Baby’s Room Ms. Potnis,

``Even Mr Ansari, who I am beginning to feel a little scared of!``

Wait till you meet me. I have fangs and everything . . .

Cheers,

Aamir

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Subroto: kya haal hain, bhailog? insha-Allah, hope all`s kushal mangal.

Baby’s Room Very well-written. Thank you for a good read.

The Girl from Napoli Asif sahab,

A few comments, if I may, on your article:

(1) ``That one can imagine them as being mirrors of the Divine Beauty.`` As Muslims we believe when we read in Surah Ikhlaas, wa lam ya kullahu kufuwan ahad (And there is none like unto Him). Nothing mirrors Divine Beauty - no human concept, no human form can possibly even conceive to snare that.

(2) This is a very honest article. You`re right. It`s a tremendous feeling, too grand for words sometimes. And yet, don`t you think, in the spirit of modesty, that the passion needs to be tamed, if only to protect ourselves? People can get quite viciously hurt sometimes as they let themselves be lured by impulse. As one Arab poet writes,

A look, then a smile, then a nod of the head,
Then a talk, then a promise, then the warmth of a bed.

Assalamualaikum,

Aamir

Politics of the Leg and the Peg Nazar uncle: from what Harish writes, and I`m sure some other Indian friends can confirm for us, I believe Chandni Bar is quite accurate. There are similar bars in the UAE, catering to each of the various nationalities that populate the country - on any given night, even in a town as quiet as Al Ain, you can find an Indian bar, a Pakistani bar, a Lebanese bar, etc., replete with dancing girls, alcohol and sexually-frustrated men. It`s gruesome.

Absence of Light Liked Bulging Wallets, Prada Purses. It could be anywhere.

Politics of the Leg and the Peg Harish: good to see you back! hope all`s well.

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Feroz: next time you go get dvd`s, ask the man to give you Chandni Bar

Bus Nazar uncle: who says the 21st century is more progressive than the ones that preceded it? Mere passage of time doesn`t ensure progress - we need to examine our own values and reactions to find how sophisticated we really are.

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PunjabiZulu: I`m afraid I disagree with you. And we can have quite a dialogue on the pros and cons of such literature but if we really want to avoid rhetoric and get to the truth, ask yourself this one question: how would you feel if your wife or your sister had an experience similar to that described above, if they found themselves consenting to being fondled by a stranger on a bus? Would you enjoy listening to their account? If the answer to this question is no, then anything anybody else says in defense of this theme is not true.

While this may be a story and its characters fiction, it doesn`t preclude us from exercising our own moral judgement. To Miss Potnis` credit, the story is exceedingly well-written and she draws us into Padma`s predicament quite artfully, a fact that only makes the subsequent incident all the more repulsive.

(Sir, I intend no disrespect towards you or your family. I`m only trying to illustrate a point.)

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Jang: Yes, this story quite skillfully mirrors commonplace events. But then, sodomy occurs frequently enough, so does paedophilia. Would it be alright with you to have a story about incest? Where do we draw the line at what`s morally acceptable and what`s not? Kuch baaton main majority rule pe jaana munaasib nahin.

Bus Nazar uncle: who says the 21st century is more progressive than the ones that preceded it? Mere passage of time doesn`t ensure progress - we need to examine our own values and reactions to find how sophisticated we really are.

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PunjabiZulu: I`m afraid I disagree with you. And we can have quite a dialogue on the pros and cons of such literature but if we really want to avoid rhetoric and get to the truth, ask yourself this one question: how would you feel if your wife or your sister had an experience similar to that described above, if they found themselves consenting to being fondled by a stranger on a bus? Would you enjoy listening to their account? If the answer to this question is no, then anything anybody else says in defense of this theme is not true.

While this may be a story and its characters fiction, it doesn`t preclude us from exercising our own moral judgement. To Miss Potnis` credit, the story is exceedingly well-written and she draws us into Padma`s predicament quite artfully, a fact that only makes the subsequent incident all the more repulsive.

(Sir, I intend no disrespect towards you or your family. I`m only trying to illustrate a point.)

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Jang: Yes, this story quite skillfully mirrors commonplace events. But then, sodomy occurs frequently enough, so does paedophilia. Would it be alright with you to have a story about incest? Where do we draw the line at what`s morally acceptable and what`s not? Kuch baaton main majority rule pe jaana munaasib nahin.

That Whore Urstruly: I`m afraid I didn`t enjoy this one. You have a gift with words but the story and its character, the various moralities intrinsic to this tale, fail by me.

Bus Chowk`s taken to publishing porn?

Memory and other Poems Fatima: these poems are very good. You have a deft touch.


Ras sahab: thank you for thinking of me. Umeed hai aap aur aapke pyaare khairiat se hain.

My Secret This kid is smart. Rashmi, if you`re ever in Pakistan, drop me a line - I`ll take you out for dinner.

God bless you,

Aamir

In Search of Birth Places Nazar sahab,

``Also, I feel that unless you visit a place & feel it at the human level, you may be subconciously nursing some misconceptions.``

Dervla Murphy once wrote that if you know nothing about a people, you`ll believe anything about them, be it good, bad or ugly. I found the spirit of your article invigorating. Glad I decided to drop by. Insha-Allah we`ll meet up soon - maybe at the Village in Karachi . . .

Warm regards,

Aamir

Birth Of A Nation ``dil khol key haNsney ka maza hee kuch aur hai``

waqae! thanks, minhaj!

What Cats Dream Soundmeister,

Hi, how`ve you been? Long time no see . . . kahan ghayab thay aap? :o)

Aamir

What Cats Dream Charming! I think it`s a great idea to write within the local idiom so that the kids can identify with it better. Duffy-ud-din is priceless! Maybe we should get some writers together and come up with an anthology.

Yes it does remind you of T S Eliot`s Old Possum`s Book of Practical Cats . . . http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/258.html