A Nomad Among the Bedouins

atif, thanks for a great ead. time well spent. I never realised you were a softie!!!!

these lines at the end had a rythm of their own

``a life of cushiony couches, comfortable shoes, soft bed, purified water and air conditioned existence. A life where the perfection of meal was more important than the saving of the fuel. A life where planning for life often overwhelmed living the life. ``

perhaps you could have used something else or some other word than ``soft`` to describe your lifestyle....``soft`` breaks the rythm and spoils the effect.....

and yaaah! the Bedu life style is like Safeena - yep ``to be admired and wished for, but from a distance``. But what about it the other way round? That would have been an interesting angle.

Good write up. Conclusion was what was `soft`.

``Married women put a beautiful colored mask on their faces that only covered their nose and lips.``

Perhaps this sentence needs a correction?

I congratulate chowk staff for having the literary acumen to pick this article for publishing. In doing so, chowk staff shines brighter than the author.

#1 / #2 - the word ``soft`` should be understood in its appropriate context. We may be rugged and hardened within the context of our surroundings. But a desert like Empty Quarter is an entirely different ball game where toughness takes on different meanings.

atif, this was fun..

i belive a visit to a foreign land is not complete without eating its food, drinking its wine, and enjoying the company of its fine citizens. your initial passionate description of the goat market made me think you are describing something passionate, but alas, you had to use the poor kohl-gal metaphorically. come on spill the real beans ;-)

#4 - no jang, Safeena is NOT the name of a goat...

there is an important point i raised in this article: why do pakis not conquer K-2 every year? Why is it that dozens of europeans each year go through the processes of visa, fly half way around the world, and conquer a peak which is in OUR backyard?

Atif,
This was a great read. Please do continue to write,
Thanks a lot,
Avkrishna

Re: # 3 you iss understand. Soft as a word in the last paragraph - it spoils the rythym of the lines and words. that is it.

No the article is very good - and I must commend chowk-staff tat they didnot succumb to another article on the politics and stuff in the UN - the sort of things which are making many of our friends have orgasms!

Well URSTRULY showed us what he could do with a pair feet (i mean literary things).. .. now you ..... wonders never cease on chowk!

#5 sorry atif, i guess i did apreciate your stuff about the wanderlust of the colonizer, and in hinduism such wandering is strictly prohibited, so much so that in the old days a mama came back from vilayat, he had to be ritually clensed (a proper 21 pandit feast) with a massive puja.

Re: # 5 becoz its there atif.

A reverse question - why do pakistanis and others tolerate days of being locked up in containers and travel by sea to some other place. There is an element of wander lust there. Europeans, even the faltu ones from albania, etc donot do it!

BTW atif - lets see if you can beat 75!

dotty #9 - the ``becoz its there`` part is very apt. It was uttered by Malory, the first (unconfirmed) person who is though to have conquered Mt. Everest in 1924. When people kept asking him ``why do you want to conquer that peak``, his response was ``because its there``. Malory`s body was found after nearly 75 years...frozen and well preserved in the slopes of Mt. Everest.

It also reminds of an story I read somewhere. During the 18th century Ottoman era, a european wandered into Ottoman lands in north africa. He asked a shepherd ``look, i came all the way from europe to learn about you and your lands. Why dont your people go to europe and learn about us?`` The shepherd responded ``I dont need to go anywhere. I am already there``.

And of course that mentality led to the decline and end of Ottoman empire.

jang # 8 - I think that puts into perspective the hesitation of sub-continentals to venture far from their homes...when you come back you have to be purified via rituals - as if wandering away brings evil.

the urdu word ``awaara`` is often used for boys who venture far from their mohallas and streets to see what is on the other end of the city. i suppose it is this desire to not be considered ``awaara`` that keeps us tied to our homes, and kitchens (rolling my eyes). By that definition, europeans are the most ``awaara gard`` people.

#11 That second paragraph is so true.

Today I see that in the USA, where the average joe has very little knowledge about the world compared to abdul in the bondooks....

It is the desire for learning about new things and experinceing new things and learning from these. That is the opness...that is required. sadly missing amongst many of us.

Atif

You are a world traveler, and a very good and sensitive writer. I enjoyed reading this. I hope you write more about other places you visited. Where are the pictures?

#11 indeed, its the fear of purification by go-mutra that must have set us back ;-)
al-beruni was also surprized by insular nature of indians. they apparently were very disinterested in foreigners and what they knew. the chinese have had this trait too. europeans clearly had the viking spirit. it must be easy lifestyle offered by the subcontinent. you lie on your back and wait for the amb to get ripe and drop nearby..then you compete with the flies. arabs, vikings and mongols all had tough homelends so they had to go overseas.

Atif this is excellent writing. The humour in the piece flows naturally without being forced or contrived. Only quibble - the ``Nihari`` and ``Bhaji`` references (with explanations) can be taken out as they intrude upon this piece.