celestial travesty

When the sun faded and darkness fell,

The only light I found was within my heart,

Illuminating the gloomy paths at night,

As I searched for you like a hopeless manic,

Like an aimless traveller on a forgotten road,

Like a lost sailor on a familiar shore,

I searched for you like a rose in a desert,

I searched for you like air under water,

I found you hidden behind your veil,

and there was enough light to last a life time,

Emptiness of the deserts turned to fields of green,

Unforgiving winds surrendered to a gentle breeze,

Months of solitude turned into days of joy,

Years of desolation into a promise of love,

I found myself again

But who would have thought the years of search,

would leave me so blinded,

How could I forget my passion is but my own,

and Love is but a struggle of one heart,

It's sweet pitch is music to the ears,

It's call the divine truth from above,

You were in my heart all along,

Naïve was I to think I will be in yours

- Said Chaudhry

Ji Chahay (If you wish..) by Hazrat Zaheen Shahtaji

Ji chahe to sheesha ban ja, ji chahe paimana ban ja Sheesha paimana kya banna, mai ban ja maikhana ban ja..

If you wish, become the glass, or the chalice; But why choose, when you can become the wine and the tavern

Mai ban kar, maikhana ban kar masti ka afsana ban ja Masti ka afsana bankar hasti se begaana ban ja

By becoming the wine and the tavern, become the tale of intoxication. By becoming the tale of intoxication, become a stranger to life (interpretation: lose yourself in the lust of devotion)

Hasti se bagaana hona, masti ka afsana banna Is hone se is banne se achha hai, deewana ban ja

Becoming a tale, becoming a stranger to being, Better than these, however, is to become a madman (or someone madly in love (with God).

Deewana ban jane se, deewana hona achha hai deewana hone se achha, khak-e-dar e jaanana ban ja

Better than becoming a madman is to be a madman, Better than being a madman is to become dust at the door of a beloved

Khak-e-dar-e-jaanana kya hai, ahle dil ki annkh ka surma Shama ke dil ki thandak ban ja, noor e dil e parwana ban ja

What is dust, but kohl in the eyes of the people of the heart, Become the coolness at the heart of a candle, become the moth illuminating the heart

Seekh Zaheen ke dil se jalna, kahe ko har shamma par jalna Apni aag mein khud jal jaye, tu aisa parwana ban ja

1.Learn, Zaheen (Intelligent One), to burn from the heart Why burn for every flame. Become that moth that burns in its own fire

2."Why burn for every flame; become the light that is in the heart of the moth" which means: the moth is motivated by its own inner light (or its own picture of what light is) to go seek the flame. You, the sufi seeker, should become (or become aware of) that inner light.

Translation by |Sublime| & caravaka from forums.sulekha.com

---

Space of Separation

This space of separation between us,

Makes me tread a path of truth, hope and fiction,

The truth from which I can not escape,

The hope that you will find me before sunset,

The fiction that time will pass in this hope,

A mantic force has kept me from you,

A wicked scheme has held you from reaching out to me,

If anyone then loves you more than each drop of blood in my veins,

I accept this space as the unequivocal truth

-SC

Beirut بيروت‎

This song titled "Beirut" released in 2006 by the Pakistani band Strings in memory of those who lost their lives in July 2006 when Israel launched a war on Lebanon. The seige killed over 1500 innocent people and left 4400 injured. The beautiful city of Beirut was reduced to rubble. Pakistan remembers you on this anniversary, in solidarity.

Beirut by Strings:
Written by: Anwar Maqsood

Kyun ja rahay hain? Kis liye ja rahay hain?
Kuch bhi nahi pata, bus jaa rahay hain..
(Why are we leaving? And for what?
We have no idea, but we have to go)

Fizaoun main ik sarsarahat bhi kuch keh rahi hai
Jaltay howay chaman batla rahay hain
(There is trembling in the air that is trying to say something,
Gardens set on fire, are speaking…)

Koyee shehar tha, jo lut gaya
Dekho zara
(There was a city, that was stolen…
Look at it..)

