Kashmir Fatigue

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#298 and 700

One goes about Chowk and runs into all kinds of new and old interactions and interactors, if one visits the Chowk after a long absence. Today I ran into #298 and was copiously and overwhelmingly nauseated by it. The writer was hooked on scatology of life. I literally ran away from it.

To see the title of the piece I came to its end: 703 posts! Lo and behold, there was another post by the same writer, #700. Again he was talking about the products of the human body`s crannies, crevices and such!

I remember when he came aboard Chowk. He was a mediocre, gentle soul. Today I was sorry to see him have abjectly gone down this much rather than having elevated himself to a person of some quality.

Well, such is the ``7-Up`` of life; upheld sometimes, negated at others!!

tahmed bhai..hahahaha *laughing uproariously *, How funny!!! Reading that, I am reminded of the Yahya Khan jokes that went around. Never heard many AK ones.

I think I`ll pass on the Ayub Khan book, for now, but thank you Banjaara for mentioning it. :)

ana/banjaara: On Ayub Khan`s book ``Friends not Masters``, the joke back then was that he was writing a follow-up book titled ``Sons not Bastardss``. I read the book. So, so book as I recall.

Banjaara,

A book by Ayub Khan?!? Hmmmmmmm...

There was a lot that left me wondering and unclear in ``Aag ka Darya`` but I`ve heard the English version leaves much out from the original Urdu text..soooo, if I should ever make it back home, I shall go to Urdu Bazaar and purchase the original. Thank you for recommending more of her work. :-)

Sadly, governments in Pakistan (and some other countries) have not done well by some of their poets and writers..Faiz, Faraz, Fahmida Riaz, I`m sure there are countless more...

deodarant,

{{Grow up ,join the collective ONE god ,invisible God Abstract God omni potent God ,Omni present God All pervasive God ...}}

hmmm...very interesting...there`s only one major problem with your theory...despite worshipping that one TRUE God, how come you are STILL a stinking pig? huh?

Maybe youre one of those madrassah graduates who rock back & forth like a wound up toy, reading the Koran & not understanding a word of what it means?

Just out of curiosity? do you madrasis ever take a bath in your lives?..it doesnt seem like you do...judging by your pictures...maybe just on jumma..huh?..

I suggest you better use some of that deodarant on yourself..cos ..pheeeeooowww..you stink pal!..

..meanwhile...I`ll stick to penis worship, thankyouverymuch....despite all our faults...we brahmins take a BATH everyday...

hi fawad..

now i feel like my posts are unending!

I completely forgot to answer the second part of your post. My favorite poet would have to be Faiz. Other poets have come close to usurping his position in my heart, but it`s Faiz I always go back to :)

Khalil Gibran is great! Complicated, but then there are those who think he`s too simplistic. `The Prophet` is awesome, but have you read the story `Madame Rose Hanie`? My siblings and I have grown up with books by Khalil Gibran..when we were kids in America, a long time ago (!), my father bought hardcover editions of many of his books, `The Prophet`, `A Tear and a Smile`, `Spirits Rebellious`, among others. They were only $2.50 at the time! You should read the letters between him and May Ziadeh, well I think they`re mostly his letters to May Ziadeh, and they are just beautiful..well, I think I`ve taken up enough space on this board.. :)

Ajay Raina,

You have a serious problem.

In India, as a rule only minorities can suffer. Hindus being in the minority in Kashmir doesn`t count since Hindus are in the majority in India. Thus, you have no reason to complain. It is all in your head.

Please see a psychiatrist.

ana # 759

``One book I would highly recommend is by an Indian writer, Qurratulain Hyder, called `Aag ka Darya` translated by Hyder herself into English. I spent the whole day yesterday reading this wonderful book..it spans different periods in India, from B.C. to the 1950`s. The book was published in 1959.``

The writer who was an Indian became a Pakistani

and is an Indian now.Confusing...She migrated to

Pakistan in 1948 settled down in Karachi and wrote

her magnum opus ``Aag ka Darya``.The Masters did not

like the contents and overnight she had to escape to India,first Delhi and finally Bombay. If you liked ``Aag ka Darya``, try her first ``big`` novel, `` Mere bhi Sanam Khanay`` you`ll love it.

Regards.

