Living in Fear
# 3 veeresh: of what the majority has against:
Ahmediyyas: this seems to have formed as an issue to claim Pakistani-ness against. It`s sad and until very recently I also adhered to the view that Ahmediyyas could not be called Muslims for denying the finality of Prophethood. Later I found out that there is a spectrum within Ahmadiyyism too. At a certain point, I got so sick and tired of all the nitpicking that I started wondering if it wouldn`t be simpler to live and let live and let God decide for himself. And in any case, it seemed contradictory to put down a minority given that it was for the very protection of minorities that the state was created in the first place.
Christians: personally, nothing, nothing at all. But for some reason they seem to be looked down upon - there seems to be a very messed-up anti-colonial sentiment at work here: they are seen as traitors who gave up their native traditions and their faith to ape the gora saab. That the original converts should have found this a preferred escape route is a testament to the poverty of colonial Indian society and its caste system (which persist in much more muted form even in Muslim India/Pakistan/Bangladesh, I think). But people seem to always want to have soft targets to set themselves off against. What they forget is that ``there is no disgust where there is hunger``. Quoted out of context I admit, but seems to apply here too. And finally, each of us is born into a religion. Why should an accident of birth be held against you?
Hindus: again, nothing personally (well, not since class 9 I guess). Otherwise, pretty obvious, don`t you think, given our beautiful histories and their even better-decorated official versions?
Shias: this is something I`ve been trying to figure out recently too... Temporel`s article seems to provide some answers, but it`s not sourced well enough, and is too personal to generalise from. I know that many Sunnis, otherwise perfectly sane, go raving mad when they think about the abuse that some allege orthodox Shias heap on the companions they don`t like. Given the hero worship we generally accord to these almost mythical personalities, this is not surprising. Still, that it should lead to killing or other sorts of violence, indicates a lower maturity level. I still remember the many unfortunate and surprisingly acrimonious debates that sprung up between group members working on their Islamic studies term papers back in *second* year of university. We simply don`t have any distance from our religion. Or more precisely, a selective amnesia... for religion also preaches the sanctity of life. And the Prophet has condemned acting in anger... there is actually a full hadith on how best to calm yourself, with the final limit being: if all else fails, don`t speak to anyone, drink a glass of water and retire to bed (this is not a literal citation, more a gist of what I remember, so correct any mistakes and forgive me if this offends you). In any case, the differences are all theological and what we tend to trip on the difference between being a good human being and a good Muslim... these subjects have surely been treated in a much better way and with far more perceptivity elsewhere, so I probably don`t add much here... just want to add sometimes I think that the Christian turning the cheek or the Gandhian fast are really not such bad ideas... esp. those sometimes where you can actually gain something from it... a suddenly material statement there, but then the chief opposition to this approach is the material survival of the oppressed. Given that Sunni majority is not at all oppressed, some dialogue would certainly help.
But most of these sentiments are beneath the surface. Or are they? I think of the innumerable times some self-proclaimed sage/family elder would say, after a meeting with Shia acquaintances, ``but you know you never can really trust them... oopar sey buhat meethey hotey hain, magar andar sey...`` similar stuff for Ahmadis, but not Christians. (Reminds you also of the British attitude in dealing with Indians.) Never met a Hindu in Pakistan, though there are rumours of their existence in Sindh. Come to think of it, similar stuff for ``Sialkotias`` and those from Gujranwala too! dog eat dog really.
Still, still, apart from the famous fringe elements, I doubt anyone is rooting for genocide in Pakistan (and what on earth would you base it on anyways, in such a potpourri of cultures and ethnicities?!) The reasons generally seem to be political... whose politics? I wish I knew, I wish I could understand.
The interesting question is: in what ways are these old prejudices, that had more credence in the presence of a weak or non-existent state presence and strong reliance on autonomous traditional social structures and systems, being passed on to the newer generation? I say ways, because identifying them would help in cutting down on this insidious passage, given the crucial national consensus... sometimes your words seem so pointless, you start agreeing with the pragmatic ciritic in your head going, ``words, words... that`s all you`ll ever amount to``
waisey, exactly what `truth` are you talking about there veeresh? and it seems you can`t help sounding patronising to us ;)
to the author: thank you for writing this article. this is exactly the sort of thing that leads to deeper reflection, might even move people to go beyond knee-jerk reactions... thinking of Voltaire`s ``the million reasonings of men worth nothing in front of the sentiment of a woman``... too bad emotion is a double-edged sword. At any rate, I sincerely hope that writing this has wrought some sort of cathartic effect for you.
