Sadequain - legendary Artist and Calligrapher the World Lost too Early

Whenever art is talked about, it remains meaningless without the mention of Sadequain: an artist with a multifaceted approach towards art. He was muralist, portrait maker, calligrapher, poet and above all a revolutionary who transformed the artwork in Pakistan and presented something very unique, innovative, artistic and bold. 

Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi, who is also often referred to as Sadequain Naqqash Faqir Sadequain (a self-proclaimed faqir) or simply Sadequain was born in 1930 at Amroha of the undivided Indian subcontinent in the family of calligraphers. His artistic roots also lead him into the world of art, painters and calligraphers and became a world renowned painter in his lifetime.

His work first surfaced in 1954 at Quetta when he held his first solo exhibition. He was brought to limelight by the 5th prime minister of Pakistan Hussainn Shaheed Suhrawardy who had some paintings done for his residence and later a mural at Jinnah Hospital, Karachi in 1955.

Treasure of Time

Sadequain then traveled to France  USA and many other European and Middle Eastern countries from 1961 onward to exhibit his artwork and was appreciated where ever he went.
His monumental mural of 100 x 12 feet ‘Treasure of Time’ was a masterpiece which he did for the State Bank of Pakistan building at Karachi. 

Part of Treasure of Time depicting tribute to intellectual advancement of the Arab scholars like Al-Beruni, Al-Khawarizmi, Omar Khayyam, Ibne Rushd, Sadequain (in the shape of a skeleton), IbneZakaria, Rumi, Al-Idrisi, Hafiz, and Ibne Khaldun

The mural pays tribute to the human intellectual advancement through the course of history by highlighting Greek philosophers, European luminaries of renaissance, Arab scholars, and twentieth century stalwarts complete the visual narration.

Murals at Mangla Dam

He continued with his mural artwork which are displayed at Frere Hall Karachi, Lahore Museum, Punjab University, Mangla Dam, Aligarh Muslim University, Banaras Hindu University, Indian Institute of Geological Sciences, Islamic Institute in Delhi, and Abu Dhabi Power House and many other places. These murals provide a peek into the life of the era by capturing characters and portraying scenes from social and cultural events that take place at the time.

Apart from his murals, he painted men of the unprivileged class showing their agony, grief and misery in the back drop of desert thorns. These angular, lean figures, usually clad in/around cactus not only showed the miseries of the people around him, or perhaps himself too.

In his later works specially in the 70s, he switched over to calligraphy – something that was in his blood. His beautiful depiction of Surah Rehman from the Holy Quran is something that introduced a new style of Islamic calligraphy – something that was instantly copied by many and fake calligraphic works appeared in market by lowly artists to earn money. 

Whereas Sadequain never sold his paintings for money earning. He would refuse it to the rich, but would just give it away to friends and admirers for free.

In an interview Sadequain said:

“People ask why I don't paint flowers, butterflies and landscapes? I tell them that I seek the truth and I am after reality. I am not inspired by someone posing against the backdrop of roses in a vase or pink curtains. What inspires me is a person who has gone hungry for hours and is struggling for survival. The expression that lights his face at the end of the day when he has finally found some scraps, that is what touches me. I am a painter of the expression of reality.”

Sadequain also wrote hundreds of quartets and it was real pleasure to hear him reciting his own poetry in his very own and special way of expression. He also painted his artwork based on the poetry of Ghalib and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. 

Sadequain is also known as the Holt Sinner since some of his initial art work included nude men and women both in sketches and painting. 

My family is lucky to have very close and intimate interaction with Sadequain which began in  early 1970s when one day my elder brother, Zaffar Hameed Bhatti, then studying in the Government College, found Sadequain strolling outside the Lahore Museum. My brother, who himself is a good artist rushed up to nearby Anarkali paper market, bought a pen and a drawing sheet and asked Sadequain for autograph.

It was the time when Sadequain was painting the ceiling of the Lahore museum entrance hall, depicting Evolution of Mankind, and additional nine large panels of calligraphy for the Islamic Gallery. The ceiling spans approximately 100 x 35 feet (11 m).

When Sadequain knew of my brother’s interest in art, he invited him inside the museum and showed him his masterpieces. From then on my brother, later joined by another brother of mine, was part of Sadequain’s team to assist him in completing his paintings. My brother witnessed simple soul Sadequain being fleeced of his paintings by men and women of the elite class. A major portion of Sadequain's work thus eroded.

