24 Friday | july 22, 2011

Friday | july 22, 2011

25

Vol. III, Issue 11

H! There!

Stride of pride
July 23 is no ordinary day for anyone in Oman, whether you are a citizen of this nation or an expatriate who is here on employment or education. This year, the day is more special than it ever had been. Why? Team H!SQU talk to the youth and the adults, the men and the women, the citizens and the expatriates, on the 41st anniversary of Renaissance Day about the special special day
rahma Salim Al Sibani
Modern College of Business and Science Renaissance Day is that special day when we, wherever we are, feel that sublime sense of pride and joy on being what we are and where we are from. After what happened in the Sultanate in the past few months, it really makes me appreciate more than ever what I have and realise that Ive been blessed to live in a country like Oman. While other countries are still suffering from the damage inflicted by the protests and violence, we as a nation have managed to come out of it with a positive attitude. Viewed against this background, the Renaissance Day anniversary this year is really very different from all others in the previous years people will surely view it differently. I see a lot of improvement in Oman in the next 10 years. We have the potential and the resources. Judging from the fact that we have grown rapidly over the last four decades, I believe Oman has a more promising future. All it needs is focused, sustained effort from the youth of the nation to make it really happen. Passion and drive to achieve something significant is key to individual success, and when our beloved country has an overwhelming majority of youth guided by the experience and encouragement of adults, it is surely on course to record better, greater successes than we have already achieved. We, thats the youth of this nation, were born in a peaceful, progressive country; and we are enjoying the fruit of the vision of a great, benevolent leader. I want to take this opportunity to thank His Majesty the Sultan. I really want him to know that we appreciate everything he has done to make Oman what it is today. As for my compatriots, I think they need to be more grateful than they are for what they have. People have to realise how blessed they are and, with that realisation, they need to grab the opportunities and work harder than ever to make the present and the future brighter. The youth of this nation need to dream big and aim high. We shouldnt settle for just anything that comes along and get lazy. Instead, we must keep on trying until we could lay our hands on what really we dreamed of.
Modern, innovative initiatives from time to time in the last 41 years have brought in all-round progress. The transport sector has been upgraded with the addition of more bridges and new, well-laid roads to establish a modern network that further supports the nations march towards progress. More opportunities have been created for the youth to equip themselves with the knowledge and skill needed to play their part in the future-building process of both the nation and themselves. The visionary policies adopted by His Majesty the Sultan have taken the country on the right course of development in the last 41 years. A lot more still need to be achieved, which I am sure we will, with the guidance of His Majesty the Sultan. Ten yeas from now Oman will have put in place many of the ambitious development plans that are being chalked out now. And what makes our dreams of the future possible is what we have now: a great leader at the helm of a progressive country creating opportunities for its people to develop individual skills and expertise to take up the opportunities and challenges of the present and the future.

omorrow is July 23. Its this day 41 years ago modern Oman made its first stride towards what it is now, under the visionary leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos who told the nation from the city of Salalah: I promise you to proceed forthwith in the process of creating a modern government. Forty-one years have passed since that historic day, and our dear nation has made steady strides on the path of progress to win the appreciation and admiration of the whole world. The man who founded the modern nation of Oman and shaped the happy life of its people is His Majesty the Sultan, and what comes to every heart on this historic day is his untiring effort and his pure love and unwavering care for us all these 41 years. The day has been special for us all through out these past four decades, but this year it is more significant than it ever had been. Why? You only have to go through our cover story of this month to understand the special special significance of this years Renaissance Day anniversary. After you are through with the cover story, flip the page and go straight to Love and Loyalty to enjoy a heartfelt expression of love, loyalty and gratitude expressed by a young man born and bred in the era of Renaissance. Thats the icing on the Renaissance Day cake, really! Now, what about listening to a bit of inspiring music? H!SQU spent a few minutes in the company of well-known nasheed singer and songwriter Zain Bhekhia recently, and we hope the article in the interview format will give you a better glimpse into the man and his passion. Last month Dr Rahma inspired a class of students, and us as well, to reflect on our earth and the students came out with beautiful thoughts on Mother Earth. Dr Rahma is once again set to stimulate our creative grey matter, this time telling us how we could pick topics from the most ordinary or common things, both animate and inanimate, and turn them around into interesting, compelling prose or poetry. And to further drive home her point, she gives us an example: a story written by her daughter, who imagined herself as a cat, when she was 10 years old. Hope you are having cool breaks in the hot summer. Renaissance Day greetings to all.

