The 786 Cybercafé on Tariq Road

Hooka (Shisha) bars are going crazy in the US, almost every where I turn I seem to find one. I think they probably already have those in Karachi...Combine a hooka bar with a cybercafe and I think you`re on to something.

Nice story, very sad. It reflects the hopelessness of the youth in Karachi when it comes to establishing one`s self.

yeah.....

and the Ingrained Hatred for Punjabis......



I would recomend them to Migrate again... this time to the plains of

Punjab......


a couple of years Out of karachi..... will surely..... wash away the Baisdness in their

eyes.... and attitude.....and the indoctrined hatred.... especially of a

political nature..... which is being exploited the same way.... a feudual exploits..

his serfs.... only More bruatally.... with Body Bags.... lying in the gutter ....of

oponents...

Very engaging, Bina. You managed to project vivid characters without being verbose.

Looking forward to Part II

Aisha f. Sarwari

Very vivid descriptions and realistic, picturesque and fragrant prose...shall love to read its sequel...worth lot of praise....dpsingh63@yahoo.com

hey whens part 2 due? the first part was real good. been a long time since literature at chowk has taken me away like this. keep it up.

[Jamal slept his way through many of his lessons and talked his way through others. He wasn`t as stupid as some of the other boys - Omar, the boy who always managed to lose his homework between his walk from his home to the school, or Mohammed, whose short term memory functioned so badly that he had a hard time remembering his own father`s name.]

Ah, Omar, the name sure rings a bell. Could it be the Omar on Chowk, the `Assistant Editor`? I`m sure it is him, for the only other Omar I`ve seen lie with such consummate ease is our `Ass-istant Editor`.

Excellent!

First of all, why is this article so hidden? If I had not happened to read your blog, Bina, I would never have found this. Was it on the front page at all?

Anyway...Bina this is a great first chapter, rich in detail but with a beautiful spareness of language. Wonderfully multi-layered but simple. Your book must be a really good read if this chapter is any indication.

How do I get my hands on a copy? :-)

Very nicely written...two thumbs up Bina. Can`t wait to read the whole book.

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Bina,

Waiting for Part II....when will it come.

Thanks for your appreciative comments guys. Part II will come when the Chowk Editors deem it time... in the meantime I think you`ll be able to buy this book online from www.alhamra.com next week.

Any resemblence to anyone on Chowk, living or dead, is merely coincidence.

Thanks again!

http://www.dawn.com/weekly/books/books2.htm

Link to another excerpt from the Cybercafe :)

Bina,

Tried both links and cannot find the book. I did a search on Alhamra but come up with a URL error. I have someone visiting Toronto in a few weeks and would like to get my hands on this book. Can you please provide me a name of a book store that carries your book..... would appreciate an answer before the 23rd/25th of July.

Thanks

Hi Bina,

while i have long been an admirer of ur writing - i find u refreshingly sharp and concise - this chapter leaves a little something wanting...

u do work up a flavor for tariq road - i am a punjabi who grew up in karachi and who loves it (all chowkies who have a problem with that - deal with it!) tariq road comes right in my neighborhood and u evoke its memories well.

and while ur character Jamal easily comes to life with his many quirks, ur language is too, well,...it sounds like a first draft with a well thought out story. ur lovely use of language in ur other work is missing here...

this could be something really great...

Khadija

Hi Bina,

Finished you book a week back and must say i enjoyed it. It was very different to what i am used to read. I am more into mystery. I can relate this to a desi drama or a movie.... with the dream/the love/ the betrayal/ the struggle.

However it was refreshing.... there were times when a lot of detail was provided and that would sometime slow the pace down. (I guess i say this because i am more into fast paced books). This book brought back a lot of memory from Karachi and there were things mentioned that i guess are new (the place where Jamil takes his friends to eat). The sad part was how Nadia was treated by her parents and how girls are treated (in general) in Pakistan.

I did notice a few things and i hope you don`t mind me pointing them out:

1) In the first few (1-3) chapters the word tiny is spelt with 2 n`s.
2) The first time Abdul meets Nadia in the cafe, she does not introduce herself. However he says her name while teaching her the net.... i think he calls her ``Nadia-ji``.


I would definitely recommend this book to someone in the west so that they can relive their lives in Karachi.