Benazir's Hand

I received this pic and following text in email from one of my palmist friend:

"Look closely, She has very short life line, abruptly finished (red), but very strong line of fate and fame (blue circle). Mostly, you find this combination in hands who get fame by destiny but die of unnatural cause mostly assassination or accident. Infamous Osama bin laden and famous princess diana have similar combination (OBL & Diana). I guess it was her destiny like her father".

P.S: Z A Bhutto himself had very keen interest in palmistry and famous palmist M M Malik was said to be regularly seeing his lines and actually was warned that election date of March 7, 1977 will lead to his death. Bhutto was aware of one fact - short life spans of Bhuttos. As Irfan Hussain mentioned also in his latest column (here): "Days after he announced that elections would be held in a couple of months in 1977, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was asked by a western journalist how many terms he expected to win.“I am not looking beyond the next term,” he replied. “The Bhutto men do not live very long.”
Click to enlarge pic

Subhe be-noor

Aaj Pakistan ki jo halat hai, mujhe Habib Jalib ki nazam, "aese dastoor ko, subhe benoor ko, main nahi manta, main nahi manta" - bohut yaad aa rahi hai.

Listen in Habib Jalib voice here (taken from windmills of my mind)

Click on image to see enlarge poster.

On Benazir's assassination & aftermath riots

Agar aaj ke daur main bhi nabi aate hote to woh dua kerte:
"Ya Allah! is jungli qaum ko neest-o-naabud ker de".

Maulana Hali hote to phir musaddas ko parhte

Ham hain qatal-o-garat main chalak aese
Darinde hon jungle main bebak jese

Bayan shamshu chole wale ka

Karachi ke ilaqe 'patel para' main aik shaks barson se chole chaat ka thela lagata hai aur naam hai us ka shamshuddin urf 'shamshu chole wala'.

Agar aap shamshu ke chole khane jayain to aap ko is baat ki ijazat nahi hai ke aap, chole ki plate milne ke baad chole mix ker sakain ! Jese woh aap ko chole ki plate haat main de, aap ko wese hi khani pare gi. Agar aap ne chole ki plate ko mix ker ke khane ki koshish to woh aap ko tok dega ke "chamcha mat maaro", kiunke shamshu chole waale ka khayal hai ke plate main chole aur masale mix kerne se us ka asli zaaiqa kharab ho jata hai !

Aksar logon ka wahan jhagra bhi ho jaata hai ke hamare chole hain, jis tarah chahain kha'ain. Ye baat 'shamshu' ko bohut nagawar guzarti hai.

Mere dil main 'shamshu' ki bari izzat hai kiunke woh sirf rupe kamane ke liye chole nahi bechta bulke apne kaam se ishq kerta hai.

Zara aik lamhe ko sochiye ke agar aap koi mussawir hon aur koi aap ki 'painting' khareed ke us per chuna pher de - to aap ko kesa dukh hoga. Bus jab koi 'shamshu' ki plate main 'chamcha maarta hai' to use bhi wesa hi dukh hota hai.

Jinnah ka asli Pakistan - kiya huwa?

Aaj Quaid-e-azam ka yaume-paidaish hai. Mera dil kerta hai aaj un logon ko yaad karun jin ki badaulat Jinnah ke banaye huwe Pakistan ka naam abhi tuk duniya ke naqse pe maujud hai. Ye woh log hain jinhon ne sach likha aur us Pakistan ka mafhoom zinda rakhne ki koshish ki jo Quaid-e-azam ka Pakistan tha, na'ke kisi fauji general ya Ziaul-haq ka islami Pakistan.

Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Habib Jalib, Eqbal Ahmad, Hamza Alvi, Dr. Mubarak Ali, Janab Tariq Ali, Ardeshir Cowasjee, Munnu Bhai (kuch naam) - ye woh log hain jinhon ne na sirf Pakistan bulke duniya main hur zulm ke khilaf awaz uthai aur musibatain jhelin. Ye log Zameer ke qedi hain. Inhon ne sachchai se apne sach ko likhne ki koshish ki.

Agar aap "History and Philosophy of Pakistan" ko sahi andaz main dekhna chahte hain to aap ko Prof. Hamza Alvi ka ye article zaroor parhna pare ga...


On Religion and Secularism in the making of Pakistan

"It was not until the mid-Forties, when the approach of independence began to look like a reality, that the landed magnates of Punjab realised, firstly, that they would not be given an Independent Punjab within the Commonwealth, which they wanted. Secondly they saw a mortal danger to their survival as a class, if independence came to the Punjab under the Indian National Congress. The Congress was fully committed to Land Reform, on which a Committee, presided over Pandit Nehru himself, had been working for some years. The Congress was fully committed to Land Reforms. For the survival of their class, the Punjabi feudals reckoned that Pakistan under the Muslim League was a workable alternative for them, the more so because they knew that if they joined the League, they would, in effect, take it over.They would control it. Mian Mumtaz Daulatana was amongst the first to see this and he joined the Muslim League in 1943. By 1945 virtually all of them had joined it except for a small misguided rump under Khizr Hayat Khan.

The situation in Sindh was similar to that of the Punjab. So by the time that independence came, the feudal landed magnates of Punjab and Sindh had taken over the Muslim League. No ideology except their concern forself-preservation was needed to draw them to the League. The Pakistan movement was not driven by any religious ideology. Many pirs in Punjab and Sindh were among the great landed magnates who opted for Pakistan. At their behest their mureeds celebrated the idea of Pakistan with gusto. From this a false impression has been taken by some scholars that it was the idea of Pakistan which had motivated them, whereas in truth what they were celebrating was the joy of their pir, when he joined the League and there by averted the threat of Congress land reforms."

Click here to read full article

Eid in west

What a remarkable and important post from Mezba


Eid Can Be Fun, No... Really!

Where's Montu?"

"Oh he's at school - he had exams today."

"Montu, why didn't you defer the exams? It's Eid!"

"Oh, I just wanted to get it over with. Besides, Eid sucks anyways."

If you are a kid growing up in the West, how will that kid appreciate Islam when supposedly the most fun thing associated with Islam - Eid - sucks?

Click here to read full post !

2 step conversation

"When I travel, I steal soap, shampoo, gel etc from hotels ".

"What? Are you crazy? Why you do that?"

"I always throw the hotel amenities into my bag. They were suppose to be for me right? When I get home, I put them aside to donate to a local homeless outreach program."


(any comments?)

BE SPECIFIC

A man got two wishes from GOD.

He asked for the Best wine and the Best Woman.

He had the Best Wine and Mother Teresa next to him the next moment.

Moral: BE SPECIFIC

The half-eaten cardamom

Few people get bless with natural talent of writing and saroor is one of them. She is among my must read blog. 3 days ago, she wrote one of her finest post. It was about her father. I could not resist asking her to allow me to reproduce here. With her kind permission.


The half-eaten cardamom

"My father was an exceptionally clean man. I have yet to meet a man who gives as much attention to personal hygiene as my father did.

During the summer months, Abi used to shower twice; once before going to work and once just before bedtime. In the winters he showered once only which seemed a little odd to us. Till his last day he only wore clean and pressed night suits, never repeating them on a second night in a row. Just before retiring to bed he would brush his teeth till his gums bled and would apply a little cologne, massage his hands with a good moisturizer and comb his hair. At times we made fun of him because he always got ready for bed like he had actually woken up. Abi’s pet response was, “you never know who might visit you in your dream. Better be ready than sorry!”

If in case we ever caught our father in the morning before he could dash into the bathroom to wash up and brush his teeth, he only spoke in sigh language. He liked tea and after every cup he had half a cardamom to freshen his breath which was carefully placed in his saucer. Sometimes I would wash his trousers only to discover his pockets full of soaked cardamoms which he carried around in his pockets. There were always some in the breast pockets of his night suits. He had some in his briefcase and even the wallet!

