Anwar Fazal – The Poet
Author: Anwar Fazal
Design and layout by Adrian Cheah
This book honours the legacy the experience of a local and global leader, Anwar Fazal, expressed through poetry. Anwar has received the Right Livelihood Award popularly known as “the Alternative Noble Prize”.
Anwar Fazal often called “The Multiversity“ and the ”Cosmopolition Extraordinarie”, speaks in this book of the many facets of his knowledge and innate wisdom encompassing the vast dimensions of life that transcended ecology, equity and economic justice. His poetic voice vibrates soulful whispers of love, peace, and joy that touch your soul. His writing, teaching, and engagement with others reflect his natural flow of profound wisdom sprouting through poetry.
William Wadsworth quotes, “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: It takes origin from emotion recollected in tranquility”. This is true for Anwar, a deep thinker and astute observer, who radiates quiet power and inspiration. His passionate stories and vivid descriptions of places, events, and experiences expressed as poems are moving, captivating and intriguing.
Dr. Jean Marie Farish
Center for Conscious Loving, USA
Foreword
by Dr. Jean Marie Farish
Anwar Fazal – The Poet
It is said that souls will find a way to connect beyond physical and geographic boundaries to fulfill destiny’s call. Upon meeting Prof Dato’ Dr. Anwar Fazal, I felt a soulful resonance that gave me a feeling of ‘Home’. Across the globe and delighted to be in this beautiful, exotic and majestic land, Dato’ Anwar became my esteemed colleague with an endearing bond of friendship. He contributed to making my work experience in the Division of Industry and Community Network (DICN or BJIM, Bahagian Jaringan Industri dan Masyarak) at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang memorable, enjoyable, and transformative.
A poetic and award-winning Laureate and recipient of The Right Livelihood Award popularly known as the ‘Alternate Nobel Prize’ and the Gandhi-King-Ikeda Community Builders Prize from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Dato’ Anwar’s voice for peace, justice, and right livelihood reverberates in all languages and cultures. Described as Penang’s Multiversity, his influential leadership as a global civil society activist in diverse issues, transforms the lives of people around the world.
I consider it an opportunity and privilege of a lifetime to work in concert with him along with USM faculty and staff on a book project, “Volunteerism in Malaysia: Fostering Civic Responsibility”. During this time, I found him to be genuinely concerned about humanity, compassionate, and honorable. Highlighted in the book is The Right Livelihood College (RLC) that he established at USM in 2009 with five aims described by him “as a hub, catalyst, an incubator, a multiplier and an accelerator of interactive links between academics and activists and the work of Right Livelihood Laureates”.
Dato’ Anwar’s multiversity speaks to the many facets of his knowledge and innate wisdom encompassing the vast dimensions of life. His poetic voice vibrates soulful whispers of love, peace, and joy that touch your soul. His writing, teaching, and engagement with others reflect his natural flow of profound wisdom. William Wadsworth quotes, “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: It takes origin from emotion recollected in tranquility”. This is true for Dato’ Anwar, a deep thinker and astute observer, who radiates quiet power and inspiration. His passionate stories and vivid descriptions of places, events, and experiences are moving, captivating and intriguing. Allured by his enjoyable conversations, my curiosity is ignited with a yearning to know more as minutes turn into hours with time standing still in the moment.
Dato’ Anwar represents all that is good and true for humanity. I have very fond memories of many meaningful thought-provoking conversations. During one of our talks, he gave me five saga seeds representative of “The 5 Pancha Sila Precepts Principles: Social Justice, Ecological Sustainability, Political Participation, Cultural Vibrancy and Economic Productivity. It was Monday, 12 October 2012. I eagerly took notes and gently wrapped the seeds in a page torn from my daily calendar that have been preserved overtime. A gesture of loving-kindness, one morning while in my office at USM, Dato’ Anwar handed me a tattered vibrant yellow silk sunflower that he found on a walking path, that now sits on my writing desk framed with his autographed photo.
Dato Anwar’s Right Livelihood College in Penang was the center of sustainable humanitarian ventures, community engagement, and “Love Projects” that gave me a renewed perspective on life, selfless service, and volunteerism. He eloquently articulates the beauty of life that surrounds us and appreciates the Oneness of Humanity. Inspired by my stay in Penang, I am spreading the message of Love in my books, radio show, classes and talks. I owe a debt of gratitude to Dato’ Anwar for his inspiration, authentic poetic expression, and gift of Love for humanity. My time spent with him enriched my life, and I honor his legacy that change the world now and for future generations.
“Terima Kasih.”
“Peace, Love and Eternal Blessings.”
Jean Marie Farish, Ph.D., CRC
Author, Educator, Life Care Coach
Founder and CEO, Life Care Wellness PEP for Angels, Inc.
Jean Marie Farish Center for Conscious Loving, LLC
https://drjeanmariefarish-consciousloving.com
https://www.jeanfarishjourney.com
Ridgeland, MS, USA
Contents
1. Foreword by Dr. Jean Marie Farish, 1
2. Poetry Tributes to Anwar Fazal, 5
Tribute To A Malaysia Hero – by Sharan Srinivas, 5
Walking In Harmony – by Cecil Rajendra, 6
Thank You – by Dr. Yahya Sofi Bin Hussain, 7
3. Poems by Anwar Fazal, 9
Remember We Are One, 9
My Dear “Fan”, 11
Lockdown Ruminations, 12
Serenity, 13
Doing Happiness, The Bhutan Way, 14
Snorting Sonnets In Olde English, 15
Limey, Oh Blimey (A Rap/Crap), 16
Midnight Hugs, 17
“Litter” – Ature, 18
Enjoy Today Always, 20
Simply Living Simply, 21
Consumer Power, 22
4. About Anwar Fazal – The Multiversity, 45
About the Author
Anwar Fazal was a key player in the founding of over dozen local and global civil society networks .He was President of several worldwide organisations including the International Organisation of Consumers Union (IOCU), The Hague, Netherlands and Environment Liaison Centre International, Nairobi, Kenya. He was instrumental in initiating the idea of several popular mobilisation days such as World Consumer Rights Day (15 March) and World Migrants Day (18 December).
Anwar Fazal led the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Good Urban Governance in Asia and the Pacific for 12 years. Presently, he is Chairperson of Think City, a Penang, Malaysia, based platform for innovative urban rejuvenation and President of the Dr. Wu Lien-Teh Society, which honours one of the most outstanding public health personalities in Malaysian, Chinese and global health history. Anwar was also the founder and currently chairperson of the International Advisory Council of The Right Livelihood College (RLC), an innovative platform for University-Change maker’s collaboration working to build knowledge, wisdom and action to promote ecological balance, justice and peace. The Global Secretariat of the College is at the University of Bonn, Germany with branch campuses based in Sweden, Ethiopia, Nigeria, USA, Chile, India, Argentina and Thailand.
For his work, Anwar has received the Right Livelihood Award (popularly known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize”), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Global 500 honour, the Malaysian Government Langkawi Environmental Award and the UNDP Malaysia Sustainable Development Goals Award for his work on health and maternal issues. He is also the recipient of Hon. Doctorate’s in law and philosophy from the National University of Malaysia (UKM) and the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) respectively. He is currently a Fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Science (WAAS) and an Adjunct professor at International Islam University Malaysia (IIUM).
Anwar Fazal – The Poet
Anwar Fazal
June 2023, ACEK Creative Solutions
Softcover. 14.8 cm x 21 cm, 52 pages
Language: English
Genre: Non-fiction, poetry
ISBN 978-967-18765-1-0