Justice…
First delay
And then deny.
Mukhtara…
With you
We all shall cry.
Hope…
Gets buried
Beneath the verdict.
Courage…
To fight
No power can restrict.
Evidence…
Is that all
You insist to know?
Conscience…
My dear
Where did it go?
Enraged…
We stand
Untill we see.
Punishment…
To the rapists
Whoever they be.
As the conservatives and the liberals stay engrossed(for their own reasons) with the banning of Veil in France, I sent in a message to some select non Muslim guys (as they would be more objective) in my friends list to inquire :
What do you think when you see a veiled woman?
( I kept the question open–they could think of the Islamic veil or the Indian veil–it was left to their imagination).
The answers I got in almost 4 hours were fascinating (though qiuite expected). I had heard my own hubby and brothers talk on those lines on occasions…
A veil…
Replies almost instant:
…makes her a mystery that needs to be solved.
…tempts me to find out what lies behind it.
…feels an uncomfortable itch to lift it.
…turns her instantly into a forbidden fruit.
Within 4 hours :
…makes my eyes acquire an X ray wavelength to pierce through the barrier.
…makes all my five senses alert.
…highlights the deep, dark, beautiful eyes and wants to know what else?
…makes her a magnet and me an iron file.
…makes her more sought after.
…makes her look ugly.
…makes my mind join the dots that the eyes could see behind the black screen and make a complete picture.
…makes me give them a second and a third look.
…makes me feel sorry for them.
Two of my friends replied much later”
…There is nothing to see and think about a veiled woman.
…I dont judge her. Its entirely her choice and her culture which needs to be respected.
Looking at the earlier posts, makes me scratch my head: “Is this for which one is told to wear a veil ?”
The following words came about…
A Veil
A Worthless cover
Envelopes me
An illusion
‘Safeguard’.
Exposed, I am
Screaming ‘mystery’
Pitched out there
As tempting
As a Forbidden fruit
A meaningless veil
Feeble and frail,
Nothing it sheilds
But takes off from me,
Who really am I.
Context: The ‘hot’ discussion on Veil ban in France is currently on…
I know majority of my close friends and kins are of the opinion that banning of face veil in France is against the Human rights and needs to be protested. Again I stand as a miniscule minority who thinks differently.
Apparently I donot fear being labelled an eccentric or a cynic, and feel more at ease by expressing my genuine views–no matter how dissenting they may be.
Very valid that no one has right to tell women what should they wear and what they should not. Yes it amounts to usurping the ‘right to choose’ but I have certain reasons why I stand unconcerned on the issue.
1. First, it is a political issue. To give it a religious color and get emotional in my opinion unjustified. Headlines calling it–‘banning of a muslim veil’ – by endless news reports includintg the major international newspapers, is in my view ‘inaccurate’ reporting. The language used is ‘bans the veils anywhere in public’.
2. Second, facial veil is not a mandatory in Islam even according to scholars, so to get emotional about the issue as usurping of religious rights isn’t valid.
3. Yes in a way it is going to affect only the Muslims, because nowadays it is only the Muslim women who practice face covering on a regular basis. Is it not a food for thought for us liberals to shake our brains on our cultural primitivity?
4.It was voted by the French Parliament with an overwhelming majority through a democratic process, not by any one person’s whims and fancy. Even in the polls, 80% of French are against it. Majority prevails in a democracy.
5. It is not the first country to ban a face veil. “Tunisia since 1981, and Turkey since 1997, are two Muslim countries which have banned the hijab in public schools and universities or government buildings, whilst Syria banned face veils in universities from July 2010.” Why didnt we cry foul then?
6. French parliament has been there for ages and so has been the face veil. Why then the ban now? It is a case of ‘lost trust’ between the west and the Muslims ( if at all it is to be taken as a ban on muslim rights). In such a case, crying against the ban in isolation will aggravate the polarisation. It should be looked at more objectively than emotionally and must deal with the bridging of the wideing gap through restoration of trust. When the trust returns, prejudice against such practices and targetting them would die it’s own death.
7. I donot agree that any woman is eagerly willing to wear a niqaab if given the choice without being brainwashed on it’s favour. Hence to say that those who wear it willingly, have been made willing through constant brainwashing. In my view it is the same as a person who has been brainwashed/convinced on committing suicide should be allowed to do so. Why is that an offence then? Who does it harm if someone wants to die?
