"Yeh pakistan ka janam din hai..." (this is Pakistan's birthday...) so went a comment from a wayfarer the day the CJ was reinstated. He was the street sentiment, the ordinary Pakistani, who looked up to the CJ these past four months, the more conventional leaders having wearied him.
That indeed was how most Pakistanis saw it. The dawn of a new Pakistan. For once, in our bruised history, the military had been conclusively challenged, made to bow down to the forces of justice. Conclusively is important because on random occassions, in the past, there had been desicions against the military but those were overturned by the higher courts or by the same court on review petitions. This time, so far that the clock has ticked, there are to be no review petitions; the verdict is final-Pakistan, the land of the pure, has finally become the land of the FREE, the land of the PAKISTANI, the land of justice.
Just one decision seems to have changed so much. No wonder, the joy and the ecstacy was infectious. Everyone was calling up relatives, in case anyone missed the news, congratulating each other. Suddenly, everything became so personal. Many of us who hadn't cared enough to step out of our homes to cover a few kilometers to the supreme court to hear the last-live transmitted speech of the CJ, felt like it was ours all along. It was we who were dancing on his stage hours before he gave his speech, it was us who waited along the road sides to shower roses on him and it was we who suffered that day in Islamabad, at his last addrerss to the bar. But, not withstanding the lack of enthusiasm, the cause was always OURS. We all waited anxiously in front of the TV screens until the verdict was declared and we jumped with joy, the same feeling that I used to have when Pakistan hocket team scored a decisive goal in its days of glory or when the Cricket team playing against a formidable opponent took a crucial wicket. I remember the sobriety as we prayed for our team's lucky stars and then the ecstatic jumping-around -the-whole-place as soon as lucky stars responded. It was the same jumping, the same emotionally charged atmosphere, the victorious fists in the air but probably the child-like euphoria wasnt there. ThIS had come to stay, it wasn't one match afterall, it was the verdict of 60 loong dark years. Finally the day had come.
There are long journeys to travel to transform the essence of that day into a reality. the next step ofcourse is the ouster of Musharraf, through legal means to put an end to further military intervention in matters of governance, to confirm Pakistan as a parliamentary democracy. If we still wait for that day, then the 20th of July was just the preamble; the actual account to come later. But a very imprtant decision awaits the civil society-are we to remain forever indebted to the lawyer community or contribute our way through it too. I guess it's time we chose the latter.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Down in the pits
After I am done with writing this post, I will delete some of the earlier posts because this blog isnt a personal diary. If it had been, I wouldn't have put it up for public display. But, I will still go on recording my experiences as life goes to keep that little hope of self-development alive.
The last few weeks have been tumultous, both for my inner self and for the collectivity that I am a part of. I have been overcome by an utter sense of helplessness so often, for many different reasons. I had the same feeling when in our quest for justice for a friend who had been wronged by this scoundrel, a rogue of a guy, we faced a dead-end, where every finger was pointing at us, blaming us for everything that had happened, mocking us for the inconclusiveness of our efforts. She had had to bear with cheesy, vile comments on public forums by this person and finally, when she lost it and complained, everyone blamed us for having shown much haste. Someone had the nerve to say that it was she, herself whose reputation suffered the most.
How, in the world was her reputation marred, and why wasn't the same said for the guy, how was she more responsible for the final showdown, than that guy, if atall she was responsible--- Because it's not considered shameful for a guy to be going around defiling someone's name and honor; because we should ACCEPT it if guys write cheap love-notes on the net, as it is somehow an expression of their "manliness" (watever!). We dont feel like blaming the guy, so it is never HIS reputation that suffers; we dont feel like chastising the guy, so HE is able to walk away from the whole incident; we feel irked if a girl decides to react and get back to challenge the ACCEPTED, so we play her down to make a lesson out of her. and all this while, we continue to make the girl feel that things need to be altered on her side to avoid such incidents in the future. I thought it was very insensitive of a friend of mine to say that my friend needed to be a little more careful in the way she carried herself about, and then it wasnt just him, a very respected teacher came up with the same solution. Afterall, it runs deep in the society; from the president who gives statements to the international media implying that Pakistani women can cook up rape cases to get a free pass to greener pastures abroad, to the enthusiastic net-surfer (aka COWARD) who marvels in his new found anonymity that the computer screens affords him to play around with girls and the ordinary man walking on the street who considers it his right to gawk at every passing woman-from the burqa-clad to the hip teen, as long as it is a woman, it's worth it.
Just recently, an incident of a much greater personal nature brought the memories back. There couldn't be an open discussion of the issue because at the end of the day, it would have been the reputation of someone very close to me that would have been hurt. We couldn't talk about this to parents (there's a certain sense of calm when u deposit all ur worries and fears in their laps-even at the age of 19-luv u), because parents being parents, they know they cant change the world so it better be us, who should change to try from our side to avoid such incidents...(that meant losing orkut and the blog-eeks). We couldn't take this up to the higher-ups because of the lack of substantive proof, due to fake IDs and anonymous profiles, for an issue of such a serious nature. In all, we could only sulk and beat our heads off ranting about the injustice of it all as it happened and manage a relieved smile when it was decided on the other side that it should end-i.e. no control over its beginnings and its end. The same damn story repeating itself over and over again. He got away this time, he'll get away again and the harrassment will continue.
The maulvis may keep sermonizing about gender relations, the "liberals" may ramble on about sexual harrassment-it will always be Adam who decides if Eve forced him into eating the forbidden fruit, to set the course of history.
The last few weeks have been tumultous, both for my inner self and for the collectivity that I am a part of. I have been overcome by an utter sense of helplessness so often, for many different reasons. I had the same feeling when in our quest for justice for a friend who had been wronged by this scoundrel, a rogue of a guy, we faced a dead-end, where every finger was pointing at us, blaming us for everything that had happened, mocking us for the inconclusiveness of our efforts. She had had to bear with cheesy, vile comments on public forums by this person and finally, when she lost it and complained, everyone blamed us for having shown much haste. Someone had the nerve to say that it was she, herself whose reputation suffered the most.
How, in the world was her reputation marred, and why wasn't the same said for the guy, how was she more responsible for the final showdown, than that guy, if atall she was responsible--- Because it's not considered shameful for a guy to be going around defiling someone's name and honor; because we should ACCEPT it if guys write cheap love-notes on the net, as it is somehow an expression of their "manliness" (watever!). We dont feel like blaming the guy, so it is never HIS reputation that suffers; we dont feel like chastising the guy, so HE is able to walk away from the whole incident; we feel irked if a girl decides to react and get back to challenge the ACCEPTED, so we play her down to make a lesson out of her. and all this while, we continue to make the girl feel that things need to be altered on her side to avoid such incidents in the future. I thought it was very insensitive of a friend of mine to say that my friend needed to be a little more careful in the way she carried herself about, and then it wasnt just him, a very respected teacher came up with the same solution. Afterall, it runs deep in the society; from the president who gives statements to the international media implying that Pakistani women can cook up rape cases to get a free pass to greener pastures abroad, to the enthusiastic net-surfer (aka COWARD) who marvels in his new found anonymity that the computer screens affords him to play around with girls and the ordinary man walking on the street who considers it his right to gawk at every passing woman-from the burqa-clad to the hip teen, as long as it is a woman, it's worth it.
