Kubhi hum Khubsurat the!

My kids love TV show iCarly. Since last few days I saw my son humming its tittle song... "I know, you see, Somehow the world will change for me..." (here)

"So, you think, world will really change for you?"
"It can!"

Main chup raha, Ye umar bhi kesi masoom hoti hai.
It reminded me of Nayyara Noor song: Kubhi hum khubsurat the,.......

"African Cats" - its all about motherly instinct

One of my intellectual cousin drag me to see new Disneynature movie "African Cats". It is an amazingly true story captured via camera over 20 years in Maasai Mara national park of Kenya! It is the story of 3 families.

1. Sita is a single mother Cheetah raising 5 cubs, feeding and protecting them alone from other beasts and bullies. She loses 2 of her cubs to deadly Hyenas but raises other 3 with all skills to survive in wild world of jungle. (Sounds human?)

2. Tribe of 'Pride' - story of Laila and her beloved daughter Mara. 'Pride' consist of a male lion called Fang, his six wives/lionesses and their cubs. Laila is the strongest and most skillfull hunter. Fang is a mean, coward and a selfish lion who abondon his family in the trying time. Laila tried her best to keep pride intact but due to injuries and old age leave Mara to her sister named Malaika before dying.(Again sounds human?)

3. Very strong lion Kali and his 4 sons who live on the other side of river and wants to dethrone Fang. They regularly bully Sita and her cubs too.

Climax and end comes when Kali and sons attack Fang. He runs away leaving his family at the mercy of Kalis. 5 lionesses loses fight and becomes kali wives. Mara loses her aunt and cousins during fight. She is unskillful and lost without her mother among wild beasts. Finally she learns her skills on her own and at end reunite with her family. Movie ends as Sita teaches the last skill of survival to her cubs before leaving to lead a solitary life. (Sounds human?)

It is all about motherly instinct of protecting cubs in wild wild jungle and making sure they learn to survive on their own. Film is narrated in impressive voice of no one else but Samuel L. Jackson.

Trailer here

On Age, Marriage and 'AadataiN'

(Following post may be biased depending on my experiences, so all comments, compliments, criticisms and statements are welcome).

Not only I am lucky to have good teachers but also fortunate to have good students all my life. I started giving private tutitions at age 14 and since than being in academic environment till today, if you ask me to pinpoint the best age for any human - its somewhere between 26-30  years. This is the period where you are out of teenage hormonal bipolarism, ripe with enthusiasm and energy to conquer the world!, but at the same time willing to take advises and lessons from life. Your habits are still not fully formed. Personally, I think this is the best age to get married too - as like a woman's skirt you are mature enough to cover the values but still short to cover a lot of skin.......And as we pass 30, slowly, our way of life, our opinions, our habits (this word can't replace the word 'aadatain' in Urdu) and the way we want others to behave become a defined line with progressive rigidity. And it continues to get worse. Its both good and bad. Good as at least you have a formed idea of things but may be bad as your uncompromising attitude irritate and piss off people!

Dur kahin  gharyal  ye  deti  hai  manadi
Haye tu ne umr ki aik aur ghari ghata di

On 'organ donation'

"Kosher or not Kosher, Halal or not Halal - I am an organ donor".

Add: (Please read from Saugoree uncle in comment section).

7 lessons learned from Ark of Noah

(via fwd email)

ONE: Don't miss the boat.
TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat!
THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn't storming when Noah built the Ark.
FOUR: Build your boat on high ground.
FIVE: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
SIX:  You cant leave the boat. So don't complain, deal with it.
SEVEN: All storms pass one day.

The Last Kiss

I bumped to Rohit's blog by accident (was it?) and loved his short stories. His recent ultra short story "The Last Kiss" is just brilliant. In few lines he was able to put all the emotional turmoil when 2 hearts depart forever.

"Sometimes it doesn’t matter how we start. What remains with us, most of the times, is the way we end it. And these moments of finality of their relationship were going to haunt their lives for longer than they had imagined. In their quest of lost individuality, what they realized had lost was, the beauty of their togetherness. The same togetherness which was, once upon a time, beautified by their individuality....."

Read full story here (click)

On 'Comforting a loved one in Crisis'

(Recently one of my regular read and very favorite blogger Aisha had a post on 'Comforting a loved one in crisis'. It reminded me a story of a Jin. I will write in Urdu as it was heard in childhood. I added last line in story so pardon me for that). 

"Kehte hain kubhi Insaan aur Jin saath isi zameen pe rehte the magar ab saare jin zere-zameen pa'ta'l main rehte hain. Jub jinoN ne khubsurat insaani aurtoN pe sare-shaam aashiq hona shuru kiya to Hazrat Suleman ne unhe insaanoN se alag kerke door neeche pa't'al main bhej diya.

