Do Hazar Bara!

This post marks the beginning of 2012….

Our country  is still in a critical condition…. as if surviving on a ventilator….

Resources have been depleted to ashes…. Gas, Electricity and Water shortages still lurk in every corner of the state…..and the same floods destroy thousands of homes every year…

Political deception is ubiquitous….. and the nation is evidently divided into multicolored flags….

There exists no balance between supply and demand…. and lack of planning is pushing us back in time….

probably towards stone age….

Hope is being suppressed and opposed by those who have accepted the status quo….. just because their eyes are still wide shut…

The reign of chaos is continuing to strengthen democracy…. demonstrating the true power of people…. ultimately leading to their own destruction…

The last day marks 2 bomb blasts in the provincial capital… and a sectarian killing scene in the revenue engine of Pakistan…. and still people continue to celebrate…. as if nothing happened.

Yes we are living in the most difficult of times and…. so many of us have already lost the will to fight back… and have happily retreated to the trenches…. carrying a variety of visas on the green passport… waiting for things to change in the meanwhile…

All the above things said…. i salute the dwellers of my homeland for surviving the last year…. and still having the courage to move forward and serve the country….

2011 is over…. and whatever the prophecies and myths foretell… 2012 will mark a new beginning…and hopefully a better one… for everything that is!

Make the Leap!

In a giant leap of faith, a man standing at the edge of a canyon tries to cross it in a single bound… its only in mid-air when the jumper realizes that the leap wasn’t powerful enough… to carry him over to the other edge… but then it’s late… the airborne man thinks and re-thinks but the only thing that keeps popping up in his mind is to find a way to save himself…..

At this very moment something amazing happens….and  for a minute he suddenly feels that he has got all the time in the world….. Like time freezes for him….

He sits down quietly and starts to ponder….

What was he thinking when he made the jump?

How could he not understand the risk involved in this crazy act?

Wasn’t he stupid to make this wild estimate of crossing the abyss on his own?

Did he not know his own strength?

What was he trying to prove?

All these questions start flooding his brains and he gets up…. shakes his head… and continues with the leap….

Yes, Just like that.

A blind leap is what is desired of us sometimes…. sometimes we think… and think too much… and keep on thinking without doing anything. We talk and discuss and criticize but little do we realize that it is the Action that actually speaks. Without thinking about the consequences sometimes it is better to get off the couch and do something for whatever one feels is right.

The abyss might not be crossed but the joy of flight is a reward in itself!…….. and who knows…someone is already there with a rope to pull you up to the other side!

Achieve what you can!

One thing i learnt from a dear friend of mine is worth sharing….

Live your present to the fullest.

Often we indulge in comparing our lives to those above us…. and think that everyone who has achieved what we aspire to achieve, is living a happy life… This is not the case…
People often struggle hard to achieve things they have longed for, throughout their lives… they bruise themselves in this journey suffer countless setbacks… but when they finally achieve their goals ….they don’t seem to be happy….

There could be two reasons for this …. Either the object they wanted to achieve was not good enough to meet their expectations…or someone else has achieved something even better….

But another reason for not being happy is that people have started to set their goals and expectations too high…. and this  constant feeling of discontentment is like a virus attached them…. slowly eating away their lives from the inside without them knowing of it…..

They think a lot, plan a lot…. repent a lot and even curse a lot… but nothing changes…. at least nothing changes the very next day….  and this unchanged state is what eats them away…..

So the bottom line is …. to be content….set yourself some very small and achievable short term goals…. that you know you can easily achieve….

Do plan ahead and keep a 5 year forecast ahead of you… so that it might direct your bigger decisions…. but derive happiness from the small little things you do everyday….

These rewards will give you the courage and inspiration you need to keep on moving towards the bigger goals and when the time is right you would be in such good shape that the opportunity would literally strike you itself….. and you would grab it with a powerful grip….. and celebrate this extraordinary tirumph like never before!

Socially Blanked Out!

There are times when you want to write something and you don’t have a topic to write about…. but there is an urge to scribble up a few lines just for the sake of writing….. It’s not one of those times

There are times when you have a lot of information you can write about…. heaps and heaps of news pouring into your mind from all four corners of the world… and you are simply overwhelmed by this haystack of uncanny info…. trying to push yourself into creating opinions about the things people have already talked about dozens of times….. like if anyone in the world would really care what you think about anything important that has happened to which you have no relation at all…..It’s not one of those time either

On a lazy weekend when you skip you daily hectic routine of number crunching and boss pinching activities… you feel like doing nothing at all ( yes Bruno it’s something about your stupid monkey song)….. you open up your facebook and twitter and watch the world…. just silently observing each and every move they make……. like some foreign intelligence agency recording the lives of every person that can matter….and that too …… without any interrogation at all….People willingly posting themselves…… Digital slaves of a software that has been promoted as the Social Network…. and pretending to connect you with millions of known… slightly unknown…. and completely strange people….

