On "women and zewar"

(A friend said this in emotional storm - True?)

Allah ne aurat bhi kamal ki cheez banaii hai - Koi rishta toot jaaye to itni dukhi nahi hoti,  magar agar koi man-pasand zewar kho jaaye

On "weaning vs liberation"

Doctors are well aware that if any patient who is on the ventilator, and when he starts to get better of his disease, is taken off from ventilator via a systemic protocol. In common words, it is called "weaning". As patient gets better, and can slowly takes over his or her own breathing -oxygen, respiratory rate and other parameters are progressively cut down. One of our (teaching) attending always used to correct us. If in our presentation we use the word 'weaning', he will say: weaning is a misnomer which misguide doctors. Right terminology is liberation from the ventilator. Many patients never come out of ventilator by getting tangled into nitty jitty of the protocol of weaning. Complications occur during the process which many times can be fatal.

(I remember him coming in the morning, getting sedation off on patients and if on handshake patient feels strong, he will pull endotracheal tube out - and amazingly most patients stayed off ventilator)

Over years, I learned in my life that, same thing is true for relationships. Either relationships exist or they don't! You can't wean relationships.

On "Sibling Rivalry"

It was almost 3 in the morning when I came out at Manchester airport. It was not a surprise that my taxi driver was a 60-year-old Pakistani gentleman, named Yasir sahib. When he came to know that I am from USA, he started to ask many questions and was curious about going to USA, trying luck and be prosperous like his brother!

"Hum do bhai the. Woh USA chala gaya aur main qismat aazmane UK chala aaya. 40 baras main woh bohat aage nikal gaya aur main ab tak Taxi driver. Khandan main har jagah usi ki baat hoti hai, aao bhagat hoti hai aur taarifoN ke taante bandhte hain. Main ne to ab ruswaii ke dar se Pakistan jaana bhi choR diya hai. Bus aik dafa duniya ko dikha dun ke main bhi us ki tarah kuch hun"

And I was thinking:

Ye zindagi saali baRi kutti cheez hai - Insaan ke bachpan ke ghao kabhi nahi bharne deti. Insaan saari zindagi kisi na kisi surat gali main doRne wale bachhoN main se woh bachha banna chahta hai, jo looti patang haat main le ker aik faateh ki tarah mohalle main dakhil hota hai, aur baqi sab bachhoN ko tamaskhur ki nigah se dekhta hai.

Shayed Insaan kabhi baRa nahi hota - bus bachpan ke khel ke rang badal jaate hain.

On our "Humility Pies"

When I was in fellowship, one of our attending was famous to thrash house staff (residents/fellows) who tend to brag about their academic knowledge by asking further difficult questions. He used to say: "Son it is your time to eat some humility pie".

Life is another teacher which make sure to feed us our humility pies whenever we tend to cross our line.

Insaan khubsurat ho to ishq ka ghao kha jaata hai
DusroN pe dhons jamaye to beemari kha jaati hai
Aqalmandi pe magroor ho to  koi chuna laga jaata hai
BaRe chao se gaari khareedtta hai to koi nuqs nikal aata hai
Shandaar makan main basera kare to chat' tapakne lagti hai
siyana ho ke short cut maare to traffic jam main phans jaata hai

I found life to serve everyone, his or her share of humility pie

Masaan / Montreal Airport gate # 75

(The following post has two parts. Interestingly, the last scene was a replica of one event from my own life - and I am sure from many other people's lives.)

I had never heard of or intended to watch this Indian movie, but this was my only choice while on the airplane.

This is an interesting movie that takes you in its grip from the first scene. Life is a strange and bizarre collection of unexpected events that sometimes leave people numb and not knowing how to react. Unexpected sudden deaths or near-deaths of loved ones, the financial crisis in the middle of poverty, class differences, and brutality of society - we all live in the ocean of such potential setbacks. In the end, an ordinary human has no choice but

- to let go of sorrow (as Devi let go of the gift of her boyfriend at one of the ghaat of Varanasi) 

- and share the sufferings of other humans (as Deepak did by offering the bottled water to her).

Word masaan is a short form of shamshaan (cremation place).

The movie reportedly won many awards.

