How long will US economy survive?

DOLLAR GETS DOWN

How long will the US survive as an economic superpower? Writes Prashant Bhushan in Tehelka weekly. "It has been living on borrowed money for someime.

Its external debt is more than 50% of its GDP as Saudi oil money and China's trade surplus piles up in American banks. The US dollar is kept afload today mainly by the oil trade in US dollars. 


The US economy will tank if either China withdraws its money from the American banks or Saudi Arabia stops depositing its oil money in US bonds, or even if the oil trade goes off the dollar.

Thus even if we assume that we can get something in short run, how long will it last?". Bhushan, a public interest lawyer, has writen quite an interesting piece 'The eveil behemoth cometh' on Bush's visit to India and the euphria in the country. He questions that how reliable ally US can be to India.

Urdu papers on Bush's visit

Rashtriya Sahara Urdu daily has been printing a full anti-Bush page for the last several days. Read the headlines: Islam-dushmani ke field marshall: Bush, Ekkiswin sadi ka aadam khor bhedia, Duniya ka napasandeeda tareen insaan Bush amongst others.

Giving vent to their anger and reading what people want to read makes them feel lighter. That's why quite a strong anti-Bush sentiment in all Urdu papers. [A few years later the US Economy did collapse. When this post was published, people thought it was mere anti-Americanism and wishful thinking. So now?]

Urdu litterateur Rashid Hasan Khan dies

Eminent Urdu researcher, critic and scholar of classical Urdu texts Rashid Hasan Khan passed away at his native Shahjahanpur on the night intervening February 25 and 26.

The famed scholar was talking to someone on phone when he died of a sudden cardiac arrest. A leftist his first job was in a factory in his native town. Khan had shifted to Delhi in 60s and joined the Delhi University. He dedicated himself to research and grew in stature steadily.

Khan Sahab had a classical bent of mind. Also, he considered critic at a higher pedestal than poet. He wrote several important books including Classical Urdu Farhang. His research works on Bagh-o-Bahar, Fasana-e-Ajaib, Gulzar-e-Nasim, Sehrul Bayan, Masnawiyat-e-Shauq are well-known.

He was the first Urdu litterateur to be conferred with Raja Ram Mohan Rai award. After retirement he returned to Shahjehanpur. On his death Rafat Sarosh said that if a researcher would have worked so hard in any other country and in any other language he would have received numerous honours.

But, unfortunately, he was the litterateur of Urdu. Also, Rashid Hasan Khan preferred solitude. He had returned to his roots after retirement, shifting back to his ancestral house, where he pored on old texts for hours at night.

Australian Muslims at the receiving end, facing prejudices

What is happening in Australia? The Prime Minister and ministers have made prejudiced remarks against the Muslims.

Danna Vale, MP, of ruling party on the issue of induction of an abortion drug said that if Australians aborted out themselves, the country will become a Muslim nation in 50 years.

It was a debate on the drug and it took her to the Muslims and such a far-fetched imagination.
Initially she was criticised and government appeared to have distanced itself from her statement.

But then came Prime Minister John Howard's statement.that commitment to jihad and attitude towards women was a problem peculiar to Muslims and that section of Muslim community was extremist, don't assimilate etc etc

As Prime Minister, his views are even more dangerous when racial intolerance is growing in Australia and the race riots occurred in Sydney just two months ago. Muslims are just 1.5% of Australia's population.

Ek Ladki Jamuni Libaas Mein: A Girl Dressed in Purple

REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO COURTESY John H Postik*

Yesterday I met a girl. A dusky, tall, around 21-22 year old, dressed in violet and moving around swiftly and with grace.

The young woman was not fair but her face looked so radiant that I was entranced. The colour of the dress suited her so well.

To set the record straight, I have no fancy for extremely fair girls, rather, prefer the earthiness and 'namak' on face.

I couldn't recall what was particularly special in her looks but then the whole wujood brought such warmth.


Ajeeb si mas'hoorkun khushboo thee chahaar-jaanib uske. Mercurial, Seemab-sifat, as we say in Urdu, she was everywhere, almost floating in air, lyrically.

Woh udtee rahi. So enthusiastic she was about the smallest things that I was left in a daze. As the veteran poets say.....Dil chahta hai kya kya kuchh! Bataiye usko abhi shaadki karne ki kya zaroorat thee! Uska woh mardood bhi that wahan. Hopefully they don't blog.

Sometime you feel that where are all those beautiful girls who attracted you in your teenage or when you are teetering on verge of adulthood...woh ladkiyan jo fauran wujood par chhaa jatee theen....aur bohat der tak...halki baarish ka ehsaas hota tha....

Now it seems all girls are alike. Ab to jaise sab ladkiyan ek jaisee hone lagee hain....ek jaise naqsh, ek hi jaise kapde.... jeans-top aur wohi husn....na woh sabaahat, na malaahat, na namak, na hashr-samaaniyan....all alike..

Magar aaii woh shola-e-jawala aur hamein wapas woh ehsaas hua...While she was setting me ablaze with her looks, simultaneoulsy shabnam was falling on me in the form of her voice and her khiraamaN-khiraamaN chaal ie the wal. Maan gaye. Duniya se husn unqa nahin hua..

Falling in love is different yet the joy of discovering the sort of beauty which overwhelms you and takes all your senses under control, is truly amazing. And what about this serendipity of finding a girl at a place you never expected!

Beshak hamari biinai mein hii kuchh kamii hai
Warna laRkee to ek se ek is duniaa meN paRii hai :)

Dil to chaahta hai jazbat ko bayan kiya jaye marhoom Fazal Tabish ke alfaaz mein lekin kamzor dilwale sharif log bhi blog paRhte hain, kahin achhut qaraar na de diya jaaon, is se Darta hun.

[Photo courtesy]

Sahitya Academy award goes to Jabir Husain

Just now the news has come that Jabir Husain has been conferred with the Sahitya Academy's prestigious award for Urdu.

Professor Jabir Husain is a multi-faced personality. As chairman of Bihar Legislative Council, he did a great job towards promotion of Urdu.

The voluminous magazine 'Dastavez' he brought out every month has no parallel. He has written over a dozen books. He is not just a poet and author but also a social activist and politician.

I don't think there is any more dynamic personality in India as far as Urdu is concerned. Especially, because he is active in politics, and yet he is doing work on the ground. His passion for popularizing Urdu and pushing for its use in administrative work is exemplary.

جابر حسین کو ساہتیہ اکادمی اوارڈ
-ہماری طرف سے مبارکباد