Thursday, September 27, 2012

On Happiness

One of my co-worker is a very happy go jolly fellow.

I asked him: "How come I always see you happy?"
He replied: "I don't let unhappy people surround me"!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

2 Bol

"Saath rehne ke liye nikah zaroori hai kiya?"

"Saath rehne ke liye to nikah zaroori nahi hai - magar rishte ki gheraii main uterne ke liye ye 2 bol bohat zaroori hain. Jab masjid, mandir, 'church' ya 'civil court' ke kamre main bandhan ke 2 lafz parhey jaate hain ya 'signature' kiye jaate hain  - to 'trust' ki gheraii patal tak utar jaati hai. Shayed wajah sirf ye hai ke - jab saare zamane ke saamne ailan-e-wafa hota hai - to aadmi ko bharose ki woh tawanii chu leti hai jeese torna bohat mushkil ho jaata hai"

"Hmmmm...May be"

Friday, September 21, 2012

Bharam ka Barzakh!

(Tale of one shocking text in middle of hectic work - which let me excuse from everything around me)


Meri Ma 3 baras se maut ke sarahane pari thi. Us ka dam nahi nikal raha tha. Use bus meri fikar khaye jaati thi. Mere baap ko mare to 17 baras ho gaye magar meri Ma darwaze pe nazrain jamaye mujh se kehti thi: 

"Meri baat man le, dekh tera baap mujhe le jane ke liye kab se khara hai. Apne shohar se laraii khatam ker de. Chali ja apne mard ke pass khuda ke liye..."

Jis din main ne apni Ma ki baat mani, usi din meri Ma is jahane faani se kuch ker gai. Meri Ma ki ruh mere aur  mere shohar ki judaii (separation) main atak gai thi. Ma jo theri!

Aur ab mujhe us wade ka bharam nibhane ke liye aakhri saans tak us barzakh main jalna pare ga!  --- I guess, I am left with no choice.


Thursday, September 13, 2012

La Li'nea

I had to get on 5 hours trans-continental flight, so I picked this book from store. It was so interesting that I was able to get it done in one sitting before my flight landed. Since its publication in 2006, this book has made a lot of waves and now has been put in reading schedules of many curriculum. Its an essential read for neo-immigrants like me though it is a tell of 2 kids risking their lives to cross border across Mexico to USA.

Apart from its pace and interesting content what strike my nerve was amazing question this book raised for immigrants. As it is written itself at book's back cover. "But they quickly learn that you can't always count on dreams - even the ones that come true".

Also, just crossing one physical border is not enough. Immigrants have to cross many many more borders to get adjust in new country, new culture and new society. Another sad aspect of the story is that how dream of prosperous life sometime torn apart family across miles, unseen by people living around and unfortunately accepted as fate for many!
"I hang up the phone. We don't say good-bye. We never do."

And many times, for many people - its more satisfying to go back where they feel more in peace with their own kinds!!

It reminded me of Faiz

Ye bhi kar dekha hey so baar, ke jab raahoN meiN
des-pardes ki be-mehar guzargaahoN meiN
qaafley qaamat-o-rukhsaar-o-lab-o-gesu key
parda-e-chasham pey utrey heiN, yuN be-soorat-o-rang
jis tarha band dareechoN pey girey baarish-e-sang

Aur dil kehta hey har baar, laut chalo
is sey pehley ke wahaaN jaaeNy to ye dukh bhi naa ho
ye nishaani ke wo darwaaza khula hey ab bhi
aur us sehan meiN, har su, yuNhi pehley ki tarha
farsh-e-nao-umeedeey-e-deedar bicha hey ab bhi

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

"My Heart Sinks"

I am teaching elementary school kids for 30 years! I have seen all kinds of student and dealt with all kind of situations but nothing makes my heart weep more than not knowing who is going to pick up kids. Mom calls Dad will pick up the kid. Dad calls Mom will pick up the kid. Mom calls back again - 'No! tell Dad, it is his turn today!'

Yesterday one of my third grader put her head on my shoulder and said: "Teacher I don't want to go home".  First time in 30 years I felt my heart is sinking!

Sunday, September 09, 2012

The Words

"The words" is a suspense thriller but you may not know till the end! As someone said - it has stories within stories. It is a kind of a thriller you look forward to see. It makes you smile. It makes you cry. And, at the end it makes you scratch your head!

Major strength of the movie beside its consistent pace, climax and acting is its strong dialogues like:

"Life is about making choices. But hardest part is to live with those choices"
"My tragedy is that I loved words more than the woman who inspired me to write those words"

Theme: Movie revolves around the fact of life that reality and fiction are 2 distinct entities but with a very fine line in between! And sometime humans may tend to blur that line...