Najah mohammed Al Asmi

Modern College of Business And Science

recent protests will further strengthen the foundation of the nation and inspire the dreams of the people. People had a message that they wished to deliver to His Majesty the Sultan, and he listened to it with the attention it deserved and acted up on it promptly. Unfortunately, there were some just a few people who expressed their feelings in an uncivilised way, but I am sure they have now realised their mistake. July 23 is a day to feel pride in the progress our beloved nation has achieved in a short span of time. And a day to reflect on the past so we become more clear and determined about what more we need to do so the country could achieve still better in the future. Ten years from now, I see this nation in a still better position, with the vision of His Majesty the Sultan and the hard work and cooperation among the people. As for me, I want to express my love and pride that I belong to Oman. We are blessed with such a great leader. Congratulations to all the people of Oman on this happy anniversary of Renaissance.

Sandeep Menon

Waljat College Having lived here for the past seven years I must say Oman is an example of how physical development of a country should be. I think Oman is moving in the right direction: citizens demanding that the government becomes more transparent; the Shura Council being legislative; corruption being eradicated; ministers being held accountableIf you are striving to achieve your own model of democracy, then transparency is key for good governance. We all love His Majesty the Sultan. We all got what we have because of him even though he doesnt know us individually but his government gave us education, jobs, security and identity.

Nidhal Ahmed Abdullah Al rahbi

Senior Marketing executive Modern College of Business & Science

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, the founder of modern Oman, took charge of this nation on July 23, 1970. It was the day that marked the beginning of a great transition. Rapid changes over the years have transformed Oman into a prosperous, modern country. Although some of our neighboring countries are still reeling from violent protests and riots, Oman pulled itself back to what it has been in all these 41 years: a peaceful country with warm people and that was thanks to the wise leader who studied the demands and acted on them promptly in a fatherly way that resulted in significant legislative, judicial and financial reforms. It was another wise move from our visionary leader. Thats why this 41st anniversary of July 23 is going to be more special than it ever had been: a day of thanks and love to His Majesty. Ten years from now Oman is going to be a leading country in all aspects thanks to the vision and guidance of His Majesty the Sultan. May Allah bless His Majesty with a long and prosperous life, and the Omani people with the joy of having him as our leader.

Cheers till next issue Team H!SQU

Gunjan Kak Waljat College July 23 is the day we sit back and reflect on the positive paradigm shift taken place in a country that is rich in culture, geographical beauty and history. The success of hosting the Asian Beach Games and the awesome achievements made by Oman Sail were two most proud moments for me. Oman has been ranked 34th among 139 countries from 2009-2011 in the annual world report on competitiveness, and I hope well improve in all areas in the next 10 years in such a way that we become a role model for other countries. The Grand Mosque, friendly people, dolphin watch, dhow cruise, Salalah, turtle watch nights, wadis they are just a few of the beautiful experiences I have had. Over the last 41 years the nation has made achievements that the world has appreciated so much and its a proud moment when tourists who flock in here tell us so with their eyes wide open in genuine admiration.

H!SQU is brought out by the English and Translation Society at SQU. Email your views/suggestions/articles to hi-ets@hotmail.com or hi@timesofoman.com. For more information visit www.englishsqu.net

Editorial Coordinators

Ahmed Al Hadhrami & Sumaiya Al Kindi

Mr Wise
Past is full of stories of success and failure you need to take the best pick that inspires you

College of Agricultural and Marine Science, SQU July 23 is unlike any other day for an Omani. It is a very special day in the history of Oman and the destiny of its people. The slew of measures taken by His Majesty the Sultan to address the issues that were expressed in the

Loay Ali Al Jabri

Shinas College of technology Before July 23, 1970, Oman was completely isolated from the rest of the world. As a result, many Omani citizens left the country for neighbouring countries for better opportunities. Life 41 years ago was very difficult. None of the facilities we enjoy today existed then. A couple of schools and health centres were what the people had for acquiring skills or for health care, and there was no electricity. How Oman reached where it is today a pride of place among the comity of nations is a marvellous story that inspires others. On the 41st anniversary of Renaissance Day I just would like to say we are the luckiest people ever. It is a matter of pride and joy to live in the era of His Majesty the Sultan.