Just recently, an incident of a much greater personal nature brought the memories back. There couldn't be an open discussion of the issue because at the end of the day, it would have been the reputation of someone very close to me that would have been hurt. We couldn't talk about this to parents (there's a certain sense of calm when u deposit all ur worries and fears in their laps-even at the age of 19-luv u), because parents being parents, they know they cant change the world so it better be us, who should change to try from our side to avoid such incidents...(that meant losing orkut and the blog-eeks). We couldn't take this up to the higher-ups because of the lack of substantive proof, due to fake IDs and anonymous profiles, for an issue of such a serious nature. In all, we could only sulk and beat our heads off ranting about the injustice of it all as it happened and manage a relieved smile when it was decided on the other side that it should end-i.e. no control over its beginnings and its end. The same damn story repeating itself over and over again. He got away this time, he'll get away again and the harrassment will continue.
The maulvis may keep sermonizing about gender relations, the "liberals" may ramble on about sexual harrassment-it will always be Adam who decides if Eve forced him into eating the forbidden fruit, to set the course of history.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Islamabad tragedy (as they call it and as i choose to name it)
I am happy but Islamabad is sad. It is still reeling from the "redness" of the Lal masjid, it is still numb from the shrieks of the innocent children buried quietly in the gloom of its environs, it is still aching from the blow to its heart, its residents still hanging their heads in shame at watever they allowed their city to be turned into. Islamabad the beautiful, reddened by government high handedness, by civilian callousness, by religious pretentions.
The other day, a resident of faisalabad , while participating in a live discussion, broke into tears commenting over the Lal masjid operation and said "...yeh taj kab uchalay jaian gai (when will those crowned be decrowned-the figurative translation)". No one can probably say for sure but certainly not until we are content with just these lamentations. Around 2000, if my memory doesnt fail me, i read an article in the newspaper, a comic appraisal of world affairs as seen 100 years from now. After having discussed the powers-that-be in our world today, Bush and (then) his poodle, Blair, he came to Pakistan, which for all those patriots out there, he chose to discuss as the creation of a by-gone phase, buried in the throes of history. But for the sake of discussion, this historian from 100 years from now would say that it was a country whose residents preferred their airconditioned drawing rooms to the sweltering heat outside even if tyrants clutched at their throats. They would laze out in their comfortable cocoons, lamenting over this and that but would always evade action.
That then was true and still is. Many people hesittate to fully support the chief justice saying that he is as much responsible for the musharraf saga because he took oath under the PCO when some of his compatriots resigned in protest. Agreed, but c'mon this struggle is not about this person and let no one make it into one. The course of this movement will be determined by those involved in it. If the people of Pakistan get involved in it with a resolve to strengthen institutions, it will no longer be about him, if at all it is even now. there is always a break in every dictatorship, which is availed to bring a change. Let us not, for a change, squander this opportunity. Let the people of Pakistan not ask for the ouster of Musharraf alone, but for free and fair elections, let them not ask for the reinstatement of iftikhar chaudry, but for the independance of judiciary, let them not ask for a "national interest" state but for a "national welfare" state (to qoute aitzaz ahsan). 1965 war was the break in ayub khan's time but then it was just Bhutto that the movement was about; 1977 elections were the break for the increasingly despotic Bhutto government, but then people demanded the military to jump in. Junejo was one of the best things that happened to pakistan, we finally got some semblance of democracy going, but then the establishment always jumped in.
This opportunity shouldnt be alowed to go to waste. The other day, abbu was like this chief justice movement has become very political with all these crowds coming out to welcome him, it seems all fake now. I said, everyone doesnt have big drawing rooms to hold discussions in and then be content that great service to the country has been done. These people who come out to greet him choose to step out in the sweltering heat to put in their share of contribution to this country's cause. Dont doubt their intentions.
well, looks like the 100-yrs-from-now historian isnt that right afterall. We are moving out. We are pitching our positions.
GOOD LUCK PAKISTAN.
The other day, a resident of faisalabad , while participating in a live discussion, broke into tears commenting over the Lal masjid operation and said "...yeh taj kab uchalay jaian gai (when will those crowned be decrowned-the figurative translation)". No one can probably say for sure but certainly not until we are content with just these lamentations. Around 2000, if my memory doesnt fail me, i read an article in the newspaper, a comic appraisal of world affairs as seen 100 years from now. After having discussed the powers-that-be in our world today, Bush and (then) his poodle, Blair, he came to Pakistan, which for all those patriots out there, he chose to discuss as the creation of a by-gone phase, buried in the throes of history. But for the sake of discussion, this historian from 100 years from now would say that it was a country whose residents preferred their airconditioned drawing rooms to the sweltering heat outside even if tyrants clutched at their throats. They would laze out in their comfortable cocoons, lamenting over this and that but would always evade action.
That then was true and still is. Many people hesittate to fully support the chief justice saying that he is as much responsible for the musharraf saga because he took oath under the PCO when some of his compatriots resigned in protest. Agreed, but c'mon this struggle is not about this person and let no one make it into one. The course of this movement will be determined by those involved in it. If the people of Pakistan get involved in it with a resolve to strengthen institutions, it will no longer be about him, if at all it is even now. there is always a break in every dictatorship, which is availed to bring a change. Let us not, for a change, squander this opportunity. Let the people of Pakistan not ask for the ouster of Musharraf alone, but for free and fair elections, let them not ask for the reinstatement of iftikhar chaudry, but for the independance of judiciary, let them not ask for a "national interest" state but for a "national welfare" state (to qoute aitzaz ahsan). 1965 war was the break in ayub khan's time but then it was just Bhutto that the movement was about; 1977 elections were the break for the increasingly despotic Bhutto government, but then people demanded the military to jump in. Junejo was one of the best things that happened to pakistan, we finally got some semblance of democracy going, but then the establishment always jumped in.
This opportunity shouldnt be alowed to go to waste. The other day, abbu was like this chief justice movement has become very political with all these crowds coming out to welcome him, it seems all fake now. I said, everyone doesnt have big drawing rooms to hold discussions in and then be content that great service to the country has been done. These people who come out to greet him choose to step out in the sweltering heat to put in their share of contribution to this country's cause. Dont doubt their intentions.
well, looks like the 100-yrs-from-now historian isnt that right afterall. We are moving out. We are pitching our positions.
GOOD LUCK PAKISTAN.
Deblogged revisited
I am finally done with the copy-pasting. All the posts appearing below this one are ones I wrote for this other blog of mine which is no longer mine. Its on the air waves, rather the "space " waves without any caretaker, without any moderator, my baby, the fruit of my labor. Well, no need to fret now because I made that fruit mine again. I have it all here now so yaiiiiiii, no labor of my intellect went to waste. RELIEVED...ahhhhh.
