Trishma Pinto interviews Mujeeb Jaihoon about his acclaimed book, “The Cool Breeze from Hind,” delving into his creative journey & inspiration
INTRODUCTION
Trishma Pinto: Good evening and a very warm welcome to everybody joining in for this edition of the Author’s Saga. I’ll be your moderator for this conversation and on behalf of Pick a Book, it gives me immense pleasure to welcome all of you because we have a very, very special guest with us here this evening.
Before I introduce you to our guest, for those of you who are joining us for the very first time at the Pick a Book online event, let me use a few moments to tell you a little bit about Pick a Book.
Pick a Book
Pick a Book is an initiative that started with the aim of igniting the love and passion for reading, and it has several clubs in several cities across the globe. It’s a space where our readers can select a book, read and research it thoroughly, and then present it before an audience. In doing so, they not only gain a wealth of knowledge, but they also hone their communication skills and presentation abilities.
So, Pick a Book is also bringing to you various discussions online. Today’s discussion, which is called the Author’s Saga, is an initiative where we speak to various authors and we discuss the key insights in their book. We hope that our authors can inspire readers with their message and also encourage aspiring authors on their journey to publishing a book.
INTRODUCTION TO JAIHOON
So, with that let me now finally begin with introducing our speaker to you ladies and gentlemen. Our author today is Mujeeb Jaihoon, an Indian-born writer and community activist based in the UAE. Some of his books have been translated into Italian, Arabic, Tamil, and Malayalam. His most popular books include “Slogans of the Sage,” which won the Sri Narayana Guru Srestha Award 2022 for best author. He also wrote the book ‘The Cool Breeze from Hind‘ which we are discussing today. It’s a historical fiction with a mystical narrative. His other books include “Mission Nizamuddin” which is the world’s first Twitter-based travelogue, “Meem is for Mercy,” “The Alchemy of Affinity,” and “Mothers and Mothers.”
Mujeeb has been featured in global media including English, Arabic, Kyrgyz, and Indian publications. He’s a regular participant in leading literary events, including at the Sharjah International Book Fair. He was also profiled in “Young Indian Visionaries,” which is a thoughtfully researched compilation about the success of 70 young Indian missionaries in the UAE.
Mujeeb Jaihoon also serves as director of several educational institutions, besides playing an advisory role in community development projects. He’s also a regular speaker on issues pertaining to education, women empowerment, and interfaith harmony. And as a prolific traveler, Mujeeb has also extensively traveled to cradles of ancient civilizations in various parts of the world. He maintains the blog at www.jaihoon.com, and you can feel free to visit it and read all of his articles and learn more about his works.
So with that very impressive introduction to our fantastic guest today, I’m sure we’re all in for an engaging conversation. So on that note, welcome to you Jaihoon. Welcome to Author’s Saga by Pick a Book.
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Thank you, Pick a Book, for considering to feature my work in your discussion, the Author’s Saga. And thank you, Trishma, again for such a generous introduction. I hope I am worthy of your kind words.
THE COOL BREEZE FROM HIND: SPIRITUAL PATRIOTISM
Trishma Pinto: Well, let’s start off now by discussing your book. The book we’re talking about is The Cool Breeze from Hind. So at the very outset, could you start off by summarizing a little bit about what this book is about?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Well, this book is basically a craving for my homeland. I hail from the southern part of India which is traditionally called Malabar. And there are so many facets to it which is difficult to explain everything, but in short, it’s a spiritual form of patriotism for my homeland, a craving for my roots, connecting with my legacy, and a sum total of all my convictions about the things happening around the world.
The Inspiration
Trishma Pinto: Wow, okay, what was the inspiration behind writing this book? And I’m also told it’s a historical fiction novel, so why did you choose to make it in this genre?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Well, honestly, I’m not a historian to write a history of the culture and the roots that I come from. Fiction, because that’s where a writer can creatively engage and interpret, and sometimes describe his feelings, which may not fit in a traditional historical book. So, it is fiction, but however, it’s based on travel, and it’s more of a self-discovery of my roots, my legacy, my nation’s culture and people. What makes Jaihoon, or where he hails from, it’s a lot of energy for my creative journey to know what are my roots and where I come from, a spiritual connection to my soil, where I’m rooted.