8. If woman should be allowed to choose covering her face, why would those who want to go nude, have female circumcision or tolerate domestic abuse without complain, not be allowed to do so as a fundamental right. Why are these considered offences?
9. In the number game, ban on face veil will help far more girls and women who are, by force, asked to cover in compliance to the family/cultural values, than those very few who will be forced to take it off.
10.Medically and psychologically, veil is harmful. Absolute covering prevents exposure to sun, hence Vit D deficiency and Osteoporosis is very common in women who wear veil. And such covering prevents light and hence causes depression in the women.
11. Veil is definitely a hinderance in communication. Facial and eye expression are a major component of communication. It affects those who are interacting with a veiled woman and causes inequality.The woman can see all the expressions of the person she is communicating to, but conceals her own expressions. It is an unfair and non-reciprocal exchange of communication.
12. We have common men women in Pakistan more worried about a ban on veil in France( where not even 5% will ever get a chance to go and live) and are oblivious to the packing up of HEC right under their nose–a case of wrong values.We need to divert our energies to that issue.
13. We have been complaing of western agenda against muslims, against Islam for the last two decades. Do we think the West are angels, they will not retalite to our constant dislike or suspicions towards them. It is a reaction to our own irrational actions.
Yes, ban of veil may be an infringement of one’s fundamental right, but I donot consider it such a big issue to waste my energy and divert from ‘real’ issues. We recently wasted a lot of energies, valuable time on the issue of Raymond Davis–but what was the end result?
Thank God I did not waste my time and mind on it, even then.
I think we must start doing the Cost-Effect Analysis of our worries on the innumerable issues concerning this world.
I seriously think
we should develop
bombs from crayons
That blast into smilieys
as our next weapon-
of mass ‘construction’.
A color bomb,
a beauty bomb.
Launched from –
a happiness jet
or a unity drone,
as a peace missile.
And each time
a conflict erupts
we would drop one.
It would explode
high in the air
with a bang of hope
and send hundreds
or thousands,
even millions,
of smileys.
Raining down on earth
with splashes of colorful
smiles, smiles, just smiles
rioting up in the air.
And we wouldn’t go cheap,
not little boxes of eight.
Boxes of sixty-four,
maybe hundreds
even million crayons
of colors, colors, just colors
to smudge the smiley smiles
With silver and gold and copper,
magenta and peach and lime,
amber and umber and all the rest,
Colors of love, love, just love.
Reaching down on earth
with colourful stunning smiles.
And people will cheer
laugh, giggle, go hysterical.
Get funny looks on faces
the teary eyes shall twinkle.
With hopes embedded in dimples,
Peace sparkling from their teeth
And all that one will see
as far as eyes can reach
Is bliss, bliss, and just bliss.
Soft in the background
there would be an orchestra
playing a symphony
The musical notes
wrecking havoc
of peace and harmony
spilling magic in the air.
The beaming smilieys,
shall rock and roll
With hands in hand,
They’ll dance, dance, dance
in ecstasy insane.
All through the dark night
Until the dawn of ‘sanity’
awakens this asinine,
‘sleeping’ mankind.
( Inspired by colors & smiles stolen from Holi, & from a quote by Robert Fulghum, with some words taken from it).
This beautiful rendition of Chaap Tilak with magic spilled by Farid Ayaz, includes verses from Hazrat Sultan Bahu, Moalana Rumi and Kabir Das that were appropriate to the mood and common thought.
Amir Khusro:
Apni chhab banaye ke , main to pee ke paas gayee,
Jab chhhab dekhi peehu ki, main to apni bhool gayee.
I went to my beloved, with my own glow,
When I saw His ‘aura’, I forgot my own.
Chhap tilak sab cheeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Chhap tilak sab cheeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Prem bhatee ka madhva pilaikay
Matvali kar leeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Gori gori bayyan, hari hari churiyan
Bayyan pakar dhar leeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Bal bal jaaon mein toray rang rajwa
Apni see kar leeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Khusrau Nijaam kay bal bal jayyiye
Mohay Suhaagan keeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Chhap tilak sab cheeni ray mosay naina milaikay
You’ve taken away my looks, my identity, by just a glance.
By making me drink the wine of love-potion,
You’ve intoxicated me by just a glance;
My fair, delicate wrists with green bangles in them,
Have been held tightly by you with just a glance.
I give my life to you, Oh my cloth-dyer,
You’ve dyed me in yourself, by just a glance.