Posted by
tobateksingh
Jun 12, 2004 07:15 am
# 2 hellbound: Chowk`s policy of each person deciding for himself is far better than any censorship system... the criteria are too difficult to decide and for each person who agress with your opinion, there will be many who, counter-attacking, suggest that you yourself ought to be censored!# 3 veeresh: of what the majority has against:
Ahmediyyas: this seems to have formed as an issue to claim Pakistani-ness against. It`s sad and until very recently I also adhered to the view that Ahmediyyas could not be called Muslims for denying the finality of Prophethood. Later I found out that there is a spectrum within Ahmadiyyism too. At a certain point, I got so sick and tired of all the nitpicking that I started wondering if it wouldn`t be simpler to live and let live and let God decide for himself. And in any case, it seemed contradictory to put down a minority given that it was for the very protection of minorities that the state was created in the first place.
Christians: personally, nothing, nothing at all. But for some reason they seem to be looked down upon - there seems to be a very messed-up anti-colonial sentiment at work here: they are seen as traitors who gave up their native traditions and their faith to ape the gora saab. That the original converts should have found this a preferred escape route is a testament to the poverty of colonial Indian society and its caste system (which persist in much more muted form even in Muslim India/Pakistan/Bangladesh, I think). But people seem to always want to have soft targets to set themselves off against. What they forget is that ``there is no disgust where there is hunger``. Quoted out of context I admit, but seems to apply here too. And finally, each of us is born into a religion. Why should an accident of birth be held against you?
Hindus: again, nothing personally (well, not since class 9 I guess). Otherwise, pretty obvious, don`t you think, given our beautiful histories and their even better-decorated official versions?
Shias: this is something I`ve been trying to figure out recently too... Temporel`s article seems to provide some answers, but it`s not sourced well enough, and is too personal to generalise from. I know that many Sunnis, otherwise perfectly sane, go raving mad when they think about the abuse that some allege orthodox Shias heap on the companions they don`t like. Given the hero worship we generally accord to these almost mythical personalities, this is not surprising. Still, that it should lead to killing or other sorts of violence, indicates a lower maturity level. I still remember the many unfortunate and surprisingly acrimonious debates that sprung up between group members working on their Islamic studies term papers back in *second* year of university. We simply don`t have any distance from our religion. Or more precisely, a selective amnesia... for religion also preaches the sanctity of life. And the Prophet has condemned acting in anger... there is actually a full hadith on how best to calm yourself, with the final limit being: if all else fails, don`t speak to anyone, drink a glass of water and retire to bed (this is not a literal citation, more a gist of what I remember, so correct any mistakes and forgive me if this offends you). In any case, the differences are all theological and what we tend to trip on the difference between being a good human being and a good Muslim... these subjects have surely been treated in a much better way and with far more perceptivity elsewhere, so I probably don`t add much here... just want to add sometimes I think that the Christian turning the cheek or the Gandhian fast are really not such bad ideas... esp. those sometimes where you can actually gain something from it... a suddenly material statement there, but then the chief opposition to this approach is the material survival of the oppressed. Given that Sunni majority is not at all oppressed, some dialogue would certainly help.
But most of these sentiments are beneath the surface. Or are they? I think of the innumerable times some self-proclaimed sage/family elder would say, after a meeting with Shia acquaintances, ``but you know you never can really trust them... oopar sey buhat meethey hotey hain, magar andar sey...`` similar stuff for Ahmadis, but not Christians. (Reminds you also of the British attitude in dealing with Indians.) Never met a Hindu in Pakistan, though there are rumours of their existence in Sindh. Come to think of it, similar stuff for ``Sialkotias`` and those from Gujranwala too! dog eat dog really.
Still, still, apart from the famous fringe elements, I doubt anyone is rooting for genocide in Pakistan (and what on earth would you base it on anyways, in such a potpourri of cultures and ethnicities?!) The reasons generally seem to be political... whose politics? I wish I knew, I wish I could understand.