Aly tells me that giving Abi’s body a bath was the easiest he had ever done. Abi had showered an hour before his death. There were no food remains in his stomach. You could still smell Paco Rabban on him. After washing his hair Aly used Abi’s comb to brush back his hair just like he liked it – parted on the left side.

I didn’t go upstairs into Abi’s room till two days after his death. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to handle my loss. And I couldn’t. I clung to his dressing gown which lay lifeless on a chair just like he had taken it off a couple of hours before his death, and broke down until I collapsed and my tears dried. On his dresser was the cup of tea he never drank, but in the saucer was a half eaten cardamom.

That cardamom is now nestled safely in a locket that I wear around my neck, always. The left over seeds have disappeared but my father’s memory lives in a hollow papery shell of a half-eaten cardamom".

Ghalib - The Original hippie

Taken shamelessly and without permission from

windmills of my mind

Snow flowers

Snow despite its all mess, always touches human heart. I received this beautiful email from one friend, on this weekend's snow !


I learnt a new lesson today.
Imagination is dependent on observation...
like output is on invesment.

My economics. I love it, cauz it makes me think of dependencies and vulnerabilities. Economic variables are like humans, vulnerable.

I know, I digress.

Bus ride from school... was tiring, to begin with. I had an exam, was sleep deprived, it was cold and it was snowing... again!

The bus took a turn at 'charlotte and Montreal' and all looked the same. Same buildings, same snow, more mess... as with each passing day, snow it seems is mourning the loss of its virginity...As usual, I was looking outside. Not sure what do I look for everyday... Bus route - 5, more or less same timings. I just always look out. Everyday, I see this man playing with his dog. Lucky dog eh'.

Today my attention was caught be a medium sized tree. Very ordinary. Missing its foliage and one of a kind... and one of a kind, it indeed was. It showed me how observations and imaginations go hand in hand.

The tree had branches, and it was carrying snow. Good thing was; it dint bow down to snow's weight. It stood tall and proud. The most beautiful thing was it had blooming snow flowers.

Yes snow flowers...

I had heard of a snowman, snow angels, snow balls...but I didn't know that snow flowers existed.

I guess snow flowers are like weeds... they bloom and then they vanish...But they do leave memories behind. Like this tree which has now become a part of my imagination... I can think about it, look at it and feel its softness whenever I want...

I am happy, I was looking out!

The Collected Short Fiction of Chintu Parekh

I met some very intelligent and smart people on net, whom I never encountered anywhere else. One blogger who writes very occasionally but so deeply that it always strike my nerves. He nickname himself as karrvakarela . While I was away visiting Karachi, he wrote this beautiful piece. This story has many facets. This story is 'different'. At one end, this is the story of unsoul people living around us but on other hand also story of emptiness which lies deep inside every human. On contrary, this is also the life we all crave sometime to find 'escape' from life. My all hats off to this young man !

With his permission, I am reproducing here:

"This is a book that has never been written. Its author, a short, inconsequential man with a toothpick mustache and impeccable teeth, was never alive. He has no mother or father, no wife or children. He doesn't wake up in the morning to the shrill eruption of an alarm clock. His feet don't slide into plush slippers, his morning shower isn't hot, his breakfast table isn't sprinkled with cornflakes or toastcrumbs. The train station near his house isn't crowded with strangers who aren't waiting for him to occupy his usual seat opposite them. They shuffle on to the train without him and open up their newspapers as if he never existed. They are wise.

Chintu Parekh does not work. He knows nothing of paychecks or deadlines or income tax. He doesn't ride an elevator to the sixth floor and follow a frayed carpet to a cubicle decorated with family photographs. There are no telephones that insist for his attention, no emails that flash across his screen waiting for an urgent response. He doesn't carry a lunchbox smelling of sandwiches. At lunchtime, when all the others are busy inhaling the exotic aromas of takeout or frilly home-cooked leftovers, Chintu Parekh doesn't sniff the air and feel his heart break at the hint of parathas. He doesn't nurture any colleagues or water-cooler alliances. No woman waits patiently for his attention or fastens any hopes of a secure future on to him. He does not carry a cellphone. He certainly never sends text messages. When work ends, Chintu Parekh does not go to bars or nightclubs. Not wishing to be comforted by strangers, he subscribes to no carnal virtue.

In the evening, when night closes around him and the dinner plates are never cleared away, he doesn't sit at his desk and write about his life. He has no ambitions or regrets, no disappointment or failures that haunt him to eloquence. ("Chintu Parekh, Kahan jaa rahe ho?" is never a question he asks himself.) He does not feel his soul shrivel with loneliness at the thought of a life spent alone among shadows and strangers. There have no been no past loves, no failed affairs. He does not excavate through memory to locate slivers of contentment, measures of a live well-lived. Chintu Parekh cannot do that. He was never alive."

Chotu Bhai

Chotu Bhai amma ke koi dur ke rishtedar the magar abbu ke bhi achhe dost the. Unhon ne hame godon khilaya. Chotu Bhai ke 5 bachhe aur hum qareeban saath saath jawan huwe. Chotu bhai ke ghar gurbat ke haaton tang-dasti rahi magar mehnat ker ke rizqe-halal khane wale insaan the. Kubhi kisi ke aage haat nahi pehlaya. Chotu bhai masjid ke bahir khare ho kar qurani ayaton ki frames becha kerte the. Isi kamai se unhon ne 3 betion ki shadian achhe gharon main ki. Aik bachhe ko CA kerwaya aur dusre ne Karachi ke real estate business main khub rupe kamaye.

Peechle mahine main Karachi gaya to ghar walon se pata laga ke chotu bhai ka chota lurka jo CA hai, usne ab ghar walon se nata tor liya hai. Shadi ke baad uski biwi ke liye Karimabad main rehna mushkil tha aur chotu bhai karimabad main barson purani rihaish chor ker clifton ya defence main muqayyad nahi hona chahte the. Zara si baat bari ho gai aur ab bol chal band hai. Bare lurke ne chotu bhai ko masjid ke bahir qurani ayaton ki frames bechne se rok diya ke is main izzat kharab hoti thi. Us ne apne baap ko apne hi office main mulazim rukh liya !

Karachi main mera dusra din tha. Purane janne walon ke kisi bachhe ki shadi thi. Unhe mera pata laga to zabardasti shadi pe le gaye. Shadi hall ke bahir chotu bhai apne bete ki real estate ki advertisement ke pamphlets baant rahe the. Mujhe bara ajeeb laga. Mere cousin ne bataya ke unki yahi naukri hai ke shadi halls ke bahir advertisement ke kagaz baante.

Mujhe dekh ker chotu bhai aik dum jhijhak gaye. Pamphlets ka palanda chupane ki koshish ki to saare kagaz zameen pe gir pare. Bare jhenpte huwe unhon ne saare pamphlets jama kiye. Khare huwe to aankhon ke peeche aansu the. Gale lage, haal poocha.

Main ne pamphlets ki taraf ishara ker ke poocha: "Chotu bhai ye kiya?".

Bharrai hui awaz main bole: "Bete ki naukri hai. Woh jesa bole wesa kerna parta hai. Aik beta to haat se gaya. Ab is burhape main dusre bete ko khona nahi chahta, isi liye ye sab kerna parta hai".

Ahmar ka Pakistan

(Based on true incident)

Ahmar ki umar koi 9 baras hai. Ahmar New York main aik Pakistani parents ke ghar paida huwa. Ahmar ke waldain aik achhi zindagi ka khawab le ker america aaye aur din raat mehnat ki. Jahan unhon ne Ahmar ki taalim-o-tarbiat main koi kasar na utha rakhi, wahan ye bhi khayal rakha ke woh urdu sikhe, Pakistan main apne - dada dadi chacha chachi mama mami aur cousins se 'touch' main rahe. Ghar pe isi maqsad se desi channels lagwaye gaye. Us ke parents use hur Pakistan parade main zaroor le jaate.

