Umerkot Women at front for Heat Wave Preparedness

NGO Sector

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May 11, 2024

Umerkot Women at front for Heat Wave Preparedness

The women are taking proactive steps to ensure the safety and well-being of their neighborhoods.

Umerkot, Sindh

Amidst the rising heat waves in Umerkot area, women’s self-help groups are emerging as frontline leaders in safeguarding their communities. Through a joint initiative they are raising awareness in their own areas to keep the community safe from temperature.

These women are taking proactive steps to ensure the safety and well-being of their neighborhoods.

Under the NCA-funded Faith in Action for Sustainable Climate Resilience project, implemented by SPO in Umerkot and Sanghar districts, the active women from each group have been empowered to educate and guide their communities on staying safe and hydrated during scorching temperatures.

One of the primary measures taken by these women is to refrain from outdoor activities between 11 am and 4 pm, when the sun’s intensity is at its peak. This joint and timely initiative highlights the invaluable role of women in community resilience-building efforts, particularly in regions prone to extreme weather events.

Women self-help groups are not only disseminating crucial information but also leading by example, ensuring that vulnerable members, especially the elderly, are protected from the adverse effects of heat waves.

Women under Faith in Action for Sustainable Climate Resilience project trained by DDMA in Umerkot and Sanghar are energetic pillars in the fight against heat waves.

Neeli from Mariyam Nagar village of Umerkot shared, “We need to protect ourselves against the heat by wearing a cloth on our head and drinking lemon water, salt, and sugar time to time.

Kenko Bai, a member of the Women’s Self-Help Group, said that in summer, not only humans but also animals and birds suffer. “I have kept water for the birds in my house so they can drink, and water for the livestock as well. I am also sharing this message with our village and nearby neighbors so that together we can save the human, birds and animals from this intense heat.”

Seeta Bai, President of the women self-help group Muzafar Abad in Umerkot, said that, “As women, we are deeply connected to our communities. We understand the challenges caused by climate change and are committed to taking proactive measures to mitigate its impact through local knowledge and wisdom.”

She said we need to take collective efforts for a safer and more resilient environment through tree plantation campaigns

This is the first time in Umerkot where rural women are using community-centric approach for combating heat waves and are working as agents of change. By connecting their local knowledge, folk wisdom and leadership capabilities, the initiative is not only enhancing climate resilience but also promoting gender empowerment and social cohesion within these communities.

Through joint efforts, coordination, and grassroots engagement, rural women are leading the heat wave campaigns in every village. Such voluntary initiatives are really evidence of self-reliance, which is paving the way for effective climate adaptation strategies at the local level. As heat waves continue to pose a threat to vulnerable populations in May, June, and July 2024, initiatives led by women self-help groups serve as hope, representing the power of local action in addressing global challenges with due capacity. (PR)

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Maharaja Dahir – Resurgence of Sindh – Part-XX

Books & Authors

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May 11, 2024

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Maharaja Dahir – Resurgence of Sindh – Part-XX

The English translation of a novel ‘Maharaja Dahir’ authored by Kolkata-based renowned novelist Debasree Chakraborti in Bengali language. The novel has been translated by Rajesh Giri

On that day the old fathers of every family in Debal said to their warrior children:

‘Swadharmapi chavekshya na bikompitumarhsi.

Dharmyadhi Yudhachreyannat, Kshatriyasya na Vidyate

Swadharmam, api, cha, abheksya, na, bicompitum, arahsi,

Dharmyat, Hi, Yudhat, Shriah, Anyat, Kshatriyasya, Na, Vidyate.’

That is, as a Kshatriya considering your own dharma you should know that there is nothing benevolent for a Kshatriya than to fight for the sake of dharma. So, you should not hesitate.

The citizens of Debal used to obey this saying of Gita. They were ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of Dharma. Debal’s warriors were a quarter of the number of almost 16,000 Islamic warriors. Yet as long as the last breath of life lasted, they continued to fight. Muhammad Bin Qasim was observing that Debal’s warriors were nothing to them in numbers, yet they were fighting valiantly and Debal was not being defeated at all. He built his huge army camp outside the city of Debal. Debal was so surrounded by the Muslim army that no message could be sent from this city to the capital Aror at this time. As the warriors of Debal continued to fight unceasingly, some Sindhi warriors, noticing the utter desperation in the eyes of the Islamic soldiers, said, the fall of Debal is never possible, the protector of this city is Mahadev himself. As long as he and his temple are there, Debal’s defeat is never possible.

Hajjaj had instructed him not to show any mercy to the people of Debal, and to punish them in such a way that even after hundreds of thousands of years, people cannot forget the terrible memories of the conquest of Debal.

Sometimes overconfidence leads to danger, and so it did in this case. It was some of the Debal’s people who informed the Arabs of their secret of Debal’s armour. The way Debal’s warriors were retaliating the huge army of Islam, it was impossible for them to win Debal if they continued to fight like this. Moreover, it was Ramadan days, fasting was on at this time, so the strength of the Muslim jihadis was very weak owing to no water all the day; because of this they might not be able to face the infidels. Muhammad bin Qasim did not wait any longer after hearing that if the top of the Shiva temple did not fall, Debal would not fall. He called his engineer and ordered that the 120 feet high spire of the Shiva temple in the midst of Debal should be demolished as soon as possible. Muhammad Bin Qasim understood very well that if the pinnacle of this temple, the symbol of faith and belief of the people of Debal, could be destroyed, the morale of the people of Debal would end and the conquest of Debal would be complete. His assumption was not false. Some 700 women of Debal took shelter inside this temple. They thought that no one could harm them as long as Mahadev was there. But thousands of soldiers attacked this temple from all sides and broke the four gates and entered into it. At that time huge wealth used to be stored beneath the sanctum sanctorum of every temple. As the religious warriors of Islam entered the temple, the women who took shelter there cried out. They tried desperately to escape but could not defend themselves. Hundreds of jihadis were deprived of female bodies for long, while the Indus women were especially known to the world for their dignified beauty. After so many days, they became insane after finding out 700 beautiful women; moreover, raping Hindu women in Hindu shrines was considered a pious Islamic duty for them.

That day the Arab bandits gang-raped the Sindhi women inside the temple and destroyed the idol of the temple and looted all the wealth hidden inside the sanctum sanctorum. Then 700 women were turned into sex slaves shackled with iron chains on their hands and feet.

Raja Dahir - Bengali book — Maharaja Dahir – A novel authored by Debasree Chakraborti in Bengali language

At sunrise on Friday, the 120-foot Shiva Temple of the Debal was crushed into dust by the enormous impact of two huge stones. Debal’s warriors became completely demoralized witnessing the scene of Debal’s Shiva temple collapsing with a terrible sound. The daughters and mothers of the houses who took refuge in this temple, understood that their family dignity and honour were all dusted down like the top of this temple. It was a Friday, and with the dawn of the sun, the fall of Debal was accomplished.

As the crimson light of the morning sun slowly spreads over the entire city, the news of the fall of Debal also reaches the city dwellers. With the fall of Debal, the Muslim army assembled at the center of the city to pray, and construction of a mosque began on that very site by the orders of Muhammad bin Qasim. The Muslim soldiers attacked and looted the houses of the people of Debal; Debal was the treasure chest of the country of Sindh; every family in this city was connected with foreign trade and each of them had unlimited abundance. The daughters of the house surrendered themselves to the fire to save their honor.

The house of Maheshwar Vanik was also attacked that day. Seeing Debal’s condition, his two sons hid their sister and mother in the cellar under the house. Maheshwar Vanik had long dealings with Arab merchants, so everyone in Arab countries knew that Maheshwar Vanik was the richest man in Debal. Hajjaj pointed out that Maheswar Vanik has long time relationship with the Arabs, despite of being so powerful he made no effort to save the followers of Allah from their captivity. So let ensure that his punishment be the worst. Thousands of Islamic soldiers attacked Maheshwar’s house that day. With the fall of the Shiva temple, the morale of the citizens of Debal was all gone. Maheshwar’s guards could not resist for long that day. Like terrible sea monsters, Islamic jihadis entered the Vanik’s palace, cutting off the heads of the guards with their swords. Hara and Bhava were standing at the entrance to the palace, before they could make any resistance their heads were separated from their torsos. There were many valuable items in different places of this palace. The jihadis spread all over the palace to loot the goods. From the time of the conquest of Kikan, Arab crusaders knew that Sindh had another separate room under each house, in which they hid the women of their family along with their wealth. They had the description of every member of Maheshwar Vanik’s family.

That day the Arab bandits gang-raped the Sindhi women inside the temple and destroyed the idol of the temple and looted all the wealth hidden inside the sanctum sanctorum. Then 700 women were turned into sex slaves shackled with iron chains on their hands and feet.

