheem Chughtai had prepared an edition of Chughtai’s Paintings. The family as well as the artist were in financial distress. The artist wrote to Raj Krishna from London as to his desire that the Book Sellers buy an edition of 500 copies, of which they will recover the cost by selling only 71 copies. In a number of letters when their was no response, the artist offer of concessional rates went to the extent of offering the book at bare cost of production. In 1928 the artist’s book Murraqqa e Chughtai was sold at Rs 110 for limited edition and Rs 25 for normal one. It would be very normal for a price of Rs 10 at that time. At first there was no response and then an agreement was sent to London for 750 copies to be bought at Rs 2 each. This was not even the cost of production of the book. The irritation of the artist knew no bound and he wrote a letter in which he says:

“I have just received your agreement, which was quite useless for me and therefore have torn it without hesitation…..and under no circumstances we can ever agree according to terms…. practically impossible for me to make a deal with you.”

A number of books by Roop Krishna and his wife Mary Krishna were published by Rama Krishna, and that is another story, and we will tell it soon. Suffice Roop Krishna no longer felt happy here and left for London, where he died in 1968. A sad end! The complaint of his life was that the people here knew nothing about art and there was no art appreciation. True in some ways but not in all ways.

THE TURMOIL OF FORSAKING UNITY, FAITH AND DISCIPLINE
RELEASE THE DOVE HAZRAT NOAH, LET GOOD TIDINGS COME

People like us reared up in the doctrine of Quaid e Azam, literally we go berserk as we see the turmoil all around us. A large percentage of our population is illiterate and we find that no excuse for discarding cardinal principles of life. But look at the Super powers all around the world with majority of literate people and the result? It all looks like a mad, mad and indeed mad world. Selfish has reached phenomenal heights at the patronage of Satan. Every day traffic has gone berserk to a degree we cannot imagine. It is impossible for anyone to cross a road with safety or even dignity. Women, old folks, even children are likely to be crushed by trigger happy drivers. And when a collusion comes, the aggression starts and instead of caring for the injured ones, it is fists all around. Curses and abuses and physical fights are order of the day.

The corrupt in Pakistan have not only sucked the people dry, they have also stolen the character of the people. It has becme an IN thing to be corrupt and people have accepted that and forgotten what their mothers told them. The Holy Quran is honoured with a high place in the house or by kissing it, hardly anyone follows it. COMPASSION is the key to civilization. Hoarding the road to hell itself.

A law of retribution (kanoon mukufat) started on its own and we await its result. Let the Dove fly, Hazrat Noah (blessings)! Let the good tidings come! Send this new breed of Mir Jaffers to hell!

A LITTLE KNOWN KHUTBA OF DR ALLAMA IQBAL ON EID DAY,
YEAR 1932 AD (1350 AH) AT THE BADSHAHI MOSQUE LAHORE

The reconstruction of Islam based on the Quran itself was the ideal of Dr Allama Iqbal and here is presented a little known khutba of Dr Allama Iqbal at the Badshashi Mosque Lahore. The soul of Emperor Aurangzeb would have resonated with pride that his constructed mosque was used for the renaissance of Muslims within a few centuries after his death. The Imam of the Badshahi Mosque was appointed by Dr Allama Iqbal himself and he took the Muslims of Lahore forward all the time. Allah bless the souls of all these pioneers of our renaissance!

CHANGING DATES OF FIRST EDITION OF “CHUGHTAI’S PAINTINGS”
THE YEAR REVISED FROM 1939 TO 1938 ON NEW INFORMATION

M.A.  Rahman Chughtai came back from his second European tour in 1938. His eagerness to print an edition of a collection of his works as CHUGHTAI’S PAINTINGS was enormous. He was writing to  Governmental people, public figures in Punjab, as well as in Hyderabad Deccan to finance his new publication. Possibly no one was willing to do so, and with the active help of his younger brother Abdur Raheem Chughtai, he carried out an edition. We normally took it to be in 1939, but the edition was so scarce that we were not in any position to confirm. Even Abdur Raheem Chughtai remembered it as being done in 1939. No fresh information was there.

Letters from London exist of his anxiety to hurry such an edition. Recently a copy of the scarce edition was found in an Australian book shop. It seemed that a copy of the same was presented to an Australian by a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly, that was the famous Syed Amjad Ali. Syed Amjad Ali was Pakistan’s Ambassador to UN and the eldest brother of Syed Babar Ali. The edition has the statement on an official form in the book itself. All very official and it is dated 1938. Syed Amjad Ali was a member of the Punjab Unionist Party sat that time.