Buthaina Salim Al Hosni

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Friday | july 22, 2011

Friday | july 22, 2011

27

Vol. III, Issue 8

CreAtivity At yoUr fiNGertipS

fAitH forWArd
Music has set the rhythm of his life right from childhood but the turning point came at the age of 19 when two events coincided to shape his future. One was his winning a South African radio music competition and the other was the senseless killing of a close friend. Inspirational nasheed singer and songwriter Zain Bhekhia spent 10 minutes with H!SQU to talk about his passion, profession and inspiration
ets begin with the obvious: how did it all happen? How did you hit the road to music and nasheeds (chanting)? I enjoyed singing right from my childhood. I never got any formal training but just loved to listen and sing along. I took part in many school concerts but never went any further. After school, I kind of forgot about singing. Then, in 1994, when I was 19 years old, I lost my best friend who got shot in a senseless killing in Johannesburg. That was my first appreciation of our mortality and I started questioning everything, the purpose of life, religion, etc. The country was changing too and South Africa became a free country with Nelson Mandela becoming the first democratically elected president. A few months later, there was this competition on a mainstream radio station called 702 which asked people to write a song about the changes in the country. I took part and was very fortunate to win the competition. This brought about some opportunity to do something with my voice. I think these two major events that coincided in my life in the same year losing my best friend and winning this competition allowed me to choose to sing about faith. I then released an independent recording of spiritual songs later that year, entitled A Way of Life. It was a simple recording of 10 songs about different aspects of Islamic faith and this really was the beginning of it all. I recorded a few more independent albums over the following few years until Brother Yusuf Islam came across these independent tapes and

C
Love and loyalty
The modern nation of Oman is founded on love and loyalty. Love of His Majesty the Sultan for his people, and the love and loyalty of his people to their leader. Saif Al Kindi pays tribute to this rare bond, dispelling the dark clouds that appeared on the horizon for a brief time ULY 23, 1970, was the first step towards a historic transformation that saw the birth of a modern nation and its march forward on the path of progress. In all these 41 years you have been our beacon of hope that shaped our aspirations, and the ray of light that lit our path ahead. The beacon of hope that taught us how to dream and that guided us how to strive towards achieving the dream. The ray of light that has always been just and resplendent. It is 41 years, and the light burns just as bright as it ever had been. While the changes that have taken place have transformed the life of everyone who is lucky to be born here and firmly placed our dear nation on the path of continued progress, what has remained without any change all these years are your love for us, as well as our love, trust, respect and admiration for you. Youve given so much to this nation. You have truly fertilised this land and our minds. You have inspired us to equip ourselves with knowledge and skills. You have taught us the need to dream big and aim high. What have we given you back? Thats the question. That is the question we should ask ourselves now. Nobody will ever be able to pay back you just as much as youve given us. Allah knows how much we owe you, Your Majesty. Almighty has sent you down for us Youre everything to Oman, and Oman is everything to you. Our grandparents were impressed by your vision; our parents benefited from your wisdom; and we, the youth of this nation who enjoy the fruit of your vision and wisdom, are inspired by your love and care. You are not just the leader of this nation, but a role model for the whole world. A leader of your stature is rare in the whole world. To say youre the ruler of all times may sum up what we think of you and what you really mean to us. Your Majesty, we realise how painful it is to be disappointed by the very people you showered your love on. We feel sad and sorry for all those ungrateful people who have acted the way did We have never seen such a moment of madness in all these 41 years as it happened a few months ago. That was shameful. That was disgusting. Who would have ever thought that someone in Oman would have dared to disturb our peaceful land? May Allah help us overcome the pain and damage The voice of truth never dies. The voice of wisdom always wins Youve led us on the right path and well march on the path you have set for us. The path of truth and justice, the path of love and peace, the path of perseverance and progress. We are sure we could put the dark days behind us and work for the welfare of this great nation. Nothing could corrupt the passion you have sparked in us. Nothing could stop us from walking hand in hand with you towards a better future. Lets all pray for Oman, Lets all pray for His Majesty, Lets raise our hands and ask Allah to keep us safe under the leadership of the greatest man in Omans history, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos.