And then there is twitter…. the real time software that compels you to think out loud… whether you are in an airplane flying off to San Francisco….or losing some weight on the toilet seat…. Yes people post everything… and then they wait….

Yes…. they wait….. they wait for someone to Like what they think…. of the hundreds and thousands of friends….they expect that someone would actually take out time to read the crappy posts and status updates and click on the small blue four alphabet button below it…. Giving them a false sense of appreciation… and sense of achievement…. and a sense of being liked by the world… a sense of being Accepted…………

Actually its the acceptance and pride that follows… that makes you cling on to that blue software screen everyday….. You don’t read newspaper that thoroughly but you do read the what other people have been upto…… wishing Birthdays and Congratulating here and there…. Commenting on pictures and videos…. and fake profile changes…. there’s just no end to it….

The other day i was talking to my cousin living abroad….. he told me that he hardly gets time to use any social network…. and i was like completely shocked to hear that??….. dude!! its like you’re saying that you don’t exist on the face of the earth! But yes its true…. People living the 9 to 5 lives in the US and European countries hardly spend time on social networks… Which makes me wonder that if this crap was actually created for the third worlders only?… I mean… i don’t know how meeting people face to face can ever be replaced….. there’s so much non verbal there is that cannot be said without a face to face conversation…. but then again supporters of social networks will pop up….. disagreeing with me….telling about creating mass appeals and revolutions that have been possible only because of this virtual connectivity…. It’s true… But then again… Every coin has two sides… and you can’t ignore the social atrocities that definitely outweigh the fringe benefits that have followed…. So think again before jumping into the social bandwagon…. Its not all fruits and flowers out there…..Nuff Said! 

Bleeding yet Numb!

Karachi is the city of lights….. the epicenter of all economic and industrial prosperity…. the revenue engine of Pakistan…. the Trade Gateway to the rest of the world…. the cultural and ethnic hub of our nation….. In other words Karachi (almost single-handedly) is what makes Pakistan move ….

It is perhaps because of this critical importance that Karachi has been the center of attention of every Government that came into power….. Every political party has tried to deepen its roots into this port city in order to gain control of this golden bird……

You can see people from all across the country living in this city…. All ethnic and religious groups have been organized into various large communities dwelling in separate parts of the city…… On one hand one can easily point out the Memon community, the Madrasi clan, the Bihari community, the Pashtoons, the Punjabis, Balochis, Sindhis and so on….. and on the other side….. there are clear demarcations between the Bohris, the Ismailis, the Hindus, the Parsis and of course the Sunni and Shia sects…..

The third type of segregation is on the basis of political parties…… there are areas that are being controlled by the MQM (Muttahida Qaumi Movement) which is the majority representative of the immigrants (mohajirs) . Other areas are under the influence of ANP (Awami National party) which speaks of the pathan community only…. PPP (Pakistan Peoples Party) ,which is currently  ruling the country tends to represent the Sindhi community, Similarly other parties such as the Jie Sindh and PML (Pakistan Muslim League)  Functional claim to represent smaller groups. The PML- Q, PML-N and PTI (Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf)  have not been allowed to propagate into Sindh by these aforementioned parties and they only stand to work in  Punjab and KPK provinces.

Having said all this it is not very difficult to see why there is  so much instability in this city, as every ethnic and sectarian group is trying to gain more and more power and control and considers the opposite party as its sworn enemy. The moment you enter the city you can start witnessing the political hoardings, banner, posters, flags and chalkings on  almost every piece of civil infrastructure that has been enacted. As every political party claims to represent the right cause and every religious group labels the other as infidels……….. its quite easy to unearth the cause of the current civil unrest…. which needs nothing more than a spark for ignition.

And the current spark is provided by the  political workers …..who are openly demanding extortion money from the small business owners ….killing people on the spot if they refuse to pay. This of course has been backed-up by the so-called leaders of the country who pay these workers to collect this money which is the main source of income for the political parties. The law enforcement agencies are helpless against these thugs, either because they are directly involved in sharing the loot ……..or they know that even if they catch them they’ll only get bailed out the next day on behalf of their superiors sitting in the Capital.

