Romance at the Taj

[WILDCAT]

Sheherazade, listening to a running history on your headphones as you travelled eh... gosh, it does sound as though you were terribly well-prepared and organised... are you really sure you are somali?

 

And you write beautifully... amazing that you whipped that out in such a short time... what's the idea behind painting the houses blue by the way? It looks simultaniously eerie and wonderful... fascinating!

[sheherazade]

Yo(all the yars r crawling out of the woodwork now ) Bharat(India) was beautiful and ugly by turns...

 

Wildy, I am never sure I am Somali. The headphones and tape were available at the fort as a replacemnt to a guide. I much preferred this method.

 

Glad u enjoyed it, I always write more than I should and it is only the speed of my typing that slows down the process.

 

I would have continued tonight, only I am suffering from repetitive strain injury. Damn the day job.

 

Oh, the blue, I think the Brahmins used it to stand out from the rest as they were(are) at the top of the caste system.

[STOIC]

In Honor of Black month on February I should have slapped the first Indian on my path than the white dude I slapped.How Istuubidh of me not to have thought of that ha ?In one of my history class I did learn about the Caste system, and I never liked it.I hope your trip was not marred by such an execrable practice (I meant you didn't see someone flogged to clean the human soil)...Ewww

[Blessed]

Sherezade

 

I remember reading about the (East) African – Indian connection in the Voice a few years ago. I dismissed it as some crazy theory. I also remember reading an article in the Kasmo (Somali) newspaper about the language similarities between Somali and Hindi but I think that’s as a result of the Indian expats (Baniyal ???) that used to live in Somalia.

 

Where in the cast system do the Sindis fit in? Are they on the same level as the untouchables or even lower?

 

I’d love read more on Malaysia (hint). My cousin is living in Penang now but she hates it because of the heat.

 

Yo Yo Man

I’ve heard so much about the place. I went to a Paki dominated college and university, I was close to being pacified – ehheheh. What I love about them is their devotion to Islam; even the none-practicing Pakistanis get all heated up when Islam is slightly criticized. I know you get every sect under the sun and a lot of twisted versions of Islam but that’s all the more interesting.

[checkmate]

Saareh Jahasei achaih Hindustan hamarah hamarah, I still remember the national anthem from singing it every morning for six long years. Sheh how would you rate the overall experience for the visit? Did you go to Nizamudin in Delhi? Reading your posts has brought up so many memories.

 

 

Ps: You're Tall

[sheherazade]

Namaste, u too, eh? LOL, never would have guessed. I didn't visit Nizamuddin, a shrine is it? Meelahaa waan ka fogaada if I can.

 

Blessed, the Siddis have Muslims and Hindus. I'm trying to work out whether they are always untouchables as Hindus but am not certain that's the case. I understand that initially they were valued warriors and kings but later got relegated to the lowest strata of society. Very interesting links, do read.

 

HABSHIS AND SIDDIS: AFRICAN DYNASTIES IN INDIA

 

India also received its share of African bondsmen, of whom the most famous was the celebrated Malik Ambar (1550-1626). Ambar, like a number of Africans in medieval India, elevated himself to a position of great authority. Malik Ambar, whose original name was Shambu, was born around 1550 in Harar, Ethiopia. After his arrival in India Ambar was able to raise a formidable army and achieve great power in the west Indian realm of Ahmadnagar. Ambar was a brilliant diplomat and administrator. He encouraged manufactures and built canals and mosques. He gave pensions to poets and scholars, established a postal service, and ultimately became one of the most famous men in India.

 

In a collective form, however, and in respect to long term influence, the African sailors known as Siddis stand out. Certainly, Siddi kingdoms were established in western India in Janjira and Jaffrabad as early as 1100 AD. After their conversion to Islam, the African freedmen of India, originally called Habshi from the Arabic, called themselves Sayyad (descendants of Muhammad) and were consequently called Siddis. Indeed, the island Janjira was formerly called Habshan, meaning Habshan's or African's land. Siddi signifies lord or prince. It is further said that Siddi is an expression of respectful address commonly used in North Africa, like Sahib in India. Specifically, it is said to be an honorific title given to the descendants of African natives in the west of India, some of whom were distinguished military officers and administrators of the Muslim princes of the Deccan.

 

In the second decade of the sixteenth century a European traveler named Armando Cortesao noted that:

 

"The people who govern the kingdom [bengal] are Abyssinians [Ethiopians]. These men are looked upon as knights; they are greatly esteemed; they wait on the kings in their apartments. The chief among them are eunuchs and these come to be kings and great lords in the kingdom. Those who are not eunuchs are the fighting men. After the king, it is to this people that the kingdom is obedient from fear."

 

The Siddis were a tightly knit group, highly aggressive, and even ferocious in battle. They were employed largely as security forces for Muslim fleets in the Indian Ocean, a position they maintained for centuries. The Siddi commanders were titled Admirals of the Mughal Empire, and received an annual salary of 300,000 rupees. According to Ibn Battuta (1304-1377), the noted Muslim writer who journeyed through both Africa and Asia, the Siddis "are the guarantors of safety on the Indian Ocean; let there be but one of them on a ship and it will be avoided by the Indian pirates and idolaters."

 

and......

 

INDIA'S MOST OPPRESSED PEOPLE

 

The greatest victims of Hinduism have been the Untouchables. Indeed, probably the most substantial percentage of all the Black people of Asia can be identified among India's 160 million Untouchables. These people are the long-suffering descendants of Aryan-Sudra unions and native Black populations who retreated into the hinterlands of India in their efforts to escape the advancing Aryan sphere of influence to which they ultimately succumbed. India's Untouchables number more than the combined populations of England, France, Belgium and Spain.

