The Chowk Jam!

Ferozk:

You are taking the initiative here in a most impressive manner. With your professional political skills, you probably have the best chance of pulling this off. Sohail is shying away from this idea, so perhaps you, Zehra and Cheeno should get together, recruit volunteers, and market a plan. Getting the Chowk leadership on board would be an initial step, I think, followed by time, location and logistics. I am available to help.

Saad

I noticed in couple of days that despite the feasibility of the `get-together` not more than half of a dozen people agreed on this idea and even the Chowk has not announced officially the self-announced `Chowk picnic` by some friends seems to have a `jhol`. Remember `Wishes Never Wash Dishes` and without motivating Chowk staff and noted people this effort would remain a proverbial idea. The best way is to have an offical survey conducted by Chowk to estimate the number of attendees, the date, the venue and the boarding arrangements. Then the result of the survey should be announced so everyone would know and decide whether to particiapte. In a democratic system specially on Chowk where everyone equally has a right to describe his/her opinion one or two persons preference of time, venue etc. would avoid a majority of `interestees` to let us know their ideas. Let them speak.

Anyway again this depends on the Chowk whether they think the idea is reasonable and feasible of holding a picnic and posting a survey. I admire the sincere efforts by Ferozk and Saad. Where is Cheeno by the way???

regards.

MAK

yaar, tum loog saab dar pooke hou..why do you feel a gathering in a larger scale can not be held? do realize that the complaints lodged against the regular contributors would continue since you will be then making it exclusive, but then again. meeting without the chowk umbrella is all up to the individuals interested in meeting each other. i for one, still think it could work out very nicely.

ferozk has some great ideas already lined up and with registration on some chowk page it cannot be too hard to keep the headcount under control. khair, its up to the chowk staff and till we hear from them its silly to plan :)

ciao,

rizvi

Re: SR post # 51

Agreed. Organizational logistics will be problematic. Need to keep head count manageable. Topic under advisement and hence, premuture to dicuss options presently.

South Carolina sounds interesting, but I will be more interested in touring civil war sites than sharing tea! Prefer a western region; Whitefish, Montana or Deervalley, Idaho because then I can do a little tracking and some shooting! I opt for open skies and open spaces. The east is too crowded for me!

Like I said, this is still in a pre-lim stage. If I can help, please let me know!

The cynic in me says that this is an utopian pipe dream and common sense is a wee bit shy of the idea, but curousity is all for it! Which is why I am scared!

Zehra post # 48

Discuss away! Toss that old idea ball around and see how it bounces!

One recommendation though, come up with some sort of Robert`s Rule for the suggestions and dicussions. Do not allow open-ended discussion, or submission process, but set a time limit for submitting and discussing suggestions. When deadline passes, the committee should decide and post its choice. Need to move on this if you and others are serious about this idea, otherwise inertia and time will derail the process and this whole incentive will be sine die!

Will be assuming observer status for now and tuning out of this discussion!

Re: Cool and nerdy types.....I am nerdy, but prefer the title dorky and not so sure about being cool! More like a little midget with an attitude! :)

I agree with Sohail on this one. I don`t think having a LARGE retreat under the Chowk umbrella is a feasible idea (yet anyway). An evening of Qawalli on the other hand sounds great. The question is where?

Re: Sohail

``I have no qualms about ``exploiting the capitalist markets``. It is BEING exploited that I find revolting.``

But then aren`t you doing to others what you yourself find revolting - or is that what `reformed marxism` means :-)

Re: cheeno

Anita: 5``5, maybe? short-medium length hair, can`t stop talking (remember, l o v i n g l y).

Way off! I am barely 5 feet, with really long hair!

Anita

shafqat Reply #: 32

[``…a retreat over a long weekend… to some remote and quiet place, like the idyllic Appalachian mountains…under one roof ?…``]

My first instinct says that this Chowk-based get together `in flesh` may not be as good an idea as some may think. I`m not quite sure why I say that. Its more intuitive than well thought out. I think, if a group of people who happen to have `met` here wish to form a private picnic party and arrange to do so on their own (without the umbrella of the Chowk) that may be a better idea. This cyber space behind the mirror (ref: Alice in Wonderland) is like a dream world that does not match well with the world of the flesh. Thats just my instinct. Personally, however, I have no qualms whatsoever. On a practical plain, though, I`d say that any `official chowk convention` will have to take place in or around Silicon valley and will be restricted to an evening function with chai and pakoras followed by qwalli...