Ik naam tha jo mit gaya
Socho Zara
(This was a name, that was erased…
Think about it)

Ik Sheher tha jo lut geya
(Once a city, that was robbed)
-
Kyun ja rahay hain? Kis liye ja rahay hain?
Kuch bhi nahi pata, bus jaa rahay hain..
(Why are we leaving? And for what?
We have no idea, but we have to go)
-
Aanchal kay tukray
Hawaoun main kyun urd rahay hain?
(Pieces of clothing [arabic: chal], why are they flying around in the air?)


Khamosh ankhon say, kuch keh rahay hain, keh rahay hain…
“Yeh kesi basti hai? Ghar jal rahay hain…
Dua’oun ko uth’tay hoye haath, kyoun gir rahay hain…”
(With quiet eyes, these clothes [chal] strewn are trying to say something...'What kind of a town is this? homes are burning...hands being raised for prayers, why are they falling?")

Koyee shehar tha, jo lut gaya
Dekho zara
(There was a city, that was stolen…
Look at it..)

Gender Discrimination Galore

There is a rise in eateries and other social places of gathering that are proudly promoting gender discrimination in Pakistan. After reading about Port Grand's discrimination against men, I was compelled to think about the long term effects of such policies.

We are a country that is evolving ever so slowly when it comes to gender equality. Majority of the women are still living under oppressive pressures of an intolerant society that revels in contradictions. The inconveniences, annoyances and harassments faced by women on a regular basis give rise to policies that are discriminative in nature towards men, and thus widely accepted. While not allowing stags into a cafe after certain hours may seem ideal to some, it is myopic and in no way addresses the problem, rather it fertilizes the soil for more gender discrimination to stem.

All restaurants and places providing services have the the right to refuse service to guest(s). When such a law protects restaurants & food bazaar's, is there really a need then to implement a policy that categorizes all men vertically into a single compartment and denies service to all of them? If more places started promoting a similar policy, our society is headed towards a social meltdown. While many people perceive the West as a devil with horns, there is much our society can learn in terms gender equality. A high-end place promoting a similar policy in the West wouldn't stay in business for long. Not quite true for Pakistan, one would expect the owner(s) of a flashy place like Espresso to have the common sense to promote a better policy than one that reeks with blatant gender discrimination.

Another form of primitive gender bias that is blatantly ignored in Pakistan is the lack of access women have to mosques. Even most Arab countries including our over rated friends in Saudi Arabia welcome women to pray in their mosques. In Pakistan there is hardly one mosque in an entire town for women to worship in. Unacceptable sir! All mosques in Pakistan should be forced, by law, to have an equal sized worship areas for both genders and should welcome women. This is just one example of a long list of gender inequalities faced by women in Pakistan.

By allowing one form of discriminatory policy to exist, we only create a platform from where other discriminatory policies emerge. I for one, am against all forms of gender based discrimination. I strongly believe that it has to be rooted out in its entirety. This can not be achieved by accepting some policies and allowing other's to slip by as a need of the hour. The fight against gender discrimination must be absolute and pragmatic.

An important goal of the educated civil society must be to eliminate gender inequalities completely. In order to do that, such policies that discriminate against any gender must be revoked by city governments immediately. What is most surprising is seeing how many educated people support such policies. How can anyone raise their voice against discrimination against women and at the same time sit on the fence on discriminatory policies against men, or vice versa? It makes no sense, you are either for gender discrimination or you are against it. There are no in-between's or justifications!

Keeping a group of guys out of cafe's or food bazaar's is not a solution, it is a problem. Rushing to pray in mosques that don't have space for women is not going to help anyone fast track to heaven either. There are countless other examples of gender discrimination that can be discussed but by continuing to condone any such policies, we are only anticipating more forms of gender inequalities to flourish in our society. The long term ramifications do not lead us towards an enlightened society, rather one that is entangled in its own pharisaic sense of confusion.

Epidemic: Laziness & Impatience

There is a strange paradox in Pakistan. How do we manage to keep an equilibrium in productivity while being so lazy? We need to pick up the slack. People in the West are often amazed at how hard working average people from our parts are. That theory always brings a sheepish smile to my face. Little do they know of the real sons of Pakistan and our reluctance to hard work. Epitome of our generation may just be profound laziness.