PS: I hope you have heard of a book `` Friends not Masters``by ``Field Marshal`` Ayub Khan :)

re: ana

``do you read urdu``

ma`am i can barely speak it properly.i mean i understand perfectly and can carry out a simple convesation but honestly i never learned to read aleph bay and stuffi used to go to a maulvi when i was 7 but i refused to go after cuz he hit me with his danda after i read a few sparas wrong ............(dont laugh its true).......im gonna be stuck on english translations ......in fact its funny cuz when i was in lahore my urdu was so bad that a rickshaw driver asked me if i was arab i dont know people think i look arab EVEN IN Pakistan !!!!!!!!!

well have you ever read moth smoke the whole mughal analogy thing hits me !!!!!!!

whose your favorite poet i always liked reading khalil gibran the prophet its so complicated..............

anNy luv,

hi you! thanks for the info on books..they are on my list. how`s you?

Hi fawad! :)

Do you read Urdu? I`m not familiar with too many Pakistani female writers who have written in English, Bapsi Sidhwa, definitely..if you haven`t read `Cracking India` that`s definitely better than a Tom Clancy novel (just my humble opinion). Tahira Naqvi has written `Attar of Roses`, which is a collection of short stories, and a recent collection of stories that was published not too long ago called ``Dying in a Strange Country.``, Kamila Shamsie`s `Salt and Saffron`, Maniza Naqvi`s, ``On Air``, and let me not forget Sara Suleri`s ``Meatless Days`` among other things. Just when I said I wasn`t familiar with too many Pakistani women writers, I just gave you a whole list!

One book I would highly recommend is by an Indian writer, Qurratulain Hyder, called `Aag ka Darya` translated by Hyder herself into English. I spent the whole day yesterday reading this wonderful book..it spans different periods in India, from B.C. to the 1950`s. The book was published in 1959.

Hope this helps. I only gave you female authors, and now I can`t remember what your original request was..but yeah, take a break from those Tom Clancy novels!

I`m reading one of Qudsia Bano`s novels in Urdu right now..it`s a challenge..reading Urdu always is, for me. But I`m hoping that I won`t put it away this time like I usually do. :)

Stuka,

hee hee ... what memories you bring back !!

Do Tambola number callers receive special training you think ? It must take some skill to know who the ``Two Fat Ladies`` are !!

... and Yes Talib (not Zafar) is one sided but then so are ylh`s little outbursts !!

cheers

Reply Tahmed # 727

Here’s the theory re: “Untouchables”

There are four varnas:

Brahmin, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Shudras.

Traditionally “Untouchables” were those people born OUTSIDE these four varnas.

When you mix in jaat (different from varna) it becomes complicated, but this is the basic “theory” of it. Clearly many tribal groups were classified in this manner when they came into contact with larger society, or moved from a tribal to a feudal way of life.

“Untouchables” were traditionally called things like “achhooth”, or “pariah” (Also “mlachchh”). People disadvantaged in this manner came from groups which did things which were traditionally looked upon as unclean, or polluting (sweeping streets/cleaning night soil, leather work, cremating dead bodies), etc.

Gandhiji called them Harijans (literal translation: children of God), which was then polite usage for several decades (certainly when I was growing up).

Understandably, people from groups which were traditionally Untouchable found this somewhat condescending (Aur baqi sabh kya shaitaan ke bachchay haiN kya?). The preferred word now is Dalit. I have read that this means “broken people”, but don’t know if this is true, and if so in which language.

Enter caste-based vote bank politics!

The eighties (perhaps earlier in the South) saw the development of caste based vote bank politics in India. That is to say, politics went beyond opposition to caste divisions, and started making electoral promises to castes in an effort to get a whole caste’s vote. (For example, reservations of a proportion of Govt jobs to a backward caste.)

And so also, eventually, the effort to get the Dalit vote in a similar manner.

Since it is a numbers game, and many Dalit activists see their struggle as one against oppression caused by a religious heirarchy, the definition of Dalit has gotten strangely elastic, being used to include some of the Shudra jaaths as well – at least when the term is being used by Dalits.

And of course, if you ask why caste remains such a strong factor, in fact is finding a political voice and reinforcement that it lacked in the recent past, more than fifty years after it was outlawed, well, I do not know what to tell you. The paradox is, caste is being politically entrenched even as it is becoming socially less important in many places.

Reply Fatimah # 722

“….ji you have not been counting the times i have maintained dignified silence…”

Abh se if anybody says you don’t have a great sense of humour, send them to me.

“…you dont write ``MISS YOU `` posts…”

And again, mashallah!