Maya Khan & SAMAA TV asked for a constructive criticism. There it is…
“Maya Khan did it in good faith. Her concern was the safety of girls,” said a friend over telephone while discussing the much talked about show by anchor Maya Khan.
Well even if I presume her intentions were ‘noble’, the method of hounding young couples under the eye of a camera was certainly not just inappropriate, but highly deplorable. And now in a new video she talks about her ‘good intentions and the worries the parents have about girls who are lured into ‘wrong’ acts‘.
“Ab ager aap ye samajhte hain ke Maa Baap ye fikr na karein ke unki bachiyaan kahan hain to is barey mein main kyaa keh sakti hoon.”
It is the duty of a society as a whole and of the parents to guide our growing teens about the ethics and risks involved in relationships. Our culture is at the cross roads of modernism and conservatism. Many of us have conveniently picked up that part of modern culture which suits our personal interests, but stay glued to the old conservative dogmas otherwise.
As a friendly mother of two university-going kids, I am quite aware of the mixed trends and risks that surround my new generation kids in Pakistan.
It is very normal for boys and girls to form clandestine relationships when parents are unduly strict. This leads to many girls ending up in a trap caught between the parents and the boy and if the boy is taking her for a ride, he uses her vulnerable position to his advantage, as seen in many cases reported and unreported in Pakistan.
I certainly do not think this holds true for the majority, but it does happen with quite a few. The girl is forced to comply to the demands of intimacy by the opportunistic male counterpart. In that situation,especially in places like Pakistan, where there is gender selective judgement of ‘character’, she does not have many options. Seeking refuge with her parents and escaping the boy will eventually result in the same disastrous situation, in her head, and so she chooses the troubled path.
How do we deal with this? Do we go around with a broom stick microphone and witch hunt like Maya Khan? Certainly not.
In the west, these things along with sex education are taught to the students in middle school, while they are going through the most stressful times of their lives—puberty. Unfortunately in our society this is not done nor is it possible in the foreseeable future, thanks to our preconceived negative notions about this three letter word ‘sex’.
It is the duty of parents to play their part. They should open up their minds and place themselves in the shoes of their growing boys and girls. And to be understanding about the many complicated issues of the heart and mind.
What is needed is to empower our girls with the knowledge of how to save themselves from pressures of giving in to undue demands of a physical compromise, if they are not a willing partner to it. Boys also need to know that they cannot force upon their girlfriend any demand, be it as trivial as holding her hand, if she is not willing for it. The boy must be able to respect her ‘values’ in the relationship.
The girls should be given confidence, and taught how to stave off undue pressure or abuse of any sort in a girl-boy relationship. It is also important to reassure them that if they have made a mistake befriending someone who is abusive, they must come and confide into anyone who they trust-be it a sister, friend or even mother. I tell my kids, in such a case if you come and confide in me, “I may get angry or a lot angry, but perhaps it will save you from further unnecessary abuse.”
It is a myth that talking to your children openly about relationships will make them indulge more. Perhaps, if they know their parents understand them they will be more confident in taking responsible decisions. Once you have informed them, let them take their own decisions. Do not dictate to them.
I tell my kids, “If you take a decision which is wrong in my eyes, I may feel hurt, but it is ultimately you who will have to live with it. When you choose your decisions, you choose their consequences too. So be mindful and do what you think is right.” So far, so good.
Keywords to parents:Keep lines of communication with kids, educate them and then trust them while they make informed choices. Do not control their decision making.
Message to future Maya Khans: if you really wish these girls well, please call experts in the studio, and let them give tips to the parents, boys and girls about how to handle relationships. It will save you from a lot of running around in the park, unnecessarily.
Today is auspicious, for India. Yes it is despite being Friday the 13th.
Today India completed one full year of being Polio free.
It was on January 13, 2011 that the last child with Polio was diagnosed. After that all weekly tests from sewer samples, where polio is generally found, have been coming clear. No cases or samples have been reported positive since then.
WHO states “If the data comes clear over the next few weeks, then India, for the first time will show unshaded in the WHO polio maps.”
It is certainly a moment to rejoice for India, while keeping it’s fingers crossed for some more weeks and a lot extra vigilant for the next few years.
And knowing that it is a country with huge population of 1.2 billion with population as culturally diverse as any diversity, this is indeed a matter of great pride. It is a moment that one does not get to witness in history very often. Last when India along with the whole world witnessed something similar was in 1975 when Earth was declared Small Pox free.