I am happy.
I am happy.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Food for thought...[reminiscent] ...(March 27, 2006)
Food for thought...[reminiscent]
I didnt find "The Alchemist" interesting. I wasn't able to draw any conclusions from it either. I dont know whether to hold my "superficially alert" intellect responsible or Paulo Coehlo's dull expression. But after reading "The Fifth Mountain", I dont think either of the two exist. I loved the book to say the least. Probably for my "superficially alert" intellect, things need to be said out loud and clear. But some credit does go to my taste--afterall, not everyone likes the rebel.
Anyways, here is an excerpt from the novel...more will come soon.
"At this moment many people have stopped living. They do not become angry, nor cry out; they merely wait for time to pass. They did not accept the challenges of life so life no longer challenges them. You are running that same risk; react, face life, but do not stop living."
I didnt find "The Alchemist" interesting. I wasn't able to draw any conclusions from it either. I dont know whether to hold my "superficially alert" intellect responsible or Paulo Coehlo's dull expression. But after reading "The Fifth Mountain", I dont think either of the two exist. I loved the book to say the least. Probably for my "superficially alert" intellect, things need to be said out loud and clear. But some credit does go to my taste--afterall, not everyone likes the rebel.
Anyways, here is an excerpt from the novel...more will come soon.
"At this moment many people have stopped living. They do not become angry, nor cry out; they merely wait for time to pass. They did not accept the challenges of life so life no longer challenges them. You are running that same risk; react, face life, but do not stop living."
GOSH!!! Censorship gets to us... (March 08, 2006)
GOSH!!! Censorship gets to us...
I heard a few days back that they have blocked blogspot.com in Pakistan. That means this is going to be published (because the stupid gov didnt know that there was an underhand to this site), but I will not be able to watch the fruits of my labour--ahhh.
Don't know why this came about. People were probably being too open in their condemnation of the govertnment and the way things are run here in our country, on their blogs. That would not have settled well with the higher-ups. Anyways, whatever happened was wrong and it should be condemned..yeah.
I just wrote somewhere that I would like to witness "a culture of inquiry, innovation and creativity"; also coupled with the "wonders of civil liberties". Alas, that stays a dream until yesss...i qualify for the "lucrative" Summer institute sponsored by the Fulbright program. We get to visit America in the summer hols and learn about the institutions the edifice of their society is based on. I also wrote that I would like to "carry back with me the images and impressions of the institutes that are the backbone of a prosperous society.".
Just wish those images dont just remain heavy baggage for the concience but do prove to be the "first ripples in a long series of waves" for social change.
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 9:29 PM
I heard a few days back that they have blocked blogspot.com in Pakistan. That means this is going to be published (because the stupid gov didnt know that there was an underhand to this site), but I will not be able to watch the fruits of my labour--ahhh.
Don't know why this came about. People were probably being too open in their condemnation of the govertnment and the way things are run here in our country, on their blogs. That would not have settled well with the higher-ups. Anyways, whatever happened was wrong and it should be condemned..yeah.
I just wrote somewhere that I would like to witness "a culture of inquiry, innovation and creativity"; also coupled with the "wonders of civil liberties". Alas, that stays a dream until yesss...i qualify for the "lucrative" Summer institute sponsored by the Fulbright program. We get to visit America in the summer hols and learn about the institutions the edifice of their society is based on. I also wrote that I would like to "carry back with me the images and impressions of the institutes that are the backbone of a prosperous society.".
Just wish those images dont just remain heavy baggage for the concience but do prove to be the "first ripples in a long series of waves" for social change.
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 9:29 PM
The cartoon controversy (Feb 28, 2006)
The cartoon controversy
Some thoughts:
The proponents of free media should revisit history to understand how and why the holocaust became a Holy Cow? Why did it become a crime to discuss the facts about a mere historical event? When did the horror of a crime committed in history become so great that sixty years down the road its mention embarrasses governments and puts the “free” media on the defensive? Why can’t any voice be raised against the humanitarian crimes committed by Israel on the Palestinians, without a hue and cry raised over anti-semitism? Why can’t the crimes committed by the Israeli government compared with those committed by the Nazis on the Jews just for the sake of debate? Why is any voice condemning Israeli policies hushed down by the charge of anti-semitism? When and how was a nation allowed to become so sacrosanct?
Are we going down the same road? A journalist noted that the cartoons were very similar to those published during the Nazi era against the Jews. Do we want there to come a time when the indignities served onto the Muslims justify all their actions tomorrow? Do we want to prepare another Holy Cow for tomorrow which presents its battered and tampered past to cover up its follies? Do we want to turn history yet again into some taboo whose very mention reeks of blasphemy? Do we want the Palestinians to be replaced by some other peoples who will have to face the brunt of someone’s frustration at their past? Do we have to have Nazis and their Aushwitz camps for every era?
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 11:05 PM
Some thoughts:
The proponents of free media should revisit history to understand how and why the holocaust became a Holy Cow? Why did it become a crime to discuss the facts about a mere historical event? When did the horror of a crime committed in history become so great that sixty years down the road its mention embarrasses governments and puts the “free” media on the defensive? Why can’t any voice be raised against the humanitarian crimes committed by Israel on the Palestinians, without a hue and cry raised over anti-semitism? Why can’t the crimes committed by the Israeli government compared with those committed by the Nazis on the Jews just for the sake of debate? Why is any voice condemning Israeli policies hushed down by the charge of anti-semitism? When and how was a nation allowed to become so sacrosanct?
Are we going down the same road? A journalist noted that the cartoons were very similar to those published during the Nazi era against the Jews. Do we want there to come a time when the indignities served onto the Muslims justify all their actions tomorrow? Do we want to prepare another Holy Cow for tomorrow which presents its battered and tampered past to cover up its follies? Do we want to turn history yet again into some taboo whose very mention reeks of blasphemy? Do we want the Palestinians to be replaced by some other peoples who will have to face the brunt of someone’s frustration at their past? Do we have to have Nazis and their Aushwitz camps for every era?
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 11:05 PM
(Feb 18, 2006)
I wasn't finished about the rioting. I just took a break because I did not want the post to go too long but honestly, there is so much to write about what happened.
Some people have the nerve to start the old blame game here. The secularists (our Islamic republic has many categories of people, if someone doesnt know, the most prominent ones being the seculaists and the rightists) are blaming the religous parties for the rioting and the uncontrolled crowds. The religious parties do have a reputation of carrying out unorganised protest demonstrations but this time it wasn't even them. It isn't so simple this time. Afterall just two days later the religiouys parties had a very peaceful demonstration in Karachi. It wasnt about any of this and it is so weird when people dont understand this.
