Monday, July 29, 2019

Hats off to Salman

Khan Academy is now a well-known household name in the USA.

Socrates said: "The unexamined life is not worth living". I disagree! I think a life without a contribution to surrounding humans is not worth living.

My hats off to Salman Khan. See this video. Even Bill Gates is impressed. He is down to earth and funny. Video has closed caption to read the transcript.

Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

Saturday, July 27, 2019

کرم یافتہ لوگ...


واصف علی واصف صاحب لکھتے ہیں 

”جس پہ کرم ہے، اُس سے کبھی پنگا نہ لینا۔ وہ تو کرم پہ چل رہا ہے۔ تم چلتی مشین میں ہاتھ دو گے، اُڑ جاؤ گے۔ 

کرم کا فارمولا تو کوئی نہیں ۔اُس کرم کی وجہ ڈھونڈو۔ جہاں تک میرا مشاہدہ ہے، جب بھی کوئی ایسا شخص دیکھا جس پر ربّ کا کرم تھا، اُسے عاجز پایا۔ پوری عقل کے باوجود بس سیدھا سا بندہ۔ بہت تیزی نہیں دکھائے گا۔ اُلجھائے گا نہیں۔ رستہ دے دے گا۔ بہت زیادہ غصّہ نہیں کرے گا۔سِمپل بات کرے گا۔ میں نے ہر کرم ہوئے شخص کو مخلص دیکھا ـــ  غلطی کو مان جاتا ہے۔ معذرت کر لیتا ہے۔ سرنڈر کر دیتا ہے۔ 

جس پر کرم ہوا ہے نا، میں نے اُسے دوسروں کے لئے فائدہ مند دیکھا۔* یہ ہو ہی نہیں سکتا کہ آپ کی ذات سے نفع ہو رہا ہو، اور اللہ آپ کے لئے کشادگی کو روک دے۔ وہ اور کرم کرے گا۔

میں نے ہر صاحبِ کرم کو احسان کرتے دیکھا ہے۔ حق سے زیادہ دیتا ہے۔ اُس کا درجن 13 کا ہوتا ہے، 12 کا نہیں۔ اللہ کے کرم کے پہیے کو چلانے کے لئے آپ بھی درجن 13 کا کرو اپنی زندگی میں۔ اپنی کمٹمنٹ سے تھوڑا زیادہ احسان کر دیا کرو۔

نہیں تو کیا ہو گا؟ حساب پہ چلو گے تو حساب ہی چلے گا!  دل کے کنجوس کے لئے کائنات بھی کنجوس ہے۔ 

دل کے سخی کے لئے کائنات خزانہ ہے۔جب زندگی کے معاملات اڑ جائیں سمجھ جاؤ تم نے دوسروں کے معاملات اڑاۓ ہوۓ ہیں ۔ 

آسانیاں دو آسانیاں ملیں گی


(It was a forward on whatsapp)

Friday, July 26, 2019

Brexit, immigrants and my learning point

Living as an immigrant in the USA under Trump, I thought most immigrants in the UK will be opposing Brexit.

To my surprise, I met a person who himself immigrated to the UK somewhere around the year 2000, was highly defending Brexit on the pretext that people from eastern Europe are taking over jobs and are changing the good English values. I was taken aback but later did a little read on the internet, I fount that a large number of Asians voted to leave EU.

I learned! We try our best but second or third generation eventually lose their roots.

  ~ aur us se bhi ziyada - insaan bara Kamina hai - Bohat jald apna bura waqt bhool jaata hai

Friday, July 19, 2019

Family business & love

Mere ghar se thora aage, Bombay ki aik family ka chota sa dhaba style restaurant hai.... ghar ke char afrad mil ker business chalate hain. Andaza hota hai, mushkil se compete ker rahe hain....

Magar jab bhi wahan gaya..na sirf khane ka sawad aa gaya bulke ghar jesi muhabbat bhi khane main ghul mil si gai... Amma jab tawe se garam garam roti utar ke deti hain to apna ghar sa yaad aa jata hai..

Always respect, appreciate and encourage family businesses.

Friday, July 12, 2019

Aehsan aur shar - 2

(As Aly asked: Does it mean, we stop doing charity and helping out others?)

I always tell my scientific minded curious son that life is full of paradoxes, and joy is to live through it and try to solve it.