Hence the twisted fate of this beautiful city is resting in the hands of these numskulls who now resort to killing people in the name of ethnicity and language even if they do not have any relation with any political party or business community.

The people of Karachi were already suffering from the worst ever electricity crisis……There’s shortage of fuel, water and basic food commodities…… as most of the good stuff produced is exported and the bucks land in the pockets of the elite….. And this current wave of terror has caused a huge  shock to our economy…… People fear going to work or opening  their shops everyday as they feel insecure.

Adding fuel to the fire is the our electronic and print media which are in a constant rat race for coverage and portray Karachi as the most deadly place ever to exist on the face of the earth….

This is all what the current Karachi holds for its citizens….. and people have now become so numb… that they do not care if more than a 100 lives are lost in a single day… If they are safe themselves today….then its the best time to go to work tomorrow….. You might call it numbness or a critical necessity for the poor class….who has to earn every day in order to live….. but it is the ground reality… and it is the only thing that’s been hindering the expulsion of these Ruling Thugs from Pakistan!

Learning; The Heart’s Way

Education… This word encompasses so many definitions…

For some it means a good degree…. for others it portrays attainment of knowledge…

In rural areas of our country education is nothing more than learning to read and write… where students as well as teachers live and study in the most pathetic conditions… and hardly any child  makes it to college… or to any city to start a job…

In the urban areas the facilities are much better and comparatively good education is available everywhere…. although the cost is higher is you move upward through the social barriers… but still an educated kid from the city looks a lot different in terms of an overall outlook as compared to a village boy or girl…

However…..i feel education in our country….. is still synonymous to a Rat Race… A race to attain good numbers…. percentages, grades and degrees… Later this race turns into a war against time to attain a good job and a stable life…..

But one question remains…

Are the Educated really Educated?

Have we only learnt to race? To do whatever it takes to be on top by fair means or foul? To cut corners and forge relationships just to pass a few exams?

Have we ever learnt anything in the real sense? Do we know what we are supposed to do? Have we discovered our hidden talents or are we just flowing with the tides?

…We are forcefully learning….. whatever profession is in demand in the market and is paying good…instead of creating a niche of our own.

I haven’t seen most people becoming good at what they Love to do…. Instead with time they turn good by doing whatever they Get to do.

There’s no passion. Some people blame it on social pressures, some on poverty and family problems but the thing remains…. What if the child had been put into some work he loved doing in the first place? At the very moment when he was exploring the world… Whose responsibility it is? The Government? His Parents, teachers or the child himself?

Instead of putting every child in the race for grades why can’t we show a child options in the early stages of life? Whether he/she wants to be doctor or an engineer or just want to paint or draw or perform? Would he instinctively choose the wrong thing? Or would he choose the path which We think is wrong and later would be right for him and make him excel?

Is the Western education system the real answer to our education problems or are we supposed to think from our own perspective?

The market is filled with examples of business graduates working in IT sector,  engineers working in banks, doctors teaching kindergarten kids and Phd qualified scientists  running their own businesses. Are they supposed to do what they are doing or did someone force them?

What would happen if we stop putting every child through the torture of the Race for Grades in the first place. We teach them what they want to learn. We guide them through the path they want to take and not force them to be good at what We want them to learn.

Abolishing all Written Tests and Attendance compulsions in schools and colleges after teaching the basic languages…..  in my opinion… is one of the best ways to encourage learning… as in this case…..  only those will strive to learn who will feel like learning….. and only those subjects would be taken by them which they would understand easily and willingly… …

…..and  instructors can show them different ways and teach them the necessary tools, secrets and techniques with which they can make a difference to the world and earn a good living in the process….  only if  they excel at what they love doing….

Instead of the 3 hour torture of sitting on a chair and forced Class Participation…. why not encourage more round table discussions… to come up with ideas  and challenges to the written material… without any fear of scoring points…but to learn and be the best in your own eyes….

….so that if anyone asks any child what he loves to do and can do best….the answer pops out instantly…. and the kid can talk for hours and hours on these favorite subjects of his……

Thats exactly what our industries…. as well as our Country… needs… Specialists… not a bunch of Wannabes who have studied everything but know nothing…… and succumb to quick reviews of the subjects they were forced to learn…..  to get the best answers to the interview questions they finally end up taking… and forcing themselves to portray their fake passions during the interviews just to be part of prestigious firms that guarantee Enchanting lives.

