Thousands of sparkling suns

Thousands of suns sparkling,

bewildering & distracting.

captivating thoughts, like an endless entangled rings

disastrous, yet enslaving

her image amuse me, 

smiles & more

felicity of air after rain

the caress of waves against the shore.

yet, your words hammered the brittle being

the meaningless, endless, elongated

conversation of the midnight,

feels lamented and yet haunted

Why?

the sensitiveness of regret & happiness,

thousands of suns sparkling

asking and tearing- usual human recourse

This is my first attempt in writing poems. This is about our feelings when we fight/argue/break up with our loved one and thousands of mind boggling ideas comes into our mind. Most of the time, over shadow the thoughts of our happy moments of long period by just formed arguments. We forget, we are humans and we should be prepared to face both. Don't let your long time love overshadowed by some stupid ideas, or else, it never was. 

Diary of a lone traveller

2am, Kuala Lumpur airport at Starbucks, I feel annoyed by the person who came and sat on my table without even asking. Thin and fair complexion, small tufted beard, small eyes and loose clothes and with annoying smile he asked me “Do you mind if I can use your laptop?” I was half sleeping, yawning and bit confused now…and then two hour conversion started.

Working in Malaysia as a supervisor of worker in a construction company for two years now, and he wants to go to Belgium to find his love of live. He is alone for past 3 years and he lives on streets mostly and has a pet street dog which he is going to miss for some months now. He had an illegal entry in KL and things have not been totally fixed yet. He has a police complains registered against him for indulgence in fight. He has never been to Europe or any other countries elsewhere SE Asia. In short he was in all kinds of mess that I would say enough to give a reason for people to feel unhappy and painful about. 

“Pain is important, it makes me feel human.” he said. My mama and dad died in a bus accident. Yes, sometimes I miss them and feel alone, but not lonely. They give me strength to live more. I find no bigger reason to live every day without regrets and without complain. It makes me live more lives every day without worrying what will happen. If live is all about uncertain, which you would agree, why not to make it uncertainly happy.

I was much sad about his situation that he was. Indeed ironical. He explained me about his daily activities. He hates his Job because most of the time he has to sit and watch others work. For him, unimportant things were most important. He likes talking to people, helping the old lady at grocery shop nearby, making graffiti around abandoned walls and his pet dog. “These are some of my very important work, which people think unimportant. I grow with them and feel a rhythm in them.” I was listening. “Most important things in life are those which we consider not-important. It’s like breathing, we don’t care, but it’s vital. We care for office meetings but we fail to meet with our security guards outside; we care for salary but fail in some helping donation. We fail to understand that they are collateral.”

And why are you going to Belgium? “It is about only girl I loved. We were in Philippines and her father was working in the same office with my dad. They moved to Belgium a month before the accident. Though it took me three years to save enough but I am certain of my motives. I’ll meet her and together go to Paris.” he said. What if you could not find her? “I’ll try my best. Even if I couldn’t I’ll have a better travelling experience, chance to explore new places and I’ll have proud feeling that I always tried. Life gives you alternatives but no less.”

I was speechless. That was the first and last time I ever met him. I don’t know if he could meet his love of live. I don’t even remember his name but for me, he remained un-important person who can have some most wonderful experiences.

The music of delhi

The Music of Delhi

The music of India goes back to the 1st century A.D. in the form of Chanting of Hindu Texts from the sacred Vedas. Though, it is believed that the Raagas came much later into the Chants. First, there was only rhythmic chanting of the hymns from the Sacred texts. Then there was a melodic structure introduced to the texts. A melodic structure which was to be characterized by it's ascending and descending movements, improvisation patterns, the mood and it's personality. The chantings later developed as an art called 'Dhruvpad', popularly known as Dhrupad. Dhruvpad literally means that the text and music which is dedicated always in praise of the almighty. The most sacred text. Dhrupad is also said to be the perfect rendition of a text. The other form of hindustani music is what we call Khayal. Khayal is a persian word literally meaning, Imagingation. This brings us to the motive of this paper.

Khayal, the form of music which was invented by Hazrat Amir Khusrau Dehalvi(1253-1325 A.D.), a court poet in the Darbar, of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi. The golden time of Hazrat Amir Khusrau's life was during which he was a disciple of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. It was then, he invented various forms of Qawwali like Qaul, Qalbana, Naqsh-O-Gul. It is true that Hazrat Amir Khusrau didn't write anything on music, but in the third chapter of his book Nur Siphr, Hazrat Amir Khusrau says " Indian music, the fire that burns heart and soul, is superior to music of any other country. Foreigners, even after a stay of 30 or 40 years in India, cannot play a single tune correctly. Indian music charms not only men but beasts also. Deer have been hypnotized and hunted simply by music." ; Some of the most popular Raagas in Hindustani music were, in fact, created by Hazrat Amir Khusrau such as Sarparda, Saazgiri, Yaman, Zeelaf, Shahana and so on. The mystic style of Tarana was also created by Hazrat Amir Khusrau. Tarana in persian means 'a song'. Hazrat Amir Khusrau is also credited to the creation of numerous taalas, Chapaka, Farodast, Qawwali, and Pashto being a few of them.

