Tolstoy says

 

Shareef Khokhy Walla

(Shared by a physician at one of the WhatsApp group)

It was always a drag everyday in summer time.

All my friends were gone for summer holidays visiting far away cities. Innocent letters were exchanged from far away places with strange names and silly stories, Occasionally a photo with a pride possession of a bicycle.

It was a small town and street were empty and silent. But there was a library with newspapers and ceiling fans. A water cooler in the shadow of old brick walls.

The Liberarian with a sullen face was always stuck in a chair next the reading room. Those were the times to seek refuge from hot sun and dusty streets. That was shade and shelter with lots of books .

What a hidden treasure.

First thing in the morning was to go nearby Khokha owned by Shareef Khokhay Wala, a watering hole in the morning to get a quart of yogurt with thick creamy layer of the top to be swiped on way home. A quick breakfast with lassi and prathaa was swallowed and morning cool evaporated by fiery sunshine. Next chor was to the bazaar  crossing over the railway tracks to pick up fresh vegetables from Abdullah Jan who always added free green peppers and coriander. On way back home a stop at Khokha was a  must for bottled soda and tiny bite of Barrfee the best in town and alway in short supply. Shared was a tall bulky guy and had gentle demeanor.

I had secretly account for my special treat depending on prices of vegetables to hide my little quarters hidden from my mother quoting higher prices. My mother never questioned the daily values of prices, she knew it all along but never questioned. Lunch was always on time as near by tandoor had time limit and I was the  guy to do it right…,always one roti short , one disappear mysteriously on way home.

One day I left home to go to Nishtar , never to go back home.

Every once in a while I visited home on vacations always had my bottle of soda and bite of barrier but now Shareef refused to accept any money because I was a Doctor Saab.

Many year later I met him in Queens , NY.

Shareef Saab , I did not pay you for last treat , I owe it to you. He smiled and said he remembered.

Time has vanished like fog after sunrise but I still remember Shareef Khokhay Wala.

Practice!

 

Evolution

 

Decisions

 

From the eye of a woman

‏منو بھائی کہتے ہیں "ایک عورت میرے پاس آئی جس کی آنکھیں سوجی ہوئی تھیں بے چاری روتی رہی ہو گی. اس نے کہا کہ ایک بچے کی گمشدگی کی خبر دینی ہے. اس نے کہا: چھ سال کا ہے، سات سال کا، محمد انور نام ہے اس کا.

میں نے کہا کپڑے کیسے پہنے ہوئے ہیں؟ اس نے بتایا کہ نیلے رنگ کی قمیض ہے ‏ہوائی چپل ہے۔ میں کہا شلوار؟ اس نے کہا کہ سفید، مگر اب تو میلی ہو گئی ہو گی.

اُس عورت کی اس بات سے میرے ذہن میں ایک عجیب سی بات آئی کہ اگر اس بچے کا باپ ہوتا اور خبر لکھواتا تو اُس نے سفید شلوار ہی لکھوانی تھی. لیکن ماں کیوں کہ اُسے روزانہ دُھلی ہوئی شلوار پہناتی ہوگی، تو اسے اس بات کا ‏احساس ہے. اس لیے اگر بہن بھی ہوتی تو یہی کہتی کہ اب تو میلی ہو چکی ہو گی. اس سے مجھے یہ احساس ہوا کہ عورت اور طرح سوچتی ہے مرد اور طرح سوچتا ہے.

ماں اور طرح سوچتی ہے بہن اور طرح سوچتی ہے، باپ اور بھائی اور طرح سوچتے ہیں.

اس بات نے مجھے ایک نیا احساس دیا کہ چیزوں کو اور ‏حالات کو عورت کی نگاہ سے دیکھنا بھی بہت اہم ہے.

یہ شاید ٹراٹسکی نے کہیں لکھا ہے کہ

"If you wan to change the situation, look at the situation with the eye of a woman".  

VULTURE: THE DIRTY, UGLY BIRD THAT SAVES THE WORLD

In Nigeria, if a vulture lands on your roof?

People gather.

They point.

They hiss.

They shout, “Ayeee! Evil has landed!”

Some will even call native doctor.

Others will fast and pray.

Why?

Because someone’s uncle once said vultures are messengers of death.

Even literatures demonize vultures.

But what if I told you….

That the same bird we fear…

The same one we call dirty and demonic…

Is the reason we haven’t all died from disease?

Stay with me.

Let’s meet the misunderstood janitor of the wild:

VULTURES EAT DEAD THINGS… AND THAT’S WHAT KEEPS US ALIVE.

They eat carcasses.

Rotten meat.

Decaying animals.

The things no other animal touches.