People dont need the religious parties to tell them how offensive the cartoons were. Neither is religious extremism the only social problem that leads young men to burn their own cities. It is so ironic that it is the same secularists who remind the religous right of poverty and deprivation when they are insistent on raising such issues as was that of the marathon or the religion section in the passport. Yet, when these secularists get a chance to malign the religous right, they also fuel the blame game and like others, fail to notice the envious gaze, the vengeful lust, the passion to get back at the "more-equals", the zeal to prove one's mettle and the vented frustration.
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 5:25 AM
Some people have the nerve to start the old blame game here. The secularists (our Islamic republic has many categories of people, if someone doesnt know, the most prominent ones being the seculaists and the rightists) are blaming the religous parties for the rioting and the uncontrolled crowds. The religious parties do have a reputation of carrying out unorganised protest demonstrations but this time it wasn't even them. It isn't so simple this time. Afterall just two days later the religiouys parties had a very peaceful demonstration in Karachi. It wasnt about any of this and it is so weird when people dont understand this.
People dont need the religious parties to tell them how offensive the cartoons were. Neither is religious extremism the only social problem that leads young men to burn their own cities. It is so ironic that it is the same secularists who remind the religous right of poverty and deprivation when they are insistent on raising such issues as was that of the marathon or the religion section in the passport. Yet, when these secularists get a chance to malign the religous right, they also fuel the blame game and like others, fail to notice the envious gaze, the vengeful lust, the passion to get back at the "more-equals", the zeal to prove one's mettle and the vented frustration.
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 5:25 AM
Exams over but lot's on the mind... (Feb 18, 2006)
Exams over but lot's on the mind...
Exams finished on Friday. They were good and I am happy. I am free after such a long time. It wasn't the exams; they occupied me for just two weeks. Before that we had this IT project to work on and it wasnt such an easy task. Our presentation went real bad. Actually it wasnt even a presentation, the way one guy put it but anyways I am through it and everything is well.
Lots has been happening around here in Pakistan. As if that's news...??We are, afterall a very dynamic nation, huh?? If it isn't politics, then it is rioting around the cities. What was supposed to be a protest against the cartoons published in a country miles away, turned out to be an opportunity to reveal our darkest secrets. Pakistan's worst moments. It is difficult to say actually. We have had so many of them. But many say it has been a long time since they saw such mayhem.
Kids burnt down their on city. A cartoon rightly showed a man axing off his own foot. There were stones, sticks, chaos all around. Who were these people adamant on bringing their own house down. Videos showed kids pulling off car doors...and having fun. They burnt motorcycles, the vauable asset of some poor man. They brought doen businesses, the bread and butter for another family. They jumped on this cavalry gun, the "pride" of Pakistan. They showed the world what really lies beneath "enlightened moderation", beneath the "soft image", beneath the merriment of basant, beneath a "booming" economy, beneath the "all's well" jargon. They did what the Balochi insurgents have not been able to do all these months.
Shahid Masood rightly, questioned the charge on the religous parties. Anyone could tell, he said, that these kids werent driven by religous zeal or fervor. He talked about how when you try locking a cat in some room, it attacks you as the last alternative. He wondered whether these rioters were those cats.
Was it really so much about blasphemous cartoons or about some hungry belly? Was it the prophet's love or some vengeful lust? Was it so much about this company's connection to Norway or about the expensive, "in" mobile sets that the "haves" brandish everyday past the "have-nots"? Was it so much about the government's relatively mum response to the Danish government or about the walls that they have erected between themselves and the society? Was it really the passion for the most revered personality in the muslim world or frustration at the incraeasing disparity within the society? Was it the expression of the spiritual bond between the average muslim and the Prophet (P.B.U.H) or the reeling dynamics of a social order gone berserk?
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 4:25 AM
Exams finished on Friday. They were good and I am happy. I am free after such a long time. It wasn't the exams; they occupied me for just two weeks. Before that we had this IT project to work on and it wasnt such an easy task. Our presentation went real bad. Actually it wasnt even a presentation, the way one guy put it but anyways I am through it and everything is well.
Lots has been happening around here in Pakistan. As if that's news...??We are, afterall a very dynamic nation, huh?? If it isn't politics, then it is rioting around the cities. What was supposed to be a protest against the cartoons published in a country miles away, turned out to be an opportunity to reveal our darkest secrets. Pakistan's worst moments. It is difficult to say actually. We have had so many of them. But many say it has been a long time since they saw such mayhem.
Kids burnt down their on city. A cartoon rightly showed a man axing off his own foot. There were stones, sticks, chaos all around. Who were these people adamant on bringing their own house down. Videos showed kids pulling off car doors...and having fun. They burnt motorcycles, the vauable asset of some poor man. They brought doen businesses, the bread and butter for another family. They jumped on this cavalry gun, the "pride" of Pakistan. They showed the world what really lies beneath "enlightened moderation", beneath the "soft image", beneath the merriment of basant, beneath a "booming" economy, beneath the "all's well" jargon. They did what the Balochi insurgents have not been able to do all these months.
Shahid Masood rightly, questioned the charge on the religous parties. Anyone could tell, he said, that these kids werent driven by religous zeal or fervor. He talked about how when you try locking a cat in some room, it attacks you as the last alternative. He wondered whether these rioters were those cats.
Was it really so much about blasphemous cartoons or about some hungry belly? Was it the prophet's love or some vengeful lust? Was it so much about this company's connection to Norway or about the expensive, "in" mobile sets that the "haves" brandish everyday past the "have-nots"? Was it so much about the government's relatively mum response to the Danish government or about the walls that they have erected between themselves and the society? Was it really the passion for the most revered personality in the muslim world or frustration at the incraeasing disparity within the society? Was it the expression of the spiritual bond between the average muslim and the Prophet (P.B.U.H) or the reeling dynamics of a social order gone berserk?
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 4:25 AM
EID...yeahhhhh (Jan 10, 2006)
EID...yeahhhhh
today is eid and i feel happy. Can't explain why but there is always an excitement whenever eid comes our way. we just came back from saying our eid prayers at Faisal mosque. That is the highest point of the day and why shouldn't it be. We are one with so many muslims and that is an overwhelming feeling, except for that small hitch. Actually it isn't that trivial an issue. It reflects so deep on our attitudes as a society. I had always been aware of it but never really thought about it until it surfaced right in front of me, in my circle so to say. I had always known that here in Pakistan we have seperate mosques for shias, sunnis and then for all other sects in sunni Islam. people dont pray next to each other if they belong to different sects. I remember once, when on our way to Lahore or some place, we stopped at this mosque to say our prayers. Basically abbu and bhai had to say their prayers and they invited these two other guys who had also stopped by to pray in a congregation. But they were reluctant and then in the end everyone said their seperate prayers. Now again recently, I noticed that shia guys from our class didnt say their prayers in congregation at the mosque. One girl with us has just now started saying her prayers with us.
