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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · May 13

Yes, Agyeya devotes the lines in the guise of the Empress

Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · May 12

Hindi poet Agyeya's poem 'Samragyi Ka Naivedya-Dan', about the visit of the revered Japanese Empress Kōmyō to Nara's Buddha Temple. She devotes these eloquent lines of prayer to the Mahabuddha.

Right pic of colossal rock-cut Buddha from my 2019 visit to the Kanheri Caves,Mumbai.

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · May 7

On Rabindranath Thakur's birth anniversary:

1. A page in his handwriting from The Religion of Man

2. Depicted as 'Baul' in Abanindranath Thakur's painting

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 29

Pages from a 1924 edition of ‘La Rose de Bakawali’ by Garcin De Tassy, French translation of the famous Urdu tale ‘Mazhab-e Ishq’(Gul Bakawali) by Nihalchand Lahori, which was in turn based on Izzat Ullah Bangali’s Farsi version.
Illustration by the Russian artist Boris Zvorykin.

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 26

In Oct-November 1933, the famous Hindi magazine 'Hans' (edited by Munshi Premchand) published what was claimed to be an old photo of the legendary Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi.
It was from the records of Brajaratnadasa who claimed that he had photos of other pre-1857 kings & nawabs too.

Source:
Hans : Kashi Ank edited by Premchand, published by Vishwavidyalaya Prakashan in 2022

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 20

On Easter Sunday, here is some Resurrection art by the Indian Christian painter Frank Wesley (1923-2002):

1. Easter Morning : the risen Christ has a haloed outline,stigmata,golden glow etc. & the two Marys proceed to the grave

2. Resurrection appearance of Christ to the fishermen

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 18

On World Heritage Day, here is some built heritage from my city Gurgaon,Haryana:

1. Church of the Epiphany,Civil Lines

2. Ali Vardi Khan Mosque & Sarai, built in 18th century

3. Old Shivala temple near Masani mata,old Gurgaon

4. Tomb of Major Jean Etienne,Begum Samru's Jharsa,sector 40

Source: The American Institute of Indian Studies, Gurgaon

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 17

The Flagellation of Jesus, from the album Mir’at al-quds ('Mirror of Holiness') of Father Jerome Xavier, 1602-1604. Illustrated in Allahabad, North India.

This Persian biography of Jesus Christ was prepared by Xavier for the Mughal Emperor Akbar.

(description given in the right pic)

Source: Mirʾāt al-quds (Mirror of Holiness): A Life of Christ for Emperor Akbar - A Commentary on Father Jerome Xavier’s Text and the Miniatures of Cleveland Museum of Art, Acc. No. 2005.145
By Pedro Moura Carvalho
With a Translation and Annotated Transcription of the Text by Wheeler M. Thackston

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 17

Two Mughal-era adaptations of the ancient tale of King Nala & his wife Damayanti:

Left: Farsi version 'Nal-Daman' by the poet Faizi of Emperor Akbar's court. Copy printed in 1930.

Right: An Awadhi version by a poet Surdas of Lucknow,written in 1657 during Shahjahan's reign (copied later)

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 17

Description of the month of 'Baisakh' (April-May) from 'Bikat Kahani' by Muhammad Afzal 'Gopal' of Panipat/Narnaul (Haryana).
It was a Barahmasa poem written in a mix of Farsi & early Hindi-Urdu. Dated to 1625, it is considered the earliest example of Urdu poetry in North India.

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 16

'The Last Supper' (also identified as 'The Marriage Feast at Cana'), a Mughal miniature painted in the mid-17th century. From The Warren Hastings Album.
Jesus & his disciples are dressed in a mix of Biblical & Portuguese clothes. Dogs have been added to the scene.

Source: Sotheby's 1974 Bibliotheca Phillippica, available on the Internet Archives Website

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 15

जन कबीर का सिखरि घर, बाट सलैली गैल
पाँव न टिके पिपीलका, लोगन लादै बैल
(Kabir's home lies atop a slippery hill where even ants struggle to get a foothold,
And here people try to bring oxen loaded with goods!)