Bonnie. C. Wade, a Professor of Music at the University of California, Berkeley says that Khayal's origins may have been attributed to Khusrau because there was a rapid fusion of the Perso-Arabic, Turki-Iranian, and Indic musical systems during his lifetime. Wade adds and says that the name Khayal was given to a particular mannerism and a particular song form in Khusrau's time. It wasn't a very popular form of music in Khusrau's time though. Most of the rulers and ministers were fond of listening to Dhrupad, which was then in the form of Chhanda, Prabhanda, Dhruv-Maata in that era. Thakur Jaidev Singh stated that in the fifteenth century Jaunpur, Khayal was ornate and romantic, and it was popular with musicians other than who performed in Hindu temples.

During the reign of the mughals, which is known as the Medieval Period in Indian history. According to Acharya Brihaspati, the muslim rulers were lovers of art and music, and had musicians attached to their courts; The Delhi sultanate was expended to the South, and in the Deccan, Muslim Courts were established; When the Delhi Sultanate was fragmented by Taimurs' invasion in 1398, the musicians fled to regional centres; independent rulers of Jaunpur, Gujrat and Gwalior became chief patrons of music; Sultan Hussain Sharqi of Jaunpur (1458-1477 A.D.) revived the lost tradition of Khayal. After Khusrau, Khayal was depopularized due to a large number of Dhrupad singers as court singers.

Early History of the Music of Delhi

Hindustani music has two classifications, according to geographical boundaries. These geographical boundaries brought in all the differences of traditions, religions, customs and the tastes in music. The two types of Hindustani Music are Hindustani and Carnatic, which had their respective core centres in Delhi and Tanjore. During the mid 14th century, the blending of Persian music with contemporary Indian music came to be known as 'Indraprastha Matt'. Matt literally means 'Style'. Under these systems, the Maqaam system Raagas were fused with the Indian system; there were some arrangements made to Raagas and their classification from Mela to Thaat. This new tradition of Indian music was called Qawwal Bachhon ki Parampara. Another version of this is available.

Hazrat Amir Khusrau had popularized the Qawwali during the times of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. He picked up twelve students to render Qawwali and made Miyan Saamat Qawwal as the leader of the group. This group was then known as Qawwal Bachhe. The Qawwal Bachhe are adept at their singing in the style of Qawwali including the forms such as Naqsh, Gul, Baseet, Tarana, Rang, Qaul, Qalbana and so on. They are very good renderers of Khayal Gayaki too. But, in true terms, the Khayal tradition of Hazrat Amir Khusrau has been looked after the descendants living in Delhi, which creates a Gharana called the Dilli Gharana.This gharana has had quite a history, it has been a victim of ignorance, politics and tragedy.

Here's the story of Dilli Gharana. Meer Bula Kalawant was one of the two court musicians of Baadshah Shams Iltumish.He was a contemporary to Hazrat Amir Khusrau. As stated by the representatives of the present Delhi Gharana, the descendants of this very family were the court singers of Maharaja Nahar Singh (1823-1858) of Ballabhgarh, now in Haryana. Raja Nahar Singh was the ruler of 101 villages in and around Ballabhgarh. Two of the court musicians of his times were Meer Allahbuqsh and Meer Umarbaqsh. Their descendants, all of the generations have carried forward the Khayal tradition of Hazrat Amir Khusrau.

The Lineage of Music in Delhi

Qutubbaqsh, later known as Tanras Khan, a disciple of Miyan Achpal, was the court musician at the Darbaar of the last mughal emperor Bahadurshah Zafar. His father's name was Qadirbaqsh and his grandfathers' name was also Qutubbaqsh. Tanras Khan received his initial training from his father. After the death of Bahadurshah Zafar, Tanras Khan moved to Alwar and was appointed the court singer by Maharaja Shivdaan Singh. During that time, he was constantly being invited to different provinces for performances such as Joshpur, Jaipur, Gwalior and so on. He was also awarded by the King of Nepal. After returning from Nepal, he went to the Nizam of Hyderabad, Meer Mehboob Ali Khan and was appointed by him, his court musician at 750 rupees/month. He was awarded land by the Nizam of Hyderabad, which is now called 'Mausiqui Manzil' and it is the place where the descendants of Tanras Khan reside.

Sultan Iltumish is said to have conferred the titles of Sawant and Kalawant to Mir Hasan and Mir Bala respectively during his reign (1211-1236 A.D.). Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan, who is the present Khalifa of Delhi Gharana, says that Miyan Saamti was Peer Bhai of Hazrat Amir Khusrau. As Hazrat Amir Khusrau was only a composer and not a singer, he chose Miyan Saamti to vocalize his writings and compositions. Miyan Saamti was the grandson of Hasan Saawant, who left the court of Shamsuddin Iltumish as a court Dhrupad singer and started singing Qawwali, as he was drenched into Sufi philosophy.

Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan adds that the materal lineage of Ustad Mamman Khan goes back somehow to Miyan Saamnti, who was inclined to Sufi music and so practiced singing Qawwali. The Delhi Gharana later on came out as a branch of Qawwal Bachhon Ka Gharana, when they took up Khayal Gayaki as the main form in their style. This was done by Miyan Achapal. So, the first thing that needs to be cleared is that Miyan Tanras Khan alias Miyan Qutubbaqsh was a disciple of Miyan Achapal and he was not the founder of the Gharana. Even though, there was no term Gharana at that time. But, referring to the style/school of singing, it was actually founded by Miyan Achapal.

Mir Allahbuqsh (Ela) and Mir Umrabaqsh (Umra) were both descendants of Mir Bala Kalawant. They were famous court musicians of Maharaja Nahar Singh of Ballabhgarh. They were the descendants of Heera Khan and Kaala Khan and Ujaala Khan. Kaala Khan and Ujaala Khan were the ancestors of Miyan Achapal, they were Dhruvpad singers, not Khayaliyas. Mir Umrabaqsh's disciple was Miyan Achpal. He was a court musician at Dilli Darbaar with his contemporary Chhange Khan of Agra. It is said that Miyan Achpal had an expressive voice and was an a true singer of Khayal, Tarana, Tirvat, Charuranga etc.

Miyan Achpal had two descendants, thought, none in his blood relation. These were Tanras Khan and Ghulam Hussain. Ghulam Hussain had a daughter and a son Nanhe Khan. The daughter of Ghulam Hussain was married to Saungi Khan. Mir Mohammad Khan, who had blood ties with Mir Allahbaqsh was a very fine vocalist in the court of Maharaja Loharu. Mir Mohammad Khan's son, Abdul Ghani Khan (1825-1909 A.D.), more popularly known as Saungi Khan was a court musician of Ballabhgarh. He was an expert Sarangi player and a vocalist of high calibre.

Though, the daughter of Ghulam Hussain was married to Saungi Khan, there was a bittersweet relation between the two linked families. The members of the two families avoided meeting each other. The reason being that Ghulam Hussain's family thought that Saungi Khan was not worthy of being respected enough to meet them, because he was a Sarangi player. He played Sarangi at Palaces in front of Nawabs, where the Tawaifs sung and performed.

Saungi Khan once visited Samepur, near Delhi. He was shown all the courtesies by all the other performers. But, he was refused the privilage of smoking Hookah with them. When he asked the people why he was refused to share the Hookah, he was told that he used to play Sarangi, which used to accompany the performances of Tawaifs at Kothas and Palaces, so having degraded himself, he couldn't expect the Hookah. He told them all to ban singing also because the Tawaifs also used to sing while they danced. He left the village and swore on making the Sarangi a very popular instrument in Hindustani music and played Sarangi under vow rest of his life. The four sons of Saungi Khan were Sughra Khan, Kale Khan, Mamman Khan and Samman Khan. All four were adept at playing Sarangi. Mamman Khan, especially was an expert at playing Sarangi, the Sursagar and of course he was a Khayal vocalist also.

Mamman Khan was a father of five : Chand Khan (1901-1980), Chakor Begum, Jahaan Khan, Usman Khan and Nisha Begum. Chand Khan and Usman Khan carried forward the tradition of vocalism in the family and Jahaan Khan took up playing the violin. Ustad Chand Khan was a well known vocalist in the court of Patiala for 24 years (1913-37). In his young age, he used to accompany his father Mamman Khan as a supporting artist. Usman Khan, also a fine vocalist, performed jugalbandi with his elder brother Chand Khan. Chand Khan regularly performed at various court provinces in the pre-independence era. He performed at the courts of Jind, Ajmer Sharif, Jaipur, Dhaulpur, Gwalior, Baroda, Surat, Jodhpur, Jammu, Alwar, Mysore, Hyderabad, Indore, Rampur, Jalandhar, Lahore and hundreds others.

Ustad Chand Khan later, in 1937, took on the job of Supervisor at AIR at the Delhi station. There's a history behind Ustad Chand Khan and the Delhi AIR station. Ustad Chand Khan didn't have a son, but he did have three daughters who were married to Hilal Ahmed, Zaffar Ahmed and Zahoor Ahmed Khan. Not having a son of his own, Ustad Chand Khan adopted the son of his daughter as his own, Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan. Zahoor Ahmed Khan was a fine violinist. Hilal Ahmed and Nasir Ahmed used to perform jugalbandis in vocal form.

Nasir Ahmed Khan was probably the most talented vocalist that Delhi has ever had. He received his training mainly under his father Usman Khan and also under Ramzan Khan. Nasir Ahmed Khan was known for his purital recitals of Raagas with ancient Gharanedar compositions with lightening fast taans. Ustad Nasir Ahmed Khan was so adept at different types of taans, he was given the title of Taan Samraat by Sangeet Sadan, Calcutta in 1962. He, alongwith only a countable few musicians knew how to render so many numbers of taans, without compromising the purity of a Raaga. In 1980, he was conferred the title of Sangeet Samraat at Prachin Club, Chandigarh.