“It’s not a miracle — it’s good science and an awful lot of elbow grease.” says Dr Bruce Aylward, the assistant director general of Polio, WHO.
Certainly being a huge bunch of a multi cultural, multilingual diaspora that India is, along with poverty, ignorance and myths against Polio vaccines it certain must have been a mammoth task to even dream and then realise that dream of a Polio-free India.
Poliomyelitis is a viral disease which attacks the nerve cells in the spinal cord which leads to the paralysis usually of a lower limb or leg. It cripples the children at a very young age. It is mostly spread by direct person to person contact, through the feco-oral route i.e. through phlegm, through the infected mucus or phlegm from nose, mouth or through infected feces. Once affected, however there is no treatment of the disease. Polio immunization through vaccine either as oral drops or injections is the only way to prevent it.
Why do I write all this? Is it to show off my Indian connection?
No certainly not, but to let us Pakistanis know that after today, or maybe in a few weeks more, after India officially says quits, only three countries shall remain ‘Polio endemic’ -Afghanistan, Nigeria and our own Pakistan.
Yes it really hurts that what India has achieved for it’s 1.2 billion, Pakistan could not achieve for it’s 180 million. It hurts that Sudan could do it, Myanmar could do it, but Pakistan could not.
It hurts even more to know that 194 cases were reported in Pakistan in 2011. Two of them were just confirmed today one from KhyberPakhtunkhwa and another from Sindh, sadly.
Most of the areas affected are the conflict zones where there is rampant poverty, ignorance and ill health.
The executive summary of the document said and I quote:“Poliovirus is continuing to cripple children in Pakistan because of the failure to reach all children with sufficient doses of vaccine. The reasons for this include inadequate Government oversight and ownership, access problems due to security particularly in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), operational and planning challenges, and the failure to identify and i nclude all high risk underserved population groups.”
Next it states: “the President of Pakistan has directed the immediate development of an emergency action plan for polio eradication in Pakistan.”
And that the Armed Forces have also been pretty active in some of the unreachable areas, by helping the government in making the vaccination of children with polio drops possible.
I hope all these efforts, both by the government and the armed forces, are able to trickle down till the last beneficiary and that a genuine change on ground is visible.
One can only wait to see if the claims that 2012 will show a decrease in the Polio cases in Pakistan.
The same report also mentions that along with India even Nigeria too has the potential to eradicate Polio in near future.
Further reading from the report shudders my soul: “This would leave Pakistan as the single largest threat to global polio eradication, and isolate the country in a world that wants to protect its citizens from the last remaining reservoir of wild poliovirus.”
After reading this, with a depressed mind within a dizzy head, I appeal to all the powerful and mighty in Pakistan to please rise above wrangling and infighting and please pay attention to the poor masses of Pakistan, who have been long ignored in this battle of egos.
Let all forces work with harmony so that not just Polio be eradicated, but power shortages and poverty be controlled, and let the people prevail.
Dr Ilmana Fasih
13 Jan 2012
Published in ExpressTribue : http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/9658/call-me-an-indian-pakistani/
I recently wrote a blog post titled ‘An Indian who moved to Pakistan‘. The response I got – positive and negative – is much appreciated. It inspired me to write this piece about my dream of a world without borders and wars.
Before I begin, however, I want to make clear that I do not have any desire to undermine the sovereign and political borders between India and Pakistan or between any other countries. My dream is to erase the psychological borders that are etched in our minds in the shape of prejudices and hatred towards the other.
So I’ll get to the point: to all those people who expressed sympathy over my visa issues, please don’t feel sorry for me. I feel extremely privileged to have ties to two beautiful countries, Pakistan and India.
So what if I do not have an Indian passport?
I have 24 years of precious memories sealed in my heart as an Indian, memories that can never be erased. I am not Pakistani because of my passport alone, but because of the love and respect that I have received from numerous Pakistanis, who took no time to accept me as one of their own. I belong to both lands and a good 1.4 billion people are my fellow compatriots. How lucky am I?
I am as passionate about the happenings of the Lokpal bill as I do about the NRO debate. Last year, at the cricket World Cup, I got to support not one, but two teams. Whenever there is an India-Pakistan match, unlike the other billion and a half who dread a bad result, I rejoice. I feel like a winner when either of them wins.
