A Quote

Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become A monster.
~ Friedrich Nietzsche

'Written in the Stars' by Ayesha Saeed

What one thing I would have done different! I would have killed Saif and Naila.

I am sure author would have pondered about killing them while writing the manuscript but at last she decided to make it a happily ever after ending. In real world, family would have killed both of them in Land of Pure. Irrespective of ending, its a beautiful novel. Its a simple and a straightforward story but a very powerful one. I had to close the book and take a deep breath when Amin forcefully consummate his marriage with Naila (marital rape).

'Written in the Stars' is a novel about 'kidnapped brides' from western countries to back home for the sake of family's false value of honor! Its about a very very common and under reported problem encountered by desi girls in USA and Europe. Environment in Pakistan was described with so much authenticity that I was wondering, if author travelled to rural Pakistan while writing novel?

What I really liked about this novel is the description of the role of parents and elders of family played in 'kidnapped brides'. Author didn't go any diplomatic and she is telling the truth on the face!

At the end of the novel, links/resources are provided for girls if they fell prey to such circumstances.

(I wish Imran - brother - had larger character in novel)

(link http://www.aishasaeed.com/p/main-page.html )

Kelly

ShahroN pe aesi bijliaN tab hi gira kerti hain aur aese toofan tab hi aaya kerte hain jab kisi ka dil reza reza huwa kerta hai.

Washington State main baarish aur toofan to roz hi aaya kerte the magar us raat toofan is qadar shadeed tha ke Ocean City ke makan main har lamha mera dil dharkta raha ke kahin koi deewar hi na gir paaRe. Poori raat bijlian kaRkti rahin, badal garjte rahe aur khiRkian khaRkti rahin......

Mujhe yaad hai us raat moom-batti ki roshni main, apni diary main ne tehreer kiya tha ke: "Kiya ye wahi toofan nahi hai jo is raat 'Kelly' ke dil-o-dimag se guzar raha hai"?

Kelly mere clinic main part time social health worker thi. Use apne shohar Jim se janoon ki had tak muhabbat thi. Jim ki Ma unke saath raha kerti thi magar har roz saas aur bahu main laRaai rehti thi. Kelly apni Mother-in-Law ko nafrat se Monster-in-Law  kaha kerti thi. Is se uski apni saas se nafrat ka andaza ho sakta hai....

.........Aur un dono ki laRaaii ke beech Jim chup chaap pees raha tha. Jim se main kai baar mil chuka tha. Intihaii shareefun-nafs aur khamosh tabiyat ka insaan tha. Woh is laRaaii  ke zaher ko andar hi andar peeta raha.

Aur phir aik din khabar aaii ke Jim ko brain tumor ho gaya hai aur aik dam se kuch dinoN main Jim is dunya se chala gaya. Kelly ko mehsoos hone laga ke Jim ko brain tumor uski wajah se huwa hai.

Jis din hum Jim ke funeral se wapas aaye, Kelly bohat roti rahi aur us raat bohat gazab ka toofan hamare shahr se guzra! Aesa toofan ke aaj tak us ki haibat mere dil per bethi hai.

Kal phir poori raat mere Shahr pe aik aesa hi toofan garajta raha! Aur andhere main apne bister pe lete lete main sochta raha - lagta hai aaj phir kisi Kelly ka dil reza reza huwa hai.

(Hear this post below)

"Jab...."

Jese hi hum apne jumle ka agaaz aese kerte hain: 

"Jab main wahan tha......",
"Jab main ne ye kiya tha ....",
"Jab mere paas woh tha..."

WahiN se aap ki baat ki tauqeer khatam ho jaati hai, sunne wale ka 'interest' khatam ho jata - aur wahin se aap ki Anaa' ki nafi shuru ho jaati hai

Khili khili

"Kiya baat hai Ashu? Shadi ke baad bari  khili khili, khush khush aur nikhri nikhri nazar aane lagi ho?"

"Jab ye pata ho ke ghar jaane per koi sofe pe TV dekhte, channel badalte - aap ka intazar ker raha hoga - to khush rehne ke liye yahi aehsas bohat hai."