The interesting question is: in what ways are these old prejudices, that had more credence in the presence of a weak or non-existent state presence and strong reliance on autonomous traditional social structures and systems, being passed on to the newer generation? I say ways, because identifying them would help in cutting down on this insidious passage, given the crucial national consensus... sometimes your words seem so pointless, you start agreeing with the pragmatic ciritic in your head going, ``words, words... that`s all you`ll ever amount to``
waisey, exactly what `truth` are you talking about there veeresh? and it seems you can`t help sounding patronising to us ;)
to the author: thank you for writing this article. this is exactly the sort of thing that leads to deeper reflection, might even move people to go beyond knee-jerk reactions... thinking of Voltaire`s ``the million reasonings of men worth nothing in front of the sentiment of a woman``... too bad emotion is a double-edged sword. At any rate, I sincerely hope that writing this has wrought some sort of cathartic effect for you.
Prioritizing Science and Technology
Firstly, great article... I suggest you use this as a base for the policy paper contest at the HEC.
Secondly, women actualky do a helluva lot of work in Pakistan. It doesn`t get paid, but it`s work nevertheless - in addition to household chores, I believe most of the cotton-picking in southern Punjab and northern Sindh is done by women... similarly, I wouldn`t be surprised if they contributed elsewhere on the farm.
Thirdly, I`m re-posting this from the research network group; the maximum number of pakistani cs departments should ask for a donation. We badly need just this kind of bibliographic resource.
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The Silver Edition is a comprehensive collection of 30 years of
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The 2003 DiSC contains the proceedings of many database research
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http://sigmod.discgenesis.net/ for the complete table of contents.
A request for a donation should be made by visiting our website
(http://pike.ewha.ac.kr/sigmod-dvd) and filling out an application
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(2) The library will make the donated material available for
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(3) The library will take all conventionally accepted steps to
abide by the copyright restrictions on the material.
Note that the donations will be made according to the following criteria.
(1) Donations will be made to libraries in universities in developing
and undeveloped countries according to their UN classification.
(2) Donations to universities in developed countries will be made
only in the context of demonstrated need, at a lower priority.
(3) Only one packet per University library will be donated.
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Posted by
tobateksingh
Jun 9, 2004 07:16 am
Omer,Firstly, great article... I suggest you use this as a base for the policy paper contest at the HEC.
Secondly, women actualky do a helluva lot of work in Pakistan. It doesn`t get paid, but it`s work nevertheless - in addition to household chores, I believe most of the cotton-picking in southern Punjab and northern Sindh is done by women... similarly, I wouldn`t be surprised if they contributed elsewhere on the farm.
Thirdly, I`m re-posting this from the research network group; the maximum number of pakistani cs departments should ask for a donation. We badly need just this kind of bibliographic resource.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SIGMOD/VLDB DIGITAL LIBRARY DONATION PROGRAM
http://pike.ewha.ac.kr/sigmod-dvd
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ACM SIGMOD and the VLDB Foundation have established a joint program
to donate database literature to universities in developing countries,
with the goal of assisting in the expansion of the database community
in those countries. Currently available literature includes
SIGMOD`s Silver Edition and the SIGMOD 2003 DiSC, both on DVDs.
The Silver Edition is a comprehensive collection of 30 years of
database research literature and related materials; the complete
table of contents for the Silver Edition can be found at
http://www.informatik.uni-trier.de/~ley/db/anthology.html.
The 2003 DiSC contains the proceedings of many database research
conferences that took place in 2002, plus database research
journal issues from that year and other related materials; see
http://sigmod.discgenesis.net/ for the complete table of contents.
A request for a donation should be made by visiting our website
(http://pike.ewha.ac.kr/sigmod-dvd) and filling out an application
form. An explicit designation that the applicant agrees to the
rules is required. The rules are as follows.
(1) The donated material is for the use by all patrons of the
recipient library.
(2) The library will make the donated material available for
reference/limited circulation to the patrons.
(3) The library will take all conventionally accepted steps to
abide by the copyright restrictions on the material.
Note that the donations will be made according to the following criteria.
(1) Donations will be made to libraries in universities in developing
and undeveloped countries according to their UN classification.
(2) Donations to universities in developed countries will be made
only in the context of demonstrated need, at a lower priority.
(3) Only one packet per University library will be donated.
(4) Graduate degree awarding departments and universities will get
priority over non-graduate degree awarding departments and
universities.
*** Requests will be processed in the order in which they arrive.
*** To apply for the 2-DVD Silver Anthology set and the SIGMOD 2003 DiSC,
please visit http://pike.ewha.ac.kr/sigmod-dvd and
fill out an application form.
