Broken Green

We die every moment with its sliver and then are born again the next moment. What dies inside us is born again. Maybe what died was a lily and next moment it blooms as a weed so green that the eyes hurt. A green of a broken soda bottle half buried in a forsaken backyard. But the glass blooms in a moment that is forever. That bloom moment that gave it its green. And then the atoms close their eyes hearing themselves being crunched under a tank, a brick or a red stiletto. The merry crunch is born. Crunch of a wound, of detachment of impermanence that is the only constant.

Qadam

zinia phir haya sey bojhil hai
sherbati baatein balcony se 
uske lab pe phisal rahi hain

ab toh koi chaand ko gul kare

usska rukh uss ufaq kii taraf uthta nahi

jo teri sanson ke sheeshe mein

dhalti jaa rahi hai

jaise resham shaam ke seene se phisalti jaa rahi hai

mere qadam iss lawn pe mujhse aage chalte hain

raah mein soyi sadiyon ke qataar milte hain

zaraa aur aagey ik khidki ki aankhen nam hain

usne terey puraney dinon ki uttran pahni thhi

geeley alfaaz uss se mera shikwa karte hain

raah main koi pathhar bhi nai

ki main apne ashaar ka khoon karun

aur khud apne rawa ankhon se unko ghusal dun

teri palkon key kinare
qandeelon ke baagh roshan toh thhey
yeh sunehra andhera qashtiyon ke saath
bah kar aya hai?

hazaron pyale chuur huye samandar kinare

yahan waqt khud kab sey  rezah rezah hai

thodi dur, kuchh agey

surkh titliyon ke qafile hain

kuchh zara aur dur

teri khusbooun ke mazaar milte hain

ik dareecha khulta hai, ik qadeem

safar shuru hota hai


© Saima Afreen (Photograph and poem)

The Myriad Influences on Parsi Food

The myriad influences of Parsi food

We take you on a culinary tour of traditional Parsi delicacies that are hard to find in the city today

There are around 1,161 Parsi families in the twin cities. However, finding a restaurant serving authentic Parsi cuisine is well, impossible. That's because there just aren't any left. Connoisseurs of Parsi fare would recall a restaurant called Spenta which opened at Paradise circle over a decade ago. But the place shut shop soon, because the city couldn't quite appreciate its hot and sweet taste palette, some say. But the Parsis beg to differ. "It was shut because of shortage of staff," reckons the community. "Your best bet to get a taste of Parsi gastronomical delights like mutton dhansak, salli marghi is to get invited to a traditional Sunday lunch in a Parsi home," quips fashion designer Zubin Vakil, who lives in his 100-year- old family home in Secunderabad.

An exotic blend of varied cuisines 

Parsi food is an eclectic blend of exotic culinary influences of East and West, which is reflected in the sweet and sour taste of the cuisine. "Parsis first arrived on the shores of Gujarat after escaping Persia way back in the 7th century, and thus, emerged a blend of Iranian and Gujarati cuisine. It is not for nothing that Parsi food has a blend of khatta and meetha," says Beyniaz Edulji, a food blogger residing at Sainikpuri. Enobia Daruwala manager of Parsi Dharamsala Secunderabad informs, "We use a slight dash of sugar/jaggery and vinegar in our food."

Vengna no Patio, a sweet-sour dish made from brinjal and flavoured with Parsi vinegar, garnished with coriander leaves, reflects the Portugese influence. "The Portuguese had settlements in and around Surat and other parts which had dominant Parsi population, much before the British came to India. The Patio is Portuguese influenced," says home-maker Firoza Mistry, based in Secunderabad. The 18-egg-omelette is an embodiment of the community's love for eggs. Much like French poetry, Parsi food is based on symbolism. "Eggs are very important to us as we consider these as symbol of fertility. And that's how we start our breakfast with lots of eggs," explains Beyniaz Edulji.

Seeped in family traditions 

Parsi food is never complete without the matchstick-thin potato fries known as salli that is put atop salli marghi — a chicken curry for weddings and festivals. The red curry is delicious enough to cause cravings. "Bakhras, the fried biscuits, and kumas, the fruit cakes have become dishes of yesteryears now safe only in the hands of our grandmothers," shares Zubin.

