Blood Ink Diary

Film: You & I (Baraka)

Blood-Ink-Diary — Wed, 01 May 2013 05:59:08 +0000

Dear Readers,

As you are aware that May 1st is a national holiday in more than 80 countries – significant day celebrating the International Workers’ Day aka International Labour Movement. In the following short film, ‘Baraka’ directed by Ron Fricke, we can hear, feel and emote the vital expressions of the soul, of angry echo of death, of body and mind, death of a country, of tiniest breaths in every emotion and in its’ every vertebra – for there is no human dignity after distance has distanced itself.

The documentary is non-narrative and filmed in many, many countries – piercing the bone marrow of humanity, for, it is about I and you.

Perhaps, these few moments of watching may just infuse your heart, mind and soul with expressions that shan’t obliterate the human in us.

*** Make yourself a cuppa’, sit back and travel around the world, I dare-say ! ***

Cheers, Shaheen

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Film: Baraka – Directed by Ron Fricke. Music by ‘The Dead can Dance’ and many more. Video credit -Vimeo – spirito intelligent.

Of the Dawns’ Melody

Blood-Ink-Diary — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 06:23:48 +0000

Dear Readers,

I wanted to pen in my own words – convey the sentiments of this oil painting, though, I found myself barren to write – seems I may be experiencing abandoned writers’ mind, I dare-say !

Thus, I have taken great solace in the words of a Persian mystic and poet, Baba Taher Hamadani aka Baba Taher -e Oryan (b 1000 – 1060) :

Whether I cling, whether I part – You know.

Whether I break or keep my heart – You know.

Whether I crown my head or drown my eyes – You know.

You know my goal from end to start – yes, You know.

I find my ill in You, my cure in You.

I part from You and also endure in You.

If knives would cut my tissues each from each,

my naked soul is e’er secure in You.

(Baba Taher Hamdani).

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(Hope you relish the composition !)

’ Hayya ‘ala-l-Falah’ (Rise for Victory)

The Veiled Traveller

Blood-Ink-Diary — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 07:14:06 +0000

Dear Blogger-mates,

The following Urdu poem was penned by socialist poet, Faiz Ahmad Faiz. For my non-South Asian readers, I am attaching the English translation I found on the net.

Similarly, I have painted the parallel theme.

Cheers. SM

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Dil e man Musaafir e man

meray dil meray musaafir

hua phir se hukm sadir

ke watan badar hon hum tum

dein gali gali sadain

karein rukh nagar nagar ka

ke suraagh koi paein

kissi yar e nama bar ka

har ik ajnabi se poochein

jo pata tha apnay ghar ka

dar e kooey nashenayan

hamein din sey raat karna.

Eng:

My heart, my fellow traveller

it has been decreed again

that you and I be exiled,

go calling out in every street,

turn to every town.

To search for a clue

of a messenger from our Beloved.

To ask every stranger

the way back to our home -(the home we always knew where).

“Donon insaan hain tou kyon itnay hijaabon mein mile. ” (Ahmad Faraz)

(Eng: Two human beings we are, why then did we meet behind many veils?

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Oil Painting by Shaheen Masha’al

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‘The Veiled Traveller’

…Of Fire & Clay

Blood-Ink-Diary — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:45:32 +0000

…And,

the vermilion red

of Mesopotamia

endlessly flows to the rhythm

of dusk and dawn;

the messages secured in each wave -

privy to the soul’s chambers

…And,

the constellations tangle restlessly in the sand;

the desert more sonorous

than a piano

seduces and caresses

from dune to dune;

extending to me

a song

by which I comb the lashes of the night…

…And,

Oasis in the circle of circles;

bathing in the heat of fire -

a hermitage-clay beneath the sky’s palm,

wandering

in a land of stars and sand;

like an ancient troubadour who sang at its dawn -

sit across from

Thee

intoxicated by;

The Song of Songs.

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Poem and Oil Painting by Shaheen Masha’al

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(Hope you relish my Desert-Trilogy oil paintings! )

‘…Of Fire & Clay ‘

The Loving One

Blood-Ink-Diary — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 05:07:22 +0000

Dear blogger-friends, yet another oil painting.

In the corridors of the soul,

O’ Shaheen*, exchange your wings

for an exquisite embrace

of the metaphysical enterprise of Love

into an endless abode !

