Dilemma of woman in 'love triangle'

Many (and many) love stories have been written as 'love triangles.' It is interesting how sometimes things happen in succession, bringing the same message to life. While I was re-reading Charles Dicken's 'A Tale of Two Cities,' I watched Woody Allen's "Magic in the Moonlight"  (here) - and had two episodes in my own life of people I know—where women were caught in the dilemma of choosing between two men!

In love triangles, I found one man is usually a handsome, logical character but of dry nature, while the other man carries the juicy 'bad boy trait.' It is undoubtedly the truth, though, beyond comprehension, that a woman's heart usually feels attracted to a bad boy, but her brain and social pressure pull her to the other.

In Woody Allen's movie, the girl finally chooses the 'bad boy.' And, for me, alcoholic Sydney Carton, at last, remained the hero of Charles Dickens, not Charles Darnay.

(Critics think that Charles Dickens portrayed himself as Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton as two shades of his own. And there was an 18-year-old girl in his real life whom he wrote as Lucie in the novel).

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Dusra Kutta

(I wish, I knew the author)
(Beautiful audio- total time 8 minutes)

House and Woman (Wajoode-Zan)

(Following email is from a dear friend and I think its worth sharing)

"....Every house needs a woman. A woman can survive without a man if she has kids but a man cannot survive without a woman even if he has kids. I checked out a house when I was house hunting and there was this guy with three kids. And the house was perfectly fine but it was obvious that no woman lives there. It was almost grey and I am not even kidding. And I told the owner that as well. With all the headache woman brings to one's life, she also brings all colors to life. As Iqbal said: Wajoode-Zan se hai tasveere kaainat main rang..."

On "Dickens' Opening Statement"

I first read 'A Tale of 2 cities' by Charles Dickens almost 25 years ago and have read some parts in between. But nothing ever sank and fluttered my heart simultaneously - and has been universally accepted as the best opening line of any novel ever written in English literature. It remained so true for any individual at any given moment of Life. Indeed! life is nothing but 'A Fine Balance".

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Shumaila

Shumaila aik aesi larki thi - jo meri zindagi main sirf aik raat ke liye aayi thi magar saari zindagi ke liye ghere naqoosh chor gai. Shumaila Chicago main aik 'Pakistani escort' thi. 

Meri teesweeN salgirah (30th Birthday) pe mere doston ne mujeh surprise dene ke liye shumaila ko book kiya tha. 

Masood (here) ki dosti khatam hone ka dukh bohat taaza tha. Main ne apne birthday pe poora din hospital main kaam kiya aur sham ghar aa ke so gaya. Abhi Amma ko Karachi phone ker ke receiver cradle pe rakha hi tha ke mere apartment ke darwaze pe dastakht hui. Main ne darwaza khola to Shumaila thi. Main samjha koi galati hui hai, magar us ne mera naam le ker andar aane ko kaha. Woh andar aa gai aur aram se sofe pe beth gai. Kehne lagi: 'Main aap ki salgirah ka tohfa hun'.  Jab sari haqiqat aashkar hui - to main ne shumaila se kaha; "mujeh afsos hai ke aik Pakistani larki America main ye kaam ker rahi hai". 

Shumaila ki majboorioN ki aik lambi list thi. Chicago aa ker mian ne ghar se nikal diya tha. Peeche Pakistan main 4 bahenaiN thi. Boorhe Ma Baap the. Sach poocho to mujeh Shumaila ki story main koi interest nahi tha. Un dino har Pakistani apne saath aik kahani liye ghum raha tha. Main ne Shumaila se kaha: "Dekho larki! main nahi chahta ke, koi larki apni majboorioN ke baais mere saath hum-bistar ho. Tum jab tak chaho yahan ruko - aur jab chaho ja sakti ho".

Meri mez pe Faiz sahab ki nuskha-haaye-wafa pari thi. Kehni lagi: 'Aap Faiz ko perhte hain?' Ye woh waqt tha jab mujeh Faiz sahab ka aadha kalam az-bar tha. Main ne Chai banate huwe use Faiz Sahab ki 3/4 nazmain sunai to woh khil si gai. Kamre ka mahol thora 'halka' ho gaya. Hum batain kerne lage

Shumaila Panjab University se Urdu literature main masters thi! Urdu shayeri pe us ki khub dastars thi. Kehne lagi: 'Bohat dinoN baad shayeri ka maza aaya hai. Aur sunain na?" Main ne kuch aur nazmain sunai. Magar jab main ne use Nasir Kazmi ki nazam: "Woh sahiloN pe gaane wale kiya huwe" sunai - to Shumaila bilak bilak ke rone lagi. Kehne lagi: "Pakistan bohat yaad aa raha hai".....

Woh poore chaand ki raat thi. Kehne lagi: "aap please light off ker dain". Chicago ke chand jesi chandni shayed duniya main kahiN nahi hoti. Poora kamra chand ki chandni se bhar gaya. Hum dono  chai peete rahe aur subah 5 baje tak batain kerte rahe. 

