Diary Notes: Basant
Rehan Ansari April 5, 1999
#6 Posted by mohajir on August 11, 2000 12:44:25 pm
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Shandana Minhas
What is it like being a Hindu in Pakistan, you wonder. I find the answer in various things. First, a letter from a Hindu friend dated October 1999. She wrote from college in the States: ``When I first got here, I was already looking forward to the winter break so I could come back to Karachi and see my friends and family. The next break I was a little less excited, the next even less so. And now, I find myself looking for ways to prolong my stay here. Not because I`ve met a man better than someone I might have found in Karachi, but because here I don`t have to wonder how long it is before he plays the religion card and says hey we had a great time I love you madly, but I just don`t think my family... I remember how I felt at realizing that to my friends, though they were my friends, I would always in some way be an outsider. Don`t they realize how cruel that is? Why can`t they see me for who I am and not my religion. I`m not even a particularly religious person!``
The 1991 census estimated the number of religious minorities in Pakistan (assuming Shia+Sunni=Muslim) at around five per cent, out of which 1.51 per cent were Hindu. Representatives of minority groups disagreed at the time and said they were ``underrepresented``. The latest estimates put the number of Hindus in Pakistan at just under three million. The fact that a large percentage of this community resides in rural Sindh where borders are porous, life transitory, and government efficiency a fairy tale ensures an ``estimate`` will remain just that.
A report by lawyer and activist Hina Jillani states that the Hindu tribal communities of Kohlis and Behls ``constitute more than half of the agricultural labour force of Sindh, and are amongst the most oppressed of all haris.`` Their lands have been forcibly occupied by influential landlords, their daughters abducted, forcibly converted and then married off to complete strangers from an alien community. Their economic and religious status conspire to make their lives a favourite repast for the vultures of official apathy and societal intolerance.
What is it like to be a Hindu in Pakistan? The answers come as hints rather than full replies. P.K. Shahani is a prominent Sindhi lawyer. His brother Narayan Shahani has recently been appointed to the security exchange commission of Pakistan. The other Hindu names you hear are Naveen Perwani (snooker player) and Deepak Perwani (self-proclaimed fashion designer). Actually, most people aren`t sure if these people are Hindu or just sound Hindu. There are Hindus in music, Hindus in journalism (especially Sindh), Hindu women walking to work in the streets in their graceful saris. There are middle class Hindus with small homes and Japanese cars. There are Hindu businessmen with recently acquired respectability whose fortunes are based on converting contacts made through intelligent and friendly bootlegging into contracts made in heaven. There are Hindu brat packers, scions of wealthy families who do nothing but party hard. There are banyas in interior Sindh, traders and shopkeepers. There are middle class Hindu Generation X`s. There is a Hindu drummer in the local band Brain Masalla. Hindus are in every strata of society, but somehow they seem to be nowhere at all.
The writer of the letter has since started a process that will allow her to be an American citizen. Had she returned here she would have been a Pakistani biochemist.
Hindus believe a soul should be free to leave this realm of existence unburdened by the weight of its mortality. Some rivers are sacred to the Hindus (the Ganges is said to be like the rippling waves in the hair of a God), water is considered a purifier. The pyre on the banks of a river also emphasise the ephemeral nature of life to those attending it. Samskara, the rite of passage, bids the departed farewell and helps give the bereaved a sense of closure.
The body is prepared by the application of holy ash on the forehead and the recitation of mantras, more orthodox Hindus follow a longer and more rigorous preparation procedure. The procession carrying the body to the pyre is led by the son. As it is laid on its pyre draped with flowers garlands, all observe in silence. When it is burnt down the priest recites prayers over it, the ashes are collected. Ideally, they will be poured into a holy river. After a designated period of mourning during which austerity is practiced in dress, food and behaviour, a ceremony called shraddah is carried out in which prayers are said for the departed and offering made to the poor.
The Hindus believe a soul is born into a body, and when the body dies, the soul passes into a higher or lower being (a man or a rat) according to the karma he has earned. When a soul reaches a state of enlightenment it breaks the cycle of reincarnation and passes back into Brahma, the spirit that runs through the universe.