reative writing is an excellent way to explore your inner thoughts and feelings and to express them in ways meaningful to you. It is an imaginative way of shaping ideas and putting them into words that create vivid images in your readers minds. You may also be relieved to know that creative writing can be very funny and informal and not at all academic! And it can arise naturally from your own culture and background knowledge. It is also a way of thinking critically about the world and from different angles. In my last H! article, I reported on my students experience of writing a letter to Mother Earth. They imagined our beloved planet as a living human being and, yes, even as a mother! Their letters were full of meaningful ideas and overflowed with emotion - a creative way, indeed, to think about our world and the devastation it has suffered at our hands. Down the years, I have always encouraged my students and children to think creatively about everything in life - events, people, animals, even the most ordinary things - and from different perspectives. This, I hope, has broadened their thinking and made them critical, sensitive, and creative. Today, I would like to share with you a story my daughter wrote when she was ten. In it she imagined herself as a cat, and so wrote her story from a cats perspective! I wont tell you the story in my own words, but instead will let it speak for itself in the words my daughter gave it. After reading it, find a quiet spot, choose any animal or object, and personify it. Decide what characteristics you want to give it, what places it might visit, what it might see and hear, and what incidents might happen to it. Then begin to write. Here is my daughters story. A Day as a Cat I woke up one day feeling very funny. I opened my eyes and saw paws. The weather, it seemed, had suddenly got hotter. I felt hairy all over and I suddenly had an urge to lick myself. I looked around and found out that the world had surprisingly become larger. The rubbish bin was twice as high as I was! Indeed, I was only a bit taller than the tulips in the yard. When I stood up I found myself on four feet. I moved around a bit until I saw a tail! I was a cat! This is going to be a great adventure, I thought. So I swiftly jumped up and down and ran around the yard. To my amazement, I could jump far higher now than I could as a human! So I went on a little walk. But when I stopped briefly to clean myself, I felt something stuck in my throat! Agh! Agh!, I cried and spat out a hair ball! Just looking at it was disgusting. I started to get hungry since I hadnt eaten my

invited me to London in 1999 to record an album with him entitled A is for Allah. This allowed me to gain tremendous experience and my songs to travel all over the world. I have now released many professional albums throughout the world, including Faith (2001), Our World (2002), Mountains of Makkah (2005), Allah Knows (2006), 1415 The Beginning (2009), First We Need The Love (2010) and A Way Of Life (2010). We know Zain Bhekhia the artist. Can you tell us more about Zain the human? I am a father of four boys: Rashid, Muhammad, Yusuf and Zayaan. I am a South African born and bred but my origins can be traced to India over 150 years ago. I am a professional accountant which I dont like to tell people. My passion is music and songs but I do work fulltime for a living. My Dad and I own a herbal company which I manage with him. All my songs are owned by charity (The Institute of Tibb www. tibb.co.za) and I am blessed to be doing what I love for a good cause. I love sports, especially football. I played a lot when I was younger and I am a great supporter of Manchester United. I also love the outdoors and having South African braais (barbeque). Apart from music, what else are you interested in and involved with? I studied accountancy. Ive been involved in business since I finished school, first at a large pharmaceutical company which my Dad and I ran for over 15 years. We sold that and now were involved in herbal business. Im very interested in Islamic studies and hope to take this further. I am also very busy with my family they take up a large part of my life. What do you think of inshads and nasheeds nowadays? Are they just as good as other music genres to deliver the messages to the world? I think each new artist comes with a new sound and identity and we have some wonderful songs out there these days, especially in English. I remember when I started out in 1994, there werent any songs in English about Islam and if you look today there are so many. So, Im happy that there is a variety for people to listen to and we all need to play our part. However, I think we should also be responsible about it. It cannot be a business and we need to make sure that our intentions are pure when singing about Allah. Thats where the barakah lies. At present, there isnt any defined culture of nasheeds as such because thoughts are swinging