I find absolute tranquillity in the Sufi poetry of Bulleh Shah, and at the same time, I am able to drown in the depths of Kabir Dohas. Moreover, I knew what Kareem’s nalli nihari in Delhi tasted like before it began its journey abroad and ended up as Sabri’s maghaz nihari in Karachi. In addition to this, I can put together an outfit comprising of a Kanjeevaram silk sari and a Sindhi mirror-embroidered bag. When I go out, I can flaunt both as my national handicrafts.
To those who ridiculed or criticised me, please shed the word ‘hate’ from your dictionaries and look beyond prejudice. Believe me, I am a witness to the reality that there are millions on both sides who want to live in peace with their neighbours.
We have seen first-hand how hatred leads to conflict, how conflict leads to instability, and how instability leads to massive defence expenditures. We have already wasted immeasurable revenue, which could very well have been used for the alleviation of poverty, hunger, and illiteracy – problems that exist in astronomical proportions on both sides of the border.
We share ancestors, history, geography, and the same problems. Why should we allow the problems of a few in power to affect us on a global scale? A prosperous India is in Pakistan’s best interest, and a prosperous Pakistan is in India’s best interests.
Why should a handful of bigots sabotage the road to peace we need to take to reach the goal of prosperity? We need to support and love each other – we do not have another way out.
Think about it.
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of The Express Tribune.
One evening, the perpetual sad news on the television of sectarian killings, petty politics, poverty and floods overwhelmed me and made me feel a little nauseated.
To get fresh air, I walked outside in the lawn, only to see a threesome of geese sitting beside a bird feeder. One was limping with injury, while the other two were flapping their wings to encircle the injured.
Dejected with being human, I pondered, how the free birds, travelled 4500 miles every year from Europe to Central Asia, flying over mountain ranges to arrive in the marshes of the subcontinent for the winter.
Their honks reminded me of a research which found that these geese migrate thousands of miles as one flock, in a ‘V’ formation. If any bird falls sick or is injured, two geese fall out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it till it is able to fly or is dead. When the geese if healthy enough to fly, they launch out on their own formation until they catch up with their group.
“I wish I was one of you.” I muttered.
“Why?” asked one. “Aren’t you the most intelligent species created by God?”
Surprised I answered “Yes, but I love the way you creatures fly miles and miles, as free birds, with no passports, visas or expensive tickets. And no one is there to stop you at the borders.”
With a twinkle in its eye, the geese answered “Yes indeed. But do you know how do we succeed in braving such distances?”
I replied “Yes, you fly in flocks united as one group, in a V-formation.”
As I spelt the word united, my heart sank at the disunity that we display when we quarrel because of religious, sectarian and ethnic differences, instead of staying united in a flock as Pakistanis.
“Yes, unity and discipline are the foundation with which we brave through our arduous journey from Siberia to South Asia” declared another.
I wondered how the traveling in ‘V’ formation offered discipline.
The witty goose answered my concern by explaining, “Staying organised in a V gives us strength. The bird ahead flaps his wings to reduce the air resistance and gives a lift to the next behind it. Subsequently it gets passed on to the whole flock. And this way we are able to add a 75% greater flying range.”
“But you let the one at the front do the most labour by flapping its wing through the air resistance. How inhuman?” I retorted.
“You call this inhuman? Being cruel is so ‘human’ I would say”, the goose snapped back.
I knew the goose was right.
“Not only do we stay united and disciplined, we keep our faith in whoever our leader is. Our leader leads with hard work and the ones behind follow him with complete faith. Those at the extreme back keep honking all through the journey. Have you ever experienced how energising it is when someone gives you support from behind? It synergises one’s capacity far beyond one’s capability.”
This confused me. What was this faith the goose spoke about?
“Faith isn’t just the excuse for which you humans kill one another. It is a mutual faith between our leader and rest of the flock. It is this trio of unity, discipline and faith that enables us to brave harsh weather, sometimes even lack of food on our long journey” remarked the goose.
“Do you know this Unity, Discipline and Faith that you follow along the 4500 km journey, was actually a slogan given by our Founding Father?” I bragged.
All the bird heads turned at me in shock, and after a long silent pause one of them remarked:
“Oh, so you humans have heard of unity, faith and discipline?”