The most popular Parsi food item must be the dhansak. Most non-Parsis might sheepishly recall tasting the dhansak at a Parsi wedding or birthday. Beyniaz busts the myth saying, "Dhansak is not served at Navroz our New Year. You will never see it being served at weddings or birthdays or on any happy occasion. We serve it only on the fourth day of a loved one's death. Many people do not know this." 'Dhan' means rice: in this case the rice is brown and mixed with spices and 'sak' means lentils mixed with vegetables, mutton or lamb cubes. Sometimes on a lazy Sunday afternoon a Parsi family likes to have dhansak, believed to be an age old recipe.

Another popular snack of yesteryears, Popal Jee, also has an interesting anecdote to it. Apparently, when a girl meets her to-be-in-laws for the first time, she carries a plateful of Popal Jee along with tea. "It is a sweet fried snack like a doughnut that's difficult to make and serves as a token of the bride's culinary skills. And when the girl is married, the vast assortment of delightful dishes is beyond description. And it can be savoured only when one goes to a Parsi household," says Beyniyaz.

With the onset of winter begins the wedding season, the rich aromas of great Parsi food are set to tantalise the city folk soon.

URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food/food-reviews/The-myriad-influences-of-Parsi-food/articleshow/44933540.cms?

The World is a Stage

Mohammad Ali Baig, from an ad-film maker to a theater revivalist brings grand epics on stage with an appeal that stays in audience’s minds. The theater world is a chess board for him of which he is the invincible monarch.

The world is a stage for playwright, actor and director Mohammad Ali Baig. The grandeur of his plays transports even the onlooker to a different era. And when this era throws opens wide windows at Van Gogh’s Castle to European spectators for Qutub Shahi, what more can theatre connoisseurs ask for? Baig trots over topographies with his regal productions leaving behind a trail of indelible imprints.

Reviving an Era Bygone

It was the glittering era of Urdu theater in Hyderabad when it saw a stalwart Qadir Ali Baig rise and cover the theater scene like dew. The B&W television era gushed with the late theater legend’s plays, leaving behind gigantic prints that his son Mohammad Ali Baig is filling with colours. The young Baig revived the Asaf Jahi and Mughal eras bringing the same back to Modern cities, but not without his own touch of an ad-film maker. With more than 450 ad-films shot in different countries, he wrapped up his one decade long advertising career to open a book that is scented with Hindustani History, but is penned with the sounds of his Time.

He smiles, “I formed my own ad company with a huge client list. But my Other Self always whispered asking me to do something more meaningful. In 2005 I set up Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation as a tribute to baba (his father). I stayed away from morbidity and wanted the audience to enjoy a complete aesthetic and vibrant experience”. The Foundation picks the best plays from India and abroad and showcases the same in various countries.

The early years

In his palatial Murad Nagar home, childhood for Baig was life unfolding itself. Their discussions would range from menial things such as Biryani to plays by Beckett and Brecht. He would escape from the stifling theater discussions moving amidst the big verandas, ponds and lush green trees of his more-than-100-year-old ancestral house. The environment at his house also taught him discipline, devotion, values and loyalty that would later culminate into the persona that defines him and his art.

He reminisces, “I have very fond memories of family gatherings. The warmth generated at our dinner table with conversation is still there in the corners and stairs of our house.” The voices of the characters that his father created would be remembered by young Baig long after he was gone. These voices that sounded far away were as close to him as own his heartbeat.

The Prince of Hearts

The love legend of Prince Quli Qutub Shah and his beloved Bhagmati was a celebration of Revived Theatre when Baig wrote and played the heritage production ‘Quli: Dilon ka Shahzaada’. It was staged at Footsbarn Festival in France and then London’s historical Globe Theatre. “We were the first ever Urdu Theatre Festival from Asia to perform in Europe,” he says. He himself played the Prince and Poet Quli and gave the European audience what they had never seen – a rich blend of Qutub Shahi epic and musical splendor at the European castle where it was performed. “We received three standing ovations for the performance,” says Baig.