A quote

(It took me decades to understand the depth of the following quote of Tolstoy)

Kohni (elbow)

Main shayed Medical College ke 3rd ya 4th year main tha. Main 'Sadar' se ghar jaane ke liye Mini-Bus main betha. Meri aage wali seat pe 70/80 baras ke aik baa-resh buzurg apne 9/10 saal ke pote ke saath bethe the. Mini-Bus main rush tha, Hamari seat ke saath aik 15/16 saal ka laRka, Mini-Bus ka danda pakRe khaRa tha. Mini jo tezi se bhagna shuru hui to us laRke ka haat Dande se 2/3 baar chooT gaya, aur un Buzurg ko uski kohni lag gai. Buzurg jalal main aa gaye. Gaalion main laRke ke khandan ki patloon tak utar li. LaRka shariff sa tha, chup raha...baat yahan tak hoti to theek thi ke Karachi ki basoN main ye roz ka maamool tha.....magar buzurg laRke ke saath, apne pote seemat us ke 'stop' pe utar gaye.... (Mujeh kahaniaN dhundne ka aur Sherlock Holmes banne ka shoq tha - main bhi utar gaya ke dekhun kiya hota hai)....Buzurk ne us laRke ke kaan pakre aur us ke ghar ki taraf saath chal diye....woh gareeb , 'che piddi che piddi ka shorba', buzurg ko saRak se 8/10 galian choR ke apne ghar ke darwaze tuk le gaya (main wahan se wapas muR gaya). ........Ye chota sa, bulke bohat chota sa waqiyaa tha, magar ye waqiya barsoN mujeh yaad raha aur main sochta raha..Buzurg ki Ana aur kadoorat ne na sirf unka apna aur larke ka waqt barbaad kiya bulke larke aur uske ghar walon ko bhi kis zehni azziyat se guzara ho gaa, bulke sabse baRh ker apne potey ke dimag pe kiya asar daala hoga ----  ...aur phir ye waqiyaa aahista aahista dimag se mahev ho gaya....

Is baat ke koi 22 baras baad, meri Ottawa ki flight thi, aur Toronto se connection tha. Mujeh andaza nahi tha ke Canadian immigration Toronto se hoga aur Ottawa ke liye mujeh 'Terminal change' aur phir se 'domestic security' se guzarna ho ga....Main jab 'domestic security' pe pauncha to saamne aik lambi qataar thi aur meri flight ne '30 minutes' main 'depart' hona tha. Main har kisi se kehta: "I have flight in 30 minutes, may I go ahead?" aur har koi mujeh aapne aage jaane deta.....security se zara pehle aik 80/85 baras ke baRe mian ne kaha: "No you can't. Be in line. And I don't care if you miss your flight"... Kiya kerta.....I stayed in line. (After security I ran as hard as I can, holding my belt and shoes in one hand and bag in other and made to flight). .... Us din mujeh pehla wala waqiyaa aik dum se yaad aa gaya.

(I hope, I don't get that jhakki in my oldhood)

Zindagi main mujeh ye baat seekhne main bohat waqt laga ke: "Har baat main, sahi hona zaroori nahi, magar maherbaan hona zaroori hai" (Its more important in life to be kind than always be right).

Sadiq Bhai ki Princess

 Sadiq bhai was my neighbor 12 years ago. We had a very good rapo and shared many evenings together in our neighborhood coffee shop. Later we both moved on with our lives. Neither of us made any effort ever to contact each other. We were like 2 passengers who were at platform for few hours for trains going in opposite directions. Sadiq bhai was 5 years older than me. He was an average Pakistani immigrant who came to this country empty handed but with honesty and hard work found true America as a land of opportunity. He worked as a handyman and a car mechanic and over years became an owner of cab company owning almost 100 cabs. Money brought more money and in true sense he became a multimillionaire, but always remained grounded to earth. (I learned some part of his story later). When last time, I met him 12 years ago he was a regular lean thin average Joe type person. Accidentally, few weeks ago we bumped each other in a desi restaurant. His body habitus was changed. He has become a very muscular man and was obvious that he is a body-builder. I asked: "Kiya Sadiq Bhai! Aik dam Salman Khan lag rahe ho? bari jaan-shaan banaa li. Ye body-building ke chakkar main kese par gaye?"

 As we caught 12 years of our lives, he told me: "I finally married a very nice American  white woman. We fall in love and remained in love till today. We quickly conceived a child. Unfortunately my daughter who is 10 now, was born with a very rare genetic problem, called lissencephaly, which made her physically and mentally challenged. Every night when she goes to sleep, I don't know if she will ever wake up to see the sun rise. She is the love of my life and if I have do it all over again I will have her the same exact way. Her life span is may be eighteen or nineteen years of age. It doesn't matter because, I live one day at a time with her and enjoy it. If she lived to be 18 or 19, I want to give her the best 19 years. In a way its a blessing that her life span is short, because I would like to take care of her in my life time. I wouldn't want to die with a burden of who is going to take care of my girl. And to stay healthy for her, I eat healthy, I exercise regularly and I try to keep myself fit. She is my princess and anything for her." As he showed picture of his princess to me on his wallet, instead of tears I saw a beautiful smile in his eyes. 

Aur main sochta raha: "Allah ki sari aazmaishaiN sirf us ke sachhe aur khare bandoN ke liye kiun hoti hai?"