The poet & activist, speaks to Hiba Farook, 360 Radio, about the importance of respecting cultural roots while evolving with change.(Oct 28 2022)
Mujeeb Jaihoon is a poet who weaves words and produces poetry in everything he writes. Author of The Cool Breeze of Hind and Slogans of Sage, his books are widely accepted throughout the Asian and European continent. His works are translated to Italian, Malayalam and soon there are going to be translation in Spanish and French. On today’s episode of Night Lights he shares his experience of writing and his journey as well as about s next book.
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Transcript (edited)
Hiba Farook: Poetry is when an emotion has found thoughts and the thoughts have found the perfect words. We all love a good poem, right? And yeah, this universe is actually a creation of lots of poems. Tonight’s ‘Night Lights’ is kind of special. We have an amazing guest here with us: a poet, a writer, an author, a speaker, in fact, a lover of words. Today, in the studio of 360 radio on Night Lights, we have Mujeeb Jaihoon. Hello sir! Welcome to Night Lights.
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Thank you.
Hiba Farook: Okay, so talking of poetry, you have published around eight books now, and most of them are a compilation of poems, right? How did you begin this journey of poems?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: As with all poets and writers, I guess I started my writings during school and more so during college. And I was very absorbed in the Rumi and Iqbal poetry, and a couple of other mystic poets. That’s what I’m inclined to and what I write about. So it came as a natural development, I guess, and we’ve all reached where we’re destined to reach, so I began the journey during my student days.
Hiba Farook: That’s interesting. Now, every writer out there would obviously have a pen name, and some people I’ve heard people say that some of their pen names are because they want to distinguish themselves from the writer they are. So, what’s the story behind the pen name Jaihoon?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Jaihoon is actually a name of a river in the central Asian countries. I came across this word in a poem of Allama Iqbal, where he describes himself as the Waters of Jaihoon: he found his inspiration also in the greatest of the mystic poets, Jalaluddin Rumi. So, being a great fan of Iqbal in those days, I thought why not pick up this name and take it along in my life. And this is now how I’m known, less of Mujeeb and more of Jaihoon.
Hiba Farook: Something else that I’ve noticed in your poetry is the influence of a lot of Urdu and Persian words. So, are you acquainted with these languages, and, what is that influence about these words or these languages?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: From a deeply spiritual and personal point of view, it’s less of my familiarity with the language, than the acquaintance I have with my favorite poets. So, when you like someone, a great personality, you kind of get closer to whatever their regional factors were in terms of language, outlook and even sometimes your body language. So, it’s something which I think happens in kind of role modeling. Yeah, so I fell in love with Urdu just because of Iqbal. I’m very attracted to anything to do with Iqbal. So, I find it more homely when I use these foreign loan words than actual English words or the language that I’m writing. And every language is grounded, molded, and nurtured in a particular culture. So, while English is of a Western civilization, Urdu, Persian, Arabic sometimes is more of East.
Hiba Farook: And, I’ve noticed how there is this sense of healing that you write through your words, especially in a very spiritual way. So, do you feel like poetry helps a person heal?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Well for me, writing poetry is more of self-healing than healing others. It’s a remedy for my own ills, pains, and agonies rather than solving others’ problems. Of course, I have readers who come back to me saying that it did heal them in some way or the other. For me, it’s like me boiling myself in the pot of poetry: the pot boils and it kind of really beats to break, and so does the poet who’s burning inside that. But after the water cools down, it’s a great healing experience.
Hiba Farook: So, the actual process of writing a poem could be really intense, right?”
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Yes, very much, and I guess if you’re not intense, you are not into poetry. Poetry is not for the faint-hearted.
Hiba Farook: Okay, so now we just got to know that you’re going to be awarded the Sri Narayana Guru Sreshta Award that’s recently been announced. So, could you tell us a little bit about that?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Yes, by the grace of God, I got nominated for the Sri Narayana Guru Sreshta Award 2022. This is by the Sivagiri Mutt Chapter of the UAE. It’s named, of course, after the greatest social reformer of Kerala. I guess he was less of a Keralite and more of a global citizen because he fought against social evils such as untouchability, for the unity of humanity, and for one God. He’s a person I think the world needs to celebrate, and I’m very humble and equally honored that I got this award for my humble creative journey.
Hiba Farook: That’s really a great deal. Now talking about your books, you’ve also written a novel, The Cool Breeze of Hind. As a reader who goes through it, there again you see a lot of it’s a travelog, but then in a way, it’s very poetic also. So do you have a tendency to use poetry in everything, like even if it’s prose? Or you’re writing an article and eventually it becomes another poem?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Yeah, that’s, I think, one of the strengths and the weaknesses in my writings. Whenever I attempt to write prose, it comes out in a poetic sense. So, for those who love poetry, it’s a win-win deal for them. But those who are not in tune with the poetic metaphors, they’ll find it a little difficult to understand and comprehend. Perhaps both the fault and the merit lie in my own creative schooling.
The book, of course, was based on a real journey described in a very metaphorical sense with a very deep spiritual undertone to it, and it’s a proclamation, a declaration of my love of my patriotism for my country. And I have very liberally used Malayalam and Urdu and other foreign words to describe the things because sometimes you need a native word to explain that phenomenon.
Hiba Farook: And could you tell us a little bit more about the book? Like the themes, places, or different journeys that you’ve had throughout.
Mujeeb Jaihoon: As I said, there was an actual trip which I undertook during my vacation. And this was written pre-2000. So, anyone who wants to know what Kerala, especially the Malabar side, was before 2000, I think this book would considerably help in that matter.