Digital Library Donation Program Co-Directors
Amr El Abbadi
Department of Computer Science
University of Califormia
Santa Barbara, CA 93106 U.S.A.
amr@cs.ucsb.edu
Myung Kim
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Ewha Womans University
Seoul 120-750, Korea
mkim@ewha.ac.kr
Elucidation from the Loony Side
quite surprised by the subject and the intensity of the introspection too.
what he seems to be saying is that the over-exposure to media, combined with a gullible disposition, can lead a person (not necessarily the author, though the possibility is not excluded) to drug use in order to still the fierce but temporary protests of his original nature against the vegetating (and other dissipating) effects of said exposure.
interesting theory, but perhaps not applicable in its entirety to a large and heterogeneous population. some elements here and there, certainly, to some people, but not all to all. which might explain the consternation provoked here.
note to eds: needs some editing ``in my humble opinion``.
Posted by
tobateksingh
May 21, 2004 07:57 am
there is an edge to this article that elevates it above the plane of unadulterated crap that the fitter, happier Omar Qureshi projects it down to.quite surprised by the subject and the intensity of the introspection too.
what he seems to be saying is that the over-exposure to media, combined with a gullible disposition, can lead a person (not necessarily the author, though the possibility is not excluded) to drug use in order to still the fierce but temporary protests of his original nature against the vegetating (and other dissipating) effects of said exposure.
interesting theory, but perhaps not applicable in its entirety to a large and heterogeneous population. some elements here and there, certainly, to some people, but not all to all. which might explain the consternation provoked here.
note to eds: needs some editing ``in my humble opinion``.
The Devil is the New Intern by Saville’s Desk
much too cool.
where`s the 6000 word piece?
sorry about the name-dropping, but your writing in general is reminiscent of Kerouac and Ginsberg.
best,
Aman
Posted by
tobateksingh
May 21, 2004 07:57 am
buhat fit, buhat fit.much too cool.
where`s the 6000 word piece?
sorry about the name-dropping, but your writing in general is reminiscent of Kerouac and Ginsberg.
best,
Aman
Elucidation from the Loony Side
quite surprised by the subject and the intensity of the introspection too.
what he seems to be saying is that the over-exposure to media, combined with a gullible disposition, can lead a person (not necessarily the author, though the possibility is not excluded) to drug use in order to still the fierce but temporary protests of his original nature against the vegetating (and other dissipating) effects of said exposure.
interesting theory, but perhaps not applicable in its entirety to a large and heterogeneous population. some elements here and there, certainly, to some people, but not all to all. which might explain the consternation provoked here.
note to eds: needs some editing ``in my humble opinion``.
Posted by
tobateksingh
May 21, 2004 07:57 am
there is an edge to this article that elevates it above the plane of unadulterated crap that the fitter, happier Omar Qureshi projects it down to.quite surprised by the subject and the intensity of the introspection too.
what he seems to be saying is that the over-exposure to media, combined with a gullible disposition, can lead a person (not necessarily the author, though the possibility is not excluded) to drug use in order to still the fierce but temporary protests of his original nature against the vegetating (and other dissipating) effects of said exposure.
interesting theory, but perhaps not applicable in its entirety to a large and heterogeneous population. some elements here and there, certainly, to some people, but not all to all. which might explain the consternation provoked here.
note to eds: needs some editing ``in my humble opinion``.
Outside Looking In
thanks for all the encouragement people :)
yes, Grenoble needs to be addressed, but my internship work is adding up and... well, let`s just say life presents several isssues to resolve right now.
oye, ``Charlie``, had no idea you were on chowk too... agree perfectly with what you wrote about being a `middle class person`... programmed.
`tmk`? please write at kariappa at imag dot com
temporal, once again, thanks for the encouragement... will submit something once there`s enough material in the iLogs to synthetise.
best,
Aman
Posted by
tobateksingh
May 18, 2004 06:18 am
ok... wow!thanks for all the encouragement people :)
yes, Grenoble needs to be addressed, but my internship work is adding up and... well, let`s just say life presents several isssues to resolve right now.
oye, ``Charlie``, had no idea you were on chowk too... agree perfectly with what you wrote about being a `middle class person`... programmed.
