15 posts tagged “vox hunt”
Share a song that explains your current state of being.
Okay, not really. I just like it. A lot. There's also a glorious 31 minute Portishead piece here that they won't let me embed.
Show us a tattoo.
It is a sufi couplet by Hazrat Shah Niaz, in Arabic script.
Yaar ko hamne jaa ba jaa dekha
Kahin zahir kahin chhupa dekha
I see my beloved everywhere
Sometimes obvious, sometimes hidden
I love the duality of expression in this couplet, the way God is referred to as the beloved, and worship as love.
The ghazal is part of Raqs-e-Bismil , [Dance of the Wounded], a beautiful collection of sufi ghazals, sung by Begum Abida Parveen and composed by Muzaffar Ali. Somebody finally uploaded the whole ghazal on youtube.
Share a song you recently realized you can't get enough of... no matter how many times you listen to it.
There are three ways to know something.
Take, for instance, a flame. One can be told of a flame, one can see a flame with one's own eyes, and finally one can reach out and be burned by the flame. In this way, we seek to be burned by God.
-- Sufi saying
Sufism developed within Islam as the descendant of Zoroastrianism, and borrowed heavily from Hindu religious concepts. It is also likened to Buddhism, and I find it strangely akin to the Jain philosophy I grew up with. The Sufis strive to detach from the self through complete devotion and focus, and recognize the harmony of the universe as related through music, trying to recreate it through their chants and ritual songs. They strive to break the conditioned patterns of behavior which inhibit spiritual awakening. The Sufis isolate themselves from the material wants of society, and desire nothing but to know themselves and God.
More on Abida Parveen and Sufi Music.
This is my Valentine's day offering to you.
Audio: Share a song with powerful lyrics.
Audio: Share a song you could listen to all day on repeat.
Show us a photo of somewhere you want to go.
Show us a photograph that makes you laugh.
Its a picture A took of a poster hanging in the tailor's shop in Colonial Williamsburg. I especially love the expression on the face of the little boy. We almost bought a print for framing in our living room, but better sense prevailed.
Audio: Share your life anthem.
It is Very hard to find a video of my life anthem. There's an audio clip here.
It is a sufi ghazal by Begum Abida Parveen, and this is the first couplet-
Yaar ko hamne ja ba ja dekha
Kahin zaahir kahin chhupa dekha
( I saw my beloved* everywhere,
Sometimes obvious, sometimes hidden)
* the beloved in this context being God
I don't claim to have much understanding about the sufi way, and this wiki can confuse you further. But these words have carried me through the hardest times in my life, and they still do.
Argh..moments like these, I wish I could write.
As a more interesting aside, I got this couplet tattooed on my ankle a year ago, and it got horribly inflamed and yucky. I had to keep it exposed, and it was the best conversation starter ever. Complete strangers would come up to me, ask where I got the tattoo, what it meant, how much did it itch, and offer home remedies.
It was good while it lasted.
Show us your favorite literary character.
So many of them, but the first few that spring to mind are..
What I liked even more than the lawyer with his innate morality and sense of justice was the father with his dry sense of humor and appreciation of the absurd.
I don't know why.
The character, the character.
Show us your favorite Thanksgiving dish.
Cranberry Cornbread
I'm not quite sure where I got this recipe from; its most likely an adaptation of the recipe on the back of the cranberries package.
Posted here.Green bean casserole- Revisited
My take on the famous three-can ( can-o-beans, can-o-mushroom-soup, and can-o-fried-onions) recipe. Not the best picture, but I liked the taste.
1 lb green beans, chopped into bite sized pieces.
2 cups fresh mushrooms, chopped (I used cremini)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp white flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup panko crumbs
salt and pepper flakes
-Blanch green beans in salted water.
-Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
-Heat half the oil and butter in a sauce pan. Saute mushrooms until they smell yummy.
-Add thyme and flour. Stir until flour turns golden
-Slowly add milk and whisk to make a smooth sauce. Let it thicken a bit.
-Add salt and pepper flakes to taste.
-Add the blanched beans to the sauce. Coat to stir.
-Layer mixture in a 10 x 10 baking dish.
-Mix panko with the remaining oil and butter. Season. Cover beans with this mixture.
-Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crumbs are nicely browned.