And with that exclamation, all three of them flew up in the sky, in a small V formation, perhaps for their final destination, further east.
As they went out of sight, so did the poignant lesson they had taught me. Why would I learn from pea brained geese?
After all I am the most intelligent species on Earth. Isn’t that what the geese had said in the first place?
This is the first of the series of Health Blog posts I begin from January 1, 2012 to raise awareness amongst South Asians on different Health issues of importance to them.
PART ONE
What comes to your mind by hearing of Healthy lifestyle ?
Exactly, it is these four essentials along with some other things which together make up the components of a Healthy Lifestyle.
There is nothing in it which any ordinary person cannot achieve. Healthy Lifestyle is no rocket science , and it needs no huge investments.
Just tiny conscious steps which will build up with time into habits and reap as a reward a Healthy YOU .
Why need a Healthy Lifestyle? I ask why not?
A healthy lifestyle :
• Shall reduce chances of illness and injuries, and hence improve quality of life.
• Will reduce visits to doctors, save time and misery.
• Will reduce cost of health care, less medical bills.
• Enable us to pursue our passions and work better and uninterrupted.
• Keep us employed, and with less of sick leaves or leave without pays.
• A sound mind in a sound body will enable better relationships at home, at work and in society at large.
• A healthy individual will be a healthy citizen of a healthy nation.
What constitutes a Healthy Lifestyle?
They are all simple steps, and as you go through them check which all you already follow, which ones you need to follow more. It just requires a constant conscious effort.
STEP ONE: Make Healthy eating habits:
I know our foods are delicious, but some are pretty unhealthy too. However, there is still a way we can manage to strike a balance between satisfying our taste buds and eating healthy.
A healthy balanced diet which has all the nutrients and vitamins we need is essential to make us stay healthy and avoid diseases.
The next very blog shall be in detail on healthy eating while we enjoy our desi food at the same time.
STEP TWO: Have an Optimal Weight:
Do you know what is your weight and height?
Do you know what is BMI (Body Mass Index), its significance is and how to calculate it?
Please check your BMI by plotting the weight and height on the chart below.
See where does your BMI lie.
If it is in the green zone, congratulations, your BMI is normal, but you need to maintain it in the same color.
If it is in the red or yellow zone, you need to check it and think of bringing it down to green.
Benefits of weight control: Maintaining an optimal weight saves us from a number of serious diseases like Heart disease, Stroke, Diabetes, Blood Pressure, Joint problems like arthritis, and Cancers like breast cancer, colon cancer, and sudden death.
(A blog shall be dedicated to weight management too.)
Do you know how much is the minimal exercise you need to do to stay healthy?
For adults it is a minimum of 30 min per day for 5 days or 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise (which is enough to increase your heart rate upto safe limits) is needed to keep an optimal heart health. It could be a brisk walk or jogging.
What exactly is moderate exercise?
A study suggests that a moderate-intensity walk should have 100 steps per minute, or 3,000 steps in 30 minutes.
And some studies have suggested that moderate-intensity exercise –like walking — may be just as beneficial as more vigorous exercise.
It does not need to be continuous…you can split it into three session of 10 min each through the day.
It could be swimming, walking, skipping rope, or playing sports like tennis.
– Benefit of Exercise:A daily routine of exercise will help control weight, increase the body metabolism, gives sound sleep, reduces stress and makes you feel good.
Caution:And if you have any health problems or have never exercise, I suggest you to first get a check up from your doctor before you begin.
For children the minimum exercise should be 90 min each day of active play, every day.
Do you also know that it is unhealthy for the children to be watching TV more that 2-3 hours a day?
It leads to obesity, hyperactivity and low attention span in the children-hence not only poor school grades but also many problems in later life.
Instead of watching TV or sitting on Computers all day, encourage them to play physical games . If space is a concern, after the minimal play, even indoor board games like ludo, chess, scrabble are great which encourage interaction, active thinking, learning frustration tolerance and competition.
Encourage them to read books. Studies prove if you expose children to books from early age, they do not get aggression later.
And for children below 2 years, no TV viewing at all, is the recommendation.
• Excess of caffeine, tea, fizzy drinks and alcohol.
• Avoid smoking as well as second-hand smoke. (A couple of blogs on smoking shall follow too).
• Avoiding drugs of abuse… it all begins with poor parent child relationship and smoking. If the parents-kids have a positive relationship and the parents counsel their child against the harmful effects of drugs and smoking since early, the kids can most likely not tread that path.
