In Search of Peace and Flowers

Regal Chowk ‘Dhai Bhale’ in Abu Dhabi Assalamualaikum, Zeerik,

Thanks for the article!

Do you have a phone number for these people? I`m sure my parents would appreciate the facility. How much do they charge for the shipping?

Regal Chowk ‘Dhai Bhale’ in Abu Dhabi Assalamualaikum, Zeerik,

Thanks for the article!

Do you have a phone number for these people? I`m sure my parents would appreciate the facility. How much do they charge for the shipping?

A Letter from the Village Azure: glad you liked it. Aaj kitnay sandwiches khae?

Rozaiba: you have no idea . . .

Nadia: Thank you for your criticism. I`m sorry you didn`t like. Insha-Allah, next time?

Going Home to Lahore, and a World Left Behind I`m not sure but I think Samina posted this once in her i-log. Irrespective though, it`s a pleasure to read again.

We all have our own individual perspectives on the Partition. Some say it was imminent and necessary, others see it as a brutal rupture in their emotional landscape. Whatever the case may be, it shouldn`t impede us now from relating to each other as human beings. There is still a lot of promise for a deep and lasting friendship, as this series of articles has shown. Let`s not let that run to waste.

’Our Shiv Sena’ ``What I`ve noticed throughout this series is your ability to bring people you care for to life on the given canvas``

It speaks so well of Harish`s gift for friendship.

Gay Men and Mischievous Boys DM sahab: aap tau baray badmaash niklay! larkiyon ko taartay thay? who would`ve thought . . .

To Saneeya Hussain (August 13, 1954-April 20, 2005) temporal: thank you for sharing that article.

To Saneeya Hussain (August 13, 1954-April 20, 2005) Beautifully written, Ms. Sarwar. May her soul rest in peace.

A Fobby Love Story Muzammil,

I really enjoyed reading this. Apart from the fact that it`s written with a good sense of humor, you`ve made some astute observations. I was speaking to a friend who just moved to the US from Pakistan. He`s a playa by most standards but when I asked him how things were he said he was lonely. ``Inn logon ko hamari tarah dosti karni nahin aati.``

A Personal Connection A pleasure to read, Harimau sahab. God bless you.

Why Not Adopt Wonderful article, Ghazal. You`ve articulated the case beautifully and I hope lots of people read this. Insha-Allah, more power to you and your husband.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love . . .

Lahore Street Scene Echoboom sahab: no, I hadn`t read that poem before. Thank you for sharing!

Lahore Street Scene temporal: no, I haven`t I`m afraid. Insha-Allah, will keep an eye out for it. I`m not sure how similar Mira Nair`s film is to the original even on its own Salaam Bombay! is a very powerful film, especially since it is made in a language and an idiom that we can all relate to. It hits closer to home.

Lahore Street Scene Well-said, Tauheed sahab. Have you seen Mira Nair`s Salaam Bombay!?

I remember we were eating out in Karachi once, one of those roadside arrangements with the beggars loitering around. During our meal, a woman came over with her child and we gave them some money. After we`d finished and were waiting for the waiter to clear the plates away, they came back again and we started shooing them off, saying we`d already paid them and they shouldn`t be begging. The woman said, ``We don`t want money but can we just take the food you`ve left on your plates?`` And they scraped away the bones and whatever little salan there was on our plates and walked away to a corner to eat it.

You can`t help but think of people like these when you are at these 5-star buffets where the uncles and aunties are comparing the foie gras they had in a little chateau in Nice with the caviar on a Mediterranean submarine cruise. As somebody once said, ``Misery is not only a social issue. Its cause it not only the privation but also the evil in human souls. Deprivation is its external side and sin is its internal side.``

My darling abaya! Humsab,

It means, ``May God reward you for your kindness.``