Plot: A young writer, with a loving and supportive wife in New York (Ah NY!) is struggling to make fate in writing world but with little success. Finally, he finds his break with a twist that story he published is not written by him but he accidentally found it in an old antique bag. Now the actual writer (old man in movie) discovered his lost work. Movie deals with interaction between actual and pseudo writer. Story is narrated in movie by another middle age writer to audience who is trolled and seduced back stage by a young beautiful, wanna be Columbia graduate writer, who is in quest to know - how much is the fact and how much is the fiction?

Trailer here

Saturday, September 08, 2012

Ishq-e-Majazi aur Ishq-e-Haqiqi

Ashfaq Ahmad says:
  
Mujhe bohat justa'ju thi ke Ishq-e-Majazi aur Ishq-e-Haqeeqi ka farq jaan sakun, aik din Abba Gee ne bataya ke, “Ishfaq apni ana ko kisi aik shakhs ke samney pamaal (mitany) kerney ka naam Ishq-e-Majazi hai aur apni Ana ko sab ke saamney pamal kerney ka naam Ishq-e-Haqeeqi hai…"

Sunday, September 02, 2012

Nageen!

3 baras main aurat ka roop yun dhal jata hoga - mujeh andaza na tha!

Nageen se meri mulaqat 3 baras pehle vancouver ke aik coffee shop pe hui thi. Main kisi medical conference  main jhak marne Vancouver gaya tha. Sham ke baad wahin downtown main pan pacific hotel ke kinare aik coffee shop pe beth ke koi kitab parhta rehta. ...Nageen usi Coffee shop main kaam kerti thi. .... Bohat khubsurat thi. Us ke husn main aik dehshat thi, jo bohat kam aurton ko naseeb hoti hai!

Nageen ki mukhtasar si kahani thi. Woh Pakistan se thi. Umer koi 37 ya 38 ke qareeb hogi. Umar ke kisi hisse main talaq ho gai. Apne aik bete ke saath ab Vancouver main rehti thi. MardoN ki zaat se bezaar thi. Apni zindagi main magan thi!

Main har sham us se flirt kerta aur woh hasti rehti! Akhri din main ne chalte chalte Nageen ko apna card diya ke kabhi USA aao to zaroor call kerna - Tum dekhna main kachhe dhage main bandha chala aaunga! Usne zor ka qehqaha lagaya aur mera card dustbin main daal diya! (jo shayed usne baad main nikal ker rakh liya hoga).

Kuch dinoN pehle mujhe Nageen ka 'text' aaya ke woh mere 'town' main hai. Kisi qarebi dost ki shadi main aai hui hai. Kehne lagi, aaj tum coffee pilao. Jub main Nageen se milne gaya to mujeh yaqeen nahi aaya ke ye wahi Nageen hai. Uski saari khubsurti kahin gum ho gai thi. Usne kam-as-kam 40 pond wazan barah liya tha. Baalon ki chamak gaib ho chuki thi. Gaalon ki gulabi surkhi khatam ho chuki thi. Muskurahat main aik pas-mardagi thi. AankhoN main lenses ki jagah mote mote 'Ainak wale jin' jese chashme lage the!

Ham kafi der Starbucks pe bethe batain kerte rahe. ...... Nageen ka beta college chala gaya to ghar ke dar-o-deewar nageen ko kaat khane lage. Usne ghar pe cooking chor di. Junk food khane lagi thi. Beta chala gaya to zindagi ka maqsad gaib ho chuka tha. ...

"Lost" ho chuki thi.................Isi bezaari main kuch mardoN se "dating" ker ke aur "lost" ho gai thi! 

Kabhi Hijab aurhne ki batain kerti! Kabhi kehti Pakistan chali jaungi. Kabhi kehti Africa main charity mission pe jaungi. Aaj mujh main us se flirt kerne ki jurrat nahi thi. 

Zindagi main kabhi kuch nahi hota aur sab kuch ho jaata hai. Dekho to Nageen ki zindagi main uske bete ki parvarish ki aag aur rangoN ka jo aik halka sa parto tha - woh mit gaya to sab kuch khatam sa ho gaya....

Nageen ko na to aaj main ne apna card diya, na dubara milne ka wada kiya! Ghar drive kerte aik udasi thi. 

Vancouver ka neela samandar, khubsurat badal, darkhton aur phooloN ki woh lambi qata'r, paharoN pe jami woh baraf...har cheez aik dam se yun be-rang ho jaayegi - Dil ye sab kuch kese maan le !!!!

Ye zindagi saali bari kutti cheez hai!!




Saturday, September 01, 2012

Under Blue Moon!

Last night was a blue moon - a rare phenomenon. As they say - once in a blue moon! I was taking walk with a friend in neighborhood as we had clear sky and visible big moon. Knowing my sarcastic attitude towards religion, following conversation happened:

"Tum Musalman ho?"

"Main musalman kese ho sakta hun? tum log chaand-raat ki talash main rehto ho - aur main poore chaand ka pujari hun! - aik fasla hai hum dono main meri jaan"