Dhani Bux Shah
It was October 2007, when in the second and final year of our M.Ed studies, our University asked from all course participants (CPs) to share their interest in taking one of the four elective courses in the third semester of our degree. Policy was that, not more than 12 CPs will be enrolled in each of the electives. 20 nominations came for taking “Introduction to histories and cultures of Muslims societies” one of the four elective courses. Mine was also one of them.
So, struggle starts from here!
We all 20 were asked to assemble in a classroom and give rationales that why we want to get this elective?And if we would not get a chance of joining this elective, than what will be our second choice? In this way, the competition started, the competition of rationales, because on the end of the day, it was the worth of our words which will decide that who is going to join the course and who cannot get a chance this time. With trembling heart I wrote my rationale, but wrote from the very core of my heart; submitted and started waiting for the decision. Luckily! It was announced that I am one of those fortunate CPs who have got a chance to join the course, for which they were eager to.
I clearly remember, on very 1st day when I entered in the classroom, it was having a very attractive display of books on topics such as, history, Muslim thought, religion, philosophy, art and architecture, Sufism, modernization and the list goes on, and in one corner I saw a pile of our course handbooks; an unexpected display.
Impressive! I murmured in my heart.
“At the end of this course some or many or even all of you might feel sorry; sorry on your decision of selecting this course as your elective. I will not give you any handbook of the course in start of your class (which is a routine). As, I consider all of you like speaking handbooks. I will try to facilitate you in this course, by building on your knowledge, thoughts, diverse experiences, expectations and so on” (shared lead faculty)
Another unexpected sharing or announcement!
Thus, the journey started with some unexpected gestures and then we were made engaged in discussions, arguments, questions, answers and debates. Doing all this class ended. As, 1st session ended I was feeling sorry, yes really sorry…
Oho…
not on my decision of joining this course, but that why this 1st day ended so quickly! Because still I have much to share, much to ask, much to argue, much to know. However, keeping my all queries, logics and rationales with me, I left the class satisfying myself that still four months to go, I will ask all, what I want to ask in sessions to come.
The course, no doubt was much enriched, like every other course of our university, however, in this course there was something special, really special. We used to have this course on Wednesday evening from 2 to 5pm; a time of yawning out of either sleep or laziness, but the design of this course and more importantly magic and the power of teaching/facilitation in this course was of such type that not only me, but our whole class even forget to go out of the class (for having water or attending mobile phone; the favorite 5 or 10 minutes escape from the class, during our university days) and hence no question for any yawning or laziness. Discussions, readings, debates, presentations, projects, interactive lectures, questions, answers, going beyond the course’s premises, relevant poetry, excursions and ever remembering relevant jokes were all essential part of our sessions. I used to enjoy the sessions so much, that whole week waited for next session to come. At many moments the class was mesmerized from the sharings of our faculty. There are many such events to share, but I will share here one of them, which reads as follows, One day the class was discussing on secular and religious education. At a moment, whole class started staring on white board, where our faculty member wrote one of the verses from Holy Quran with its translation, which reads like this,
Afala Yanzuroon –a-aelal aebile
Explanation, Why don’t you reflect on the camel?
Faculty member asked from class that what does it mean, does God only want to make us say time and again that “why don’t you reflect on the camel?”, “why don’t you reflect on the camel?” or He wants something else. We the participants started looking each other and then he again spoke, actually God wants us to reflect and do research on camel and doing this do something better for camels, other animals and then building on that do something better for human beings. You all are aware that how many medicines are invented for the cure of diseases caused to human beings, after doing research on mice and other creatures. He continued, so in this way, if we start doing research on camel, which is the discipline in world which focuses on the study of animals? We replied sir Zoology. He maintained, all right as per common understanding the study of Zoology subject comes in which of the two educations, religious or secular? We replied sir secular. So, this is the response of your discussion. He added, as per my point of view, we cannot and should not differentiate religious and secular education, as former recommends the latter and then this interesting and eye opening discussion continued. The course was just like a brunch, having different articles, written by educationalists and philosophers including DrAllama Muhammad Iqbal to contemporary writers, like Dr Farhad Daftary and others.
Amongst the participants of this course, there were different persons, with having different geographical backgrounds, different views and interpretations about religion, different ways of thinking and different lenses for seeing things. But, the most important thing to note and to share is that, all the sessions were held in a way and the class was managed in a manner that never ever any of us felt or expressed that amongst us one’s point of view is given more importance than other’s. Actually, the superb art of teaching displayed by our faculty was of the type that from every angle it looked that a colorful and charming dress of pluralism is worn by our teacher. It can easily be compared to any fantastic painting of Pablo Picasso. By experiencing such a presentation of the course, I used to remember the golden days of Muslim era in which I have read elsewhere that in same class students sat shoulder to shoulder and learnt, regardless of their affiliations with different religious thoughts, like Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The appreciation which was bestowed on us in response to our thoughts, sharings, and questions was of the type that whole class just got ignited and shared and shared a lot… I was feeling myself in a fantasy world; full of enjoyment, full of pleasure, full of happiness, full of joy and specially full of learning;“learning with enjoyment” was the slogan of our lead faculty and I was experiencing that how it happens, what is the true sense of it and can a slogan of such type be realized in a formal classroom setting? I was getting the flavours of true independent and critical thinking and I contributed with open heart, without having any fear of being wrong. So doing all this, four months passed away and at last I attended the last and concluding session of one of the most favourite courses of my entire life so far.
After the completion of the course, I then reflected on myself, remembered different events, asked myself many questions. As a result, as more I was engaging with myself I was identifying that I am discussing and arguing with a different Dhani Bux, he is not exactly the same, who was before the attendance of this course. He is a changed person and not only changed but transformed person. This identification further led me to recognize that now I have become more pluralistic, having a more strong belief in diverse thinking. I have become more welcoming to all human beings, having any race, religion or origin. Dhani Bux of four months before, now has become a changed person. He has learnt that what beauty, charm, affection and appeal lie in diversity; diversity of thought, diversity of practice, diversity of reading, diversity of observing and diversity of interpreting things differently.
In last, I now understand myself as a part of universal brotherhood, with having love, affection, care, concern and best wishes for all those whom God the Almighty has bestowed to breath, without having any bias in my heart on the basis of race, religion, sect, colour, origin, gender and classification of living things. I am feeling that how much close I have reached to the true and eternal path of Sufism, whose base is on mentioned factors, whose believers always give lesson of love to humanity and love to every that thing which breath in this world. One such example is quoted here from the poetry of one of the great poets, philosophers and Sufis, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai (Rah), as he recites,
Saenm Sadaeen Karen Mathy Sindh Sukar,
Dost Mitha Dildar, Aalam Sabh Abaad Kareen
Translation,
My lord, make Sindh prosperous,
Oh my dear friend! Bestow the prosperity to whole universe
Finally, I would like to share that it is the teacher, who plays a pivotal role in anyone’s life. He or she has got the power to influence individuals and his or her positive contribution leads a person to see things positively with clean lenses, without having any bias to people and things. Consequently, making him or her capable of leading his or her life with the universally acclaimed feelings of love, affection, pluralism, having an appreciation of diversity and thus doing all this get great and eternal satisfaction.