It was then that it dawned on me that all the unity and cohesion that I seem to feel at eid is actually half empty or put it whatever way you might want to put it. A trivial matter such as the way of saying prayers does not allow us to gather together even at eid. And it is such a bigoted approach. It is wrong on the part of those who scorn and also on the part of those who give in to those minority elements. Should the way you say your prayers ever be a matter of concern to people around you. And then we talk of prosperity and competing with the world and building egalitarian societies. "EGALITARIAN"...???
Will there ever be an eid where people say their prayers with arms folded and arms hanging, with arms folded on the chest and arms folded at the navel, with legs open and with legs closed, with arms alofted after each rukn and without arms alofted---right next to each other???
"EGALITARIAN"...truly!!!
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 9:21 PM
today is eid and i feel happy. Can't explain why but there is always an excitement whenever eid comes our way. we just came back from saying our eid prayers at Faisal mosque. That is the highest point of the day and why shouldn't it be. We are one with so many muslims and that is an overwhelming feeling, except for that small hitch. Actually it isn't that trivial an issue. It reflects so deep on our attitudes as a society. I had always been aware of it but never really thought about it until it surfaced right in front of me, in my circle so to say. I had always known that here in Pakistan we have seperate mosques for shias, sunnis and then for all other sects in sunni Islam. people dont pray next to each other if they belong to different sects. I remember once, when on our way to Lahore or some place, we stopped at this mosque to say our prayers. Basically abbu and bhai had to say their prayers and they invited these two other guys who had also stopped by to pray in a congregation. But they were reluctant and then in the end everyone said their seperate prayers. Now again recently, I noticed that shia guys from our class didnt say their prayers in congregation at the mosque. One girl with us has just now started saying her prayers with us.
It was then that it dawned on me that all the unity and cohesion that I seem to feel at eid is actually half empty or put it whatever way you might want to put it. A trivial matter such as the way of saying prayers does not allow us to gather together even at eid. And it is such a bigoted approach. It is wrong on the part of those who scorn and also on the part of those who give in to those minority elements. Should the way you say your prayers ever be a matter of concern to people around you. And then we talk of prosperity and competing with the world and building egalitarian societies. "EGALITARIAN"...???
Will there ever be an eid where people say their prayers with arms folded and arms hanging, with arms folded on the chest and arms folded at the navel, with legs open and with legs closed, with arms alofted after each rukn and without arms alofted---right next to each other???
"EGALITARIAN"...truly!!!
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 9:21 PM
Derwesh-e-khuda mast (Dec 28, 2005)
Derwesh-e-khuda mast
The other day, we were discussing politics. No, it wasn't politics. We were discussing the prize money announced by Musharraf for the Pakistan cricket team for winning the series against England. It was 200,000 for each member of the team. I was arguing that it was rather inappropriate to give such a hefty amount to the cricketers when the country is borrowing 6 million dollars to provide relief effort to the earthquake victims. Anyways, the argument is not that important. This girl said that, "yaar aisha and asma will become the president and prime minister of pakistan", because of our apparent interest in politics. Someone replied, "no, they cant be becaue they are not diplomatic and one has to be diplomatic to be a leader.." something to that respect. And yeah, i thought about it and i realised how true that guy was. Although, i dont agree with the leader part (;)), i thought he was right otherwise. And i mentioned something about finding things when u need them the most and so the other day, I was going through these magazines for a religious studies presentation and I saw this beautiful verse by Iqbal. It had been written in the context of nationalism, which I will talk about later but well, I liked the verse. I will write it down in english as soon as i get the translation or come up with some good one myself. Anyways, here goes...
Derwesh-e-khuda mast na sharqi hai na gharbi,
ghar mera delhi na safahan na samrqand,
kehta hoon wohi baat samjhta hoon jissay haq,
nay abla-e-masjid hoon, na tehzeeb ka farzand,
apnay bhi khafa mujh say hain, beganay bhi nakhush
main zehr-e-halahil ko bhi keh na saka qand.
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 2:09 AM
1 Comments:
At 9:44 AM, ullu ka patha said…
acha sher hai.
I come online quite often these days. Its usually raat in Pakistan like around 10 pm. aa jaya karo. I'll try to be around earlier bhi. y r u naraz with amna?
The other day, we were discussing politics. No, it wasn't politics. We were discussing the prize money announced by Musharraf for the Pakistan cricket team for winning the series against England. It was 200,000 for each member of the team. I was arguing that it was rather inappropriate to give such a hefty amount to the cricketers when the country is borrowing 6 million dollars to provide relief effort to the earthquake victims. Anyways, the argument is not that important. This girl said that, "yaar aisha and asma will become the president and prime minister of pakistan", because of our apparent interest in politics. Someone replied, "no, they cant be becaue they are not diplomatic and one has to be diplomatic to be a leader.." something to that respect. And yeah, i thought about it and i realised how true that guy was. Although, i dont agree with the leader part (;)), i thought he was right otherwise. And i mentioned something about finding things when u need them the most and so the other day, I was going through these magazines for a religious studies presentation and I saw this beautiful verse by Iqbal. It had been written in the context of nationalism, which I will talk about later but well, I liked the verse. I will write it down in english as soon as i get the translation or come up with some good one myself. Anyways, here goes...
Derwesh-e-khuda mast na sharqi hai na gharbi,
ghar mera delhi na safahan na samrqand,
kehta hoon wohi baat samjhta hoon jissay haq,
nay abla-e-masjid hoon, na tehzeeb ka farzand,
apnay bhi khafa mujh say hain, beganay bhi nakhush
main zehr-e-halahil ko bhi keh na saka qand.
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 2:09 AM
1 Comments:
At 9:44 AM, ullu ka patha said…
acha sher hai.
I come online quite often these days. Its usually raat in Pakistan like around 10 pm. aa jaya karo. I'll try to be around earlier bhi. y r u naraz with amna?
(Dec 23, 2005)
I wanted to discuss something very beautiful which I saw and experienced a few days back. It must be more than a week since my grandmother passed away. She was not my real nani, my mother's mother but my mother's aunt. But she was all that my mother and her siblings have ever seen of a family; she and their whole family, because all the rest are in Kashmir. Ahhhh..so near yet so far. Just a week earlier my real nani heard about the death of her eldest sister and it wasn't like she had died just that day. It so happened that my nani called relatives back in Kashmir as a matter of routine and when she asked about this sister of hers, someone told her that she had passed away. How helpless and pathetic are mortals like us left in face of decisions of God. But there are some decisions that we take of our own accord; situations that we create ourselves. Could she not have seen the last of her sister? Could she not have went to look after her sister in her last days, or for that matter, all her siblings who have passed away in these almost 60 years that she has been here in Pakistan. My mother told me that relatives back in Kashmir had asked for the hand of my mother and her elder sister in marriage but my nani was the strongest opponent of any such proposal. She did not want her daughters to crave for family all their life the way she had to here in Pakistan.
