A Secular Child With No Strings Attached
I with hints of green and saffron. I am infused with philosophies of compassion, equality and sensitivity. My mother is Sikh and my father is Muslim. Life for me has been a continuous celebration. Starting with the New Year, all the festivals wait in a row. Lohri, vibrant Holi, rhythmic Baisakhi, Eid, Bakra-Eid and celebrating all the Gurpurabs. Celebration in my life signifies a mouth-watering feast. I enjoy biriyani as well as dal makhani, kheer, sheermal and sewaiyan and they all come from the same kitchen. I have a Patiala salwar and Punjabi jootis, also an elegant shawarma and a hijab in my closet. I have an enriched language, a first-hand acquaintance with Punjabiand Urdu, and use words like dastar khan, Bismillah, It minan, the hade (yours),kid dian (what's new?) The yoices of secularism enter with hints of green and saffron. I am infused with philosophies of compassion, equality and sensitivity. My mother is Sikh and my father is Muslim. Life for me has been a continuous celebration. Starting with the New Year, all the festivals wait in a row. Lohri, vibrant Holi, rhythmic Baisakhi, Eid, Bakra-Eid and celebrating all the Gurpurabs. Celebration in my life signifies a mouth-watering feast. I enjoy biriyani as well as dal makhani, kheer, sheermal and sewaiyan and they all come from the same kitchen. I have a Patiala salwar and Punjabi jootis, also an elegant sharara and a hijab in my closet. I have an enriched language, a first-hand acquaintance with Punjabiand Urdu, and use words like dastarkhan, Bismillah, It minan, the hade (yours),kiddian (what's new?) The yoices of secularism entered my life at a very young age. Even before i could lay my hands on books with pop-up pictures, i was introduced to the names of Karl Marx, Mao, and Che Guevara, along with those of Bulleh Shah, Waris Shah, Ismat Chughtai, Amrita Pritam and Shiv Batalvi-thanks to all kinds of discussions and debates at home. My bedtime stories were fairy tales and folklores from the Panchatantra, Mahabharata and the Arabian Nights. I feel that my spiritual sensibilities are heightened by all this exposure. To see my dadi-jan engrossed in hernamaz and my nani reciting gurbani was a normal sight. Not surprisingly, shabad kirtan has the ability to bring tears to my eyes in devotion and qawali makes me lose myself in a trance of reverence.I am privileg to be able to bow down in faith ina gurdwara as well as in a mosque, and sometimes when i visit a temple or church, it astounds me how all the houses of gods have the same sensation of oneness, tranquillity and acceptance and how i am able to feel this. Iam a secular child. I believe in karma, the concept of an afterlife as well as in the day of Qayamat. I believe in the omnipresence of the Almighty-the one who is Nirankar, without any shape. Though i have knowledge of many religionsand cultures, i am not confined to any, and here lies the beauty. I am able to recite the mul-mantra of Japji Sahib, i know the Gayatri mantra by heart and when i am tense i say 'Ya Allah!'I am a child who truly understands divinity in diversity. You cannot label me, you cannot categorise me. I am a secular, spiritual child, the chosen one. Ifind transcendence in watcthe sunset; i hear the miracle inchirping of the birds, ismell the ternal in beautiful white liliesable to greet with a Sat Sri Akalalso with Assalamualaikum, knowledge that the meaning of two is one-peace and truth. People might think iam lost,might assume i am confused and they raise their eyebrows in judment, astonishment and some tiresentment, i smile because i kram a blessed soul. I smile becau:knowicouldn'tbe more aware true nature of the words 'religic'secularity' if ihadn't been the image of my parents who cоfrom different cultures but who share the same heart.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Masha Hassan views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Masha Hassan and Speaking Tree,Times of India
A Secular Child With No Strings Attached
I with hints of green and saffron. I am infused with philosophies of compassion, equality and sensitivity. My mother is Sikh and my father is Muslim. Life for me has been a continuous celebration. Starting with the New Year, all the festivals wait in a row. Lohri, vibrant Holi, rhythmic Baisakhi, Eid, Bakra-Eid and celebrating all the Gurpurabs. Celebration in my life signifies a mouth-watering feast. I enjoy biriyani as well as dal makhani, kheer, sheermal and sewaiyan and they all come from the same kitchen. I have a Patiala salwar and Punjabi jootis, also an elegant shawarma and a hijab in my closet. I have an enriched language, a first-hand acquaintance with Punjabiand Urdu, and use words like dastar khan, Bismillah, It minan, the hade (yours),kid dian (what's new?) The yoices of secularism enter with hints of green and saffron. I am infused with philosophies of compassion, equality and sensitivity. My mother is Sikh and my father is Muslim. Life for me has been a continuous celebration. Starting with the New Year, all the festivals wait in a row. Lohri, vibrant Holi, rhythmic Baisakhi, Eid, Bakra-Eid and celebrating all the Gurpurabs. Celebration in my life signifies a mouth-watering feast. I enjoy biriyani as well as dal makhani, kheer, sheermal and sewaiyan and they all come from the same kitchen. I have a Patiala salwar and Punjabi jootis, also an elegant sharara and a hijab in my closet. I have an enriched language, a first-hand acquaintance with Punjabiand Urdu, and use words like dastarkhan, Bismillah, It minan, the hade (yours),kiddian (what's new?) The yoices of secularism entered my life at a very young age. Even before i could lay my hands on books with pop-up pictures, i was introduced to the names of Karl Marx, Mao, and Che Guevara, along with those of Bulleh Shah, Waris Shah, Ismat Chughtai, Amrita Pritam and Shiv Batalvi-thanks to all kinds of discussions and debates at home. My bedtime stories were fairy tales and folklores from the Panchatantra, Mahabharata and the Arabian Nights. I feel that my spiritual sensibilities are heightened by all this exposure. To see my dadi-jan engrossed in hernamaz and my nani reciting gurbani was a normal sight. Not surprisingly, shabad kirtan has the ability to bring tears to my eyes in devotion and qawali makes me lose myself in a trance of reverence.I am privileg to be able to bow down in faith ina gurdwara as well as in a mosque, and sometimes when i visit a temple or church, it astounds me how all the houses of gods have the same sensation of oneness, tranquillity and acceptance and how i am able to feel this. Iam a secular child. I believe in karma, the concept of an afterlife as well as in the day of Qayamat. I believe in the omnipresence of the Almighty-the one who is Nirankar, without any shape. Though i have knowledge of many religionsand cultures, i am not confined to any, and here lies the beauty. I am able to recite the mul-mantra of Japji Sahib, i know the Gayatri mantra by heart and when i am tense i say 'Ya Allah!'I am a child who truly understands divinity in diversity. You cannot label me, you cannot categorise me. I am a secular, spiritual child, the chosen one. Ifind transcendence in watcthe sunset; i hear the miracle inchirping of the birds, ismell the ternal in beautiful white liliesable to greet with a Sat Sri Akalalso with Assalamualaikum, knowledge that the meaning of two is one-peace and truth. People might think iam lost,might assume i am confused and they raise their eyebrows in judment, astonishment and some tiresentment, i smile because i kram a blessed soul. I smile becau:knowicouldn'tbe more aware true nature of the words 'religic'secularity' if ihadn't been the image of my parents who cоfrom different cultures but who share the same heart.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Masha Hassan views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Masha Hassan and Speaking Tree,Times of India