Abr ka Tukra

Sadhna #121

Thank you for that. At a time when we`re just about ready to claw each other`s eyes out, a piece like that works wonders. Jeeti rahein.

Regards,

Aamir

Salaam Auntie

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Rizvi Saab?s wife was my father?s closest friend. In her husband?s and Baba?s 45-year friendship, and in traditions dear to her culture, my father had never seen her face. All greetings, farewells, joys and griefs were exchanged through a thin muslin-covered chik in their house, and from behind the burqa when she came over to ours.

Only my mother and us kids were privileged enough to see her beautiful face and surma-lined eyes. Only we could enter the sprawling zenana quarters of their haveli and spend the day chatting, my mother eating the fragrant paans that Auntie made herself.

Our house too was large but it was always a day of sheer joy and adventure that we spent at her haveli. Mouth-watering delicacies were laid out in our honour.

The delicious sevai and kebabs sent over on Id were always eagerly awaited and most gratefully consumed, since cooking meat at home was taboo. Even the angriest summers became bearable when baskets full of delicious mangoes arrived from the Rizvis? haveli. Those were laid-back days in the gentle city of Lucknow.

Then Baba, a government servant, was transferred to Delhi and allotted a two-roomed furnished apartment. We were waitlisted for premises more respectable to Baba?s post. We were unable to take with us most of our large, comfortable furniture and Amma?s 150 potted plants.

Rizvi Auntie had offered to look after the plants and put away our furniture in her haveli, till we could call for them.

It took us over a year to get a more spacious residence in Delhi. By then Amma had decided that her new home would have only space and travel savvy furniture. Her plants, of course, would be called for. My father wrote to Rizvi Saab expressing Amma?s wishes. Could something be done to dispose of the furniture? Could he have it auctioned?

A week later he got his reply: ?Joshi Bhai, ? I am writing at your Bhabhi?s insistence. She says it would hurt us deeply if the belongings of one of our family are put up for auction. It would also be a great dishonour to you. I will dispose of the furniture quietly and send you the amount. Please accept our deepest regrets and warm wishes. Your Rizvi Bhai?.

Tears glistened in my parents? eyes as Baba folded the letter back. After a month, a cheque arrived from Lucknow. And 20 years later, it still lies somewhere with my father?s other yellowing documents ? uncashed.

My salaams to that gracious lady.

Snake Lord God # 116 was it

Good point - the only ---- you hear. and you hear because it happens in this part of the world and the press is bringing it up without fear of bearded hooligans sending them to the purgatory.

In fact there was atleast one instance of a Paki mullah from a NY muslim congregation who was caught but let go because the kid was not willing to testify. Other cases have been reported from the subcontinent.

So one could surmise that this is quite possible with other groups except that these groups are not willing to wash dirty linen in public.

...shankar`s the short, pot-bellied man you see trying awkwardly to bust a move on the dance floor at all the desi parties...

LOLOLOLOL. Damn, that is hilarious!!! I know exactly thetype you mean.

Nag #115

The feeling is mutual. You commented on the pre-islamic procilivities of tribes. So you do know what post-islamic proclivities are don`t you.

Just goto guardian.co.uk and search for topics on Kandahar chances are you will find a good deal.

By the way Turkish brigands were also known for their passions.

In some parts of India this obsession with boys is idetified with men from a particular religious group.

Aint`t it.

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

Naganatha # 109

I am losing my patience with you. Don`t you know that Homosexuality originated for the most part with these famous conquerors who did not have the time for women when they were busy conquering.

Some religious writings even promise 20 pearly youth in paradise.

Did you know that Kandahar is the Pashtun capital is also the gay capital of Afganistan.

12 head,

What happened to Bijli? Did ``she`` successfully handle her amorous interactor, or was said interactor giving ``her``/you a taste of your own medicine until even he lost interest? How did you win this? I don`t think its apparent to anyone.

