Basant in Lahore
Yasser Latif Hamdani February 16, 2003
#118 Posted by sr56 on February 15, 2007 10:03:07 am
The writer forgot to mention the death rate that incurs due to `DOR` in the basant season!
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#117 Posted by may on May 10, 2006 9:16:26 am
Re: # 114
i totally agree.Basant shudn`t b glorified like that.i don`t like basant myself fr the same reson but the charm of LAHORE doesn`t fade away if basant is out of the scene.Lahore still has n will always hav a special place in my heart n it still is the best city of the world to me.n come on lets face it-there is more to Lahore than just basant (food street?)
i totally agree.Basant shudn`t b glorified like that.i don`t like basant myself fr the same reson but the charm of LAHORE doesn`t fade away if basant is out of the scene.Lahore still has n will always hav a special place in my heart n it still is the best city of the world to me.n come on lets face it-there is more to Lahore than just basant (food street?)
#116 Posted by Foxbat on December 5, 2005 1:24:37 am
Long Live Lahore, its Pimps, The Whores, the Diamond Market and all chaloo women, who think they can embarass Mr. Jinnah for crossing over into Pakistan in a airplane, instead of being with HIS constituents and fellow moslems. I remember going to Lahore so many times, but going to Lahore in 2003/2004 reminded me the way they plundered, pillaged the whole country to set -up a sexual heaven for themselves called Lahore. After all Lahore deserves to be called the SEX CAPITAL OF PAKISTAN.
#115 Posted by SirHumanoid on February 18, 2004 9:26:30 pm
Products of cultures like this writer forget the fact that Basant not only honouring a blasphemer is a festial in which money which could otherwise have been spent on philanthropic works is wasted on kite flying...
MacDonald`s, Coca-Cola and Pizza Hut while doling out rupees to fund such extravagant affairs wouldn`t be caught dead donating that money to such worthwhile causes as the Edhi foundation, the Ansar Burney foundation e.t.c...
Unfortunately, the demise of the Ummah came about when such `cultural` representations such as this Basant festival came into play, and Muslims instead of identifying themselves as part of a universal brotherhood, started identifying themselves with paganistic, non-Islamic rituals and started taking pride in them and shamefully being proud of something which was something to be ashamed of...
Some argue that Heera Mandi is part of the Lahore culture...Should that be something that Lahoris be proud of? Is that something that they shoudl celebrate as a `day of prostitutes` to honor the whores that occupy a section of the city...After all, that too is culture...
Unfortunately, shame has left us...We are proud of what we should be ashamed of and ashamed of what we should be proud of...
Is it any wonder that the Lahori culture would breed such a writer that would expound the virtues of decadence? Or would Lahore produce writers who would convey to readers the importance of what is important...
MacDonald`s, Coca-Cola and Pizza Hut while doling out rupees to fund such extravagant affairs wouldn`t be caught dead donating that money to such worthwhile causes as the Edhi foundation, the Ansar Burney foundation e.t.c...
Unfortunately, the demise of the Ummah came about when such `cultural` representations such as this Basant festival came into play, and Muslims instead of identifying themselves as part of a universal brotherhood, started identifying themselves with paganistic, non-Islamic rituals and started taking pride in them and shamefully being proud of something which was something to be ashamed of...
Some argue that Heera Mandi is part of the Lahore culture...Should that be something that Lahoris be proud of? Is that something that they shoudl celebrate as a `day of prostitutes` to honor the whores that occupy a section of the city...After all, that too is culture...
Unfortunately, shame has left us...We are proud of what we should be ashamed of and ashamed of what we should be proud of...
Is it any wonder that the Lahori culture would breed such a writer that would expound the virtues of decadence? Or would Lahore produce writers who would convey to readers the importance of what is important...
#114 Posted by lunatic on November 23, 2003 7:18:25 am
I eulogizing Basant so gloriously, has it even occured to the author of this article, how many innocent people are killed every year by this deadly monster? Just think about the infant whose throat gets slit open by the ``door`` while riding home on a motorbike with his family. Basant to me is just another painful manifestation of the collective apathy that has come to define a totally barbaric socity that we are.
If this post seems harsh to you, imagine an innocent kid in your own family being killed by the deadly ``door``, before retorting.