Leave behind the shaded pathos,

an allegory of the consumed desires.

O’ Shaheen, your ultimate flight

is not in the wings of speculation,

though your royalty is grand and sagacious -

Leave the eagle’s flattery and pride,

the company of kings and knights, of warriors and nomads -

Come, enter the house of

The Loving One.

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(Shaheen – Persian for Royal Falcon, eagle)

Poem & oil painting by Shaheen Masha’al.

Hope my humble painting is worthy of your observation.

Cheers.

The Loving One

The Pledge: to Remain Unsaid, Unheard

Blood-Ink-Diary — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:35:51 +0000

Dear Blogger-mates,

After quite some time I felt compelled to paint – I reckon the tongue’s blood has run dry, thus, I have managed to paint the inner climate. I borrow the words of a poet Munir Niazi’s “Let Us Leave Something Unsaid” (circa 1948) :

Let some things remain unsaid.

Let some things remain unheard.

If you say everything that’s in your heart

then what will remain inside?

If you have heard every word of the heart

then what will remain to be heard?

Leave a certain

hidden awkwardness.

Leave an unopened window

on the colourful

unmade world.

Hope you find the painting worthy to view! Cheers, Shaheen

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‘ The Pledge to Remain Unsaid, Unheard ‘

(Oil Painting by Shaheen Masha’al)

I Compose…

Blood-Ink-Diary — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 08:26:10 +0000

I tell you, my dear fellows,

that

I write poetry,

I, myself,

can-not embrace a creation of the highest excellency !

Indeed, an exquisite – poignant confession

to my ink and paper,

and, certainly, to you my fellows.

Solitary moon caressing my eyes

precisely at dusk descending to dawn -

reciting its’ thousand tales…

My narrative vanishes in the cosmic dust;

without an alibi.

Ah! I dare-say,

between the chambers of the shivering phantoms

and

the bewitching bohemians,

I barter my soul;

seeking the remedy

to the malady of love.

The orphic cadence

of an Orion – annihilating

little by little;

In between reverie and naught,

I compose

Thee

which I can-not embrace.

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Poem by: Shaheen Masha’al

(Meaning: Orion -Greek myth – a great hunter. Also used here as a constellation of the celestial sphere – Orion the Hunter Star).

***thus a small offering, still on a hiatus from blogging. ***

In my Absence

Blood-Ink-Diary — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:30:57 +0000

*** P.S. I am taking a hiatus from blogging, as I shall be engaged in other commitments. Thank you for your warm visits and for the love and esteem you have shown me. Blessings, Shaheen***

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Having loved like a moth circling the flame,

between the sonorous song and celestial dance;

and thus I leave my soul under the midnight sun,

to the breeze of winter night not too far away from spring

leave my kisses to the yellow and red butterflies

to allow them to fly in my absence

leave my passionate poems to the rivers

thus they could recite them to lovers’ passer- by’s

leave my scent to the one I loved

leave my silouette to those thousand mirrors

leave my secrets in between the pages of books

leave the pavillions of laughter

and weeping pavillions side by side

leave all the blooming trees to my dreams

thus they can remember that happiness

is in the rain-drops,

that silence can be poignantly-comforting

as love,

between rising and living;

between speech and breath

under a canopy of opalescent light -

I do believe I must write these lines

for thee,

in the circle of circles –

In my absence.

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poem & painting by Shaheen Masha’al

‘The Soul-Mates’

Whirling Dervishes, Zikr & Rumi at Istanbul: Film Documentary

Blood-Ink-Diary — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 05:23:52 +0000

Dear Blogger-friends,

Yes, it is true that recently I do not fancy to write much – perhaps, nothing meaningful to pen, thus, I have taken comfort in attending to music and films. And, well, today I share parts of my inner realm – my deep love for Sufi way of life. Perhaps, many shall probe as to ‘what is a Sufi and/or Mystic’ and I am certain the internet has a vast archive on the subject, howsoever, in these videos (below) one shall discover the legacy of a Sufi-Mystic Poet Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi - popularly known as ‘Rumi’ in the West and a branch of Sufism in Islam. Nay, my Islam is not the one many see on their television sets propagated by bias and sensationalised media-sponsored reporting by various journalists and news broadcast corporations. The film (below) shall depict the true nature of my faith and humanity, of love and compassion, of an esoteric realm – in which Rumi has left a profound legacy to which I hold close to my heart. But, of course, a mere statement shan’t suffice who Rumi was, nor, can I do justice to thoroughly pen at the moment – for I am simply sharing and introducing the film for those interested to learn (more) about Rumi and The Mevlevi Sufi Order in Turkey.

