meethapani

    The Ink of the Scholar   The ancient Greeks were the masters of philosophy and science for over 1000 years. The Agora of Athens which once resounded with the discussions of Socrates, Plato, and Sophocles is silent and empty today with broken pillars covered with weeds.   Rome once ruled the Mediterranean and beyond, but today is associated with Italian cuisine, fashion and art in the shadow of the ruins of the dreaded Colosseum where Roman emperors were entertained by gladiators fighting to the death.   That is the trajectory of all civilizations that reached great heights and then tumbled into fragmentation, their past glory all but forgotten.     The Islamic civilization too was once the most significant custodian of learning, and like the Greeks, many of its inventions, philosophies and laws are still an integral part of modern societies.     Unlike the Greek and Roman empires, the achievements of the Islamic empi...

  Changing the Narrative Every person has a narrative. Most are inherited narratives of family, tribe, or nationhood, some related from generation to generation, some reflected publicly in surnames indicating a trade or a place of origin. The Arabic tradition of Kunyat, rather than referencing an ancestor, is forward looking, honouring the next generation, adding Abu (father of) or umm (mother of) a first-born son or daughter.   It can also be a characteristic associated with the person, such as Abu Hurayra -“father of the kitten” who was known for his love of cats.   Nicknames or pet names are given as a mark of affection or sometimes to distinguish between two persons of the same name such as Saghir Lamba or Saghir mota. Many of us grew up going to langray ke dukan, or had a relative called gori phuppo. Aliases may be used to disguise one’s true identity. The Victorian novelist, Mary Ann Evans,   wrote books under the name of George Eliot to break into a ma...

  Comfortable Cities Walking through Karachi’s old city inevitably one’s eyes lift above the cacophony of the street to the quiet sadness of beautiful stone balconies, roof top belvederes and elegant doorways clothed now in a cobweb of wires trapping errant plastic bags, concealing crooked shop signs. The newly renovated Khalikdina Hall with its handsome portico and gracious hall made for the people of the city, where once local elders came to read the daily newspapers, and whose hall echoes with the sounds of animated meetings and gatherings give a glimpse into a Karachi where the quality of life of its people mattered. Cities were once made to be comfortable and graceful. Deep balconies and interior courtyards for women, and informal chabootra platforms projecting onto the street for men. Public buildings had wide steps to sit on and shaded passageways.   The 12 th C Andalusian judge, Ibn Abdun, is often quoted for saying ”Architecture is the haven where man’s spirit, s...

  How Much is Enough? Most discussions about what is considered ‘enough’ centre around money and power. To be the most powerful, the wealthiest or the most famous, once the desire of mighty kings and despots, has now filtered down in modern societies, with rags to riches stories becoming commonplace. However, the modern world is increasingly characterised by insatiability, an inability to say “enough is enough”, and an insatiable desire for more money or power. Enough means having enough to live, enough to be happy, and enough to thrive. So how does one arrive at what is enough? Enough is not a number. Individuals have their own measure of enough. The wise know what that limit is, for others, society’s limiting systems — legal or moral — determine when enough is enough. King Ashoka won a battle against the Kalinga kingdom, with 100,000 deaths and even more taken captive. That was his ‘enough’. Appalled by his own ruthlessness, Ashoka became a Buddhist, dedicated to spreading th...