Ahmar ke dil main aik apna Pakistan tha jo bohut confuse tha. Aik taraf uske parents ka bataya huwa Pakistan tha. Dusri taraf CNN ka Pakistan tha magar uska dil kerta ke woh bhi Pakistan jaaye, apne cousins se mile - jub uski 'mummy' use sadar main sarak kinare pani puri khane ka qissa batati to woh apne zahan main sadar ki sarkain bana leta. Jub us ke 'daddy' use tower ke bus stop pe W-11 ki mini-bus main charhne ka haal sunate to woh chupke chupke internet pe 'google images' pe 'Karachi W-11' type kerta.

June ki jis dopher uske parents ko mail main green card mosul huwa usi din se Pakistan jaane ka program banne laga. Hur roz ghar main bus Pakistan Pakistan hota. Ahmar ne khud apne hur rishtedat ke liye, kubhi manhattan se to kubhi jackson heights se shopping ki.

Aur phir december ki aik sham Ahmar 'very very excited' apne parents ke saath Pakistan rawana huwa. Fajar ki azan hui aur unka jahaz Karachi airport pe land ker giya. Karachi airport uske liye aik nai duniya thi. CNN ka Pakistan maadum ho chuka tha. Uske parents ka Pakistan zinda jaagta uske saamne tha.

Karachi ke airport se aik gari ne unki gari ka peecha kiya. Jub woh guru-mandir ke paas Garden ke ilaqe main apne dada ke apartments main daakhil hone lage to unhe rok liya giya. Pehle hawai firing ki gai. phir sara saman loot liya gaya. Ahmar ka american passport, uske parents ke Green cards aur saare bags cheen liye gaye.

Ahmar ke dil main ab Pakistan mar chuka hai !

Kaawish

Kiya ye baat sahi hogi ke agar insaan kisi cheez ki sachhe dil se aarzu kare to saari kaainat uske saath kawish main shamil ho jaati hai.

My post at Pak Tea House

Pak Tea House is a recently launched online forum to keep tradition of "chai khanas" alive virtually. They recently posted my article:

Karachi - “Basta hai iss kohar kay peechay raushanion ka shehr”

"....Its original name was Kalachi-jo-Ghote. Kalachi is said to be named after a women whom people identified as Mai Kalachi or Mai Kolachee. Kalachi-jo-Ghote was a small fishing village, made up of a cluster of fishermen huts. on the three islands of Manora, Bhit and Baba. It has also been described as having name of Kolachee, Currachee, Crochey and Kurrachee. I also found mention (but no authentic record) that Karachi was first founded when Alexander-the-Great’s admirals, sailed back home from the Greek expedition to India, stationed at a point at the mouth of the Indus, and called it Morontobara (which later became Manora). Later 3 nearby islands, Manora, Bhit and Baba became together and called Kalachi-jo-Ghote...."

Read full article here

Beyond calculations

Behroz ka taaluq Iran ke Shehr Tehran se tha. Kehte hain agar khubsurti dekhni hai to "Faras ka Naujawan" dekho, ke masdaq Behroz aik haseen mard tha.

Behroz jub america aaya to 13/14 baras ka hoga. Yahin school college gaya aur phir aik gori se shadi ker li. Jub Behroz ki talaq hui to woh mere barabar ke 'studio' main move ho gaya. Main tub residency ker raha ta. Kubhi kubhi main aur Behroz Chicago ki baraf bari se tang aa ker apartment building ki lobby main aa bethte aur baraf girte dekha kerte. Aesi hi aik sham Behroz ne mujh se kaha: "Boston main mere 'house' ke patio se baraf baari ka jo nazara hota tha, kaash tum woh dekh sakte".

Main ne kaha: "You have 'house' in Boston ?"

Us ne hans ke jawab Diya: "I had it. Not anymore. I made good money in real estate in Boston. I bought that house with all my savings and gift it to my wife when I got married. I lost it during my divorce".

Phir us ne jo baat kahi woh zara gor se suniye:

"You know in our eastern culture once we give things to women we are not suppose to take it back.....Mera baap kehta tha - aurat ko security chahiye. Agar woh dekhe gi ke mera shohar mujh pe itna bharosa kerta hai to woh hamesah tumhari rahe gi. Mera baap kehta - hamesah makan aurat ke naam rakho...Mere khandan main kubhi koi makan mard ke naam pe nahi kharida gaya. Mere dada ne dadi ke naam aur mere baap ne meri ma ke naam makan banwaya........ Jub meri divorce hui to main ne woh makan apni biwi se wapas nahi liya"

...Phir thori der chup reh ker bahir baraf dekhete huwe us ne kaha: "It was so hard for me to explain to my lawyer that why I can't have that house back. Few things are so beyond calculations" !

Velona, Mambo Dance aur Be-khudi

Velona ki umer koi 75 baras hogi magar apni umer se woh kum as kum 10 baras choti dikhai deti thi. Apne aap ko hur waqt ban-sanwaar ke rakhti. Velona un aurton main se thi, jo jaanti hain ke kitna 'makeup' kerna hai - na kum na ziyada (aesi aurtain duniya main kitni hon gi !). Velona hamare hospital ke aik medical floor pe peechle 40 baras se unit secretary thi. She was very professional in her work.

Pata nahi kub kahan kese meri aur velona ki dosti ho gai. Woh aksar weekend pe jub hospital slow hota mujhe senior doctors ke scandal sunaya kerti. Us ke husband ka intiqal ho chuka tha. Us ne dusri shadi nahi ki thi. Aik sunday ki subh, jub hospital main 'census' bohut kum tha aur khirki se bahir snow storm apne urooj pe tha - main aur velona nursing counter pe coffee pite huwe batain ker rahe the. Woh mujhe aksar kehti: "Doctor, you are so young. You haven't experience life". Woh jub apne makhsoos hispanic lehje main mujhe 'doctor' kehti to usme sur ki aik ajeeb ley hoti. Mere kanon ko bara bhala lugta. Us din Velona ne mujhe bataya: "Main un chund khus-naseeb aurton main se hun, jin se un ke shohar toot ker mohabbat kerte hain. Hum ne saath zindagi guzari, makan banaya, bachhe bare kiye - magar hum dono ke nazdeek agar koi cheez zaroori rahi to aik dusre ki qurbat thi".

Main ne Velona se poocha: "Agar main tum se poochun ke agar koi aik lamha jo tumhari zindagi pe bhari ho to kaunsa ho ga - one that moment which is most precious to you".

Velona ne kaha: "Jub main aur mera shohar Mambo dance kerte huwe aik dusre main kho jaate the to us se ziyada duniya main koi bekhudi aur masti nahi hoti thi. Us ke marne ke baad main ne Mambo dance nahi kiya...Doctor ! tum kiya jano jub insaan ki mohabbat uske saath bekhud ho ker nachti hai to insaan kis kefiyat se guzarta hai".

Aur phir us ne bataya, "jub main apne shohar ki pehli barsi pe us ki qabar pe phool rakhne gai to mujhe laga mera dil phat jaaye ga. Phir main kubhi us ki qabar pe nahi gai". Us ne muskurahat se aansoo dhapne ki koshisk ki aur kaha: "Doctor! you are so young, you haven't experience life" !

Us roz poora din mere liye Chicago main snow storm yun garjta raha jese kahin mambo ki beats par rahi hon !

Karachi - 1900 (Part 3)

(Click on all pictures to get enlarge view)


Clifton Road in Karachi






Clerk Street, Suddar Bazaar [Karachi].
Frere Street, Suddar Bazaar [Karachi].

Painting - Karachi (Sind) - April 1851
Watercolour of Karachi (Sind) by Henry Francis Ainslie (c.1805-1879), April 1851. 

Inscribed on the front of the mount in red ink is: 'Sindh, part of the native town of Kurrachee, 1851.'  

