Random thoughts
by Dr A Q Khan

Roti, kapra and makaan is the slogan of one of our major political parties. It played a big role in their majority win in the 1970 elections in West Pakistan. We, as a naïve nation, swallow all kinds of hollow slogans and promises. This slogan has its roots in India where it became so popular that Manoj Kumar made it the title of one of his films. This film was so successful that it celebrated its golden jubilee. The communists in India were the first to realise the appeal of these “magic” words and soon West Bengal became its stronghold. It appealed to many in Pakistan because it promised the poor a means of subsistence. These three items – roti, kapra and makaan – are the basic essential needs of the poor. Politicians soon realised the importance and appeal of these words and made it a part of their party manifesto. Since it contained a promise to meet the needs of the poor, the party managed to win votes. Like so many other promises, this one saw the light of day, but days, weeks, even years, passed without its realisation. Meanwhile, the poor became poorer and the rich became richer.
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Random thoughts
By Dr A Q Khan

The Persian poet Anwari wrote: “Har balaey ze aasman uftad,/Khanaey Anwari ra mee pursad.” (Every calamity that descends from the heavens looks for the house of Anwari.) Everyone tends to consider their own misfortunes more troublesome than those of others and the comforts of others more than their own. This view lies within the individual and can be corrected by their own efforts–i.e., prayer, seeking out and utilising all possibilities for a solution and working hard at that solution. This is reflected in yet another Persian saying: “Jaan-e-man, khud kardai, khud-karda ra tadbir neest.” (My dear, you have asked for it yourself and there is no remedy for what you do yourself.) There is another type of misfortune in which the individual plays no part–for example floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. The Divine edict is that nations are destroyed for their wrongdoings–e.g., the drowning of the Pharaoh and his army and the rain of stones on the disobedient disciples of the Prophets Aad (PBUH) and Samud (PBUH). There is very little that a human being can do to stop or prevent it. It is a Divine (natural) event.
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Random thoughts
By Dr A Q Khan

In my columns of July 22 and Oct 14, 2009, I had written in detail about Raja Bhojpal of Bhopal, his sighting of the splitting of the moon, sending his son, Mata Din, with a delegation to Madina, embracing Islam, etc. I had also written about the Raja of Kerala sending his son with a delegation to Madina, their meeting with the Holy Prophet (PBUH), embracing Islam (taking the Muslim name of Mohiuddin), the marriage of the prince to the daughter of a companion of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and the whole delegation embracing Islam. The most recent article by Mr Javedullah Raja (Jang, Feb 20) points out that the ruler himself had also gone to Madina where he embraced Islam and took the Muslim name of Tajuddin. Prince Mohiuddin, after becoming the ruler, built a mosque (Cheraman Jamia Mosque) in the name of his father. This mosque is considered to be the first mosque built on the subcontinent. In response to the above-mentioned columns, some interesting and informative articles appeared in Jang.

Here I would like to summarise the information that is now available. I had already thanked my dear Bhopali friend, Tameezul Haque, for the photocopy of an article that had appeared in the Kerala Magazine, which had been published in Tarikh-e-Uzbekistan and was written by Syed Kamaluddin Ahmed, which prompted me to write the second column. Another Bhopali friend and senior Jang columnist, Mr Muhammad Ahmad Sahzwari, gave me more valuable information on Raja Bhojpal, which I am reproducing here with his kind permission.
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