Once a year there is an unusual number of bangs in the city. People look at each other and nod, ``It must be divali.`` There is a also trend amongst fiery big-mouthed 90s women to include a rang amongst their wedding ceremonies. Everyone runs around throwing colour on each other and squealing. In the leading papers` yearly ``round-up of architecture Karachi should be proud of`` the Hindu Gymkhana and Swami Narayan Mandir are pointed out, freshly photographed. The twisted implementation of the blasphemy law and the rabidity of zealots ensure that the Hindu community maintains a low profile. The many festivals in their religious calendar are celebrated softly.
Divali is the festival of lights, celebrated at the end of the Hindu old year to usher in the new year, through tribute to the goddess Lakshmi, who brings blessing and prosperity to her worshippers. It coincides with the return of Rama after 14 years in exile. The word itself comes from ``dipwali`` or ``row of lights``. The lamps are placed at windows and doors to drive away the night and shed light into darkness, symbolizing the victory of good over evil and the beauty of life despite the imminence of death. It is celebrated in October or November.
The Holi festival comes at the end of winter and the advent of spring. Colour and powder fly through the end and out the end of water guns. It can be seen as symbolic of the blooming of flowers after the desert of winter. Holi comes from Holika, a fire demon summoned by her evil tyrant brother Hiranya to kill his seemingly indestructible son. The son is sustained by his faith in Vishnu, the demons are destroyed. Holi is about adding colour to life through truth and faith in the goodness of it all.
There is Dassehra or ``the tenth``, which comes at the end of nine nights of hymns to the goddess Durga. Falling between September and October, the ritual is considered important for brides and engaged women.
Falling around July and August is Raksha Bandhan where women tie strings around the wrists of men they are related to for their protection.
Hindu festivals are rich and diverse, as is their contribution to the roots of Pakistani culture. The Indus valley civilization threw up statues of goddess and animals, the influence of Hinduism was prevalent in Harappa and Taxila too. There are many sites In Pakistan that are near sacred to Hindus, including Manora Island which some feel is ``only several hundred kilometers`` away from what used to be the kingdom of an avatar of the god Vishnu.
There must have been a time when the borders of co-existing religions were porous too. The colour, festivity and scent of many Muslim wedding ceremonies find their roots in Hindu festivals.
The Hindu wedding ceremony, as seen on TV or in an Indian movie, is even more colourful than its Pakistani counterpart. There are numerous festivals involving music, dancing and colour. The ceremony itself is conducted in Sanskrit. It starts out with a prayer, followed by identification of the two to be wed, then the ``evocation of virtue`` in which anyone who feels this marriage cannot proceed is given a chance to step forward. Next the two stand facing each other as blessing and rice, are showered upon them. The priest offers tribute to the fire, which is considered the manifestation of God, the couple exchange vows. Then they circle the divine fire seven times, tied together as companions on the path of life. A modern Karachi Hindu wedding often incorporates a reception at another venue where guests can greet the newly married couple.
The homepage of the Pakistani Hindu Association states: ``Traditionally, Pakistani Hindus have not referred to the name of their religion as `Hinduism`. This was a name given by foreigners to identify those people living in the vicinity of the Sindhu River. Pakistani Hindus have always referred to their religion as Vedic Dharm. Sometimes, Vedic Dharm is also referred to as the Aryan religion.``
What is it like to be Hindu in an Islamic republic? Since others are always defining you, you try your best to provide the definitions yourself.
Hinduism is a religion that is vast in scope in terms of its rituals, and the sheer volume of deities associated with it. Ultimately, the source of all its ritual and myth lies in the concept of Brahma, the spirit that runs through the universe. ``Impersonal and indestructible``, it was, is and always will be, the philosophy goes. It is seen as creator, preserver and destroyer. And hence the three main Hindu Deities are Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. Vasihnavism has the most followers at 80 per cent while Shivaism (devotees of Shiva the destroyer) is popular in Tamil South India. Hinduism also recognizes avatars, incarnations of one of the three Gods. Two of the avatars of the god Vishnu, Rama and Krishna, are very important figures in Hindu mythology. Hindus also hold animals sacred, as some of them are considered avatars of important gods. Especially popular are Ganesha the elephant headed and Hanuman the monkey headed god.
A belief in Hinduism does not stipulate loyalty to any one of these Gods, it is understood that everyone has a personal deity. Puja, or worship, can be done in any place. It simply involves offerings of kum kum, rice, fruit, flowers, incense or light to an image of the deity and a recitation of sacred texts. Any place where puja is offered is a shrine. A temple on the other hand is the house of a deity.