Originally Karachi was a small village comprising a cluster of fishermen's huts on the three islands of Manora, Bhit, and Baba. Due to its location at the western end of the Indus Delta, the town has traditionally served as an important gateway for trade into central Asia. With the development of its harbor it gradually grew into a large city and an important center of trade and industry.

Karachi 2

Lyari

At the end of the nineteenth century the Trans-Lyari Quarter of the city was made up of a cluster of poor settlements mostly consisting of reed and mud plastered huts with some more permanent dwellings. At this time one-quarter of the population of Karachi lived in this area across the Lyari River.


The Karachi Gymkhana
The British had also developed the concept of gymkhanas or sports houses, which provided facilities for all sorts of sports and games for the colonial population in the sub-continent. The Karachi Gymkhana Club, located on Scandal Point (later Club) Road, was a large Tudor-style building constructed in 1886.

Victoria Road
Photograph with a view of Karachi looking in a northerly direction along Victoria Road, with St Andrew's Church visible in the distance, taken by an unknown photographer, c.1900

Saddar Bazaar

The Saddar Bazaar at Karachi followed a typical gridiron plan; all the major north-south streets of the Bazaar were laid out at right angles to Bunder Road, Frere, Somerset, and Elphinstone Streets, which along with Victoria Road, linked the northern part of the cantonment to the southern part. The area soon developed into the most fashionable part of the city, supplying the needs of both its civilian and military parts

Karachi 1

Napier Mole bridge


Photograph was taken by an unknown photographer in Karachi, c.1900, with a general view along the iron Napier Mole bridge connecting Karachi with Kiamari


Empress Market in Karachi

Photograph of Empress Market in Karachi, taken by an unknown photographer, c.1900. The Empress Market was constructed between 1884 and 1889 and was named to commemorate Queen Victoria, Empress of India. It was designed by James Strachan, the foundations were completed by the English firm of A.J. Attfield, and the building was constructed by the local firm of 'Mahoomed Niwan and Dulloo Khejoo.' The building was arranged around a courtyard, 130 ft by 100 ft, with four galleries, each 46 ft wide. The galleries accommodated 280 shops and stall keepers; at its construction, it was one of seven markets in Karachi.

D.J. Sind Arts College

Photograph of the D.J. Sind Arts College (now known as the D. J. Government Science College) of Karachi, taken by an unknown photographer, c.1900, from an album of 46 prints titled 'Karachi Views'. Designed by James Strachan and considered this architect's greatest achievement, the college was built between 1887 and 1893. Named after the Sindhi philanthropist Dayaram Jethmal, whose two family members contributed towards its cost, the building was constructed in the neoclassical, or ‘Italian architectural style’. A considerable amount of money was spent on the college's interior; the floors comprised mosaic tiles imported from Belgium, and the eight-foot-wide main staircase was fitted with ornamental cast-iron work from McFarlane & Company of Glasgow. Karachi, once the capital of Pakistan, is now the capital of Sindh province and the major port and main commercial center of the country. It was a strategically located small port at a protected natural harbor on the Arabian Sea north-west of the mouth of the Indus and was developed and expanded by the British when they took over Sindh in the mid-19th century to serve the booming trade from Punjab and the wheat and cotton regions of the sub-continent.

Street scene in Karachi

Photograph of a busy street scene in Karachi (year unknown - probably 1900)

Human Psych

I sit on a man's back, choking him, and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by any means possible, except getting off his back.

- Leo Tolstoy on human psychology.

Kitab ka aakhri safha

Zindagi main aksar aesa hota hai ke kisi baat ka aakhri safha abhi likha jana baqi hota hai. Zindagi main koi waqiya, koi shaks, koi baat, koi event bazahir khatam hone ke baad bhi dil main adhura sa reh jata hai. Kubhi kubhi woh safha likhe jaane main barson lug jaate hain - the last chapter of the book - jis ke baad woh kitab hamesah ke liye dafan ho jaati hai. Dil ko qarar sa aa jata hai. Phir woh yaad kahin chup chap bethe bethe kachoke marna chor deti hai.

Aroosa aur main saath hi aik gali main bare huwe. Woh bilkul meri sagi bahen ki tarah thi. Main MBBS ke 3rd year main tha jub aroosa ki shadi ho gai aur woh canada chali gai. Shadi ke koi 4 baras baad aroosa phir Pakistan aai. Hum bachpun ka ilaqa chor ker kahin aur shift ho gaye the. Aik din aroosa ne mujhe phone kiya ke aaj mere saath bachpan ki usi gali main chalo, main use dekhna chahti hun. Ye woh zamana tha jub gali gali MQM ke logon pe chape par rahe the. Aur woh gali MQM ke aese ilaqe main thi ke jaana khatre se khali na tha. Magar hum dono wahan chal pare. Gali ke agaz pe hi aik bara darwaza tha, jis pe MQM ke 2 lurke pehra de rahe the (Karachi main rehne walon ko yaad ho ga ke kese 1990 ke ashre main gali gali pe 'gates' bana ker poore shaher ko band ker diya gaya tha). Qissa mukhtasar, lurki saath thi to un do lurkon ne koi aetraz na kiya aur hamare liye taala khol diya. Hum gali ke ander paunche. Aroosa kafi der tuk hur makan ko takti rahi. 2/4 purane jaanne wale bhi mile. Gali ke dusri taraf ander hi aik chota sa naya cinema theatre ban chuka tha. Hum ne woh bhi dekha. Sham dhale hum wahan se nikle. 2 din baad Aroosa phir canada chali gai.

Is baat ko barson beet gaye. Main ne bhi Pakistan chor diya. Aroosa phir kubhi Pakistan nahi gai. Ab ki baar main Canada gaya to Aroosa mili. Main ne aroosa se poocha, tum phir kubhi Pakistan nahi gai, tumhara dil nahi chahta? Us ne jawab diya, "Pehli baar Pakistan chorte huwe main ne apna sab kuch chor diya tha magar koi aik cheez wahan reh gai thi. Pata nahi kiya tha magar 4 baras baad koi cheez jo pehli baar Pakistan se chalte reh gai thi, us roz us gali main mil gai. Jis din hum us bachpan ki gali main gaye, mere dil main aik itminan aa gaya. Ab Pakistan mujhe bilkul yaad nahi aata. Pakistan ki kitab us din mere dil main hamesah ke liye band ho gai".

Chai ke cup ka pehla ghunt

Zindagi ki kuch yaadain itni lateef hoti hain ke woh saari zindagi insaan ke saath rehti hain. Magar saath hi un main itni garmi hoti hai ke insaan us yaad ki aahat se hi pighal jaata hai.

Mere walid 'karak aur garam chai' peene ke shauqeen the. Jub amma abbu ke liye bawarchi khane main chai bana leti to mujhe cup deti aur kehti, jao abbu ko de aao. Main chai ka cup abbu ko dene se pehle, unke paas khara ho ker, hamesah pehla ghunt khud leta. Abbu meri is adat ko note kerte hain, mujhe is baat ka aehsas na tha. Aik din main ne abbu ko yunhi cup de diya to abbu bare piyar se bole, 'lo pehle tum to ghunt le lo'. Us din se phir ye roz ka maamul bun gaya.

Abbu ab is duniya main nahi rahe (see) magar aaj bhi jub 'karak aur garam chai' ka pehla ghunt leta hun to abbu bohut yaad aate hain !

Ground of Saints

One of my all time favourite blogger Mezba is visiting his home country Bangladesh. He posted this story from a small place called Rongpur.

"...This was the strangest thing. The white dome like thing is the mimbar of the local Eid-gah. Right next to it is a small shelf full of little cubicles. In each of those slots is a bottle of water, with the cap left open. I am told when someone is ill or there is some misfortune in a family, the head of the family will take a bottle of water, read some prayers, then leave it here in the Eid-gah for the night. The place has a graveyard where lots of saints are buried. The villagers believe the spirits of those saints come and 'bless' the water in the middle of the night. In the morning the villagers come and get their respective bottles and drink the water. The problem is then supposedly 'resolved'..."