Sadarang & Adarang

It is important to mention that Miyan Adarang & Miyan Sadarang, who are wholly responsible for the present state and style of Khayal music, belonged to the Qawwal Bachhe tradition. They were intelligent enough to modify the Dhruvpad Gayaki and mix it with Khayal, then called Dhruvpad ang Khayal Gayaki. They wrote the Bandishes which were mainly in the praise of the Emperor, Mohammad Shah 'Rangeele', who was the predecessor of Bahadur Shah 'Zafar'. The Khayal before Adarang and Sadarang was not sung in the courts, because the court singers were Dhruvpad singers.

The myth about Gwalior Gharana

The myth about Gwalior being the oldest Khayal Gharana : Miyan Haddu, Miyan Hassu and Miyan Natthu Khan's maternal grandfather was Miyan Mohammad Khan, who was actaually a forebearer of Qawwal Bachhe tradition. So, the Khayal input into the largely Dhruvpad gharana of Gwalior also came through Delhi.

The future of Delhi Gharana

Iqbal Ahmed Khan, the adopted son of Ustad Chand Khan has been the head of the Delhi Gharana since 1980. He is presently carrying forward the tradition of Hazrat Amir Khusrau. Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan Sahab is positive when it comes to he future of Delhi Gharana. He feels that Delhi has been left behind amongst other states, in context to the classical music traditions and it has merely countable exponents at the present stage.He says that there are many people who are learning from him at this time, so the future might be good.

P.S. - The Delhi Gharana

It is evident that this is a genuine Gharana as the text, compositions and true instances, which have been carried forward through generations are with the present Khalifa of the Gharana, who is Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan. Of course, there are no written proofs of the generation tracing back to Hazrat Amir Khusrau but all the facts are in the favor of the argument that, it is in fact, the tradition of Hazrat Amir Khusrau, that is being carried forward by Delhi Gharana. The most prominent feature of the representation of Khusrau's music being in the form of Khayal. Qawwal Bachhe don't particularly recite Khayal, although their improvisations are strictly based on Raagas and Raaginis. But still, Qawwali is a form of light classical music, it has contents of Khayal

Bharat Ratna Bismillah Khan's last interview

The death of his wife fourteen years ago had left Bismillah Khan, the shehnai maestro, shattered and inconsolable, but he came to terms with the tragedy by treating 'shehnai' as his 'begum'. ''Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan used to keep his shehnai on his bed and under his pillow. It inspired him. It gave him power to think about 'ragas' and music,'' says the couple-- Neena Jha and Shivnath Jha - who took possibly the last interview of the maestro before his death early yesterday. The Jha couple, who has set up 'Bismillah'', an NGO dedicated to the welfare of forgotten artists, spent over 16 hours with the Ustad on August 18-19 to inquire about his health and other issues, including his desire to perform at the India Gate -- a wish that remained unfulfilled. ''I am still practising...I am trying to produce a new 'raag'' -- ''raag bhadai'' -- at India Gate,'' he had told the Jha couple while lying on the bed in Room No 101 of Heritage Hospital in the temple town of Varanasi.

The Jha couple was to be the organisers of the August 9 concert that could not materialise. Terribly weak and fragile, the shehnai meastro, during the long-drawn interview, cried, slept, reminisced his past and talked about his yearnings and dreams. In particular, he wanted to meet melody queen Lata Mangeshkar before his death. ''...woh (Lata) meri choti bahan hai. Uski awaaz mein jaadu hai. Kash main mil pata", (She is like my younger sister. Her voice has magic. I yearn to meet her) he said.

Asked about his favourite singer, Bismillah Khan said, ''I like Begum Akhtar...Lekin Lata to Lata hai. No one can replace her even today. She has a magic in her voice that very few have.'' He also recounted an event in this connection that happened two decades ago. ''We (me and my wife) were asleep. It was midnight. Somewhere, someone was playing one of the Begum's records -'Deewana Bana De.' I suddenly woke up and started enjoying the song. I woke my wife up. Kafi gussa ho gayee (she got incensed)...'aadhi raat mein kya ho raha hai (What is happening at this ungodly hour ?' ''I told her: yeh tumhare samajh se baahar hai...Jahannum mein jao (This is beyond your comprehension. Go to hell.'' Asked whether he used such a language for his wife, he said, ''Yes. She was my wife. I loved her very much. Next day I came to know that what I heard in the midnight was not a record but Begum Akhtar was herself singing. I can't forget that night.'' Bismillah Khan also regretted that he had not been able to visit the Vishwanath temple and Mangla Devi temple.