What is it like?
There are two brothers, Jagdeep and Mukesh. Mukesh is intelligent and articulate and always in the top three at his school, one of the leading boys school in Karachi. His brother Jagdeep is one year younger and in the same school. He has been plagued with discipline problems. The administration keeps calling his parents and telling them to do something about it or they will be forced to take strong action. The parents say he gets into fights because he is constantly provoked with taunts of ``Hindu %#%`` and ``Hindu &&
Shandana Minhas
What is it like being a Hindu in Pakistan, you wonder. I find the answer in various things. First, a letter from a Hindu friend dated October 1999. She wrote from college in the States: ``When I first got here, I was already looking forward to the winter break so I could come back to Karachi and see my friends and family. The next break I was a little less excited, the next even less so. And now, I find myself looking for ways to prolong my stay here. Not because I`ve met a man better than someone I might have found in Karachi, but because here I don`t have to wonder how long it is before he plays the religion card and says hey we had a great time I love you madly, but I just don`t think my family... I remember how I felt at realizing that to my friends, though they were my friends, I would always in some way be an outsider. Don`t they realize how cruel that is? Why can`t they see me for who I am and not my religion. I`m not even a particularly religious person!``
The 1991 census estimated the number of religious minorities in Pakistan (assuming Shia+Sunni=Muslim) at around five per cent, out of which 1.51 per cent were Hindu. Representatives of minority groups disagreed at the time and said they were ``underrepresented``. The latest estimates put the number of Hindus in Pakistan at just under three million. The fact that a large percentage of this community resides in rural Sindh where borders are porous, life transitory, and government efficiency a fairy tale ensures an ``estimate`` will remain just that.
A report by lawyer and activist Hina Jillani states that the Hindu tribal communities of Kohlis and Behls ``constitute more than half of the agricultural labour force of Sindh, and are amongst the most oppressed of all haris.`` Their lands have been forcibly occupied by influential landlords, their daughters abducted, forcibly converted and then married off to complete strangers from an alien community. Their economic and religious status conspire to make their lives a favourite repast for the vultures of official apathy and societal intolerance.
What is it like to be a Hindu in Pakistan? The answers come as hints rather than full replies. P.K. Shahani is a prominent Sindhi lawyer. His brother Narayan Shahani has recently been appointed to the security exchange commission of Pakistan. The other Hindu names you hear are Naveen Perwani (snooker player) and Deepak Perwani (self-proclaimed fashion designer). Actually, most people aren`t sure if these people are Hindu or just sound Hindu. There are Hindus in music, Hindus in journalism (especially Sindh), Hindu women walking to work in the streets in their graceful saris. There are middle class Hindus with small homes and Japanese cars. There are Hindu businessmen with recently acquired respectability whose fortunes are based on converting contacts made through intelligent and friendly bootlegging into contracts made in heaven. There are Hindu brat packers, scions of wealthy families who do nothing but party hard. There are banyas in interior Sindh, traders and shopkeepers. There are middle class Hindu Generation X`s. There is a Hindu drummer in the local band Brain Masalla. Hindus are in every strata of society, but somehow they seem to be nowhere at all.
The writer of the letter has since started a process that will allow her to be an American citizen. Had she returned here she would have been a Pakistani biochemist.
Hindus believe a soul should be free to leave this realm of existence unburdened by the weight of its mortality. Some rivers are sacred to the Hindus (the Ganges is said to be like the rippling waves in the hair of a God), water is considered a purifier. The pyre on the banks of a river also emphasise the ephemeral nature of life to those attending it. Samskara, the rite of passage, bids the departed farewell and helps give the bereaved a sense of closure.
The body is prepared by the application of holy ash on the forehead and the recitation of mantras, more orthodox Hindus follow a longer and more rigorous preparation procedure. The procession carrying the body to the pyre is led by the son. As it is laid on its pyre draped with flowers garlands, all observe in silence. When it is burnt down the priest recites prayers over it, the ashes are collected. Ideally, they will be poured into a holy river. After a designated period of mourning during which austerity is practiced in dress, food and behaviour, a ceremony called shraddah is carried out in which prayers are said for the departed and offering made to the poor.
The Hindus believe a soul is born into a body, and when the body dies, the soul passes into a higher or lower being (a man or a rat) according to the karma he has earned. When a soul reaches a state of enlightenment it breaks the cycle of reincarnation and passes back into Brahma, the spirit that runs through the universe.