The Sky is not the Limit

The recently concluded Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Festival in Hyderabad in which he presented ‘Basant Ritu ka Sapna’, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at Salar Jung Museum, ‘Biwi-O-Biwi’ and of course ‘Quli: Dilon ka Shahzaada’. There was book release of Habib Tanvir’s ‘Memoirs’ by Baig himself. He talks about the grandeur of the Foundation and the plays, “My theater is about Realism - fictionalizing reality. It has poetry, craft, music, and everything that completes the sense of aesthetics.”
He did a play ‘Pankhdiyaan’ on Ali Sardar Jafri’s poetry that had Anupam Kher in the cast. In ‘Dada Saheb Phalke’ he himself played the character with Lillette Dubey in the cast. At World Performing Arts Festival, Lahore, ‘Raat Phoolon ki’ was showcased which was based on Makhdoom Mohiuddin’s poetry. Myriads of awards that he has received expand the space where his scripts are delicately pinned much like feathers collected from exotic lands.

Miles to Go

“An artist should remain an artist. Being associated with Art is a huge responsibility. Meaningful theater with popular appeal is what we aim at. People from 16 to 80 connect with theater. We have audience from four generations,” he says. He subscribes to minimalist and existentialist aspects of art. And he is there to pick up such jewels and deck up the otherwise distant light house of theater.

Arabian Cuisine Finds Favour in Hyderabad

Most foodies in the city would recommend a trip to far away Barkas to get your fill of authentic Arabic cuisine. But now, a lot of alternatives have cropped up around the city (in Tolichowki, Charminar, Banjara Hills) that serve delectable Arabic specialities like mandi, muttabaq, umm ali, hummus, khabsa laham etc. It does look like city folk have developed a taste for Arabian cusine.

Socialite Aamer Javeed often visits restaurants in Banjara hills with friends to relish the Arabic platter. He says, "I love eating samak al-faham (fish that looks white after cooking), hummus and khabsa laham. An Arabic meal can never be complete without the sweet delight, baklava, which is a flaky pastry filled with nuts. It just dissolves in the mouth."

The platter is an amalgamation of cuisines like Yemeni, Persian, Lebanese, Turkish and Saudi Arabia. The experience of sharing food served on one big thhaal (a huge round plate) is proving to be a big draw for the city folk. "I often go to Old City with friends and enjoy eating the Arabic dishes. I am fond of the flavoured rice with less spices," says city based artist Aziz.

Restaurants in Towlichowki have an exotic Arabian ambience with long curtains, woven carpets laid on the floor and with masnads (bolsters) laid around low tables.The mandi is a huge favourite with the crowds. Served as a mound of rice with chunks of meat (chicken mutton fish) on the thhaal, it has many variants -khabsa laham, majboos (tomatoes are added) and maghluba (more nuts and a bit spicy). The rice is flavoured with saffron and hence, is yellow in colour. It is sprinkled with fried raisins, nuts and fried onion ringlets. A boiled egg sits atop it, sprinkled with finely chopped coriander and mint leaves. "Many Hyderabadis like us want a break from the spicy biryani and these dishes stand out because of their flavours. My Sunday special is steaming hot majboos, another variety of mandi, which has a mild flavour.I used to go to Barkas a lot, but thankfully, we have so many more options these days," says Neidhi, an MNC employee. She loves eating basbousa, a kind of semolina halwa cooked with orange flower water and sugar syrup.

City-based food blogger and critic Sankalp, sums it up saying, "Arabian food is cooked on slow wood fire that gives it the special flavour. My favourite is muttabaq, a kind of patties filled with minced meat, scrambled eggs and herbs. Another favourite of mine is khabsa."

Cups of suleimani chai (decoction of tea served with a dash of lemon) are a must have after a hearty Arabian meal.

MADE IN TANDOOR

A pit is dug in the ground and its inside walls are covered with clay. Logwoods are fired. A pot containing water, rice and spices for mandi is kept on these logs. Atop the vessel, a wire mesh is kept on which big pieces of meat are placed and is left to cook. "The taste of meat cooked in this way has flavour of smoke and gets cooked tenderly. When its fat drips on the rice the final flavour is unique," shares Mohammed Aslam, a cook at an eatery in Tolichowki.