That day, when the news of Debal’s defeat reached Maheshwar Vanik’s house, Gauri sat silently in a room in the southern part of the palace. She came to know that their city was attacked by foreign enemies and the city fell some time ago. The foreign enemies have also destroyed the temple of Mahadev, the symbol of their trust and faith. She does not know what to do in such a situation. But there was a lot of pain in her heart; it seemed that everything was a dream; she remembered Somaditya very much; she felt that Somaditya was a very beautiful dream, which dream could not be real anymore; Gauri felt that suddenly she woke up from her dream and faced a terrible reality. It was as if she was preparing herself to face the harsh reality that was to come. At that moment she heard the sound of hooves of horses, ‘Allah Hu Akbar’ came rushing towards their palace from the east of their house. Gauri’s mother entered her room of the southern part and held Gauri’s hand tightly, took her and entered into the underground room kind of running through the secret passage in the worship room. Gauri had never entered this room before. This is the first time she came here holding his mother’s hand; today she remembers her father very much, if he had stayed here, maybe Debal would not have fallen. Since Debal’s downfall, she was feeling very upset for her confidantes. How are they in such situation? Gauri burst into tears, she wanted to scream and cry, but sitting in this dungeon she can hear the death screams of their security guards. Some time ago she heard the agony of her two elder brothers. She is watching that her mother started pouring oil from an earthen pot all over herself and Gauri’s body; Now Gauri become very much frightened. She might have sensed the glimpse of the dire consequences. By repeating Har Har Mahadev Her mother took the torch from the wall set herself on fire, then she came towards Gauri and embraced her, Gauri closed her eyes and sacrificed herself in the bosom of that terrible death. Maheshwar had gone to South India for trade. This news Arabs already knew, but his daughter and wife somewhere in the palace whom they were unable to find; then they started looking for the entrance to the dungeon. While Arab crusaders are frantically searching for that entrance, right at that moment black coils of smoke rolled out from inside the room of worship of the palace. When the jihadis entered inside the temple they found that where the Shiv Linga is kept, smokes coming out around of it. The soldiers realized that this area was the entrance to the basement. When they examined the room carefully they found the entrance to the room next to the Shiva linga.

As soon as the door was opened, black coiled smoke began to spread outside. The soldiers brought a large quantity of water in big vessels and poured it down inside the room. However, when the fire was extinguished, they found the charred bodies of two women in that cellar. Then on that day they looted the entire palace and left the house of Maheshwar Vanik.

Bin Qasim then gave his engineer 10,000 dirhams as a prize for demolishing the spire of the Shiva temple. Some of the remaining wealth was divided among the soldiers and the remaining wealth was sent to the Caliph in Baghdad. On that day, 700 women of Debal could not become Sati; they were sent to Baghdad on foot. It was possible for Muhammad bin Qasim, to send them to Baghdad in a ship with others, but he did not do so, because Hajjaj had instructed him not to show any mercy to the people of Debal, and to punish them in such a way that even after hundreds of thousands of years, people cannot forget the terrible memories of the conquest of Debal. Small children were sliced from the middle and their bodies were floated in the sea. Except the women who had become Sati, others were continued to be gang-raped for three consecutive days; the men of the city were killed and their severed heads were deposited in the premises of the Shiva temple. Thus after three consecutive days of pillage and slaughter, Muhammad bin Qasim proceeded from Debal to Narun, and Debal remained standing with his charred and mutilated body as the culmination of Islam’s conquest of Sindh. (Continues)

Click here for Part-I , Part-II, Part-III , Part-IV , Part-V , Part-VI , Part-VII, Part-VIII , Part-IX , Part-X, Part-XI, Part-XII, Part-XIII , Part-XIV , Part-XV , Part-XVI, Part-XVII, Part-XVIII , Part-XIX

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Debasree Chakraborti is a renowned novel writer of Bengali language. Based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, she has done Master’s in Modern History from the Kolkata University, and authored some thirty books, mostly the novels, with historical perspective and themes. Her most recent novel is ‘Maharaja Dahir’ that covers the history of Sindh from 662, the year of first attack on Sindh by the Arab armies till date.

Rajesh Giri, born in Kolkata, had his early schooling from Kolkata and then from Medinipur—a village in Bengal. He graduated from Calcutta University with Physics and Maths and Master’s from Burdwan University in 2016. Now he is associated with Adhdhyaan educational institution teaching Physics. History enthusiastic Rajesh Giri is particularly interested in the ancient civilization of India and other regions like Egypt, Mesopotamia, and North America. He loves traveling.

Understanding the devastating impact of climate change

Public Opinion

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May 11, 2024

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Understanding the devastating impact of climate change

Climate change is a pressing global issue that requires immediate attention and action

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, with far-reaching consequences for our planet and its inhabitants. Climate change refers to the long-term change in weather patterns and temperature. This can occur naturally, such as when the sun’s pattern changes. However, since the 1990s, human activities have significantly contributed to climate change. These activities include burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, which release greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons into the atmosphere. These gases trap heat, leading to global warming. As the population grows, people seek comfort and better living conditions, leading to deforestation and industrial development. Deforestation releases carbon dioxide, while industrial activities release more gases, worsening the environment. The effects of climate change are widespread and devastating. Rising temperatures cause glaciers to melt, leading to increased sea levels, severe storms, and floods. These gases also harm the ozone layer, causing health problems like skin cancer and species extinction. Climate change exacerbates droughts by increasing evaporation, reducing soil and vegetation moisture, and making dry periods even drier. This scarcity of water makes it harder for plants and animals to fulfill their needs.

Read: Human, economic, environmental toll of climate change on the rise

To address climate change, individuals, governments, and corporations must work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This can be achieved through:

Improving energy efficiency and vehicle fuel economy; increasing wind and solar power; using biofuels from organic compound; setting a price on carbon use; electrifying transportation and industry, and developing storage technologies and controlling pollutant.

Climate change is a pressing global issue that requires immediate attention and action. We must work collectively to reduce our carbon footprint and develop sustainable practices to ensure a livable future for generations to come.

Ali Raza

Larkana, Sindh

Observations of an Expat: The Hip Thigh Bone Theory of the World

Analysis

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May 11, 2024

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Observations of an Expat: The Hip Thigh Bone Theory of the World

It is time for a review of the hip thigh bone theory of the world. The world is in danger of tearing out its global backbone. And once disassembled, the bones of the world body politic will not magically reassemble

By Tom Arms

It is time for a review of the hip thigh bone theory of the world. The theory is based on the 1920s African-American spiritual “Dem bones, Dem Bones, Dem Dry Bones.”

The ditty in turn was based on a Biblical passage in which a collection of dry bones reassemble themselves before the astonished eyes of the prophet Ezekiel.

The foot-tapping, hand-clapping tune is a roof raiser in evangelical churches around the world. It is also a popular song in young children’s anatomy classes.

For the purposes of this article, however, it is a perfect metaphor of how the rapidly shrinking and interconnected world has become increasingly dependent on its constituent parts (or bones) working together. Recognition of this interconnectability is becoming increasingly important as the world’s political leaders appear to be intent on disassembling the skeletons and protecting their constituent parts behind fast growing economic, political and—sometimes—physical walls.

Globalization has become a dirty word. Forget the fact that it lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty in the 1990s and early part of the 21st century. And that it ushered in decades of growth and low inflation. Substituted in its place is the mantra of “economic security” and “national interests.”

Also forget the fact that the new buzzwords totally ignore reality. Like it or not– that the world body politic has become totally interconnected. In fact, the bones that comprise the skeleton of our globe are not so much connected as fused and then overlaid with a complex web of nerves, muscles, sinews, international political and trade organs, ligaments and a protective skin of military alliances. In fact, it seems, that the only thing missing from this political metaphor is a functioning brain.

The advantages of free trade are not new. They have been propounded for centuries. They are at the very core of the capitalist’s Bible, Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations and were later developed by David Ricardo who urged countries to exploit their “comparative advantage” through free trade.

Free trade is also one of the recognized major contributors to world peace. You are much less likely to go to war with a country which you depend on for your financial well-being. This concept was at the very heart of the creation of the European Union, and until Ukraine, has prevented any major European wars for 77 years—the longest period of European peace in history.

The two biggest threats to free trade are the world’s two biggest economies—China and the United States. Both are raising tariff barriers and increasing subsidies to protect their industries from competition from each other. The trade war started with Donald Trump but has continued under the Biden Administration. US tariffs on Chinese imports currently average 19.3 percent and cover 66.4 percent of Chinese goods—six times higher than in 2018.

President Biden is on the cusp of announcing new tariffs to protect the US electric vehicle market, steel industry, aluminum production and shipbuilding. But his plans are nothing compared to those of Trump who wants to impose an across-the-board 60 percent tariff on Chinese imports.

China has tariffs too—five to 25 percent on American imports. But its biggest spanner in the world economy’s machinery is subsidies. According to the Centre for Strategic International Studies, China devotes nearly two percent of its GDP to bankrolling its industry. This compares to 0.39 percent that the US government spends on subsidizing American industry.

At the moment, US subsidies are focused on developing green technology– $369 billion through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This is unpopular with America’s competitors because part of the IRA is a “buy American” policy which is encouraging foreign-based companies to relocate to the US.

The Sino-America trade war and the IRA means that the world’s largest trading bloc, the European Union, is in danger of following suit because of fears that it needs protection from the two super powers. Meanwhile, Russia—along with China and a growing number of players from the Global South—are pursuing a policy of might is right in the belief that they will gain advantage in the ensuing chaos.