But what if they didn’t?

If vultures disappeared today—

Diseases like anthrax, rabies, and botulism would rise.

Because that goat that died by the roadside?

Flies will feed.

Maggots will grow.

Bacteria will multiply.

And before you know it?

Death will enter the food chain.

It will enter the air.

It will enter us.

But vultures step in…

No complaint.

No applause.

They eat the death so that we can live.

Lesson?

Sometimes, your calling will take you to dirty places.

Unseen. Uncelebrated.

But if you don’t do it, the world will rot.

Not every hero wears perfume.

Some carry a stink… so others can smell nice.

VULTURE STOMACHS CAN KILL CHOLERA.

Their digestive system is so acidic, It can dissolve bacteria that would kill humans instantly.

They turn poison into peace.

Lesson?

Not everything that enters your life is meant to destroy you.

Some people have developed spiritual stomachs—

That turn betrayal into wisdom.

Pain into purpose.

Loss into leadership.

Your hardship is not your handicap.

It may be your hidden healing power.

VULTURES ARE LOYAL.

They mate for life.

One partner.

One mission.

One commitment.

Even when that partner dies—

They don’t just “move on” like nothing happened.

They mourn.

They isolate.

They grieve.

They understand what it means to love deeply.

Lesson?

Loyalty is not old school.

It is rare. Sacred. Needed.

In a world of situationships and betrayals—

Be the one who stays true.

Be the one who loves with honor.

VULTURES FLY WITHOUT FLAPPING.

They have one of the largest wingspans in the sky.

Yet they rarely flap their wings.

They ride the wind.

While other birds are sweating with every flap…

The vulture glides.

Majestic.

Patient.

Effortless.

Lesson?

You don’t have to hustle like a headless chicken.

You can study your season.

And rise with grace.

Movement is not always progress.

Learn to wait for your wind.

VULTURES HAVE NO VOICE.

Yes.

They can’t sing.

They can’t chirp.

They make hisses and grunts. That’s all.

In a world where parrots and nightingales get all the attention…

The vulture thrives in silence.

Lesson?

You don’t have to be loud to be legendary.

VULTURES DON’T KILL, THEY RESTORE.

They don’t hunt.

They wait for what has died.

Then they clean it up.

Nature’s final responders.

While lions roar and eagles hunt—

Vultures restore balance.

Lesson?

You don’t have to be aggressive to be effective.

Some of us are not fighters.

We are healers.

We are restorers.

We are the ones that enter after the damage—

And pick up the pieces.

And that role?

Is just as sacred.

SO, WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM THE VULTURE?

 Some blessings smell bad at first.

But if you can look deeper, they might just be your saving grace.

 Do the dirty work.

The world doesn’t need more perfect people. It needs more courageous cleaners.

 Wait for your wind.

Learn the rhythm of grace.

 Loyalty is still gold to one partner. 

 You don’t need to be loud.

Let your silence shake the world.

People may mock you now.

But one day…

When the air smells sweeter…

And the sickness is gone…

They will look back and realize:

It was your wings that saved them.

So rise.

Even if they don’t clap.

Even if they misunderstand.

Rise anyway.

VULTURES ARE DISAPPEARING… AND IT’S A GLOBAL EMERGENCY.

Marriage

 The fruits of marriage are only for those who hang on to it.

Sandra Bullock

 Sandra Bullock once said something powerful:

“There are moments when the urge to strike back is strong—to return every insult, every act of cruelty. But then I pause. I look deeper. I see their lives, their struggles, and I realize… life has already dealt them its share of battles.”

Not every war needs words.

Sometimes, silence is the most powerful response.

Because in the end, we all give what we carry inside.

I choose not to mirror their hurt—I choose to move forward.

Let others be consumed by bitterness. I’ll walk with peace.

‏اس کے مسیحا کے لیے ایک نظم

‏اجنبی!

‏کبھی زندگی میں اگر تواکیلا ہو

‏اور درد حد سے گزر جائے

‏آنکھیں تری

‏با ت بے بات رورو پڑیں

‏تب کوئی اجنبی

‏تیر ی تنہائی کے چاند کا نرم ہالہ بنے

‏تیری قامت کا سایہ بنے

‏تیرے زخموں پہ مرہم رکھے

‏تیری پلکوں سے شبنم چُنے

‏تیرے دُکھ کا مسیحا بنے!

‏پروین شاکر

Raising kids

 You can raise kids by being more quiet than holding on to everything!

Questioning age and wisdom..

 I'm not sure that age brings wisdom. I see more evil, fights, wars, and killings by older people than by young people!