Now personally, I`d go to Jackson Hole or Grand Cannyon or Mesa Verde or Four Corners or anywhere else, but everyone is not a vagabond. Most people here lead productive lives and cannot go off on wild goose chases like the one being proposed. My thinking is that most participants are from the East Coast so destinations out West may not be as practical.

Shinning Rock Wilderness Area in the Pisgah National Forest (not too far from the Great Smokey Mountain) in North Carolina would fit the bill. It`s off the beaten path, pristine and breathtaking. Primitive log cabins are available there, though I`ve always camped out. Within an hour`s drive there are white water rivers and, if you desire modern amenities, fully equipped cabins are also available. With the little baby I`ll vote for creature comfort now a days.

In conclusion, I think the practical thing that can happen is that small groups of `like minded` people form small parties at different times and different places and get together. Those experiences are then (at least in some cases) announced and thus the `meeting in flesh` begins to get fashionable and gathers momentum.

[``…set up a committee to do a feasibility …on the committee, I ...nominate Sohail Rabbani, Zehra Rizvi, Wasiq Bokhari, Safwan Shah and Cheeno Agha, with Sohail probably serving as chair…``]

I don`t like people sitting their butts down on me, so I refuse to be a chair. As far as committees are concerned, lets form the Committee of Public Safety and start calling Umair, Danton and Safwan, Robespierre instead. (: but watch out for those rolling heads.

anita zaidi Reply #: 30

[``…INVESTMENTS!!! in other words exploiting the capitalist market…``]

Yes, absolutely. You see, `reformed` Marxists understand the capitalist game better than the born capitalists themselves. For one thing, they see through the system for what it is without getting hung up in its romantic notions.

I have no qualms about ``exploiting the capitalist markets``. It is BEING exploited that I find revolting.

Cheeno #: 28

[``…Little Gabru sure is one lucky fella to have you for a dad. Hope he`ll bring you all the joy you truly deserve…``]

That is a very sweet thing to say and it is extremely kind of you. Thank you. I sure hope to give him unconditional love and support and help him grow up to be a decent, kind and happy person.


[``…Speaking of tiffs, I remember ..one between you and SR …You said , ``...women …shaking butts in smoky bars....`` then SR …Mairaj/Zionist conspiracy scenario…``]

Gosh, you do have a long memory. Nevertheless, that was not a `` tiff ``, it was an acute divergence of views that was expressed in a polite but tongue-in-cheek sarcasm on my part. The sarcasm, alas, was lost on the recipient. The person in question was propounding 7th century cultural values to which a rational response would have been as futile as spitting in the wind. However, since he had previously touted his credentials as a physics or engineering person, I proposed a `theory` (as a satire) that rebuked the theory of relativity on grounds that the incident of miraj contradicted it (BTW, I`ve expanded it to a longer thesis). To my utter amusement our friend, reconciling his scientific literacy with his religious convictions, came out with an ingenious conclusion. He said that since the Almighty, after all, was the one who made the Laws of Physics therefore if He wished to suspend them in order to accommodate the incident of miraj he could do as He damn well pleased. That ended the discussion. There was no `` tiff ``. The only mud-slinging that I`ve (regrettably) gotten involved in was with a certain Sapoot e Pakistan. That guy disapproved of something I`d written so he went off on a personal hate filled diatribe to which I retorted with words to the effect that he suffered from a ``…constipation of the head and diarrhea of the mouth…`` The message was indeed written in anger and I should not have done that. Thankfully, the Chowk Staff has erased all traces of that exchange.

BTW, you were very polite to suggest a `thinning hair line`. Try `bald headed`. (:

bg (#: 29)

[``..there is no light at the end of the tunnel, but i`m working on digging a hole in the side…``]

Dig fast, my dear friend, and dig hard. Also, make sure you have an escape hole before you see the light, for surely, any distant light in the tunnel is bound to be that of a fast approaching train.

Eternally optimistic (:

…SR

Cheeno writes:

``(Saad): 5``10-11, sanvla, moustache (sometimes), glasses, worried about your hair loss--and gotta work on that little bulge in the abdominal area that us 33-year-olds have to watch like a hawk!``

Moustache and hair loss ? Wouldn`t bet on it. Look up www.akuweb.com/Eid.html and see how right you were :-).

Zehra:

Please yaar! From what I have seen of you, you`ll be anything but token :-).

Saad

ferozk...round glasses..i am beyond intrigued...