Life for an average Pakistani is difficult. It becomes even more difficult when he has to deal with government services. Private firms save face here and mostly deliver the UPS on time. However, if like myself, you ever had to deal with government employees on a regular basis, you will have to admit how difficult it is to get something as simple as a stamp on a piece of paper. How obnoxious it is to talk to people who treat everyone according to their position in the hierarchy. Nothing is more annoying than being blatantly ignored by someone whose job it is to do the prescribed work you have for him. In fact, many sadists will bask in the joy of delivering bad news to you. That perplexed look of disbelief on your face is priceless! The worst is when you are sent on a fools errand.

A fool's errand is when you go to an office to get some work done. Only to find the most uncooperative incumbent. He directs you to someone else, and eventually you end up visiting ten different people. You'll waste time exchanging unnecessary pleasantries with a few, one person will just make you sit and wait for an hour before telling you he has no power to help you. An odd guy will lends his ear to your problem, not because he cares but because he is bored from his daily fecklessness. Another nice guy will feel sorry for you and tell you he understands your frustration but he's just the tea boy. Eventually, you'll have toured the entire office and in the process found a new route to square one. The tiniest of errands will end up taking an entire work day to get done.

Last summer, I was in Pakistan for medical flood relief efforts. On the first of our five day trip to Layyah in Southern Punjab, we were made to wait outside the local government office(s) for nearly 4 hours before someone gave us directions as to where we should head for camp. One of the volunteer doctor's in our team had given up practising medicine for a more lucrative career in insurance banking. A thoughtful individual he was, he quickly calculated the four hours of the day (8AM-12noon) that were wasted up to that point were in fact equivallent to 24 hours of medical aid wasted, as there were six of us medical doctors who waited aimlessly for four hours each. In a time of such a massive natural disaster, it made me sick to think that 24 hours of valuable help was lost due to laziness and incompetence. The saddest part is, nobody had any issues with this loss of work output that could have potentially saved a life or a few.

The paradox of it all is that out on the streets everyone is participating in the ultimate race of life. Impatient motorists deserve a special accolade here. It would make sense if everyone was in a hurry to get some work done, but that's untrue. Motorcyclists encroaching between your car and the one adjacent to it, often nudging the side rear view mirrors, leaving a nice scratch - all to gain an few feet head start at the lights. We're all in a big hurry to go and do absolutely nothing. How about quing up at the bank teller rather than creating a huddle around the booth? It would be nice to stand in a line, any line, without having someone breathing down your neck. There is an obvious lack of respect for personal space.

Often times people will say these problems are more prevalant in people of middle and lower socioeconomic class. I beg to differ, nothing annoys me more than seeing a crowd of sycophants and relatives on the other side of the jet bridge as you enter Pakistan off an international flight. So called VIP passengers being whisked by airport officials, shamelessly, they cut and prod past others waiting patiently in line at customs and immigration. The same folks who glorify the West, complain of the bigotry in Pakistan, sip martinis at Gymkhana, yes - the elitists who praise themselves for being different from the masses. They boast endlessly about the VIP treatment they receive at the airport and just about anywhere else. In all my years of travel in and out of Pakistan, I can safely say that the average wait time for majority passengers to exit the terminal after stepping off the air plane is probably the same as anywhere in the world, if not less. Still, that's not express enough for some people.

If you do any of the fore mentioned things, slap your wrist today and grow out of it. "Be the change you want to see in the world" (Gandhi)

The Soap Opera: "Pakistan Cricket"

The soap opera that is Pakistan Cricket will continue its season as scheduled. After the excruciating break from regular transmission of the last few months, when everyone was left puzzled with questions such as "why we are winning?" and "why is everyone getting along?". The actors and directors have decided to return to enthral the world audience with the usual shenanigans.