I give my whole life to you Oh, Nijam,
You’ve made me your bride, by just a glance.
Sultan Bahu:
Alif Allah chambe di booti, Murshid man wich laaee hoo
Nafee asbaat da pane milia, Har rage harjae hoo.
My Master Has Planted in My Heart the Jasmine of Allah’s Name.
Both My Denial That the Creation is Real and My Embracing of God,
the Only Reality, Have Nourished the Seedling Down to its Core.
Kabirdas:
Naina chupaye na chupe so pat ghoongat ki ote
Chatur naar aur soorma so karein laakh mein chor
The eyes could not be hidden behind the veil,
Tho’ the clever woman and the wise man tried their best (to hide ).
Bulleh Shah:
Ilmon bus kariye Oo yaar
Tainnu ikko alaf darkaar
Forget the pride in your knowledge O’ friend
One Alif is all you need
Mevlana Rumi:
beshno in ney chon hekaayat mikonad,
az jodaayee ha shekaayat mi-konad,
Listen to the (ney) reed flute, how it tells a tale of separation,
I want a bosom torn by severance, that I may unfold the pain of love desire.
Kabirdas:
Sun Kabira bansuri kahe nirali baat
Nagar dhandora peet ti hai choota pi ka saath.
Listen Kabir to the flute’s unique lament
Announcing everywhere that it is parted from it’s beloved
FOLLOWING INDIA…….PART 1
INTRODUCTION TO LOK PAL BILL AND ITS CONTROVERSY
India regularly ranks among the most corrupt nations in the world. India holds 87th place in Transparency International’s list of the most corrupt nations. Everyday, the headlines scream about senior government officials or legislators being caught with their fingers in yet another corrupt pie. But hardly anyone ever gets punished.
Man Mohan Singh government, under massive pressure due to corruption charges,and to gain some of its lost ground, half heartedly agreed to think over the introduction of LOKPAL BILL in the parliament.
Scams of Common Wealth games and Adarsh Housing Society proved as a limit to the forbearance of Indian public to corruption. And the civil society as well as the general janta came out in hordes to give unprecedented support to Anna Hazare’s fight for a movement against corruption.
What is Lokpal Bill:
The LokPal Bill provides that any one except a public servant can file a complaint of corruption against the Ministers, members of Parliament and the high government officials. And that the inquiry and redressal against the complaint has to be completed within six months.
The basic idea of the Lok Pal is borrowed from the office of ombudsman, which has played an effective role in checking corruption and wrong-doing in Scandinavian and other nations. Sweden, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Spain, New Zealand, Burkina Faso and the United Kingdom are some of the countries which have the office of an Ombudsman.
The Lokpal means a forum where the citizen can send a complaint against a public official, which would then be inquired into and the citizen would be provided some redressal. The office of the Lokpal is the Indian version of the office of an Ombudsman, who is appointed to inquire into these complaints made by citizens against public officials.
History:
It is a 42 year long journey for the LokPal Bill. Eight times in the history of this republic, governments tried to get the Lokpal Bill enacted. But no government – from Indira Gandhi to that of Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Manmohan Singh – could succeed in installing an all powerful ombudsman to probe graft cases against the high and the mighty in the country
What is the controversy :
Civil rights activists, including Anna Hazare( a 71 year old Gandhian), Swami Agnivesh, Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal, termed the draft legislation as weak and demanded that fifty per cent of the members in the committee drafting the bill should be from the public. They proposed a draft Lok Pal Bill by the name of Jan Lokpal.
The Jan Lokpal Bill or the Citizen’s Ombudsman Bill, a draft anti-corruption bill, would create a Jan Lokpal, or an independent body (like the Election Commission) which would have the power to prosecute politicans and bureaucrats without government permission.
Jan Lokpal ( by Anna Hazare& co) will have powers to initiate suo moto action or receive complaints of corruption from the general public. While Lokpal ( originally drafted by the govt) would have no power to initiate suo moto action or receive complaints of corruption from the general public. It could only probe complaints forwarded by Lok Sabha Speaker or Rajya Sabha Chairman.
They insist that the high offices of the Prime Minister and the judiciary should also come under the compass of the Lok Pal Bill.
Diverging Opinions:
There are diverging views on issues such as the inclusion of the office of the Prime Minister, ministers and Members of Parliament, inclusion of judges, and powers of the Lokpal. Some experts contend that all public officials should be accountable while others feel that the autonomy and privilege of Parliament require the Prime Minister, ministers, and Members of Parliament to be accountable only to Parliament.
