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Jasmine and South Indian weddings
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. Another post about unique aspects of wedding in my culture (Kerala, South India) is the jasmine garland and jasmine braids on hair worn by the bride. Little girls await eagerly for weddings so that they too can wear the “poovu – mala” (flower chain). Fun fact : Another word with ‘J’ with an Arabic origin is “Jinn”. Thought I will mention this due to the recent release of the movie by the same name.
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I is for Imam
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. You might have most often come across titles such as Imam and Shaykh when referring to Muslim Scholars. An Imam is a Muslim spiritual leader or the person who leads the prayer in congregation in a mosque or an honorific title applied to eminent doctors of Islam, such as the founders of the orthodox schools. One of the unique aspects about Arabic is it’s well-ordered grammatical system and derivation based morphology of words. Read more here.
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Henna and weddings !
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. In Desi and Arab cultures, before the wedding, the bride’s hands and feet are often coloured and beautifully decorated with exquisite Henna designs. Children and ladies adorn their hands during festivals and other celebrations too. What is unique about wedding celebrations in your culture/country?
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G is for Giraffe
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. It looks like it’s an animal week for me. The long-necked Giraffe is always a favourite for the children while at the zoo. How has the A to Z Challenge been so far?
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Fox, firefox and fennec
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. I begin this week by introducing a cute furry fox, commonly called as the fennec – a nocturnal fox found in the deserts of Sahara. Or better still, we would know ‘fennec’ as the code name of the Mozilla Firefox for Mobile web browser !
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Elixir of life
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. Paulo Coelho is one of the contemporary writers who has introduced Arabic words like Maktoob and Zahir to the mainstream English readers. Yet, there is a common English word, used in the book ‘The Alchemist’ which too has an Arabic origin. Any guesses? Opinions on the book ‘The Alchemist’?
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Calls Answered
I have never tossed a coin in a fountain and wished. I have never crossed my fingers and wished. I have never looked on a shooting star and wished. …..but, I have prayed to my Lord, with my eyes closed, and tears springing, in the wee hours of dawn to protect me from sadness and grief. I have prayed to my Rabb in the green carpeted Rawdah to remove the difficulties of my family and friends. I have prayed in front of the Kaabah for all my affairs to be set right and bless me with tranquility. I have prayed standing on the mount Safa to bless me with professional…
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Inspiration around
My mother’s prayers and kindness inspires me. My father’s hardworking nature inspires me. My sister’s perfectionism inspires me. My brother’s drive for knowledge inspires me. My little brother’s selfless nature inspires me. My friend’s faith in love even after being cheated terribly inspires me. My teacher’s strength in fighting her personal adversities inspire me. My aunt’s strong sense of faith even after losing her twins inspire me. My cousin who conveys her emotions through actions, not words inspire me. My professor’s belief in my abilities inspire me. My neighbour’s helping nature inspires me. My colleague’s passion for dentistry inspires me. Search for stories of inspiration not only in famous celebrities…
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Solitude
Introverts of the world, Unite !
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Optimist or Pessimist ?
(Feb 24th prompt from NaBloPoMo : Do you think you are more of an optimist or a pessimist? ) Thinking long and hard on the answer to the above question. I came to this sad conclusion: I am an optimist when things go my way. When its running downhill, I turn in to a dreadful pessimist. How wrong can I get ?! It is easy to see the silver lining on the cloud when we can gaze at the beautiful sky while standing on a firm ground. What happens when the ground is shaking and there is an earthquake? Our ability to find the silver lining depends on how much we actually…
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Silence of my home
Growing up, my house did not know the meaning of silence. 2 studious girls who did their daily lessons by reading loudly. 2 hyperactive boys who always had to play football or watch cartoon. Not to forget, the cat and dog fights for everything from the TV remote to the Nutella bottle. However hard my mom tried, it was dearly impossible to wind up for the day before 11 PM. There was one or the other chatter – Crying sessions because the home work assignment was not completed (this was usually me!) or screaming at the other for breaking a favourite toy (usually the boys) or being on the telephone…
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The hijab – My choice
From the time I was 11 or 12, whatever is it that I chose to wear- skirt & top, jeans & kurta, salwar kameez or the abaya – there has been an extra fabric on my head, covering my hair, popularly called as the HIJAB. On doing a quick Google search, you will realize the fact that the Hijab is one of the most controversial topic regarding the Muslim women. The extra fabric hasn’t prevented me from gaining a degree, working in a hospital, travelling alone, outing with my friends or in short, living my life. It is a personal choice after studying and comprehending my religious texts. It is…
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A city and a village.
Place where I grew up : Doha, Qatar Class gradation and caste differences was something I was not aware of during my childhood days. Everyone had the same Staedtler Pencil and Faber Castell Colour Pencils. It was assumed everyone was from reasonably well-to-do families. Some of our neighbours were from Syria, Egypt or Palestine (besides Indians!) and though we wished each other on New Years and Eid, we were not much in contact otherwise. Outings, community get-together at the local club, Eid meet at the Park – every community mostly socialized with its own kind. Though a cosmopolitan city, cohesive nature and intermingling among st the expatriates and natives are…