Tagged: Pakistan
Everyone has a story to tell
I opened the cab door and stated my desired destination even before I had settled in the back seat. No rush, just habit. Fast. Do everything fast. Short, quick movements. Open door, step in, toss backpack on seat, sit, shut door. Quick, but fluid movements. Once in, relax and take a deep breath. That’s what life has become. I glanced at the watch. Six fifteen. Rush hour. Everyone wants to get home. As the cabbie drives by, I see hopeful passengers waving their arms for the taxi to stop, but darned it. Their eyes meet mine in a sad, understanding way, a gentle nod from them that says “You won”.
Bapu!
It would be impossible for me, a Pakistani, to write a critical piece on Gandhi and not emotionally provoke the Indian reader. However, I shall attempt to do this as politely as possible and hope for the best. Please be advised that I am neither an anti-Indian nor an anti-Hindu individual. This piece is not meant to offend any one. Please read through the entire text before passing any hateful comments.
“Oh God,” said Gandhi, right after he was shot by Nathuram Vinayak Godse, as he fell to the ground and died. Relatively unknown TV actor Ben Kingsley’s portrayal of the Mahatma made its way into the hearts of millions around the world in 1982’s multiple Oscar-winning Gandhi. In truth, the actual words he uttered right before he died were “Hai Ram”, but since that translates to “Oh one-quarter-avatar-of-the-seventh-reincarnation-of-the-Lord-Vishnu”, the word “God” was used for simplicity. Continue reading
Am I indirectly blowing this dude?
DISCLAIMER: This story is not for the faint of heart. If you cringe easily or are weak in the stomach, stop reading now.
I was in Karachi some time ago and had to meet a cousin near Tariq Road because he was taking me to his tailor. That’s another story, though. I called him and he said he’d take another 15, which was cool because I decided to just stroll down the market, take in the city and all that. Continue reading
The Heartbreak Kids
After a year of surprising-but-long-awaited ups and there-they-go-again downs, the Pakistani cricket fans were treated to a great 2nd Test at SCG, glued to their seats after the Aussie crumble on Day 1. Continue reading
The 3 types of Pakistani beggars you should be wary of
They’re everywhere in this town. Hidden amongst us. Camouflaged as regular people walking the street. They know their targets really well. They spot you from a distance and conveniently place themselves in your path and tell you a story. You take out some money (not too little, because that’s being cheap, and not too much, because you need it) and hand it over. If they are pleased, they thank you and walk away, looking for another target. If the amount is not to their expectations, they try to coax you into giving more, by repeating their story, this time really emphasizing on the sadder nuances of that tale. Either way, you’ve just been had.
14th August
On this day in 1947, Pakistan became an independent state. Some cynics, and Gandhi, saw this as a day of tragedy when a nation (India) was torn in two. I’m the glass half full type, so I’ll say it was a pretty good deal. But, you know, that’s the thing with dates and history. Let me run down some other seemingly tragic incidents on that same date (not the same year, though) and try to look at them from that very glass half full point of view.
Crushing the Pakistani dream: An unlikely Blackcap adventure
The win against India in the first round match, which many fans treated as the match of the year, and a must-win from both sides, seemed a final of sorts. From the Pakistani fan’s point of view, this victory would be enough to hold an upper hand in cricket conversations until the next head-to-head between the two sides, which might fall in the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup in 2010. It was perhaps this need to stay on top in sport debates, that most fans wished the Pakistani team lose to Australia in the last group match, because that would ensure that India don’t progress. Continue reading
The need for an educational re-farm: The Pakistan Education Crisis
Somewhere around the early 1990s, when I was in my mid-teens, on an annual family vacation to Pakistan, I noticed a trend. My cousins, all of them, would go to school in the mornings, come back by the afternoon, have lunch and then go off to coaching classes. I didn’t understand this. I was living in Dubai, and although our school schedule was similar, we usually spent our post lunch time at home watching TV, or doing our homework, after which we’d go out to play. I noticed that in Pakistan (Karachi specifically, because that’s where I would be), the kids were actually studying more, and longer hours. Impressive, I thought. Continue reading
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