Anyways, back to my choti nani's death. I dont know but I sensed this once before when my uncle's new born daughter died. It was a toy sent their way from God after about 10 years and mann, were they anticipating her arrival. Everything was fine. They had her aqeeqa and everyone was so happy. We could not go which was sort of bad but everyone was following up on her first days at home. And then, hardly two or three days after her aqeeqa, we got the news that she had died. It was so depressing. I had heard about my other mamoo's daughters and how their kids died, the very reason why everyone was so happy when they had their first in 1997, but this was the first time it happened in front of me. I was expecting all of them to be highly distraught and though we did not go right after her death, we went after about a week. And I was in for a surprise. The way they all were handling it was beautiful to say the least. There was no hiding the fact that they were sad, that a toy had just been taken away from them, that all the anticipation and the preparation was afterall in vain. But they were going on with life holding on to any solace that they could get from anywhere. And it was not just anywhere that they were turning to for comfort. It was simply the faith that all had happened for some reason. The faith of good to expect in the future life for God often tests the resilience of his people, making it an excuse to bless them. Ofcourse he doesn't need excuses but it is only the choicest that he tests. And he has plans for everyone. One might wonder why send a baby to this world when it is going to be taken away in hardly a week. But then there are reasons. And it is so amazing how things turn up when you need them the most. My cousins found this ruffled paper from some corner of their house which had this beautiful poem written on it about how God tests us and His tests make us stronger from within. My cousin wrote that down for us but I guess I misplaced it somewhere. Yes, there were those tears flowing for a lost angel, there were those sombre moments for the li'l fingers. There was disappointment at lost dreams and plans. My mamoo did rub his eyes before going to bed to keep away the tears, my mami did have faint recollections of the wiggling white thing. But they knew that they had to move on. That life was possible with just her memories and not the little angel in the cradle. And the biggest comfort were the good tidings that have been given to parents whose children dont get to experience their love and affection. And it was all so simple. It was not a rejection of reality but a confirmation of the truth..and it was pleasant.
And I saw the same acceptance of reality at my nani's death. They were sad. They even got hysterical but then they also found moments to smile at the toddler's mischief, at the baby's doodling. You move on and give in to God's plans for the hope for a better tomorrow.
May God grant us all the courage to face such tragedies. (Amen)
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 7:58 AM
Anyways, back to my choti nani's death. I dont know but I sensed this once before when my uncle's new born daughter died. It was a toy sent their way from God after about 10 years and mann, were they anticipating her arrival. Everything was fine. They had her aqeeqa and everyone was so happy. We could not go which was sort of bad but everyone was following up on her first days at home. And then, hardly two or three days after her aqeeqa, we got the news that she had died. It was so depressing. I had heard about my other mamoo's daughters and how their kids died, the very reason why everyone was so happy when they had their first in 1997, but this was the first time it happened in front of me. I was expecting all of them to be highly distraught and though we did not go right after her death, we went after about a week. And I was in for a surprise. The way they all were handling it was beautiful to say the least. There was no hiding the fact that they were sad, that a toy had just been taken away from them, that all the anticipation and the preparation was afterall in vain. But they were going on with life holding on to any solace that they could get from anywhere. And it was not just anywhere that they were turning to for comfort. It was simply the faith that all had happened for some reason. The faith of good to expect in the future life for God often tests the resilience of his people, making it an excuse to bless them. Ofcourse he doesn't need excuses but it is only the choicest that he tests. And he has plans for everyone. One might wonder why send a baby to this world when it is going to be taken away in hardly a week. But then there are reasons. And it is so amazing how things turn up when you need them the most. My cousins found this ruffled paper from some corner of their house which had this beautiful poem written on it about how God tests us and His tests make us stronger from within. My cousin wrote that down for us but I guess I misplaced it somewhere. Yes, there were those tears flowing for a lost angel, there were those sombre moments for the li'l fingers. There was disappointment at lost dreams and plans. My mamoo did rub his eyes before going to bed to keep away the tears, my mami did have faint recollections of the wiggling white thing. But they knew that they had to move on. That life was possible with just her memories and not the little angel in the cradle. And the biggest comfort were the good tidings that have been given to parents whose children dont get to experience their love and affection. And it was all so simple. It was not a rejection of reality but a confirmation of the truth..and it was pleasant.
And I saw the same acceptance of reality at my nani's death. They were sad. They even got hysterical but then they also found moments to smile at the toddler's mischief, at the baby's doodling. You move on and give in to God's plans for the hope for a better tomorrow.
May God grant us all the courage to face such tragedies. (Amen)
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 7:58 AM
Me..(Dec 19, 2005)
Me..
This is something I wrote for a friend's college application. I realised, as I wrote down my ideas, how much of my own self I was penning down. I like it. This is me..yeahhhh. Me as of now or probably it is just now that I found expression. anyways take it as it is...
I certainly am not a machine nor do I resemble any of those modern gadgets which perform tasks on the flick of a button. I am also not the Tin Man from the “Wizard of Oz” who discovers that he cannot cry because he does not have a heart. I am me because I think and react my own way. I don’t let anyone tell me to “do or die” and not to ask “when and why”. And let not anyone think that I am Fidel Castro or Hugo Chavez, challenging the world so defiantly. I am “but a mere mortal” defending my place in the scheme of events that runs the world today.
I am that earthling who witnesses not just “that rising of the sun” and “the setting of the moon” for my underestimated intellect can grasp much more than just that. I see the toiling peasant and the loitering hooligan. I watch the servile clerk left with no choice but to wait on one nod of the higher ups. I hear people discussing my life and my being; my beliefs being made a mockery of. I hear emphatic declarations by people who, I am told, decide my fate. I watch jet fighters zooming past overhead turning my world into rubble. I see nations coming of age and others sinking into the throes of doom; I see the rise of Power and the fall of Reason. I feel the world spinning out of my reach and----I react.
I react because I know why the peasants toil and the hooligans loiter. I understand why the servile clerk had to resort to servility. I want to be the sole master of my fate. I want to shout out loud what I think of those who turn my world into rubble and I also have some tips for the doomed nations. I know how and why Power snatched the beacon from Reason because---I think and I have opinions.
I cannot be content with watching everything go past me. I do not allow others to define the meaning of life to me because I am not a machine which has been ordained to do some specific tasks. I explore new ways and set my own tune because I want the world to spin on my fingertips.
What if they put Einstein’s face on a robot? They might put mine tomorrow but will that subdue the existence of my being---for I LIVE with a brain that thinks and a heart that feels.
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 1:09 AM
This is something I wrote for a friend's college application. I realised, as I wrote down my ideas, how much of my own self I was penning down. I like it. This is me..yeahhhh. Me as of now or probably it is just now that I found expression. anyways take it as it is...
I certainly am not a machine nor do I resemble any of those modern gadgets which perform tasks on the flick of a button. I am also not the Tin Man from the “Wizard of Oz” who discovers that he cannot cry because he does not have a heart. I am me because I think and react my own way. I don’t let anyone tell me to “do or die” and not to ask “when and why”. And let not anyone think that I am Fidel Castro or Hugo Chavez, challenging the world so defiantly. I am “but a mere mortal” defending my place in the scheme of events that runs the world today.