“My turban, my robe, and my head –

all three are appraised for less than a dirham.

Have you not heard of my universal fame?

I am nobody, nobody, nobody. ” – (Rumi – Rubaiyat 1228)

With love, Shaheen Masha’al

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Film Writer, producer and director: Shems Friedlander

Youtube courtesy: History Channel IDZ2

Sufism: Wings of Love

(‘Rumi, The Wings of Love’ takes viewers into a secret world rarely seen by outsiders. Eight centuries after his death, Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Sufi master and mystical poet is ever present in the whirling ceremony of today’s Mevlevi dervishes. This unique footage set to Mevlevi music is enhanced by interviews with Sheikh Abu Bakr Siraj ad-Din (Martin Lings), Islamic philosopher and author Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Nubian musician Hamza Al Din, as well as many others who speak of sufism, life, and the hidden meaning of the ney, or reed flute. )

Sufism: Circles of Remembrance

( The Circles of Remembrance is an 82 minute journey into what is usually a hidden world of Sufism. This documentary explores “zikr” ceremonies in Cairo, Istanbul, Morocco, and the U.S., along with interviews with some of the most prominent Sufi scholars and musicians, on the outer and secret meaning of the remembrance of God. Martin Lings, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Gai Eaton, Sheikh Ali Gomma, T.J. Winter,and Tosun Bayrak are among those interviewed.)

1) Mercan Dede – Dream of Shams – sufi music

2) Mercan Dede – Dream of Lover – sufi music

The World of Satyajit Ray: Film

Blood-Ink-Diary — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 06:33:34 +0000

Dear Blogger-friends, I share with you one of my most adored film-maker of time – Mr. Satyajit Ray. Through watching his brilliant films for many years, I have been inspired to (someday) make my own film – he was a genius mingled with a conscientious for humanity – his films depict many social-political-cultural themes.

“The quiet but deep observation, understanding and love of the human race, which are characteristic of all his films, have impressed me greatly. …I feel that he is a “giant” of the movie industry.”

- Akira Kurosawa – Film-maker

Satyajit Ray, an Indian film-maker and among the dozen or so great masters of world cinema, is known for his humanistic approach to cinema. He made his films in Bengali, a language spoken in the eastern state of India – West Bengal. And yet, his films are of universal interest. They are about things that make up the human race – relationships, emotions, struggle, conflicts, joys and sorrows. Almost all his films have been translated and/or subtitled to English for international audience.

Satyajit Ray
Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Composer, Writer, Graphic Designer
Born: May 2, 1921, Kolkata (Calcutta), India
Died: April 23, 1992, Calcutta, India

Satyajit Ray studied at the university in Calcutta and later joined Shantiniketan, Rabindranath Tagore’s university to study art. He began his career as a commercial artist (1943-56). He founded Calcutta’s first film society in 1947 and made his first film, Pather Panchali (1955) while working at an advertising agency. Pather Panchali was an immediate success and won Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival. Pather Panchali with his Aparajito (1956, The Unvanquished) and Apur Sansar (1959, The World of Apu) are known as ‘Apu Trilogy’. His later films include Jalsaghar (1958, The Music Room), Kanchenjunga (1962), Charulata (1964, The Lonely Wife), Ashanti Sanket (1973, Distant Thunder), The Chess Players (1977), The Home and The World (1984), Ganashatru (1989, Public Enemy), and Agantuk (1990, The Stranger).

In these videos, one shall see ‘the world of Satyajit Ray’. I hope you relish the short film as much as I cherish it. – Shaheen ‘Masha’al’.

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Film by: K. Bikram Singh

youtube credit: Ashish Chanda

Satyajit Ray: Introspection part I

Satyajit Ray: Introspection part II

Satyajit Ray: Introspection part III

Satyajit Ray: Introspection – Final