Tu Zariya, hun mein zariya (You're a path, so am I)
Aur uski kirpa, dariya dariya (And His compassion, like an ocean..an ocean)
Hain jo ankhiya nirmal, duniya nirmal (The world is pure, if pure is your vision)
Chalka..chalka, chhal chhal chhal chhal (Brimming o'er, brimming o'er, on and on)
Ho zuba koyeebhi (Whichever language, doesn't matter)
Bol dil se tu bol (When from the heart, words you utter)
Ya misri si ho (Like sugar maybe)
Ya shahad si ho (Or even like honey)
Anti al umm (You are the mother)
Anti il hayaa (You are the life)
Anti alhob (You are love)
Anti lee aldunya (You are the world to me)
Anti lee aldunya (You are the world to me)
Tu Zariya, hun mein zariya (You're a path, so am I)
Aur uski kirpa, dariya dariya (And His compassion, like an ocean..an ocean)
Hain jo ankhiya nirmal, duniya nirmal (The world is pure, if pure is your vision)
Chalka..chalka, chhal chhal chhal chhal (Brimming o'er, brimming o'er, on and on)
Reedaha, reedaha (I love her, I love her)
Kefima, reedaha (However it may be, I love her)
Teflatan ya halee (She is a young beauty)
Wil asaal reegaha (In her voice there is honey)
Reflection
Zariya went straight to my heart from the moment I first heard it and represents for me a space of pure surrender. With its soulful Buddhist chanting and enchanting Sufi lyrics it takes one on a journey across the cultural landscapes of Nepal, india and Jordan and is a treat for the spirit.
This weekend, we found ourselves at the fun-filled Pune Urban Villagers UnConference, which is a wonderful open space format to build a community of urban folks seeking to live sustainable and meaningful lifestyles. According to the organisers it is "a space where one can bring their work, art, craft, ideas, games, music, organic produce, books, gifts, home cooked food, recipes, organization information, recycled art/craft/produce, songs, dances, conversations. All are welcome, all are included, be it a month old baby, or a 80 year granny."
Even the venue for the gathering was a beautiful gift by the good folks at the Thought Works office, a global tech company. They had emptied out their entire office space to accomodate the 100+ visitors who would be visiting. All their conference rooms were made availabe to us, including use of their projectors, white boards, etc.
Inspired by the ideals of the UnConference, folks from The Urban Ashram community held space for planting seeds of generosity among the participants and called our initiative "Dariya Dil Duniya", or a "flow of abundance". A stall was set up with gifts contributed by the community and everyone was invited to come and receive a gift from the table. Our secret angels were having a blast using Smile cards and tagging random folks, including the staff of the office.
It was so heartening to see the shift in people as they experienced a no-strings attached gift table contributed by anonymous strangers. Eyes lit up with delight as folks found just what they had been looking for so serendipitously and one could see the happiness ripples travel across the whole "village".
A heartening scene for me was when I caught sight of a cute 5 year old Veda sitting patiently at the "village marketplace" with a tray of her delicious cup-cakes, and a scrawly sign that said "Pay from the heart". I was intrigued and got into a chat with Veda and her parents. Veda was so excited with the idea of baking for the market, that she had woken up at 7 am to prepare these cakes with her mom's help. It was done with so much joy and love, and when it came to setting a price on the cakes, both she and her parents had no idea how to do it. Veda's dad suggested that they offer it as a gift and invite "customers" to pay from the heart.
Once, at a cafe in Alaska, a lady who owned the space had specially cooked a vegetarian meal for them out of the menu with a lot of love. When it was time to pay the bill, they were directed to a small contribution box near the door that said pay from the heart. They were very moved first by the care of the owner, and the trust shown in the customers, and it left a deep impression. They wanted to pass on the same feeling to others and also wanted to plants seeds of trust and abundance in their daughter. I was very touched by the energy this beautiful family embodied and "bought" a cake by putting some money in Veda's cute handmade box. Needless to say the cakes were delicious, and even more precious was Veda's smile as her cakes disappeared within an hour of setting shop.
May we all be the Zariya to create a Dariya Dil Duniya, a world of abundance, community, trust and contribution.
