I emailed Shashi Tharoor's assistant after I finished reading his novel, 'Riot'.
From: khadijaejaz@hotmail.com
To: merrylit@aol.com; tharoor.assistant@gmail.com
Subject: 'Riot' comments
Date: Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:47:44 +0400
Hi there,
I'm an Indian Muslim who was raised in the Sultanate of Oman and spent a decade in the US at university and at work. I'm also a writer. I actually just finished reading Dr. Tharoor's novel, 'A Riot', all in one day, mostly because I was unable to tear myself away from it. I just had to reach out and let Dr. Tharoor know how gripping his book was; it left me completely drained. Whenever I come across creative work that has such a powerful effect on me, I end up hoping that I too someday create something that affects people in the same way. Yikes.
All the best to Dr. Tharoor for the elections, woo hoo!
Khadija
http://khadijaejaz.netfirms.com
http://khadijaejaz.blogspot.com
"Verily in the heavens and the earth, are Signs for those who believe."
- The Holy Quran (45:3)
They must've figured out how important I am because they replied back really fast!
Date: Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:11:58 -0400
Subject: Re: 'Riot' comments
From: tharoor.assistant@gmail.com
To: khadijaejaz@hotmail.com
Thank you, Khadija! I have sent this on to Dr. Tharoor and he was thrilled to hear from you and touched by your compliments.
He wishes you all the best with your writings and looks forward to hearing of your success!
Sincerely,
Holly Ellis
Monday, April 27, 2009
Guilt-free forward
Someone forwarded me this thought-provoking...poem, I guess you can call it.
"The woman in your life
Tomorrow you may get a working woman, but you should marry her with these facts as well.
Here is a girl, who is as much educated as you are;
Who is earning almost as much as you do;
One, who has dreams and aspirations just as you have because she is as human as you are;
One, who has never entered the kitchen in her life just like you or your Sister haven't, as she was busy in studies and competing in a system that gives no special concession to girls for their culinary achievements
One, who has lived and loved her parents & brothers & sisters, almost as much as you do for 20-25 years of her life;
One, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that, her home, people who love her, to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your family ,name
One, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day #1, while you sleep oblivious to her predicament in her new circumstances, environment and that kitchen
One, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning and cook food at the end of the day, even if she is as tired as you are, maybe more, and yet never ever expected to complain; to be a servant, a cook, a mother, a wife, even if she doesn't want to; and is learning just like you are as to what you want from her; and is clumsy and sloppy at times and knows that you won't like it if she is too demanding, or if she learns faster than you;
One, who has her own set of friends, and that includes boys and even men at her workplace too, those, who she knows from school days and yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners to avoid your irrational jealousy, unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities;
Yes, she can drink and dance just as well as you can, but won't, simply because you won't like it, even though you say otherwise
One, who can be late from work once in a while whendeadlines, just like yours, are to be met;
One, who is doing her level best and wants to make this most important, relationship in her entire life a grand success, if you just help her some and trust her;
One, who just wants one thing from you, as you are the only one she knows in your entire house - your unstinted support, your sensitivities and most importantly - your understanding, or love, if you may call it.
But not many guys understand this......
Please appreciate "HER"
I hope you will do....
Respect Her.
Forward this to as many women as possible... they'll love you for it!
Forward this to as many men as you can so that they'll know why women are so special :-)"
"The woman in your life
Tomorrow you may get a working woman, but you should marry her with these facts as well.
Here is a girl, who is as much educated as you are;
Who is earning almost as much as you do;
One, who has dreams and aspirations just as you have because she is as human as you are;
One, who has never entered the kitchen in her life just like you or your Sister haven't, as she was busy in studies and competing in a system that gives no special concession to girls for their culinary achievements
One, who has lived and loved her parents & brothers & sisters, almost as much as you do for 20-25 years of her life;
One, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that, her home, people who love her, to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your family ,name
One, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day #1, while you sleep oblivious to her predicament in her new circumstances, environment and that kitchen
One, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning and cook food at the end of the day, even if she is as tired as you are, maybe more, and yet never ever expected to complain; to be a servant, a cook, a mother, a wife, even if she doesn't want to; and is learning just like you are as to what you want from her; and is clumsy and sloppy at times and knows that you won't like it if she is too demanding, or if she learns faster than you;
One, who has her own set of friends, and that includes boys and even men at her workplace too, those, who she knows from school days and yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners to avoid your irrational jealousy, unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities;
Yes, she can drink and dance just as well as you can, but won't, simply because you won't like it, even though you say otherwise
One, who can be late from work once in a while whendeadlines, just like yours, are to be met;
One, who is doing her level best and wants to make this most important, relationship in her entire life a grand success, if you just help her some and trust her;
One, who just wants one thing from you, as you are the only one she knows in your entire house - your unstinted support, your sensitivities and most importantly - your understanding, or love, if you may call it.