Kaun jaane, kisi achhe maseeha ki ruh aaj bhi us maidan main bhatkti ho aur ho sakta hai itne insaanon ki "cumulative postive energy" hi bimar ko shifa de deti ho !

Aur ye bhi ho sakta hai ke ye sub jhoot hi ho magar raat bhar maidan main paani rakhne se agar kisi bimar ko bewajah qarar aa jaata hai to kiya bura hai. Bechara insaan bara majboor aur masoom hai. Aur ye ke insaan bara darpok hai. Apni fana aur maut se darta hai. Jub bhanwar main dub raha hota hai to tinke ko bhi sahara jaanta hai !

Magar achha lugta hai. Ye raunaq lagi rahe to achha hai !

Cindrella

Mujhe 'Cindrella' aur 'Snow White' ki kahanian pasand nahi kiunke jub aap bachhe ki kahani ka aagaz hi kuch aese kerte hain ke...


"Once upon a time, long long ago, there was a princess whose mother was dead and she has to live with her cruel step mother and 2 cruel step sisters...."

to aap us bachhe ki psyche main bachpun hi se dur, khauf aur depression ka beej bo dete hain !

Radio Pakistan ki aag

Aaj Pakistan ke akhbar roznama 'Jang' main aik column shaya huwa hai. Yun to Pakistan ke mojuda halat pe itna likha aur suna ja raha hai ke main is blog pe us ka izhar redundancy hi samjhta hun, magar baqol Ghalib - Dil hi to hai dard se bhar na aaye kiun

Ye column batata hai ke ilmi aur ruhani tor pe hamari qaum kitni diwaliya ho chuki hai. Ye column na to emergency ke nifaz pe hai aur na 'dhashatgardi ke khilaf jang' per hai, bulke ye parto hai hamari muflisi ka, hamari dam torti qaumi gairat ka.

Radio Pakistan ki aag by Azeem Sarwar

Ye column aap ko us Pakistan ko yaad dilaye ka jo hum sab ki aankh ka tara tha aur dil kahe ga - kubhi hum khubsurat the

Jub Azeem Sarwar jese zinda-dil log mayoos ho jayain to samjho fatiha ka waqt hai. Dil kerta hai keh dun ke - aesi qaum ko barbad hi ho jana chahiye. Magar kese keh dun - us mulk ki galion main beechi be-hisi mere dimag ko sun kiye de rahi hai. Jee chah raha hai ke is column ke aakhri jumle ko thora badal ker yun likh dun:

"Jis mulk ko main ne gulistan ki surat dekha tha, us ko shamshan ke roop main kese dekhun, himmat nahi hai...." !

Laaga Chunari Mein Daag

Jub main residency ker raha tha to Bankok se aik lurka 'Mike' mere saath residency ker raha tha. Aik din main use bata raha tha ke, agar Pakistan main koi ye kahe ke main Bankok ja raha hun to yahi samjha jata ke ye shaks 'prostitution' ka maza lutne Bankok ja raha hai. Us waqt Mike ne mujhe aik baat batai ke - jub koi lurki Bankok main jism ka karobar kerne ke baad apne gaun wapas lautti thi to use bari izzat ki nigah se dekha jata. Wajah ye thi ke log ye 'acknowledge' kerte ke is lurki ne khandan ki gurbat ka sara bojh apne badan pe utha liya !

Sufi kitabon main ye bayan hai ke jub purane zamane main shaher pe koi afat aa jaati aur kisi ki dua qabool na hoti to badshahe-waqt tawaifon se darkhuast kerta ke woh allah se dua maange ke allah mian tawaifon ki dua kabhi nahi talta !! *

*(ye bayan main ne khud urdu ke sufi writer Ashfaq Ahmad se suna hai)

"Laaga Chunri main Daag" , old indian claasic song hai, jise manna dey ne film 'Dil hi to hai' main gaya tha aur jise Sahir ludhianvi ne likha tha. Isi naam ki hindustan main abhi aik film bani hai.

Buzurg

Mere nazdeek buzurg ki pehchan ye hai - jo duain ziyada de aur naseehat kum kare !

Woh 3 din !

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. - Annonymous

Questions

"It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers." - James Thurber

October 18 Tragedy

Karachi was my first love. I loved that city even before I loved any woman. On October 18, carnage was carried out in Karachi in most brutal way. Raza Rumi wrote an excellet article in newspaper and put words to my emotions. (Thanks Raza)


The Oct 18 tragedy and our collective conscience

The foreign media, usually proficient in the rant on Talibanisation, gun-totting radicals and burqas were also at a loss on how to comment on this day. The castle of stereotypes on Pakistan had fallen: men and women were dancing spontaneously, often together on the loud, tacky party songs. There were very few burqas, no guns and no favourite signs of a west-hating native populace. This was a day heralded as a watershed in our recent times, from the left to the right and from the khaki to the mufti. Not because there was a revolution in order but that the real face of the many millions, who aspire for better livelihoods in a secular framework, had been rediscovered.

(click here for full article)

Ishqe Haqiqi aur Majazi

Mard ke liye aurat khuda ki taraf se us ke dil ka darwaza hai ! Aurat mard ke dil ke raastoN ko kholti hai jese Khatijah ne pehli wahi ke baad muhammad ke dil ke dur ko mar bhagaya, aur un raaston ko hamesah ke liye khol diya.

Ishqe haqiqi ki rah ki kaleed, ishqe majazi ka bunyadi tajarba hai !

wrinkles

I love my wrinkles. Its my life. - A 75 year old woman.

Mohammad Ali Jinnah

Kuch dinoN pehle main ne Mohammad Ali Jinnah aur Ratan Bai pe aik post likhi thi (here), tub se aik baat likhna cha raha tha....

My respect for Muhammad Ali Jinnah is not because he created Pakistan (Debate will never end about Pakistan's creation). I have respect for Jinnah because of virtues of his character of self confidence, honesty, belief for his own mission, firmness, power to negotiate on his own terms, his own deep respect for his religion, poor masses and culture, ability to move crowds as well as an individual with his deep voice (He was interested in theatre acting in london) but above all perseverance of integrity despite dirty politics. He was a role model politician.


Ye baat history ki kitabon main mehfooz hai ke Nehru aur Lady Mountbatten aik dusre ke ishq main giraftar the. Aik din Liaqat Ali Khan, Quaid-e-Azam ke paas kuch khat le ker aaye aur bataya ke ye woh sharamnak khat hain jo Nehru aur Lady Mountbatten ne aik dusre ko likhe hain aur ye ke hame inko apne siyasi maqasid ke liye istamal kerna chahiye. Quaid-e-Azam ne kaha: "Its more shameful for us to read them. We will not descend to this level. Please destroy them."

Jub Liaqat Ali Khan ne kaha: "I am sorry sir !", to Mohammad Ali Jinnah ne jawab diya: "I am sorry too for thoughts that cloud your generous mind !"

Mother of Moses

Duniya main ma baap se barh ker bara dukh kis ka hoga ke - they have to let their kids go.

Kubhi kubhi sochta hun, jub musa ki ma ne use bakse main band ker ke darya main chora hoga to us ka dil kin kin tufanon se guzra hoga !

Scientists

I think, people who study science are more near to God, mother nature, spirituality, supreme being or whatever you call it. One of the fundamental reason for it as they gain the strength of saying: "I don't know" !

Main ne khuda ko apne iradon ki shikhast se paya hai - Hazrat Ali

Bojh

Aaj kul jub bachhon pe kitabon, baston aur home-work ka bojh dekhta hun to saleem kausar ka ye misrah bohut yaad aata hai ke:

Sarak banane ki dhun main logon ne pag-dandian kaat di

Bhoot !!