The trade wars have inevitably spilled over into the military and political fields. The Ukraine War is the most obvious example. Except for its oil and gas resources, Russia has comparatively few advantages in an economic conflict. Its economy is smaller than Italy’s– $1.7 trillion GDP compared to the Italian GDP of $2.1 trillion, and doesn’t even come close to the American GDP of $20.5 trillion. Russia, however, is a military super power, so it follows David Ricardo’s advice and exploits its “comparative advantage.”

The Ukraine War has in turn encouraged an American isolationist lobby who have tired of the “endless wars” that have plagued US foreign policy since the end of the Cold War. In response to the US isolationists French President Emmanuel Macron recently called on fellow European leaders to shake off their decades-long dependence on the American nuclear umbrella, thus threatening the cohesion of NATO from both sides of the Atlantic.

The world is in danger of tearing out its global backbone. And once disassembled, the bones of the world body politic will not magically reassemble as they did in the Book of Ezekiel, Chapter 37, verses 1 through 14.

World Review

It was a week of military parades, trumpets, nuclear saber-rattling and an inauguration in Russia this week.

It started with another threat from President Vladimir Putin when he announced on Monday the start of military exercises involving non-strategic nuclear weapons. This was in response to America releasing its $61 billion aid package to Ukraine, and the repetition of French President Emmanuel Macron’s threat to consider sending French troops to Ukraine.

Then there was Putin’s inauguration as he started his fifth term in office with a long walk past applauding crowds lining the red-carpeted corridors of the Kremlin. Putin’s first inauguration in 2000 was hailed as Russia’s transition to democracy. This one followed an election in which he “won” 87.5 percent of the vote while all his political opponents were either dead, in exile or in prison.

On Thursday it was the Victory Day Parade to mark the end of what the Russians call “The Great Patriotic War.” May Day was the big parade in Soviet days. May 9, was important, but it was not even a public holiday until 1965. Putin, has revived the celebration and elevated it to a collective remembrance resembling a religion.

One of the highlights of the parade is the march of the “Immortal Regiment” in which relatives troop past the reviewing stand holding aloft pictures of family members who died in the war. The scene is reminiscent of icons being carried in Russian Orthodox Church services. The 60th and 70th anniversaries of the war’s end (in 2005 and 2015) were the biggest public holidays in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, the inauguration and Victory Day were marked by increased Russian bombardments and missile attacks as Russian troops tried to gain the military upper hand before the latest batch of Western military aid arrived.

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The two main Palestinian factions—Hamas and Fatah—hate each other almost as much as they do the Netanyahu government.

They have barely spoken since 2007 when Hamas won elections in Gaza and booted Fatah and the Palestinian Authority out of the seaside strip.

That is why it is significant that representatives from the two factions met recently in Moscow and Beijing. The Chinese meeting was especially interesting because Beijing is keen to project itself as Middle East peace broker as opposed to its characterization of the US as Middle East war monger.

The Chinese have already successfully brokered the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between regional rivalries Iran and Saudi Arabia. Shortly after that success, foreign minister Wang Yi wrote to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offering to mediate in the decades-old Arab-Israel conflict. Netanyahu politely refused.

Brokering a rapprochement between Fatah and Hamas could be a diplomatic back door for Beijing to constructively inject itself into the Middle East conflict. It is generally agreed that the two-state solution is the logical solution to the conflict.

The Israeli government, however, is adamantly opposed to living alongside a properly constituted and recognized Palestinian state. And as long as there are two warring Palestinian factions, Israel will play them off against each other and prevent the two-state result that the international community (including China) seeks.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Beijing talks between Hamas and Fatah were “in depth and candid” with a clear purpose of promoting “Palestinian reconciliation.” The Chinese added that they yielded “encouraging progress” and that more talks were planned.

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Donald Trump appears to be desperate to be sent to jail. What a political coup that would be.It would be the ultimate proof of his martyrdom. He would happily languish behind bars so he could claim that he was the victim of a Biden-controlled political witch hunt.

Oh, and how he would suffer. He would grasp the crown of thorns and shout from the jailhouse steps that he was suffering at the hands of the democrat-controlled deep state on behalf of the millions of “oppressed little people.”

There is, of course, a long history of political prisoners being dispatched to prison, only to be declared a martyr to their principles and raised to power upon their release. Nelson Mandela is perhaps the best known example. He spent 27 years at the notorious Robben Island prison before leading his country out of apartheid.

In fact, a spell in prison, is considered a passage of rite in many countries. The fact that the political figure is prepared to endure the rigours of prison life is seen by many as proof of their commitment to the political values they espouse.

The list of such figures is a long one. Fidel Castro, Martin McGuinness, Indira Gandhi, Jomo Kenyatta, Dilma Vana and Kim Dae-jung, are just a few of the political leaders who have risen to the top after a spell behind bars.

Judge Juan Merchan—the trial judge in the Stormy Daniels case—is all too aware of Trump’s pursuit of martyrdom. It probably explains why he has not yet thrown him into prison and has restricted himself to fining the former president. The total fines to date– $9,000—is probably less than the daily lunch bill for Trump’s legal team.

And there is unfortunately, a limit on the financial penalties that he can impose. On top of that, having threatened jail time, the judge would look foolish if Trump continued to flout the court’s strictures. Judge Merchan is trying to keep politics out of his courtroom by keeping Trump out of prison. Trump is doing his best to bring politics into the courtroom by doing his utmost to goad the judge into sending him to prison.

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Remember Nikki Haley? Quite a few others have not forgotten her. The former Governor of South Carolina and US Ambassador to the United Nations is still winning votes even though her name is not on the ballot and she has withdrawn from the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

It is not generally reported, but the Republican primaries are still in progress. Donald Trump has won enough of them to secure the Republican nomination at the party’s July convention in Milwaukee. But the primaries do not end until June.

Thus it is worth noting that Trump is not clean sweeping the remaining ballots. On Thursday Ambassador Haley secured 21.8 percent of the Republican votes as a write-on in Indiana. This is not a fluke. Since she dropped out of the race, Haley has won 13.2 percent of the vote in Georgia, 17.8 percent in Arizona, 14.4 percent in Ohio, 12.8 percent in Wisconsin and 16.6 percent in Pennsylvania. Not bad for someone who isn’t even running for office.

And not good for Trump because it indicates that there are still a large number of Republicans who oppose his return to the White House. In fact, there are indications of a growing rebellion against the far-right Republican tail that has been recently wagging the party dog.

Also on Thursday there was a vote in the House of Representatives on whether Mike Johnson would be allowed to remain in the Speaker’s chair. Marjorie Taylor Greene carried out her threat to challenge the Speaker for allowing the vote on aid for Ukraine. She managed to garner a mere 43 votes for the proposed ousting of Johnson. A total of 163 Democrats joined forces with 196 Republicans in a bipartisan slap in the face for Ms. Greene and MAGA.

Read: Observations of an Expat: Campus Powder Keg

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Tom Arms is foreign editor of Liberal Democrat Voice. He is also the author of “The Encyclopaedia of the Cold War” and “America Made in Britain.” To subscribe to his email alerts on world affairs click here https://tomarms.substack.com/publish/posts

Unjust rules of intestate succession

Point of View

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May 10, 2024

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The author examines the objective of Pakistan intestate succession law, and the adequacy of the current schemes to meet those goals

By Amna Nasir Jamal

On and off there is rift between bar-bench. But ever lawyers and judiciary thought who is a true victim between these clashes — no doubt aggrieved or applicant who are wandering around in courts to get due justice.

The reader should be mindful throughout that via note this scribe confer and proposes revolution to the intestate succession law alone, and does not propose modification for other areas of inheritance law.

The purpose of this note is to examine the objective of Pakistan intestate succession law, the adequacy of the current schemes to meet those goals, [and suggest to consider alternate discretionary schemes foreign countries practice], which may help solve existing Pakistan courts’ problems.

The one inequality I think is really unjust is ‘inheritance case’. The current inheritance laws should be changed to allow people to dispose freely of their estate, subject to the right of the court to deliver a appropriate sum out of the estate for the maintenance and sustenance of the dependents of the deceased.

New judicial policy aims at speedy disposal of cases like all fresh and pending cases in the Supreme Court and high courts will be decided within one year and those from Balochistan within six months. But, here it is important to mention that there is lots of litigation pending before the courts.

Of course, if the current laws are a breach of the basic Human Rights, then may I ask from where children to claim compensation from the State equal to the sum of the lost inheritance?

The unfairness of the current system should be sufficient to instill a sense of urgency in State. In this respect, our laws and mentality seem feudal. Isn’t a person, any person, who is born into this world, a human being? Doesn’t each person deserve the opportunity to learn, to prove her/ himself, to try and be successful? What happens to those kids who aren’t given sufficient opportunity and a good enough learning environment? Many of them become a burden to everyone else.

In material terms, there are medicines; if one need it but could not afford it. There are books, which one could not afford; there is tutoring – even more expensive. Who will shoulder great hardships?

Muslim and conventional law provides equal rights for distributing the property of those who die without a will. Even when a person dies without a will, his property is distributed according to a strict statutory system to his spouse, children, descendants, or other relatives.

When a person dies without leaving a will that expresses his intent in distributing the property he has left behind, the law steps in to distribute the estate, in effect imposing a statutory will.