I also got to sit with my brothers and watch Sadequain at work and was lucky to have his autograph as shown above, which he endorsed at the back the painting exhibition invitation card.

Sadequain personally addressed the invitation card for me when he was leaving Lahore after completing his Lahore Museum paintings and a select group of people were invited by him to view his paintings

Sadequain is also known as the Holy Sinner for his paintings of naked man and woman, which portray his  vitality, innovation, restless fervor and immense amount of energy. He also painted portraits of angular, lean figures, usually clad in/around cactus not only showed the miseries of the people around him, or perhaps himself too.    

During his life, he received numerous awards that included  Tamgha-e-Imtiaz by Government of Pakistan (1960), “Laureate de Paris (1961) and Pride of Performance (1962), Cultural Award by Government of Australia (1975) and Sitara-e-Imtiaz (1980). 

Ajaz Anwar, himself a prolific painter and artist writes about Sadequain on Facebook:

Sadequain was responsible for the renaissance of Islamic calligraphy in Pakistan. He was one of the greatest calligraphers of our time and helped transform the art of calligraphy into serious expressionist paintings. He claimed that his transformation into a calligrapher was manifested by divine inspiration. He did not follow the tradition and created his own style of script. His alphabets exude motion, mood, and paint vivid pictures of the message of the word. Sadequain claimed that many of his paintings especially after the seventies had been based on calligraphic forms to portray images of cities, buildings, forests, men, and women.

In Pakistan, the art of calligraphy was relegated to a second-class status until Sadequain adapted this medium in the late nineteen sixties. Until then a few painters experimented with the medium but it remained as just that, an experiment. After Sadequain transformed the art of calligraphy into a mainstream art form, most of the known Pakistani artists have followed Sadequain and calligraphic art now dominates the art scene.

Sadequain died on February 10, 1987 in Karachi at the age of 57. He is buried in Sakhi Hassan graveyard.

On 14 August 2006, Pakistan Post issued a Rs. 40 sheetlet to posthumously honour 10 Pakistani Painters. Besides Sadequain, the other 9 painters are: Laila Shahzada, Askari Mian Irani, Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Ali Imam, Shakir Ali, Anna Molka Ahmed, Zubeida Agha, Ahmed Pervez and Bashir Mirza.


For more of his artwork, visit Pakistanpaedia

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23rd March - a day in life of Pakistan

23rd March - a day in life of Pakistan!!

A day which have two-fold significance in the history of Pakistan. It was the day in 1940 when a historic gathering of the All India Muslim League, a political party representing all Muslims of the British India took place at the Minto Park, Lahore and the resolution for an independent Muslim homeland for the Muslims of the British India was passed, known as the Lahore Resolution which later came to be known as the Pakistan Resolution. The place where the resolution was passed now stands a beautiful minaret known as the Minar-e-Pakistan, minaret of Pakistan, to remind the future generations of the importance of this historic place.

On this historic day, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan made this historic speech, “Muslims are a nation according to any definition of nation. We wish our people to develop to the fullest spiritual, cultural, economic, social and political life in a way that we think best and in consonance with our own ideals and according to the genius of our people”.

Due to the efforts of the leaders of the All India Muslim League under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, that the British conceded to the legitimate demands of the Muslims and allowed partition of the British India into two independent countries of Pakistan and India on 14th August 1947 - a day when an Empire came to an end that ruled this subcontinent for almost over 100 years and long drawn struggle for independence materialized for the people of Indo-Pak subcontinent.

The day again surfaces in the history of Pakistan in 1956, when Pakistan became the first Islamic republic of the world. 

Thus the day combines two important events in the history of Pakistan and is celebrated with national pride and commitment. 

The day commences with a 21 gun salute as a salute and tribute to all those who worked for the independence of Pakistan and those who died and laid their lives to acquire this country and preserving its integrity. 

After many decades since 1940 and 1956, Pakistan still stands at a very critical juncture of its history. The democracy has finally returned to country after yet another decade long spell of military rule and the democratic government has just completed its five years 'safely.' And all is set for next elections to be held in May later this year. While the country is still in the grip of militancy and religious intolerance, the democracy has not done any good either as the recent stint of the government was marred with corruption and swindling of national resources.

The politicians are once again showing new hopes to their voters - with same slogans and rhetorical statements. In Lahore today, a new political voice of Imran Khan is being heard today and youth is being mobilized to come forward and vote for a change - change form all those faces we have seen and tested many a a times in the past. Would this be a call for ushering in new era for Pakistan - a new hope for the future?