(yes i admit it..i have a weakness for the cool looking nerdy types).

so, wyoming along with the air deal and lodging deal sounds great to me..why not we set up a suggestion box right here on chowk and have our different interactors ( those ever present and those who like the read only option) drop in their suggestions for us to look over. at a set time, the committee members can get together ( taking into account time zones etc) on some chowk channel with a password that only `we` (committee members whoever they might be) know and talk about it, discuss the feasibility etc...also the best deal :)

so, saad, i would be the `token` female then on the proposed committee? tsk tsk.

cheeno..no guesses about me..how dissapointing...its alright, i had thought you were a woman..imagine my surprise at that one..

later

z rizvi

cheeno said : ``So, we all won`t be as beautiful as our words reflected,...``

zehra says: speak for yourself babe. zehra also suffers from a high self esteem.. *sigh * becharee.

saad.. :-) i would love to get this get together on the road..lets give it another shot..but perhaps, if you recall who was trying to set up the first one..lets see if we can get those people on board also..they probably had ideas that could very well heave us into action. can the chowk board hear us?

hello? caaalling chowk board, hello..awaz nahi arahee hai..tohra zoor say bolaiN.

p.s all: the AKUweb seems to be pretty good about loading the boston eid pictures fast. 2 down...how many more to go?

z

Sorry for the double play....

Re: Majnoon post # 37

Sir:

I found your post be highly informative and particularly well suited to the discussion going on about the idenity of Chowk and on the personas of its InterActers!

I appreciated your comments and your observations on the nature of Chowk. As you mentioned, you visit Chowk occasionally, and I would humbly suggest that such an observation, based on a few selective trips, can not fully delve into nor can it fully explain what Chowk is.

It is akin to saying that you disagree with a culture or a country and its population just, because of what you experinced in a few short trips. Chowk, in my opinion, is like a country. You have to live within its cyber thoughts, walk through its cyber alleys and get to know, but more importantly, accept its cyber personalities on their own merits without any conditionalities attached. Just like an immigrant elsewhere, you first have to accept Chowk and its ways and have to make yourself welcome in this forum.

When I first migrated to these cyber shores, I was a little lost, a bit confused and would wonder how I would fit in. Everyone on this forum is far more educated than I am and that thought weighed heavily on my mind. I was defensive in my first interacts, but as I learned to relax and discard my preceptions about Chowkwallahs, i became comfortable in interacting with other Chowkwallahs. By interacting, I carved an idenity for myself on Chowk and now everyone either hates me or likes me because of that.

I agree with the five points by which you identified your dislike of Chowk and its contributors and InterActers!, but then sir, that is what life is all about! As Shakespear said it: all the world is a stage and we strut and preen for a time and then are heard no more! As to the issue of age, age has nothing to do with being a Chowkwallah.

Chowk is, in more than one way, a state of mind and what you see in the InterActs! is a reflection of what we think and yes, some times life creeps into these interactions and colors our personalities. After all, sir, we are all creatures of our environment and experiences.

Sincerely and Respectfully,
Feroz R. Khan

Cheeno! your memory is commendable but imagination requires more practice specially in my case. ``Aray aik young student ko (aur wo bhee strict) Father banadya!!!``. I am slim 5`10`` with glasses and most of all evergreen Single ;)

Re: Chenno post # 43

Chenno! What are you about!? :)

Curly black hair.....you gotta be kidding me....try salt and pepper styled ala Marine Corps recruits...like a convict`s...shorn real close to the scalp! Easy to air dry and maintain!

Slim, right you are on that one! Fair skinned, don`t know that one, but can pass off as a California tanned American....helps to attract women in this cold forsaken land by being tan all year around! Some times for a joke, walk around town wearing a yarmulke! Easily mistaken for a Jew. American friends think that my last name is spelled Kahn!

Height real close, but off by an inch...5`5``!

Dress: Prefer open collars and seldom suit or ties. Like to dress casual....Mostly oxford button downs and chinos and Timberlands! GAP, Banana Republic, or Eddie Bauer favorites! Even when at work...prefer computer nerdy casual styles to republican stiff necked stuffed shirts! Opt for scuffed bomber leather jackets over dress overcoats. My favorite is an old Royal Navy duffle coat navy blue faded and worn out with a maroon scarf: Colors of Karachi Grammer School!