This edition of Chughtai’s Paintings has differences from the 1942 edition. It is smaller in size, has a pink paper binding, and although it does carry many of the later paintings, it also has notes and introduction by the famous Razia Sirajuddin. I do not even think most people have seen or know about it. Possibly it was a low count edition, and it is on rather rough back paper. Some of the paintings are from his previous two books, probably of which the printing blocks were there. Some prints printed in England, others in Lahore. The binding was rather poor and got broken with time. I think possibly limited to a few hundred copies, most of them got destroyed in the great world war. We were able to obtain a copy from an old collector in Peshawer and now we have the second copy for our archives. We will add more information after careful study of the book.

P.S

Our thanks to John and Julie of Noosa Books for the cooperation extended to us in acquiring same. Thank you both!

NO ONE HAS DWELT INTO THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF LAHORE
HAS ANYONE EVER TALKED ABOUT THE SKELETAL REMAINS?

A living civilisation is seen on land all over the world. Dead civilisations are plenty all around the world too. As the feet increase in digging, the enigmas of lost civilisations begin plenty. We are even told of civilisations no longer on land but deep into the seas. A few thousand BC figure is not even attractive anymore. From the usual in depth analysis of civilisations, the 12000 year old civilisation of Gobbeki Tepe in Turkey has rocked the world. Others talk of the 22000 years old civilisation of Gunung Padang in Java, Indonesia.

The discovery of skulls have brought into study of various races and has become an exact science. Homo sapiens are preceded by talks about Australopithecus, Neanderthals and what not? The late addition is talk about the Denisovans, a new species of which genetics we share too. A long time back a walk in the city of Lahore would reveal different faces, of people belonging to various races who entered the land of five rivers and amalgamated themselves into citizens. The old familiar faces are gone. After partition the new breed of migrants have destroyed the character of Lahore’s racial heritage. Those old faces are extinct. But so many of them lie in graveyards all around Lahore. Miani is the oldest graveyard in Lahore. But we are not talking of qabarastans, we re talking of dead bodies under the city itself, who lost their lives in battles and disease and happenings. Has anyone researched on them? A study of DNA would open fresh chapters of history.

Some years back, the large gutter outside the city of Lahore was closed. It was replaced by fresh systems and we have a SIEMENS SEWAGE PLANT operating in Bhatti Darwaza franchise. When the plant was being dug, numerous skeletons came on the surface. The areas was littered with skulls of people long gone. And not a qabarastan, it was mass burials of people, either slain in battle, or died by disease. It was amazing phenomena and the residents got creepy looking at skulls peering at them from earth of Lahore. They had stories to tell but there was no one to listen to their long gone stories. Just across the road is the famous mazar of Data Darbar Sahib, so the history of skulls could be a 1000 years old. It is amusing people talking about heritage all the time. Making money out of this needless talk was more important.

A story of an important skull is worth remembering. When the Sikhs captured Lahore, they in fit of utter animosity dug the grave of Mir Mannu (Governor of Lahore) and took out his skull. For a long time the skull of Mir Mannu was placed in the Mori (gutter) of a famous Sikh Sardar and he felt joy as his shit flowed on the skull all the time. Obviously in his life time it was not possible. Indeed skulls have their own story to tell and they can be carbon dated to their life time. It is an open field and worth a study on its own. Maybe the Punjab University or GCU can undertake such a research for the future. Let us hope so!

In the mean time we have the story of PHAJEE, and the skull of an old woman of Lahore, reputed to be at least 800 years old. The skull is amazing for the head has been broken and repaired in old times. How is anybody’s guess? Our next blog will pick that issue up.

A letter in archives show a letter received from France by Mowla Dad in Kashmeeri Bazaar Lahore. There were vast French people in the time of the Sikhs in Lahore and an industry of carpets and shawls flourished here. Probably a well scripted letter from Paris, France means a dealer of shawls in Lahore receiving orders for same. No one today remembers Mowla Dad at all, but it looks like a Muslim shawl dealer with business connections as far as France itself. Post to Lahore was through at times Multan or more often through Bombay. The name was enough as no numbers are there. Well done, Lahore!

MIAN SALAH MIMAR AN ARCHITECT REPUTED TO HAVE LIVED FOR 120 YEARS,
DESCENDANT OF USTAD AHMAD LAHORI, AND ANCESTOR OF CHUGHTAI ARTIST.

On 11th May, 1858, the death anniversary of Mian Salah Mimar. One hundred and sixty years have not erased his memory as well as his work in Lahore. A proud descendant of Ustad Ahmad Lahori (died 1649 AD), Chief Architect of Emperor Shah Jahan, and a worthy ancestor of Khan Bahadur Abdur Rahman Chughtai Mussawar (died 1975 AD). We remember you with love and dignity. May the Blessings of Allah be upon you!