SAYED ROHANI
- Guest Professor -
G'day folks,
Today I feature a very interesting man, previously from Afghanistan, but now from America. He is a man who has been a professor and now is an author - Sayed Rohani.
Welcome Professor Rohani ...
WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
I live in New Jersey, USA.
WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT
POSITION?
I am a
writer.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR
JOURNEY AS A TEACHER.
I taught English in Kabul University for five
years. I came to the USA in 1986, and I taught from elementary to high school
in both New York and New Jersey as a substitute teacher. Then I taught English
in Essex County College for a few years.
WERE YOU A GOOD READER AS A KID?
I was a
very good reader. I started reading when I was in the first grade. I finished
reading Holy Quran when I was in the second grade. I taught three of my sons
how to read in a single session of ten to twenty minutes, and they always
mention about it.
WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A PROFESSOR?
I became a professor in 1980. My grades were
good enough to be a professor in Kabul University.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING AN ACADEMIC?
Learning is
the greatest incentive and accomplishment in one’s life. Learning means mental
and spiritual growth. One should learn from cradle to the grave.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A PROFESSOR?
As a professor, to be always well-prepared of what
you are doing helps a great deal to deal with the academic perspective.
Building good relationship with the students is very easy. Being a substitute
teacher in New York public schools is the most challenging task. Substitute
teachers are highly disrespected by the students.
WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A
PROFESSOR?
I was working in an Afghan Tourist
Organization as an English and French guide.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST
ACHIEVEMENT?
My greatest accomplishment is that I am man of
faith and spirituality. I have tried not to deceive anyone, nor have I been a
harm to anybody, nor have I envied people’s property. I have tried to live with
honesty and faith. To explain why with faith, I want to quote a passage from my
book Wedding in the Sand Castle:
“I know that the recent
development created a gap between us, leading you to question my faith and
conscience. Let me explain to you precisely and concisely my principles of
life. When I say I am true to you, I have to be true to myself. One cannot be
true to himself or herself unless he or she is true to God. There are a
lot of people who say they are truthful, but they are not. How can they be
truthful if they are not truthful to themselves? How can they be truthful to
themselves if they are not truthful to God? In order to be truthful, you need a
true foundation. A true foundation in human is a sound conscience. A conscience
is sound when it has a sound foundation. A sound foundation requires a true
faith. A true faith requires a sound foundation. And God is the perfect
foundation for faith. Now that I am talking about I am sincere to you because
I’m sincere to myself; sincere to myself because my sincerity is based on
faith, which is based on God. Now if I’ll be insincere to you, I’m insincere to
myself, which, in fact, necessitates my insincerity towards God. As I’m a man
of faith, and I’m convinced that my faith is based on God, I should be sincere
to myself. If I’m not, then I’m a reckless young man playing a fool. Now,
Sahra, have I been able to explain myself to you?”
WHERE ARE YOU WORKING AT THE
MOMENT?
I am
self-employed.
WHAT’S YOUR CURRENT POSITION?
Writer.
DO YOU ENJOY WHAT YOU DO?
Yes, and I know what I am doing.
WHAT TOPICS DO YOU COVER?
All the
themes that include freedom, humanity, justice, and other values that
enrich life.
DO YOU WRITE ANY PERSONAL WORK?
I do if it exemplifies a set of acceptable
values for others.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS?
As the
current technology has spawned a great number of writers, books grow and
proliferate rapidly, prompting tremendous competition among the writers. This
situation may galvanize the writers to do their best to succeed in the
competition. Therefore, the writers not only should hone their ideas and talent
but also come up with fresh ways to market their works successfully to emulate
the race. The writers should develop their knowledge in all kinds of subjects.
This may give them opportunities to be able to discuss various areas of
knowledge with confidence and to choose all kinds of characters being able to
express themselves with assurance and satisfaction. The writers should focus
attention on values to improve life; to encourage liberty, humanity, and
justice; to discourage social, political, and economical corruptions; to
propagate faith and spiritualty; and to fight evil as a whole. The writers
should be an integral part of the society to uplift it, to inspire it, and to
vitalize it.
DO YOU
SUFFER FROM WRITER’S BLOCK?
I have not yet faced with such an experience.
WHO IS YOUR
FAVOURITE AUTHOR AND WHY?
Once I
wrote on Twitter: “My novels are not just like a garden where to see the
flowers and smell, but a garden with a library where to be both entertained and
enlightened.” Therefore, a literary work should both entertain and enlighten.
My favourite authors are Edgar Allan Poe, Ernest Hemingway, Honore de Balzac,
Victor Hugo, Hector Malot, Emile Zola, Guy de Mupassant, Shakespeare, Charles
Dickens, E. M. Forester, Euripides, Aeschylus, Aristophanes, and others for
their plot, style, and perhaps content. And I enjoy works of Emerson, Hawthorn,
Melville, and such, for being insightful and profound.