Trishma Pinto: Fantastic! So, it’s been a journey of self-exploration for you about your origins, where you come from, and that’s what inspired you to write the book. Did I understand you right?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Yes, and also I would like to add that the kite flies beautifully and soars higher into the skies while it is connected to the string or the thread. So, we all must have a good connection to our roots, and without the roots, the tree cannot bloom. History is very important to every human being because it is part of his confidence. It’s like the seed when you see a grand Banyan Tree or a grand Coconut Tree. We should all understand that once it was just a seed. So, all the growth and energy that we carry today is the sum total of our native culture and our spiritual traditions.. That’s what I feel.
The Making
Trishma Pinto: You talked about a seed blooming into the tree. When was the seed for this book planted in your head, and how long did it take from that seed for it to become a fully rooted, you know, book? Can you tell us about the process? How long was it?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: This book took around five years in making (around 99 to 2004). I had taken several travels to different parts of where the book is going about. So, it’s not entirely fiction, but however, as I said, I bring in a lot of history and philosophy, poetry, and mysticism while I narrate what happened during those travels. I had met several historians as part of this writing to make sure that I’m on the right track of history. I met with some community activists, historians, writers, and certain senior people who lived in the era that I’m talking about. So, there was an actual discussion with what we so-called the grandparents’ generation. So, it’s the sum of all these experiences and convictions that I have tried to share in this book.
The Poetic Prose Diction
Trishma Pinto: Fantastic! So, you’ve actually gone physically, and you’ve done your research, so I think that speaks a great deal about your commitment and ensuring that, you know, it’s backed by certain facts. It’s not completely fictional, but there has been some research that has gone into writing this book. That’s great.
I have to ask you a very interesting question because what I noticed was unique about your book was it’s a very rare poetic prose narrative so there’s poetry and there’s prose both intertwined. So can you explain why you chose to write in this style?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: First of all, I believe every human being is originally a poet. There is poetry flowing in every human heart. Human life is poetry because we are not just factual creatures which is usually what comes in the prose. Since my school days, I happened to be interested in poetry, especially Mystic poetry. So whatever I write, somehow or the other, there is always a subliminal influence of poetry in everything that I say. Poetry also, as I said, has a lot of spiritual ambiance to it. We don’t say things in black and white in poetry. There is always a gray area, and a human being also lives in a gray area. He’s not just a black and white robot and AI gadget. We have more than that. Our love, our emotions, our dreams, these are all better portrayed in poetry than just in prose. All dreamers, whether they are changemakers, whether they are technocrats, they have a poetic gene in their growth.
I wrote this book, of course, it’s a novel, but then poetry was always there as a shadow. Wherever I am, in every page, you will find poetry trying to overtake the prose. They’re not together at least sometimes. Somewhere the poetry even overtook the prose. Um, subliminally, it wasn’t deliberate. That’s why it probably took five years to write a book. Okay, this is just around 300 pages, but it took five years in making.
The Creative Process
Trishma Pinto: Fantastic! Um, you’ve used a lot of wonderful visual metaphors. You use some great powerful imagery in your writing. So, I’d like to ask you, how does your creative process take place? Do you have a ritual to help you get into the creative zone? Or as when ideas come, do you write them down? What’s the creative process behind the making of this book?
Mujeeb Jaihon: As I said before, there was actual travel that took place. So, for record purposes, I had photographs and videos of those places, people, and you know, all those things that were witnessed over there. So, I came back with all this junk of data, you can say, raw data, and then, of course, I had to do the extra readings in the cultural context and to understand the historical significance of the persons and the places. When I mix these two and then I get into the writing vibe, for example, during certain midnights, you know, I would just jump from the bed and write a point which just comes across. Sometimes I would just park my car on the highway and write my note, the thought that was going on.
So, it’s not for me like writing a book: I live through the book. For me, it is a life journey when I write a book. Because it was part of a historical journey, I had to be more responsible. I cannot write any garbage that I wanted to. I wish I had more such writing journeys because I lived through the entire phase. And, um, sometimes you have to put yourself into like a pressure cooker to keep yourself tightly locked in that particular plot that you’re working on. You lose sleep, food and drinks and friends: this is all part and parcel of a writer’s life. It’s not just me, it happens to almost every writer. But then, sometimes the price, you know, is worth it. And one of the reasons why we are talking about this book right now.