Only time and next elections will tell. But as for now, on this day, let every Pakistani make a resolve to work towards making Pakistan as one of the greatest nations of the world, as pledged by Jinnah and make an all out endeavour to make this country peaceful, progressive, tolerant and accommodating for all people of Pakistan, irrespective of their religion, caste and creed. We must also make a resolve today to rid this country of the faces that have deceived us for long - and from the menace of militancy and extremism, which has plagued this country for the last so many years.

via The Fire Within

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Facebook and Pakistan

Of all the social media networks, Facebook has over the years emerged as the most powerful social media not only around the world but in Pakistan too. Each day a ton of information is uploaded by various groups and individuals from Pakistan that are not only amazing and beautiful, but are awe inspiring as well. These photos and accompanying information indeed serves as a well treasured source to introduce the beauty and natural trove of Pakistan to the world.

Today, while I was scanning through the Facebook, some of the photos and information caught my attention and I thought of sharing these on my blog so as to project the natural wealth and beauty of Pakistan to my readers around the world.

To start with is the photo above of the Mataltan Village, Swat, shared by Colors of Pakistan (Picture Credits : Mujahed Qasmi). This group has been sharing stunning and eye catching photos of various parts of Pakistan and is source which is worth appreciating.

Head Taunsa on River Indus at Kot Addu (Sada Apna Punjab)

Sada Apna Punjab (Translation: Our Very Own Punjab) is another group where you may find exclusive photos of the province of Punjab. Each photo share here is the true reflection of the people and land of the Punjab province and their lifestyle. 

The above photo is about the special 'halwas' one comes across in Punjab, specially Lahore during winters. These sweets are enormously rich in oil, sugar, milk and dry fruits, beside the main ingredients. In the above photo, one can see two large open pans with Gajar ka Halwa (made of carrots) and Daal ka Halwa (made form grams) is the specialty of Lahore. One should not miss eating these when visiting Lahore.

Lahore, the City of Garden is yet another rich group about the culture, history and its glorious past and present of the city of Lahore. I have always been attracted by their photo sharing which go back to as old as the city of the Lahore itself is. This is one my favourite groups and despite being a born Lahorite, I am amazed to find so much about Lahore that I had not known before. 

Above: Badshahi Mosque, Lahore (1915-1919 Bottom: The 1st Inniskilling (Royal Irish infantry regiment) marching through street of Lahore c. 1947

The two photos above are rare in the sense that the photo of Badshahi Mosque is almost a century old. And the photo below shows marching of the British soldiers most probably just before the partition as the troops were leaving Lahore on the eve of end of the British Empire in the Indian sub continent.

The information shared by Lahore, the City of Garden, about Princess Bamba Sutherland, the eldest daughter of Maharaja Daleep Singh, who chose to settle down in Lahore in the then posh locality of Model Town, is worth mentioning. She named her house as Gulzar, which had a complete one canal of land dedicated to her garden of roses. Here she married Dr David Waters Sutherland who was Principal of the King Edward Medical College, Lahore (now Medical University).

Princess Bamba inherited a vast collection of paintings, art objects, historical documents and royal orders from her father and kept these in safe custody at Lahore. After her death, her art trove caretaker Pir Karim Bakhsh Supra handed over her art trove that consisted of 18 oil paintings, 14 water colours, 22 ivory paintings, 17 photographs, 10 metallic objects and seven miscellaneous articles, are known as ‘The Princess Bamba Collection’ to the Department of Archaeology, Government of Pakistan, for preservation as a national asset. 

She quietly slipped into its soil on March 10, 1957, almost unknown and unwept.

I do not know what became of the ‘The Princess Bamba Collection’, but the information shared by the group is of enormous historical value, which we may not have known otherwise but through Facebook.

I will continue to share information about Pakistan as shared through Facebook by individuals and groups to let my readers outside Pakistan know about the inherent beauty and love in time.

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Dennis Jarvis' Photo Travelogue - Tunisia

Most of us know that Tunisia is an Islamic country located in Africa - but perhaps not more than that. I too did not have a detailed knowledge of Tunisia either till a few days back.

Dennis Jarvis with amphitheater in the background at  the historic city of El Djem, Tunisia

It was just by chance that I came across a very wide collection of photos of Dennis Jarvis from Halifax Canada on Flickr, where I also share my photos as jalalspages, who has widely traveled around the world, including Tunisia.