Almost over half of the Pakistan population dies without a will, the rules of intestacy affect a large part of the population. Unfortunately, people are not conscious of how the rules of intestate succession will dispense their estates, and, presumably, many intestate estates are not dispersed according to the requirements of the decedent.

Most people who die without a will are, predictably, middle-aged people whose death was unpredicted, or those who had judicious estates and could either not afford or did not want to hire a lawyer to draft a will. When a person dies without a will, her/his property must be distributed according to a strict statutory system among spouse, children, descendants, or other relatives.

Recent court cases revealed that the Pakistani family is changing immensely, creating rules of intestate succession more unjust and out of tune with the goals of Muslim inheritance law. Although other methods of property dispersal at death always reflect the desires of the one who leaves it behind. On the other hand, the rules of intestate succession remain stagnant while the Pakistani family and society changes, leaving an alarming disconnect. Contemporary social phenomena no longer comport with the goals of the Pakistan inheritance system. Unfortunately, there are very few alternatives accessible to Pakistani courts to circumvent these rules when justice would require it.

Read: Weaponzing laws meant to protect religion and patronizing radicalism has sown the seeds of bigotry

The most important guiding principle of Muslim inheritance law is to recognize and support the importance of the family. In addition, inheritance laws ideally benefit society by providing for the needy and recognizing those who are most deserving.

Current schemes of intestacy address these concerns by providing that the potentially needy family of the one who has died will take whatever is left. Intestate succession laws were also designed to take into account those who deserve to inherit, assuming that those who provided support to the decedent would be his family.

Finally, Muslim intestate succession laws benefit society in that they are easy to apply and administrate, thus reducing the strain on the legal system. While inheritance law should serve to further all of these goals, the reality is that the current law of intestate succession no longer effectuates many of these goals.

United States, England, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada grant the judges discretion in distributing an estate. In Pakistan, there is need of judicial discretion in distribution of a decedent’s estate, when justice requires, to those who were financially dependent on the descendent. Courts utilize power of the discretion to formulate a provision when the will or rules of intestacy do not offer adequately for the applicant. [the court must consider primarily the financial needs of the dependent, as well as the size and nature of deceased estate the applicant’s present and future resources, the applicant’s opportunities and capacity to become financially independent, the age and health of the applicant, and any other distributions from the estate to which the applicant is entitled.]

Also, need is courts have to originate several impartial remedies to help relieve some of the harsh consequences of strict application/claim of intestacy rules. Judicial system should adopt such a scheme to correct injustices that will crop up more often as current family dynamics accelerate ‘injustice’.

It is need of the time that at general scale and for sake of justice judiciary check law violators who are responsible for open discouragement of law.

Read: Rally demands abolishing Anti-Women Laws in Pakistan

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Let there be peace

Blogs

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May 10, 2024

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Asian journalists visit the Baengnyeongdo Island of South Korea under the banner of Asia Journalists Association and adopt the ‘Freedom and Peace Declaration’

By Nasir Aijaz

Standing atop a hill at Baengnyeong, the northern most island of South Korea in the West Sea, I glanced towards the mountains of North Korean Hwanghae Province, visible very clearly, being at a distance of 10km.

My thoughts traversed through the history of Korean Peninsula. It was one country, one nation, same blood, culture and language, who remained under the subjugation of foreign powers for a long time, but unfortunately, they have strained relations, resulting in military conflicts.

I was among the group of journalists, comprising the members of the Asia Journalists Association (AJA) from different Asian countries, who had traveled about 240km in a cruise from Incheon port of South Korea and reached at Baengnyeong Island to adopt the ‘Freedom and Peace Declaration’.

During the 2-day trip, starting on April 28, 2024, the journalists also visited various sites including the Museum of Simcheong, agricultural fields, beaches and Dumujin, known for the most beautiful coastal scenery on Baengnyeongdo Island.

The declaration was read by AJA President, Ashraf Abdul Yazid from Egypt and Senior Vice-President Norila Daud from Malaysia in the presence of 15 other Asian journalists who had gathered on the island to pursuit peace, stability and freedom of the Korean Peninsula.

The “2024 Baengnyeong Island Freedom and Peace Declaration” was read with one voice at the hilltop memorial of 46 maritime soldiers killed on March 26, 2010 when their patrolling ship was torpedoed.

Museum of Simcheong- Sindh Courier — Museum of Simcheong

Historically, the North and South Korea had experienced numerous maritime conflicts. On 26th March 2010 at 21:22, Cheonan, one of South Korea’s naval ships conducting a maritime operation at 2.5km away from southwest of Baengnyeong Island sank due to an explosion under the sea. The explosion separated head and tail sections of ship and among 104 crews 40 were killed and six others missing although the US Navy had helped in the search. The experts from US, UK, Australia and Sweden had noted that Cheonan sank due to Torpedo made by North Korea.

Nasir-Aijaz-Island-Sindh-Courier — Nasir Aijaz from Sindh, Pakistan and Habib Toumi from Bahrain

In view of the situation, the Asian journalists had gathered on the island in pursuit of peace, stability and freedom of the Korean Peninsula.

The Declaration read: “We oppose the situation where Baengnyeong Island becomes a flashpoint for Inter-Korean confrontation and actively strive to make it a bridgehead for permanent peace.”

“We actively promote and prepare solutions so that Baengnyeong Island, a treasure trove of natural resources can become a premium tourism center that captures the hearts of people in Korea, Asia and all over the world.

“We foster tangible and intangible core values so that Baengnyeong Island can grow into the frontline core area in the era of reunification of the Korean Peninsula. We will do our utmost to develop the best content that will help transform Baengnyeong Island into a transit port for West Sea trade in the Northeast Asia.”

Baengnyeong Island serves as a military stronghold, monitoring and observing North Korea’s Hwanghae Province all the year round the clock from a distance of 15km.

Historically, the North and South Korea had experienced numerous maritime conflicts. With patriotism, the Republic of Korea Navy and Marine Corps are protecting the seas of the nation, even amidst heightened military tensions.

Ivan Lim from Singapore and Habib Toumi from Bahrain

“North Korea’s true colors were shown all over the world by discovery of savage, cruel provocation,” a note of Cheonan Ship 46 Brave Men Monument in Baengnyeong Island reads.

“To acknowledge our future generations of this tragedy and to remember North Korea’s savagery and honorable sacrifice of 46 men lost in Cheonan, our forces have established a monument where it overseas the place of attack,” the note said.

History, Geography and Economy of Island

Initially known as Gokdo Island, the name was changed to the current Baengnyeongdo Island based on its appearance as having white wings. It is the eighth largest island in Korea, and the closest to North Korea. Due to its vantage point, visitors must undergo a security process before touring the island. Baengnyeongdo Island is famous for an array of attractions and fresh seafood, with many fish varieties found in the area. The mighty sea cliffs of Dumujin are said to be the last masterpieces of an old god. Additional attractions of the island include the two-story high Simcheonggak Pavilion; Mulgaebawi Rock, the only place in Korea to see seals, and Sagot Coast, one of only two places in world with diatomaceous earth, strong enough to drive on and for military planes to use as a runway.

Baengnyeong Island was the 14th largest island in Korea, but its size was expanded through two land reclamation projects, and it is now the 8th largest island in Korea. There are about 130 large and small islands near Baengnyeong Island. People also live on islands such as Socheong Island and Daecheong Island, and Baengnyeong Island is by far the largest island in terms of size.

The total population of Baengnyeong Island is approximately 10,000, with civilians and military personnel each accounting for half. There are total of 4 schools: 2 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school.

Baengnyeong Island is administratively part of Incheon, but the closest land to Baengnyeong Island is Gimpo City, which is about 160km away. On the other hand, the closest landmass in North Korea is Jangsangot, which is less than 15km away. So, on days when the weather is good, North Korean land can be seen from anywhere along the coast of Baengnyeong Island.

The five islands in the West Sea, including Baengnyeong Island, are in a geographically disadvantageous location, and as a result, support is provided at the government level. In particular, the government is providing subsidies of about $20,000 to people who have lived on Baengnyeong Island for more than 10 years to remodel their old houses, and those who have lived for less than that are also receiving some support.

Baengnyeongdo Island-Sindh Courier-2 — Dr. Rohel Aijaz from Sindh Pakistan

When the sun is up, Baengnyeong Island is a quiet and peaceful island, but at midnight, the Coast of Baengnyeong Island is full of lights with South Korea and North Korea on guard and surveillance.

Baengnyeong Island, the westernmost island on the Korean Peninsula, continues fulfilling its role as a key security point for South Korea.

Approximately, 60% of the economy is agriculture, centered on rice farming. 30% belongs to the fishing industry and 10% to the service industry such as tourism, retail, and finance. Farmland was secured through a reclamation project and a freshwater lake was created, but the area is still very salty and agricultural water relies on groundwater. Although it is adjacent to the sea, it also faces North Korea, making it an unfavorable environment for fishing. Like most other islands in Korea, there is a power plant on the island.

