Loud Thinking

Author Archive

 

In English language, they say he or she fell in love. why don’t they say rise in love? Is love not a good thing?

The punishment which the wise suffer who refuse to take part in the government, is to live under the government of worse men.
Plato

Soft copy of translation in easy urdu of letter of Dr. Iqbal (click here)

English translation of the above mentioned letter courtesy my friend Mr. Ijaz Chaudhry, world renowned international sports journalist, is also given below.

“My dear,

Salaam.

Your journal, “Arabic Tibb” is very interesting.

Till today, no one in the Islamic world paid any attention to the Islamic medicine and history.

The European languages have a number of books on every topic.

The late Professor Brown’s four lectures on the “Arabic medicine” delivered in English, which were published in his life time, are really interesting.

I think research is required to find how much the Muslims utilised the benefits of experimentation in medicine and other fields of knowledge.

Sincerely

Muhammad Iqbal

22 August, 1926″

 

For the benefit of the lovers of historical items, I take this opportunity to post the pictures of a  historic letter dated 22 August, 1926 written by the great poet of the East, Sir Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, addressed to his friend, Hakim Khawaja Shams Uddin Ahmad ( my maternal grand father). I am lucky to be in possession of both the original letter and the envelope.

The other interesting features of these historic documents are as follows:

1. The letter was posted on 23 August, 1926 in Lahore and delivered in Lucknow on 25 August, 1926. (As is evident from the post office seals on the reverse of the envelope). What an efficiency of the British Post 83 years ago.

2. Moreover, there is no address written on the envelope except, Lucknow and Hakim Khawaja Shams Uddin Ahmad. Now, here again, we must appreciate the efficiency of the post office staff of the then British Post at Lucknow and the confidence reposed in their working by Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal ,or may be he was sure that he was sending a letter to a very famous person in Lucknow, whose address was not much required on the envelope.

“The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions — the
little, soon forgotten charities of a kiss or a smile, a kind
look or heartfelt compliment.”

— Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“How paramount the future is to the present when one is surrounded by children.”
Charles Darwin (1809 -1882);
naturalist

“Every situation, every moment — is of infinite worth; for it is the representative of a whole eternity.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“How can we expect our children to know and experience the joy of giving unless we teach them that the greater pleasure in life lies in the art of giving rather than receiving.”

James Cash Penney (1875-1971);
founder of J.C. Penney Corporation

 

India’s export target of USD 200 billion for year 2010-11 seems far behind, if compared with China, whose exports in a single month exceeds USD 200 billion.

The main secret of China’s exceptional economic performance is its peace policy towards Taiwan. For India, if it has decided not to play as a second fiddle to China, peace with Pakistan, should be the corner stone of its foreign & economic policy.

The present policy of just buying time to wait and see Pakistan falling down is in fact, hurting India more in economic & strategic terms.

Just imagine, the shape of India & its influence in the world if, at present, its exports were for example USD 3000-3600 billion per annum. It is high time India recognized its potential, realized the dividends of peace and must not settle for less, more so when both, China & Pakistan are nuclear powers.

The decadent myopic policy of waiting game, to see the demise of nuclear Pakistan, is not going to serve India, either in short or long term.

     

A Ghazal of Ghalib

Rendered into English

By my late father Syed Shahab Uddin Ahmad

Former lecturer of Chemistry (1941-51), Aligarh Muslim University.

(Kehtay ho na daingay hum, dil aagar para paaya,

Dil kahan keh gum kejaiy, hum nay muddaa paaya)

English Translation

 

You say my heart you will not give me back

If you could find it some where laid;

But where is the heart for me to lose,

Lo! thus I know where it has captured been.

In loving I enjoy the taste of life,

Redress it gave to all my pains,

Itself although a cureless pain it is.

My heart confiderate of my rival is,

No trust in it can I repose and thus

My sights are void and laments vain.

It’s beauty’s art to test in guise;

It is simple yet artful, listless yet alert.

The buds are blooming anew, reminding me

My broken heart, which I have lost.

I know this much of my heart, that oft

I ran in quest of it, but it is you

Who, has so oft been finding it.

The preacher of his words has sprinkled salt

On wound, but may one ask of him,

What pleasure did he get from this?

The sudden increase of acts of terrorism with particular reference to the incidents in May 2011 & PIDC house attack on Nov. 11, 2010 in Karachi, highlights the importance of preventive measures to curb the menace of terrorism, which is causing severe losses to men, material and reputation of the country.

In the cases of terrorist attacks on the GHQ, PIDC house & Pakistan Navy air base it was reported that the gang of attackers was residing in a rented house for wuite some time, in an area not very far away from their targets. It was also reported that the neighbors of these houses were although, suspicious of these tenants yet; they kept quiet and did not tip area police about their apprehensions.

Under the circumstances there is a dire need for motivating general public, to remain extra -vigilant in playing their role of defending the motherland, by involvement of entire population of the country, to look out for the stay and suspicious activities of the terrorist, in their near vicinity.

As such, In order to make the stay of terrorists at any place almost impossible, it is proposed to actively involve the entire population to look out & hunt them. This objective can be easily achieved, by the announcement of the Government, that a reward of Rs. 50 millions shall be paid to any person, who informs the Police about the terrorist staying in a house, hostel, hotel, rest house or any such place.

If the war against terror is to be won quickly, the entire population of the country have to be geared up and involved in the task of  watch and vigilence.