RUMAN

A child of tomorrow
Clinging to yesterday
Trapped between the old and new

So much like me
Yet so different!
A spirit bold and free

Giving so much
Yet unable to fill
The emptiness deep within

So strong
Yet so weak
A song incomplete

Dead to the world
Yet so alive
In the universe of my mind

My only consolation
That we will meet
Once again in the Eternal Life!

(Ruman was much much more than my niece. She was my daughter, my friend, my confidant. As I have mentioned in the poem above, she was so much like me, but she was so different too. And I loved her so very, very much. She passed away on June 25, 2000. It was one of the worst days of my life and it took me years to get over the grief. For months, I would feel tears just filling my eyes at the thought of her. I still miss her terribly and I pray for her - every single day. I wish she were still around... but wherever she is, I know she is watching over me and Anu, whom she really loved. May Allah rest her soul in peace)

FEET OF CLAY

My idol sat on a golden throne
Encrusted with gems and precious stones
Dressed it was, in a golden light
From head to foot it was pure white
From day to day, it used to sit
On the golden throne; I worshipped it
With gentle hands I'd clean the throne
And shine the gems and precious stones

The idol began to shake one day
I found it had feet of clay
No longer did I see a golden light
Smears of black marred the pure white
The gems and all the precious stones
No longer shone on the golden throne

Quickly I covered it with silken robes
Hid the feet from eyes that probe
But though the feet I could not see
The idol lost its charm for me

PARZANIA

Saw Parzania on Sunday. (Feb 4, 2007). What can I say about the movie? Powerful. Intense. Heart-wrenching. Truly, truly touching. Inspired by a true story, Parzania gives a true picture of the Gujarat riots and also raises some pertinent questions that many in the media never asked. Like, if the Gujarat riots were a spontaneous reaction to Godhra, how were tens of thousands of armed people mobilized? How did the attackers know exactly which homes/business establishments belonged to Muslims? Why were saffron flags distributed for Hindu businesses before the riots? The movie also reflected several findings of the NHRC Reports.

When the Intermission sign came on the screen, there was pindrop silence in the theatre. Nobody seemed to entertain the thought of snacks and soft drinks... it seemed blasphemous and trivial to think of stuff like that after the disturbing scenes that we just saw. The movie seemed to touch every heart. In fact, even after the movie ended, I saw a girl in the back row sobbing uncontrollably. It's sad that the film will never be released in Gujarat. It probably should. It should be released and seen in all those town/cities where communal riots claim thousands of lives. When will we learn? When will we stop slaughtering and butchering each other in the name of religion? When will we stop fighting with each other simply because we call our gods by different names?

The casting of Parzania was superb. And so was the acting especially of Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika, who looks as beautiful as ever. Must watch movie. Disturbinng but as one guy was telling his friend as we walked out of the theatre: "This is reality, man!"