Our South Asia is a region where infections of all sorts are so common.
Personal Hygiene: Some common practices can help us minimise these infections like:
1. Wash hands frequently and properly–It is the single most act that prevents major infections
2. Do not share razors, combs, nail cutters, tooth brushes, towels and needles.
3. Practice safe sex habits.
4. Get the required vaccines on time.
It is very important to know that in our countries Hepatitis C and HIV infections have high prevalence. Many of the people are not even aware that they are infected.
It is very important to not share your razors, combs, scissors, nail cutters and needles, to avoid infection.
Also know that handshakes, hugging, kissing, sharing utensils or eating together will not cause spread of Hepatitis C or HIV infections.
It also very important that if you happen to get injections or blood transfusion in a Hospital, make sure the seal of the disposable needles, syringes or the equipment are opened in front of you.
And you also have the right to inquire from the health personnel about adequate sterilization of instruments and blood products.
(A separate blog shall be dedicated to Hepatitis C and HIV infections and their prevention).
Do not forget the cleanliness of your surroundings.
The following steps are more to do with mental health and we all know ‘a sound body needs a sound mind’.
STEP SEVEN: Healthy personal relationships:
• Along with taking care of ourselves, ne need to give the due attention to the people around us. Sharing and caring with the loved ones makes one feel good.
• Take time off to just sit with your loved ones. Have a family time, with no laptops, smart phones, television coming in the way.
• Talk to the kids at an eye level as friends, not as their commanders.
• Eating together as a family at least one meal a day. Talking on dinner table is a proven way to strengthen closed family ties.
• Hug your ageing parents for no rhyme or reason, no matter how old you or they are.
• Add humour to your life. “Good humour is one of the preservative of peace and tranquility.”Jefferson.
• Take time to say ‘How’re you’ to people who work for you like your driver, maid, your gardener. Then see a smile on their face and a twinkle in their eyes.
STEP EIGHT: Healthy connection with the surroundings;
It is so important to look beyond one’s personal and family life and see what s going on in the outside world-both living and non living.
Make sure to watch the news on TV or read Newspapers to know what is going on in your country or in the world at large. The news may be depressing, but it makes us conscious of the various problems in the world.
Understand your sociopolitical responsibility: Form healthy opinions on the events occurring in your society.
When its election time, make sure you vote (with your conscience).Remember that each vote counts.
Give charity. Charity is not just through money, we can give our time and a few words of empathy to those who are in need. Research proves that charity or public service helps the individual develop self-esteem and mental well-being.
STEP NINE: Stress management
Yes stress is a reality. But we need to manage the stress of our lives. Half that work is done if we eat well, exercise, sleep well, and have less illness.
However there are many scientific tools available on the net to manage stress. A blog shall be dedicated to stress management.
I know this blog was long and loaded with lots of information. I would suggest go slow, read the three different parts over different times, and if needed come back again. It’s going to stay here
You may begin the New Year with great resolutions, with great enthusiasm, but will forget in the middle. That’s all so normal. I do the same. So long as you keep getting back on track and not give up, it’s all very human. Keep trying! I am trying too
He who has health has hope; and he who has hope has everything. (Arabian Proverb)
With a hope that 2012 shall be a healthy year for all of you…
AUDIO IN URDU/HINDI FOR PART-3:
A VERY HAPPY & HEALTHY NEW YEAR!!!
P.S. 1: This and the other forthcoming Health Blogs do not substitute a Doctor and they are only aimed at increasing Health awareness and to develop interest in the readers to read further about health issues. For any serious health problems, do not delay a doctor’s advice.
P.S. 2 This is the first of the series of Health Blogsposts that shall be posted every fortnight with a new Health topic relevant to the South Asians. Please share and do play the Audio to those family members who do not ‘indulge’ in the social media.
P.S.3: Many thanks to DrBabarKhan and FarhanMasood for their generous ReTweets. 🙂
What a beautiful song with lyrics by Nida Fazili, music by Jagjit Singh, and singers from India ( Jagjeet Singh, Sonu Nigam etc.), Pakistan ( Ghulam Ali, Mehdi Hasan, Iqbal Bano) and Bangladesh( Runa Laila), and rest of the World singing together for the New Year.