Ye bhi life ka aik ajeeb paradox hai ke: "Jis pe aehsan karo, us ke shar se bacho"

I pondered on this for many years. I think this is due to one or combination of many reasons.

1. Shayed hum jab kisi pe aehsan kerte hain to - nafsiyati tor pe chahte hain ke woh hamara aehsan-mand ho - aur jab ye 'expectation' poori nahi hoti - to choti si baat bhi baRi lagti hai

2. Jab hum kisi pe aehsan kerte hain - to woh 'out of the way' ja ker, 'overboard' ho ke hamare aehsan ka badla chukana chahta hai - aur is gaRbaR main hamara nuqsan ker bethta hai.

3. Hum murawwat main kisi pe aehsan kerte chale jaate hain aur Aehsan lene wale ko aadat ho jaati hai - aur jab hum wahi ya wesa hi aehsan nahi ker paate - to woh bhaRk jaata hai

4. Kuch log hote hi kamine hain - jese kehte hain: Jin ki fitrat main ho dasna dasaa kerte hain

Main ne ye bhi seekha hai ke: aehsan ker ke dur ho jao!

Charity should continue though!!


Sunday, July 07, 2019

Bathroom

I was in a departmental store to buy regular stuff for the house. As I was passing near the bedroom/home decor section, I saw the slogan: "World is turning into a bedroom", is graffiti by a marker. Someone cut the word bed and replaced it with the word bath to make it: "World is changing into a bathroom".

I am genuinely worried about the wave of populism and intolerance right now at every part of the world, and the world we are leaving for our future generation. The only hope I see is the more tolerant and educated new generation. I have to confess that,  the baby boomers and my generation never made from a crying baby into real manhood.

Friday, July 05, 2019

On Karachi's Afro-Pakistanis (Makranis)

If you have ever lived in Karachi - you will smile as soon as you hear the word Makranis. The most beautiful people I ever met.

In my previous life in Pakistan, I passed the public service commission (popularly known as Muqable ka imtihan) and was deputed at Liyari General Hospital. I was given a personal peon. His name was tapu. He was a walking talking encylopedia of makranis' history.

After my previous post, a reader sends me a facebook link, and it brought back a lot of nostalgia of my brief time at Liyari.

"The African slaves were brought in Makran during the rule of Sultanate of Oman after they took over this region in 1784. Coming back to the Makranis, they are reffered into the history as "Siddis" (pronounced as "Sheedis"). They are also known as "Habshis", probably in relation to the Muslim history of "Habsha" now known as Ethopia. .........At the end of 18th century and the beginning of 19th century, Karachi was florishing as a busy Port, creating job opportunities and was gaining reputation as a town free of feudal lords and slavery. This made many Africans from elsewhere in India including makran to escape to the karachi to find their ultimate abode in Liyari. Which was then the first neighbourhood of karachi."

Read and see pictures of their interesting history at this facebook link: https://bit.ly/2Xutywd

https://www.facebook.com/groups/194310214411607/permalink/634388110403813/

Wednesday, July 03, 2019

Aehsan aur shar

Shayed Hazrat Ali ka qol hai:

"Jis pe aehsan karo, us ke shar se bacho".

All psychological explanations aside :: Main ne is baat ko zindagi main bohat sach paya hai

Tuesday, July 02, 2019

Practicing Profession

Aik din Karachi main kisi kaam se Lee Market jaana huwa - peeche se koi juloos nikal paRa aur saara transport band ho gaaya.

Aik makrani baloch bhai ki Gadha gari saRak kinare khaRi thi - main ne kaha Guru Mandir tak choR do, us ne shayed 23 rupe maange - main ne kaha 15 rupe dunga - wagera wagera (ab woh negotition yaad bhi aati hai to hasi aati hai)

Us ke baad us ne jis maharat se Jalse jaloos ke beech se - mujhe Guru mandir paunchaya hai - main hairan reh gaya. Guru mandir paunch ke main ne kaha - yaar kamal ke aadmi ho ; gadha gaari motorcycle se tez chalate ho. Makrani bhai ne jo jawab diya, woh aaj bhi meri rehnumaai kerta hai. Usne apne makhsoos makrani lehje main kaha: "Apun gaaRi roz chalata hai, mehnat aur piyar se chalata hai - aur maze le le ke chalata hai"!

Mera nahi khayal kisi MBA ki kitab main, profession practice kerne ki itni saada defination kabhi likhi gai ho gi!