Writing The Book Vs. Living The Book
Trishma Pinto: I love the fact that you said that you don’t just write a book, but you live through it. And I think that speaks volumes about your dedication to your craft because living the book means that book is not just an offering and a gift to the people who are reading it, but it’s also in a way an offering and a gift to yourself because you are enriching yourself so much more through that process when you live that book instead of just writing the book.
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Exactly. I just want to add that, in line with what you said, writing entertains the readers, it enlightens the readers, it informs the readers, but, I would say in a more religious way that it is more self-healing. It’s more self-rewarding for the author first and then the readers.
Indian Vs. Arabian: The Cultural Influence
Trishma Pinto: Wow, well, talking about life and living, you are currently living in the UAE and you’re an Indian-born writer living in the UAE You have the influence of two different worlds: the Indian culture and the Arabian culture. So, how has your cultural background influenced your writing?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Great question. As you’ve rightly noted, this book also carries the weight of Arabian culture and Arabian history. There’s a lot of references to Arabian culture and history in this book. The very name of the book is more Arabic than Indian because as you know, the book is called “The Cool Breeze from Hind”, so “Hind” stands for India as we all know. However, the word “Hind” is Arabic in origin. It was a name given to the river Sindh by the Arabs and Persians. Many people have asked me marvelously about the title of the book, “What does it mean? What is Hind?” And again, as we know, “Hindi ” is a very popular female name in the Emirati community and other Arab countries.
So, India has been in the so-called limelight in the Arab world even prior to the medieval period. Prior to Islam, there was a lot of trade and cultural exchanges between the other world and the Indian subcontinent. So much so that there was a lot of cultural impact, you can say vice versa. And of course, there is a lot of historical and many other traditional meanings to this word.
I can also say that there is a word called “Muhannad” which means the sword that is made in India. So, in the other world, there was a lot of respect and importance given to the swords made in India because they were strong and dazzling. Again, Muhannad is also a very popular name in the Arab world. I have named my son because of this book.
Trishma Pinto: Wow! So, what came first, the book or son?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Of course, the book.
TRAVEL IS ORGANIC TO WRITING
Trishma Pinto: So not just Arabia, not just India, you also travel widely. How have your travels influenced your writing?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Well, I don’t think there’s anybody who hates traveling. We all love to travel, but the purpose is different. The purpose differentiates people from the writers.Traveling is very organic to my growth, I can say that I’m a son of travel. Like this trip which has made me the Jaihoon, that is, probably as you have described, it’s very essential for me. I cannot stay in one place for long. You know, every other month or something, I have to plan a trip. I just came back from Canada two weeks back. Traveling is very essential for my creativity. It is what stimulates, invigorates and inspires my writings.
HUMANITY IS ONE TRIBE
Trishma Pinto: Has there been any country apart from India and UAE that has inspired some of your work in particular? Would you like to pinpoint a country or a culture that has inspired your work?
MujeebJaihoon: Well, every culture is unique. There is no culture which is less significant than the other because ultimately the entire humanity is one tribe and we all hail from the ultimate Creator. So every culture is equally inspiring.
As I said, this book has Indian and Arabic culture, but I find inspiration wherever I go because every new culture is a wonder for me. Probably it’s taken for granted in those places, but then as I visit any place, it is equally inspiring. I appreciate the blessings that I have in life, and I also crave for new blessings that I see over there.
READERS SANS BORDERS
Trishma Pinto: Fantastic! Talking about different languages, I know that your books have been translated into several languages including Italian, Arabic, Tamil, and Malayalam. How have readers from these different cultures and backgrounds responded to your books? Have you heard from those who’ve read your books in other languages?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Yes, by the grace of God, every language that you mentioned has gracefully welcomed my works and thoughts. Of course, I hail from Malabar where Malayalam is the prime language. I have also received nice feedback from Arab readers. Tamil was just out a few months back, so I’m yet to receive feedback from them. There have been discussions for other translations. The Italian translation was a great entry to the European world. It was published in Rome, which is the capital of Italy and has the Vatican there. All in all, I feel blessed, though I may deserve a little of it. I feel happy that more readers can come across my humble writings.