About his family members, he said his eldest son Mehtab Hussain was a good player of shehnai. Nayyar, according to him, was also good. But he doted on his granddaughter Kehkashan. ''She is a good girl. She cares a lot for me.'' To a question why he did not want to leave Benaras, Bismillah Khan said, '' Yaah Allah...Can you live without your mother? Can you live without your relatives? I like Benaras. I like Vishwanath temple, I like my family, I like my sons and daughters and their children. I have a big family and I want to die before them.'' In fact, the Ustad used to look after a family that has 66 members. In a sense, he was running the 'Bismillah Hotel'', said one of his sons.

Asked what would happen to his shehnai after he was gone, the maestro said, ''My sons. Mehtab bahut achcha bajata hain. Nayyat bhi achcha hai. But they will have to concentrate on sur and riyaaz (melody and practice.'' A man with impeccable secular credentials, he said his message to the people of the country was that all of them - Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians - were the creation of the Almighty. ''It is our social system that has divided them in various castes and creeds. Samay badal raha hai...jis din logon ko yeh baat samajh mein as jayegi hamara paidaish ek hai tabhi shanti aur prem aayega...intezaar karo (we are in a phase of transition. Once we realise that we all are the creation of one, harmony and unity will come. Let's wait)''.

The throne he left will be vacant forever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOXDJwu3HKs&feature=related Enjoy the divinity.

The Sights and Colours of Geylang

In the minds of most people, Geylang is often associated with the red-light district (i.e. prostitution) and everything sleazy. Personally, I think the saddest thing about this is that people just avoid this place altogether thinking that it’s nothing but sleaze.

I acknowledge that the sleaze of the area is there, but it is often the focus of most people that the other side is usually over-looked to the point that Geylang and sleaze are almost synonymous. I do acknowledge that its sleaze has indeed been around for a very long time and has even shaped Geylang to some extent. However, I think it is important that we do not be too narrowly focused on the sleaze. There is, as the article will show, more to Geylang than that. Sleaze is a factor, but not THE factor. Instead, it is a combination of several factors that play a role in shaping Geylang into what it is today. It is for this reason that I will not offer any further commentary about it since it is not the purpose of this article.

Contrary to the popular belief that Geylang is nothing but sleaze, I personally think that Geylang is a very interesting place which has so much to offer.

It’s a completely different world altogether. Singapore, as a whole may have changed, but Geylang has preserved so much of Singapore’s old history and culture, that it is as if you are walking through a parallel world – a world which offers us a glimpse of how Singapore would have been like if it underwent slow and organic growth instead of a major revamp.

In almost every other part of Singapore, the historical connection with the old is simply lost due to the Government’s major revamp in the 1970s-1980s, replacing almost every single thing with high-rise buildings.

There are heritage sites which have conserved important places of history. However, many of these heritage sites do not offer a kind of authentic experience of the richness of Singapore’s history and culture. Heritage sites have a particular goal in mind, and are usually designed to offer a particular narrative of the history and culture. Yet in doing so, everything else that is not related to the required narrative is chopped off. In the end, what is presented is an artificially created experience meant to support that particular narrative.

As such, Geylang is one of those few places free from an enforced narrative. Unlike a heritage site, one is able to be there, stand still and soak in the sights and the sounds of the place, and have a glimpse and feel of what Singapore was like and might have been like if Singapore had gone down a different route.

Geylang – for reasons unknown to me – was spared from the major revamps as well as the artificiality of enforced conservation. What we have is about 40 streets worth of richness – historically, culturally, and more!

Have a look at the photo below and just imagine how Singapore used to be like in the days when horses used to roam around. Imagine the days when early automobiles used to zoom down such roads. This was what Singapore was like then.

Isn’t it amazing?

My eyes opened to this vast richness because of the regular need to go there for kungfu and calligraphy lessons. Just going there a few times already made me aware that apart from the sleaze, the entire area is bursting with a myriad of activity – religious rituals of various kinds, martial arts (turns out there’s so many martial arts federations housed there), painting, calligraphy, metal works, wood works, musical performances/rehearsals, and more! There’s so much excitement going on, and they’re scattered all over the place. It’s simply amazing!

So… What I would like to do is to take you on a little photo tour around Geylang, to introduce you to the richness of its history, culture, the arts, and of course, food!

I’ll start first with food, since it’s our favourite past time as Singaporeans. The entire road of Geylang is filled with so many cofffe shops and restaurants, that I’ve not beem able to try everything. But I’ll like to highlight my two favourite places which are definitely worth eating at.

The first place is the Lorong 9 Beef Kway Teow:

Unfortunately, it was closed when I went around to take photos. But this place offers the best beef kway teow ever! It’s about $5 for a plate (I don’t know if the price is still the same, I’ve not eaten there for about a year). What I love about it is the tenderness of the beef. It’s so soft and so juicy! It’s the perfect harmony of flavours. Simply amazing! You have not tasted heaven until you have tasted this.

The second place, which is of greater interest to me is this – The LDM Charcoal BBQ Restaurant, between Lorong 15 and 17.

