The Learner

We are, yes, individuals. But we are, sometimes, stupid individuals. Perhaps you and I are among the latter group; who knows? Forgive the affront and don’t take any offence. None is really intended. It’s baffling, to say the least, what we humans sometimes do with our lives. I firmly believe that we are all endowed with one or another intellect with which we lead our soul and body toward certain mental gratifications, such as eating to quench our hunger and thirst; wearing clothes to cover our nudity; and communication to express our feelings and wants, etc. But yet, we tend to do other things that are glaringly self-destructive for no constructive reason whatsoever, in the name of fashion, passion, and thingamajig . I am not moralising or sensationalising anything, for that is, or can be, relative and subjective; I am instead rationalising them. Often it happens that we utter: to each his own. I shake my head at this pomposity and respond: to each his ruin. It was only a few da...

My stay in India aged one today. My wife and I live contentedly, and our studies go well—praise be to Allah. I have shared many of my experiences over the past year in my write-ups. Another fresh expertise, nonetheless, prompted this short piece: an ongoing 3-week workshop on film, TV, and theatre acting, choreography, and cinematography at the beautiful, hilly, artists’ hub of Andretta in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh (HP). There are about 50 attendees from three central states—the host, i.e., HP, Punjab, and Haryana. I am the only non-Indian, so imagine the feeling. I have met some people who have reshaped the year-old views I held on India and Indians; hence the novelty of the experience. Our trip to HP was exhilarating , for the state is well known for its remarkable atmosphere and tourist attractions. So we were all enthusiastic the first day we heard about the workshop. The anxiety multiplied when I googled the venue's name: Andretta. I read that the legendary Norah Richa...

Muhammad Muhsin Ibrahim @muhsin234 (Twitter) Sunday, 01 st June 2014, marks my maiden wedding anniversary. Unlike today, I was filled with happiness beyond expressing this day, last year. I was all the more excited that we were, pragmatically speaking, honeymooning outside Nigeria, starting in Cairo, where we would have an eighteen-hour transit, and India, where we still are, essentially, though for studies. My euphoria was, nonetheless, shattered by two fears since we were airborne:  first, India was often described in the news as religiously a volatile country; and second, as being ‘infested’ with lusty rapists. I am Muslim, and I am coming with a newlywed wife! Though after spending almost a year now, I discovered that although the religious schism of course exists and the rapists rather ravage, some stories are untrue, or just being exaggerated.  Yet, I was spirited in another way, for I was ‘escaping’ from the wrath of the infamous, dreaded Boko Haram (BH) ...