Trishma Pinto: Did you face.any challenges while writing? Can you tell us about how you overcome those challenges?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: It’s not about any one challenge, but several challenges. Right from how to write a book, what to write in the book, and then committing ourselves to completing that particular book because distractions are always there to welcome and embrace you.
CHALLENGES TO WRITING
There were always challenges, for example, certain data you are looking for and you don’t get it. There was an epic poem which I was after for writing this book, written by an ancient poet, and I took months to get hold of it. Of course, my friends were very helpful in this matter, but you have challenges in getting data for historical fiction.
Sometimes, you also have to keep yourself and the characters on the right track. You cannot just write whatever comes to mind. Five years is a long period to write a book, and you change. Your characters will also change with your thoughts because your characters are coming from inside you, so when your brain evolves, they too change.
And then, of course, the most difficult part is ending the book because you want to keep writing, but then it’s a book, so you have to keep your word count. You have to end not just your story but also that part of your life because, as I said, we live the book, so we have to kill that phase or kill ourselves to stop the book. That’s a very big challenge that I faced.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Trishma Pinto: You’ve also been awarded the SRI Narayana Guru Sreshta Award 2023. So, how does it feel to have your work being recognized in such a way?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Of course, every human being loves to be appreciated, loves to be accepted. Children love to get good marks and then get candy after that, so these candies are nice to have. I have not waited for an award nor written for an award. My writing usually does not fall into a particular genre that you would find on the shelf. But of course, to be honored under the name of great historical personalities who have literally defined your roots, is a wonderful feeling. For example, this award is named after Srinaryana Guru,who was a very marvelous and phenomenal character. He defined the identity of a Malayali who is secular, educated, tolerant, and coexists with the other communities. He was really an icon of Kerala, and to be given an award by his name is great to be as a Malayali. And for me, it is a lifetime achievement to be recognized under the name of a great person. He is a global citizen and his outlook is very harmonious with my thoughts. He is a man who stands for human equality. He does not support the division of people into castes and sects. Of course, I have been appreciated or given reception at different institutions, universities, and other colleges. They have given me their mementos or other appreciations.
But we don’t wait for the clap. An author takes both the applause and the tomatoes with equal humility.
THE GENEROUS MEDIA
Trishma Pinto: I know that you’ve also been featured in global media. I’ve seen interviews online, I’ve seen you’ve been on TV channels and publications, and you’ve also participated in many leading literary events. So, in your entire career as a writer, what would you say stands out? Something particularly memorable? Any experience or a moment that you cherish?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Well, I don’t believe I have made a lot of achievements. I consider myself a new writer always to remain fresh at heart.
Last year, I had a visit to Kyrgyzstan, and the media over there were interested in my writings. There was a publication in the Kyrgyz media also. The UAE media has been very kind, very generous to me. UAE is home to more than 100 nationalities. So, to be reported and to be described in the UAE media is always an honor because it gets to reach a lot of people. Also, I was interviewed by a couple of TV channels. I don’t want to pick any particular interview or any report, but on the whole I’m grateful to God and always appreciate the prayers of my loved ones. And, I strongly believe that it is by the prayers and the support of institutions like Pick A Book that my word reaches the readers. An author is not an isolated individual in society: he should not be. He must cooperate and support the developments in the society. So, that is partly the reason for my activism.
HUMANITY & DIVERSITY ARE SYNONYMOUS
Trishma Pinto: In your book you’ve also warned readers about the dangers of monoculture. So can you expand on what this means and how does this monoculture impact India’s secular fabric?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Yeah, right. So, India is made up of different faiths, communities, and languages. Even if I tell you about the very state of Kerala, for example, although the official language is Malayalam, there are countless accents for a particular language in one state of India. So, India is almost like the microcosm for the universe and it is diversities which really show the beauty of our human race.
Anything that is not appreciative of the diversity is not beneficial for our modern life. We have to be tolerant, but tolerance isn’t just a passive state, it is also to engage and to interact with our religions, our neighborhoods, and people of other opinions.