Baengnyeongdo Island-Sindh Courier-4 — Painting at the museum depicting the folklore of the Island

To get to Baengnyeong Island, one must take a boat from Incheon, and it operates only twice a day. Additionally, it is said that about 30% of ships are canceled each year due to weather conditions such as fog or heavy rain. Previously, more ships traveled between Incheon and Baengnyeong Island, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, routes were shortened and the tourism industry was hit hard. After COVID-19, approximately 200 to 300 tourists visit Baengnyeong Island on weekdays and 500 to 600 on weekends. As it is a military strategic point and requires a four-hour boat ride from Incheon, the tourist infrastructure is somewhat poor. However, thanks to these aspects, there are many places that have preserved their natural appearance, and there are also famous places that have been designated as natural monuments.

The white sand beach known as Sagot Beach (about 4km long), declared as Natural Monument No. 391, is one of only two natural airfields in the world, the other one being located in Naples, Italy. In fact, this place was used as an airfield during the Korean War and until the 1980s. Sagot Beach is also well known for its diatomaceous earth. Diatomaceous earth is a hard cement-like soil, and is commonly used as a raw material for household mats in Korea. Due to the hardness of the soil, it was possible to drive on the sandy beach until a few years ago, but due to its natural importance, it is now prohibited by the government.

Read: Korea reclaims 1600 ha land by dumping waste into West Sea

Dumujin, known for the most beautiful coastal scenery on Baengnyeongdo Island, is situated in the northwest of the island. Its picturesque coastal cliffs and vibrant rock formations, shaped by years of wave action, have earned it the nickname “Geumgangsan Mountain on the sea.” Visitors can enjoy Dumujin from the sea aboard a cruise ship, or explore it on land by taking the Dumujin port road.

The Korea Times daily has described Baengnyeong Island as ‘The most beautiful military frontline in Korea’ while the NBC News has termed it as ‘The fortress island fixed in North Korea’s sights’.

Read: Korea, a nation divided by artificial borders

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Nasir Aijaz is a senior journalist based in Karachi, the capital of Sindh province of Pakistan. He is author of nine books and hundreds of articles on language, literature, history, and other topics. He can be reached at nasir.akhund1954@gmail.com

Maharaja Dahir – Resurgence of Sindh – Part-XIX

Books & Authors

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May 9, 2024

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Maharaja Dahir – Resurgence of Sindh – Part-XIX

The English translation of a novel ‘Maharaja Dahir’ authored by Kolkata-based renowned novelist Debasree Chakraborti in Bengali language. The novel has been translated by Rajesh Giri

The very short letter read, “Gauri, since I saw you, I have lost sleep, I really still don’t comprehend that the girl I met at Maheshwar Vanik’s house is a real being or Goddess of Heaven. After seeing you it is not possible for me to accept anyone else as my life partner. On that day, seeing you at that place of worship, I felt like I had witnessed Devi Sati, daughter of Maharaj Daksha. That day the lotus of love that has blossomed in my heart seeing you, if the same has blossomed in your heart seeing me, then let me know, because that which is good never be delayed. I will wait for your reply,” your forever Somaditya.

So the whole thing was done by Somaditya with the help of his friend prince Jaysingh. Gauri sends a letter with a precious diamond ring wrapped in red silk along with the gift given by her father. She told the sender that this gift should not be given to anyone but Somaditya. In that letter Gauri only wrote, ‘yes’. She did not have the ability to write much, because Somaditya was very smart and handsome and he is much older than Gauri, in that sense he was elderly person. A man of such age sent her a love proposal. She could not understand what answer a woman should write in such a situation.

But Gauri could not hide her feelings even from her friends. After Somaditya’s departure from Debal, Gauri’s behavior also undergoes a strange change, as if she has always forgotten herself and has become a resident of another realm. Who is she thinking about? When her friends notice this change in Gauri and want to know the reason for it, Gauri reveals her feelings for Somaditya. Gauri should not be blamed for this, because the nature of girls of this age group is like this, they are most emotionally dependent on friends. The news of Gauri and Somaditya’s love spread all over the city through her friends. Some citizens even fixed the date of marriage of Somaditya with Maheshwar merchant’s daughter Gauri by themselves and started campaigning.

On that fateful night, Gauri was standing in front of the window of her bedroom while enjoying the fragrance of those wild flowers; just then she saw a series of dotted light on the ocean advancing towards Debal. At night, ship lights can be seen on the ocean, but she has never seen thousands of light dots like this before. She thought, may be, caused by the disaster, thousands of ships are coming to take shelter in Debal port this night! Gauri saw these lights and without understanding drifted into the realm of fantasy. She thought that the grooms from Aror were coming with Somaditya towards Debal; she heard the sound of shahnai, her whole body and mind were enchanted by the fragrance of flowers. Suddenly a gust of wind extinguished the last burning lamp in the room. Gauri closed the window and walked towards the bed.

While the citizens were slumbering, Muhammad bin Qasim’s forces advanced by land from Armanbela and besieged one side of the city of Debal. And on the other hand, thousands of naval forces came from the sea and started to surround this city.

The flags and bells of the 120 feet high Shiva temple in the middle of Deval city were swaying in the storm, the sound of these bells was a symbol of confidence and security to the people of Debal. They believed that as long as Mahadev himself resides in this temple and as long as the crown of the temple is intact, this city is safe, no enemy can destroy this city. Keeping trust and faith in Mahadeva, giving him with the responsibility of the security of the city, while the citizens were slumbering, Muhammad bin Qasim’s forces advanced by land from Armanbela and besieged one side of the city of Debal. And on the other hand, thousands of naval forces under the leadership of Asmit came from the sea and started to surround this city. This enclosure is made in such a way that the people of Debal cannot get out of this barrier. When Muhammad bin Qasim‘s army started advancing towards this city from Armanbela, he entrusted Sahib with the command of this force. Moreover, this huge force was divided into four divisions, as it was impossible for Muhammad bin Qasim alone to manage such a large force. The right wing of this force was entrusted to Utbak, the left wing to Mushak and the front and rear of the force were on jihadis like Abu Rahman, Safian Arbad, Zarha and Mujashiyar.

The brave warriors of Debal fought fiercely with the jihadis of Islam that day. Before leaving their home they instructed their daughters and wives that if Debal falls, then burn yourselves. Never surrender to heathens for life.

They started their journey by sacrificing a huge camel, while leaving their camp at Armanbela for Debal. Then they proceeded by establishing the victory flag of Islam on the small villages that came in their route. Muhammad bin Qasim was instructed to set out after sunset, because the warriors of the infidels do not take up arms after sunset. Moreover, during the Islamic month of Ramadan, the hot weather and rough nature of Sindh would make it difficult for the soldiers to travel during the day. Also, because during the month of Ramadan, Muslims don’t even drink water for a month before sunset. After resting all day, after sunset, they offered prayers, had water and food and started their journey. Due to the rugged nature of Sindh no large cities or settlements were built between Armanbela and Debal in that sense. There are small villages along the way. The people of these villages fell asleep after sunset, as they had no entertainment to stay awake after darkness fell. Mohammad bin Qasim’s massive army began to enter these villages in the dark of night like hot lava erupting from volcano. The people of these villages suddenly hear the cacophony of Allah Hu Akbar in the darkness of the night in the vast expansion of dusty desert that stretches the horizon; this unfamiliar outburst sounds like a war cry to them. The history of the invasions of the Greeks, Sakas, and the Huns are described in the folktales and songs prevalent in these regions over the ages. Through these folktales, they were instructed that if ever a foreign army attacked, before being attacked, they should set fire to their daughters, wives and burn them alive and protect their culture, tradition even with their lives. These helpless people realize that those terrible times of the past have been repeated again. In the darkness of the night, the Arabs saw the fire burning in the middle of the village. The unarmed people of these villages were anticipating their death. Because these Hindu people thought that if someone hurt them, it should be accepted without injury; blood for blood is never desirable. Among these innocent villagers who converted to Islam, they were freed by looting their wealth, and those who did not convert to Islam, were indiscriminately killed by Muhammad Bin Qasim’s army.

Thus, on that day, the jihadis of Islam continued to march towards Debal, tying the flag of Islam and engraving their burning footprints. As they neared the city of Debal, a terrible disaster struck the coast of Debal. Hajjaj sent hundreds of special machines by ship, with these machines of the size of a five-story building used to catapult huge stones, could be used to break the walls of the city of Debal. The entire city was surrounded by these catapults. There is no shortage of stones in this rugged, rocky terrain. Utilizing those stones of this land, the aboriginals of Sindh were began to be slaughtered. In the night of this terrible calamity, the gatekeepers of the city also seemed to be enveloped in a peaceful and blissful sleep. Because the victory with the army of Islam had redoubled their confidence, and the people of Debal also believed that as long as the spire of the temple of Mahadev in Debal was intact, no one could harm Debal. That night Muhammad bin Qasim broke the wall and entered the city with the crusaders of Islam. By the terrible sound of the breaking of the wall the entire city had come to know that they had been attacked.

The gatekeepers were the first to become aware, then slowly the whole city began to wake up, the thunder of breaking down the walls of the city of Debal carried out the omen of the movement of a giant demon.

