The Cry of “Your Honour” is Now Silent

Touching... and well written... though not enough to redeem you.

Also those of us who knew Muhammad Ali ... or even passed by his house in Gulberg`s most expensive lane... knew that the man was a born aristocrat and spoke Urdu better than the Ahl-e-Zubaan... he would not mispronounce Z.

Main Aa Gaya...

Judge sahib
Aaapne bulayaa
Itne sabere
Bus ek minute
Jara ek pyalee
Chai pi loon

Hum to desi thahre
Aur bina chai piye
Ek kadam bhi naheen uthate
Aur wo bhee
Itna bara kadam

Aur in aankhon se kahiye
Ki apne aansoo
Poachh dalein
In se kahiye
Ki awaaj bharee na karein

Thoree si roshni
Ghut gayee
To kya hua
Chiraagh
Kabhee bujhta naheen

Humaree jindagiyan
Aag ke dariyon
Se bhari hain
Kitnee Sharaarat
Karte hain ye
Kiraye ke kateel

Rona nahin, Zeba
Bahadur rote naheen
Ro-ne se to achchha hai ki
Khamosh Raho
Ye Dooriyan
Utnee jyada nahin hain
Jitnee nazar aatee hain

Bus itnee si arzoo hai
Kaash ye salakhein
Toot sakteen
Aur dil ke daagh
Mit sakte

Apnee jindagiyan to
Imtihaanon se bharee hain

Aur Judge sahib
Shayad main ne
Aaapke diye hu-e
Imtihaan bhi
Pass kur liye honge

Judge sahib
Main aa gaya
Judge sahib

PS:

And BJ gets as good he gives...

Only a few weeks ago... he revealed his true face... when he abused Farzana Versey for giving her point of view ... and abused her and called her a whore.

I suppose this is acceptable behavior for great ``Democrats`` who appreciate ``art forms``

Ras sahab,

I am very happy with comments from all people about great men and women that our country has produced.

However BJKumar`s attempt was malafide... have you read his first comment. He is always out to spin everything as to ``You stupid Pakis - why did you separate``.

My favorite movie is an Indian movie called ``Basant Bahar``. My favorite South Asian actor is Bharat Bhushan. Does that make me less of a Pakistani or my identity as a Pakistani less so? Please be fair ... what was BJKumar`s attempt here? Why am I not objecting to any other Indian except him?


Art has no boundaries.... nor ideology nor identity. Good art is good art. Period. This is what Mr BJKumar doesn`t get. He thinks artists etc are indulging an ideological fight. If Pakistani art forms are involved in an ideological fight against state sponsored bigotry and propaganda it is for Pakistan itself and not some greater wet dream by the Indians.

It is not an OLD HABIT- that I have called a ``spade`` a ``spade`` and BJ Kumar the disgusting Hindu fanatic that he.

bjkumar Sahib,

Thank you very much for your appreciation of the good soul which was

Mohammad Ali.

Unlike some enthusiastic young Pakistanis here, as an old guy

I am always happy with comments from Hindus, Sikhs, Christians,

Jews and others here on CHOWK.

I am glad that Indians know how to appreciate their Movie people

and all forms of Art. Pakistanis appreciate Indian art forms as well

but once in a while old habits crop up and the name-calling starts.

Ras

Muhammad Ali and Zeba were quintessential patriots of Pakistan. They always favored a progressive Pakistani national identity and therefore starred in that movie ``Khaak-o-Khoon`` which came out much better than the book... Like many artists, writers etc they did not see their national identity as a necessary bar from being friends with Indians... at a level of mutual respect and equality...

There is a very diseased mentality in operation on the other side of the border... it wants to blanket Pakistanis into this camp or that. Either a Pakistani hates his own self and is therefore acceptable to freaks like BJ Kumar... or he is on the other side and can`t appreciate India and Indian actors...

It is with this small minded intent that this bigot BJkumar came on this board. He had no real reason to come and start talking of partition ... but he did... because being a Hindu fanatic he is unable to reconcile himself to the fact that Pakistan exists...

Please read these words carefuly and grow up:

``The culture of both our nations dictates that we do not malign and do not abuse each other.``

But BJ Kumar will never learn a lesson.

Dear Hindutvist cheetay,

Now that was a much better post from you boy.

-YLH

Ras saheb:

Thank you once again for this article. It made me curious regarding the gentleman in question (I did not know much about him). I did some searching and was quite impressed by what I learnt. He was a true gem - and like all true artists - was above parochial considerations - I hope he inspires many more true artists - be they actors, writers, artists, whatever!

I am passing along some of the interesting nuggets of information which are not included in your ``short-notice`` write-up.

Excerpts from an Indian newspaper account:

…Muhammad Ali was known as the ``king of emotions``.

Ali, who dominated the film world for several decades, passed away at his Firdous Market residence here Sunday morning. He had been suffering from a kidney problem and had been on dialysis for the last month, media reports said Monday.

On Sunday, he woke up and had a cup of tea after which he suddenly collapsed and died.