One of the dangerous trends that is developing in my country is people’s freedom of thoughts and opinions are being suppressed. They promote only a particular line of thought or a particular faith or a particular stream of thinking, which is not good because human beings are completely diverse in nature. Let alone of the same community or neighborhood, even in our own homes, we stand completely different to our siblings. So then, how can we enforce uniformity, singularity in a country like India where people of different faiths and languages? We cannot enforce a particular way of speaking on the entire nation. So, I’m just talking about my country, but then again we also have dangerous trends in other parts of the world where we have xenophobia developing. In the U.S and UK, there is a move against immigrants. So, there is a fear of the Other developing in the minds of people. It’s basically due to ignorance and also because of our impatience and our inhumanity.
PLURALISM: SECRET OF INDIAN SUCCESS STORY
Trishma Pinto: For those who are picking up your book, what message do you hope that they can take away when they read your words?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: First of all, of course, as I said, it’s a self-discovery. So they discover who this gentleman, Mr. Jaihoon, is. You come to know what his roots are. But more importantly, I try to convey the message of pluralism, of tolerance, especially for India.
India has reached where it has reached because of its tolerance, the spirit of harmony and respect for the other. Every community has helped in the growth of the other community. It’s a historical truth, and nobody can say otherwise.
So, I want to insist on pluralism and diversity. India, in its national song, is described as a garden. So, a garden is not just made of roses or jasmine or lilies or a particular flower. When we say garden, it stands for all the different types of flowers. So, all these different fragrances add to the scent of the great nation that India is. So, it’s pluralism that makes India great.
MISSION NIZAMUDDIN: SPONTANEOUS TWEET & WRITE
Trishma Pinto: Fantastic! That’s a great message for readers to take away. And while we’ve been focusing on this one book, “The Cool Breeze from Hind”, perhaps you’d like to just touch base on your other books that you’ve written and what are the different other topics and themes that you’ve delved into. I know one of your books , “Mission Nizamudin,” is the world’s first Twitter-based travelogue. So, can you tell us a little bit about those other books as well, what are the themes that you covered?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: I’ll start with what you mentioned, “The Mission Nizamuddin”. Yes, so this book was written in 2009. I traveled across four states in North India and the reason we say this is a Twitter-based travelogue is because the book is made of tweets that I wrote spontaneously during the trip. There has been no editing. So, as I traveled, as I hopped on a trail, as I had my chocolate, as I slept on the way, you know, as I was walking in the fields of Punjab or the streets of Delhi, whatever I noticed, it was a spontaneous tweet. So, this book was hailed as the first Twitter-based travelogue. We all tweet, we all write, but I think I did this together. And the media was kind enough to highlight this part. One can Google this and find out more about this book. Further, the ebook is available and the hard copy published from Delhi.
SAYYID SHIHAB: THE CELEBRATED SCION OF SECULAR INDIA
The other book which gave me a wider acceptability was called the “Slogans of the Sage”. You know, this is the book which won me the Sri Narayana Guru Award, and it was translated to Italian, Tamil, and Malayalam. We have more translations hopefully coming in Spanish and French. So, this book has the quotations of a leading personality who lived in Kerala by the name Sayyid Muhammad Ali Shihab. He was Arab by descent and he was a great philanthropist and community leader. He was considered the leader of the Malabar Community, especially the Muslims, who passed away in 2009.
So, I have compiled his quotations. He stood for communal harmony and tolerance, and he was widely respected by all sections of the community. The Indian government, which was headed by Dr. Manmohan Singh, had released a postage stamp in his honor, and he was celebrated as a great son of secular India. I was very inspired by his personality because I stand for such values.
The other books are mostly poetry collections like ‘’Meem for Mercy”, “The Alchemy of Affinity”, and I also have a book getting published next month by the name “Mantra of the Oppressed”.
MANTRA OF THE OPPRESSED: RESISTANCE RELOADED
Trishma Pinto: What’s that about Mantra of the oppressed? What’s the theme? Is it a poetry book or is it fiction?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: So, it’s a book which goes by the genre ‘Resistance Literature’. It’s not a chocolate topic, but a highly political and contemporary criticism. It’s my war against the monoculture. So, it’s called Mantra of the oppressed.
