Tag: Munaj Gul Muhammad

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Contents

Borderless, January 2024

Art by Sohana Manzoor

Editorial

‘Imagine all the People, Sharing All the World’… Click here to read

Conversations

Interviewing Bulbul: Remembering Mrinal Sen… Ratnottama Sengupta introduces Bulbul Sharma to converse with her on Mrinal Sen, the legendary filmmaker, reflecting on Bulbul Sharma’s experience as an actress in his film, Interview. Click here to read.

In conversation with Gajra Kottary, eminent screenplay writer, and a brief introduction to her recent book of short stories, Autumn Blossoms. Click here to read.

Translations

Nazrul’s poem, Samya or Equality, has been translated from Bengali by Niaz Zaman. Click here to read.

Masud Khan’s Fire Engine has been translated from Bengali by Fakrul Alam. Click here to read.

Short Poems by Mulla Fazul have been translated from Balochi by Fazal Baloch. Click here to read.

Disaster Alert by Ihlwha Choi has been translated from Korean by the poet himself. Click here to read.

Prarthona or Prayer by Rabindranath Tagore has been translated from Bengali by Mitali Chakravarty. Click here to read.

Poetry

Click on the names to read the poems

Radha Chakravarty, David Skelly Langen, Urmi Chakravorty, Avantika Vijay Singh, JM Huck, Isha Sharma, Stuart McFarlane, Saranyan BV, Ron Pickett, Mereena Eappen, Ahmad Al-Khatat, Ganesh Puthur, George Freek, Rhys Hughes

Poets, Poetry & Rhys Hughes

In Some Differences Between India and Sri Lanka, Rhys Hughes relates his perceptions of the two countries with a pinch of humour. Click here to read.

Musings/Slices from Life

When the Cobra Came Home

Antara Mukherjee nostalgically recalls her past and weaves it into the present. Click here to read.

The Old Man

Munaj Gul Muhammad describes his encounter with an old Balochi man. Click here to read.

Corner

Anita Sudhakaran muses on the need for a quiet corner. Click here to read.

Musings of a Copywriter

In Taking Stock…Finally, Devraj Singh Kalsi writes of stocks that defy the laws of gravity. Click here to read.

Notes from Japan

In A Sombre Start, Suzanne Kamata talks of the twin disasters in Japan. Click here to read.

Essays

Abol Tabol: No Nonsense Verses of Sukumar Ray

Ratnottama Sengupta relives the fascination of Sukumar Ray’s Abol Tabol, which has  just completed its centenary. Click here to read.

Peeking at Beijing: Fringe-dwellers and Getting Centred

Keith Lyons shares the concluding episode of his trip to Beijing. Click here to read.

Stories

The Gift

Rebecca Klassen shares a sensitive story about a child and an oak tree. Click here to read.

Healing in the Land of the Free

Ravi Shankar gives the story of a Nepali migrant. Click here to read.

Pigeons & People

Srinivasan R explores human nature. Click here to read.

Phôs and Ombra

Paul Mirabile weaves a dark tale about two people lost in a void. Click here to read.

Book Excerpts

An excerpt from Srijato’s A House of Rain and Snow, translated from Bengali by Maharghya Chakraborty. Click here to read.

An excerpt from The Kidnapping of Mark Twain: A Bombay Mystery by Anuradha Kumar. Click here to read.

Book Reviews

Somdatta Mandal reviews Sudha Murty’s Common Yet Uncommon: 14 Memorable Stories from Daily Life. Click here to read.

Meenakshi Malhotra reviews Rhys Hughes’ The Coffee Rubaiyat. Click here to read.

Rakhi Dalal reviews Ajit Cour’s Life Was Here Somewhere, translated by Ajeet Cour and Minoo Minocha. Click here to read.

Bhaskar Parichha reviews Scott Ezell’s Journey to the End of the Empire: In China Along the Edge of Tibet. Click here to read.

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Click here to access the Borderless anthology, Monalisa No Longer Smiles

Click here to access Monalisa No Longer Smiles on Kindle Amazon International

Categories
Slices from Life

The Old Man

By Munaj Gul Baloch

I enjoy traveling; it’s a passion that still burns within me. The thrill of exploring mountains, rivers, forests, and historical places gives me immense pleasure. One particular memory stands out—the cloudy morning of 2017, when Hasnain and I embarked on a journey to our friend’s place in Dasht Kunchti, located in the district of Kech in Balochistan.