Aesa hi aik jin tha. Pata nahi kiya naam tha. Kehte hain paida huwa to bara kamzor tha. JinoN ke hakeemoN ne aesa ilaj kiya ke sab jinoN se ziyaada lamba, chora aur mota ho gaya (overdose of growth hormone I guess?). Woh Jin bara pareshan rehta ke kahin 'fit' nahi ho pata. Koi us  ka 'dukh dard'  na baantta. Aik din us jin ne apne sardar se kaha: "Hum JinoN main jazboN ki 'chip' hi nahi! Mujeh ijazat marhmat farmayain ke oooper zameen pe insaanoN main jaun aur apne gum ka madawa karun. JinoN ke sardar ne is shart pe ke woh kisi insaani aurat pe aashiq na hoga use zameen pe jaane ki ijazat de di. Aur aik shaam jin zameen pe namoodar huwa.....

Kehte hain zameen pe jo use dekhta bara heran, pareshan hota. Koi maroob hota to koi hairat se takta - to koi haibat-zada hota! Magar saari zameen pe koi na mila jo us ke 'misfit' hone ka dukh mehsoos kerta. Us ne mayoos hoke phir pa't'al ki rah li! Jub aik shaam kisi weerane main pa't'al jaane ki liye zameen ke mun se patthar uthaya to us ke neeche aik keera (bug) daba huwa tha aur niklne ke liye betaab tha. Us ne keere ko azad kiya. Kuch socha - aik muskurahat uske chehre pe aai aur woh phir apni asal ko paunch gaya.

Aik din jinoN ke sardar ne us se pooche: "Phir zameen pe un badbakht insaanon main se kisi ne tera dukh baanta?" To Jin ne jawab diya: "Huzur! main zameen, aasman, pa't'al main apne dukhoN ka madawa dhundhta raha. Is ka ilaj na to kisi aur jin aur na kisi aur insaan ke paas hai. bulke mera sukh dukh mere andar hi hai. Main ne musibat main kisi kamzor ki madad ker di to laga mere saare dukh chat gaye. Main ne kisi dusre ke dukh ko kum kiya to mera apne dukhoN pe rona band ho gaya. .......Sardar phir zameen pe jaane ki ijazat marhmat farmayain magar is shart ke bagar ke ab kisi aurat pe aashiq nahi ho sakta!"

Suna hai ab aik jin is zameen pe rehta hai jo aksar sare shaam kisi aurat pe aashiq ho jata hai!

On raising a handicap child!

(God give special kids only to special people)

"Pehloti ki aulad wese hi Ma ko bohat piyari hoti hai. Jub meri pehli beti paida hui to bus woh meri zindagi ho gai. 3 baras ki na hui ke main ne school main daal diya ke parha likha ke tum jesa doctor banun gi! - magar school wale kehte - bachhi dimagi tor pe kamzor hai. Main ne 6 baras main 6 school badle....lekin aakhir tasleem kerna para ke meri bachhi 'mentally challanged' hai. Is aehsas main takleef  bhi thi, be-yaqeeni ki keffiat bhi thi aur guusa bhi tha. Har raat khuda se poochti: 'Main kiyun?' Aur har din meri jinjhalat ka saara baar us bachhi pe girta..... Woh mehmanoN ke saamne khana gira de to sharmindagi mujeh hoti. Woh mehfil main koi na-zeba harkat ker jaaye to mera paara charh jaata..... aur phir jub woh apna sir meri god main rakh ke - apni totli zaban main kehti: 'torry (sorry) mamma' - to khud akele main beth ke khub roti - aur Allah se shikwa kerti: 'Main kiun?' .

Jin waaldain ke bachhe 'handicap' hote hain wahi jaante hain aulad ka dukh.

Main kahan kahan na phiri. Meri 'correspondence ki file' dekh ker America walon ne bhi visa de diya. Main ne America main 12 12 ghante odd jobs ki aur bachhi ki har 'special needs' ki 'therapy' kerwai magar meri apni treatment kaun kerta!