(one comment made during all the wars happening around the world)

Firaq and Sahir

جب ساحر لدھیانوی کی نظم "تاج محل" بہت مشہور ہوئی تو ایک عشائیے پر فراق کی ساحر سے ملاقات ہوئی۔ آپ نے ساحر سے کہا:

بھئی تم نے آثار قدیمہ پر کیا خوب لکھا ہے کہ:

اک شہنشاہ نے دولت کا سہارا لے کر

ہم غریبوں کی محبت کا اڑایا ہے مذاق

میری محبوب کہیں اور ملا کر مجھ سے

اسے تعریف سمجھ کر ساحر نے شکریہ کہا تو فراق بولے:

ایسا کرو اب جامع مسجد دہلی پر بھی ایسا کچھ لکھ ڈالو۔

اک شہنشاہ نے دولت کا سہارا لے کر

ہم غریبوں کی عبادت کا اڑایا ہے مذاق

میرے معبود کہیں اور ملا کر مجھ سے

(انتخاب کلام فراق گورکھپوری" مرتبہ پروفیسر ساجد علی صدیقی)

Dirty Plate

 

Israeli Historian Tom Segev on Zionism

This is a remarkable piece of writing from a credible historian, in the last leg of his life. 

"We need to remember that the majority of the Holocaust survivors did not come to live in Israel and that the majority of Jews in the world are not coming to Israel. Zionism is not such a great success story. It also doesn't provide security to Jews. It's safer for Jews to live outside Israel."

Full article here: https://archive.md/NOrTF

beautiful poetry

 

Arundhati Roy says

 “To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget.”

Arundhati Roy, The Cost of Living 

Classic Godfather

This one quote tells you why The Godfather was considered a classic on friendship and the brutal lessons of life.

 

 

La!

 

Sean Connery - last days

 (one of my most fav actors) 

In 2020, Sean Connery spent most of his time in the Bahamas, away from the noise of the industry he had long since left behind. Living in a peaceful estate on New Providence Island, he preferred long walks by the sea, slow breakfasts in the garden, and classical music in the evening. His health had been declining steadily since 2017, when early signs of memory loss and limited mobility began to affect his independence. Yet, even as age took hold, Connery remained composed and dignified, choosing silence over struggle in public.

His wife, Micheline Roquebrune, stood by him every step of the way. Married since 1975, she became more than a partner. Through the quiet, fading chapters, she was his voice, protector, and daily companion. Their home had no constant stream of visitors, only the occasional presence of close family, his son Jason, some grandchildren, and a few longtime friends from his early theater days. Connery did not crave attention or nostalgia. What he craved was calm.

He began his days early, often rising with the first light, sitting by the open terrace, listening to the breeze rustling the palm trees. A caregiver helped with routines such as bathing, dressing, and gentle exercises to ease his stiffness. After breakfast, he often listened to jazz or read from his old collection of Robert Louis Stevenson books. He rarely discussed his past work. But when he did, he spoke about "The Untouchables" and "The Name of the Rose" with a sense of satisfaction. Those roles, he believed, had let him show something deeper than charm or strength.

As his condition worsened in 2019, communication became more difficult. He drifted in and out of clarity, sometimes staring for minutes before replying, sometimes waking up in the night disoriented. But the moments he recognized Micheline were beautiful. He would squeeze her hand, murmur French phrases they used in their younger days, or smile faintly at an old photo on the bedside table. In those moments, time folded in on itself, and the man who once stood tall as James Bond softened into someone deeply human.

He never liked hospitals. Even as he needed more assistance, he refused to be moved to any facility. "If I go," he once whispered to Micheline in early 2020, "I go from home." That became the unspoken rule. Nurses were hired for round-the-clock care, but his environment remained familiar, filled with sunlight, ocean air, and jazz echoing from the living room.

By the summer of 2020, Connery could no longer walk on his own. He was bedridden, his voice barely a whisper, his eyes often shut even when he was awake. Yet, on certain days, he reached for Micheline’s hand with surprising strength or nodded gently when Jason read aloud from one of his screenplays. These small gestures carried deep emotion. When asked once by his granddaughter what he missed most, he answered with a pause and then said, “Rain in Scotland.”

On October 31, 2020, at the age of 90, he passed away in his sleep, with Micheline sitting beside him, her hand resting on his. The house was quiet, filled only with the sounds of wind through the open windows and soft jazz playing from an old radio. Hours before, he had stirred briefly, opened his eyes, looked at Micheline and said, “You gave me peace.”

His final words were soft and clear, a whisper that held a lifetime of meaning. There were no flashing cameras, no crowd of mourners. Just family, love, and silence.

In his last days, Sean Connery embraced simplicity, love, and quiet far from the spotlight he once ruled.