 

The existence of Untouchability has been justified within the context of Hindu religious thought as the ultimate and logical extensions of Karma and rebirth. Indus believe that persons are born Untouchables because of the accumulation of sins in previous lives. Hindu texts describe these people as foul and loathsome, and any physical contact with them was regarded as polluting.

 

Untouchables were usually forced to live in pitiful little settlements on the outskirts of Hindu communities. During certain periods in Indian history Untouchables were only allowed to enter the adjoining Hindu communities at night. Indeed, the Untouchables' very shadows were considered polluting, and they were required to beat drums and make loud noises to announce their approach. Untouchables had to attach brooms to their backs to erase any evidence of their presence. Cups were tied around their necks to capture any spittle that might escape their lips and contaminate roads and streets. Their meals were taken from broken dishes. Their clothing was taking from corpses. They were forbidden to learn to read and write, and were prohibited from listening to any of the traditional Hindu texts. Untouchables were denied access to public wells. They could not use ornaments and were not allowed to enter Hindu temples. The primary work of Untouchables included scavenging and street sweeping, emptying toilets, the public execution of criminals, the disposal of dead animals and human corpses, and the clean-up of cremation grounds. The daily life of the Untouchable was filled with degradation, deprivation and humiliation.

 

source

[-Serenity-]

Originally posted by checkmate:

Saareh Jahasei achaih Hindustan hamarah hamarah,

I still remember the national anthem from singing it every morning for six long years.

Are you sure you were awake those mornings?

 

The national anthem of India is 'Jana Gana Mana'.. I know it 'cause I used to sing it every mornign for 7 longs years.

[WILDCAT]

Hinduism has some very strange ideas. That bit about why people are black made me sick to my stomache.

 

They have no heart, for example, they have a thing about death, and being anywhere near it, so say if you are lodging with a family, and you develop a terminal illness, you will be thrown out in the streets because they believe death touching that home is something to be avoided. Throwing out a person when they need you the most... unbelievable... a lot of the hospices Mother Teresa built were apparantly supposed to house exactly such people who were dying in doorways... beauty and horror juxtaposed.

[Che -Guevara]

Sheh....Ugly n beautiful indeed..I guess the entire subcontinent is land of extreme contrasts.The Taj Mahal is itself an example. a symbol of love but hardly anybody in this part of the world marries for love. Marriage itself can be a happy occasion yet very burdensome.On the surface, it looks to appealing to all foriegners. Scratch the surface a little, horrors begin to pour out.

 

Blessed....Pakis are interesting bunch, and their devotion to the faith is very admirable even though like all traditional societies, the masses know little of the religion itself. Islam is very central to their identity and a unifying factor. It is what separates them from their cousins in India. Yet in so many ways, they are very much like their cousins, a feudal society with oppressed masses yet progressing forward.

 

It is good to be foriegner in these nations though. You are to able to enjoy the beauty of the land and culture and not be subjugated to their customs.

[checkmate]

Aah Amelia…you are so right, don’t know what I was thinking Jana Gana Mana is the anthem; those were the days weren’t they? Maaahn, I can’t help but feel we somehow shared chapatti and dahl in a silver container with layers in it.

 

Where bouts of India did you live in and what years? I was there from 1989 to 1995… ooh maahn my mind is running al over the place here, if you’re from Puna or Hyderabad then I definitely think we have crossed path with each other through family.

 

Do you remember singing:

We shall overcome

We shall overcome

We shall overcome some day

 

Oh deep in my heart

I do believe

We shall overcome some day

 

[-Serenity-]

Check, I never lived in India..unless a month's holiday counts. I went to an Indian School though.

 

LOL@we shall overcome.... and countless others. I just remembered this song we used to sing in scouting and guiding camps called a thousand legged worm.. I still hum it to myself when I'm bored. Its funny and goes:

 

Said the thousand legged worm, as he began to squirm,

"Has anybody seen a leg of mine?

If it can’t be found then I’ll have to hop around,

on the other nine hundred, ninety-nine."

 

Hop around, hop around,

On the other nine hundred ninety nine,

If it can’t be found then I’ll have to hop around,

On the other nine hundred, ninety-nine.

 

(then redo for nine hundred, ninety-eight,... until time is up...)

 

 

Oh how I miss guide camps! They were the best part of school for me.. 3-4 days of just learning to tie knots and singing silly songs.

[Xoogsade]

Originally posted by sheherazade:

I'm the one on the left.

I love this pic.

How nice of you sheherezade showing us only your back Great pics. Islam left a lasting impression on india.

[sheherazade]

^ I do what I can and give only what I see as deserving.

 

More pics from the archives in due time, inshallah, perhaps with a story intertwined. Oh, I do spoil SOLers, stories for story-lovers and pictures for those with comprehension difficulties.

 

Bwahahaha.

 

[WILDCAT]

Originally posted by sheherazade:

More pics from the archives in due time, inshallah, perhaps with a story intertwined.

 

Get to it already please.

[Xoogsade]

Sheherazade, Any chance you have a picture of that destroyed mosque by the Hindu mob after they alleged it stood on/was built upon a hallowed hindu ground?

 

You can be a good story teller. You do have a fiery way of writing too. WildCat is an excellent writer as well like Jamilah who rarely writes. Not to forget Naden, Ahura, Amelia and etc.