This place sells, what I call “Chinese Satay”, where you can barbeque the satay by yourself in air-conditioning comfort! How it works is that each table has a BBQ pit. This pit is fitted with an exhaust pipe that will suck away excess heat and smoke, so that you won’t feel as if you’re burning in hell, nor come out of the place smelling like a burnt meat patty. It’s amazing. Here’s a photo I took some time ago eating here with some friends:

You’ll need to tell the person that you want to BBQ it yourself, otherwise, they will do it for you. They even have spices for you to add to the satay to enhance the flavour. It’s really awesome!

Here’s an interesting fact: Did you know that Satay is actually Chinese? It’s not Malay at all! Originally, some Hokkiens/Teochews came to Singapore/Malaysia and sold barbequed meat for a living. They called it, “Sah Teh” (literally, three sticks 三碟 [I think this is the Chinese characters for it]), because they used to sell these BBQ-ed meat in sticks of 3. Eventually, the Malays adopted the style of cooking meat on skewers and adopted the name which the Chinese used, hence the satay that we know today!

While still on the topic of food, Geylang is also popular for its durians! But there’s something very odd about the stalls here (and elsewhere in Singapore, for that matter). While it’s indeed very good for them to switch to those environmentally-friendly energy saving lightbulbs, the irony is that they use a whole lot of them, in addition to other flourescent lighting!!!

OH!!! The irony!!! This really defeats the purpose of being environmentally friendly.

The next thing I’d like to show you is the diversity of cultures and religious practices. Prior to land reclamation works, Geylang used to be very near the coasts. Apart from Chinatown, many Chinese immigrants stayed in this area. In thanksgiving for the long and ardous journey, many of them built temples all over in gratitude for the safe journey.

Here’s a Chinese temple:

Another Chinese temple:

Yet another Chinese temple:

I don’t know what to call this. Officially (on the Internet), they call themselves a charity organisation, but it’s a Chinese temple with a blue cross as their symbol. It’s not even the Buddhist swastika. It’s a cross, like a Christian cross. They’re not Chinese Christians. I really don’t know what to make of this. If you carefully observe the photo, you can find their symbol.

Here’s a Chinese Buddhist temple:

This is my favourite. It’s a Zen Buddhist temple. I love it’s architecture a lot because it’s a place of worship that is modern in its design, and yet it retains every aspect of its Zen philosophy. Even if you do not know much about Zen, the architecture speaks volumes about its key principles. It’s very difficult to find modern places of worship that actually achieves this.

Here are the couplets at the entrance of the temple:

Here’s the translation (done by my friend): This house of Zen/meditation accomodates my inner tranquility, forget about the hustle and bustle of this busy world.

In Geylang, you can find all the various strands of Buddhism. It’s interesting just looking at the way their temples are designed, and the elements arranged within. It’s almost as if you are looking at different religions.

Anyway, moving on… Over the years, people of other races started to live in the area, thereby springing up other places of worship like churches, mosques, and Hindu shrines. (I didn’t take photos of them because most of these places are occupying existing shophouses, or do not look very interesting.) The rise of this mixture has resulted in a very interesting and colourful mix. You have places of worship all congregating around the same area, and on certain days, different festivities taking place along-side each other.

And while all that is taking place, other things are going on as well! I have kungfu lessons here during the semester break (it’s usually done on campus during term time).

Even within buildings, you have religious instruction or rituals taking place together with other activities like the training of martial arts. This building belongs to Lorong 29, and just along this street, you have several martial arts centres/associations. But martial arts is not confined to this street. Oh no… There are several other martial arts centres/associations all over Geylang, nicely hidden in buildings like this.

This is where I am currently learning Chinese calligraphy.

It’s not very sightly now because they’re installing an elavator on every floor (there was never one in the beginning). In this building, there is a school that teaches painting, a calligraphy school, a tea appreciation class, martial arts associations, Chinese orchestra society, and some Chinese clan associations.

Speaking of Chinese clan associations, here’s a building filled with nothing but these Chinese clans.

I love how really old shophouse buildings were so well-decorated with all kinds of motifs. The motifs will hint at the ethnicity that used to reside in there.

It’s simply amazing! Every single day, the entire Geylang is packed with all kinds of activity – music, kungfu, cooking, eating, painting, calligraphy, and more! It’s a place just bustling with activity and life. And more so on weekends. I’m quite amazed by how the whole place comes alive in so many ways, even in a single building.

Speaking of buildings, allow me to share the story behind the architecture of shophouses. Shophouses are very interesting. The first floor is usually used for commercial/public activity, while the upper floors are used for residential purposes. The shophouse is actually quite big. You could actually cram a very large number of people into it. And that was basically what happened in the days before public housing. It wasn’t very hygienic, but this was the best arrangement when one lived in poverty.

I don’t know very much about architecture, but what I do know is sufficient to be amazed at what we have in places like this!