#113 Posted by FarooqA on March 3, 2003 11:34:16 am
I wish the life of an ordinary man in Pakistan was half as beautiful as the basant night, still around 40 per cent of the people live below poverty line, only the moneyed elite class has the access to basic needs of life ie health and education. Social and economic justice is beyond the reach of the masses. Yes basant is a good festival but you should not let it make you oblivious of the stark realities of life in Pakistan. By the way do you (writer) belong to the same previliged class that gathers on the roof top of Sali`s haveli every basant.
#112 Posted by TripleM on February 24, 2003 10:11:23 am
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#111 Posted by rsridhar on February 23, 2003 8:19:30 am
re:#109 by ahmadzai
You are living in a fool`s paradise if you believe Pakistan has stopped supporting terrorists. Modi, LK Advani are not terrorists but political opportunists who take advantage of anti-muslim feelings in India today to garner votes. I am not saying they are right but that is how politicians have always been.
But then, you should be more worried about your own jehadi countrymen and where your country is going (read Sehbai`s article in SAtribune to know how your country is drifting rudderless). Modi, LK Advani should be least of your worries.
As long as terrorists are being trained in madrassas in Pakistan,as long as they are going around causing trouble in other countries, Pak will continue to be a viewed as a haven for terrorists. Need i post URLs to a large number of articles coming out of various newspapers decrying Pak`s support of terrorism?
http://www.worldandi.com/public/2001/December/jihad.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1617541.stm
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=3936
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/terroristreport000430.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,2763,894408,00.html
How Pakistan became a source of islamic fundamentalism? Url:
http://www.globalpolicy.org/wtc/fundamentalism/2001/1023sowfun.htm
Pakistan-North Korea Axis: http://www.pakistan-facts.com/staticpages/index.php/20030111164804284
Pakistan`s Kashmiri terrorists: Url: http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=22122001-021209-4151r
Pakistan as Al-Qaida sanctuary: http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=17062002-043525-4513r
Jim Hoagland`s article: An ally`s terrorism:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A61531-2001Oct3¬Found=true
Excerpts from the above article:
``Washington knows full well that Pakistan actively supports Jaish-e-Muhammed and other guerrilla organizations that see terror as the only effective tool they have against India. Members of these groups freely tell Western journalists that they have trained in camps in Afghanistan run by Pakistani intelligence services and then been deployed into Kashmir. These terrorists are creatures of Musharraf and the Taliban and soulmates of Osama bin Laden.``
Finally, the recent article about Seymour Hersh`s interview on Pakistan with Jane Wallace- Url: http://www.sulekha.com/redirectnh.asp?cid=296778
Excerpts:
1. ``SY HERSH: Saudi`s put a lot of money into Pakistan to religious aspects. I`m not saying the Saudi`s necessarily-- the Saudi government knows that the money they`re putting in is ending up supplying the forces that are in contact with our forces in the northern territories. But the fact is the Saudi`s are still a supplier of a great deal of funds to Pakistan. We`ve got a country that`s teetering on the edge, we don`t want Pakistan to go Islamic. We don`t want the weapons to get out of control.``
2. `` JANE WALLACE: How exactly did the Pakistanis acquire nukes?
SY HERSH: They stole the technology from Europe-- to-- basically-- they used enriched uranium, Enriched uranium makes as perfectly a good a bomb as plutonium without a big nuclear reactor that anybody can see and-- and get intelligence on. They began turning out warheads. We now know I-- as they say, we estimate up to 40-- and that`s just a rough guess. ``
3. ``JANE WALLACE: If we were really going after the people who sponsored al Qaeda, wouldn`t we be bombing Pakistan?
SY HERSH: Well, it`d be attacking Pakistan is not like attacking Afghanistan, or Iraq. They have an air force. They have nuclear weapons, of course. They have a-- very strong powerful Army. We`re not gonna attack Pakistan. That would be-- that would be an impossible chore. If you said to me, ``Are we better off in Pakistan or in Iraq in terms of beating terrorism?`` I would say to you-- if you`d asked me that question, I would say, ``No question. Let`s forget about Iraq and let`s focus on Pakistan and start doing-- the money we`re gonna spend if we go to war there, even in moving troops, if we tried to use some of that money in-- in positive ways in Pakistan, we might be able to accomplish more than we are right now.``
JANE WALLACE: The picture you are painting here is that we`re dealing with the devil.