And when I started to explore his photo-stream of Tunisia, I was flabbergasted to see the archaeological richness of this African country which dates back to 10th century BC. And then as I kept moving forward into his photo-stream, I virtually traveled form northeast of Tunisia along the Mediterranean Sea and then continued traveling to its eastern border and saw the beautifully photographed archaeological trove of Tunisia by Jarvis. 

Map Tunisia: The routes shown in green are almost the same as traveled by Jarvis

I may add here that Tunisia, which derives its name from Tunis - which is the capital of modern day Tunisia today, is the smallest country in North Africa, spread over an area of 165,000 square kilometres with an estimated population of 10.7 million. 

Mirage at the Sahara Desert

It is a Maghreb country bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. The south of the country is composed of the Sahara desert, with much of the remainder consisting of particularly fertile soil and 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) of coastline.

The Mosque of Uqba or the Great Mosque of Kairouan - built by the Arab general Uqba ibn Nafi in 670 AD - is one of the oldest places of worship in the Islamic world

The majority of Tunisia's population (around 98%) are Muslims while about 1% follow Christianity and the remaining 1% adhere to Judaism or other religions. The bulk of Tunisians belong to the Maliki School of Sunni Islam and their mosques are easily recognizable by square minarets. However, the Turks brought with them the teaching of the Hanafi School during the Ottoman rule which still survives among the Turkish descended families today, their mosques traditionally have octagonal minarets.

Arabic is the official language, and Tunisian Arabic, known as Derja, is the local, vernacular variety of Arabic and is used by the public. Due to the former French occupation, French is widely used in education, the press, and in business.

Since I have already shared photos of many Flickr friends including Mary Loosemore, Lindsay, Tahir Iqbal, Daoudpota, Asif Saeed, khurram Saddiqui, BaltistaN PiczO, SaffyH and Dr. Shahid, I requested Dennis Jarvis to allow me sharing his photo trove to build photo travelogue of Tunisia and other places to share with my reader - which he graciously permitted.

Like Mary Loosemore's photo travelogues that I have broken down in a number of posts, I shall also travel with Dennis Jarvis in Tunisia and compose a number of posts as each place in Tunia deserves a separate and special handling.

While sharing Jarvis' photos, I shall also include a bit on history of each place so as to build an overall picture of the history of Tunisia from the earliest of times to modern day Tunisia.

Remains of an ancient Roman city Dougga 

So wait for my next post which will be about the archaeological remains of Dougga or Thugga, which was once a thriving Roman city in northern Tunisia, spread over an area of 65 hectare.


Resource Reference: Wikipedia

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Yak (Cow with a Skirt) Safari in Pakistan

Yak in Pakistan's northern areas [Photo Credit: Heavenly Beauty of Pakistan]

You may laugh out at the title of the post - but Yak with hits heavy hanging coat is just like a cow with a skirt to protect herself form the harsh winters where this huge and majestic animal belongs to.

Yak, which is closely related to the African buffalo, the American bison, and the European bison, is found on the rooftop of the world - an area spread from Tibet, Nepal, India  Pakistan's northern areas, Xinjiang region of China and Wakhan corridor of Afghanistan, where snow governs the mountains almost the year round. With temperatures generally ranging in the sub-zero bracket, no animal can survive the rigors of the weather and harshness of the terrain but Yaks.

Living on altitude between 4,000 and 6,000 meters (13,000 to 19,600 ft), Yak is considered an endangered species.

Yaks in Pakistan’s Himalayas  [Photo Credit: BucketRipper/Coen Wubbles]

In Pakistan, yaks are found in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges. Their large herds are found in the Shimshal valley in the Khunjrab National Park, an area northeast of Gilgit bordering China. Beside these are found in Passu, Nagir and Baltistan. Yaks are also found in the Broghil Valley, Chitral. Shimshal is ideal breeding ground of the yaks as it is located at an altitude of 3, 108 metres.

Yaks in Pakistan [Photo Credit: Basharat Ali]

Yak is an excellent beast of burden and transportation in the snow frozen areas - it is its capacity to live in these hostile sub zero environment that Chinese historians argue that without yaks, human civilization would not have survived in the remote mountainous regions on the world's rooftop.

Yaks at Khunjrab Pass on Pak-China border of north Pakistan, at 4700 m from sea level. [Photo Credit: Imran the Trekker / Flickr]

Beside being called Cow in the Skirt, yak is also known as the mountain ship the same way camel is called the desert ship. 