Break the Stereotypes!

After quite a long time i was travelling by a local minibus the other day….. when i witnessed some interesting incidents worth sharing.

At one bus stop, an elderly man boarded and stood beside me clinging on to the side-rails. A guy sitting right in front of him immediately stood up and offered him his seat…. for which the old man thanked him heartily and heaved a sigh of relief, as he was carrying some heavy parcels and bags.

The bus was crowded like hell and no-one seemed to be getting off  for a long time. Just then a guy stood up and left a vacant seat. The two guys eligible to sit at his place were totally opposite in attire and culture. One seemed like a religious madrasah student wearing a turban and a long beard and the other one was a hip college student with an mp3 player in his front pocket and plugs in his ears…. wearing spiked hair and a goatee. However i was amazed to see that instead of jumping on to the seat both tried to accommodate each other and finally the college kid took the seat reluctantly and asked to carry the books of the madrasah guy.

After a few more stops, the bus was nearly empty… Just then poor girl climbed on to it. She was  selling Pocket Tissue packs and  had only two packets left in her hand. She went to every passenger asking them to buy one.  An old man sitting right next to me called her and asked her the price.  10 was the price she quoted. The man then asked her the cost of each packet and she truthfully told him that she bought them for 5 each. The man gave her a pat on her head and gave her 15 rupees and asked for one packet only. The girl returned 5 but the man asked her to keep it and buy 3 more tissue packs to sell. Afterwards he told her how proud he was of her and then strictly told her not to beg and earn by selling only. It was such an amazing smile that appeared on the girl’s face as she disembarked the bus happily.

A few weeks earlier someone had asked me “How do you see Pakistan’s future?” ….In fact this is the same question lurking in the mind of almost citizen in this present state of uncertainty and distress.

The media has been playing the key role in propagating the stereotype image of our country…. Labeling the rich as liberals and atheists and the religious students as fanatics and extremists. Politics seems like a comedy theater where a single statement is discussed a zillion times on every TV channel without any positive conclusions and acts of violence in a few parts of the city make the whole metropolis seem like war-torn state of Afghanistan or Iraq.

As all 5 fingers are not equal… sometimes you need to be out there yourself in order to understand the Reality….  instead of believing whatever the Box says….As the media needs spice to increase its viewership and get sponsors… so much so that in the battle of providing the most timely News Alerts….  they won’t even refrain from tarnishing the image of the country and its dwellers abroad. And that too from the mouths of  anchors who are often seen involved in indecent acts of drinking, smoking and partying with foreigners as well as the local political filth.

After reading the above incidents i leave the answer to the stated question to you.

A Sordid Reality

…….Sifting  through the detritus of history, the bleak images of some ignominious mannequins shatter the tranquillity of the serene panorama of our motherland…. The very subsistence of these scavenging scoundrels have churned out nothing but melancholy and paucity for the scrupulous dwellers of this realm….

Time and again these untaught buffoons took over the seats of monarchy… pretending to be our leaders and saviours…. chanting slogans of equality, justice and liberty…..pretending to deliver what they are innately incapable of….

In actuality they’re nothing more than gangs of unworthy muggers who sold their souls to the devil even before conception….. struggling to attain more and more power at the cost of national annihilation …. under the flags of Democracy and Greater National Interest….. hiding under the shrubs of Natural Calamities and begging the West for billions in aid….. of which a only a fraction trickles down to the sufferers….Butchering and slaughtering those who threaten to oppose them, be it their own kith and kin even…..and keeping the rulership of this sovereign land in the hands of a mighty few …..

They built palaces abroad….taught their rogue offspring at the most elite……. took control of  some of the most lucrative industries….. literally Bought the “Green Number Plates” and “Secure Govt Jobs” for their “Degree-Less” relatives and well wishers…and even the relatives of those relatives….. Bringing the populace to a critical verge of power, gas ,food, fuel and even water crisis…. widespread target killings, criminal murders, suicide bombings and drone attacks only add to the casualties everyday amongst those who survive the hunger calamity…..

And yet they stand Again…. waiting to re-embark the thrones of decree…. After gradually wiping off their slates clean and turning a blind eye towards their wretched times of yore….. howling against military dictators…..pretending to detach themselves from the Crumpling Coalition Autocracy….whose fruits they devour in parallel with the establishment for the entire tenure…. and whose ultimate Failure will lie equally on their shoulders…..