Painting: "Kabir & Two Followers on a Terrace" dated 1610–1620,India, Mughal

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 15

Cover of 'Badmash Darpan', a collection of Bhojpuri poetry by Tegh Ali 'Teg' of Varanasi, printed in 1906. Tegh Ali was a 'goonda kavi' (ruffian/muscleman poet).

Originally published in 1885, a newer edition of the book has been published by Vishwavidyalaya Prakashan, Varanasi.

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 13

Baisakhi views:
Walking through golden fields of wheat around Dehradun today. There are jackfruit and mango trees here. A lush forest of Sal trees surrounds this area in the Shivalik foothills.

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 13

On the anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, here is a survivor's account from Rahul Sankrityayan's Hindi book 'Ghumakkar Swami' (घुमक्कड़ स्वामी).
It is a biography of Swami Harisharananand,who led a very interesting & active life. It is available online (Internet Archives website).

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 13

Saw these very interesting 19th-century murals on the Jhanda Gate of Dehradun's Darbar Sahib yesterday:

1. Maharaja Ranjit Singh
2. English ladies, Sepoys mixed with mythological scenes
3. A rare self-portrait of Tulasiram Mistri, one of the artists who painted these murals.

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 12

Met a few characters from old Urdu literature in Dehradun today, illustrated on the walls of the Darbar Sahib:

1. The heroine Badr-e Munir holds her strings of pearls ('Sahrul Bayan')

2. The heroine Bakawali & Tajul Muluk('Gulzar-e Nasim')

3. Shahzada Gulfam & Sabz Pari ('Indar Sabha')

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 12

In Dehradun today, after a long time (5 years).

Visited the beautiful, 17th-century Guru Ram Rai Durbar Sahib. Its walls are covered with gorgeous illustrations of mythological, historical & spiritual scenes.

Perfect weather in Dehradun, very cool. Like mid-March in Delhi.

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 11

Meer Baqar Ali, considered the last traditional 'dastan-go' (storyteller) of Delhi, loved tea.
According to him, the ideal cup of tea should have 3 qualities :

1. 'Lab band' - excessively sweet (lit. 'lips shut')
2. 'Lab rez' - a full/overflowing cup
3. 'Lab soz' - piping hot

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 11

Cover art from some Urdu translations published in the Soviet Union by the famous Raduga Publishing House, Moscow:

Left: Dostoevsky's 'The Insulted & The Humiliated', trans. by Zoe Ansari

Right: A Children's book 'Why Tuppy Doesn’t Chase Birds', trans. by Shakuntala Kushwaha

Source: user Arvind Gupta, The Internet Archives Website

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 10

Today's bookmail from the publisher Dilli Kitab Ghar:

A collection of articles from the famous Urdu weekly 'Tehzeeb-e Niswan', edited by CM Naim,published in 2 volumes in 2023. This pioneering women's weekly was published from 1898 to 1951.

Dilli Kitab Ghar has a good catalogue.

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 10

"aa ke sajjāda-nashīñ qais huā mere baad

na rahī dasht meñ ḳhālī koī jā mere baad"

After a prophetic dream, Laila finds an emaciated Majnun in the wilderness, surrounded by animals.

From a Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau.Painted by the artist Sanwala (active c. 1580–1600)

Source: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection 2013.301

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 9

On Rahul Sankrityayana's birth anniversary (April 9, 1893):

Here are some old photos from his collected works. He was a veritable genius, an expert of many languages & a true 'ghumakkar' (wanderer/traveler). His travelogues & memoirs are amazing (I read one volume every year).

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 8

Born in 1850 in Lahore, Pt. Saligram Kaul 'Salik' wrote the Urdu prose 'Dastan-e Jagat Rup' probably while he was imprisoned in Jammu's Bahu Fort by the Maharaja.
Salik described his beloved Lahore & Patiala in the preface to his 'Dastan' (which was compared to 'Fasana-e Ajaib'):

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Iqtibaas اقتباس @iqtibaas88.bsky.social · Apr 7

Born in 1847,Munshi Banwari Lal Verma 'Shola' later learnt poetry from Mirza Hargopal 'Tafta',who possibly introduced 'Shola' to Mirza Ghalib.

His work 'Bazm-e Brindaban' was printed by Kayasth Prakash Press,Aligarh with color illustrations. His signature is at the end (last pic).

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