Once a year there is an unusual number of bangs in the city. People look at each other and nod, ``It must be divali.`` There is a also trend amongst fiery big-mouthed 90s women to include a rang amongst their wedding ceremonies. Everyone runs around throwing colour on each other and squealing. In the leading papers` yearly ``round-up of architecture Karachi should be proud of`` the Hindu Gymkhana and Swami Narayan Mandir are pointed out, freshly photographed. The twisted implementation of the blasphemy law and the rabidity of zealots ensure that the Hindu community maintains a low profile. The many festivals in their religious calendar are celebrated softly.
Divali is the festival of lights, celebrated at the end of the Hindu old year to usher in the new year, through tribute to the goddess Lakshmi, who brings blessing and prosperity to her worshippers. It coincides with the return of Rama after 14 years in exile. The word itself comes from ``dipwali`` or ``row of lights``. The lamps are placed at windows and doors to drive away the night and shed light into darkness, symbolizing the victory of good over evil and the beauty of life despite the imminence of death. It is celebrated in October or November.
The Holi festival comes at the end of winter and the advent of spring. Colour and powder fly through the end and out the end of water guns. It can be seen as symbolic of the blooming of flowers after the desert of winter. Holi comes from Holika, a fire demon summoned by her evil tyrant brother Hiranya to kill his seemingly indestructible son. The son is sustained by his faith in Vishnu, the demons are destroyed. Holi is about adding colour to life through truth and faith in the goodness of it all.
There is Dassehra or ``the tenth``, which comes at the end of nine nights of hymns to the goddess Durga. Falling between September and October, the ritual is considered important for brides and engaged women.
Falling around July and August is Raksha Bandhan where women tie strings around the wrists of men they are related to for their protection.
Hindu festivals are rich and diverse, as is their contribution to the roots of Pakistani culture. The Indus valley civilization threw up statues of goddess and animals, the influence of Hinduism was prevalent in Harappa and Taxila too. There are many sites In Pakistan that are near sacred to Hindus, including Manora Island which some feel is ``only several hundred kilometers`` away from what used to be the kingdom of an avatar of the god Vishnu.
There must have been a time when the borders of co-existing religions were porous too. The colour, festivity and scent of many Muslim wedding ceremonies find their roots in Hindu festivals.
The Hindu wedding ceremony, as seen on TV or in an Indian movie, is even more colourful than its Pakistani counterpart. There are numerous festivals involving music, dancing and colour. The ceremony itself is conducted in Sanskrit. It starts out with a prayer, followed by identification of the two to be wed, then the ``evocation of virtue`` in which anyone who feels this marriage cannot proceed is given a chance to step forward. Next the two stand facing each other as blessing and rice, are showered upon them. The priest offers tribute to the fire, which is considered the manifestation of God, the couple exchange vows. Then they circle the divine fire seven times, tied together as companions on the path of life. A modern Karachi Hindu wedding often incorporates a reception at another venue where guests can greet the newly married couple.
The homepage of the Pakistani Hindu Association states: ``Traditionally, Pakistani Hindus have not referred to the name of their religion as `Hinduism`. This was a name given by foreigners to identify those people living in the vicinity of the Sindhu River. Pakistani Hindus have always referred to their religion as Vedic Dharm. Sometimes, Vedic Dharm is also referred to as the Aryan religion.``
What is it like to be Hindu in an Islamic republic? Since others are always defining you, you try your best to provide the definitions yourself.
Hinduism is a religion that is vast in scope in terms of its rituals, and the sheer volume of deities associated with it. Ultimately, the source of all its ritual and myth lies in the concept of Brahma, the spirit that runs through the universe. ``Impersonal and indestructible``, it was, is and always will be, the philosophy goes. It is seen as creator, preserver and destroyer. And hence the three main Hindu Deities are Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. Vasihnavism has the most followers at 80 per cent while Shivaism (devotees of Shiva the destroyer) is popular in Tamil South India. Hinduism also recognizes avatars, incarnations of one of the three Gods. Two of the avatars of the god Vishnu, Rama and Krishna, are very important figures in Hindu mythology. Hindus also hold animals sacred, as some of them are considered avatars of important gods. Especially popular are Ganesha the elephant headed and Hanuman the monkey headed god.