The warriors of the city armed themselves and got out of their houses and came down to the streets. It was dark all around with rain, terrible lightning flashes in the sky, while the brave warriors of Debal fought fiercely with the jihadis of Islam that day. Before leaving their home they instructed their daughters and wives that if Debal falls, then burn yourselves. Never surrender to heathens for life. (Continues)

Click here for Part-I , Part-II, Part-III , Part-IV , Part-V , Part-VI , Part-VII, Part-VIII , Part-IX , Part-X, Part-XI, Part-XII, Part-XIII , Part-XIV , Part-XV , Part-XVI, Part-XVII, Part-XVIII

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Debasree Chakraborti is a renowned novel writer of Bengali language. Based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, she has done Master’s in Modern History from the Kolkata University, and authored some thirty books, mostly the novels, with historical perspective and themes. Her most recent novel is ‘Maharaja Dahir’ that covers the history of Sindh from 662, the year of first attack on Sindh by the Arab armies till date.

Rajesh Giri, born in Kolkata, had his early schooling from Kolkata and then from Medinipur—a village in Bengal. He graduated from Calcutta University with Physics and Maths and Master’s from Burdwan University in 2016. Now he is associated with Adhdhyaan educational institution teaching Physics. History enthusiastic Rajesh Giri is particularly interested in the ancient civilization of India and other regions like Egypt, Mesopotamia, and North America. He loves traveling.

Poetry Critique – The Sound of the Bamboo Forest

Literature

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May 9, 2024

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Poetry Critique – The Sound of the Bamboo Forest

Experimental Work and the Significance of Poet Byeong-Cheol Kang’s Thematic Approach – From ‘The Sound of the Bamboo Forest’

By Euisu Byeon

We want to see something new every day. We want to encounter new works. Even when writing poetry, I try to explore different forms after every five poems. This ensures there’s variety in the content. Like everyone else, I’m interested in newcomers because we crave new possibilities. When I come across such a newcomer or poet, I go out of my way to discover them. The same holds true for the Symbology Institute. We strive to find and introduce good works by new and unfamiliar poets rather than frequently publishing existing poems and poets in familiar forms.

Poet Byeong-Cheol Kang‘s poetry represent a form we haven’t attempted before. He made his debut as a novelist in 1993 through the Jeju Writers’ Association’s ‘Jeju New Writer’s Literature Award’ and appeared in Poetry in 2016 through 『Poetry Literature』, but his works have mainly been published in foreign publications rather than in Korea. In 2023, Kang published a collection of his poems in English and Korean, titled ‘Sounds of the Bamboo Forest’, which includes works published in overseas media. It was through this collection that I came to know his works in detail. His poems in this collection are based on the Buddhist ‘Yuma Sutra’ and explore maxims, aphorisms, and life wisdom.

To achieve novelty is to have a new star appear and shine in the night sky, which is what any poet or writer would desire. Experimentation for novelty can be seen in terms of both content and form. If both are new, that’s great, but achieving one or the other is rewarding enough as a poet. Usually, however, experimentation is approached from the perspective of form or technique rather than from the perspective of deepening thematic content or introducing new ideas.

To achieve novelty is to have a new star appear and shine in the night sky, which is what any poet or writer would desire.

The subject of a poem can be anything in the human world. However, it’s not easy for a poet or an artist to reach or surpass the level of inquiry that scholars and philosophers specialize in, and to translate such perceptions and knowledge into aesthetic works through poetry. Poets can only attempt to imitate them. The novelty in poetry then challenges the format rather than deepening or refreshing the subject matter.

This is where Byeong-Cheol Kang’s poetry is special: his novelty lies in the choice of content, not form. Poetry doesn’t find its value or significance in presenting intellectual recognition or enlightenment. Rather, the matter of such recognition lies on the other side of the poetry. The tendency of poetic experiments to focus on form rather than content is not unrelated to this problem.

Dr. Kang’s poetry presents a type of poetic aesthetic that hasn’t been seen in poetry literature until now: the poetry of the spirit world. It deals with themes and contents related to ontological and ethical aspects. Works with such content tend to focus on epistemological ‘isms’ or declarative assertions, similar to the poems of past spiritualists or social pragmatists, and thus fail to enter the realm of poetry aesthetics, remaining limited to the ‘enlightenment’ of ideology or wisdom presentation. This presents a challenge for content experimentation.

The challenge is to unite ‘the cognitive’ with ‘the emotional’. It must be accompanied by the phonological aesthetics and the beauty of concise connotation required by the art of poetry, and the finesse of the device called metaphor, which is common to all poetry and art. The former two are the most basic of poetic aesthetics and are within the reach of any long-term practitioner. The most difficult is metaphor.

For knowledge or wisdom of an academic, epistemological nature to be transformed into the world of art, it must go through metaphor, which is difficult to realize due to its nature. That’s why experimental works that deepen or change such themes are rare. However, the poet Byeong-Cheol Kang merges the awareness of ontological thought with emotional rhyme and metaphor. Again, for epistemological knowledge or realization to become poetry, it must first be transformed into the world of metaphor.

No matter how strong the wind blows,

The verdant forest does not collapse.

When the wind passes by,

The green forest regains its graceful appearance,

Inspiring admiration.

[Sounds of Bamboo Forest]

‘The forest isn’t falling.’ It’s not a stacked structure. The “forest” is a metaphor for ‘self’ or ‘fulfillment’, meaning ‘the self is indestructible’. “No matter how strong the wind blows,” the ‘self’ “regains its graceful appearance” when the wind passes. In such a “bamboo forest,” the ‘self’ is ‘inspired and admired’. In the first stanza, the self-metaphorized by the forest and the forest metaphorized by the self-form the work, supported by the rhythmic flow of the poem’s sentences and the concise implications.

Keep your eyes forward and walk

(Medium)

If you deeply love the past

And seek divine revelations from it

Then it’s okay to stay there

But if not, then live in this dynamic moment.

[The Reason why eyes are only in the front]

These lines are metaphors conveying a message of striving forward. What makes this enlightening exhortation impactful, rather than repulsive, is its connection to ‘this dynamic moment’. Furthermore, in the next stanza, it is metaphorized again as “The leaves of a silver fir tree, sparkling in the sunlight”, depicting the self ‘walking’ as “The silver fir tree” that “shows its back “. Metaphor is myth, leading to the world of magic and dreams.

It’s not easy for a poet or an artist to reach or surpass the level of inquiry that scholars and philosophers specialize in, and to translate such perceptions and knowledge into aesthetic works through poetry.

‘Letter to Son’ is, as the title suggests, a letter written in the form of poetry by the poet. This is possible when a poet has the freedom to use metaphors. A poet should be able to turn any type of writing into poetry, utilizing metaphors. In other words, a poet must excel in using metaphors.

The significance of ‘Letter to son’ is this. It becomes a poem even though it talks about a strictly existential relationship, because it compares reality to a “deserted island.” The poet transformed this one letter into a poem by the single poem word, “Desert Island.” Let’s look at another work.

Life is like a river flowing towards the sea,

A journey that’s unique for you and me,

But with resilience and courage, we’ll make it through,

And discover the beauty that life has in store anew.

Life is like a canvas with many colors to paint,

(Medium)

Crossing the bridge, we journey together,

Helping each other through stormy weather,

We lighten the burden and guide the way,

Transforming challenges into opportunities

[Journey of life]

This poem metaphorizes the “Journey of life” as “a river flowing” and reflects it to “a canvas with many colors to paint”. It seems to admonish us that “Complaining won’t get us anywhere” and that we should “learn” to be “grateful,” but it naturally substitutes these lives as the “Crossing the bridge” and “journey together”.

Fame and medals mean nothing,

Everything disappears as dust in the wind

(Medium)

As a youngster you have no respect for the laws of nature

Everything is in a state of flux

Everything is getting old

You don’t listen to wise man

When you’re engaging in meaningless conversation,

When you engage in argument,

Realize that you are disputing over something impermanent.

(Medium)

Be happy

Be comfortable

Keep the peace

There is greatness there,

Enjoy the joy of life with wisdom

(Medium)

May people be welcomed by people!

Lotus Flower hopes to ripe fruits,

[Blooming Lotus Flower]

The poet compares “fame and medals” to “dust” and the words of “wise men” to “the laws of nature”. He compares “meaningless conversation” and “argument” to “something impermanent”, and one’s love and respect for “people” is represented by the word “welcome” and metaphorized by the “Lotus Flower”. What makes the directive words of enlightenment such as “Fame and medals mean nothing” and “Be happy/ Be comfortable/ Keep the peace/ There is greatness there, / Enjoy the joy of life with wisdom” such deep reflection is because the use of various metaphors, such as the aforementioned analogies and vicarious metaphors, throughout the poem, which leads the whole into the illusion of a flower garden of thought.

Trying to realize beauty through the form of beauty is the general creative attitude of poets and the approach of new experiments. On the other hand, the attempt to show new beauty through the content of beauty is the creative attitude of the very unusual and special world. In ontology, there have been efforts to strengthen ontology through the form of existence, but it is rare to see an attempt to deal with existence itself in ontology. Until now, philosophical ontological thinking and thinking about humans and the environment have been dominated by semiotic and epistemological approaches and thinking, not content, even scientific approaches. This is because discussing human beings themselves may be more reckless than exploring or traveling to alien planets.

Religion explores the self and talks about God. In the world of science, scholarship, and the arts, however, God is always the problem at the starting line. It is quite unusual, but somehow necessary, for poetry to address issues such as knowledge of the self, practical enlightenment wisdom, and ethical maxims such as guidelines and codes for living, which have been considered objects of epistemological and semiotic inquiry. Just as it is not the Tao, the moment we speak of the Tao, the moment we speak of the self, the self is the other. The out-of-body occurs. Being may never be able to speak of being. But should we only deal with the world of form?