Trailer @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKJfBo3xMW0

*

---------------------------------------------------------

Ye shayed 2013 ka saal tha. Main thake qadmoN Montreal Airport ke gate number 75 pe apni flight ka intazaar ker raha tha. Saamne 'second cup' se li hui 'chai latte' mere haaton main thandi ho rahi thi. BichaRne wale mehboob ka dukh bhi shadeed tha aur apni kam-maaigi ka aehsaas bhi bohat qawi tha. Mere saamne aik 20-22 baras ki french-canadian laRki baar baar apne cell-phone ki screen dekhti jaati thi aur zaar-o-qatar roye jaati thi. Jab uska rona hichkioN main bandh giya to main ne us se poocha: "I hope everything is OK with you? And is there anything I can do for you?". Us ne apne cell-phone ki screen mujeh dikhaii - jis pe uske boyfriend ka message tha: "we can't be together, we are done". Aese moqoN pe alfaaz kahan kaam aate hain - main uth ker phir 'second cup' gaya - aur pani ki aik bottle laa ker use de di ke 'I hope you feel better'! 

- aur larki ne jo anghooti mujeh wapas ki thi, ko wahin aik charity box main drop ker diya.

A quote

Playing A Violin With Three Strings

"........

Here is a man who has prepared all his life to make music on a violin of four strings, who, all of a sudden, in the middle of a concert, finds himself with only three strings; so he makes music with three strings, and the music he made that night with just three strings was more beautiful, more sacred, more memorable, than any that he had ever made before, when he had four strings. So, perhaps our task in this shaky, fast-changing, bewildering world in which we live is to make music, at first with all that we have, and then, when that is no longer possible, to make music with what we have left."


Read full story here

Weblink: http://www.inspirationpeak.com/shortstories/threestringedviolin.html

Qeemat

Zindagi main aesa bhi hota hai ke koi baat, insaan barson pehle sunta hai aur uski gheraii ka aehsaas use zindagi ke kisi aur hisse main ja ker hota hai.

Gul (here) ne aik dafa kaha tha: "Bazari aurat qeemat mard ke saath sone ki nahi, bulke  jis zillat aur ghiN se use guzarna paRta hai, us ki leti hai - Jis din tumhe koi khilone (sex-toy) ki tarah istamaal ker ke dustbin main phenk dega - us din tumhe bazari aurat ke dukh ke paataal ki gheraii ka andazza hoga". 

Life is like a .....

Mujeh apne aik dost ki baat aksar yaad aati hai, magar blog pe likhte likhte ruk jaata tha - ke thoRi na-shaistaa hai - ke - 

"Life is like a group sex. -- Jis ko jahan moqa milta hai, woh dusre ki thoK deta hai -- hum sab bhi bus aese hi hain"

Jhoot ki Tijarat

Jis rishte main sirf jhoot ki tijarat ho - us se sifaye dukh, barbaadi, saraab aur nuqsaan ke - kiya haat aana hai

Zootopia

Lately, I found kids' animated movies full of mature themes. 'Inside Out' (here) and 'Minions' (here) were two remarkable movies where complicated concepts were simplified for kids in simple animated versions. Zootopia is on the same line. Zootopia came out at least 2 months back and I was scratching my head with wonder that why this movie became a huge blockbuster, and so many adults went to theaters to watch this movie.

In view of the recent political climate of USA - it was a perfect statement against bigotries, myths and biases of any human society, which may get out of hand with a simple misconception and may harm many innocent lives - and destroy communities. If you are a Muslim, gay, black or an immigrant in present day's America  - and if you are watching inflammatory rhetoric of Donald Trump with apprehensions - this movie is for you to watch.

With massive box-office  business, I am happy that most of the common Americans embraced the idea and notion display in the movie that color, origination (said as DNA in the movie), religion or any other orientation do not make humans savages or predators but one given bad ideology can turn any human into it.

I agree with Mr. Warren Buffet - that people like Donald Trump may slow the process of the diversification (popularly known as melting pot) of America - but it will not stop American business, and kids born in present day America are the luckiest crop!

Full five stars to movie

On "Organ donations"

(I have previously posted on this blog at various occasions advocating the issue. Following is a forwarded message. I am not sure how true is the story but it makes perfect sense).

One of the richest and most powerful men in Brazil, Thane Chiquinho Scarpa, made waves when he announced plans to bury his million-dollar Bentley, so he could drive around his afterlife in style. He received lots of media attention, mostly negative and was severely criticized for the extravagant gesture and wasting of a precious commodity. Why wouldn’t he donate the car to charity? How out of touch with reality is this guy? He still went ahead with the ceremony. But, there’s a twist.

Moments before lowering the car in the ground prepared for the burial of his Bentley,he declared that he wouldn't bury his car and then revealed his genuine motive for the drama: Just to create awareness for organ donation. “People condemn me because I wanted to bury a million dollar Bentley, in fact, most people bury something a lot more valuable than my car,” Scarpa said during a speech at the ceremony. “They bury hearts, livers, lungs, eyes, kidneys. This is absurd. So many people waiting for a transplant and you bury your healthy organs that could save so many lives!”

Think about it.