HOW ARABIAN FOOD REACHED HYDERABAD

Hyderabad has an old association with the Arabs. Way back in 13th century, many Yemenis were part of Bahmani army. After the dynasty's fall, these soldiers joined the Maratha army. When the Marathas were defeated by the British, these Yemeni soldiers were sent to Hyderabad to serve the Nizam. And the rest as they say is history.

URL:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food/food-reviews/Arabian-cuisine-finds-favour-in-Hyderabad/articleshow/45256712.cms?

Small And Beautiful

An Iranian miniature painting artist makes Hyderabad her home. Find out how and why. 
 
Shima Talebi, an Irani turned Hyderabadi is an artist who has been trying to promote the idea of heaven through her unique paintings. Her work symbolizes miniature art form, one that is rich in ancient history and culture. Cityplus catches up with Shima to find out what motivated her to move to Hyderabad for good and her journey from carpet designing to promoting miniature painting art form.

 What is miniature art?

 Miniature painting became a significant Persian genre in the 13th century, receiving Chinese influence after the Mongol conquests, the tradition flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Persian miniature was the central influence on other Islamic miniature traditions, chiefly the Ottoman miniature in Turkey, and the Mughal miniature in the Indian sub-continent. The techniques used in the art of miniature painting are broadly comparable to the Western and Byzantine traditions of miniatures in illuminated manuscripts. Although there is an equally well-established Persian tradition of wall-painting, the survival rate and state of preservation of miniatures is better, and miniatures are a best-known form of Persian painting in the West, and many of the most important examples are in Western, or Turkish, museums.

The influences

The beauty, fine work and spirituality of Persian miniature influenced her since childhood and she incorporated the same in her paintings. She recites one childhood story, “When I was eight years old my art teacher asked students to draw winter on paper. Upon my submission, my teacher refused to accept it citing the reason that it was copied. When I told the story to my mom she told me that I am so good at painting that even my teacher couldn’t believe it.” It was this incident that inspired Shima to continue to pursue her love for painting and not pay much heed to what people have to say about it. Today her subjects revolve around the Heaven as she paints figures like Simurgh rising high in the skywards obviously towards heaven.

Hyderabad as her home

 It is not unusual to find Central Asian students in Hyderabad as the cultures are related from the time of Nizam. Shima Talebi, too, came from Iran to pursue her MBA in Marketing. She says, “I completed my Bachelor’s degree in fine art carpet designing from Iran. But I liked Hyderabad city and was charmed so much that I decided to stay back. And here I am putting my paintings on display as exhibitions in art galleries around the city.” She learnt miniature style nine years ago in the university. Miniature style is a tradition style of painting in Iran. She goes on, “India is a second home for me. Iran and India both have so many things in common like Hindi language, foods, culture and more.”

 Why miniature art is the toughest
 What is important to recognize about Persian miniatures is that they were intended primarily to be book illustrations without any intention of showcasing the artist’s creative abilities. Shima says, “The goal was to show how well the artist could adhere to the rules and traditions used in previous renderings of traditional subject matter which were mostly related to Persian mythology and poetry.”

This pre-Islamic empire’s art mainly incorporated old Persian themes with more recent Hellenistic and Chinese techniques and motifs. The latter were introduced into the Middle East as a result of the Mongol invasions of the 14th century and hence, we find mythical beasts in Persian miniatures that greatly resemble those in Chinese drawings.  Shima adds, “It has a high value and respect in the country. It is called Negargari and is considered the best miniature amongst all small paintings produced in Middle Eastern countries. It is traced to the artistic works of the Sassanid Empire which ruled the region from 224 to 651 A.D where modern Iran is today.” Content and form are fundamental elements of Persian miniature painting, and miniature artists are renowned for their vivid but subtle use of colour.

Heaven and beyond

Shima recently exhibited her miniature paintings at Lamakaan located in Banjara Hills. It was titled ‘Heaven1’ and received an encouraging response. For her unique art form, Shima uses brushes, colours and other related stuff made in Iran. Especially the brushes, those are purely handmade. Colours used by her are mostly from natural resources and minerals, some even have Arabic gum and rabbit glue. Also the Secretary of the carpet designing Society in the University of Sistan and Baluchistan, Shima likes to use carpet patterns in her paintings to make them as unique as her style. About her future plans, she says, “In the next exhibition I am going to show the combination of modern and traditional forms to prove that art is not antiquated.