Religion explores the self and talks about God. In the world of science, scholarship, and the arts, however, God is always the problem at the starting line.

Byeong-Cheol Kang’s metaphorization of challenging reflections on humanity and existence is a very unusual and extraordinary field of poetry creation attitude. As someone has to take the initiative, Byung- Cheol Kang is doing it. Rather than skepticizing his work, we should give him unlimited encouragement and support. Even if it looks like trying to roll up a huge mountain.

However, as this article demonstrates, his poems are masterful at translating issues of perception and wisdom into the world of metaphor. This fact is important. He knows how to elevate the problems of existence and ethics to the art of poetry. Now it needs a generalization of the constant repetition, which of course is possible. It will happen sooner or later, because it is an attribute and phenomenon of nature. It is also the “natural law” that Byeong-Cheol Kang talks about in “Blooming Lotus Flower”. May the “lotus flower” of the new world “ripe fruits” as the poet puts it.

Read: Sounds of Bamboo Forest – A Bouquet of Poems from Korea, the Land of Morning Calm

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Byeon, Euisu (1956) is a Korean poet who published his first poetry book, “The city of memories in a faraway land” in 1991. Since then, he has written experimental poetry in a variety of forms, with long and short poems using distant metaphors, until his fifth collection, “The Physics of Metaphor”, in 2022. He also writes reviews of poetry, fiction, art, architecture, and other arts, and has published numerous books of criticism and poetic theory. After advocating “Meta-semiotics: Non-conscious Symbol” in 2009, he published “Convergence Studies: Symbology” in two volumes in 2015, in which he presents “Symbology” as an independent emerging academic field. Since 2019, he has been leading a collaborative poetry creation project with with Ju Won-ik, Kang Seo-yeon, Seo Sang-hwan, and Lee Chae-hyun, among others. In 2021, he founded and has served as editor for the poetry magazine “Symbology Institute”. In his poetry, he draws on the identification and transcendence of poetry and prose, poetry and science, and poetry and art. His poems show that the root of all things is one, and that all things are one world, one life.

A Fresh Translation Introduces Contemporary Readers to Tagore’s Gitanjali

Book Review

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May 8, 2024

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A Fresh Translation Introduces Contemporary Readers to Tagore’s Gitanjali

Prasenjit Gupta speaks to Sanjana Karthik about the inspiration behind his modern translation of Tagore’s Gitanjali

Sanjana Karthik

[The birthday of great poet Rabindranath Tagore is being celebrated today the 8th May, at Shanti Niketan as per Bengali Calendar. This day is also the Bengali New Year]

Tagore’s unique poetry

Prasenjit-Gupta — Author and translator Prasenjit Gupta (image courtesy: Prasenjit Gupta)

“All great poetry is unique, and Rabindranath’s especially. These songs may be set in Bengal, but their subjects are universal. Only the greatest writers can aspire to, and reach those heights,” says Prasenjit Gupta about his translation of the poems in Tagore’s Gitanjali.

Gupta, who was born in Calcutta, has degrees in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Delhi and the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, India. As a writer, he honed his craft at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, the premier writing program in the United States, where he worked on short fiction and translations from Bengali and Hindi into English. He spoke to India Currents’ Sanjana Karthik about the inspiration for his translation and on introducing Tagore’s poems to a modern audience.

“I wanted to create a new translation of the poems in Tagore’s Gitanjali. I feel that his translations, while very powerful and effective at the time they were published, may have become somewhat dated in the hundred years since. I wanted to offer the contemporary reader a fresh translation that would seem more immediate, using more current English diction.”

Universal themes

Tagore himself inspired the translation says Gupta. “His poetry is universal in its messages, and beautiful to hear in Bengali. It’s impossible to recreate the sound, the inherent music, of these poems—many of which are songs that have been set to music. However, I wanted at least the sense to come across. I get so much pleasure from reading the original poems, and I wanted to bring that pleasure to English readers.”

The songs convey their significance in many ways, adds Gupta, from the very simple to the all-encompassing ways: from the images of everyday village life to the eternal, joyful music of the sun, the moon, and the stars.

The poems and songs in the original Bengali are delightful to the ear, even as spoken poetry, containing charming rhymes, assonance, and other sound effects with many of them have been set to music. “They are rich with metaphor and meaning, image and emotion, all of which speak directly to the heart. Even in today’s world of small and large screens, with their insistent demands on our attention, a few lines of Rabindranath’s short, lyrical verse can serve to quell the madness, to calm the frenzy.”

Enriching verses

Gupta believes the poems convey a connection that needs to be explored, whether physical, spiritual, or merely sentimental. “The main message of these poems —if I can presume to reduce it to one message—is that we all have a personal connection to our surroundings, to the rest of the universe. The connection can be to your beloved, or your lord, or the source of your inspiration, your life energy. The poet opens up ways for us to do that with these poems.”

He suggests two minutes of time is enough to open a page at random and read a poem. “Reading his poems could be the last thing you do before you go to sleep: let your busy day draw to a close with a few thoughts from the Gurudeb, before you turn out the light. Those two minutes will enrich your life forever.”

Working through translations

It took three years to work on the transitions, says Gupta. “Drawing from da Vinci’s words, I can say that translations are never finished, only abandoned. In the morning you might change a word or phrase to another because it rings truer, but in the afternoon you change it back because the original was the right choice. So translations take a long time, often longer than writing the novel or the poems themselves.”

Though there have been several translations of the Gitanjali, apart from Tagore’s own, Gupta feels that existing translations, while very worthy, fell short in some ways. “Tagore’s own renderings, which are still the best, in my opinion. Others have tried to preserve the rhyme, which is ambitious, if not impossible, and they have not fully succeeded. Yet others have produced passable versions but without that special magic that is found in Rabindranath.”

A familiar tradition

Most Bengalis from Kolkata are familiar with Rabindranath’s songs which are sung at cultural functions, in people’s homes, and played on the radio and television. “It was the same for me,” says Gupta. “My parents used to sing his songs. When we went to Kolkata, my large extended family would gather in the evenings to sing Rabindra sangeet and other songs. It’s an indelible part of my childhood.”

Gupta, who now lives with his wife in Alexandria, Virginia, spent most of his working life as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer. As a high school student he was struck by how few Hindi and Bengali stories were available in English translation unlike so much fiction from other major world languages.

Translating Indian works into English

“When I started writing short stories myself, I also began to translate stories from Bengali and Hindi. I find the experience very rewarding—and often challenging, of course. It delights me to imagine that my translations could help find more readers for Bengali and Hindi literature.’

Gupta has been translating mainly short stories and poems from these two languages into English for many years. His first translation from Hindi, Indian Errant, was a collection of short stories by Nirmal Verma.. The second translation from Bengali, Brahma’s Weapon, a series of short stories by Ashapurna Debi was later published in India as Matchbox.

1.-Tagore-giving-interview-to-Columbia-Radio-oldindianphotos.in_ (1) — Tagore giving interview to Columbia Radio

Read: On Tagore’s Trails in America

Gupta also has written a children’s book called Adventures in the Underground Forest, for ten- to twelve-year-olds. Tagore’s Gitanjali is his third book of translation.

In his translations, Gupta tries to stay close to the original text. “The challenge is in ensuring that the translation doesn’t stray so far from smooth, polished English as to become awkward and unreadable. That’s not always easy, especially when translating Rabindranath, who uses highly compressed and poetic language. I can say this was the most difficult translation project I’ve ever undertaken.”

Gupta says his intention for this collection was to recast these songs in an appealing modern idiom so that they might attract a new generation of readers. “I want to believe I’ve succeeded in the former; I hope to succeed in the latter. Ultimately, of course, it’s the reader alone who decides whether the intended purpose of a book is fulfilled.”

Read: Reception of Tagore in Sindhi Literature

The Midwest Book Review said: This book “captures each poem in three ways: in the Bengali original, with Rabindranath Tagore’s translation, and Gupta’s own translation. . . . Tagore’s Gitanjali receives a closer inspection and interpretation than Rabindranath himself achieved; adding an extra dimension of understanding that is strengthened by Gupta’s consideration of what is lost and gained in the translation process. . . . A hundred years after Tagore’s achievement, these poems still hold their allure and power. They are strengthened by the dual translations and, more importantly, by the opportunity to cross-examine the translators’ intentions and choices in side-by-side presentations in two languages.

Tagore’s Gitanjali, published by Parabaas, is available on Amazon in India and the U.S. Parabaas (Parabaas.com), a publishing house based in New Jersey, focuses solely on Bengali literature.

Here is an excerpt from Poem 2:

When you tell me to sing

Pride fills up my heart;

My eyes brim over

As I stare unblinking at your face.

Whatever is hard and harsh in my life

Wants to melt away in honeyed song,

All my penitence and prayer

Wants to fly in birdlike joy.