Now the whole controversy has taken the shape of a National Movement of unprecedented proportions, as Anna Hazare announced ‘a fast unto death’ at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on April 5, 2011.
The prime minister, bowing under the pressure from the support to this mass movement, formed a sub-committee of the Group of Ministers to discuss the issue with these activists. However, initially, these two groups were unable to reach an agreement on the provisions of the Lok Pal Bill.
This led to Anna Hazare go for a hunger strike in early April, but just in few days the government accepted his demands.
There are three major points in the murmur of criticism against this civil uprising:
First, the cause is just but the method is undemocratic and, some have suggested, fascist. These civil society leaders are not elected and thus have no locus standi to demand change.
Second, if we allow such pressure groups, instead of established institutions and channels, to dictate terms to government, there would be anarchy.
And third, a mere law will not be able to curb corruption.
Now it is for the readers to form their opinion and decide if this is justified or not.
UPDATE ADDED ON JULY 5, 2011:
On July 4, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made the announcement at an All Party Meeting, ” “We are also committed to bringing the bill before Parliament in the coming monsoon session. ……”
Not all is over. There shall be debate in the parliament to bring consensus on the tricky parts of the bill which include: bringing the Prime Minister’s Office and higher judiciary under the ambit of Lokpal. And also to include bringing the conduct of Members of Parliament (MPs) inside the House, CBI’s anti-corruption wing and lower bureaucracy across the country under the Lokpal.
After all a journey of 42 years, 8 failed attempts at getting it passed in the Parliament, display of ‘People’s Power by tens of thousands and civil society members coming out on streets and 60 million tweets has led to this day where LokPal Bill can see light at the end of the tunnel.
And hence a great leap towards ‘real’ and ‘transparent’ democracy.
(WHY have I posted this to you? We in Pakistan love to follow Indian Soaps, Bollywood buzz, IPL, Indian sarees, fashion trends etc etc . Now it is time to follow their political movements too and learn some good lessons too).
When I entered medical school way back two and a half decades ago, there was a ripple of sensation that ran through my entire clan. In minutes one could notice the change in the attitudes when suddenly people started taking this bubbly school girl seriously. Some skeptics even came up to ask if the admission was actually for ‘doctory’ or some other para-med course in the prestigious Lady Harding Medical College, New Delhi.
The day came when I finally arrived for the first day of our med school. The group of lucky 90 were huddled into an auditorium for the introductory lecture. The place was an antiquated auditorium which looked more like a Colloseum with walls and seats made of seasoned dark teak-wood. The college had its foundation stone laid in March 17, 1914 and the venue spoke volumes of the time it was built.
The Hippocratic Oath was read out to us, and then the principal of the school gave us a short but touching speech. From what I faintly remember she began with …..
“I congratulate you all…. In our community doctors are considered ‘next to God’. I wish that you keep this key fact in the back of your mind all your life, from today onwards. Yes we are all human beings, we also have our aims and aspirations, but our patients have far more expectations from us than from anyone else. You may not find it so pleasant now, but my advice would be that your mannerism, your thoughts, your words, your dress up and the body language—and in summary your whole life, should reflect the respect and dignity that this noble profession is so worthy of…..”
My experience in practice all these years stands testimony to the respect and love that one gets from one’s patients. They come to us for healing but they heal us too, in return, with the trust with which they put their lives in our hands.
And it is not just the few inquiries into the medical history, or the physical examination or the prescription of few drugs which heals the patient. But trusting the patient’s problems as real ( even if you may find them very trivial or exaggerated), paying proper attention to their concerns, adequate eye contact and pleasant body language act as invisible factors which do wonders in creating a healthy doctor-patient relationship.
As was said centuries ago, it holds true even till date…
“‘Medicine is not merely a science but an art.The character of the physician may act more powerfully upon a patient than the drugs employed.” Philipus Aroleus Paracelsus
After all this grandiose image of this noble profession in the back of my mind, my heart bleeds and winces in pain when I see in my day today life, with what indignation and disrespect the general public has for the image of doctors.
Calling them butchers, killers, criminals….
Gosh! I always lived in an illusion that politicians were the most maligned of all the people. But today I stand with the revelation that doctors are even considered worse.
Irrespective of the current situation (of strike by young doctors in Punjab,Pakistan), the whole scenario pushes my head to think of why has this situation been reached?
