Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Ramli Ibrahim dances through arts, religion and politics - Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Thursday, January 07, 2021
Malaysiakini : INTERVIEW | The emphasis
on our humanity needs to comprehensively be incorporated into our
education system and into our day to day life, said Indian classical
dancer Ramli Ibrahim.
An accomplished dancer and trainer, the Kajang-born Ramli established his Sutra Dance Theatre in 1983.
In
a recent interview, he spoke about the obstacles he faced as a Malay
Muslim, problems in getting federal or state funds for Indian dance
productions and the influence of national politics on arts and culture.
In
fixing arts and culture in 2020, you wrote: “Taking away the extremist
and sometimes confusing Islamic factors out of our arts and culture
policies and doing away with some Islamic religious requirements.” How
did these factors influence your journey as a young artist, and how do
they influence young artists today?
As a Malay Muslim who has
made Indian classical dance not only his vocation but also his lifetime
pursuit, I have encountered my share of flak and obstacles from various
Islamic agencies and some of the more religious members of the Muslim
community.
Personally, I have never thought my involvement in
Indian classical dance was a problem with being a Muslim. In actual
fact, there are other professional Muslim dancers and musicians in
Indian classical performing arts in India and elsewhere who do not
regard this situation as a conflict. Many great musicians of India are
Muslims; the great Carnatic vocalist Yesudas is a Christian.
