Visions Unveiled, my new book

---

The 71^st Independence Day is just around the corner. So, first of all, I wish everybody a very happy independence day.

Secondly, I want to thank you for being here. This blog has been dormant for quite some time now, with the exception of occasional posts. That was because last year I decided to immerse myself completely in my research on the comprehensive biography of Iqbal in Urdu. The final part was completed in March this year, and I hope to offer it in the printed form soon. Collectively, the five books of that series represent the most detailed biography of Iqbal ever attempted, running into more than 3000 pages.

So, I am now reviving this blog and the newsletter associated with it, in time for celebrating the Independence Day.

I hope to make a few daily posts for the next few days, sharing interesting facts about the Independence. Afterwards, I will be posting every Friday, maintaining it as a weekly blog.

Today, I want to share something about a book I have compiled for Markings Publishing, in association with Dabistan-e-Iqbal and the supporters of The Citizens Foundation.

Visions Unveiled – Worldview of Allama Iqbal is the title. As I suggested almost two years ago, the philosophy of Iqbal can be summarized in a few simple points. Subsequently, I have been calling these points “The Conceptual Framework of Iqbal”. Later, I offered an online course on the topic and a workshop, and also wrote a little more about it on this blog.

Initially, I had suggested that this conceptual framework of Iqbal consists of eight points, but since then I have added one more (the new point had always been implied but my audience often found it difficult to elicit it on their own, so I thought it better to make it a separate point).

Now, the first five points of this conceptual framework are general propositions about human being, and hence I call them “the worldview of Iqbal”. I think that this is also appropriate because the remaining points in his conceptual framework are derived from these five and, in fact, they are about the application of these five in a particular society (see my above-mentioned post, ‘The philosophy of Iqbal in nine points’).

Visions Unveiled offers these five points – the worldview of Iqbal – in a printed form. The book is divided into five chapters accordingly. Each chapter starts with a brief explanation of the relevant point in my words, followed by excerpts from the prose and poetry of Iqbal on the same point. English translation of Persian and Urdu excerpts is usually provided, along with brief introductory notes on most of the excerpts.

Iqbal Salahuddin, grandson of Iqbal and the President of Dabistan-e-Iqbal Lahore has written a foreword (and is also responsible for getting me in touch with the producers of this book – Amna Zahid, Maneeza Umar, Saadia Awan and Shahla Shareef).

It is a coffee-table book adorned with beautiful photographs and attractive layout.

Proceeds will go to The Citizens Foundation (and hence justification of the not-so-proletarian price, PKR 5000).

The book is going to be launched in a ceremony at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi, at 5:30 pm on Monday, 13 August 2018.

The highlights of the ceremony include a conversation between me and one of my childhood heroes, Arshad Mahmood – the renowned music composer and Director Programmes at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA).

Faisal Latif, one of my closest friends from childhood and now a renowned singer, is going to present a live rendition of a famous poem of Iqbal.

More information can be found on the page about the book, and it can be ordered online from Yayvo.