As a general rule, you can determine the age of a shophouse by the amount of intricate designs and motifs. The more modern, the more abstract its design, and hence, the less details present. Buildings such as the one shown in the previous photograph is one of the oldest designs. It’s dated 1929 A.D.  Shophouses since the colonialisation of Singapore till the 1930s are of such designs. Here’s another shophouse that is of that era:

Notice how the motifs (the details/decorations on the facade) in this photo and the previous photo contain similar yet different elements? This is a very colonial design, and not a uniquely Singaporean thing. I find it odd that it’s usually marketed as if you can only find this in Singapore. I actually saw a lot of houses looking like this in Australia too.
Anyway, the point is that these were originally a colonial design, and as such, there are Western elements incorporated, e.g. French Baroque motifs.

If you were to look closely at the previous photo, there are additional designs – ethnically distinct artwork crafted onto the facade. These artworks are very interesting. They either speak volumes about which ethicnity used to stay there (e.g. The Peranakan or Straits Chinese, the Chinese, the Malays, and the Indians, will all have their own unique motifs that are easily identifiable as belonging to their culture) , or they would tell you a story, be it from a legend/myth or an actual encounter. It’s very fascinating to look at them! Here’s a close-up of some Chinese-looking motifs juxtaposed on very Western, Neo-classical designs on a shophouse:

From the 1930s till World War II, the art deco style flourished greatly all over the world. What is Art Deco? Think of Batman’s Gotham City, where geometrical shapes take the place of detailed designs. For example, the repeated patterns of flowers in a pre-1930s shophouse would be replaced by repeated embossed squares. Here’s are the best one that I’ve seen so far:

As the years progressed, the designs became more and more simpler, to the point that it looks like very cheaply done Art Deco. Perhaps it could be due to the extent of poverty after World War II, that made it very difficult to design buildings as nicely as people wanted to. In addition, the rise of abstract design came to dominate many forms of art, including architecture. With this, the emphasis was placed more on function than on form. And thus, as the next few photos will show, the designs become more and more simpler.

Simpler…

Simpler, yet again.

But regardless of how simple and abstract (and, some would even say: ugly) the buildings became, there are certain features that have remained constant. The most striking is the feature known as the “5-foot way”. What most of us Singaporeans do not realise is that this 5-foot way was decreed by Sir Stamford Raffles himself. He issued four ordinances on in 1822 regarding city planning and building guidelines, one of which regarded the implementation of a 5-foot walk way.

This was meant to shelter pedestrians from the tropical heat and rain. The problem, as one of my tutors described, with most Chinese and Indian shopkeepers is that when you give a certain amount of space for sales, they will usually try to use up every square centimetre to display their goods. You can see this even today – or for that matter, anywhere else around the world where the shopkeeper is Chinese or Indian (excluding supermarkets and 24-hour convenience stores). I’ve been to other countries, and I myself have seen it happening! This prevented people from having any shelter whatsoever. It was so prevalent that Raffles had to issue a decree to ensure that these walkways were made and cleared up so that people could walk through.

But this decree had such a great lasting effect that even today, we see the 5-foot walkway (sometimes broader) all over Singapore. It has become a very unique architectural feature. We can find it in HDBs (public housing), modern shopping centres, and more!

It’s amazing how some things just don’t change despite the progression into modernity. One of them is the use of bamboo poles to hang out our laundry to dry. I don’t know where and when this practice began, but seeing old photos of kampong (village) Singapore, the practice of hanging clothes on bamboo poles has been around for ages. Today, we still do it regardless of where we live in – HDBs, condominiums, terrace houses, bungalows, etc.

If Singapore had not progressed this quickly, we’d probably still be living in such shop houses, hanging clothes out to dry like this:

And for that matter, we’d install air condition units at the back of our shophouses like this:

Welcome to air-conditioning land!

But perhaps the progress into modernity is unavoidable after all.

Here, we see the unique juxtaposition of old shophouses with the prototypical modern shopping mall – basically, a shophouse on steroids, where you have a large commercial space on the lower floors and residences on the upper floors.

Just imagine how Singaporeans back then felt when this tall building first appeared in the midst of all these two/three-storey shophouses:

It was an icon of modernity, of progress. It was an icon of hope where we – the citizens of Singapore – shall go from here onwards. This building, this icon, marks the start of a new era. An era where we begin to soar up high to touch the sky. Here we begin our climb to achieve the fullest expression of our humanity. Here we begin our climb to soar above suffering and the trials of life. This is what we shall be working for. All that effort for the future, for our children and for our children’s children. Life has been tough, and we’ve gone through the sufferings of the war. For the love of my family and friends, I do not want them to suffer as much as I did. Modernity is my hope, the answer to my prayers – it is the way to go.

A utopian idea indeed. But nonetheless, it was the very thing that drove Singapore to accept the necessity of the major revamps in the 1970s-1980s. Such tall buildings in the midst of all those shophouses were the very beacons of hope. In a couple of days, weeks, or months, an entire kampong or clusters of shophouses were easily demolished, and much of the old Singapore was gone to make way for modernity, for progress, thereby erasing much of the memories, histories, and even friendships that were forged over the ages.