Glasses: round accountant like Giorgio Armani torquoise shell gold rimmed. Am suffering from a Napoleon complex though....like to show off! Favorite past time: getting drunk and tying a blindfold on the dog and having fun watching him stumble into objects and spaz out!

Still interested in meeting me; I am telling ya all, I am nerd, a dork and a freak!

Majnoon Sahib: (re # 37)

Gar ijazat hou tou aap kay kuch nooktouN ka jawab diya jai?

To understand the interacts better, I would refer you to my interact # 82 on another article, Growing up in America.... by Zehra Rivi elsewhere in this issue. In a nutshell, Chowk is like a cyber Cruise Ship one can net-visit at any time.

1: Skip the boring replies. That goes for articles too that do not interest you.

2: The `core` group you refer to has perhaps jelled together, share one or more things in common. If you visit Chowk ir-regularly you can notice such things, but if you visit regularly you tend to overlook.

3: Each person interacting here has a unique persona. In fact, Chowk policy discourages dead persons from using the interacts!

4: That someone you referred to is this khaaksaar. I posted those couplets. The tashreeh came because it was requested. Your post doe not indicate clearly whether you are somewhat angry at me for the tashreeh or at Ghalib for writing those couplets. If your irritation is directed at me, I apologise. If not, Chacha Ghalib can fend for himself.

5: I know what you mean, sir. One of the individuals I think is Ferozek. He is known to have disturbed too many hornet nests. I am surely you will presently hear from him too.

6: Aray qiblaa aap old fashioned nahiN haiN. Is daur maiN jo bhi meh-noshi ( aur woh bhi bihari kebab kay sath) ka zauq rakhta hay woh sada jawaan hota hay.

Goostaakhi maaf,

Just saw Ferozk`s post. Jackson Hole, Wyoming - excellent idea, my friend!

Sohail, what do you say ?

Zehra:

You were nominated for good reason. There must be at least one woman on the committee. This is just a feasibility committee, so you don`t have to have organizational skills (wouldn`t hurt, though). Good old common sense is the main requirement, and from what I have seen, you`ll do nicely. I also thought of Bina Shah and Shandana Minhas, but they`re in Pakistan. Also, I agree with MAK that Anita would be a good choice, but she`s too busy.

The names I had suggested were for the following skills:

Sohail Rabbani - ability to cut to the chase.
Wasiq Bokhari - no-nonsense wisdom.
Zehra Rizvi - perspective balanced by common sense.
Cheeno Agha - author of the idea in its current form.
Safwan Shah - the real brains behind Chowk.

Waheed:

The rationale for having a Chowk get-together is to experience `in the flesh` (as Cheeno put it) what we are already enjoying in cyberland. You make a good point about the anonymous amongst us, but I think these individuals could still attend a live Chowk get-together. They can come in pardah or fancy dress, for example. Alternatively, Umair could call them up on speakerphone with all of us assembled and we could all have a little chat.

Temporal:

I`m all for inclusivity. Everyone would be welcome, of course. However, there does need to be some framework to prevent chaos. This would be something for the Feasibility Committee to thrash out.

Saad

PS: Safwan, are you there ?

Re: Zehra post # 38

To: All Chowkies

Concerning Chowk get-together....here is my idea, but first I have to respond to Zehra`s post!

Your place....okay with me!

Montréal or Québéc City....no way in hell am I spending time with some French speaking wallahs!

This is what I would do.....

First I put select the date: In this case, I would opt for late August and for a weekend on or near Aug. 14. Since that was the day of Chowk`s birth and our eventual meeting of minds, it seemed the right date to choose. Also, a weekend in August would give everyone time to check and organize their schedules and allow them to plan for such a get together.

Next would be the location. I would pick Jackson Hole, Wymoming. One, it is a ski resort and in the off ski season of August, the hotel rates would be down and there would be no crisis over reservations! Also, Jackson Hole is located within the Yellowstone National Park ecosystem and we all can take a day trip to Yellowstone and have a Chowk BBQ there! The real reason for picking Jackson Hole is that I know owner of a bed and breakfast there - the same person who just bought a travel agency and I think that I can talk him into giving Chowk a group rate on both the airfare and rooms! A group discount plus off season resort costs are in very one`s financial interests!

I know that some will think this to be an example of self-display on my part and they would be right, but I don`t give a damn. I could be modest and could have kept quiet about it and we could have paid more for the get together! This is about our time and money - a topic which we all care about, so please excuse me if I am not modest!

This is just my suggestion and it is up to the committee, whenever it is formed, to consider this.