Sunday, December 23, 2012

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Boat or House

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Boat or house?: Owais Farooqi was amused to see a boat turned into their home by this family.
Xpress Readers Picture : Owais Farooqi:Gulf News

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Symmetry and colours



Reader pictures of the week

Here is a pick of the best pictures sent by our readers that were published in the newspaper
     Top: Owais Farooqi took this picture at Dal Lake in Kashmir, India. He said: “One autumn evening when I was walking by the side of the lake, I saw these beautiful small boats docked together and a migrating bird sitting on them, looking for fish. I was attracted by the beautiful colours of the boats that are used for daily commute by the people living in the

 

   



Ziarat Hazrat Batmaloo (Ra) In The Bright Scarlet Sky After Rain.

Monday, November 5, 2012

A Kashmiri Man cycles on a side road under a chinar tree

Description: A Kashmiri man cycles on a side road under a chinar tree on October 30, 2012 in Srinagar, Kashmir. Kashmir is known for its picturesque autumn with trees turning bright golden yellow and evening sky often turning a shade of scarlet.

Place: Srinagar, Kashmir.
Date: 01 Nov 2012
Photo : Owais Farooqi

The Autumn Colors

Description: A mesmerizing view of the Autumn leaves on the ground . The picture has been clicked near the banks of Dal in Sringar Kashmir.  http://thevoxkashmir.com//the-autumn-colors/

Place: Srinagar, Kashmir.
Date: 01 Nov 2012
Photo: Owais Farooqi

                                   Freedom Of Soul


                                               In Features and narratives by Owais Farooqi 
                                       http://theparallelpost.com/freedom-of-soul.html
                 Moving  along the hands of the clock, this story is of the time when the treasure of peace and freedom were priceless. They cost you nothing. I would fly like a free bird in the horizon, over the mighty mountains, cutting through the whirls of wind without any boundaries. I lived free, I breath free. The cold air would go down my throat but my heart would feel it. Peace prevailed everywhere.
One day, it was dusk, her hands caressed my hair softly, her cold skin touched my forehead to wipe the sweat.  I closed my eyes, relaxed. And, I traveled to the land of swirling ice cold waters in between dense, green and tall pines, chirping, singing birds and the air filled with the aroma of spring flowers, the dusk, silent and peaceful.
Everyone visited the land I belonged. It was a remedy for many, for it healed many ailments. My homeland was a heaven that many people yearn for throughout their life. We were bestowed with priceless natural resources. We sailed in the ocean of 'peace' unknowing the company of fear and trauma as if they were never part of my land.
People were humble, caring, friendly and prayed to their lord. In the caravan of saddle fastened horses packed with goods travelled from across the mountains for days and nights to reach lands beyond.
They knew no boundaries and moved freely according to their will. The time when everyone enjoyed the freedom of mind, soul and body. But, Alas! those days are gone now, its past now. However, this is not just my imagination but, my mother, she knows this place. I listen to her stories, the stories of my land in the heart of my hearts.
Suddenly, there was an explosion. And the fate of my land changed once for all and I with thousands more remain the witness to agony and misery.
My mother talked about her cousin, a revered holy man. He had just married but, one day he left and never came back. His wife waited for years, the years that seemed like a whole lifetime. But in her heart, she knew that he won't return. Still hope lingered on. Eyes cried all day and all night, tears would not stop, almost losing her vision, now she could see nobody.
Finally, a message came, her husband had begun a new life in a land not far but, had become too distant for him to return.
Time moved, another message came, he wanted to come back as he had been ill for a long time and it was his only wish. He always felt sorry for his misfortune but, he had long lost his will power to fight back for his lady and land. 
And alas! the peace of mind and soul which had vanished into chaos and confusion revisited him one day though untimely, his soul departed him leaving everything behind.