Naya saal ho aisaa ab ke Rang bhare jeewan mein sab ke Sooraj ghar ghar dhoop bikhere Chand sajaye sab ke andhere
Kheton mein faslein lehraayein Nadiya sab ki pyaas bujhayein Jurey rahein sabke rishtey Juda na ho bhai se bhai Naya saal ho sabko Mubarak Naye saal ki sabko badhaii..
Urein kabooter khuli hawa mein Naache chham chham more ghata mein Seemaon mein bante na dhartee Faujon mein kam kam ho bhartee Sona jhoomer ban ker damke Chandi payal ban ker barse Naye saal ki sabko badhai
Chhape kitaabein, khulein dukanein Chire kahin na aur laraiii Naye saal ho sabko Mubarak Naye saal ki sabko badhai
Celebrate, make it a special one Let’s speak -one promise, Let’s celebrate, for our future For our children’s sake , let’s celebrate.
WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW 2012 FOR THE PEACE IN SOUTHASIA, IN THE WHOLE WORLD
Come December and you see that along with the Christmas festivities, the spirit of philanthropy also gets an exponential rise.
Santa Claus , the iconic person associated with Christmas and especially with ‘gifts’ for the children are seen standing at various locales collecting charity—be it money, toys, chocolates, food items.
Writing a letter to Santa is a Christmas tradition going back to some centuries. The kids not just send in their wish list for toys or presents, but also promises of being a ‘good boy’ or a ‘good girl’. The more generous ones ask Santa to give gifts to the poorer and less fortunate kids.
What is even more exciting is that in many countries, the Post Offices make sure that the letters they receive are replied back too.
Canada Post replies to letters in almost 30 languages each year including in Braille. Canadian postal workers volunteer to write back the replies to hundreds of thousands of letters received each year. Canada has a special address and postal code for Santa :
North Pole, Canada. H0H 0H0.
The other day I was moved to hear from a Paediatrician friend of the story of a 7 year old child admitted in a Hospital with leukemia. He mentioned that the ailing boy admitted in the hospital, wished to see a white Christmas while there isn’t snow yet. The Hospital authorities did not want to disappoint the kid by their ‘regret’. Instead they pushed in all their efforts and finances to bring in snow to the hospital and even managed the boy to make a snow man by himself.
What made me wonder was that to how much length did the Hospital go to make a tiny face glow with smile and how much effort does the Canada Post makes so that millions of kids float in seventh skies when they receive replies to their cards from Santa.
Enslaved by my mindset, I can’t help think of our kids back home ( in India or Pakistan) .
Do our governments make any effort to make our kids smile?
Leave aside the government, do we even as desi parents really take extra care to keep our kids uphold their self esteem?
There is no two thoughts that as parents we really work hard for the kids—that they get the best education, achieve the highest grades or wear the best clothes in parties. We even go extra extra miles to buy plots and leave bank balances to make their lives easy.
But in doing so are we really making them happy? Or ourselves?
Do we let them be themselves or do we make our own dreams come true through them?
Do we really talk to them as friends, or just command them what to do and what not to do?
Before we ask the government or others in authority to take care of our kids, we need to take ‘good’ care of them too.
And good care certainly does not mean to dictate to them what we deem correct, but to guide them and let them realise their potential to the best.
I know all this has nothing to do with Christmas.
I just thought of revisiting the idea that if our kids will have a higher self esteem, the higher will be the hope to have a better future for us, in the years to come.
I have no business to morally judge her on her picture in the magazine.
The picture had too many comparisons and contrasts to ignore.
What is surprising is the satire that many have missed while gazing at the curves.
The exposed Veena represents the allegedly exposed network links in Pakistan. And the tattoo on the arm is the metaphoric translation of Mike Mullen’s comment , ” act’s as a veritable arm of Pakistan’s ISI.”, referring to we all know what.
Since the magazine comes from across the border, the symbolic representation becomes all the more pertinent.
Those who do not buy the validity of the picture and accuse it of photoshop agenda compares to those who do not buy Mullen’s allegations and blame it on American/ Indian agenda.
And those virtuous who feel embarrassed by a nude Pakistani Veena, compares to the conscientious lot who are embarrassed on the truth behind the mentioned links in Pakistan.
Veena’s vehement denial of the photo shoot compares with the constant refusal by the big bosses of any such links or networks.