On "Adam n Eve'

Kehte hain: Saari zindagi mard apni Ma aur aurat apne Baap ki talash main rehti hai

Magar - khud Aurat ke andar ki Ma - aur mard ke andar ka baap - kabhi nahi marta!

Aurat maashuq ho to piyar neechawar kerne ke saath saath possessive ho jaati hai - aur aksar usi aag main apna sab kuch jala leti hai
- Aur -
Mard aashiq ho to saala protective hone ke saath saath haakim ho jaata hai - aur zor na chale to jabar pe utar aata hai

Aik gorkh dhandha

On 'Echo' - Aik choti si khubsurat baat

One Turkish painting

Nothing was accidental when I visited the land of Ustad Rumi! Our flight from Istanbul landed at Kayseri airport very late. It was past 12 midnight. Our Van driver in darkness lost his way and on top of it van breakdown in the middle of nowhere. It was already 3 AM. We decided to sleep in van till dawn. In the morning, we walked to a nearby village. It was a small roadside hotel. Owner fed all 4 of us free knowing we are Pakistanis and are lost. I saw this painting on the wall and it took me over. I stand there looking at it for 5 minutes. As we finished our trip and were back in Istanbul, this painting continues to occupy my mind. As Rumi said: "What you seek is seeking you"! A night before our flight, We decided to take a walk on a small street nearby blue mosque. It was a very small store. It was invisible as the store was down in the basement. I walked down stairs thinking of buying something as a souvenir and saw this painting staring right at my face. I bought it. 

This painting depicts Turkish lifestyle and culture. White and black males talking casually in simple clothing in a store sitting on a carpet, chappal, Tea, Sheesha, a sword, a gun. It is just beautiful!

One ultra-short story

On "Knot theory and intelligent design"

When in microbiology, I was introduced to knot theory, it was a whole new spectrum of the conceptual world. Mathematicians and microbiologists, work together to understand the untieing of the knot of DNA strings, as bacterias are way smarter than humans to tie, untie, cross and uncross DNA strings in a very organised fashion.

Whenever, I think of knot theory and DNA strings, I can not stop thinking that such an immense work of organised art of knotting at microcellular level can't be an accident. The probability of  creation as an intelligent design is way higher than an accident of fusion.

As Muzaffar Warsi famously said : koi to hai jo nizame hasti chala raha hai

In case, if you are interested in fourth dimension and knot theory etc., watch the following presentation of Mathematician-comedian Matt Parker - 13:30 to 34.30 - His whole book is worth reading.

On "Dish washing" - 2

Previous post here (click)

An email from a friend.

ابا جی سے ملاقات ہوئی. میں نے گزارش کی کہ کچھ 

نصیحت کیجیئے۔

انھوں نے سوال کیا؛ کاکا کبھی برتن دھوئے ہیں ؟

میں ان کے سوال پر حیران ہوا اور جواب دیا کہ جی دھوئے ہیں ۔

پوچھنے لگے کیا سیکھا ؟؟

میں نے کہا اس میں سیکھنے والی کیا بات ہے ؟

وہ مسکرائے اور کہنے لگے؛ برتن کو باہر سے کم اور اندرسے زیادہ دھونا پڑتا ہے...

On - Hijab, Fashion and 'Issues'

(one pretty judgmental conversation with a Hijabi woman)

"Kese pata chaley Larki ne Hijab apni convication se pehnaa hai? ya phir aaj kal ka fashion/pressure hai? ya andar koi 'issue'/'conflict' chal raha hai?

"Jis Hijab ke saath chehrey pe itminaan, batoN main Therao aur lehje main sukoon na ho, samjh lo baat kuch aur hai".

"Desi Parents"

(Following was shared as discussion turned towards "success vs happiness" as goal of parenting)

"I was a typical hovering desi mother. I loved to brag on facebook and home parties about my children's achievements. 100 percent scores, music class, gym class, spelling bees, history projects, science fairs, state tests and all those competitions were must for my children to participate and win. Hell NO to Public schools!!!!!! They were not allowed to think lesser than Harvard, MIT, Stanford or McGill.

It was one regular afternoon. My son didn't come back from school!!!

He was in ninth grade by that time. When he didn't come home in the private ride we hired for him, I called his cell phone. It was off. I called his friends and classmates. He was in school until last minute - but didn't get into the van. I drove to school. It was 5 PM. The school was empty. He was quietly sitting on the side of a bench. As soon as I tapped on his shoulder, he saw me and screamed with fear. He was shaking. He started running as fast as he can from me. Not mentioning the whole drama, he was afraid as he didn't have A grade in his Art class. We came home quietly.

On that day, I canceled my facebook account".


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