There are black sheep in every profession and such have crept in our profession too. It does not limit to the doctors only in our land but all over the world where there are people who consider medicine less of a noble profession and more of a lucrative business. But then so has become the medical education. Nowadays, on the footsteps of the expense it takes to study medicine in the West, the private colleges have cropped up in the subcontinent, which charge hefty fees to make a doctor ( in parallel to the govt. medical colleges which have now become a minority).
The exorbitant costs have made the education ’purchasable’ and now it is not just the ‘worthy’ but the ‘affording’ too who enter these private medical schools.
Many leave for greener pasture in the West or the Middle East where they are well paid and well respected. Those who stay behind either by destiny or by their freewill, need to earn a decent amount to at least make their ends meet.
The irony is that once they pass out, irrespective of graduating from the private or govt colleges, they are paid the lowest of possible wages in lieu of their hard work in the past, present or future.
This has dissuaded the bright youngsters especially the boys from the medical profession , opting for anything else instead. And those enamored who do enter, regret later. The smarter ones branch out into pharmaceutical industry, hospital administration, civil services etc to make their lives easy and better, financially.
Irony still, when these youngsters who now come out to ask for their dues, get mauled physically and psychologically by the authorities as well as the general public. And they give them all kinds of moral lessons by reminding them of their noble profession or Hippocrates Oath.
And of the age-old rhetorics of ‘work for humanity not money’, ‘you work for others, not yourself’, ‘keep killing for greed’ to doctors.
Is this not moral policing too? And every ‘enlightened seems to have become a Mullah against the doctors today !!!
True the doctors need to be doctors even beyond their working hours, but if the youngsters who aspire to lead decent lives do not get enough to even feed their families, how can you expect them to do their duties with full heart and soul. Like all of us they are human beings too, not angels.
It was really painful to hear that the situation has become so desperate that even some emergency work was also closed down. On talking to a young soon-to- be- doctor, Atif Ali from Services Inst. of Medical Sciences, for staying HUMAN, he replied:
“its hard to stay human in a jungle. . . :-)….”
“I am sorry , but i personally believe that we shd be tagged as human mechanic n our job shd b just fixing their prblms . . . .nt getting emotional or flattered by dis term maseeha. . . !
Down vid maseehai of such nation 4 vich i hv to burn my nights stdying, work on holidays, be on d frnt line in disaster , get abused n beaten by patient attndnts n even aftr all that. . Have to look up towards ma parents to send money 4 ma expnses instead ov being support to em.”
Unfortunately when this desperate situation arises, how can one expect them to be the ‘next to Gods’ for the patients?
Ultimately, with or without the support of the people, I hope and pray that they get most of their justified demands met.
I am afraid that if the doctors are not given their due, less and less will smart minds be willing to enter this field or willing to stay in our country.
I have no qualms in saying that if you will pay peanuts, all you will get is monkeys.
Shobha Mudgal sings verses of Khusraw beautifully in Farsi and Urdu and is accompanied by Mahsa Vahdat who partly sings in the style of the throat singers from Iran. Of the many magical pieces of music created at the Khusrau Festival.
Chonani dar Nazar Nazar e garan
Ke Raunaq Ishq mi Mahpaar gaaran
Ishq hai Jiss Maqam mein, Koi Dusra Nahi
Main Bhi Tere siva nahi, Tu Bhi Mere siva nahi
Tu dar Khab-e Khush-o-Man bi tu har shab
Shomaram ta Sahar Sayyar gaaran
Mast nahi, Talab nahi
Raah nahi, Rehnuma nahi
Ishq hai, Khud hi Mudwaa
Ishq mein Mudwaa nahi
Alam e mein wo ghum se door, Mehab hai dil tere Huzoor
Ranj nahi, Khushi nahi, Dard nahi, Dawa nahi
Ravi gar Aisa Badakhana e vu
Ke koi Qissa e Awaar Garan
Chonani dar Nazar nazar e garan
Ke Raunaq Ishq mi Mahpaar garan
Shab e dil o Nazar Zaheen, Shab e Zabaan e Ishq hai
Lafz nahi, Bayaan nahi, sood nahi, Sada nahi
Dil-e Diwaana-e Khusrau ni Koneest
Che Goyam bar Pari Rukhsargaan ra
Chonani dar Nazar nazar e garan
Ke Raunaq Ishq mi Mahpaar garan
Dil-e Diwaana-e Khusrau..
Blind to Bounds 
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