`tmk`? please write at kariappa at imag dot com
temporal, once again, thanks for the encouragement... will submit something once there`s enough material in the iLogs to synthetise.
best,
Aman
Know Your Enemy
odd, but an uncle at the ripe old age of 60 made the same point recently... (he was quoting an Ayaz Amir article he had read in March...)
liked your three points:
1. lack of inner depth
2. perpetual cribbing (leading, largely, from #1)
3. the ``desire`` polarity (I find this arguable, in that perhaps this is not the only dichotomy, specially given the various brands of liberals and mullahs, but as generalisations go, I suppose, you`re right.)
interesting that this should only rate a 3... a function of the readership - largely English-speaking, largely abroad and resorting to chowk to stay in touch and hence not too sure how this applies ``back home`` anymore? or just plain in denial?
best,
Aman
Posted by
tobateksingh
May 6, 2004 08:06 am
Shandana,odd, but an uncle at the ripe old age of 60 made the same point recently... (he was quoting an Ayaz Amir article he had read in March...)
liked your three points:
1. lack of inner depth
2. perpetual cribbing (leading, largely, from #1)
3. the ``desire`` polarity (I find this arguable, in that perhaps this is not the only dichotomy, specially given the various brands of liberals and mullahs, but as generalisations go, I suppose, you`re right.)
interesting that this should only rate a 3... a function of the readership - largely English-speaking, largely abroad and resorting to chowk to stay in touch and hence not too sure how this applies ``back home`` anymore? or just plain in denial?
best,
Aman
Civilisation That Isn’t
Please Read - eyewitness report from Falluja
by Jo Wilding
I`m sorry it`s so long, but please, please read and forward widely. The
truth of what`s happening in Falluja has to get out.
Hamoudie, my thoughts are with you.
http://www.onweb.to/palestine/siryo/jo-fallujah-en.html
--
posted on 15/04/04 on the Monbiot mailing list
after reading it, all you can do is cry hot tears of anger and desolation
and Bush announced more troops, and ``Analysis: US `emulates` Israeli tactics`` (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3625315.stm)
gets better and better
Posted by
tobateksingh
Apr 16, 2004 10:54 am
--Please Read - eyewitness report from Falluja
by Jo Wilding
I`m sorry it`s so long, but please, please read and forward widely. The
truth of what`s happening in Falluja has to get out.
Hamoudie, my thoughts are with you.
http://www.onweb.to/palestine/siryo/jo-fallujah-en.html
--
posted on 15/04/04 on the Monbiot mailing list
after reading it, all you can do is cry hot tears of anger and desolation
and Bush announced more troops, and ``Analysis: US `emulates` Israeli tactics`` (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3625315.stm)
gets better and better
Passion and Obsession in Kathmandu
This just adds to the places-to-visit list.
Previously, the closest I came to this tiny country was in `Seven Years in Tibet` and `When Men and Mountains Meet`.
What the hell, might as well do a whole SAARC tour!
Posted by
tobateksingh
Apr 15, 2004 08:41 am
great writing!This just adds to the places-to-visit list.
Previously, the closest I came to this tiny country was in `Seven Years in Tibet` and `When Men and Mountains Meet`.
What the hell, might as well do a whole SAARC tour!
The Third Pasture
It`s great to have you back. I see that you`ve stuck true to the old themes from Instep circa 1993 (any way you can publish your Simon and Garfunkel review on the web?).
Agree with all you have to say, would claim to have been brain-washed by you at an impressionable age, so will simply proceed to drop links:
www.monbiot.com
the sections on corporate power and economic justice are relevant; the mailing list can be pretty interesting too
http://www.robert-fisk.com/articles1.htm
one of the most honest articles from the days after the World Trade Center bombings; of course, I hope this prompts you to read the others at the site
http://pilger.carlton.com/
Australian war correspondent and human rights campaigner
on the truly academic side, there`s Chomsky and even Naomi Klein (yes yes, one can contest that classification).
http://discuss.fogcreek.com/newyork/default.asp?cmd=show&ixPost=2160&ixReplies=17 interesting, knowledgeable, opinionated discussion on software off-shoring, which is just another symptom of the general trend towards using 3rd world labour
http://www.globaljusticemovement.org/subpages_thirdway/intro_be.htm
bad design, some good articles, still haven`t explored it properly
plus, a concise leftist revisionist post-independence history of Pakistan by Tariq Ali:
http://www.newleftreview.net/NLR25301.shtml
Please note the second footnote on Zia`s surprisingly well-documented involvement in Black September
best
p.s. never understood why `anal retentive` always beats out `constipated`... is it just me?