Phir usne kaha: 'Ab main jaun gi, werna meri fajar ki namaz nikal jaaye gi". Main ne hairat se uski taraf dekha to woh kuch nahi boli bulke apni bari si bag se jaa'namaz nikali aur kehne lagi: "Layi to apne liye thi magar aap meri taraf se rakh lain". (Allah jaane, main kahan se use namazi laga)

Shumaila khud to chali gai mgar main aaj bhi us ki jaa'namaz saath liye liye phirta hun. Kehte hain pehla sajda sab se ziyada qimti hota hai. Agar zindagi main kabhi namaz parhi aur apne rab ke huzur hazir huwa to mera pehla sajda shumaila ke naam hoga!

On "Nirvana"

“Yes, there is Nirvana; it is in leading your sheep to a green pasture, and in putting your child to sleep, and in writing the last line of your poem”.  ~ Khalil Jibran

(That's also explain, why I write blog)

A quote on old age

"Being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable". ~ Annonymous

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RIP Robin Williams

One fine artist and man, Robin Williams died. One lesson which I learned and tried to teach many youngsters around me is the following scene from 'Dead Poets Society".

(See the youtube clip below and try yourself standing on table and look around the room)

I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way. You see, the world looks very different from up here. You don't believe me? Come see for yourself. Come on. Come on! Just when you think you know something, you have to look at it in another way. Even though it may seem silly or wrong, you must try! Now, when you read, don't just consider what the author thinks. Consider what you think. Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation." Don't be resigned to that. Break out! Don't just walk off the edge like lemmings. Look around you. There! There you go. Yes! Dare to strike out and find new ground.

Maryam Apa

Meri umar shayed 10 baras ki thi, jab Maryam apa biha' ker hamarey mohalle main aain. Jab pehli baar main ne Maryam apa ko dekha to dekhta hi reh gaya. Is qadar khubsurat chehra! Main ne Maryam Apa se kaha: "Aap bilkul us Shehzadi jesi hain, jinhe Kohkahaf ka jin utha ke le gaya tha". Meri baat sun ker woh hans di aur mera gaal thap-thapa diya, magar aankhoN main aansuoN ki aik halki si lakeer teyr gai, aur main sochta raha: meri baat per Apa rone kiun lagi.

 ....Aur phir kuch arse baad Maryam apa hamara mohalla chor gain. Magar unka khubsurat chehra hamesah mere saath raha. Jahan Shehzadi ki koi kahani parhi, Maryam apa yaad aa gain.

Phir main America aa gaya. Aahista Ahista un ki yaad mehv ho gai. Barson beet gaye. Zindagi main phir aik mor aaya, jab main ne apne bachhon ko shehzadi aur Jin ki kahani sunana shuru ki. Maryam Apa ka khubsurat chehra phir aankoN main cha gaya.

Peechle December, aik shadi main Maryam apa ki bhanji mil gain. Main ne Maryam Apa ka haal poocha, to usne bataya: Maryam Apa ke saath bohat buri hui. Yake baad degre 6 bachhe paida kiye. Barson se shohar unhe maarta peetta hai, dande se kutai kerta hai - aur aksar ghar se nikal deta hai. Korangi ke kisi be-haal chote se mohalle main guzara ker rahi hain. Us ne apne phone pe tasveer dikhai to yaqeen nahi aaya, ye wahi Maryam apa hain. 35 baras main unho ne 100 baras ke safar tey kiya tha. Chehre pe jhuriaN ubhar aayi thiN. Un ki tasveeer dekh ker mujeh laga shayed hawa main 'oxygen' ki kami ho gai hai. Mera dum ghutne laga tha. Main taza hawa ke liye hotel se bahir aa gaya.

35 baras lag gaye mujeh ye baat samjhne main ke, jub main ne un se kaha ke: "Aap bilkul us Shehzadi jesi hain, jinhe Kohkahaf ka jin utha ke le gaya tha" - to kiun unki aankhoN main aansu ubhar aaye the!

Ye hamari kesi zindagiyaN hain, jahan koi shehzada nahi aata - aur kai Maryam ApaiN maut tak, be-haal mohalloN ke barzakh main jhulasti rehti hain!

An extended meaning of "Halal"

I have an interesting maulvi friend. He has one foot long beard. But comfortably, he can sit in a bar with all gora friends sipping orange juice, discussing cirrhosis. (Not to mention, once he tried to convince a stripper to consider hijab while taking a lap dance!)

Few days ago, we went to a restaurant. I ordered my favourite 'medium done rib eye steak". My maulvi friend informed me that in restaurants steaks taste very yummy because in farms they castrate bulls (cutting testicles), which make bulls chubby and end result is yummy steaks due to high fat. And then he made an interesting statement: "Halal does not only mean to eat an animal who is koshered with God's name but also include animals who are properly and rightfully reared and grazed before Qurbani".

Aur main sochta raha - is defination se kitne log Halal khate honge?