Yak Safari in Shimshal Valley [Photo Credit: ActiveTours Pakistan]

The people of the northern areas of Pakistan have engaged yaks in promoting tourism in the area in what is called the 'Yak Safari.' Every year tourists go to the the yak-specific areas to enjoy this unique and different safari. Many tour operators provide well planned tours to the northern areas, which include a daily Yak Safari to various places in the Shimshal valley.

Now a few words about Yak itself:

Yaks, due to their heavy fur, are only adapted to high altitudes, and cannot sustain themselves at altitudes lower than 10,000 feet. even its blood cells are naturally designed for high altitudes - half the size of the cattle and three times more in number - this specialty allows increases blood capacity to carry more oxygen. The heavy fur coat can sustain the animal in temperatures as harsh and severe as -40 Celsius.

A Yak in Broghil Valley, Chitral [Photo Credit: Native Pakistan]

Yak grazes on grass, herbs and lichens. In winters it would eat poor coarse grass, leaves and twigs. Since water is generally scarce at these altitude, a thirty yak chews the frozen snow as a substitute for water. As for grass, yaks will dig in the snow until they find grass to eat. Sometimes a yak will dig a yard down in the snow until grass appears.

Yak is a life life to people where it is found. Its every part of the body is made use of when it is killed so as not to waste it away as killing of a yak deliberately is almost a sin in Tibet.

A masterpiece shot of Yak birth, Tibet China [Photo Credit: Kari Liabat / Flicker]

The killed yak's horns are used for draining blood and cutting meat, beside being used as decorations. The head of a yak is dried and served at New Year's celebrations. The fur of a yak, which can grow to be two feet long on the torso, is used to make ropes, clothing, slings, sacks, and even tents. Yak fur tents are warmer than canvas tents and hold up much better under intense winds. The yak fur allows smoke inside the tent to escape, while the oils in the fur keeps water from penetrating inside. Underneath the fur is wool which is used for clothing and boots. Even the tail of the yak has been used as healing aids.

Climbing with yaks in Mount Everest [Photo Credit: FR2DAY]

The milk of a yak (female yak is called 'dri' in local Tibetan language) contains twice as much fat as the milk from normal domestic cows. The yak milk is  golden in color and is rarely drunk. Instead is used for yogurt and butter. The yak butter is used  in tea, as a face lotion, and as fuel for lamps. Yak-butter tea is steadily consumed by Tibetan nomads—up to 40 cups a day. This consists of black tea churned with yak-butter instead of milk—definitely an acquired taste.

All Photos above have been duly attributed to the source
Tours Operators in Pakistan for Yak Safari: | Hunza Guides | Active Tours |

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Derawar Fort: A formidable desert fortress in Pakistan

Cholistan desert of Pakistan is a strange desert as it is dotted with small, medium and large forts and fortresses after every few kilometres. These inter-woven chain of fortresses has existed for many centuries providing an excellent chain of mutually supported defense lines in the desert.

I once had the opportunity to go into the Cholistan desert and saw many of these fortresses  But when on the last leg I came across the formidable Derawar Fort, I was really overawed by its grandeur, massiveness, size and majestic glory which one could observes from miles.

The Derawar Fort can be accessed either from north downwards from Bahawalpur or Ahmed Pur East or from Rahim Yar Khan moving on the Desert Road. The Rahim Yar Khan route is much easier, as it is along a metaled road (though midway, where after it turns into a desert track up to the fort), while for other two routes from north downward have quite a distance across desert and one has to have a local driver and guide to access the fort. Since I was located at Rahim Yar Khan, I adopted the easier yet longer route to the fort.

The rulers and soldiers who lived here and guarded the fort are long gone, and the fort stands alone and deserted, yet the strength of the fort can still be felt from its high rising bastions  which total forty in number' and are largely intact even after bearing the harshness of the desert winds and temperature. 

Its ramparts are wide and spacious, presenting an imposing structure unlikely to be breached.

However, the inside of the fort is a heap of rubble. There are two guns lying in the open, which were once part of the artillery regiment of the Bahawalpur army. 

One of the two artillery guns inside the fort [Photo Source]

Inside some of the rooms, the remains of old furniture and royal dresses can be seen almost destroyed and worn out. Most of the rooms have their roofs fallen and are a pile of rubble rather than reflecting the times of glory and royalty.

