Love that she's walking in high heels across the rocky terrain

Mariam is an illegitimate child who is forced to marry Rasheed, an abusive husband at age 15. Rasheed is an ugly, cruel man who breaks Mariam’s spirit time and again. Laila is an attractive girl who lives just up the street. She is born to educated, liberal parents and enjoys the freedoms Mariam is restricted from. She has a boyfriend, but their plans to marry get derailed when he has to leave the country and move to Pakistan as a refugee. Although he offers to marry Laila and take her with him, she opts to stay back with her parents who need her.

During the wars of the 1980’s and 1990’s, a rocket destroys Laila’s home and family. Finding herself alone and pregnant with her boyfriend’s child, she decides to accept Rasheed’s offer of marriage and becomes his second wife. The story then deals with how Mariam and Laila form an almost impossible friendship, and how they support each other through all their travails.

My Review:

A Thousand Splendid Suns does a wonderful job of giving glimpses and insight into the daily life in Afghanistan through the eyes of two very different women who become friends and allies.

I was very apprehensive to pick up this book. I hadn’t much liked “The Kite Runner”, and all that I read about this book made me feel it would be a tear-jerker, overly emotional kind of novel. The sort I normally try to avoid.

Anyway, I did eventually read it, and I must admit that I loved this one so much better than The Kite Runner. I really loved the 2 main characters. They are not spineless at all, but each show maturity and strength in the midst of unimaginable hardships. The ending of the book is superb, redemptive, and hopeful.

Khaled Hosseini paints a stark picture of what it means to be a woman in a culture where they are valued only for how well they keep a house, and how many sons they produce. A culture where they are subject to the whims of men. Those that value them as worthwhile human beings are welcome oases – they seem to be the exceptions in their world, rather than the norm.

To my surprise, there were also some subtle humorous passages in the book.

There is a hilarious aside in the book about a painter who is forced to draw pants on his paintings of flamingos to hide their “nudity”. I also loved reading about how people worked around the Taliban ban on TVs by burying it in the garden during raids.

What horrified me in the novel was the actuality of how rubbish daily life really was under the Taliban regime – no TV, no cinema, no books (apart from Islamic religious texts), no kite flying, full burqas, no cosmetic use, women could not travel without a man to escort them. What on earth did people do for recreation? I mean all the simple pleasures of life were taken away.

I am not even looking at this from a gender perspective. Life would have been hellish for men too, I am sure.

There are some nice bits of Islamic poetry and songs scattered through the novel, which I loved.

I will be posting a longer poem in a separate post, but I thought I would end this review with an excerpt from this shorter, very lovely ghazal that was included in this book, and which epitomizes its very spirit. This ghazal is by someone called Hafez:

Joseph shall return to Canaan, grieve not,
Hovels shall turn to rose garden, grieve not,
If a flood should arrive to drown all that’s alive,
Noah is your guide in the typhoon’s eye, grieve not.

In short, this book is every bit as splendid as the title suggests. Go read!

Lyrics by Farhat Shehzad

kya tuuta hai andar andar, chehara kyuun kumhalaaya hai
tanha tanha rone waalon, kaun tumhein yaad aaya hai

Kumhalaana: To Wither
Tanha: Alone, Solitary, Lonely, By Oneself, Quiet, Single, Unaccompanied, Unattended

chupke chupke sulag rahe the, yaad mein unki diwaane
ik taare ne tuut ke yaaron, kya unko samjhaaya hai

Sulagna: To be kindled, be ignited, be set light to; to light; to burn without smoke or flame, to burn clearly or brightly; to be inflamed, be excited, be roused, be irritated

rang birangi is mehfil mein, tum kyuun itane chup chup ho
bhuul bhi jaao paagal logon, kya khoya kya paaya

Mehfil: Assembly, Gathering, Party
Khoyaa: Lost, Wasted

hai sher kahaan hai khuun hai dil ka, jo lafzon mein bikhara hai
dil ke zakhm dikha kar hamne, mehfil ko garmaaya hai

Sheyr: Poem
Lafz: Word, Saying, Term
Zakhm: Bruise, Cut, Damage, Felon, Gash, Hack, Harm, Hurt, Injury, Loss,Sore, Wound
Garmaana: Warm up, Heat up

ab ‘Shehzad’ ye jhuuth na bolo, wo itana bedard nahin
apni chaahat ko bhi parakho, gar ilzaam lagaaya hai

