Status Updates From Reliving Karbala: Martyrdom...

Okay, this chapter was a complete roller-coaster ride!

Iqbal and Karbala in this chapter is strongly urging me to read the unread urdu book by that title from my TBR.

Now that was a thorough yet easy to follow introduction to Sufis and qawalli.

Interesting take on how history and identity shape the perception.

The chapter is short, but deep and insightful.

This is a very VERY well written academic book about the rituals and acts of azadari. Yet somehow, so far, it completely misses the point, the soul, the Irfan of it. Azadari is qurbat an il Allah, a means to seek nearness to Allah, just like all other aspects of worship. This book is so busy capturing the history and author's experiences, which are a valuable log of how things have been, but it is a heartless body.

The acedamic approach is fine and good... But declaring that there's nothing new to learn in majalis is a grave error. Majalis have opened countless new intellectual doors for me all my life. Things that put reading into perspective. I am sorry but the author has made a mistake and sampled only a fraction of the culture or shut his eyes.

Feels very satisfying to read about azadari in technical details.