Beating the Donkey

Really enjoyed reading this Bina. Had not visited chowk for a while and was pleasantly surprised to see that your book is out. Cannot wait to read it.

Dear Bina,

Hello! i just realised both the address of the desi shop along with the name of the book are written at the end of your article, so that relieves me of my query.Should have been more observant :)

Shirin

Dear Bina,

Can you please let me know the address of the desi store,along with the name of the book.Since i dont have ready access to pakistan unfortunately , [except when someone is coming over], so i am left to rely on internet shopping a lot of times .

Thanks and take care,

Shirin

Bina:

A vey good story indeed!

Apart from the narrative,the locale & scene was vintage Karachi.....at least freeze-framed for me.Maybe it really hasn`t changed that much.

If you have not seen Insaan aur Gadhha then please do.One of THE greatest movies from Pakistan and by that genius,Rangeela.

The scene where he throws his jacket at his awaam-gadhhas was censored because it was a spoof on Bhuttos` return-from-Tashkend event.I believe this movie encpasulates Pakistani ``political culture`` better than all the phDs in political science & sociology.

Available on Video.

``Sunn aye Hammar e Karachi sunn aye Khar e Lahore

Thoo Quahiraa hee chalaa jaa,jahaan naa zulm naa jaur``

__________________________________________________

wassalaam

Thanks for the positive comments. For now the book is available at DesiStore and at OUP`s outlets in Karachi. In a week or so it will be available at regular bookstores and then at Amazon. I`d love to hear comments from anyone who reads it at bina@xiber.com

Bye!

Thanks for the positive comments. For now the book is available at DesiStore and at OUP`s outlets in Karachi. In a week or so it will be available at regular bookstores and then at Amazon. I`d love to hear comments from anyone who reads it at bina@xiber.com

Bye!

Another etremely nicely typical of the chowk stuff....

Great little story. Reminded me of a book I read recently. ``Papio`` by Abdul Basit Haqqani. Hysterical. A satire on vadera culture. Brilliant. Anyone who can must read it.

Later.

Jagmohan

O dil khush kita e Pehlwan!

Ras Siddiqui

It was definitely a classic. I saw it again on the video a couple of years ago and the humor is still entertaining as day one.

Anyone recall an old Pakistani Urdu Film
``Insaan Aur Gadha`` starring Rangeela?

Ras

Latif Champu

Aap Muzaq To Nahin Farma Rahe.

Aap Ki Mazaq Ki Adat Se Kapadia Tung Aa Gia Tha.

Amaa yaar Krashid Bhai, aap to hum par be`dharak taareef kay phool chirkaye jaa raheN heiN? Aur yeh batayeN ki aap ko hamarey aur Latif Kapadia ke gehray or mazboot talluquat ki havaa kaisay lag gayi, miaN?

Actually I went to boarding school with Latif Kapadia, Salmaan, Shakeel, Hamid & Irshad. What a gang we were, nobody had the onions to mess with us. Latif Kapadia was clearly our leader and by far the most industrious one. I remember fondly that incident when the warden was going to report me and `Shorty` Shakeel for sneaking 2 rupee whores into the dorms. The night before the warden went to committee, Kapadia `Jhatkaoed` warden`s pet dog`s head and left it in his bed. Saala choot never screwed with us again.

Salmaan was the quiet type, always keeping to himself. We all knew he had a thing for Irshad but he never made a move. He found solace in writing his journal where he poured his heart out, never letting on his emotions to Irshad who was a raging homophobe. Irshad`s homophobia was probably an outcome of his early encounters with the dashing Hamid, the irresistible school thespian.

We haven`t met in a long time but all of us did very well in our respective callings. Salmaan went on to win the booker and a fatwaa, which brought him the requisite cult heroism needed to score with Bono. Irshad went on to take his rightful place at the helm of Bangladesh and later on in her glorious penitentiaries where is homophobia was exacerbated by several unfortunate encounters. Hamid moved to Bombay and found Michael, Tony, Mona, Fame & Fortune, which eventually wore him out and killed him. To this day though, the whole world knows him as `Loyan`. And the last I heard of Shakeel & Kapadia, they were in Karachi running an MNC. Apparently Kapadia`s show name is Dawood and he is a widely respected philanthroper.

As for me, I write on a web site called Chowk, which provides comic relief to many a hard working hatemonger such as yourself.

Latif Chappu.

Latif Chappu #7

Yaar Pehle Aap Kahan The.

Mazaa Aa Gaya.

Chowk Pur Ronaq Aa Gai.

Aap Ka Latif Kapadia Se Koi Ta`aluq Hai.

Dear Bina, that was excellent and a half. I`ve got my card ready for the payment. Have you written before (as in published books). The bit about the donkey ( *&(& upon the police man`s orders, I actually laughed and I have to tell you, I never laugh (even at the funniest comedies)

What I found good was that there was just the right detail to set the scene and let the reader add their very own input into the scene too so I imagined the whole scene looking down from a clocktower upon busy dusty tawny cross roads.

Anyway, good on you.

Take care and best wishes

Omar Phoenix

hi bina,

when did your book got published ??

and can i find it on oup store at pak towers ..

or there out let near clifton bridge ??

do let me know ..

:o)

This was a very nice breather after all those articles on Pakistan-India relations. It is left open for the reader to take it as a statement on political/class discrimination, a statement about unrecognized yet present powers of a sleepy/dazed lower-class, or even just for enterntainments sake.