Miffed's Scribblings

Dearest Maa  It's been nine long years without you, a lifetime to go. I've slowly and steadily kickstarted earning with my own efforts. I remember once when you told me, “With your first salary I will buy myself a beautiful Sador Mekhela” I wish I could buy you one today maa... Nevertheless, to fulfill your wish I promise to gift something to Mahi & Neetu. Maa its your ninth anniversary and you are much more clearer today in my vision, thoughts and prayers. With each passing year I acknowledge your love more and more. I'm sorry Maa for the things that I had failed to learn when you were around, I'm not the same anymore Maa, I've changed. With each passing day, I look for a better person within me. You weren’t only a excellent mother but in addition an incredible instructor. I had learned a lot from you. Since father was mostly engaged with his work, you completely dedicated your time for both me and Neetu. We now try to realize the amount of sacrifice you did fo...

  Introduction “Not a believer inside the mosque, am I nor a pagan disciple of false rites not the pure amongst the impure Neither Moses, nor the pharaoh” ~ Bulleh Shah A man who was refused by the mullahs to be buried after his death in the community graveyard because of his unorthodox views, today enjoys worldwide reverence and recognition.   The tomb of Baba Bulleh Shah in Kasur (Pakistan) and the area around it is today the only place free of collective refuse, and the privileged of the city pay handsomely to be buried in the proximity of the man they had once rejected. This radical change has been possible because people have been impressed in the course of time by the holy way of Bulleh’s life and the efficacy of his teachings. Baba Bulleh Shah is one poet who wrote in complete surrender of love. At times singing, at times dancing and at times dressed as a woman, he also became the voice of woman in Punjab. A Sufi saint, whose philosophy of life was beyond the boun...

‘He whom you call Allah and my people call Krishna, are but one and the same!’... ‘ Jhulelal’ Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Shrine in Pakistan,  Photo Courtesy (https://www.wikiwand.com/) We are all aware of the famous song, “Lal Meri Pat.” In the song’s refrain, the line goes, “Jhule lal, Jhule lal, Mast Qalandar, Jhule lal.” The word “Jhule lal” means “swinging red,” popularly referring to the associations between Lal Shahbaz and his red cloak. However, the term equally refers to the deity Jhulelal. Jhulelal was a water deity who was said to have emerged from the Indus River in the form of a ‘palla’ fish.   When Lal Shahbaz Qalandar travelled to Sindh in the 1200s, he did not define himself as Muslim (just as Jhulelal did not call himself Hindu). Lal Shahbaz’s stories became entangled with those of Jhulelal’s. Hindus look upon him as their saint - their incarnation of the god, and Muslims look upon him as a Sufi saint. While Muslims revered Lal Shahbaz as a sa...

Known for his unconventional poetry, he was a poet and scholar who lived and died a revolutionary anarchist. Jaun Elia is regarded as one of the most celebrated Urdu poets of the 21st Century, perhaps even surpassing the fame and craze of Mirza Ghalib in this era. His unique style of poetry revolved around the power of love and destruction. He would turn the mushairas (poetry symposia) into magical events, dazzling the crowd and throwing them into a frenzy. Elia’s life was an interesting mix of his casual lifestyle, addiction to drinking and smoking, hatred for religion, Marxist ideas, blunt statements, admiration for Mir Taqi Mir, frivolous remarks on Mirza Ghalib’s poetry, and a forever conflict with most of his contemporary poets, mostly because of his caustic remarks on their supposed lack of knowledge and style of poetry. He found meaning in the meaninglessness of life; doubt in the existence led to a morbid fascination for death. His simple diction for such complex ideas stu...

Reporting Corner (Political and International Affairs): Covid 19 and scope for relooking the health care p... : By  Kapou Malakar, Assistant Professor, Tezpur University

I was introduced to Chekhov during my college days. For obvious reasons, this author was part of the syllabus. Before approaching Chekhov, I was introduced to "Russian Formalism", a school of literary criticism in Russia. Russian Formalism and its literary scholars never excited me. Hence, my initial reaction to Chekhov was somewhat similar. I could hardly deal with and understand the works of Viktor Shklovsky, Yuri Tynianov, Vladimir Propp, and others (all highly influential Russian and Soviet scholars). Therefore, my initial decision was to skip reading Chekhov. I had decided already, no more Russian literary giants! Thankfully that decision was revoked when my end-term exams approached. I had no choice but to read! And that was it! Once you are in Chekhov, there is no coming back. Until that time, I was judging a "book by its cover", and just for the sake of examination, I decided to take up another Russian literary scholar. But who would've known that Chek...

The son of actor-director Raj Kapoor, the grandson of actor Prithviraj Kapoor, brother to Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor and nephew of paternal uncles, Shashi Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor; and father of actor Ranbir Kapoor— Rishi Kapoor was born into the first family of Indian cinema, with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. Anyone who loved Rishi Kapoor would agree with Karan Johar when he tweeted a tribute after hearing of the actor’s passing away: ‘…He was my hero! The very handsome, the exceptionally charming, the eternally romantic Rishi Kapoor…my childhood was dedicated to watching him sing his songs with abandon, wearing his printed sweaters and dancing in my bedroom…. doing the dafliwalle routine with a dinner plate in front of my school friends…’ A man who was vocal on his Twitter timeline, be it asking for the ‘thekas’ selling liquor to open during lockdown to shutting trolls who tried to take him on for food choices or political matters, he didn’t shy away from sayin...

A Maverick actor of modern classics, Irrfan Khan was a personality par extraordinaire and an actor of indomitable spirit. His passion for the art and his resilience towards life made him an inspiration for many. Known for his best performances in classics like Maqbool, Paan Singh Tomar, Namesake, Lunchbox, and many more, Khan was globally admired for his versatility and ability to mold in any character which came his way. There is not a shred of a doubt that Irrfan was a versatile actor, constantly trying to break the mould. He played the villain in films like  Maqbool , intense and complex characters such as Lafcadia in  The Warrior  and in  Paan Singh Tomar,  romantic leads in  Life in a Metro ,  Piku  and  The Lunchbox,  and comic characters in  Karwaan, Hindi Medium  and  Blackmail. However, beyond his acting, Irrfan Khan stands out in the film industry at large because he didn't stick to roles, he was c...

Coronavirus and Lockdown: What Crisis awaits Indian Politics

As we approach the end of the first 21 day nationwide total lock-down, wondering whether it will be extended, and if so in what shape or form. There is a question at the back of all our minds that needs to be articulated. So, what is the likely impact of Corona virus crisis on India's politics? To contain the corona virus, the Indian government has chosen to confine all of its 1.3 billion residents. The success of this lock down varies from city to city and state to state, some areas airily empty with few people venturing out. But for the millions living below the poverty line confinement isn’t an option. Poverty is pushing millions of desperate people to defy India’s lock-down order. This pandemic has dried up work and caused a mass exodus. But while the poor flee, they could potentially spread the virus throughout the country, making the fight against the COVID-19 even tougher to win. While the number of COVID-19 deaths and infections in India has so far remai...