Egoptics
by Jaihoon
‘A private gallery of percept analysis’
Dedication
‘Sila of Sirhind’
Synopsis
He has a bleeding heart. It pains for humanity. It pains for the hundreds who fall pray to the bullets of the mighty.
It anguishes for the helplessness of the wounded, victims of sheer terror. It cries out against the sorrow of bondage-emotional, intellectual and physical.
And the heart sings. Notes that defy tradition. Lyrics that stir up empathy. Notations that bring to your mind a yearning for eternal peace.
About Author
Jaihoon graduated in Business Administration with Marketing major. He joined as a Marketing and Sales Officer with an organization of Government of Sharjah.
Born in Kerala in 1978, he is the singular force behind Jaihoon.com, a website that ‘explores the untapped potential of the Internet for healthy, positive and meaningful interaction’.
Jaihoon also produced MeraWatan (www.jaihoon.com/watan), a web-based documentary with a flavor of Iqbalian philosophy, along with a title track, on the historical and cultural impact of the ‘sand dunes and paddy fields relationship’.
When he is not writing or updating the website, he enjoys readings in contemporary marketing strategies and delving into the works of the visionary Poet-Philosopher Sir Mohammed Iqbal.
He lives in Sharjah, the cultural oasis of Arab world, along with his parents.
This is his first book
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My parents, who helped me much with their encouragement and patience to spare many hours of their time to which they have a God-given claim;
MK Muneer, Hon. Public Works Minister of Kerala and managing editor of Olive Publications for agreeing to publish this humble work;
Najeeb Kanthapuram, a brilliant journalist and my sincere friend, without whose selfless efforts, this work would not have seen light
Assi mama (Abdul Azeez), my late uncle, who initiated me into the ABCs of poetry while I was a child and who was among the most eager ones to see this book released. “I am proud of you my son- mama” was his comment, a few months before his sudden death. May God bless him with mercy and forgiveness. Aameen!
To the die-hard visitors of Jaihoon.com whose devotion and feedback compelled me to publish the work.
Not to forget Dr. R. Irfan, professor of Economics, at Sharjah College for her advice
The members of Madinat al Muslimeen, an online community full of interesting people with interesting ideas.
M. Azim, M. Minhaj and Shihaz for their insightful remarks, especially for the poems
Nissar Sayyed, newsreader at Radio Asia, for guiding me across the thorny world of publishing business
Faisal Ahmed, the golden-hearted friend, who ‘ruminated’ my spirit at adverse times
HISTORY
The making of EGOPTICS
So far…
The irony of this book is that none of the poems or essays were written for a ‘paper’ based publication.
Instead, the only publishing platform, if at all, I had in mind while painting the mental picture of the poem/essay was the Dotcom canvas. And such a picture is what appears at www.jaihoon.com/egoptics.
I kept a safe distance from the paper world, mainly due the hassles and limited scope of the publishing. The paper world demanded more in terms of time and money. Moreover, the scope of it was restricted: the physical location of the bookshop and the price, both of which are absent in the case of the web. The online publication is available to the global audience, free of cost.
Such a stand remained the same until the beginning of Year 2002.
The publishing choice
With the grace of Lord, the EGOPTICS segment of Jaihoon.com, my pet project, continued to attract more and more eyeballs, irrespective of race and creed. Readers began to send in their comments, overwhelmed by the intensity of the experience. In private and public, readers confided with me how their abstract ‘feeling’ transformed into solid ‘experience’. And I wish not to describe here the sweetness of their words and thereby spoil the fun of it.
It is quite immaterial to mention the name or race of that poet who shed tears on reading ‘The Dream-like Prize’ or the one who wrote, ‘Jaihoon, your poem took me back to 4th grade in Pakistan’ on reading ‘When memories ring aloud’.
Requests came pouring in from individuals and media organizations, especially from western countries, to reprint the poems and essays. One die-hard visitor from Far East innocently asked permission to keep a printout of the poems in her personal file!
And as is evident, the old world still ignores the online world, where duplication and plagiarism is widespread. They do not consider the artistic works on the pixel-canvas, no matter how appealing to the heart.
Thus driven by these factors, I finally decided to get EGOPTICS published.