- Eid pe khususi tehreer


Amma batati hain ke bachpan main, main neend se uth ker chalne lagta aur poochta jata ke "Woh white white cheez kiya hai?" (meri schooling english medium hui shayed isi liye white white kehta tha).

Aik to shuru se kuch mera rujhan paranormal cheezon ki taraf tha aur phir doston, kitabon, filmon aur tajarbat ka kuch aesa asar para ke aik zamane main mujhe paranormal, parapsychological, new age wagera type ka literature parhne ka addiction ho gaya. 1994 se 2001 tuk ka zamana woh tha jub main ne is mozun per sekron kitabain khanghal daalin. Horror films dekhne ka shoq isi silsile ki kari hai. OOB (out of body) ki mashq kerne ki behuda adat, ruhain bulane ki tarqeebain wagera bhi isi zamane ka shakhsana hai. Sunsan galion, qabarstaon aur 'haunted house' khangalne ka janoon (to be a ghost buster) usi dor ki yaadgarain hai. Ooper se internet ne jalti pe tel ka kaam kiya. Aaj bhi agar aap mujhe waqt dain to main ghanton beth ke is mozun pe parh sakta hun aur youtube ki videos dekh sakta hun.

Ye tamheed baandhne ke baad agar aap mujh se poochain ke: "what's the point?", to ye ke:

Bhoot, bad-ruhain, churailain, peechal-paherian, jinn aur is tarah ki kai mawraye-nazar makhlukat (ya aap jitne naam sun chuke hain), is kaainat ka hissa hain magar yaqeen kijye unhe aap ko nazar aane aur tang kerna ka koi shoq nahi. Jo kuch aap ne parha hai ya suna hai woh 90% bulke 95% jhoot, darog goi, factuation, aadha sach, ya phir khud bayan kerne wale ka nafsiyati problem hai. (Just to note: in this regard, concept of schizophrenia remained my favourite and you should watch the movie - 'A Beautiful Mind').

Ye sab cheezain hamare saath rehti hain magar unki apni duniya aur apne masail hain. Insaan un se bari makhlooq hai. Siwaye shaitan ke kisi ke paas itna power nahi ke insaan ko haunt kare. Aur agar kubhi aesa ho bhi to un ko bhagnae ke liye quran ki 2 ayatain (ya jo mazhabi kitab aap folllow kerte hon) bulke kisi sufi ka kalam, koi bhajan, koi ginan - bulke mirza ghalib ke ashar bhi kafi hain !!

Insaan ko agar darna hai to un buraion se dare jo shaitan us pe daalta hai.

Awwal to choti burian jo "addiction" ki surat main insaan ko pakar leti hain - Smoking, paan, chai, hukka, charas, sharab, pornography - ye woh bhoot hain, woh churailain hain jin se chutkara ziyada zaroori hai. Ye insaan ko ghulam bana leti hain, nuqsan paunchati hain aur zillat ka dum deti hain !

Dastane-ameer-hamza main kisi gumnam jazeere pe aik badruh umru ki gardan pe charch gai aur umru jese ayyar ko bhi peecha churana mushkil ho gaya.

Aur us se bhi azeem bari burian hain - gussa, hasad, jalan, garoor, taqat, hirs, lalach wagera - jinhe dusre mazahib main Kam (Lust), Krodh (Rage), Lobh (Greed), Moh (Attachment) aur Ahankar (ego) kaha gaya hai - ye woh balain hain jinka "exorcism" sab se ziyada zaroori hai.

Agar aap kubhi mazaron pe gaye hain to wahan halwa bata jata hai. Halwa ya mithai jin paanch cheezon se banti hai woh hai doodh (kheer), cheeni (khand) , ghee (grath), ata (bhojan) aur saaf paani (amrat) - ye ishara hai ke aadmi darguzar, pyar, haleemi, qanat aur sachhai ki zindagi guzare.

Khush rahiye, abad rahiye, mithai ka mafhoom yaad rakiye aur khub Eid manaiye !

Eid Mubarak.

kohtaiyan aur bud-amaliyan

Ooper wale ki taraf se kohtaiyon ki to muaafi hai magar bud-amaliyon ki khub pakar hai. Us ki koi muaafi nahi.

Woh purani imaratain

Jub hum 7 - 8 baras ke hote the to mohalle main aur ilaqe main nikal ker makanoN pe likhi taarikhaiN parha kerte. Purani se purani imarat dhundhte. Pehle zamane main jub koi imarat bunti to uspe imarat ke naam ke saath san (year) likhwa diya jaata jese "aastanae-ameer san 1962", "nageena building 1944" , "Zainab manzil 1954", "kaashane-jameel 1971" wagera wagera. Koi ziyada shoqeen hota jese hamare taya the to - unhon ne hamari haweli pe pakistan ke 2 parcham bhi banwa diye. Koi sher likhwa leta. Garz ye ke imarat jitni purani hoti uske makeen mohalle main utne izzat dar samjhe jaate. Imarat ki banne ki taarikh aur us se jure makeenoN buzurgoN ke qisse bayan kiye jate.

Phir waqt badal gaya !

Imarat jitni purani hoti us ki qeemat utni kum hone lagi. Log koshish kerne lage "jitna naya 'house' ho behtar hai". Sidhi baat hai - imarat jitni purani hogi utne bakhere hon ge. Repair ka kharch barhe ga. Plumbing khasta hogi. Deewaron ke andar shayed deemak bhi ho aur kaun jaane kahan koi bhoot hi chupa betha ho. Aur sab se barh ker, jub phir bechne nikalo to purane makan ki "resell value" bohut kum hoti hai.

makanoN pe se uske banne ke saal mitte gaye!

Aur phir purana makan tor ke, uski jagah 'town homes', 'apartments 'aur buland-o-bala 'towers' ne le li. Raton raat purkhon ke makan ne logoN ki chandi ker di. Shaher aahista aahista cement ke darbon (cage) main badal gaye.

Ye hai woh safar jo hum ne iqdar (values) ki duniya se tijarat (commercial) ki duniya tuk kiya. Baqol Nasir Kaazmi

Akele Ghar se poochti hai be-kasi
tera diya jalane wale kiya huwe

Yeh aap hum to bojh hain zameeN ka
ZameeN ka bojh uthane wale kiya huwe

Fear Factor

Jub Barkatullah ka mujhe phone aaya to main samjha karachi se phone hai magar ye sun ker meri hairat ki intaha na rahi ke woh San Diego se bol raha hai. Barkatullah se meri aakhri mulaqat 15 baras pehle hui thi, jub main ne karachi chora. Barkatullah pehle hamare mohalle main rehta tha phir woh log kahin aur shift ho gaye magar mulaqat rehti thi. Barkatulla cricket kamal ki khelta tha. Gazab ka spin bowler tha. Sara din mohalle main awara gardi kerta, cricket khelta aur mohalle ki hur committee main shamil kiya jata tha. School se bhagna roz ka mamul tha.

Main ne poocha: "Tum San Diego main ho?". Us ne bataya aik biomedical company ki international advisory board main shamil hai aur asian region ko represent kerne aaya huwa hai.

Meri gari ne aik jhatka khaya. Main ne kaha: "Excuss me ! Tum Barkatullah hi bol rahe ho na?"

Us ne zor ka kehkaha mara aur bola: "Haan main wahi tumhara mohalle ka shararti bachha, Barkatullah hun".