A belief in Hinduism does not stipulate loyalty to any one of these Gods, it is understood that everyone has a personal deity. Puja, or worship, can be done in any place. It simply involves offerings of kum kum, rice, fruit, flowers, incense or light to an image of the deity and a recitation of sacred texts. Any place where puja is offered is a shrine. A temple on the other hand is the house of a deity.
What is it like?
There are two brothers, Jagdeep and Mukesh. Mukesh is intelligent and articulate and always in the top three at his school, one of the leading boys school in Karachi. His brother Jagdeep is one year younger and in the same school. He has been plagued with discipline problems. The administration keeps calling his parents and telling them to do something about it or they will be forced to take strong action. The parents say he gets into fights because he is constantly provoked with taunts of ``Hindu %#%`` and ``Hindu &&
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#5 Posted by Futema on April 7, 1999 12:38:12 am
I have never been in Lahore during ``Basant``, but you paint such a vivid picture of the festival that it carries the reader there. Wonderful writing...very carefree.
As a child, I remember trying to pack my colorful ``patang`` in my suitcase as we would head back to America. I was going to enjoy the same rooftop patang adventures as I did in Karachi without the rooftop. Unfortunately, not one made it to the States without tearing :(
As a child, I remember trying to pack my colorful ``patang`` in my suitcase as we would head back to America. I was going to enjoy the same rooftop patang adventures as I did in Karachi without the rooftop. Unfortunately, not one made it to the States without tearing :(
#4 Posted by RanaRansher on April 6, 1999 4:46:33 pm
re: Rehan
Basant Panchami/Baisakhi parties and melas !! You brought back some great memories. especially pechche ladaana with all the special heavy duty maanjas (is that what you call it in Pakistan also ?) and the `experts crying` dheel de dheel de in the background.
Some great lines (as others already pointed out). Also loved the one where you describe a guy flying a patang and say you would have to act it out to fully appreciate it !! So true.
regards
Basant Panchami/Baisakhi parties and melas !! You brought back some great memories. especially pechche ladaana with all the special heavy duty maanjas (is that what you call it in Pakistan also ?) and the `experts crying` dheel de dheel de in the background.
Some great lines (as others already pointed out). Also loved the one where you describe a guy flying a patang and say you would have to act it out to fully appreciate it !! So true.
regards
#3 Posted by Ras Siddiqui on April 6, 1999 12:35:14 am
I loved this writing mainly because my Lahori
memories as a Karachiwala.
The kites, the color and the young women of
Lahore give a really unique identity to the
festival of Basant.
Basically, Lahoris sure know how to have a good time.
Ras
#2 Posted by khan on April 5, 1999 7:02:40 pm
Zehra, you picked the two best lines (for me) in this piece.
Also:
In the land of the indoor party the only outdoor act of permissiveness.
Also:
In the land of the indoor party the only outdoor act of permissiveness.
#1 Posted by Zehra on April 5, 1999 3:27:27 pm
rehan:
i like this side...i reallly reallly like this side of writing. the highlights for me :
``his girlfriend was one soft sexpot: hell I`d be softer than your razai
if I saw him enough times fly his kites...``
beautiful.
lahore is not a city and noboby there wants it to be a city.
i could read this piece again and again..its like a favorite song.
i think the combination of reading both this piece and the arif abrar piece are having a strong reaction of beauty within me. this is the work i expect from chowk and which is why i haunt the gallis of chowk...looking for pieces like these. arif...i should be commenting on your piece in your reply section, but why build these cyber walls? :) i wish i was able to hear your radio show and properly appreciate your work. i loved taxi cabs and now this...its wonderful stuff...thanks.
rizvi.
i like this side...i reallly reallly like this side of writing. the highlights for me :
``his girlfriend was one soft sexpot: hell I`d be softer than your razai
if I saw him enough times fly his kites...``
beautiful.
lahore is not a city and noboby there wants it to be a city.
i could read this piece again and again..its like a favorite song.
i think the combination of reading both this piece and the arif abrar piece are having a strong reaction of beauty within me. this is the work i expect from chowk and which is why i haunt the gallis of chowk...looking for pieces like these. arif...i should be commenting on your piece in your reply section, but why build these cyber walls? :) i wish i was able to hear your radio show and properly appreciate your work. i loved taxi cabs and now this...its wonderful stuff...thanks.
rizvi.
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