And al hamdu lillah, here it is…
The Publisher
EGOPTICS is published by Olive Publications, one of the prestigious firm in the publishing industry of Kerala, the cent percent literary state of Kerala. Olive is known for its selective approach towards high-profile writers, like MT Vasudevan Nayar , Dr. Kamala Surayya , K. Sachidanandan etc.
The managing editor of Olive Publications is Dr MK Muneer, an award-winning writer by himself. Being son of the legendary politician and educationist, CH Mohammed Koya, he is nothing far from a versatile genius- artist, singer, politician and media person, currently the chairman of INDIAVISION satellite channel.
FAQ
The context
It should be borne in mind that most of the poems were not written in a poetic situation. Rather in some of the most anti-poetic circumstances like in midst of a software engineering class or during lecture hours of business marketing or minutes before a discrete mathematics class or walking across the corridors. While these scenarios are college-based, other contexts include while being stuck in traffic rush, post-prayer hours or simply on long travels across vast sand dunes.
As for the anatomy of the poems, the head was formed in college, the body while on travel and the rest when at home. Therefore the asymmetrical array of ideas in the same poem should not surprise the readers.
Two poems, namely, ‘Arabia in flesh and blood’ and ‘When memories ring aloud’, are taken from the upcoming grand project by Jaihoon codenamed ‘MeraWatan 2.0′. Again, since the present and future states are visualized from the same goblet of mind, it is only natural for one work to influence the other.
The cover design
What each object means…
The river
The river is symbolic of the author’s name. It’s named after a river in Turkistan.
the eye
This represents the title of the book. The eye takes its inspiration from the river, filled with the visionary pearls of the Poet-Philosopher.
The sands on the shore represents the Arabian residence while the cocunut trees points to the birthplace of the author.
The ferry and the wilderness
The ferry is the Sila, for whom the book is dedicated, and the wilderness is the unclear world. The ferry steers away from the wilderness and thus safeguards from the dangers of human thought.
Release Funcion
Welcome speech
Jaihoon
Presiding
Mr. KHM Ashraf
Set the right tone to begin the event using the words “young charismatic genius,” which aptly described the author of Egoptics.
Inauguration
Mr. Rashid Al Leem
Spoke very highly about the contribution made by the Indian expatriate community in the UAE. The fact that he attended this event just after returning from an important business meeting portrayed his generosity to the Indian community and his interest in this noble cause. Read his speech>>
Release of the book
Syed Basheer Ali Shihab & David Musa Pidcock
Speech
Syed Basheer Ali Shihab
His close association with Jaihoon.com and the force behind it has now helped a young man emerge into a writer who has his first book published at the tender age of 23. This motive behind Syed Basheer Ali Shihab is highly appreciated since it is a step in the right direction, which will promote many more budding youngsters to follow suit.
Review
Said Faiq
His review of the book has certainly garnered a lot of interest in Egoptics. His mention of the “difficulties” in critiquing a novel idea – an amalgamation of thoughts and observations – using common terminology with embedded meaning is surely justified. Egoptics can be best summarized through Said Faiq’s words – “complexity in the most simplest” presentation. Listen his speech
Key note speech
David Musa Pidcock
A renowned economist, David Musa Pidcock, started his speech with some interesting insights into his links to India. He then followed with some in-depth analysis of history, specifically Islamic history. The highlight of his speech was his portrayal of how Islam as a religion excels as a system but suffers due to the ignorance of its own believers.
Review (in Malayalam)
Najeeb Kanthapuram
A journalist from Kerala who emphasized the humanism embedded in EGOPTICS and the overall influence of Iqbal and Rumi seen in the book. Listen speech
Complementary speech
Dr. Razia Irfan
An earlier professor of Jaihoon, Dr. Razia Irfan gave the audience a first hand experience on Jaihoon as a student and also made a mention of the remarkable achievement of Jaihoon’s parents. Listen her speech
Complementary speech
M K Madhavan & Sa’ad Porakkad
Complimentary speeches congratulating the author on his achievements. Their association with him has helped in creating a perfect setting for the youngster to mark his launch pad.
Thank you speech
Ansar Babu
School mate of Jaihoon, winded the ceremony with mention of how the evening was witness to development in many manners – an Indian expatriate student in the UAE, bred out of the Indian & American educational system, currently employed in a government organization; has compiled his work of the past decade into a book. A complex adventure by a simple human being – vintage Jaihoon!
Purchase
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E-mail: albatra@emirates.net.ae
salabbai@emirates.net.ae
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