It has a Past and Present jumbled up. There is a non-linear narrative in the book, so there is a past of Kerala, and then there’s a past of other even pre-medieval period narration of events. Of course, my favorite poet, Iqbal, figures up in between. I bring his quotes and his philosophy left and right, but all in all, for me, it’s like a spiritual journey to my own culture, to my own roots, my legacy, my own heritage, and it’s more of a self-discovery than a historical fiction.
Hiba Farook: Okay, now another book that is very much celebrated and has been translated into different languages is Slogans of the Sage. So, how has that experience been and how is that journey going, compiling the quotes and everything?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Yeah, one of my favorite leaders, I would say, but also at the same time, a great role model, is the late South Indian statesman and philanthropist Sayyid Muhammad Ali Shihab Thangal. So, I was very fond of his perspectives and personality, and this book is a collection of quotations with illustrations.
Yes, this is Slogans of the Sage. Yeah, as you can see, this is like a coffee table book with a square format, and there are illustrations inside it about his personality, about his life. So this has been a very successful book in my journey.
This book has been translated into Italian first by Dr Sabrina Lay, the Rome-based philosopher and a great interfaith activist.
After that, it was translated into Malayalam, which was recently launched, and we also plan to launch it in the Sharjah Book Fair. We have signed up with the publisher for the Tamil translation.
And the other two upcoming translations will be from Europe again in two other major languages: Italian and Spanish. (Covers shown during the show)
Hiba Farook: Wow, so it means there are so many readers for this particular book.
Mujeeb Jaihoon: The ‘Slogans’ book was very successful. It was well received in Europe. I guess the Spanish and French translations would do a similar service. I hope both are very actively translated and revised by the native speakers of those languages.
Hiba Farook: OK. Right, so, for next year probably we could have these two translations. Hopefully, it’ll be a success. I pray and hope that it becomes a huge success.
We also have another exclusive here on today’s show. And it’s my honor, I would say, so you have a new upcoming poetry anthology that is to be released. But here today in the studios of 360 Radio, we will be officially releasing the cover of the book.
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Right. Of late, many of my friends, well-wishers, and critics have been asking, “Hey, why not any other writings after the slogans?” Because they are used to seeing only the translations and other launch events of books related to ‘Slogans’. So, I have been contemplating another poetry compilation. And this compilation is specially to do with the plight and the sufferings and the Oppressed are facing in several countries, especially in India. So, this is about the oppression and the sorry plight of certain communities who are facing very difficult situations. It also has poems about war and conflict, women’s rights, etc., and other humanitarian conflicts around the world.
So, let me take this opportunity to thank you for giving me the chance to announce the name and the book cover reveal on the show. The book is called “Mantra of the Oppressed.” As you can see, the cover depicts a woman behind barbed wire. It is often the women who pay the price for conflicts in several countries; men somehow make it out. Women and children especially go through difficult situations and pay the first and greatest price of any conflict, especially wars and other hate-related conflicts.
The cover was conceived and executed by Shabana Sumaya, a Calicut-based artist who is especially good at surreal art works. There is so much depth in the painting, and she has been able to conceive the pain of what the poet meant and literally taken up the entire pain of all the poems inside the book and come up with this graphic where a lady is in a prayer mode. Because most of the time, a lady can only pray and cannot fight like a man, she’s holding a rosary and is behind the barbed wire. The expression on her face will convince the reader of the pain that women especially undergo in these conflicts.
Jaihoon and Hiba Farook, 360 Radio UAE
Hiba Farook: I mean, it’s quite interesting and very deep, I would say, and something that we readers can look forward to for sure. Now, talking of being a public speaker, especially with students and the youth out there, what’s something that you would want to tell them, especially when it comes to writers, young writers, and students who love to play with words, or like to be with words?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Yeah, I would say to be with the words because words are too precious to play with. We can afford to play with gems and diamonds, but not with words because they’re very sharp, tender, and meaningful as well. So, words, as I’ve said somewhere, are too precious to be spoken out too loosely: we should be very careful with them.
What I would like to see in our youths, especially the writers, is that they should be rooted very strongly and spiritually in their own heritage. Every culture and country are unique. Coming from Indian culture, I feel there’s a lot of heritage, a lot of good values in Indian culture, irrespective of the religious denomination. India’s soil is rich with values and a lot of legacies out there with which we should be strongly connected.
Globalism sounds very sweet, beautiful, and practical, but we should not lose sight of our own roots and heritage. Globalization is a vast ocean. But we should swim with our values intact. So, writers, whether writing in English or any other language, we must have our values from our own culture, and then we introduce that to a globalized world. And the readers will respect us when we stay grounded in our soil. That’s what my creative experience has taught me. This is not just a politically correct statement but based on my personal adventures.
Hiba Farook: That’s true. I mean; however, we are evolving, there’s a part of our roots, traditions that our culture plays in. And as long as that is good and positive and nice, I believe we have to respect and engage and nurture our roots and culture.
So, this has been a really good time… these past few minutes with you having this conversation. And, I’m sure we have a few takeaways…how we have to be rooted to our culture, that we shouldn’t be playing with words because they are sharp but at the same time, they are pretty tender too, and also very meaningful. So, yes, that truly is a takeaway that I am taking tonight. Thank you so much for coming here. All the best for your upcoming works, your book that’s to be released. All the best for that.
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Thank you for having me here. And as your motto states, where listening is a virtue, writing is also a virtue. Thank you.
Hiba Farook: Well, yes, I think we’ll add that too, but this was nice, and I’m signing off for the night. Take care, love duas, good night, bye-bye.
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Original video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M6Iqb8lTPk