Let's start with our favourite cricketer, Shahid Afridi. Returning to Pakistan after the West Indies ODI series. Afridi, knowing the laws of the cricket board do not apply to him, openly accused Waqar Younis of interfering in team selection matters. Waqar may be considered as one of the greatest fast bowlers. He may have led Pakistan as a captain and knows how to read a coaching manual or two. Little does Waqar know, that his job begins and ends with conducting fielding drills, doling bowling tips and mixing energy drinks. How dare he step on Afridi's toes?! Unfortunately, Afridi has now announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket. Afridi's energy and his charisma will be missed by everyone including Waqar Younas. However, I hope this is not another one of Afridi's hasty decisions that he regrets later. I still see an outside chance of Afridi returning to the team in the future.

Our Pakistani audience is such that they are easily deceived by Afridi's flamboyance. Forgiving his horrible shot selections, and of late, his lip. As long as he gels his hair right and smiles for the camera, we will continue fawning over his charisma and style of play. Spare a thought for Waqar though, he was handed a team in disarray, with no real bowling sting nor any decent batting prowess. Fielding was the only consistent aspect of our game; consistently below par that is. Since Waqar's arrival he has turned them into an intricate motor unit capable of anything. From topping Group A of the World Cup, to being toppled by a weak West Indies team. On some days our fielding looks top class and on others we'll drop six catches in a span of 20 overs. Yes sir, the definition of "mercurial" has a PCB logo next to it.

What of Mr Ijaz Butt? If there was ever a time in Pakistan to allow for geriatric chairmen, debutantes and captains to make their mark. It is now. 72 year young Butt proclaims age brings wisdom in ways unimaginable. In a lucid dream, Ijaz Butt saw a Khan leading the Pakistan team to World Cup glory in Australia. Undecided if it was a divine prophecy or re runs of 1992 World Cup on tv, he decided to go with his wisdom and expel Afridi from his job. Making Misbah the new captain was easy. If one can still run a cricket board at 72, there is no excuse for Misbah (turning 37 this month) to not play the next World Cup or two. So what? Ijaz Butt will argue, Imran was 39 when he won the World Cup in Australia.

Danish Kaneria meanwhile is at his wits end trying to understand what an NOC means. Ijaz Butt should just clarify what he really wants Kaneria to get from his ex county team, Essex, is a life size poster of Pippa Middleton from the Royal Wedding. Get me one too Dany boy!

The Karachi City Cricket Association secretary, Ijaz Faruqi, was last seen sobbing fervently at a presser. He is unhappy, as usual, over national team selection matters. He pleaded the case of wicket keeper Sarfraz Ahmed being deliberately ignored.

"So what if Muhammad Salman, the current keeper, is from Karachi? We should be the first team to play two specialist wicket keepers in every game so long as they are from Karachi!"

Also on the list of players Mr Ijaz thinks are being deliberately ignored, Mohammad Sami & Khurram Manzoor. Need I say more?

Why are the words "Sub Ijaz ek jesay hote hain" ringing in my ears?

Speaking of wicket keepers, Zulqarnain Haider has returned from his brief asylum in England. Apparently all it took was Minister Rehman Malik's assurance of security for Zulqi and his family. Zulqi was last seen playing catch with himself and contemplating which was the worst of his decisions: to throw away your budding international cricket career or accepting security assurance from an Interior Minister who thinks PNS Mehran attackers were characters from Star Wars.

Everyone's favourite scapegoat, Shoaib Akhtar, will be sorely missed after announcing retirement from international cricket. He says it's time to grow up as he has turned 35 now. Though, he will be playing in the newly formed Sri Lankan T20 League. My intel suggest he plans to play the first few of games before tweaking a ligament in his knee while taking an afternoon nap. What would you know about the stresses on a fast bowlers knee, especially when he has to break it down on the dance floor every night?

The tainted trio of Asif, Butt and Amir will begin fighting their legal case in London this month as well. While Salman Butt has decided to skip the preliminary hearings, Asif left for London like a man on a mission, but before anyone could find him in the arrivals lounge, it turned out he had already boarded a connecting flight to Amsterdam. "I need to ease my mind, legally, before I get into any long drawn legal battle" was his last message to my sources. For the high's Asif gave us with his bowling abilities, I wish him and the other's all the best.

Stay tuned for the show is just starting!