``I JUST DEFTLY DISSECT THE BODY & LEAVE THE AUTOPSY FOR THE OBSERVENT EYE TO SEE NAKED & MAKE JUDGEMENT .GODOT POST IS HIS COMPLIMENT!!!!!!!!!!``

Didn`t the interactor call you an idiot or something like that?

Admit it, you, as Bijli, were so rattled, that you turned apocalyptic on him.

Couldn`t you have handled it another way? Wheres your sense of humor? Why turn into an organ burning ``femenazi``?

How far could you have gone?

Where were the suras and lectures on seeda Muslim male behavior?

Guess being a female interactor is not all fun and games...

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

So I see 12 head has regained his composure after that ``hair raising`` contretemps with poor Godot...back to posting joke lists as if nothing had happened... (whistling and walking away...)

Found this interesting tidbit on the net - I would doubt it, except for the fact that it is known some pre-Islamic parts of Pashtun culture unfortunately persist in some of Afghanistan (and Pakistan`s) rural areas...

http://www.news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?id=561752002&tid=1 Startled marines find Afghan men all made up to see them

Chris Stephen In Bagram

BRITISH marines returning from an operation deep in the Afghan mountains spoke last night of an alarming new threat - being propositioned by swarms of gay local farmers.

An Arbroath marine, James Fletcher, said: ``They were more terrifying than the al-Qaeda. One bloke who had painted toenails was offering to paint ours. They go about hand in hand, mincing around the village.``

While the marines failed to find any al-Qaeda during the seven-day Operation Condor, they were propositioned by dozens of men in villages the troops were ordered to search.

``We were pretty shocked,`` Marine Fletcher said. ``We discovered from the Afghan soldiers we had with us that a lot of men in this country have the same philosophy as ancient Greeks: ?a woman for babies, a man for pleasure?.``

Originally, the marines had sent patrols into several villages in the mountains near the town of Khost, hoping to catch up with al-Qaeda suspects who last week fought a four-hour gun battle with soldiers of the Australian SAS. The hardened troops, their faces covered in camouflage cream and weight down with weapons, radios and ammunition, were confronted with Afghans wanting to stroke their hair.

``It was hell,`` said Corporal Paul Richard, 20. ``Every village we went into we got a group of men wearing make-up coming up, stroking our hair and cheeks and making kissing noises.``

At one stage, troops were invited into a house and asked to dance. Citing the need to keep momentum in their search and destroy mission, the marines made their excuses and left. ``They put some music on and ask us to dance. I told them where to go,`` said Cpl Richard. ``Some of the guys turned tail and fled. It was hideous.``

The Afghan hill tribes live in some of the most isolated communities in the country. ``I think a lot of the problem is that they don?t have the women around a lot,`` said another marine, Vaz Pickles. ``We only saw about two women in the whole six days. It was all very disconcerting.``

A second problem the British found came minutes after the first helicopter touched down at one of the hilltop firebases, when local farmers appeared demanding compensation for goats they claimed had been blown off the mountains by the rotor blades. ``Every time we landed a Chinook near a village, we got some irate bloke running up to us saying his goat has just got blown off the mountain ridge by the helicopter - and then he demanded a hundred dollars compensation,`` said Major Phil Joyce, commander of Whisky Company, one of four companies deployed.

As patrols moved away from the landing zones, the locals began pestering Afghan troops attached to the marines with ever more outrageous compensation demands - topping off at a demand from one village elder for $500 (£300) for damage to a tree by the downdraft from helicopters.

But the marines were under orders to win the ``hearts and minds`` of local farmers in what is one of the few remaining Taleban bastions. ``I managed to barter him down to two marine pens, a pencil and a rubber,`` Major Joyce said. ``He went away quite happy .``

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

Re: tahmed, #103, #104

I knew you`d understand what I meant by ``civilized``. Thanks.

As for Bijli, thank you for pointing out that this per person is nothing more than an idiot. I don`t follow the posts at Chowk that closely. In fact, I don`t know much about most of the interactors here. Wosay I figured out that Bijli is not a woman (but perhaps a heejra) based on the way it--yes, Bijli is an ``it``--was responding to my posts. I won`t be wasting my time with it.