SY HERSH: It`s not a perfect world``.
Sorry for this long post. I hope, after reading the Urls i have posted, you would revise your opinion.
We were talking about cultural similarities. You diverted this topic to terrorism. I hope i have given you a befitting reply. If you have awakened out of your marijuana-induced hypnotoc state, you will realise that Indians and Pakis have much in common (culturally) but terrorism is not one of them.
Sridhar
You are living in a fool`s paradise if you believe Pakistan has stopped supporting terrorists. Modi, LK Advani are not terrorists but political opportunists who take advantage of anti-muslim feelings in India today to garner votes. I am not saying they are right but that is how politicians have always been.
But then, you should be more worried about your own jehadi countrymen and where your country is going (read Sehbai`s article in SAtribune to know how your country is drifting rudderless). Modi, LK Advani should be least of your worries.
As long as terrorists are being trained in madrassas in Pakistan,as long as they are going around causing trouble in other countries, Pak will continue to be a viewed as a haven for terrorists. Need i post URLs to a large number of articles coming out of various newspapers decrying Pak`s support of terrorism?
http://www.worldandi.com/public/2001/December/jihad.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1617541.stm
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=3936
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/terroristreport000430.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,2763,894408,00.html
How Pakistan became a source of islamic fundamentalism? Url:
http://www.globalpolicy.org/wtc/fundamentalism/2001/1023sowfun.htm
Pakistan-North Korea Axis: http://www.pakistan-facts.com/staticpages/index.php/20030111164804284
Pakistan`s Kashmiri terrorists: Url: http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=22122001-021209-4151r
Pakistan as Al-Qaida sanctuary: http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=17062002-043525-4513r
Jim Hoagland`s article: An ally`s terrorism:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A61531-2001Oct3¬Found=true
Excerpts from the above article:
``Washington knows full well that Pakistan actively supports Jaish-e-Muhammed and other guerrilla organizations that see terror as the only effective tool they have against India. Members of these groups freely tell Western journalists that they have trained in camps in Afghanistan run by Pakistani intelligence services and then been deployed into Kashmir. These terrorists are creatures of Musharraf and the Taliban and soulmates of Osama bin Laden.``
Finally, the recent article about Seymour Hersh`s interview on Pakistan with Jane Wallace- Url: http://www.sulekha.com/redirectnh.asp?cid=296778
Excerpts:
1. ``SY HERSH: Saudi`s put a lot of money into Pakistan to religious aspects. I`m not saying the Saudi`s necessarily-- the Saudi government knows that the money they`re putting in is ending up supplying the forces that are in contact with our forces in the northern territories. But the fact is the Saudi`s are still a supplier of a great deal of funds to Pakistan. We`ve got a country that`s teetering on the edge, we don`t want Pakistan to go Islamic. We don`t want the weapons to get out of control.``
2. `` JANE WALLACE: How exactly did the Pakistanis acquire nukes?
SY HERSH: They stole the technology from Europe-- to-- basically-- they used enriched uranium, Enriched uranium makes as perfectly a good a bomb as plutonium without a big nuclear reactor that anybody can see and-- and get intelligence on. They began turning out warheads. We now know I-- as they say, we estimate up to 40-- and that`s just a rough guess. ``
3. ``JANE WALLACE: If we were really going after the people who sponsored al Qaeda, wouldn`t we be bombing Pakistan?
SY HERSH: Well, it`d be attacking Pakistan is not like attacking Afghanistan, or Iraq. They have an air force. They have nuclear weapons, of course. They have a-- very strong powerful Army. We`re not gonna attack Pakistan. That would be-- that would be an impossible chore. If you said to me, ``Are we better off in Pakistan or in Iraq in terms of beating terrorism?`` I would say to you-- if you`d asked me that question, I would say, ``No question. Let`s forget about Iraq and let`s focus on Pakistan and start doing-- the money we`re gonna spend if we go to war there, even in moving troops, if we tried to use some of that money in-- in positive ways in Pakistan, we might be able to accomplish more than we are right now.``
JANE WALLACE: The picture you are painting here is that we`re dealing with the devil.
SY HERSH: It`s not a perfect world``.
Sorry for this long post. I hope, after reading the Urls i have posted, you would revise your opinion.