Shehzad: A reference to the poet, Farhat Shehzad
Jhuuth: Brag, Lie, Falsehood
Be-dard: Feelingless, Heartless, Merciless, Pitiless, Unkind, Without Feeling
Chaahat: Affection, Appetite, Hankering, Love, Urge
Parakh: Examination, Experiment, Judgement, Test, Trial
Ilzaam: Allegation, Accusation Accuse, Blame, Libel

Bichrah  Hai Jo Ik Bar Tu Miltey Nahin  Dekha

Is Zakhum Ko Hum Nay Kabhi Siltey Nahin Dekha

Ik Bar Jisay Chaat Gai Dhoop Ki Khawahish

Phir Shakh Pe Us Phool Ko Khiltey Nahin Dekha

Ye Lakht Gira Hai Tu Jarain Tak Nikal Ayin

Jis pair ko Andhi Mei Bhi Hiltey Nahin Dekha

Kis Tarah Maree Roh Haree Ker Gaya Akhir

Woh Zehar Har Jisay Jism Mein Khilte Nahin Dekha

Manifest Destiny

I’m not the dirt crusted beneath your nails
I’m the internal, eternal process of being you.

You were buried beneath western plateaus
and I was drowning in eastern seas.

If the desert once French kissed the oceans
do you think they miss the waters—

miss it like you say you miss me?
I’m following the trail you carved

etched out pocket knife love on cacti and oak trees.
All that matters now, is you and me, is we,

the awkward following of pine trails and tumbleweeds
hear you calling me westward in the petal lifted breeze…

I am more restless now that I am aware of you,
travel these old shattered highways to be near you

only in mind, in dreams, in wishes
send you the wind with messages and kisses.

“Blue, come to California, to L.A., westward to me…”
but, I’m chained here still finishing time under Florida palm trees.

Excitement! I got another poem accepted to Qarrtsiluni for their upcoming “Health” issue… still waiting for the one I sent in for this issue to appear, but I’ve been assured it is lined up, as they plan out the order all in advance, it seems. Meanwhile, here’s one that I wrote for the theme but ended up not submitting, as I mistakenly wrote five (when their limit this time was three). Was going for spiritual, harmonic health in this one…

Walking Meditation

Each breath an exercise in self-control,
each step to quiet a chaos in the soul.

The things that give us strength: the sloping stars
to banish imperfection from the soul

the crooked wind, its song an echo in
our hearts, to lift the feathers of the soul

and show it to the sun, its liquid light
in droplets running fire through the soul

electrifying weary thoughts and dreams,
the frigid mind empowered by the soul

that lines the corners of the world, that draws
us ever onward, lifeline to the soul

reminding us we have the self-control
to quiet that threadbare chaos in the soul.

Cigarette Ghazal

Brad Land compares it to a bottle rocket in his memoir

as it crashes Into the black pavement, his lit cigarette.

Marlboro Reds taste like harsh and stiff as the smoke burns

the cowboy’s eye while the ashes fall from the tip of the cigarette.

Blue lights appear in the rear view mirror, the car pulls

off the road. He writes a ticket for releasing the cigarette.

French tip nails look glossy as they form a V around the filter

directing it to lips that crave the nicotine of a cigarette.

Beth, are you smoking in the girl’s room? I watch as it cyclones

down into the sewer, remorseful of my drowning cigarette.

Please leave a note if you know the poet is

Lyrics by Masroor Anwar

ek naye mod pe le aaye hain haalat mujhe
dil ne jo mangi wohi mil gayi saugaat mujhe

Mod: Turn, Twist, Wrest, Wring. Bend
Haalaat: Condition, Circumstance, Liking, State
Saugaat: A rich present; a curiosity, rarity

door reh kar bhi khayaalon mein mere paas ho tum
kitne pyaare hain ye jazbaat ye lamhaat mujhe

Khayaal: Care, Imagination, Judgement, Opinion, Respect, Remember, Thought, Whim
Jazbaat: Emotion
Lamhaat: Minutes, Moments

dil mein ek ajnabi ehsaas ki khushbuu jaage
aaj lagti hain har ik baat nayi baat mujhe

Ajnabi: Alien, Foreigner, Stranger, Unaccustomed, Unfamiliar
Ehsaas: Consciousness, Emotion, Feelings, Perception, Realisation
Khusbuu: Aroma, Fragrance

tum kabhi khud ko meri aankhon se chhup kar dekho
kya kahoon tum mein nazar aati hain kya baat mujhe

We are all used to Shammi Kapoor singing jovial songs in Rafi’s voice in the outdoors, with seriousness nowhere in sight. And indeed almost all songs picturised on Shammi Kapoor in his movies are like that.

Here is a song with a difference. This song is indeed a song sung by Rafi and picturised on Shammi Kapoor, but this song is not the usual Rafi-Shammi Kapoor song. It is a serious song. In fact, it is a ghazal ! Yes, it is a ghazal.

Music director is Shankar Jaikishan alright, but the lyricist is not the usual one (Hasrat Jaipuri or Shailendra). In this movie, Shankar Jaikishan had worked with Rajinder Krishan for the first (and as it turned out, last time) time.

And this song, which for some explicable reason , failed to get popular. Listening to this song for the first time, I could not but help feel that this was one of the best ghazals that I had come across. The poetry by Rajinder Krishan is just out of this world. I already had very high opinion about Rajinder Krishan’s penmanship. Any one listening to this song can only become even more impressed with Rajinder Krishan’s abilities as a lyricist.

Rafi has sung this song with feeling. And the tune for this ghazal is as good as any.

Here is a Rafi-Shammi Kapoor song with a difference. And what a gem of a song !

Song-phoolon ki tarah wo hansti thi (College Girl) (1961) Singer-Rafi, Lyrics-Rajinder Krishan, MD-Shankar Jaikishan

Lyrics

aaa aaa aaa aaa
phoolon ki tarah wo hansti thi
kaliyon ki tarah muskaati thi
wo tumse bilkul milti hai
khwaabon mein mere jo aati thi
phoolon ki tarah wo hansti thi
kaliyon ki tarah muskaati thi
wo tumse bilkul milti hai
khwaabon mein mere jo aati thi
phoolon ki tarah wo hansti thi

jeewan ki dhadkan bankar wo
chhaa jaati thi in saanson mein
aur main bhi doobaa rahta thaa
uski matwaali aankhon mein
tum jaise sharmaa jaati ho
aisi hi wo sharmaati thi
phoolon ki tarah wo hansti thi

tum mere tasawwur mein aakar
aksar khaamosh si rahti thi
na main tujhse kuchh kahtaa thaa
na tu mujhse kuchh kahti thi
kuchh maine agar kahnaa chaahaa
teri nazar jhuk jaati thi
phoolon ki tarah wo hansti thi

honthon ko izaajat tum de do
izhaar muhabbat ka kar loon
kahdo agar jo aaj mujhe
in baahon mein tumko bhar loon
ye pyaari si soorat hai wohi
din raat nazar jo aati thi
phoolon ki tarah wo hansti thi
kaliyon ki tarah muskaati thi
wo tumse bilkul milti hai
khwaabon mein mere jo aati thi
phoolon ki tarah wo hansti thi

Ye kis Khalsh  nay  phir is dil me ashiyana kia

yeh kis khalash nay  phir is dil me ashiyana kia

Phir aj kis ney sakun hum say gaybana kia

Gham jahan ho ruqh  yar ho key dist addad

Salook jis nay kia hum say aishqana kia

Thay khak rah bhi hum log kehr toofan bhi

Saha tu kia na saha aur kia tu kya na kia

Khoska key aaj her ik madhi key lab per hai

Woh raaz jis nay hain zinda zamana kia

Woh heela gir jo wafa jo bhi hai jafa  kho bhi

Kia bhi faiz tu kis  butt say dostana kia

Lyrics by Sagar Siddiqui

chiraagh-e-tuur jalaao baraa andheraa hai
zaraa naqaab uthaao baraa andheraa hai

Charaag, Chiraag: Lamp
Toor: Mountain, Mountain On Which Moses Had His Vision
Andheraa: Blackness, Darkness, Gloom, Obfuscation, Wan
Naqaab: Veil

mujhe khud apnii nigahon pe ait’maad nahiin
mere kariib na aao baraa andheraa hai

Nigaah: Glance, Look, Regard, Sight, Eyes
Aitmaad: Confidence, Faith
Qareeb: Adjacent, Akin, Approaching, Almost, Approximately, Near

vo jin ke hote hai Khurshid aastiinon mein
unhen kahiin se bulaao baraa andheraa hai

Khurshiid: Sun
Aastiin: Sleeve

abhii to sub’h ke maathe kaa rang kaalaa hai
abhii fareb na khaao, baraa andheraa hai

Subh: Morning, Dawn
Maatha: The head; the forehead; the top or upper part (of anything); summit
Fareb: Cheating, Deception, Deceit, Fraud, Illusion, Trick
Fareb Khaana: To be Cheated, To be Deceived, To be Illusioned, To be Tricked