As if they’ll miraculously alter the fate of the nation……. With nothing but the wands of hypnotic deceit…. Uttered in every word they speak…Intimating their Overlords with Deadlines and Ultimatums……which everyone knows….are worth nothing more than Theatrical Slapstick that will be debriefed once they get assurances of their personal desires to be fulfilled soon…

Consequently, the literate and experienced are increasingly opting to be a part of the brain drain…. Immigrating and finding work as well as peace abroad….While the rest unfortunate ones continue to suffer in silence….burning a few effigies or tyres off and on….and chanting voices in a few hate ridden rallies sometimes….

However, there is always hope……as every Slump is followed by a Boom….. one can only supplicate for the cessation of the current onslaught of these barbaric  tyrants and look forward to the ushering of an eternal reign of peace and prosperity…

A reign that can herald the beginning of a righteous and empathetic leadership …..risen from the middle or lower class society…. skilfully equipped with the necessary knowledge, expertise and leadership experience …. deriving energy and guidance from the glorious doctrine of the one true Islam….. acclimatizing quickly with the current turmoil……and introducing  “Smart” social, economic …as well as political reforms…. to pull this country out of the swamp of misery…. In time.

Sacrifice

We buy thousands of animals before the day……. The streets are turned red with the blood and guts of the cattle….. We divide the meat into three equal parts and distribute among  relatives, neighbours as well as the poor and needy lot…. then we greet each and celebrate all night…. with barbecue parties and biryani dinners….. filled with roasted chops and meaty treats….

All this for the sake of pleasing our Creator…. to signify that we are willing to sacrifice everything in His path….

Everything including our lives…..

and without  doubt our Lives rest at the very Top of the ”Pyramid of  Sacrifice”……

But wait a minute here…  we are willing to sacrifice our most precious possession but not the things less significant to it…. Isn’t this hypocrisy?

Are we willing to sacrifice our position, prestige and and wealth? Are we willing to let go of our immoral acts of violence, terrorism and misdeeds…. Have we ever sacrificed our designations, our social status or our perks and privileges just to say no to a bribe…. or an act of injustice…. or to someone who we know is scratching our backs so that we can scratch his, later….

Our politicians and wealthy community put  imported cattle on display outside their bungalows  in the most posh areas of the city…. Just to show how much they are willing to sacrifice….

But are they really understanding the essence of it?

Are they willing to give up their millions of dollars of property and cash transferred illegally abroad? Are they willing to give up their BMWs, Rolls Royce and Porche cars, pay their taxes in full, eat a single course meal every time and live and work in ordinary buildings? Are they willing to Sacrifice all that?

No… No one is ….. Even when knowing that their money is Not hard earned…. The only thing they’re willing to sacrifice is “meat”

Thats how deeply our culture has penetrated the essence of our religion…. where the day of celebrating the spirit of sacrifice for our Lord… has turned into nothing more than a “Meat Festival”

They’re just like you…

Its True…they live in another part of the country….  Speak a different lingo…..  Wear a different attire….. Look different…. Behave different…. Even think different…. yet they’re like you…

They share the same country… the same values…. the same religion… the same heart…

They’re not Terrorists by birth…. they’re not inhuman…

They do feel happiness …and pride … as well as anger … and sorrow and Pain… Just like you do….

You’ve completely alienated them…. marked them as living Taboos…. Scornful pathetic creatures…. Living only to create hell on earth….

Its not the case….

The paradigm needs to be shifted once more…..

Get out of your cozy abodes…. walk around this country….. travel a few paces across the stretches and you’ll feel what treasures lie beyond your own kingdom….

The mind is a strange entity…. it wants us to live in groups…. Groups of cast…. color… creed… politics… and provinces…. outcasting every other who doesn’t fit in

But its only when you mingle with the dwellers of the far….. learn their language and talk to them…..that you get to know that they’re just like you….. Only wearing different skins…..

They’ve the same soul as you….. ánd Maybe more chaste and pure….

They wake up every morning looking for work just as you do… Only the work is of a different kind….

They eat drink and share their feelings with others… just like you…. and celebrate and cry just as your own crew members…

…and at night they try to find the same comfort in bed  as you ….by closing their eyes…. Only that the bed is unique…

 

So stop judging people based on geographical and social demarcations…. Get out there and Socialize…. Only then you’ll realize what precious souls are roaming around in your very Country in Every social class…. perhaps equally intelligent as you…. Only a little less lucky!