We were talking about cultural similarities. You diverted this topic to terrorism. I hope i have given you a befitting reply. If you have awakened out of your marijuana-induced hypnotoc state, you will realise that Indians and Pakis have much in common (culturally) but terrorism is not one of them.
Sridhar
#110 Posted by Tipu on February 21, 2003 11:00:05 am
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#109 Posted by Ahmadzai on February 21, 2003 6:32:34 am
#108 by m_souza
`` Most of the pakis can look in the mirror..and see their shakal close their eyes and ask them selves seriously... ``
Perhaps Pakis looked like Indians before, but not anymore.
Pakis made a U-turn from supporting extremism towards moderation. Indians, under the dynamic leadership of Advanees and Modees, have made a U-Turn from moderation to extremism.
The only person who may find his mirror image in Advanee and Modi would be OBL. Both draw their strengths from communalism and hatred. If OBL blew the symbol of American capitalism down in New York, Advanee has done exactly the same before him - razing to the ground the symbol of secularism in India (Hindu-Muslim unity through destruction of Babri Mosque).
I hate to draw the parallels, but at least you you can rest delighted now that some Arabs have begun to look exactly like some Indians.
;-)
`` Most of the pakis can look in the mirror..and see their shakal close their eyes and ask them selves seriously... ``
Perhaps Pakis looked like Indians before, but not anymore.
Pakis made a U-turn from supporting extremism towards moderation. Indians, under the dynamic leadership of Advanees and Modees, have made a U-Turn from moderation to extremism.
The only person who may find his mirror image in Advanee and Modi would be OBL. Both draw their strengths from communalism and hatred. If OBL blew the symbol of American capitalism down in New York, Advanee has done exactly the same before him - razing to the ground the symbol of secularism in India (Hindu-Muslim unity through destruction of Babri Mosque).
I hate to draw the parallels, but at least you you can rest delighted now that some Arabs have begun to look exactly like some Indians.
;-)
#108 Posted by m_souza on February 20, 2003 7:47:02 pm
#104 by ahmadzai on February 20, 2003 12:36pm PT
``Since Egyptians can be proud Muslims and yet take pride in their Pharohite (exp??) heritage, Iranians can be proud Muslims and take pride in their Persian roots, Turks can be Muslims and at the same time take pride in their Western/Christian past, Pakistanis too can be proud Muslims and take pride in our ancient non-Islamic history. ``
Non-islamic history?? Or Hindu/Buddhist history
Why the hell are you guys so hesitant to accept your Hindu heritage?? Why so scared to use the word `Hindu` and instead us `non-islamic` instead??
Why do you run away from reality???
Do you think if you acknowledge your hindu past and show respect towards it, you would be sinning in someway??
Do you think if you start liking hinduism you would initiate some automatic process of being re-converted back to your previous ancestoral religion??
NO...we Hindus(at least people like me) DONOT CARE if you stay muslim. If anyone is a true muslim at heart then he or she should stay so. Whats wrong in that. But this disparity and these differences between the two religions can only come with truthful acceptance of the facts and history by muslims and also equally by respect for Islam by Hindus.
PS: And just because Eygyptians, Iranians and Turks are doing it (acknowledge your non-muslim background) ...you should also do it......not otherwise..not because you genuinely like hinduism.
After all you follow a religion started by them.
``Since Egyptians can be proud Muslims and yet take pride in their Pharohite (exp??) heritage, Iranians can be proud Muslims and take pride in their Persian roots, Turks can be Muslims and at the same time take pride in their Western/Christian past, Pakistanis too can be proud Muslims and take pride in our ancient non-Islamic history. ``
Non-islamic history?? Or Hindu/Buddhist history
Why the hell are you guys so hesitant to accept your Hindu heritage?? Why so scared to use the word `Hindu` and instead us `non-islamic` instead??
Why do you run away from reality???
Do you think if you acknowledge your hindu past and show respect towards it, you would be sinning in someway??
Do you think if you start liking hinduism you would initiate some automatic process of being re-converted back to your previous ancestoral religion??
NO...we Hindus(at least people like me) DONOT CARE if you stay muslim. If anyone is a true muslim at heart then he or she should stay so. Whats wrong in that. But this disparity and these differences between the two religions can only come with truthful acceptance of the facts and history by muslims and also equally by respect for Islam by Hindus.