Kafi batain hui. Lekin un baton main uski batai hui ye baat qabile zikar hai. Jub main ne poocha ke itni taraqqi kese ker li, to us ne kaha:

"Iska sara credit mere walid ke optimistic attitude ko jata hai, jinhon ne hamari nakaamion ko bhi gale se lagaya. Abbu sunday ko hone wale mere sare match dekhne aate. Main wickets lun ya mujhe chakke pare, abbu tareef hi kerte ke, 'chakka lug gaya magar tumhari gugli kamal ki thi'. Tum to jaante ho hum bas 'hand to mouth' log the aur ye bhi ke main school main kitni mushkilon se paas hota tha. Magar jub bhi paas hota, abbu khub khush hote aur mithai le ker ghar aate. Jis din mera metric ka nateeja nikla, abbu office main the. Woh mithai ka dabba le ker ghar aaye. Main ne darte darte bataya ke abbu main fail ho gaya hun. Woh has ke bole: 'chalo koi nahi, har saal paas hone pe mithai khate hain, is baar fail hone pe sahi'. Abbu ke is tarah ke 'attitude' ne mere ander se nakaami ka khauf nikal diya. Mujh main opportunities ko avail kerne ki ajeeb taqat aa gai. Risk lene ka dar khatam ho gaya. Aur jub main ne zindagi main race pakri to dorta hi chala gaya".

Ye ander chupa dar hi hai, jo insaan ko aage nahi barhne deta. Hum me se kitne log hain jo apni aulad ko kamyabi se ziyada nakaam hona sikhate hain - ke 'how to move on with failure ?' !!

Rajab Ali

Due to General Zia's flirt (and abuse) with Islam, lot of cultural destruction happened in Pakistan, including its vibrant film industry. Is pe itna kuch likha gaya hai ke - anything to write further is nothing but redundant.

When people asked Bill Gates about spread of pornography via internet, he replied: "First thing men did is chalking pornography over caves' wall. Humans grow out of it" !

One very sweet and soft voice died or atleast lost with that is of Rajab Ali. I heard last of him visiting USA 3 years back. Unfortunately, no major pakistani music site has his songs uploaded. He sung both in urdu and punjabi. Rajab ali ke gale main punjab ki ruh gaati thi !. If any one of you have info., please let me know.

Here is one of his song.

About bed and breakfast

If you want to know how a person will be in bed, watch the way he or she eats - signs of enjoying sinful indulgences at the dinner table ! - Annonymous

Anhone

Aaj se koi 24-25 baras pehle bharat main aik film bani thi - "Masoom" (Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi). Ye Shekhar Kapur ki pehli film thi. Is film ke dialogue aur gaane "Gulzar" shahab ne likhe the. Is film ka aik gana bohut mashoor huwa tha - lakri ki kaathi, kaathi pe ghora (see here). Ye baat shayed bohut kum log jaante hain ke ye film darasal Erich Segal ke novel "Man, Woman and Child" ki adaptation hai bulke shayed poora plot us pe bani angrezi film se hi liya gaya hai. Gulzar Shahab jese writer ko kahin se plot lene ki zaroorat nahi thi. Darasal unhon ne imandari se us rishte ko hamare culture main portray kerne ki koshish ki (aur khub kaamyab rahe).

Agar kisi din aap ko maalum ho ke aap ke ghar aik aesa bachha rehne aa raha hai jo aap ke shohar ki extra-marital 'one time sex' ki badolt najaaiz aulad hai - aur us bachhe ka ab is duniya main us ke baap ke siwa koi nahi ?

Is bat se qata'-nazar ke aap asli novel parhte hain, is novel pe bani Martin Sheen ki film dekhte hain ya us ka indian version, film Masoom dekhte hain -zaroori baat ye hai ke aap ka radde-amal kiya hota hai ? Zindagi main aksar aese rishte ban jaate hain, aksar aese waaqiyat ho jaate hain jo aam dagar se hut ke hote hain - Jin ka koi naam nahi hota hai. Woh bas hote hain. Unki koi explanation nahi hoti. "Society" ke aam riwajon aur bandhon ke mayar pe woh poore nahi utarte magar woh qisse, woh hakeektein apni tamam-tar sachchaiyon aur gherayion ke saath hamare aas paas rehti hain !

Shayed sub se ziyada zaroori ye baat hai ke - hum judgemental ho kar kisi pe tahumat lagane ka gunah na ker bethain !

Izzat, Daulat aur Shaurat

Kul Talat Hussain se "Aaj TV" pe General Zia ka aik qissa sunne ko mila. (At that time Talat was working as an assistant to Stephen Cohen)

General Zia aik din Stephen Cohen ke saath presidency ki balcony main khare huwe the jahan se poora Islamabad nazar aata tha. Unhon ne Stephen Cohen se poocha: "Do you know Mr. Cohen, why I stand here ?" . Stephen Cohen ne kaha: "I don't know". General Zia ne bari rauunat se jawab diya: "Because nothing in Islamabad escape from my eyes". Stephen Cohen ne poocha: "But what about your back ?". To General Zia ne jawab diya" Mountains are at my back" (mutlab ye tha ke Pakistan army, aur shayed he meant america, are at his back).

3 months later Zia died in a plane crash !

Izzat, Daulat aur Shaurat allah ka inaam, amanat aur aazmaish hai. Woh jise chahey bagair hisab deta hai. Magar insan ko halimi apnani chahiyye. Jo de sakta hai woh le bhi sakta hai. Jo cheez aaj hai, shayed kul na ho !!

The Bridges of Madison County

Agar aap ne Robert James Waller ka mashoore zamana novel "The Bridges of Madison County" parha ho to aap ko maalum hoga ke ye 171 pages ka, aik chota sa, aasan angrezi main likha huwa novel hai. Magar ye baat samjhne main mujhe barson lag gaye ke is novel main aesi kiya baat hai ke jis ne bhi parha (it sold so far 12 million copies), ye novel hamesah ke liye us ke dil main bas gaya. Per author of novel "certain moments in which the ordinary can take on rather extraordinary qualities."

Baat ye hai ke hum sub aik mikanki (mechanical) zindagi to guzarte hain, jis main shadian kerte hain, bachhe paida kerte hain, karobar kerte hain wagera wagera - magar zindagi ke kisi mor pe 2 ya 3 din aese aate hain (ye poora novel bus 4 din ki kahani hai) , jin ki yaadain dil ki deewar per aese sabt ho jaati hain ke poori zindagi pe bhari ho jaati hain. Agar aap ko novel parhne ka time nahi hai to Clint Eastwood aur Meryl Streep ki is novel pe bani film zaroor dekhiye (preferably read novel).

Ye dil saala wa'qiye bara harami hai ke, kese aik 45 saal ki aurat, do bachhon ki ma aur wafa shuar biwi, aik anjaane shaks ke sahar main zindagi bhar ke liye giraftar ho jaati hai - aur kehti hai: "Tum mujhe le jana chaho ge to main apne aap ko rok nahi paaun gi magar ye saali (damn) meri zimandarian - mere 2 bachhe aur mera shohar" !

Aur yeh hakeektein bhi saalee bari harami hain... un teen chaar dinon mein bhi peecha nahin chortien...



See these 2 clips, it will give you idea: Song, Robert leaving

Monsoon ke Baad

Log kehte hain september aur october main khub qudrati aaftain aati hain aur duniya main bare bare siyasi waaqiyat hote hain, magar mujhe september bohut achha lugta hai kiun ke, aasman se sub kuch dhulne ke baad ujla ujla khubsurat sa bara bara chand nikalta hai. Zameen ke janoobi hisse main rehne waalon ka chaand to september main bohut bara ho jata hai. Baqol Faiz

Chand ka dukh bhara fasanaye-noor
ShahrahoN ki khak main galtaaN

Pedro Zapeta ka bhayanak khawab

This is reverse version of "dubai chalo" nightmare !


Pedro Zapeta, an illegal immigrant, managed to save $59,000 while working as a dishwasher for 11 years. Two years ago, Zapeta was ready to return to Guatemala, so he carried a duffel bag filled with $59,000 -- all the cash he had scrimped and saved over the years -- to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. But when Zapeta tried to go through airport security, an officer spotted the money in the bag and called U.S. customs officials..........

Zapeta, who speaks no English, said he didn't know he was running afoul of U.S. law by failing to declare he was carrying more than $10,000 with him. Anyone entering or leaving the country with more than $10,000 has to fill out a one-page form declaring the money to U.S. customs. Officials initially accused Zapeta of being a courier for the drug trade, but they dropped the allegation once he produced pay stubs from restaurants where he had worked. Zapeta earned $5.50 an hour at most of the places where he washed dishes. When he learned to do more, he got a 25-cent raise.