I am that earthling who witnesses not just “that rising of the sun” and “the setting of the moon” for my underestimated intellect can grasp much more than just that. I see the toiling peasant and the loitering hooligan. I watch the servile clerk left with no choice but to wait on one nod of the higher ups. I hear people discussing my life and my being; my beliefs being made a mockery of. I hear emphatic declarations by people who, I am told, decide my fate. I watch jet fighters zooming past overhead turning my world into rubble. I see nations coming of age and others sinking into the throes of doom; I see the rise of Power and the fall of Reason. I feel the world spinning out of my reach and----I react.
I react because I know why the peasants toil and the hooligans loiter. I understand why the servile clerk had to resort to servility. I want to be the sole master of my fate. I want to shout out loud what I think of those who turn my world into rubble and I also have some tips for the doomed nations. I know how and why Power snatched the beacon from Reason because---I think and I have opinions.
I cannot be content with watching everything go past me. I do not allow others to define the meaning of life to me because I am not a machine which has been ordained to do some specific tasks. I explore new ways and set my own tune because I want the world to spin on my fingertips.
What if they put Einstein’s face on a robot? They might put mine tomorrow but will that subdue the existence of my being---for I LIVE with a brain that thinks and a heart that feels.
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 1:09 AM
(Dec 19, 2005)
Right now, i am waiting for the production house (the place where they have the printer), to open after the prayers break and I have to sit here because there is just this one PC in the whole institute which reads from USBs. Imagine that, and every person here has a USB with them. Khair, I just sent a mail to someone because I was feeling a little bad about something--about some friends not being friends enough. Probably, I have started expecting a lot. Actually, I think I always did. I remember Aisha once telling me that najia said this about me when I was mad at amna for something. I thought that might change with my friends literally "seven seas away" from me. But that has not changed. Well, this is the way I am and besides the heartbreaks, there isn't anything wrong with being that way. "Besides the heartbreaks"..wait a minute.
But why am I discussing this. Because I have come to the conclusion that this blog will not be a diary or probably I'll decide whenever I am in the mood to write. Leave it mannn..i am just bored.
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 12:58 AM
But why am I discussing this. Because I have come to the conclusion that this blog will not be a diary or probably I'll decide whenever I am in the mood to write. Leave it mannn..i am just bored.
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 12:58 AM
...still catching up (Dec 15, 2005)
...still catching up
well, no not exactly. there is nothing special to talk about from the past weeks. Actually, I was waiting for our group performance to take place before I could write another post and that happened today. Basically we were supposed to give a group presentation on any classic for the communication skills class and we chose to do that on Silas Marner. Now, although the novel is very short, most of my group members did not read the novel because they did not get the old english. That left just me to decide about the aspect that we were going to give a presentation on. The aspect I chose was the way the author explains common human reactions to different situations. The way she philosophised simple states of the human mind, during the story in very good prose struck me and because anyone would have done the character sketch of Marner, I decided on this aspect. Everything was prepared, the material, the slides but the ppl were not prepared. We had this day before the class but my group members were not serious and the next day we had an awful presentation. It was not that awful but no one understood the aspect and the fact that the teacher had read the book and was expecting the aspect to have to do something with the plot of the story, worsened the situation. Also, because we used to have the best presentation in class, this one came as a shock. The second part was the performance part. We had it today. I was this girl and I wore a long skirt which was funny. The ting went fine with no hitches and because I went red because of shyness, it seemed like I was crying which was what my character did during the scene in the story. But the teacher pointed out very little movement and yeah, the golden locks of Eppie (me). I dont remember reading anything about golden locks an I dont understand ma'am at times. How was I supposed to move with such little space what with that table top and everything lying on the stage? Also, she had said that props were not that important and even then we had dressed up. Missing out the "golden locks" was not that much of an issue. But she was not so critical. Just the fact that we had worked hard, it irks you to hear even minor comments. haha..and most of the guys thought I had dresed up like a kashmiri because of the scarf worn the wrong side, more like a bandana. But as far as I know, women did wear something of that sort in the early 18th century in England. The guys did not...soo anyways. They thought I looked cute...;)...I know i was looking cute with the purple scarf (bandana) and off-white highneck. Ali said he wanted to come up to the stage and claim me the way Godfrey was claiming Eppie as his daughter..LOLZZZ...Godfrey did not impress me..why would Ali...Simon from the Lord of the Flies.
Wish I could show you any pic but stuupid aisha. She made such a terrible video. It shows me but not a lot.
Ooohhh..and I have to study Aero. Aisha does not admit it but it is so obvious. She got better marks because she studied aero on the weekend. I did not. Looks like we'll have to get another book quite soon. Now I better go google something for the islamiat presentation.. I am waiting for the day the Calculus sir gives a presentation. He is the only one left..[groans]...aaarrrghh..
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 6:05 AM
well, no not exactly. there is nothing special to talk about from the past weeks. Actually, I was waiting for our group performance to take place before I could write another post and that happened today. Basically we were supposed to give a group presentation on any classic for the communication skills class and we chose to do that on Silas Marner. Now, although the novel is very short, most of my group members did not read the novel because they did not get the old english. That left just me to decide about the aspect that we were going to give a presentation on. The aspect I chose was the way the author explains common human reactions to different situations. The way she philosophised simple states of the human mind, during the story in very good prose struck me and because anyone would have done the character sketch of Marner, I decided on this aspect. Everything was prepared, the material, the slides but the ppl were not prepared. We had this day before the class but my group members were not serious and the next day we had an awful presentation. It was not that awful but no one understood the aspect and the fact that the teacher had read the book and was expecting the aspect to have to do something with the plot of the story, worsened the situation. Also, because we used to have the best presentation in class, this one came as a shock. The second part was the performance part. We had it today. I was this girl and I wore a long skirt which was funny. The ting went fine with no hitches and because I went red because of shyness, it seemed like I was crying which was what my character did during the scene in the story. But the teacher pointed out very little movement and yeah, the golden locks of Eppie (me). I dont remember reading anything about golden locks an I dont understand ma'am at times. How was I supposed to move with such little space what with that table top and everything lying on the stage? Also, she had said that props were not that important and even then we had dressed up. Missing out the "golden locks" was not that much of an issue. But she was not so critical. Just the fact that we had worked hard, it irks you to hear even minor comments. haha..and most of the guys thought I had dresed up like a kashmiri because of the scarf worn the wrong side, more like a bandana. But as far as I know, women did wear something of that sort in the early 18th century in England. The guys did not...soo anyways. They thought I looked cute...;)...I know i was looking cute with the purple scarf (bandana) and off-white highneck. Ali said he wanted to come up to the stage and claim me the way Godfrey was claiming Eppie as his daughter..LOLZZZ...Godfrey did not impress me..why would Ali...Simon from the Lord of the Flies.
Wish I could show you any pic but stuupid aisha. She made such a terrible video. It shows me but not a lot.
