To Be With Her!

So I read this new novel from American-Pakistani author Syed Afzal Haider - "To Be With Her".

From 'creative writing' standard and in comparing it to other authors in same genre like Rohintan Mistry, Jhumpa Lahiri, Arundhta Roy, Mohsin Hamid, Moazzam Sheikh, Khaled Hosseini etc., this novel is far less to reach any standard - But still I think it is an essential read for FOBs like me as it deals with psychological dilemma presented to people like me who travel to 'perdes'. For me it was interesting for 2 reasons as central plot evolves in Karachi and Chicago and these are the two same cities I spend good time of my life so all the streets and train stations described seems to me like its my own story. Also in fact, it appears to be a semi-autobiography of author himself.

Story revolves around a central character by the name of Ramzan Pervez Malik who migrates with his family in 1947 from India to Karachi at tender age of 8. He is perfect hero type boy who is good in studies, plays perfect cricket and romantic at heart. He falls in love with a girl from an elite class. Similar desi movie kind storyline where 'zalim samaj' comes in between but they both vow to marry once he returns from USA after studies. Hero's travel to USA via ship line has been described very eloquently as well as his culture shock in USA has been described very finely. So he fall in love again to an American girl named Sabina. At the end he returns to Karachi to tell his parents about his new love. Leila let her go and he returns to USA to live happily ever after with Sabina.

I loved some bitter, harsh and crude sarcasm about both cultures - written in a very pungent way. At many places I could not stop laughing. But novel become a drag with long lengthy and never ending love letters of romantic characters. Also, novel is full with over reporting of Hollywood movies.

Theme of novel can be concise in these words: "..........and I 've already left home more than once. I'm always going to be half empty. The change, the exile, my action, is not an isolated happening; it has affected every facet of my existence.......(and)...It is strange to be a stranger in your own land...(and)....I recall the story of a King who died in exile. He willed that his body be cremated but that his heart be removed from his body and returned for burial in the land of his birth......"

Barney's Version

So as per my psychological dyslexia I went to see this off beat new movie "Barney's Version" based on novel of Canadian author Mordecai Richler. It's a painfully monotonous movie but there is a reason why this movie made so many nominations (in for Oscar too).

Its all about idiosyncrasies of life. When you are a Jew and you have a different name. And when you are young and you marry a neurotic person against advises of all friends or if your family make you marry a rich person (a JAP in movie) so you can take off in your career. And as you crave all your life for a loving spouse, later you end up screwing your own long happy marriage because of your jealousy. When your one kid turn around and tell you what a loser you are - but your other kid love you despite knowing all your flaws. How sometime small events make you happy and you jump in bed with joy. How you carry blame for someone's death which is not your fault. How events of life turn you into a "jhakki" and blunt person! When you love your own father (played by Dustin Hoffman) despite him being all dysfuntional and you stand up to protect his respect. Instead of crying on his death you smile as he lived like a king! When like a regular Canadian you are addicted to hockey and worry about score even on your wedding day. Its a story of a man who smokes cigar, drinks hard and gets strike with a disease. At the end you realize that no life is regular. We all have our own shares of good and bad. Eventually you fall in love with central character Barney. So message is to love life and fellow humans knowing we all have our own idiosyncrasies.

Ye mere aur aap jese 'regular' (aam) insaanoN ki kahani hai.

Trailer here

Nasoor

(Posted as described by the person. Probably one of the most painful post I ever blogged)

Ye 1985 ke zamana hoga.  Hum log Karachi ke ilaqe sadar main rehte the. Hamare paros main aik bohat hi kattar mazhabi family abad thi. Saum-o-Salat ke poore paband. Ghar main Ma beti, 2 bhai aur un ke waalid the. Ma aur beti poora burqa pehnti. Hamara ghar chor ke larki ko ziyada bahir nikalne ki ijazat na thi.  Larki ke dono bhai Dubai main the. Walid ki bari lambi sufed darhi thi. Ye wahi waqt tha jub General Zia ka Islami nizam poore urooj pe tha. Larki ki umer koi 23-24 baras rahi hogi.

Aik din larki hamare ghar ghabraii hui aai aur us ne hamari amma se kaha ke woh unse koi zaroori baat kerna chahti hai. Usne hamari amma se kaha ke use is mahine mahwari (periods) nahi aayi. Hamari amma ne kaha: "aesa aksar ho jata hai. Ghabrane ki koi baat nahi". 3-4 haftoN baad larki ki amma hamare ghar aai. DonoN ammaiN kafi der apas main 'khusar phusar' karti rahiN. Kuch dinoN baad woh kumba wahaN se kahin aur chala gaya.

Aik din main ne amma ko abba se ye kehte sun liya: "Raat ke andhere main larki ka baap larki ke kamre main aaya jaaya kerta tha!"  Amma ki ye baat jub das baras baad mujeh samajh aai to mere haatoN se chai ki piyali chatak gai!! 

3 S of Life

"If you can fully enjoy 3S - Sex, Sleep and Sugar - in life, assume you are getthing the best in life"

"I will be happy to replace any of these "S" - anytime - with Shopping"!

Glass

"Is glass half full or half empty?'
"I guess glass is too big to be full"

(means lower your expectations - glass will be full)

This was previously posted as blog z-axis

Sawal!

Sawal to bari bewaqoofi ka he magar:
"Kiya aesa ho sakta hai ke insaan ko uske gunhaoN ki saza pehle mil jaaya kerti ho aur woh gunah baad main kiya kerta ho?"

Fun and Junk!

"If we can't have relationship, at least we can have some fun".
"I don't believe in accumulating junk around me".

Bharosa!

Kisi ka bharosa haasil kerna kisi ki mohabbat paane se bara aizaz hai. (George MacDonald)

Riwayat

(I have tendency to collect human stories for long time. Here is one story I collected about 18 years ago. It was written in Urdu. You may not feel anything but this story tear my heart even today. It is a story of a young boy who refused to give bribe of 500 rupees and end up in jail for long time in treason case - a norm in country like Pakistan. All names, characters and situation are true!).

Bhutta village, Kemari (Karachi's slum) ki Zeenat Bai ka 20 saala naujawan larka - Haroon Rasheed - jis ne Atari ki sarhad per (train border between India and Pakistan used by poor people to go to India to meet their family) - "riwayati" 500 rupe ki rishwat custom waloN ko dene se inkaar ker diya. NatijataN custom waloN ne "mulk dushmani" (treason) ka case bana ker use fauj (army) ke hawale ker diya. Dhai mah (2.5 months) baad fauj ne police ke hawale ker diya. - aur larka Jackson, TPX, Mangho-peer aur SITE ke thane phirta raha aur tasshadud (terror) ka neeshna banta raha.

Ma ne Sindh High Court ke Chief Justice se insaaf maanga to police ne chalan bana ker case Speedy Trial Court (Court created by General Zia to lynch political enemies) main daakhil ker diya aur Justice Wajjehuddin Ahmad aur Justice Muhammas Aslam Arain ne case Sindh High Court se khaarij ker diya

Kise wakeel karain, Kis se Munsafi ChahaiN (Faiz)

Kiya alfaz in daagoN ko Dho sakte hain.

Yeh aik Haqiqat

Zindagi main bus aik hi haqiqat atal hai.


"Aik nasal aati hai, dusri nasal ko paida kerti hai, burhi hoti hai aur chali jaati hai".

Is ke ilawa baqi sab khel tamasha, mela, maya aur dil ka behlawa hai!

Baqol Ustad Zauq
Behatar tu hai yahi ke na duniya se dil lage
Par kya karen jo kam na be-dillagi chale