Hidden Desires
Dear Salim,

Atlantayi nasil buldunuz ? guzel bir yer mi ? I must say I concur with your poetic preferences. Iqbal, with the Shiqwa and its outstanding sequel, Jawab-e-Shiqwa, as well as Iqbal`s book the ``Reconstuction of Islamic Thought`` is such a savvy and heartening interpretation of Islam, which gives it special meaning and urgency only accentuated by the modern debacles we breathe. Ghalib`s ghazals are ever so evocative and piercing.

Hi Bj Kumar,

Your poetic insights, re-interpretation and agile deconstruction of my poem was heart gladdening. Seldom do I witness such an exhaustive and meaningful interact. If only most interactors gave as much constructive feedback as yourself rather than their usual penchant to spew out venom with alarming ease.

The brevity and acute succintness with which you re-wrote the poem is exemplary, and manifests your innate ability in poetry writing. I really enjoyed reading your version and I do appreciate the effort.

AV Krishna,

It is fairly befitting for me to reciprocate the query as to what you do in life and where you are situated ?

Hidden Desires
Dearest Salim Chauhan

nasil siniz ? hangi shehir de siniz simdi ?

As per usual, I offer a deep gratitude for your hearfelt thoughts on the poem herein. In your interaction you referred to Mir Taqi Mir who I feel laudably graced the South Asian poetic landscape, in his solemn loneliness and melancholy spoke volumes to the people of passion.

Byron is another favourite of mine. ``Hours in Idleness`` and ``Don Juan`` are vividly piercing pieces of his. His primordial energy and opulent verse are always etched onto his poems, a prime illustration of his satire is also winessed in ``English Bards and Scotch Reviewers``

Despite allegations of incest with his half-sister Augusta, to many an aspiring poet, Byron still remains a cornerstone of inspiration.

Salim who are your favourite poets ? Why do you find them appealing ?

Hidden Desires
Dear Readers,

All too often on Chowk, interactors cast smarmy rash generalisations on a piece of writing. It is hoped that whilst criticising you might endeavour to give more substantive examples as to where the fault lines of a piece/poem dwell.

Any writer, no matter of what professional or amateur credence, nourishes from every resourceful critique such as that of bj kumar`s who referred to the rhythm, structure and topicality of this poem. Rather than launching into an all too tempting personal diatribe.

Nowhere near perfection, we are all working towards healthier, and it hoped more informative personal self-expression. Cease the mud-slinging.

Hidden Desires
av krishna

thanks for your sentiments. actually i am folding up the events management business
here in london and will be moving to belgium for a bit, to pursue a legal career followed by a return to Pakistan. after trekking 4 corners of the globe it is time for me to settle down i guess.......

Hidden Desires
hamid m declares:

``save the children`` - suddenly your slogans have turned a touch philanthropic ? so beneath the rough tough and tumble exterior resides a softer hamid ?

`` buy a fifty cent notebook``

first snoop dogg now 50 cent i take it your musical penchant veers towards rap ?

``for god`s sake don`t inflict it on the unsuspecting public``

do not moralise. the public are savvyy enough to formulate their own opinions. they will ultimately render their own verdict.

`` they might think that it positively stinks, but they don`t have the courage to stand up and say, ``it stinks!`` ....... why?

one of the salient reasons for which chowk was founded was to give a discerning public that outlet of self-expression, for a readership to air their concerns and criticism.

it is only hoped that such criticism has an iota of underlying merit.

``might think they are country bumpkins who just fell off the turnip truck ``

hamid leaving aside your own innate insecurities, not everyone has such a low self-esteem of themselves. rise to the plate and fear not what others think of you dear boy.

``.......... as responsible citizens of this world, it is our duty to put an end to this craven literary deception when we see it; otherwise, future generations will have to suffer the ignominy of having to repeat nonsense ``

what sloganeering my my, ever thought of taking a stab at politics ?

your rhetoric is certainly spot on ``50 cented snoop dog``.

Hidden Desires
farzana

thanks whichever section you deem appropriate for this piece. i appreciate your continued faith in this forum.

kaptain

i am originally from lahore, a mystic metropolis it is indeed ! although my immdeidate family are based in isloo.

Hidden Desires bj kumar

you write ``My dear, I was referring to the rhythm and not to the content which - for all I know, maybe deeply heart-felt and perhaps is``.

thanks for your insightful observations and feedback bj.

Hidden Desires
good morning hamid m !!

so are you having decaff this morning ?

where were you gone for a week ? did you have a nice break ?

so snoop dogg`s attitudes toward women inspire you ?

i do imagine you are a happily married man then ?

Hidden Desires
kaptain,

many thanks for the positive feedback.

bj kumar

i appreciate your constructive criticism.

you type ``A lot of the rhythm appears highly contrived. Comparisons like ``heart`` needing ``ignition`` (like a car) leave me shaking my head``.

bj, what one soul may deem as ``contrived`` to another is poetic liberty.