But somehow, in that crazy frenzy for modernity, Geylang was spared from the carnage of demolision, and given a chance to grow organically over the next few decades. Because of this, it is one of the few places in Singapore to offer us a completely different world, a completely different culture, and thus, a glimpse at how Singapore might have been had it not been too caught up in the mad rush for modernity.

Gaddafi, French revolution and google

Well, we are one less in count of number of dictators on earth from today morning.  Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi was killed by some unknown person after dragging out of a hiding place which was a sewer pipe. He has been hiding 2 days in sewer pipe running for his life and was then found and killed in Sirte.  The ending of a ruler who ruled for over 40 yrs was bit weird. Revolution led by Intrim PM Mahmoud Jibril has been guided and motivated to not suffer against any kind of oppressions and state must accept the rights of the people.

This reminds me of yet another revolution from History when my fav teacher (G Jha) taught us about French Revolution. France in 1789 was one of the richest and most powerful nations in Europe. Only in Great Britain and the Netherlands did the common people have more freedom and less chance of arbitrary punishment.  Nonetheless, a popular rebellion would first to bring the regime of King Louis XVI of France under control of a constitution, then to depose, imprison, try, and execute the king and, later, his wife Marie Antoinette. Everything else is written in history book and is easily available online.

Also, French revolution was inspired by American Revolution. American Revolution, which was first time served as a great lesson- tyranny could be challenged. This is described in many books including R.R.Palmar, 1959 wrote “It inspired the sense of a new era. It added a new content to the conception of progress. It gave a whole new dimension to ideas of liberty and equality made familiar by the Enlightenment. It got people into the habit of thinking more concretely about political questions, and made them more readily critical of their own governments and society”. But what served as an inspiration for Libya Revolution and what is being extended to Yemen Revolution? Is challenging autocrats’ looks simple after hanging of Saddam Hussain (before trail in any court). He was threat to international peace, at least this was projected. He had false allegations of chemical weapons, biological warfare etc. I have no personal views against removal of dictatorship but there is something more that worries me.

Iraq : Oil reserves in Iraq will be the largest in the world according to recent geological surveys and seismic data. The Iraqi government has stated that new exploration showed Iraq has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, with more than 350 billion barrels.Officially confirmed reserves rank third largest in the world at approximately 143 billion barrels (22.7×10⁹ m³). As a result of military occupation and civil unrest, the official statistics have not been revised since 2001 and are largely based on 2-D seismic data from three decades ago. International geologists and consultants have estimated that unexplored territory may contain vastly larger reserves (Wiki)

Libya : Oil reserves in Libya are the largest in Africa and the ninth largest in the world with 41.5 billion barrels (6.60×10⁹ m³) as of 2007. Oil production was 1.8 million barrels per day (290×10³ m³/d) as of 2006, giving Libya 23 years of reserves at current production rates if no new reserves were to be found. Libya is considered a highly attractive oil area due to its low cost of oil production (as low as $1 per barrel at some fields), and proximity to European markets. (wiki)

Yemen: Yemen's oil reserves are estimated at 11.9 billion barrels of oil, a dramatic jump from earlier estimates, a government agency said Tuesday.The Petroleum Exploration and Production Authority said a new study had estimated Yemen's reserves, indicating the country's oil industry requires more investment. (http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2010/10/19/Yemen-oil-reserves-at-119B-barrels/UPI-21271287510649/)

few more in the list to come as we see people fighting over ignited crisis and then forces like NATO and UN peace keeping support them and then indirectly get their work done.

The demand for oil has been increasing despite the increase in technology. Reliability on crude Oil makes it an important fuel, at least for another 30 years. US & Europe has been running in losses and Asia and middle on the path of increasing GDPs. What would I do if I were the policy maker of US or UK or G8 or some powerful and debt nation?  I will predict future and try to change it by changing present. Future is countries ruling with fuel. Burn them now and trade internationally in open market. I think it’s getting too much between the lines. But to support my argument, I always go with the intentions of the person or thing in question.

French revolution was for resentment of royal absolutism & Resentment of the seigniorial system by peasants, wage-earners, and a rising bourgeoisie. Food Scarcity & debt was prominent. It was guided by motivation of liberty which was later declared as the right of birth of people “Liberty, equality and fraternity”. The case in modern area is different. It is guided by political motive, misguided for religious aspects and used for personal motives. No wonder average conditions of citizens are going to be the same or worse and indirect exploitation.

The impact is similar to one of the most admired face of modern technology Google. I like Google. Half of my brain’s memory is filled with information from Google. In globalization, it tries to diffuse into ourselves, mix in our culture, parasitic phenomenon delves in ourselves and then we are so much used to it that we can’t abhor it. You use google and then you are part of it. That’s globalization for me. China is resistive to google and it’s very uncertain making world bit polar in nature.

I am not refuting the international diplomacy but incessant greed for oil, water and search into veins make everyone sick. We need a controlled policy which has an insight of future, and that future has a mark of present.

Thanks for reading till the end….Since my blog are not that popular(I don't make effort to make it popular, I am lazy guy), you are among the few to reach this point.