The oppressed communities, the marginalized sections of the community, the women affected in conflicts, the people whose homes are demolished by bulldozers, the people who sleep on the pavements. So, it’s their Mantra, it’s the prayer of the oppressed.
In my spiritual tradition, there’s a saying that there is nothing that would block the prayer of an oppressed from being answered by the Creator. So, we should be very careful of the prayer of the oppressed.
Trishma Pinto: Wow, so I can sense that some of your books are a form of your active activism. You want to be able to spread your message of peace and multiculturalism, of pluralism through your books. I think that’s a very noble thing to do, to write out your thoughts because words can indeed change the world. Isn’t it?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Exactly. We have many civilizations who are based on books, like the Bible has shaped the Western thought, Greek culture has its own epics.
CONNECTIVITY TO CULTURE: POWERHOUSE OF CREATIVITY
Trishma Pinto: For those of the aspiring authors who are starting out on their writing journey, do you have any tips or any advice for them?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Well, we live in a very narcissistic culture where praise, admiration, and acceptance are considered essential for our success. However, we have to stay committed to our art, whatever it is – whether you are into painting, writing, or public speaking. It takes a lot of dedication, and we have to keep ourselves away from the distractions of social media and popular culture recognition. Acceptance is something that is a byproduct and will come anyway. So, we have to stay committed, dedicated, lose our sleep, forget our drinks, pizza, burgers, chilling out with friends – everything has a cost. The cost of writing is, of course, remaining sometimes solitary and away from social media.
We must stay true to our identity. Our roots are important, even though we live in a globalized world and often have to adopt and adapt. Connectivity to our culture is the real powerhouse of creativity. Regardless of whether you have an American, European, African, or Asian identity, it is important to be connected spiritually and religiously to your culture and heritage. Then, we can always excel. That’s my message for emerging writers.
PRISONER TO RUMI & IQBAL WRITINGS
Trishma Pinto: A lot of authors take their inspiration from other authors as well. They read a lot of different works and get inspiration from that. So, if you had to name a few authors or a few books that have inspired your own writing, who would those authors or books be?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: There are two authors that I have been reading since my school days. You can ask my school librarian who they were. It continued till college and even now. I’m not fed up with reading them because they help to shape not only my thoughts but also give me the energy to keep writing. So, the first writer is Jaladin Rumi, who is the popular mystic poet of all times, who’s equally read in the west and in the east. Rumi is like a culture, not just an author.
The other author is Sir Muhammad Iqbal or Allama Iqbal, as is popularly known. He’s a subcontinent figure who passed away in 1938. Of course, he is most popular before the national song “Hindustan Hamara”. He was a poet and philosopher.
These are my childhood influences, so I love to live in their fort and my mind and heart are captured. So, I am not a reader but a prisoner to their writings.
UNLIMITED POTENTIAL OF YOUNG MINDS
Trishma Pinto: Wow, okay, a prisoner to their writing. Um, in addition to your work as a writer, you are also serving as a director on educational institutions. You have many social causes that you believe in, so all of these various other roles, how do they feed into what you have to write and what you have to say?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: I must admit that I’m not restricting myself to an author’s capacity. It’s the purpose or the message of my writings that is more important, so I love to be associated with these institutions because they are a window of interaction with the new generation. It gives me immense pleasure when I interact with the student community, especially because you don’t know who is the gem out there who will come out with promising possibilities. So, I like to plant the seeds of my thoughts in these young minds because maybe someone out there will become somebody bigger and better than me. I would love to play my part in inspiring that miracle in the minds of those children. Today, of course, they have huge challenges from social media and other distractions, but also they are very innovative in mind. They always have out-of-the-box thinking. Sometimes, I wish that I was born to their generation.
Education is highly essential for the growth of our community, so it is something related to my overall interventions.
READ OR ROT: THE FATE OF A NON-READING COMMUNITY
Trishma Pinto: As you know, Pick a Book exists because of a love for reading, and we are here to encourage youngsters, people of all ages to pick up a book and read, so as a writer and a reader yourself, what message would you like to share to those who will be watching this interview? What role can reading play in the development of somebody’s life?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Reading does not play just any role but plays ‘the’ role in our growth. Reading is so essential that it doesn’t matter if you don’t drink or eat, but you have to read. Reading is the secret of the growth of our thoughts and of our career. We cannot divorce reading from the growth in our life.