between two extremes: some label some songs as Islamic while others hold that nasheeds should be accompanied only with chorus. What does nasheed mean to you? A good question. Nasheed for me means any spiritual song that is in line with the teachings of God and His messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him). Therefore, the songs praising Allah and His Prophet are all nasheed songs that talk about social issues like looking after your parents, your children, orphans, etc., are also nasheed. There is a new wave of Islamic songs promoted and popularised by internationally well-known singers and groups such as Maher Zain, Sami Yusuf and The Sound of Reason? What do you think of them? I think they have popularised spiritual songs, brought in a bigger audience and I think its fantastic for nasheed and the propagation of the truth. Each one also brings in a new style, new excitement and more variety for the listeners. Mainstream music is so powerful and mostly negative in terms of its message that we need to build up as many alternatives as possible. You have collaborated with singers and groups such as Native Dean, Dawud Wharnsby and Yusuf Islam. Have you considered working with others? Theres so much talent in our communities around the world and every experience I have with a new artist gives me great experience and teachings. I look forward to working with as many artists as possible in order to inspire people around the world. Obviously, your lovely sons Rashid and Mohammed have got the talent. Have you ever pushed them to take the musical path or is it that it all happened just naturally? Theres so much singing in our house so they are very exposed to creative expression. I think this gives them the freedom to explore their talents. I have never pushed them in any specific direction but I am very proud of what they have done, Masha Allah. But I always tell them to do this, purely for the love of it and to please Allah and they should also focus on their studies, play sport and try to have a balanced life in all spheres. You have covered many themes in your songs. What is your best pick? The ones where I praise and remember Allah and the ones that teach us to love our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Those songs are special and I am blessed to be even singing them. I would also like to sing about issues that face people today, with so much hatred and intolerance

I would also like to sing about issues that face people today, with so much hatred and intolerance we need to come together somehow and work towards a more peaceful world. We have to make this a better place for our children.
we need to come together somehow and work towards a more peaceful world. We have to make this a better place for our children. Besides spreading the word of Islam and other useful messages through singing, you conduct workshops for youth. Whats the response to such workshops? I love the workshops. They are called the Art of Creative Expression, or ACE. In these workshops, I share with young adults my experiences, what I have learnt and also give them some motivation to explore the talents they have within them. I am always amazed with what they have to offer. Young people are a gift from Allah, the leaders of tomorrow and we need to listen, to guide and shelter them. Ive had these workshops with young people all over the world and I hope to do more, especially in disadvantaged areas too. I much prefer this to live shows where I feel its a little one sided whereas the workshops, its interactive and I can really connect with people. Finally, Zain, here in Oman youve got lots of fans who love your art. What would you like to say to them? Thank you so much for listening to my songs. It means so much to me. I pray that Allah guides us all towards that which is good and showers us with His mercy. Dont underestimate that you can change the world by even changing those around you. We can all make this world a better place.

Dr Rahma Al Mahrooqi

breakfast or lunch. I might as well settle for brunch, I sighed. I wondered if I had to go through rubbish piles to eat. A horrid thought. But I decided, anyway, to get it over with at once and went searching through some nearby rubbish for a decent meal. I ended up with a half-eaten slice of roast beef covered in dirt and a drink from a nearby leaking tap. Not my idea of a gourmet meal at all but it had to do. I then headed over to a spot in the grass and took a nap. After I woke up, I found a piece of string lying on the ground near me. So I tore it up into tiny pieces and gave a little meow. It was such fun to have claws and I enjoyed sharpening them on a small rock in the garden. It felt good to be a cat, but I still couldnt get used to the fur. Then suddenly I started to moult! Oh dear! How could I have forgotten that would happen? I decided not to move so that I wouldnt scatter hair all over the place. So I took a second nap until morning. But when I awoke, I found I was back to being a human! Was it a dream or reality? I cant really be sure. But I can still taste that leftover beef in my mouth!

Nasheed for me means any spiritual song that is in line with the teachings of God and His messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him). Therefore, the songs praising Allah and His Prophet are all nasheed songs that talk about social issues like looking after your parents, your children, orphans, etc., are also nasheed.