…Ali was born in Rohtak district of Haryana state in India in 1931 and his family later migrated to Multan and finally to Hyderabad (Sindh). He began his professional career from Radio Pakistan Hyderabad and his debut film was ``Charagh Jalta Raha`` (1962). He acted in over 300 films….

He had also acted in an Indian film, ``Clerk``. Actors Manoj Kumar and Rajinder Kumar were his close friends from the Indian film industry. He also had high regard for his Indian contemporaries like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand.

Former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi had visited Ali’s home in the 1970s.

He was a popular delegate at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in 1979, after Zia-ul Haq used cinema as a means to improve relations with India.

Asked by an Indian journalist at a press conference at the IFFI if the Punjabi films in Pakistan, known for their vigorous dance and music, carried on an anti-India campaign, he replied: ``The culture of both our nations dictates that we do not malign and do not abuse each other.``

Like many other post-partition Pakistani film personalities, Ali defended the ban on import of Indian films into Pakistan, arguing that the larger Indian cinema would edge out the nascent domestic film industry.

From the Des-Pardes site, a couple of nostalgic comments:

``According to a newspaper report, he owed Rs. 17.00 to Radio Pakistan Karachi’s cafeteria in his initial days. Recently he has urged the cafeteria’s cashier to retain his name in their records with the same amount, and that he is willing to pay as much money as is demanded to keep up the old records, since it reminds him of those bad times.

One of his famous dialogues in movies was, ``Maa main nay B.A. pass kar liyaa hai maa`` (Mom, I passed my BA exams, mom).``

I had the pleasure and the privilege of working with Ali Saheb in his first (and last?) television serial in 1994, along with Sabiha Khanum Apa and Talish Saheb. What a warm, wonderful, HUMBLE human being! And generous to a fault, not only with money but with his time and praise as well. May he rest in peace!

Dear BJKumar

I don`t know why you think your views or your unoriginal writing matters? If you say something in a verbose colorful way doesn`t make it any more factual. Meanwhile you may want to read my poem ``Ik Tarapti hui Aatma`` about the Hindu fascist you call your Mahatma.

Meanwhile I fail to see why you decided to pollute this board with Hindu fundamentalist bigotry in the first place.

Manto my sweetheart,

Anybody who takes the trouble to look at what I wrote (and what you wrote) can see for themselves who did what - especially who went off the handle!

My true feelings on your idol have been summarized in my March 26, 2006 i-log.

Respectfully submitted.

PS: I don`t expect bigoted ``Hindutvists`` whose Mahatma said ``I am a Hindu first and therefore a TRUE Indian`` to understand what I am trying to say... or why a man who said ``I am an Indian first second and last`` turned to Muslim separatism.

BJKumar...

Your lack of knowledge is woeful to say the least.

The ``idol`` you referred to is famous for making two statements :

``I am an Indian first second and last``

and

``I am a nationalist first second and last``



Nobody is drawing lines between art but you are an idiot for politicising a mere obituary to a great actor... who is respected both sides of the border.

#11 Ras
I saw Ali`s movies when I was a kid. Then I saw one recently which was ,`` jaisy jantay nain``. It was wonderful Zeba played a role of an arrogant spoiled brat of being the daughter of a rich man and Ali, as usual trying to win her love at any cost . Zeba was the most beautiful in Indo Pak film industry. She reminded me of Liz Taylor. Never seen a pretty face like her in India and In Pakistan. She was extremely pretty.

Mohammad Ali had lived very simple life. I just watched his interview few days pack wid ``naeem buhkari``. He was not only a great actor but also a great human being. it is so sad we always realize the importance of people when they are gone.

#16 Manto

It is absolutely foolish to compare and try to draw artificial divides between the Pakistani entertainment industry and the Indian one. These are about - you got it (or perhaps did not) - about ``entertainment`` - therefore the people who create such art try to apply it to the masses - they draw from the whole gamut of emotions that make us all click in the subcontinent - we all sing to the same tune, after all.

I recognize it may be a highly difficult concept for you to grasp!

You, whose whole identity is irrevocably linked to a sense of being ``exclusive`` - just like it was for your idol - the original architect of that ``elegant`` phrase - ``I am not an Indian - I am a Muslim!``

A very difficult concept - how can one imagine the pajama-wallas, the chador-walis, the saree-shrimatees, the dhoti-dharees and the turbaned-urbane all nodding their heads together to the same beat - the eternal music of the heart-strings?!

I was not trying to compare the two countries’ entertainment industries. Why should I? If the Pakistani entertainment industry thrives - all the more power to it! It will be a great improvement over the other source of such unmitigated entertainment value - that of bearded variety.

The truth is it is difficult to tell the difference between the looks of the great Mohammad Ali (whose rock-like picture graces this article) and our very own Dharmendra of yore.

These folks work with their God-given talents to make a living - and deserve our unmitigated love. And boy they work for a living! (I will refrain from naming certain other professions which live off human misery!)