I had written some time back that a reading room or a library in a home is as important or rather more important than a prayer room. Reading is what, you can say, the most exciting way to discover new knowledge, information and ideas. We live in a highly technological era but we should understand that these technologies evolved because of reading.
Reading is what helps us to dream about a non-existent world. The people who have come out with self-driving cars or space travel, they were once dreamers, and dreams are the direct result of reading. So when we read comics or Harry Potter, it is not just about a magical world. Probably we can envision a better world from these stories. So, reading is highly critical for growth.
There are several spiritual traditions, for example, in the case of Islam, the first command in its holy book is to read: not to pray or to meditate or community service or help the poor. Reading is the core foundation for all growth. So, a community that does not read is as good as dead.
BOOKSHELF: THE HOME’S ENTERTAINMENT HUB
Trishma Pinto: Ah, there’s a very profound thought right there, and I see that we’re almost running out of time. But before we wrap up, a couple of final questions to you. One is, is there any message that you’d like to share to all of the people who are watching this interview today?
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Firstly, I’m thankful to Pick a Book and, of course, our fabulous host, Trishma, for this discussion.
My friends, we have to see books as our best buddies. Pick a Book is not just a reading movement. It is dragging us back to our humanity. So, initiatives such as Pick a Book are quintessential for every society. We cannot take away books and reading from our daily life. We have to read; it ensures that humanity continues.
So, we have the challenge of smartphones; we are glued to the screen 24/7. I understand as I’m also part of that misadventure. But we have to read, and books have to be introduced very diplomatically to our young minds. We have to get them closer to reading, and you have to have, just like a TV, a refrigerator, and a microwave oven, a bookshelf in your house.
I’ve been a book collector for 30 years, and my children are part of my reading adventures; they also love books. Books are like a family member of our home; we have to treat them kindly.
The bookshelf is very important in our living room. It should be the first source of our entertainment, and we have to have family reading hours. There’s a lot you can do at home, but keep the books in the center.
Trishma Pinto: Wow, wow, that’s a fantastic takeaway for everybody who’s listening and for all the readers, especially those parents who are watching and want to encourage their kids to have reading hours and make the reading room or the bookshelf an essential part of the home.
Final question to you now before we wrap up, and that is, what’s next? What can we expect from you? What projects are you working on? Tell us a little bit more about your future.
THE WRITER’S EVERYDAY QUEST
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Well, I’m a spontaneous human being, so I don’t plan too much for the future. I’m a person who tries to get contentment from everyday experiences. For me, every day is important, not just my target, so I try to see that I write something before the sun sets every day. I keep a daily target, but of course, I have, as I said, “The Mantra of the Oppressed” book coming up and probably a compilation of my travels may be expected. I wish I could write another book as imposing as the ‘The Cool Breeze from Hind’, you know, to live that experience. So, I crave for your prayers and your well wishes so I can do something worthy.
Trishma Pinto: Yes, and we also look forward to more publications coming from your side because we will have the happy opportunity, perhaps, to interview you again and check back on how you lived another life through writing another book. So, thank you so much to you, Jaihoon, for joining us today at Pick a Book. You’ve shared such great insights, such great thoughts, and perspectives with us, opened our minds to, you know, embracing pluralism, to new thoughts, to the adventures of travel, so we really appreciate this conversation today. And, as we wrap up, we’d like to say a big thank you to you.
Mujeeb Jaihoon: Thank you! It’s been my honor, and really, thank you for living through this interview. Yeah, so my regards and prayers for everyone who has watched this, and who are going to watch it in the future as well.
Trishma Pinto: Thank you. Fantastic! Thank you. And with that, ladies and gentlemen, we’re now coming to the close of this segment of the authors, which is an online conversation brought to you by Pick a Book. And I hope that today has been inspiring and that you will soon Pick a Book yourself and make it a part of your daily life. So, with that encouragement to read widely, to read often, to read with open minds and curiosity, I thank you for your participation here this evening, and I wish you plenty of happy reading.