Merve Kavakci: No to Secular Fundamentalism
Rakesh Mani,

The true veil of a woman subsists in her heart. Attempts by our government to ban the “chador” in Turkey have received well deserved boos and catcalls. Cutting to the heart of the matter: You may unveil a woman’s head. You will never unveil her heart.

Years ago I recall attending an event where our President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who is avowedly anti-Islamist whimpishly stayed away because the headscarf-swathed wife of Bulent Arinc, our parliamentary speaker, sashayed in as the event`s host. Many prominent Turkish women now sport headscarves. Recep Tayyip Erdogan`s wife is a noteworthy case in point. Allergies towards the chador in Turkey are indicative of the symptoms but give scant prognosis of a deeper malaise rooted in Kemalism.

In Turkey our version of secularism is sui generis, inseparable from the authoritarian creed of Kemalism. So long as the Kemalist fingers continue to restrict the AKP`s marche de maneuvre, the governing party`s avowed enthusiasm for democracy and EU accession will be questioned.

Secularists in Turkey duplicitously utilize a double rhetoric to super-impose social claustrophobia on Muslim women. In Turkey’s gritty socio-realistic context, a landslide electoral victory of the AKP, which emerges from the ashes of an anti-Western tradition, has renewed a debate about the volatility and vicissitudes of human rights observance in Turkey.

I feel that we Turks must espouse to an organic ``Turko-Islamic synthesis`` and radically modernize official Kemalist nationalism which denies women their freedom of choice. How to institutionalize a Turko-Islamic synthesis is something you could perhaps explore in another discussion.

Till then the khaki generals in Turkey and their secular-fascist cohorts will cry wolf.

A Tale of Two Dinners
Ahmad Hayat,

your article rendered me nostalgic of my epoch in Paris. so you were in the ``quartier Latin`` one of my favourite must-see chill-outs in the city of charm, along with le marais bien sur !

Sunday sipping coffees at l`Île de la Cité overlooking the evanescence of Notre Dame and its rose-tinted windows, Ste. Chapelle, the Conciergerie, the cell of ``cake-devouring`` marie antoinette and the Palais De Justice.

so which bars did you drink dry whilst at the latin quarter ? on your next trip to ``le bleu blanc rouge`` you must dine at maxim`s, tour d`argent, la coupole and if it is hedonistic revelling then max it out at man ray, la suite, regines, le vip or kabaret !

Marching Powder Samina shah

i love that movie american psycho, but the sequel really sucks

Marching Powder dear salim chauhan,

nasil sin ? so which parts of istanbul do you like the most ? thanks once more for your encouraging support

soysauce and stuka

i appreciate the constructive comments and positive morale

jang

im glad you deem this piece poetic

A Devastated Metropolis Happy Deewali and Eid Mubarak to all readers,

Salim

How long have you been living in Istanbul for? Are you there on a diplomatic mission via the Foreign Service? Which batch do you belong to? I`m originally from Galatasaray and Taksim. Are you a night owl ? If so I can advise you on the greatest clubs to go to. Anyways back to the topic at hand….

Manny D

Great to see you on this board. You raise an interesting point about Turkish genes, since Turkey has been the cradle of civilisation where Eastern and Western cultures kaleidoscopically integrate; such co-existence is a necessary by-product toward moderation. Or at least an attempt thereof.

Netizen the answer to your question is that there are stakeholders who want the situation to linger and animosity to fester on as it allows them to align their purses.

Jay it is sad to see you tarnish all Pakistanis under the brush of pretence and ill-feeling. Where are the virtues of critical objective open-mindedness ?

Scout tongue twisters can be pleasurable at times, though in your chivalrous contemplation do bear in mind the underlying message behind this discussion: namely the suffering of innocent people in Delhi, and not literary terms of phrase.

Hamid M, speaking of “candles being burnt at both ends” now coincidence along with a tweety bird whispereth into my ear that you are one of the editors at Chowk ! Well glad to witness that you have scrutinised that article as well! Your sudden interest in literary critique, with or without samina or Omar is quite startling and your ingenuity startles the best of us…sheer brilliance. Would love to see one of your articles published some day. A plea from your avid fan ?

Dot Sahib excellent powers of grammatical observation ! Seems we have another “cunning linguist” amongst the ranks.

Now Jung here is a puzzle for your ever-prodigious mind: guess where “Elegant” Elliot Offen got those clothes from in the first place ? Those skeletons are coming out of your closet now aren`t they ? You are an avid reader of Howard Stern publications ? Surely out of necessity and not choice ?
Calamitous Happy Diwali and Eid Mubarak to all readers,

Salim

Sorry I have to veer away from the topic at hand for a tad bit...How long have you been living in Istanbul for? Are you there on a diplomatic mission via the Foreign Service ? Which batch do you belong to? I`m originally from Galatasaray and Taksim. Are you a night owl ? If so I can advise you on the greatest clubs to go to visit.

Manny D

Great to see you on this board ! Don`t let self-annointed half-wits steer you away. You raise an interesting point about Turkish genes, since Turkey has been the cradle of civilisation where Eastern and Western cultures kaleidoscopically integrate; such co-existence is a necessary catalyst toward moderation. Or at least an attempt thereof.