Our companionship was unique; we often found ourselves lost in thoughts, discussing social issues, the beauty of rain, clouds, and mountains. Nature mingled with our essence, and we couldn’t breathe without adventures. Traveling two or three places in a month became a part of our life, and our Sundays were always filled with stories, both blue and happy.

Our journeys left us with recollections, more potent than lessons, that lingered in our minds. What we saw, we will never forget; it’s ingrained in the subconscious.

Let me share the story of our journey to Dasht Kunchti, a trip that etched its beauty and meaning in our lives forever. Traveling a distance of two to three hours on a bumpy road was no easy feat, especially when the path was desolate with no shops and few fellow travelers, as was the case on the Jalbar road from Kolaho to Dasht.

When we started, the sky was cloudy, and a gentle breeze accompanied our ride. The beauty of the journey lay in the gratifying weather and the captivating mountain scenery. While crossing Jalbar, by a river between Dasht and Kolaho, we encountered a seventy-year-old man on the way to a waterfall. He seemed confused about the routs. Sensing his need for help, we offered him a ride on our bike.

Silence prevailed initially, as we were strangers. Names were exchanged, and the old man soon started talking, relishing our company. The conversation was both challenging and heartwarming. At some point, he thanked us and reiterated the need for kindness: ” Thank you for your help. I know you are students. Always be kind to other human beings, now and even after your graduation as you have been to me.” His message still resonates.

As we approached the waterfall, he urged us to stop, warning us of the impending rain. “Pass this river quickly; there is no alternative. When it rains, this river flows with much water for hours,” he said. And he disappeared into the mists of time.

In the six years that have passed, I’ve come to understand the need for kindness, especially given the current times. As they say, the hands that help others are holier than the lips that pray. The old man sought to convey that kindness is a universal language. It enriches the behaviour of souls, bringing joy to the giver and solace to the receiver.

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Munaj Gul Muhammad writes for different national newspapers and has won Agahi Award (Pakistan’s biggest Journalism Awards) in the category of Human Rights in 2018. He can be reached at munaj1baloch@gmail.com. 

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PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL

Click here to access the Borderless anthology, Monalisa No Longer Smiles

Click here to access Monalisa No Longer Smiles on Amazon International

Categories
Contents

Borderless, September 2022

Art by Sohana Manzoor

Editorial

When Autumn Leaves Start to Fall… Click here to read.

Conversations

Meet Barun Chanda, an actor who started his career as the lead protagonist of a Satyajit Ray film and now is a bi-lingual writer of fiction and more recently, a non-fiction published by Om Books International, Satyajit Ray: The Man Who Knew Too Much in conversation Click here to read.

Jim Goodman, an American traveler, author, ethnologist and photographer who has spent the last half-century in Asia, converses with Keith Lyons. Click here to read.

Translations

Professor Fakrul Alam has translated three Tagore songs around autumn from Bengali. Click here to read.

Nagmati by Prafulla Roy has been translated from Bengali as Snake Maiden by Aruna Chakravarti. Click here to read.

A Balochi Folksong that is rather flirtatious has been translated by Fazal Baloch. Click here to read.

A Letter Adrift in the Breeze by Haneef Sharif has been translated from Balochi by Mashreen Hameed. Click here to read.

Jajangmyeon Love, a poem has been written in Korean and translated by Ihlwha Choi. Click here to read.

Eshechhe Sarat (Autumn) by Tagore has been translated from Bengali by Mitali Chakravarty. Click here to read.

Poetry

Click on the names to read

Michael R Burch, Sunil Sharma, George Freek, Sutputra Radheye, Ryan Quinn Flanagan, Arshi Mortuza, Ron Pickett, Prasant Kumar B K, David Francis, Shivani Srivastav, Marianne Tefft, Saranyan BV, Jim Bellamy, Shareefa BeegamPP, Irma Kurti, Gayatri Majumdar, Rhys Hughes

Poets, Poetry & Rhys Hughes

In The Chopsy Moggy, Rhys Hughes gives us a feline adventure. Click here to read.

Musings/Slices from Life

A Tale of Two Flags in the South Pacific

Meredith Stephens visits an island that opted to adopt the ways of foreign settlers with her camera and narrates her experiences. Click here to read.

A Taste of Bibimbap & More…

G Venkatesh revisits his Korean experience in a pre-pandemic world. Click here to read.

September Nights

Mike Smith in a short poetic monologue evokes what the season means for him. Click here to read.

