The Sufi poet, philosopher & humanist, Bulleh Shah left behind some writings, which seem to transcend time. The sheer simplicity with which he has been able to address the complex fundamental issues of life and humanity is a large part of why he appeals to so many. Here’s a small couplet which is in Punjabi & then its English translation.
Padh padh ilm hazaar kitaabaan Qaddi apnay aap nou padhiya naee Jaan jaan wadhday mandir maseedi Qaddi mann apnay wich wadhiya naee Aa-vain ladhda aye shaitan de naal bandeaa Qaddi nafss apnay naal ladhiya naee
Yes, yes, you have read thousands of books But you have never tried to read your own self You rush in, into your temples, into your mosques But you have never tried to enter your own heart Futile are all your battles with Satan For you have never tried to fight your own selfish egocentric desires
Very often we come across the words "Non Profit Sector" or "Non Govt sector" or the "Not for" sector. The words "non" and "not for" have very negative connotations to them. "Non" is an unfortunate label & it gives us a feeling that this is a secondary sector and is not where all the action is. Yet Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King and so many others worked in this non sector or not for sector. So if you look at history where things really changed, things that made a profound impact on the world is this very "non" sector. A more appropraite label for this sector should be the social profit sector, because we are generating social profit for our fellow human beings & therefore all of us who contribute to a good cause, for the well being of our species, our planet our habitat are social prophets who are generating social profit. Are you one of them?
Why do you want that everybody should respect you? What have you got? Why are you sitting on top of an ivory tower? Why do you want to see yourself important in the eyes of others, in comparison with others? Why do you want that whoever meets you should respect you, love you, and regard you? Why do you desire all this, why do you expect all this? Why do you want to be treated always as His Holiness or Her Highness?
I will tell you why? Because you are basically greedy, you only want to get love, get respect, get greetings from others. You are not looking for email, you are looking for me-mail, don't you feel elated if the email is regarding you, a birthday greeting perhaps, a new year wish perhaps.
Now for a change be a giver. Give love, give respect, give greetings, give compliments to others. Be like a flower, spread your fragrance. Just send love letters, don't bother about the address, simply keep posting. They will reach somebody.
You want to make friends, win hearts, then from today start giving. Be a giver.
Look at the Taj Mahal. This monument has not only changed forever the importance of the city of Agra, but it has also become the hallmark of an entire nation. 377 years have passed from the time that this monument was built, but even today it is officially considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the World . Ever wondered why ? because it is- remarkable.
What is the most common thing that you find in this world ? It is mediocrity. So, what is mediocrity, mediocrity is being average. Now one thing you must get it straight - Mediocrity is for losers. And the reason that mediocrity is for losers is that if you are given a choice of 5 places to have lunch, will you choose a mediocre restaurant?, if you are given a choice of 5 people to hire, will you settle for the mediocre candidate?, if you are given a choice of 5 movies to watch will you watch a mediocre movie? The answer to all these questions is No. Why, because we are always looking for the best, we look for something remarkable.
Imagine you are in Doha like me & you are driving down the corniche road, and you see a date tree, what will be your reaction? "Hey!!...Look a date tree!!" . How many of you will react this way –Nobody. Why? because a date tree is a common sight in Doha. A date tree is as good as invisible.
But if the date tree had purple leaves (considering that this colour ihas become so popular after the US elections), now what would be your reaction? Yes surely you would notice it. So the point is, that the deciding factor about what gets built, what gets changed, what gets done, what gets sold, what gets purchased, what gets talked about is- is it remarkable?
Let's take another example. Have a look at Google’s home page & the have a look at Yahoo’s home page. Is there any difference? Yahoo has exactly 152 links on the same page & Google hardly has a few distracting links. Now why do we go to a search engine? To search – right. And Google helps you to do exactly what you came to do – to search. So it is not surprising that Google is the number one search engine in the world today. Google decided long ago not to be mediocre, not to be average, it decided to stand out from the crowd, it decided to be remarkable.
So how can we be remarkable? It’s very easy. What we have to do is simply refuse to settle for mediocre, refuse to settle for run of the mill, refuse to settle for second rate stuff.
There are 2 things to remember
No 1. Don’t be safe. If you always play safe you will remain what you are now, average. Go ahead, take a risk, remember the old saying, no pain no gain.
No 2. Very good is bad. Every body these days is very good, you have very good architects, you have very good doctors and you have very good toastmasters, so if you are looking for very good they can be bought for a dime a dozen. The need of the hour is not very good, the need of the hour is something that is remarkable.
Exceptions do not make rules. The exception here is the picture which has little relation with this blog which is about some interesting Urdu phrases. Translating Urdu words into English is a daunting task and the translations do not do full justice to what the deeper meaning is.
Hamari parwaaz ke aasmaan badal gaye hain We soar in different skies or We have chosen different ways to progress in life
Jis gaon jaana nahin us gaon ka raasta kya poonchna Why should I ask you the way of that place which I don't want to go to
Rishtey chheeni ke bartano ki tarah naazuk hote hainek dafa toot jayen to laakh inhe duniyadaari aur maslehat ki elfi shelfi se jod leinye jud nahin paate aur aankhon ko chhubne lagte hain Relations are extremely delicate like China crockery Once broken, then even if you try to join them using the glue of worldly expediencies You cannot join them and they are painful to see
Neki apna inaam khud hoti hai An act of virtue is its own prize
Meherbaan hoke bula lo mujhe cchaaho jis waqt Main gaya waqt nahin hoon ke aa bhi na sakoon Do an act of kindness and call me whenever you want I am not "time" that has passed & will not be able to come back
Raah mein wo mile kahaan aur bazm mein wo bulaye kyon? No chance that I could ever meet (him/her) on the way And (he/she) never called me to (his/her) gathering
Yahaan kutte to aazaad phir rahen hain aur pattharon ko baandh rakha hai Here dogs are free to roam around And stones have been tied up
Waqt khush khush kaatne ka mashwara dete hue ro pada wo aap mujhko hausla dete hue Whilst suggesting me to be happy He himself burst into tears while consoling me
Sone ke kalam se likhne se tehreer to sone ki nahin ho jaati If I use a golden pen to write, the writing will not become golden
Sahee baat ke saath agar aur magar lag jaaye to baat sahi nahin rahti If ifs and buts are stated with a correct statement then that statement is not correct anymore
Siyasat ka maidaan bhi stock exchange ki tarah hota haizara bhi calculation ya information mein galti ho jaaye to baat kahaan se kahaan pahunch jaati hai Politics is like a stock exchange, a slight error in calculation or information can have disastrous results
Zindagi bhi ek casino ki tarah hai, yahaan aadmi jitna bada daaon khelta hai kaamiyaabi bhi utni hi badi milti hai Life islike a casino. Here, the higher your stakes, higher is the level of your success
Hakim ki aagadi aur ghode ki pecchaadi se bacchna cchahiye Be careful about trespassing your master & being at the receiving end of your horse
Taqdeer ne to hum sub ko ek jaisa hi paida kiya hain ye oonch neech to humne paida kiye hain Fate has given birth to all of us as equals These highs and lows are our creation
Maut dikha kar bukhaar pe raazi kar liya I threatened him with death, so he agreed to something lesser than that
OK, so you are successful. What next after being successful?
Look at Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Inc. Steve helped to invent the personal computer, helped to launch the mouse driven graphical interface, helped to launch the MP3 business, helped launch computer animations at Pixar and is currently the Walt Disney Company's largest individual shareholder and a member of its Board of Directors. And he’s not done – right?
The point is, just like skiing, the goal is not how fast to get to the bottom of the hill, but the goal is to have a bunch of good runs before the sun sets.
It was in the year 1992 when I was in Bahrain that I happened to listen for the first time to a few ghazals by Jagjit & Chitra Singh from their album entitled “Mirza Ghalib”. At that time I hardly paid any attention to the poetry as I was simply mesmerized by Jagjit’s soulful & mystical voice complimented by Chitra’s unique crystal clear and sweet vocals.
It was after a gap of almost 16 years that I listened again to the same ghazals but this time Ghalib’s poetic genius was what swept me off my feet. And I started wondering and imagining what kind of a person in real life he must have been. Luckily the entire serial on his life, produced and directed by Gulzar was available on video.google.com.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching it – it was the first time that I was doing that & some of the scenes enacted by Naseerudin Shah, who plays Ghalib & Tanvi Azmi, who plays his wife were so beautiful and realistic that I have nothing but appreciation for them and Gulzar. The entire story about Ghalib’s life has tragic underlying connotations, but nevertheless there are some moments that evoke a smile & even a giggle perhaps. There is a scene where his wife challenges Ghalib to go and marry a second time to which he responds
Paaon ki ek hi beidhee ne mushkil mein daal diya hai
Doosri bhi pehen lee to chalne se hi nachaar ho jaoonga
Meaning
Even the one shackle on one of my feet is causing me problems
IfI wear another shackle then I won’t be able to walk at all
Once Ghalib tells his wife that he is very sad, to which she retorts that he never seems to look sad & to this Ghalib replies
Unke dekhe se aa jaatee hein muhn par raunak
Wo samajhte hein ke beemaar ka haal achcha hai
Meaning
As soon as my beloved sees me, my face starts glowing
And she thinks that I am all right & not ill any more
In another scene, Ghalib’s wife nudges him and asks him if he is not even afraid of God? To which he replies with a smile
Darta wohi hai jiske paas koi poonji ho
Tumhare paas eemaan hai is liye darti ho
Aur hamaare paas siwaaye is eemaan wali ke kuch nahin hai
Meaning
The only person who is afraid is the one who has some possessions
You possess faith & therefore you are afraid
And I have nothing except you - the possessor of faith
Mirza Ghalib, one of the greatest poets from India, was once in jail for a period of six months. One morning, he heard a man crying from the adjoining room. On enquiring from the jail attendant, he came to know that a young man had been found guilty of some crime and would have to spend 3 months in custody.
Ghalib went to the man asked him.
"What is the matter my friend, why are you crying?"
"I have to spend three months in this jail...", the man replied between sobs,
"So what?"
"You don't understand, I was about to get married today, and I ended up here..."
"You should thank God for that, that you were just saved from a life sentence. Believe me, 3 months you will spend easily here, but imagine how much you might have suffered being a captive for all your life. You should also be thankful to the policeman who caught you & by catching you even he has inadvertently done something good in his life."
When you sit at home and worry - you call it homework When you sit in the office and worry - you call it profession. When you sit on the beach and worry - you call it vacation.
If you carry your worries with you all the time, your life will remain unchanged.
There were 3 persons undergoing treatment at a lunatic asylum. The doctor in charge was pretty confident that they were progressing well and would soon be cured. So after a month's treatment he called all the 3 of them in front of a large and deep empty swimming pool. He asked the 1st person to jump in the pool, who gladly did so & broke his hand. The next person also jumped, and he broke his leg. Now the doctor asked the 3rd person to jump. "No doctor, not me".
The doctor was elated, that at least this fellow was cured. "Good, go and fetch your things, you can go home now",the doctor told him. "But by the way, can you tell me why you did not jump". "I am not mad, doctor, I do not know swimming"
Don't we also sometimes do the same thing? - take a right decision for the wrong reasons, think about it!