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Sanjana Karthik has her own writing organization – Your Words Matter To Us, a mental health app – myEsprit, and is the host and co-founder of the Shawmulticultural show – The Reality Is. The Reality Is. Her poetry and articles have been recognized by the Mayor of Whiterock, and various magazines and radio stations, and have been published in anthologies. She is always engaging with her community and advocating for men’s rights, mental health, restorative justice, and other integral topics.

Courtesy: India Currents (Posted on May 8, 2024)

Maharaja Dahir – Resurgence of Sindh – Part-XVIII

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May 8, 2024

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Maharaja Dahir – Resurgence of Sindh – Part-XVIII

The English translation of a novel ‘Maharaja Dahir’ authored by Kolkata-based renowned novelist Debasree Chakraborti in Bengali language. The novel has been translated by Rajesh Giri

Place: Siraj, Armanbela, Debal

Year 712 AD

The sun is setting in the vast expansion of sea in the west; the crimson glow of the late sun is turning the sea into a bloody pool. From the coast to the far reaches rugged wilderness and golden-yellow mountains are there.

This land can only be entitled as the land of gold, as the crimson waves are crashing down on the golden beaches. Some white seagulls are hovering over waves to catch fish and feasting on them by tearing apart sitting on the beach; poor preys are writhing in agony of death. Thousands of black tents are pitched in the vast wilderness that has expanded from this beach. The prayers of Maghrib are emerging out of these tents in unison. As long as this vermilion tint is present in the western sky, it is the Maghrib time. Then the Isha prayer time will begin. Among these tents there is a huge one at the center which is quite different from the others. Inside this tent a handsome fair-skinned, well-built young stood up just after finishing his prayer and paying his gratitude to Allah. Through the front window the crimson glow of the sea get reflected on his face, the blue gems of his two eyes are shining with the passion of some unknown dream. He came out of his tent and strolled towards the sea. Now it is almost dark all around, only the torches are burning outside the tents; the roar of the sea and the call of the gulls together filled the atmosphere and console the mind.

He closes his eyes and take a deep breath. At that time clatter of hooves come from behind. He raised both of his hands and said, “O Allah, all is your grace.” Then he entered his tent, a guard came and told him that Hajjaj had sent a message from Makran. The young man asked to bring the messenger. The messenger came and left the message written on the cloth in his hand. He began to read the message.

The black letters on the white cloth turned into vibrant voice in the torchlight; the young man can saw his uncle Hajjaj. Hajjaj wrote, “By the grace of Allah, everything is going well, when you receive my message, Hajim and Abu Mughariya will reach you shortly. They will be your strongest allies in this crusade. When they reach you, at the same night that begins after the end of the Isha prayer, Issaq Ayyub and Halwan Kalib will reach you by sea with weapons in boat. Allah has chosen you as the commander of his war; not everyone gets this opportunity, so as a good Muslim, carry forward this jihad. They have imprisoned the followers of Allah, they are being cruelly tortured; punish these disbelievers in such cruelty so that they do not even get a place in Hell.”

—May they are sent in a place that is worse than hell. I can’t sleep all night, their cries fall in my ears always. As long as they are not saved and the guilty are punished, I have no peace, after death we too will have a place in hell. The honor of the whole Muslim world is now on your hands, you protect our honor by rescuing the children of Allah from the hands of the infidels. If you succeed in this mission, then the name Muhammad bin Qasim will be written in golden letters in the history of the rise of Islam. You will be a messiah to the Muslim community for ages. By tonight, lion and tiger costumes will arrive for your six thousand horses and four thousand camels.

—when horses and camels will enter the battlefield wearing this dress, the horses and camels of the enemy side will flee from the field thinking that lions and tigers have arrived. When you receive my letter, the next morning you will set out for Armanbela, where you will encamp at Armanbela, make a big circular trench around, so that no one of the enemy side may cross this boundary and get into the camp. You shall attack Debal at night in the dark, as for the infidels they do not fight after sunset. Finally, I say, Islam is in danger. The responsibility of protecting the people of your own community by defeating the infidels is now on your hands, pray regularly, keep faith in Allah.”

On that day, Muhammad bin Qasim, the seventeen year old commander of the Arab conquest of Sindh, followed Hajjaj word by word. That evening Abu Mughariya and Hazim joined Hajjaj. At midnight on the same day, a dotted line of light appeared in the dark sea of Siraj. On that day, before Sahri prayer, the light dots floating on the ocean continue to come towards them as the blessing of Allah. Muhammad bin Qasim raised both hands towards the sky and thanked Allah and said, Jazakallahu Khairan.

His uncle Hajjaj told him that Allah himself had entrusted him with this crusade and Allah’s blessings always be upon him. So thank him every moment and pray regularly. As it was time for Sahri prayer, he went inside his tent to pray. Because worldliness will continue, but the responsibility towards Allah should always remain. Early that morning, the crusaders of Islam left for Armanbela. In the rugged nature of Armanbela, there are huge rugged mountains. There are small caves in these mountains, the army of Islam entered these rugged mountain caves and found empty. In the past, Buddhist monks may have lived in these caves, but today these deserted caves have become the only memories of the past. A river has gone through the rugged nature; palm trees lining the banks of this river seem like a haven of peace among many obstacles in life. Soldiers set up camp in this area. Because there are no settlements far around, if they camp here, the news of their arrival will not reach Debal. Moreover, the distance from this region to Debal is very short, if they start after Isha prayer, they will reach Debal in the middle of the night.

Muhammad bin Qasim in his tent was planning the attack on Debal. He was looking on the list of rich people of Debal city. The family members are also identified with the names of all of them. If they can be brought under the umbrella of Islam, their attack on Debal will be fulfilled. With the help of Arab merchants, Hajjaj prepared the complete layout of the city and the list of wealthy people. Muhammad bin Qasim was instructed that if for any reason they did not agree to come under the umbrella of Islam, they were to be killed, their families were to be enslaved and sent to the markets of Middle East and their wealth was to be plundered and divided equally among the armies. And the rest of the wealth must be sent to the Caliph. The soldiers have the first right to enjoy the wealth of ‘Ghanimat’ (Wealth plundered during the war), if they are not satisfied, it is not possible to make advancement in this jihad.

That night, a terrible disaster struck the sea coast of Debal, with the furious gale and rain, the surroundings became dark and indistinct. When such calamities occur in this region, the local people try to appease the nature by blowing conch shells. That night the conch sound from every house of Debal turned into a terrible reverberation to ward off the calamity. The bells of the Shiv Mandir in the heart of Debal city keep ringing by themselves due to the gust of wind. At this time, as the doors, eyelets, and windows of every house in the city were blocked, no light was coming to the street outside, and it was as if a terrible darkness descended on the city of Debal. Debal had never seen such intense darkness, Mahadev himself was sitting inside the sanctum sanctorum as if waiting for a terrible change in history. At this time Maheshwar Banik, the biggest merchant of Debal as well as of entire Sindh, went to Southern India for business in his ship. His two sons, wife and daughter Gauri were in their palace of Debal.

When the storm hit the heart of the Earth, scorching for prolonged time, the long awaited quench of the nature became saturated and the people of Debal fell into a blissful sleep in the coolness of the nature. But there was no sleep in the eyes of Gauri Maheshwar Banik’s daughter. Today the nature outside and the nature of his mind are in unison. She deliberately keeps the windows of his bedroom open. Along one edge of the window, a creeper flower plant rises up from the garden below, the fragrance of the white flower bunches of this tree is mind blowing; this tree has a strange chemistry with rain water. From that childhood, Gauri has observed that the flowers of this tree turn out more fragrant when showered by rain. Nowadays she likes everything very much, especially the southern part of this palace which is now similar to Vrindavan dham to her. He was in this southern part of the palace. Sometimes she willingly spends time in this southern part. A few days before his father left for business, a man from Aror arrived at their place on horseback. Prince Jaisingh sent valuable gifts to her family by his own. Her family felt very honored to receive these gifts. Her father was overwhelmed and says that he never thought that a prince could express his gratitude for a single night’s invitation like this. Father also sent many valuable gifts to Aror through his representative. Gauri heard from her friends that the news of the prince’s gift had spread throughout the city of Debal. This is now the prime topic of discussion among the common people. The gift which was sent for Gauri was given to her by her father himself. Inside this gift, wrapped in precious silk, she found a letter along with precious sapphires and gold necklace and ear ornaments. (Continues)

Click here for Part-I , Part-II, Part-III , Part-IV , Part-V , Part-VI , Part-VII, Part-VIII , Part-IX , Part-X, Part-XI, Part-XII, Part-XIII , Part-XIV , Part-XV , Part-XVI, Part-XVII

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Debasree Chakraborti is a renowned novel writer of Bengali language. Based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, she has done Master’s in Modern History from the Kolkata University, and authored some thirty books, mostly the novels, with historical perspective and themes. Her most recent novel is ‘Maharaja Dahir’ that covers the history of Sindh from 662, the year of first attack on Sindh by the Arab armies till date.

Rajesh Giri, born in Kolkata, had his early schooling from Kolkata and then from Medinipur—a village in Bengal. He graduated from Calcutta University with Physics and Maths and Master’s from Burdwan University in 2016. Now he is associated with Adhdhyaan educational institution teaching Physics. History enthusiastic Rajesh Giri is particularly interested in the ancient civilization of India and other regions like Egypt, Mesopotamia, and North America. He loves traveling.