After customs officials seized the money, they turned Zapeta over to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The INS released him but began deportation proceedings....

"They are treating me like a criminal when all I am is a working man," he said.

Robert Gershman, one of Zapeta's attorneys, said federal prosecutors later offered his client a deal: He could take $10,000 of the original cash seized, plus $9,000 in donations as long as he didn't talk publicly and left the country immediately. Zapeta said, "No." He wanted all his money. He'd earned it, he said.

Marisol Zequeira, an immigration lawyer, said illegal immigrants such as Zapeta have few options when dealing with the U.S. government.

"When you are poor, uneducated and illegal, your avenues are cut," he said.

On Wednesday, Zapeta went to immigration court and got more bad news. The judge gave the dishwasher until the end of January to leave the country on his own. He's unlikely to see a penny of his money. "I am desperate," Zapeta said. "I no longer feel good about this country." Zapeta said his goal in coming to the United States was to make enough money to buy land in his mountain village and build a home for his mother and sisters. He sent no money back to Guatemala over the years, he said, and planned to bring it all home at once.

At Wednesday's hearing, Zapeta was given official status in the United States -- voluntary departure -- and a signed order from a judge. For the first time, he can work legally in the U.S. By the end of January, Zapeta may be able to earn enough money to pay for a one-way ticket home so the U.S. government, which seized his $59,000, doesn't have to do so.


Source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/27/immigrant.money/index.html

Darguzar

Bus lafzon ka pher hai magar har mazhab ki pehli taalim yahi hai ke, saath ke insaanon se mohabbat karo aur darguzar se zindagi guzaro. Duniya main namaz, roze (means ritual of any religion) se bhi ziyada agar sab se mushkil koi kaam hai to 'everyday life' main darguzar ka wasaf apnana hai. Ye waqiya mujhe peechle dinoN aik 'iftar party' main sunne ko mila. I think its worth sharing.

"2 baras pehle ramzan ka ye waqiya hai. Meri nai nai shadi hui thi. Main roommates ko chor ker aik apartment main move ho gaya. Barabar ke apartment main aik hispanic family rehti thi. Woh mian biwi aur 4 bachhe the. 'Husband' construction worker tha aur biwi dusron ke gharon main 'maid' ka kaam kerti thi. Bachhe poora din ghar main uddham machate rehte. Aksar raat gaye tuk hamain awazain aati rehti thi. Kubhi bhagne dorne ka hangama aur kubhi deewar pe ball marne ki awaz. Humne 2/3 baar knock ker ke shikayat bhi ki. Un ko angrezi nahi aati thi. Main ne unki bari bachhi jo 12/13 baras ki hogi, se baat ki. 2/3 din khamoshi rehti phir wahi halla gulla. Main bhi thora 'honeymoon' phase main tha. Biwi ke saamne shahrukh khan bunne ka shoq tha. Aik din raat 11 baje hum bedroom main bethe laptop pe film dekh rahe the ke phir dhar dhar ki awazain shuru ho gai. Aik hafte se roze rukh rukh ke main kafi 'irritate' chal raha tha. Mujhe gussa aaya aur main ne police call ker li. Police aai to baat bohut aage barh gai. Woh yun ke police ne unka legal state check kerna shuru ker diya. Mian biwi undocumented the. Meri wajah se poori family dubara mexico deport ker di gai. xxxxx Bhai ! ab saari zindagi bhi roze rakhun to qayamat ke din meri khalasi nahi hogi. Zara si baat thi magar mere gusse ne woh aag bharkai ke 6 zindagian jal ker raakh ho gaiN".

Hawwa ki beti

Very touching poem, printed in urdu newspaper 'jang' (taken shamelessly from blog of 'suffering with behaviours' but paid off with my own translation and send it to editor of newspaper's magazine. I hope Ms. Shahida Israr Kanwal get it)

Daughter of Eve

Wearing shroud of 'customs'

little dreaded, little afraid

fearfully bundled in herself

either scared of (her own) loved ones, or of people

unaware of privilege of finding her own destiny

sustaining all atrocities, being doll of contentment

as sacrifice and suffering, from nature

granted to her with birth (in her genes)

And she !

knowing her 'evangelical rights' upto words only

(but) can't (even) move her lips

because her loved ones

told her to remember only her duties

and 'stuck' in this 'racket' since ever

atleast so far, she is unable to get freedom

Ratan Bai urf Rattie

Duniya main samandar se bhi gehra agar koi zakham hai to woh insaani rishton ka zakham hai.

Mohammad Ali Jinnah ko log 'man of iron will' kehte the. Agar kisi aik shakhs ne Pakistan banaya to woh Mohammad Ali Jinnah ka dimag tha (Its another story that we turned the biggest political achievement of 20th century into biggest fiasco). Aesa shaks zindagi main sirf 2 baar roya. Pehli baar jub woh apni biwi ki qabar ko matti de raha tha aur dusri baar jub hindustan chorne se pehle woh aakhri baari apni biwi ki qabar pe gaya!

Jub lambe baalon wali Ratan Bai urf Rattie, daughter of bombay's cotton tycoon Dinshaw Maneckji Petit, Mohammad Ali Jinnah ke ishq main giraftar hui to sirf 16 baras ki thi aur Jinnah ki umer 40 baras thi. 24 baras ki umer ka faraq bhi kuch na ker saka. Mohabbat ke liye rattie ne baap ka ghar chor diya aur jinnah ne raja shahab mehmoodabad se mili qimti anghuti rattie ko pehna di. Magar ye mohabbat, quaid-e-azam ki siyasi zindagi ki bhainat char gai. Shadi ke pehle 4 saal baad, ratti apni bachhi ko utha ker london chali gai magar jinnah ki mohabbat usey phir bombay khench laayi. Dono ki koshish ke bawajood ye 'relationship' nahi chali. Quaid-e-azam ki muslim leauge bar bar bich main aati rahi. Saali ratti ki sokan. Dono ki phir alehdgi ho gai. Rattie, jo ab maryiam thi, ko Jinnah ki mohabbat ka gum kha gaya. Apni 29win salgirah ke roz Rattie akelepan main bombay ke Taj Hotel ke aik kumre main is duniya ko chor gai.

Rattie khud to chali gai magar peeche aik zinda laash chor gai. Aik aesi laash jis ne Pakistan to bana diya magar apne dil ki weraniyaN na bhar saka. 18 baras baad bhi agar dubara roya to wahin jahan pehli baar roya tha !


* (baqol quaid-e-azam ke driver 'azad' ke, woh raat ki taariki main apni biwi aur beti ke kupron ko saamne rukh ker roya kerte the).

Main roze kiun nahi rakhta

Main roze kiun nahi rakhta,
Uska jawab hafeez jhalandari ki ye nazam hai.

(With beautiful English translation at sub-title)

Hadsa aik dum nahi hota

Urdu ke shayer qabil ajmeri ka sher hai

Waqt kerta hai parvarish barson
Hadsa aik dum nahi hota

(It takes an age to built, event does not happen instantly)

Agar aap apni zindagi pe nazar daalain to 20/30 baras pehle hone wale waqiye aaj se jure nazar aayain ge !

Ibne Insha

Urdu adab main 'mizah' bohut kum likha gaya magar jitna bhi likha gaya woh paaye (standard) ka likha gaya. Tamam zarafat likhne walon main ibne insha ka apna aik munfarid muqam hai. Agar aap mujh se poochain ke baqi "humorist" aur insha main kiya faraq hai to bus itna ke...baqi logon ki tehreeron pe ruk ruk ke hasi aati hai, magar insha ke hur jumle pe hasi aati hai.

You can read his book "Chalte ho to chin ko chaliye" online here