Posted by
tobateksingh
Mar 30, 2004 06:37 am
Dear Nadeem,It`s great to have you back. I see that you`ve stuck true to the old themes from Instep circa 1993 (any way you can publish your Simon and Garfunkel review on the web?).
Agree with all you have to say, would claim to have been brain-washed by you at an impressionable age, so will simply proceed to drop links:
www.monbiot.com
the sections on corporate power and economic justice are relevant; the mailing list can be pretty interesting too
http://www.robert-fisk.com/articles1.htm
one of the most honest articles from the days after the World Trade Center bombings; of course, I hope this prompts you to read the others at the site
http://pilger.carlton.com/
Australian war correspondent and human rights campaigner
on the truly academic side, there`s Chomsky and even Naomi Klein (yes yes, one can contest that classification).
http://discuss.fogcreek.com/newyork/default.asp?cmd=show&ixPost=2160&ixReplies=17 interesting, knowledgeable, opinionated discussion on software off-shoring, which is just another symptom of the general trend towards using 3rd world labour
http://www.globaljusticemovement.org/subpages_thirdway/intro_be.htm
bad design, some good articles, still haven`t explored it properly
plus, a concise leftist revisionist post-independence history of Pakistan by Tariq Ali:
http://www.newleftreview.net/NLR25301.shtml
Please note the second footnote on Zia`s surprisingly well-documented involvement in Black September
best
p.s. never understood why `anal retentive` always beats out `constipated`... is it just me?
A Voice in the Wilderness
The last comment to this article is also five and a half years old, but I simply had to acknowledge that yes I too caught Arif Abrar!!!!
I grew up in Lahore, so cannot even pretend to understand on merely general principles of empathy the rawness of life that so many of the writers on this website claim for Karachi, but I have a feeling that pretty much any Pakistani who has lived with his eyes open has seen and heard stuff that seems completely divorced from reality (like the stark naked, escaped `mental case` enacting her fears (or God knows what) at the Sarwar Road-Abid Majid Road chowraha one December 2001 evening just before iftaar).
So, I won`t/can`t join the almost ``clubby``, self-congratulatory, I-survived-Karachi themes here, but I do hope that wherever Arif is and whatever he`s doing, he gets my thanks! Maybe one day, his ego will get the better of him and he`ll do a Google on Arif Abrar and this page will pop up. Here`s hoping!
The sad part is that I have a very weak auditive memory, so don`t remember any of the songs he played, just his self-effacing, so-what-do-you-think-of-this-next-track style. I seem to remember one or two speeches and I think FM100 even got him to field calls on some shows, but I guess he must have put his foot down. Generally melancholy, sometimes defiant, always but always great music that you can`t help listening to (and yearning for it to be played again, out of the blue, waisey-hi, when I next dare to tune in to an FM station).
Hope you`re doing well whoever you were Arif, hope you at least put up your playlists somewhere accessible.
Posted by
tobateksingh
Mar 30, 2004 06:37 am
re: Arif AbrarThe last comment to this article is also five and a half years old, but I simply had to acknowledge that yes I too caught Arif Abrar!!!!
I grew up in Lahore, so cannot even pretend to understand on merely general principles of empathy the rawness of life that so many of the writers on this website claim for Karachi, but I have a feeling that pretty much any Pakistani who has lived with his eyes open has seen and heard stuff that seems completely divorced from reality (like the stark naked, escaped `mental case` enacting her fears (or God knows what) at the Sarwar Road-Abid Majid Road chowraha one December 2001 evening just before iftaar).
So, I won`t/can`t join the almost ``clubby``, self-congratulatory, I-survived-Karachi themes here, but I do hope that wherever Arif is and whatever he`s doing, he gets my thanks! Maybe one day, his ego will get the better of him and he`ll do a Google on Arif Abrar and this page will pop up. Here`s hoping!
The sad part is that I have a very weak auditive memory, so don`t remember any of the songs he played, just his self-effacing, so-what-do-you-think-of-this-next-track style. I seem to remember one or two speeches and I think FM100 even got him to field calls on some shows, but I guess he must have put his foot down. Generally melancholy, sometimes defiant, always but always great music that you can`t help listening to (and yearning for it to be played again, out of the blue, waisey-hi, when I next dare to tune in to an FM station).
Hope you`re doing well whoever you were Arif, hope you at least put up your playlists somewhere accessible.
- tobateksingh
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