WHAT’S THE
GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED?
People
who have read my works have enjoyed them, and I have been reciprocated with
complimentary remarks. You know that a lot of talents may have left us behind
without having been recognized or even uncloaked. How can you be recognized or
rewarded if people do not know about you and your works? Even if people know
about your accomplishments, it depends upon how substantial and creditable
these people are.
HAVE YOU WON
ANY PRIZES OR AWARDS?
When I
was a freshman in my hometown high school, and I saw my first short story
published by the local newspaper, I was thrilled as if I got an award. Prior to
that, I was in the seventh grade, when my poem was ranked as best whereof I got
a small award.
WHAT DID THEY MEAN TO YOU?
During
that time, they meant a lot to me, but in the passage of time, as I grew up, I
found more satisfaction in spiritual development rather than worldly
accomplishments.
OTHER THAN WORK, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
I love to
write, to help my children grow properly, to perform my duty against society,
and to be graceful to God for His wonderful creation.
IF YOU HAD
AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THE ENTIRE WORLD, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?
My address to the people:
O peoples of the world, say good bye to the
old days and keep up with the new order made possible by the recent
technological breakthrough. It is imperative that you choose your own leaders,
establish your own constitution and laws, and build your own democratic
government. When you choose a leader, you should not depend on luck or chance,
but on your firm conviction. You deserve to vote wisely to elect the best
leaders to the best of your knowledge who are well versed not only with polity
and politics but are also enlightened, refined, and cultivated in many ways.
Your leaders should furnish you with all the opportunities available
politically, socially, educationally, spiritually, and culturally. Your leaders
should exert themselves to furnish their citizens with highest education,
health benefits, employment, and other prosperities. Welfare should go to the
deserving individuals, but soon they should be put to work to live on their own
toils rather than others’ to avoid the incentive of dependency on the public
assistance. Make sure that your leader besides being erudite and sensible be
unassuming, creative, and compassionate. And if you are certain they lack these
qualities, it is necessary that they acquire them.
My address
to the leaders:
O leaders of the world, you are leading not a
single person, not a single family, not a group of people, but, on the
contrary, an entire nation. You are the most important people, not only
because you are leading the people, but because you are carrying a tremendous
responsibility, responsibility of an entire nation. In fact, an entire
population have put their trust in you, and you should be worthy of this trust.
You should have a great soul, a good heart, an extraordinary mind, and a
sublime conscience to be conversant with your position, to shoulder your heavy
responsibility, and to single you out as an exemplary role model worthy of
leadership. Let not people comfort you, but you comfort your people. Let not
the people cheer you on, but you cheer up the people. Let not the people ease
off your burden, but you shoulder your people’s burden. If you want to
perpetuate your name and your memory, this is the time and this is your
opportunity. You will be remembered more than anyone else for whatever you may
have done, and your actions will be justified.
History is witness that war, devastation and
cold war have led to nowhere but further atrocities, mistrust, and breach of
relationship between the governments, inducing proliferation of the most
dangerous weapons; therefore, you must play an important role to bring the
nations together to create trust, understanding, and sense of cooperation
between the nations.
DESCRIBE
YOUR PERFECT DAY.
My
perfect day will be to be free to do whatever I want.
WHAT ARE
YOUR PLANS / ASPIRATIONS FOR THE FUTURE?
My plans
and aspirations for the future are to grow mentally, to grow spiritually, to
get rid of financial worries so much so that my family and me can live decently.
Of course, sharing my experiences with the people, attracting more friends, and
cultivating seed of trust and understanding among the people. are some of my
spiritual expectation. Propagating justice, humanity, friendship, and freedom
through my writings is my lofty aspiration.
WHAT ARE
YOUR FAVOURITE FIVE BOOKS?
Aristophanes’s
Lysistrata, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hugo’s Les Miserables, Dumas’s Black Tulip,
and Hector Malot’s San Famille.
WHAT MIGHT
BE THE LAST SENTENCE YOU’D WRITE?
Dear
friend Clancy, I would like to cherish your good sentiments, your beautiful
mind, and your time and efforts to have recognized my endeavour and to have
spent time asking these questions.
NB: Sayed has recently founded a project - 'Friendship Universe'. Here is the link:
NB: Sayed has recently founded a project - 'Friendship Universe'. Here is the link:
Clancy's comment: Thank you, sir. I am sure you and I could spend many hours discussing many topics and I look forward to that day. Appreciate you making the time for this interview.
I'm ...
Think about this!
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