Musings of a Copywriter

In El Condor Pasa or I’d Rather be a Sparrow…, Devraj Singh Kalsi explores his interactions with birds with a splatter of humour. Click here to read.

Notes from Japan

In Rabbit Island, Suzanne Kamata visits the island of Okunoshima, where among innocence of rabbits lurk historic horrors. Click here to read.

Essays

A Turkish Adventure with Sait Faik

Paul Mirabile takes us on a journey to Burgaz with his late Turkish friend to explore the writings of Sait Faik Abasiyanik. Click here to read.

A Salute to Ashutosh Bodhe

Ravi Shankar pays a tribute to a fellow trekker and gives a recap of their trekking adventures together near Mt Everest base camp. Click here to read.

The Observant Immigrant

In Sometimes Less is More…, Candice Louisa Daquin explores whether smaller communities can be assimilated into the mainstream. Click here to read.

Stories

Where Eagles Dare…

Munaj Gul Muhammad takes on the persona of a woman to voice about their rights in Balochistan. Click here to read.

My Eyes Don’t Speak

Chaturvedi Divi explores blindness and its outcome. Click here to read.

The Royal Retreat

Sangeetha G gives a brief view of intrigue at court. Click here to read.

Book Excerpts

Ruskin Bond, excerpted from Between Heaven and Earth: Writings on the Indian Hills, edited by Ruskin Bond and Bulbul Sharma. Click here to read.

Excerpts from Rhys Hughes’ Comfy Rascals: Short Fictions. Click here to read.

Book Reviews

Rakhi Dalal reviews Rhys Hughes’ Comfy Rascals: Short Fictions. Click here to read.

Hema Ravi reviews Mrutyunjay Sarangi’s A Train to Kolkata and Other Stories. Click here to read.

Bhaskar Parichha reviews Krishna Bose’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s Life, Struggle and Politics, translated and edited by Sumantra Bose. Click here to read.

Categories
Stories

Where Eagles Dare…

By Munaj Gul Muhammad

I, a young girl, yearn to study. I have dreamt of being an inspirational figure all my life, but literally, society wishes me a different fate. I always dream for a better future with full freedom. But most go against it. They believe girls deserve no freedom.

In reality, women are eagles born to fly very high, but society has broken their wings and made them susceptible. It always tries to cage them by taking their dreams away. Society makes them helpless. They speak in silence.

They want to chain women. For them, gender matters the most. They say women are born to be married off and should be only regarded as progenitors. But women are born to live free, to live by their own dreams. The world today recognises the right of every girl to have a say, to have an education and a better life. But in my society, most women stop studying when they are married off or when they pass their matriculation for many societal pressures. I spoke to some friends.

“As a female in Balochistan, I was compelled to relinquish my education when my parents married me off at a very young age. Very soon after our marriage, my husband started taking drugs. As a result of having drugs, he always beats me to give him money to buy more drugs. Being a woman (mainly his wife), I say nothing and bear it all. I embroider to earn a small sum of money to feed ourselves. It was too tough for me to say goodbye to my education, but I did. It ended my future dream of becoming a doctor,” bewails a 14-year-old friend who requested I leave her anonymous.

Society has already destroyed her dream. Another married friend, Sara, told me: “To become a lawyer was the foremost dream that I had all my life. The members of my family tried to stop me from getting an education and learning about my rights, including other women. They still want to annihilate my dream. They create difficulties in my path. I still wish to be a lawyer.”

It has been an uphill battle for married women to get an education. Their dream to get admission in a college or university to study like men remains unfulfilled. How will it be if they continue uneducated and unaware of their rights?

“With each passing night, I sit in a corner of my room and think about my existence. Sometimes, I laugh at myself, sometimes, I curse myself for being a girl. But sometimes, I feel proud as a peacock for being a very decisive young lady. I, too, laugh at the people around me.”  says Sara. 

Everyone has the right to freedom to choose their course in life. Balochistan possesses many creative women, but they are all in chains. Like me too. I would like to be free, to soar like an eagle and find my footing.

Then it happened.

An angel beamed into my dreams and gave me an idea to materialise my longings. Perhaps writing this will slowly be a move towards it – my voice will be heard somewhere, and the silence will be broken. Women and men will walk together in harmony, with equal rights to education.

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Munaj Gul Muhammad writes for different national newspapers and has won Agahi Award (Pakistan’s biggest Journalism Awards) in the category of Human Rights in 2018. He can be reached at munaj1baloch@gmail.com.

*This story is based on a report published by Munaj Gul Muhammad in Balochistan Voices.

PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL