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"

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.

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

"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!

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

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…"

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!!

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"

On unnecessary religious controversies!

I am not a very religious man but over years one simple story from Imam Abu Hanifa guided my way to live a tolerant life when it comes to religious beliefs. Someone asked Imam Abu Hanifa (on classic Shia-Sunni conflict among Muslims), what he thought who was on the right path in Jang-e-Jamal. He replied, "God will not ask me this question after death so I am not worried about it."

What he was implying that most differences are historical and what matters to All Mighty is your deeds.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green (& Hope Springs)

'The Odd Life of Timothy Green' is a new Hollywood flick. Its an interesting abstract simple low budget movie. Being a parent it was an important watch for me.

We all crave to have a perfect child! and we all think that our child is a miracle! Its true in many senses but things get complicated when your child is 'different' (No! I don't mean abnormal). Each child comes with his own strengths and weaknesses. He may not be a perfect piano player, swimmer or a soccer player - but he may have other artistic strengths. More than anything, he may be an optimistic, good heart survivor!! He may be the source of your own creativity. Parenthood is an experience which you lives through! Also, you will love your adopted child as much as your own biological child.

Trailer here

P.S: If you like adult-theme-'spouse related relationship issues'-type-movie, watch "Hope Springs". I have no second thought that Meryl Streep is the finest actress in Hollywood!! and Tommy Lee Jones is a very under-appreciated actor! (Sexual language) Trailer here

Sorry!

During mindless human genocide, carnage and riots of 1947 partition, Saadat Hasan Manto wrote a 4 line short story, named 'Sorry', which became an Urdu classic! (Let see how many can understand this short tell)

(Source: here)

“Ripping the belly cleanly, the knife moved in a straight line down the midriff, in the process slashing the cord, which had held the man’s pajamas in place. The one with the knife took one look and exclaimed regretfully, ‘Tut, tut, tut! … Mishtake!” (Translation by Khalid Hasan)

Hu!

Bohat dinoN se aik uljhan thi  - jo andar hi andar khaye ja rahi thi.

Sare-aiina hi pase-aaina ka aks tha
Andhera bhi wahiN tha, roshni bhi wahiN thi
Hidayat bhi wahiN thi, jahan gumrahi thi

Aur woh aik 'Allah-wali' tawaiif ka roop dhare hui thi.....

Aik asan sa jumle andar hi andar ghut raha tha: "Huzur! marne wale bhi aap ho, bachane wale bhi aap ho - aakhir ye kiya majra hai"

Aur phir - aik dost ne Hazrat Shah Niyaz (here) ki ye nazam bheji to aankhoN se aansu chalak pare! Allah jaane ye nazam ka saher tha ya Abida Perveen ki awaz ka Jadoo". Full poem is below.

Yaar ko hamne ja ba ja dekha, Kahin zaahir kahin chhupa dekha.
Nukta-e-imaan se waaqif ho, Chehra-e-yaar ja ba ja dekha.
Kahin mumkin hua kahin waajib, Kahin faani kahin baqa dekha.
Deed apne ki thi use khwahish, Aap ko har tarah bana dekha.
Dekhta aap hai sune hai aap, Na koi uska ma siwa dekha.
Soorat-e-gul mein khilkhila ke hansa, Shakl-e-bulbul mein chahchaha dekha.
Shama ho kar ke aur parwana, Aap ko aap mein jala dekha.
Kar ke daawa kahin anal haq ka, Bar sare daar wo khincha dekha.
Tha woh bartar shuma-o-ma se 'Niyaz', Phir wohi ab shuma-o-ma dekha.
Kahin begaanavash nazar aaya, Kahin surat se aashna dekha.
Kahin hai badshah-e-takht nashin, Kahin kaasa liye gada dekha.
Kahin aabid banaa kahin zahid, Kahin rindon ka peshwa dekha.
Kahin woh dar libaas-e-mashooqaan, Bar sare naaz aur ada dekha,
Kahin aashiq 'Niyaz' ki soorat, Seena biryaan-o-dil jala dekha.

Why I don't sleep with married women!

I was having an happy hour with folks at work. One colleague made an interesting comment when talk turned to sex!

"I don't seduce, flirt or sleep with married women. I've been cheated on before and it f**king sucks. I don't want to put another human being through that."

Bachpan aur Eid ka woh Hilali chand!

Jab hum chote chote se the to har Eid per sham se chand dekhne ghar ki chat (roof) pe char jaate...phir pata lagta pichli gali se chand nazar aa raha hai, to hum wahan bhagte....

Buzurg kehte ke - Eid ka Hilali chand dekh ker jo Dua ma'ngo, zaroor puri hoti hai..aur hum kiya mangte? School ki aik 'extra' chutti, dher sari eidi, Eid wale din Pepsi ki 'botal', khilone, Cricket main Pakistan ki jeet, Javed Miandad ki century, naye joote, Eid ka naya Shalwar Kameez (neele rang ka)....

Baqol Faiz sahab: "Aur Dil kehta hai har baar, chalo laut chalo"*

* And Heart says every time ! lets take journey back

On Ocean, Women and Moon

"................They spoke of her (ocean) as a contestant or a place or even an enemy. But the old man always thought of her as feminine and as something that gave or withheld great favours, and if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them. The moon affects her as it does a woman, he thought".

(from Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea") - What a fine read this book is!

Subcontinental plagiarism - 2

On my previous post, Beyond put an interesting comment. Also, when I shared this article with my friends privately on email, I received few more interesting replies. I guess, it deserves a post.

1. Beyond said: "I read by chance a 1975 'Readers Digest' (RD) which I found in a second hand shop in Islamabad. Few days later, I was listening to late Ashfaq Ahmad in one of his famous talk show. A complete article was taken out of the RD about graciousness of heart.I was so really surprised".

2. A friend informed me that Ghalib completely plagiarized a 'sher' of Persian poet  Bedil:

Bedil sher was: 

Bu-e-gul,nala-e-dil,dood-e-cheragh-e-mehfil
Her k az bazm-e-tu barkhast,pareshaN barkhast

Ghalib sher was:
Bu-e-gul,nala-e-dil,dood-e-cheragh- e-mehfil
Jo teri bazm sae nikla,so pareshaN nikla

3. It is said that Rabindranath 'Tagore's Gitanjali is fully plagiarized in style from Saadi's Gulistan-o-Bostaan and Hikayaat.

4. Allama Iqbal's central idea of poetry -  "Khudi" -  is fully obtained from Nietzsche

5. Kamal Ahmad Rizvi's central characters of super hit "Alif Noon" are 100% lifted from Hollywood's Laurel & Hardy as today many Pakistani/Indian movies and TV serials are copy cats... (though name is a short version of PTV's boss at that time - Agha Nasir)

I guess list goes on..!

Subcontinental plagiarism

After long time I read a very high standard literary article from a Pakistani newspaper. (In last few years, most of Pakistani journalism has eroded to nothing but junk). Taking clue from Fareed Zakaria's recent confession of plagiarism, author reviewed plagiarism in Urdu literature! And it is a very fine read...

"Who hasn’t read Ismat Chughtai’s short stories and novels and fallen for her? Anyone who has read Lihaaf or Til or Masooma or Ziddi is fond of her. The latter, which was also made into a film, is an almost plagiarised version of a Turkish writer’s novel, Hajira. The Turkish author, who wrote by the pseudonym of Adalat Khanam, penned Hajira in English in the late 19th century. After prominent historian Amir Ali highly appreciated the book in his presidential address at the Calcutta Mohammedan Educational Conference in 1897, it was translated into Urdu in 1899. Some 43 years later, Chughtai came out with her novella, Ziddi. She changed the Turkish, Muslim names into Hindu names and turned the comedy into a tragedy. Most of the plot, dialogue and setting remain the same;..."

Read full article:  Subcontinental plagiarism: Idrees Bakhtiar

URL: http://dawn.com/2012/08/14/subcontinental-plagiarism/

Different

"All men are pigs and all women are bitches. Don't you agree?"
"Let me put it this way. They both are different animals"

Saheri ke baad!

(A true episode as narrated to me)

Hum college main achhe dost the! 
Jub college chuta to saari dostiaN bhi chut gai. 
Ab to college chore bhi 30 baras ho gaye...

Hamari us ke baad sirf aik baar rasmi si mulaqat hui. 
Na koi rabta na koi taaluq. 
Na kabhi koi email na kabhi dostoN main koi khas zikar....

Aaj subah sehri ke baad mujeh ganoodgi se mehsoos hui. Main bistar pe let gaya. Khawab main kiya dekhta hun - hum phir college main hain aur dostoN ka mazaq chal raha hai.. Main us se khub bataiN ker raha hun......Phir meri aankh khul gai....Aankh khuli to aik ajeeb si bechani thi...

Aur phir kahin se khabar aai ke - "kul raat mar gaya woh" *

Shayed waqte-nazah usne mujeh halka sa yaad kia hoga....

Kiya insaani rishte kabhi nahi marte?


* It was morning in Pakistan but night in USA

5 Quotes

Life is similar to Boxing game.
Defeat is NOT declared when you fall down;
It is declared when you refuse to ‘Get Up’!

Two things bring happiness & success in life:
 1. The way you MANAGE when you have nothing, and
 2. The way you BEHAVE when you have everything !

A Deaf child says: “For all of you, I am deaf; But for me, all of you are dumb…”
 Moral: Life differs in each perspective.

 Do you know why God didn't give us the gift to read others’ minds?
 So that, We could have the chance to “TRUST”, And privilege to be “TRUSTED”!

Diplomacy is an art of telling people to go to hell in such a way that they tend to ask you for directions..!!