The aerial view of the Derawar Fort - the massive fort is located left of the white marble mosque {Google Earth]

Located some 45 kilometers from the town of Dera Nawab, the once seat of the Abbasi rules, this square shaped fortress has a circumference of 1,500 metres with bastions standing thirty metres tall. The fort entrance is on the east as can bee seen from the map above. With the vast Cholistan desert serving as a backdrop, the majestic fort is a sight to behold.

Beside the fort is a hundred years old white marble mosque, which was built by Nawab Bahawal Khan in 1849 with cupolas and domes. The mosque seems to be a replica of the Moti Mosque in the Red Fort of Delhi. 

The mosque is said to have been built for the nawab’s personal holy man, Pir Ghulam Farid.

There is a family grave yard of the Abbasi Nawabs in the area. Their tombs are built with marble and decorated with blue glazed style which contrast beautifully Ochre landscape. The graves also include the elegantly domed marble tomb of the last nawab’s English wife. 

The graves attributed to the companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) - [Photo]

There are some graves near the fort which are said to be of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the other Muslim reformers who came to spread Islam in this area. These persons are believed to have embraced their death at the hands of the Hindu rulers who were against these proselytizers.

As per the history books, the fort on the site was first built by Rai Jajja Bhutta, whose sister was married to Deoraj, a prince of Jaisalmer. It remained in the hands of the royal family of Jaisalmer until captured and completely rebuilt by the nawabs of Bahawalpur in 1733. In 1747, the fort slipped from the hands of the Abbasis owing to Bahawal Khan's preoccupations at Shikarpur. Nawab Mubarak Khan took the stronghold back in 1804. And from then thereafter, the fort continues to be the property of the Abbasi family.

Although not livable, the fort is still the property of the Abbasi family and a permission is to be sought from the Abbasi family through local PTDC office to visit the fort. 

There are many legends associated with Derawar Fort, which basically speak of a large treasure hidden under the many tunnels and hidden coffers. This supposedly hidden treasure has been one of the reason why the inside of the fort seems to have been strewn apart as heaps of rubble are found everywhere. To what extent these legends are true, only time will tell if the Fort is handed over to the archaeological department by the Abbasi family.

A few words about the Cholistan Desert: 

The Cholistan desert covers 26,000 sq km (10,000 sq miles) and extends into the Thar desert to India. The whole area was once well watered by the river Ghaggar, now called the Hakara in Pakistan, and known in Vedic times as the Sarasvati. All along the 500 km (300 miles) of the dried-up river are over 400 archaeological sites. Most of these date from the Indus civilization, 45,00 years ago, and are clustered round Derawar Fort, the only perennial water hole in the desert.

The desert has an average rainfall of 12 cm (5 inches) a year, and there is very little civilization  The underground water is brackish. The few people of the desert dig artificial wells in the troughs between the sand hills and use camels to draw the water up.

[Photo]

Cholistan Desert is also a venue of an annual jeep rally and those visiting the area or intending to visit the Derawar Fort, must arrange their tour at the time when the jeep rally is taking place. It would not only allow an opportunity to visit the Derawar Fort, but also enjoy this adventurous sport event.

All photos above [except where link to source given] are courtesy Funzug

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This evening will never come again

The title of this post is based on one of my photos shared on Flickr - taken on 5th September some years ago: a day which was a milestone of my life. A day when my entire life changed from one complexion to a completely different one.

Such events come in everyone's life when at the end of the day, one has to face to a different life and challenges one never think of in one's life as youth has its own vigour and dynamics that does not let one think of the time that finally arrives in one's life - a part of our lives which leaves behind so much and so much to face that awaits us ahead.

Sapped of one's strengths and vigour, facing a new  life is much more difficult and an uphill task which becomes rougher and tougher everyday that passes by. 

And then people like me take their cameras and capture the setting sun every now and then, just thinking of that evening that changed every thing - an evening never to come again. 

Through this post I am sharing many such evenings that would never come again, like that special evening of my life that I talked at the beginning of my post.

This was the photo I took on that fateful day of my life as the sun hid behind an overcast sky and disappeared taking with it my three decades long memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

You will realize each evening though shot differently and from different angles, perspectives and places, have the same melancholy and sadness hidden in them. It is only a blessing that we live to live yet another day - yet another sunset, till life fades away....

All photos above are taken by me and appear on Flickr (Jalalspages)  - These may not be used without prior permisson
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