Ye 2004 ki baat hai main Pakistan gai. Jis sawal ka jawab mujeh Boston, LA aur Houston ke bare bare MD, Ph.D na de paaye woh 'ghotki, sindh' ki aik choti si dargah pe aik be-naam baba se mil gaya. Hum to picnic manane gaye the. Wapsi pe yunhi ruk gaye. Huwa kuch yun ke usne wahan bhook piyas se aesa rona shuru kiya ke dua maangne wallon ne ghooom ghoom ke dekhna shuru ker diya. Main jhinjhala gai aur use thappar raseed ker diya ke badbakht kahin theek nahi chalti. Baba ne mera haat pakar ke kaha: : 'O munjhi deeh! (O meri beti) - Sab se ooper wale aasmaan ke maalik ne zameen pe tujeh is ka waali banaya hai. O pagal! apni khushnaseebi ko samjah. Gussa na ker aur bus is baat ko maan le ke rab ne mushkil kaam ke liye tujeh chun liya. Is ke liye paani le aa phir dekh ooper wala tere liye kese baarish barsata hai'  - 'Acceptance' ka jo daras baba se mila main ne baandh liya. Meri bacchi ko main ne sirf piyar dena shuru kiya. Main ne 'embarrass' hona chor diya. Har jagah ab woh mere saath phirti. Meri zindagi yun badli ke bayan nahi ker sakti. Rehmat ki aesi baarish barsi ke meri beti normal to na hui magar us ke chehre ki saari khushian yun jagmagane lagi ke ab mujeh uske bagair aik minute chain nahi aata...She became my best friend"

'Handicap' bachhe ko paalne ka bus yahi gur hai - maan lo, aankhain band karo, gussa pi jao aur bus piyar karo. Itni choti si baat samjhne main barsoN lag gaye.

'Handicap' aulad se wabastagi ka ye piyar dusri aulad se itna mukhtalif hai ke lafzon main bayan nahi ho sakta - jo mehsoos hota hai woh wahi waldain jaante hain - jin ke dil is piyar ke noor se jagmate hain.....................

Choro mere giyani doctor - tum apna 'cheesecake' khao aur meri baaton main sir na khapao!!..."

A precious tree

"Being a girl raised in farms and being a daughter of true farmer from deep south let me tell you one unconventional wisdom: A tree with less fruits is usually the most precious tree as it gives more delicious and tasty fruits in contrast to a tree with abundant fruits! A good farmer will go around and twig all unhealthy flowers. This is one important lesson I always carried in my heart".

Amma ka mehwar

(Last weekend I took my kids to water park. I witnessed something very interesting while we took break for food on side benches).


'Mexican family' ke koi 20 log honge! Un main bachhe bhi the, jore (couples) bhi the, jawan bhi the aur adher umar (middle age) bhi. 'Park' main rash ke baais unhe aik hi bench mil paai, jis pe bethne ke liye sirf do aadmioN ki jagah thi. Us khandan ne saara saman neeche zameen pe rakh chora. Khandan ke saare log apni apni 'activities' main masroof the magar bench pe mustaqil aik amma bethi thiN, jin ki umer koi 60-65 ke aas paas rahi ho gi. Kubhi main use 'salad' banate dekhta to kubhi koi 'sandwhich'. Woh baari baari har shaks ke liye khane ki plate tayyar kerti - aik aadmi aata, khana khata aur dusre ke liye jagah bana ke chala jata. Koi bachha 'ketchup' maang leta to bare piyar se aik alag plate main undel ke saamne rakh deti. Us ke chehre pe aik ajeeb itminaan tha. Us amma ko 'park' main 'rides' ya 'lazy chairs' se koi dilchaspi na thi. Us chehre ke itminan ke peeche aik garoor tha, aik 'grace' tha - aur khud mujeh yun mehsoos hota tha - jese ye amma is khandan ka mehwar hai - jis ke gird saare hashiye gardish ker rahain hain! Amma na rahi to sab bikhar jaain ge. Us roz mujeh apni dadi bohat yaad aain!!

Ye buzurg bhi kamal ki cheez hote hain - chale jaate hain magar apne mehwar ki 'radiation' chor jaate hain - jis se saari zindagi - holey holey - yadon ki saans sulagti rehti hai!

Tere jaane ke baad

"Tumhare jaane ke baad mujh me` kisi aur 'aurat' ko 'explore' kerne ki 'shakti' hi nahi rahi.......I have become like Amir Khan was in 'Dhobi Ghat', and to tell you the truth it hurted, surprised, shocked and stunted for a while but now it feels good that I am done with relationships!" - So no more or any more 'Hum Tum Cafe'!

Chalo khatam huwe sab tajdeede wafa ka imkaN janaaN

On Remembering Names!

Lets call him Mani. Mani is extremely popular at my workplace despite his outspoken attitude. He can drive anyone nut with his "diarrhea of mouth". It took me almost 5 years (yes I am not that smart!) to eventually realize what make "Everybody loves Mani"? Mani is soo good and I mean 'sooo good' in remembering people first and last name. There is no one remotely at workplace whom he don't know by first name and I work at an extremely big place.

I am not bad, I am bad up to stupid and ignorant level in remembering people's name. Try to learn this trick and let me assure you, people will love you despite your flaws - as Dale Carneige said: "Har kisi ke kaan ko usko apne naam ki dhun meethi lagti hai"*.


*Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language - How to Win Friends and Influence People - Part 2