In Love Of Books

हॉल में मैं दिल्ली किताब मेला के एक दौरे पर गया. बहुत बढ़िया लगा यह देख कर की किताब मेले में अभी भी इतने लोग आते हैं. लेकिन कहीं एक कोने में, एक छोटे से स्टाल पर e-reader के प्रचार को देख कर फिर वह द्वन्द जहन में शुरू हुआ की क्या किताबें ख़त्म हो जाएँगी? यह तो वक़्त ही बताएगा पर किताबों से मोहब्बत करने वाले गुलज़ार साहेब लिखेते हैं

`कभी सीने पे रख के लेट जाते थे
कभी गोदी में लेते थे
कभी घुटनों को अपने रेहल की सूरत बनाकर

नीम सजदे में पढ़ा करते थे, छुते थे जबीं से
वो सारा इल्म तो मिलता रहेगा इंशाल्लाह
मगर वे जो किताबों में मिला करते थे सूखे फूल और
महकते हुए रुक्के
किताबें मांगने, गिरने, उठाने के बहाने रिश्ते बनते थे
उनका क्या होगा
वो शायद नहीं होंगे`

There is no fire in the hell

While reading a book, came across a good folklore about Lal Shahbaz Qalander. Lal Shahbaz Qalanader is arguably one of the greatest Sufi saint ever born. He was originally born as Sheikh Usman Marwandi, near Tabriz in north-west Iran (but some references also say that he was instead born in Marwand, Afganistan) and his lifespan is somewhere around the end of the Thirteenth century. He came to Sindh (now in Pakistan) much in the same way as Jalal ad-Din Rumi traveled from Afghanistan to Turkey, to escape the advancement of Mongol armies. He was totally an unconventional and non-orthodox saint much to the ire of religious fabric of that time. Some say he was truly a Qalander, or holy fool. His tomb is in Sehwan, in rural Sindh, Pakistan.

So, here goes the story...

One day Lal Shahbaz Qalander was wandering in the desert with his friend, Sheikh Baha ud-Din Zakariya. It was winder and evening time, so they began to build a fire to keep warm. They found some wood and then they realized that they had no fire. So Baha ud-Din suggested that Lal Shabaz (Red Falcon) turn himself into a falcon and get fire from hell. Off he flew, but an hour later he came back empty handed. "There is no fire in the hell", he reported. "Everyone who goes there brings their own fire, and their own pain, from this world".

So true and yet people here are busy thinking what can they do to escape the fire of the hell...