PS: And just because Eygyptians, Iranians and Turks are doing it (acknowledge your non-muslim background) ...you should also do it......not otherwise..not because you genuinely like hinduism.
After all you follow a religion started by them.
#107 Posted by m_souza on February 20, 2003 7:47:02 pm
arjun_m
Most of the pakis can look in the mirror..and see their shakal close their eyes and ask them selves seriously...
``hum dekhne me indian jyada lagtey hain yaa ke arabic``
``hum me aur indians me itni sari similarities(cultural) kyun hain``
``hum kahan se aaye hain, hum pehley kaun they, haqueekat kya hai, galati kiski hai``
``kyun hum naa ghar ke rahe naa ghaat ke`` (neither Indian nor arabic roots)
``kyun hum india se hate kartey hain aur paraaye arabic logon se itnaa pyar``
``kyun humko ye arabic log ghaas bhi nahi daaltey``
And after this if their heart speaks the truth, then they will get more respect from India and also from the rest of the world
Most of the pakis can look in the mirror..and see their shakal close their eyes and ask them selves seriously...
``hum dekhne me indian jyada lagtey hain yaa ke arabic``
``hum me aur indians me itni sari similarities(cultural) kyun hain``
``hum kahan se aaye hain, hum pehley kaun they, haqueekat kya hai, galati kiski hai``
``kyun hum naa ghar ke rahe naa ghaat ke`` (neither Indian nor arabic roots)
``kyun hum india se hate kartey hain aur paraaye arabic logon se itnaa pyar``
``kyun humko ye arabic log ghaas bhi nahi daaltey``
And after this if their heart speaks the truth, then they will get more respect from India and also from the rest of the world
#106 Posted by arjun_m on February 20, 2003 1:08:14 pm
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#105 Posted by arjun_m on February 20, 2003 1:08:14 pm
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#104 Posted by Ahmadzai on February 20, 2003 12:36:30 pm
Since Egyptians can be proud Muslims and yet take pride in their Pharohite (exp??) heritage, Iranians can be proud Muslims and take pride in their Persian roots, Turks can be Muslims and at the same time take pride in their Western/Christian past, Pakistanis too can be proud Muslims and take pride in our ancient non-Islamic history.
#103 Posted by YLH2 on February 20, 2003 9:53:01 am
Dear Ana Dobarah,
Its great to see you are the same old vitriolic self... :) Hope life is treating you well... Yes you are always right... I started the Pakistan-India thing ... ha so evil of me right... ofcourse I am so horrible to mention the simple fact that Pakistan is not as horrible as some Indians try and portray it as ... that the assumption of Pakistan as a fundamentalist extremist people is wrong... is so evil of me... You know ... I will do this again... I will portray Pakistan in its brightest light again and again... and if that forces some intolerant bigots to have a knee jerk reaction to which I am now well accustomed... then so be it!
If you hate me, and my articles so much, here is a suggestion ... just don`t click on any article that has my name associated with it ... Howz that?
Romair,
You are absolutely on the dot in your post addressed to Sameer... I think same goes for people like Ana Dobarah...
Though I still don`t agree with your `secularist vs religionist` thesis and your branding me as a secular fundamentalist ... but I have come to understand and appreciate your unique perspective even better now that I actually have gotten in touch with the pulse of Pakistani people...
:)
Yasser
Its great to see you are the same old vitriolic self... :) Hope life is treating you well... Yes you are always right... I started the Pakistan-India thing ... ha so evil of me right... ofcourse I am so horrible to mention the simple fact that Pakistan is not as horrible as some Indians try and portray it as ... that the assumption of Pakistan as a fundamentalist extremist people is wrong... is so evil of me... You know ... I will do this again... I will portray Pakistan in its brightest light again and again... and if that forces some intolerant bigots to have a knee jerk reaction to which I am now well accustomed... then so be it!
If you hate me, and my articles so much, here is a suggestion ... just don`t click on any article that has my name associated with it ... Howz that?
Romair,
You are absolutely on the dot in your post addressed to Sameer... I think same goes for people like Ana Dobarah...
Though I still don`t agree with your `secularist vs religionist` thesis and your branding me as a secular fundamentalist ... but I have come to understand and appreciate your unique perspective even better now that I actually have gotten in touch with the pulse of Pakistani people...
:)
Yasser
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