But not many guys understand this......
Please appreciate "HER"
I hope you will do....
Respect Her.
Forward this to as many women as possible... they'll love you for it!
Forward this to as many men as you can so that they'll know why women are so special :-)"
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Quest
Man running sore
Night mist and smoke
Searching, searching
A streetlight broke
Two holes on throat
Still searching
Night mist and smoke
Searching, searching
A streetlight broke
Two holes on throat
Still searching
They drift there still
A brother and sister drowned together
Cherubic faces
Curls untempered
Their hair shone gold in the dark river
She fell first
And he came after
Why they fell they don't remember
But down they went
One after the other
They sank in silence in slow motion
'Til all was quiet
At the bottom
They told me that they are there still
They sent me numbers
For their coffins
Dimensions for boxes of wood
98, 32, 68
They drift there still.
Cherubic faces
Curls untempered
Their hair shone gold in the dark river
She fell first
And he came after
Why they fell they don't remember
But down they went
One after the other
They sank in silence in slow motion
'Til all was quiet
At the bottom
They told me that they are there still
They sent me numbers
For their coffins
Dimensions for boxes of wood
98, 32, 68
They drift there still.
Wake-up call
It happened in the middle of medieval history class. The professor was excitedly waving his hands about to Rome, Byzantium, and Charlemagne, like a spellbound maestro gripped by the harmonies and percussions of a passionate symphony. The students were silently filtering his enthusiasm for noteworthy facts. She sat slumped in her second row seat, having drifted away from the balding professor's words five minutes ago. Thinking of nothing, her bored gaze settled on the sluggish pimply blonde sitting in front of her. And a violent vision of smashing a thick slab of glass on that blonde head startled her to attention.
She wondered what that was all about.
She wondered what that was all about.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Night Mare
In a dark room
An inn of wood and shadow
A strange dimension
Where I felt
Free
Brave
In a woman's world
They gave me a mare
Made of toffee
Smelling of caramel
Skin like suede
A yellow-brown tan
Her name was Wonderful
An inn of wood and shadow
A strange dimension
Where I felt
Free
Brave
In a woman's world
They gave me a mare
Made of toffee
Smelling of caramel
Skin like suede
A yellow-brown tan
Her name was Wonderful
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Susan's got talent
The lyrics to the song that Susan Boyle sang and made everyone cry.
There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong
I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted
But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame
He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came
And still I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather
I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.
There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong
I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted
But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame
He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came
And still I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather
I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Starchild
the Prophet said daughters are a mercy from Allah
so i prayed for a future in ribbons
come to me, my daughter
in the name of the secrets of Hawwa
Maryam, Khadija, Amina, Fatima, Hajira
I name you Kausar, the river of plenty in Paradise
Daria, queen of Persia
Nura, light of the universe
my universe of frilly socks and jewels
daughters today, mothers of civilisations tomorrow
but she hides in the night sky
in an armour of stardust
holding on tight to galaxies and novas
i'm scared, amma
they will make me cry when you're away
like they do you and your sisters today
so i prayed for a future in ribbons
come to me, my daughter
in the name of the secrets of Hawwa
Maryam, Khadija, Amina, Fatima, Hajira
I name you Kausar, the river of plenty in Paradise
Daria, queen of Persia
Nura, light of the universe
my universe of frilly socks and jewels
daughters today, mothers of civilisations tomorrow
but she hides in the night sky
in an armour of stardust
holding on tight to galaxies and novas
i'm scared, amma
they will make me cry when you're away
like they do you and your sisters today
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Uh oh
What would you think if you were getting your hair done, and suddenly, in the middle of everything, the stylist goes, "oops!"?
I thought about that as I walked past a hair salon called 'Oooooops!' today. Whoever came up with that??
I thought about that as I walked past a hair salon called 'Oooooops!' today. Whoever came up with that??
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Fiery Freshman pre-9/11
Ohhh look what I found while Googling myself (yes, it's a hobby of mine) - an old letter-to-the-editor I'd written in response to an op-ed piece in the Daily O'Collegian, the college newspaper.
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