Netizen

The answer to your question is that there are stakeholders who want the situation in Kashmir to linger and animosity to fester on as it allows them to align their purses.

Jay

It is sad to see you tarr all Pakistanis, lock stock and barrel, under the brush of pretence and ill-feeling. Where are the virtues of critical objective open-mindedness ?

Scout

Tongue twisters can be pleasurable, though language itself should never be deified. I just feel that since we are gifted with it there is no harm in granting it a poetic license. Many people find my style unsavoury but then again its not everyone`s cup of chai.

Scout in your chivalrous contemplation/sarcasm do bear in mind the underlying message behind this discussion: namely the suffering of innocent people in Delhi, and not literary terms of phrase to garner pitty.

Hamid M,

Speaking of “candles being burnt at both ends” now coincidence along with a tweety bird whispereth into my ear that you are one of the editors at Chowk ! Well glad to witness that you have scrutinised that article as well!

Your sudden interest in literary critique, with or without samina or Omar is quite startling and your ingenuity with the play of words is sheer brilliance. Elevated you are my student to the 9th grade. Would love to see one of your articles published here. What is holding you back Hamid ? Shyness is a virtue that ill-suits you. A plea from your avid fan ?

Dot Sahib

Excellent powers of grammatical observation ! Seems we have another “cunning linguist” amongst the ranks ! refreshingly a slightly more astute one this time...

Jang

Here is a puzzle for your ever-prodigious mind: guess where “Elegant” Elliot Offen got those clothes from in the first place ? Those skeletons are coming out of your closet now aren`t they ? You are an avid voyeur of Howard Stern publications ? Surely out of necessity rather than choice ?

A Devastated Metropolis Chowk “Walleh” many thanks for interacting.

Dear Salim Chauhan you sound like a well-travelled and seasoned interactor. I read with interest your encouraging comments and do poignantly agree with bringing “rotten apples” to justice. Unfortunately slanderous generalisations and mud-slinging have once more caught the better of politicians and Chowk interactors alike. Salim siz Turkiye de yasadiniz mi? Salim bey, Turkiye de hangi shehir de yashadiniz ?

Dr Lokraj you pose a pertinent question regarding normalization in the region: the evident answer that springs to mind are the usual culprits, the likes of Jamaat-e-Islami, the RSS, the saffron brigades benefiting from the status quo and the military industrial complex reaping huge expediency from broad expense allowances due to augmenting defence budgets. The question is, Dr Lokraj can the nuclear neighbours, long mired in a bloody territorial dispute, resolve their differences before it is too late?

Jay, everyone is entitled to the freedom of thought, yet mocking an earthquake that has killed circa 100,000 hardly seems befitting to an ethical conscience like yours. This article is not about vomiting nationalistic fervour, but about New Delhi and her grief, along with what investigative measures can be taken to alleviate the debacle.

HP many thanks for the comprehensive answer, glad to hear that Rajiv and his parents are hail and hearty. What was meant by the paragraph in question is that people on both sides of the border, are quick at pointing the accusatory finger and latch onto simplistic conspiracy theories regarding the bombings trying to stir up political angst to further their own agendas.

Ahhh Hamid M...... my most coveted fan! Welcome! Tis a great pleasure yet again to witness thy pearls of wisdom. Glad to see you are now handing out the Oscars. Sorry to hear about your experiences in the eight grade. How are the exam preparations coming along? Ready to take on that audacious teacher ? Good luck with the exams. Sincerely hope you make it to the 9th.

T Ahmed, speaking of handing out Oscars, it is heartening to see that you have nominated Yoda and your revered Jedi Master, the inimitable Hamid M. Yet even after all those years of training Jedi the laggard trailed behind Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke in the common-sense stakes. Anyways hope all is well with you.

Soysauce, adding a bit of bitter to the dish eh? Your stirring is constructive. Do however appreciate that everyone has their own style of writing.

Jang I do value you’re your brevity and succinctness.

Bomb Blasts in Delhi
Whilst natural disasters rape the valleys and mountain ranges of our precious yet precarious Sub-continent, human Hitlers are hell-bent on carrying out a Guillotine in Sarojini Nagar and Govindpuri.

What adds salt to the wound is that this prostitution happens at the prologue of Eid and Deewali. Dastardly carnage and smoke pervades dark Dehli with scores of wounded innocents.

While Manmohan Singh and media vultures toe the official realpolitik and blame ``terrorists`` there should be further forensic and ballistic evidence before jumping the gun. Only then will a more just and informed prosecution take root. And may it be hard in its execution.

Let the informed readership at Chowk refrain from vomitting incitement and investigate themselves before succumbing to racism and ethnic bigotry.

A too often-trodden path in these electronic corridoors.

Keep your lighters up.

Hold a vigil up for all the victims today in Dehli.

A moment of silence for Dehli.

A moment of silenbce for the earthquake victims in Pakistan.


Ozer