Painting Love

For all the Rumi Lovers... my recent on-repeat track is a beautiful rendition of Rumi's poem in a qawalli Har Lehza Ba Shakalan... Makes me fall in love, breathe love, dance love. =)

Also noticeable is a constant similar focus as in Kabir's poetry especially the earthen pot analogy. Love it!

Source: Kabir Project

Love with Gratitude

Dear 2013,

Thank You ! Gifting myself Love, and attempting to suspend doubts and fears I created for myself ...

गांजा अफ़ीम और पोस्त भांग, गांजा शराबें पीवता

एक प्रेम रस चाखा नहीं , अमली हुआ तो क्या हुआ ? 

You take ganja  opium bhang,

You drown yourself in spirits!

You never tasted the nectar of love,

what kind of a drunk are you?

- Kabir (Source: Kabir in Pakistan) 

Ending the year and sharing the much needed 'words of wisdom' given to me....

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. ... No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others” ― Martha Graham

Love and Light and Thanks to all you wonderful people out there! Seasons Greetings... =)

Hijr

"nah main majlis keeti

Neither did I get a chance to even sit awhile with my lover

nah main raat rahaaya

Nor did I get to stay with him for a single night"

 (source: song Rabba Ho coke studio) 

Hadd hadd jaaye har koi, anhad jaye na koi. - Kabir
Everybody goes chasing after boundaries, nobody seeks boundless

Just for one day...

"You're as sensual as the pencil"

pencil on paper. A4

Source: The Art of Looking Sideways

There...

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,

There is a field. I'll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,

the world is too full to talk about.

Ideas, language, even the phrase "each other"

doesn't make any sense...

-Rumi

Urdu Day #2

Am i dreaming?! I certainly think I am... i know it might not be a great deal for a lot many people to learn a 'language' but learning Urdu script is a dream come true!
And... just now my teacher (actually anyone till now..) just told me that i have a nice handwriting!!! :O
I don't think that is ever going to happen in English... but this script itself is a work of art!

So why Urdu? what am i going to do with it? (a typical question, that was asked in my first class)
There are many reasons though i was never able to say all of them.
a) I knew for quite some time that both sides of my grandfathers used to write in urdu...but never got an opportunity to learn from either of them. =( So how can the art in the generation not be kept alive?! :P
b) As i said, i always found it as a work of art... and at some point (hopefully) i'd want to use the script in MY art too
c) Read and write of course. I am big fan of poetry... would want to try and read as much as i can !

Hoping to never lose this excitement... ;)

My second class already... and sharing the first short story that i deciphered and copied!

~desiring perfection...