--Saima Afreen

Poetic Charms

Bill Wolak, a US poet who is in love with Hyderabad talks to Cityplus about his love for the City of Pearls and the translation he has done of legendary Persian poet Hafez.

The city of Nizams resonates with mellifluous poetry and the same becomes even more desirable when somebody travels from across the seas just to be with the city he loves and express his love for poetry in the city’s regal language – Persian that is. Meet Bill Wolak US poet and professor of English and Comparative Literature in William Paterson University who was recently in Hyderabad for his poetry reading at Goethe Zentrum entitled ‘Kissing Moonlight: Hafez and the resonance of Desire. He talks about his love for Hyderabad and Hafez.

Persian Connect 

While Bill was studying for his graduation in Rutgers University he was introduced to the exquisitely beautiful world of Oriental Literature namely Persian. He studied it closely and fell in love with its verse. He says, “Literature lovers anywhere in the world would find Hafez unprecedented. And anyone who loves Hafez would understand a man who had reached the lofty pinnacle of deep philosophy. Hafez, in his poems, talks about love and Art so delicately that you feel the rhythmic threads actually mingling with your thoughts. This love as the saying goes can move mountains and change the world. It can affect anyone in its own special way.”
 Bill is an aficionado of Shamz Tabrez and Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi and his ethereal love for Sufism gets deeper with each passing day. He elaborates, “The goal in Sufism is to depict the indescribable experiences, the sap of wine and the smooth flow of music. The Sufis talk about their philososphies through wine and the reader gets closer to saqi. It makes you intoxicated as if you were in a caravanserai. Sufism you can find in many traditions be it Hinduism-Bhakti or Chinese traditions. The essence of life is revived.

On translating Hafez
While he was completing his degree he met an Iranian doctorate fellow Ahmad Karimi Hakak that made him more inclined towards Persian literature. But unfortunately they lost touch. Bill explains, “I became friends with his younger brother Mahmood Karimi Hakak who stayed in New York City. He, too, is a poet and translator. Mahmood introduced me to Hafez’s work. One day he suggested that we both translate Persian poetry of Hafez. I agreed.” And that’s how the book ‘Your Lover’s Beloved’ – 51 ghazals by Hafez came into translation from Persian into English by both of them.

Hyderabad connect

He has been invited as featured in Hyderabad Literary Festival held in for the last two years. This is the third time he is visiting Hyderabad. “I am in love with the city for its culture and tehzeeb that’s still preserved in some hearts. I just love the Deccan architecture blended with Gothic designs and of course the legendary history that is buried in its stones that has poetry of its own,” says Bill. He adds, “I’ve been invited to be a featured poet at the Hyderabad Literary Festival for the last two years. I had a German translator friend of mine Silvia Kofler translate the ten Hafez ghazals into German.  Then my friends John and Joan Digby helped me make these German translations into a small book which titled ‘Those  who Stood Up For Tolerance’.
 He roams around in the city with his high end camera capturing history in the passing time seeing everything from a different angle that his lenses give a different facet much like his own poetry.

Next on his wish list
Mahmood Karimi Hakak and Bill has  just translated a Persian poet Iraj Mirza with entitled ‘Love Me More Than the Others’.  He says, “Mahmood and I will be setting up a book launch for this new translation across the US and Canada.  In addition, I will be hosting two Indian poets at readings in the US:  Dileep Jhaveri, Yuyustu Ram Dass Sharma, who is a distinguished poet based in Katmandu, Nepal.”

Bill Wolak has written other poetry books of his own in English namely ‘Archaeology of Light’, ‘The Lover’s Body’, ‘The Statue of Lighting’ and many other anthologies. “My works talk about love and words explore the deeper recesses of lovers. In America there’s a deep spiritual longing for poets like Kabir, Amir Khusro, Zen, Krisna and Tibetan figure Milarepa. No wonder the most popular poet selling now in America is Rumi,” he adds.  Signing off he says, “I am going to visit Hyderabad again and again. Like poetry my love for this city will never end.”

"I am going to visit Hyderabad again and again Like poetry my love for this city will never end"