Ooohhh..and I have to study Aero. Aisha does not admit it but it is so obvious. She got better marks because she studied aero on the weekend. I did not. Looks like we'll have to get another book quite soon. Now I better go google something for the islamiat presentation.. I am waiting for the day the Calculus sir gives a presentation. He is the only one left..[groans]...aaarrrghh..
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 6:05 AM
catching up (Dec 10, 2005)
catching up
ook..so although i want my posts to look like more of a diary than anything else, for the time being i'll only try to catch up by writing about things that happened a few days or weeks back and well, which deserve a mention (and yeah this has to be in good english with proper grammar because otherwise, orkkut is soon going to signal the end of my english).
So here goes. Fristly, i think I am a lot more confident here in IST than I used to be. So much for not having the guts to speak my mind in front of new aquaintances, najia people call us "badmash", which is a little offtrack. Actually what happened was that at the end of this superb welcome party, we were taking these pics and all. This senior guy got one of those pics and I dont have a lot of problem with peole of my own class, especially those I know having acces to my pics, but seniors is another matter altogether. This guy from my class told me that, and well i was angry. I went straight up to that senior with aisha and this other girl who had initially suggested going over to that guy and talking to him straight on. We talked to that guy and the person who had tipped me off denied whatever he had said in front of him. and that was soooo baaadd. But then, only because he was enjoying the attention given to him by girls, he said, "you should confirm the facts before coming up to someone."Like whatever!!! I was concerned and how was I o know that he would backtrack in front of the senior guy. So there was this spat and I moved on. But that senior guy was so adamant on talking, he actually stopped aisha when she was moving towards the bus right after the thing and again said the same thing abt confirming facts. Aisha was like, "I wasn't the one who talked to you." and he is "it is one and the same thing." Aisha said,"No, it isn't" and then we moved off. That was friday and that guy is a hostellite. My classfellows who live in the hostel started ringing us and told us how angry that person was and we shouldn't have done what we did. I was a little angry at them too and when someone told me that that senior guy HAD actually taken our pics, I was even more angrymore at my class fellows for bowing down. But then everything cooled down and nothing happened on Monday.
This other guy who is a class fellow of the senior guy scrapped aisha saying, "you really got us going." Basically he wanted to befriend Aisha and started off by talking about the incident. But aisha was like I dont want to know you. Then another friend of his scrapped him saying, "bisteeeee...IST kai badmash nai kar di na baiztee...tharkeee" And so we learnt of our title. The other day, on tuesday probably, there was these pieces of coal lying around left from the tikka stand which was there on the welcome day..(the food, by the way, was mouth-watering..mmmmmmm). My classfellow and I started drawing stuff on the pavement using the pieces of coal and it was fun. The next day, we went to that place andd we saw this written over there, "IST kai badmash, CAUTION: Beware of the twins." Aisha wrote back, "Aww..itna dartay ho..I can only pity you." I was going to write something but then the ever-toooo pragmatic friends of mine told me not too. But that was that and no more was said or done but we do sometimes hear people saying that in hushed tones. But whatever, who cares..!!!!
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 10:07 PM
1 Comments:
At 11:58 AM, ullu ka patha said…
Jigar! Chaa gai hai! but your url does show to everyone so take it off if u want too much publicity. Its usually a good idea not to put pics on. And do drop comments sometimes on my blog.
ook..so although i want my posts to look like more of a diary than anything else, for the time being i'll only try to catch up by writing about things that happened a few days or weeks back and well, which deserve a mention (and yeah this has to be in good english with proper grammar because otherwise, orkkut is soon going to signal the end of my english).
So here goes. Fristly, i think I am a lot more confident here in IST than I used to be. So much for not having the guts to speak my mind in front of new aquaintances, najia people call us "badmash", which is a little offtrack. Actually what happened was that at the end of this superb welcome party, we were taking these pics and all. This senior guy got one of those pics and I dont have a lot of problem with peole of my own class, especially those I know having acces to my pics, but seniors is another matter altogether. This guy from my class told me that, and well i was angry. I went straight up to that senior with aisha and this other girl who had initially suggested going over to that guy and talking to him straight on. We talked to that guy and the person who had tipped me off denied whatever he had said in front of him. and that was soooo baaadd. But then, only because he was enjoying the attention given to him by girls, he said, "you should confirm the facts before coming up to someone."Like whatever!!! I was concerned and how was I o know that he would backtrack in front of the senior guy. So there was this spat and I moved on. But that senior guy was so adamant on talking, he actually stopped aisha when she was moving towards the bus right after the thing and again said the same thing abt confirming facts. Aisha was like, "I wasn't the one who talked to you." and he is "it is one and the same thing." Aisha said,"No, it isn't" and then we moved off. That was friday and that guy is a hostellite. My classfellows who live in the hostel started ringing us and told us how angry that person was and we shouldn't have done what we did. I was a little angry at them too and when someone told me that that senior guy HAD actually taken our pics, I was even more angrymore at my class fellows for bowing down. But then everything cooled down and nothing happened on Monday.
This other guy who is a class fellow of the senior guy scrapped aisha saying, "you really got us going." Basically he wanted to befriend Aisha and started off by talking about the incident. But aisha was like I dont want to know you. Then another friend of his scrapped him saying, "bisteeeee...IST kai badmash nai kar di na baiztee...tharkeee" And so we learnt of our title. The other day, on tuesday probably, there was these pieces of coal lying around left from the tikka stand which was there on the welcome day..(the food, by the way, was mouth-watering..mmmmmmm). My classfellow and I started drawing stuff on the pavement using the pieces of coal and it was fun. The next day, we went to that place andd we saw this written over there, "IST kai badmash, CAUTION: Beware of the twins." Aisha wrote back, "Aww..itna dartay ho..I can only pity you." I was going to write something but then the ever-toooo pragmatic friends of mine told me not too. But that was that and no more was said or done but we do sometimes hear people saying that in hushed tones. But whatever, who cares..!!!!
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 10:07 PM
1 Comments:
At 11:58 AM, ullu ka patha said…
Jigar! Chaa gai hai! but your url does show to everyone so take it off if u want too much publicity. Its usually a good idea not to put pics on. And do drop comments sometimes on my blog.
Friday, July 13, 2007
first dayyy (Dec 08, 2005)
first dayyy
okkeeez..so what should i write..i dont want to start right off abt the day. oooohhh now i finlly have a blog of my own. all thanx to najia..hehe..i know how to find my way arnd..khairrr..gotta go now..and i also want to check how my post looks like on my blog..
okkeeez..so what should i write..i dont want to start right off abt the day. oooohhh now i finlly have a blog of my own. all thanx to najia..hehe..i know how to find my way arnd..khairrr..gotta go now..and i also want to check how my post looks like on my blog..
de-blogged :(
oookkk..so i lost my blog. I am thinking of copy-pasting stuff from my previouys blog bc I cant let all that "literary" work go to waste. Actually , instead of forcing myself to write when i dont really feel like it, I better get started with gathering all my work in one place...so here goes..!!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)