And once one identifies the satire, the debate about it being a real shoot or a photo shop artwork becomes meaningless.
The fact that the picture spread like a wild fire too compares with the extensive acceptance of the conviction on the truth of the links by others the world over.
Who’s right, Veena or the tattoo on the arm, is for each one to decide.
Who am I to judge them ? :p
And yes, as remarked by a friend, there’s one stark contrast too. “Too bad ISI’s actual arm isn’t half as pretty or benign”.
The beauty of the satire here isn’t just skin deep.
Mirth is God’s medicine. Everybody ought to bathe in it. ~Henry Ward Beecher.
Born and brought up as an Indian, I know one thing for sure, that in India we don’t bathe in it very often. It’s another matter that we mock at others accent, skin colors, hair or even names. We lack the capability to laugh at our own selves or even silly, with no rhyme or reason.
And many a serious beings drowned in deep intellect, find it below their dignity to laugh a hearty laugh. Sorry to generalise, but more so amongst my own clan, the middle aged women.
Today morning twitter friend tagged me and a couple of other twitter friends to the new song KOLAVERI. The tune was catchy, the words hilarious, not hard to believe it had a 2 million hits with numbers visible at the site. It lifted the mood at worktable. And I heartily retweeted it.
Just then in my TL, I saw a comment from someone to someone else : ‘”I’m aghast to see otherwise sensible people falling into this kolaveri promotion trap. How sad!” and “huge marketing gimmick and every media outlet fell for it, us included “.
Well I don’t know if it was marketing gimmick, I found it genuinely hilarious and a new taste in the mouth. And as for the intellectual quality of the song, even the singer himself began with “a soap song, a flop song”.
If only we had learned to laugh silly and be a little lighthearted at times, Dr Madan Kataria wouldn’t have needed to invent the Laughing Yoga for the Indians. So much of success it is now that there are 5000 laughing clubs and people of all ages participate. It is not just the momentary elation one gets in one’s mood, but the researches show that a hearty laughter reduces stress and its related chronic illnesses like hypertension, depression, heart disease, and arthritis.
Laughing yoga which includes a childlike playfulness, clapping, breathing exercises and a hearty laugh for no reason. It culminates with a two minutes silence to relax. What is funny is that you really need not be in a funny mood to reap it’s benefits. The brain cannot tell the difference between between a fake and a real laughter and in both cases it ends up producing endorphins and neurotransmitters that strengthen the immune system and hence our body’s resistance to deseases.
Needless to say laughter takes us momentarily away from the negative emotions, and makes bearable the stressful that envelopes us all around.
Laughter needs no space, infrastructure, or expensive club membership.
It is infectious too. It spreads and connects people, be it the virtual friends.
More so, laughter even benefits those who sit and watch other people laugh.
As goes the Irish proverb, a good laugh and long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.
And before we click on to a childlike laughter at the lyrics of Kolaveri, lets share what Farhan Masood had tweeted at the same time ( with no connection to this discussion)
Zindagi ki uljhanen, Shrarton ko kam ker deti hain, Aur hum smajhte hain k, Hum barrey ho gaye !
And well into my forties, I refuse to grow up, when it comes to laughing.
She walked in
With a glow,
On her cheeks madeup.
And a sparkle,
In her kohl lined eyes.
She glowed and sparkled,
Far more than ever.
We could read,
Behind that glow,
Were pale cheeks.
Beside the sparkle,
Were wet, sunken eyes.
Beneath the smile,
Was a broken heart.
Beyond the party attire,
Was a shattered morale.
We cheered louder,
We grinned wider,
We sang ‘A Happy Birthday to you’
As a three dozen candles, she blew.
We hugged her tighter,
To make her world seem brighter.
Alas, overwhelmed with cheers,
she could not hold back her tears,
And cried and cried , mumbling ‘Thank you’.
We felt her agony and cried too.
She talked and talked,
Through her past she walked.
All her grief she shared,
For she said, that we cared.
As the party was over, she left with smiles
With dreary cheeks and Kohl smudged eyes,
But a calmer heart and a stronger will
Though for her, the party, wasn’t over still.
P.S. This was a birthday party arranged for a friend who has recently gone through a traumatic divorce. I know some of the readers might think or even say about the poem , ” it went off me”. But ask some one, who feels shattered, what a small gesture of ‘you matter’ can mean to them.
Blind to Bounds 
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