We started something, now what?

As wife and I sit in these free upgraded seats to Business Class on @QatarAirways (thanks guys!) on our 15 hour trek for a 3 day beach holiday on the east coast of Sri Lanka, I am compelled to think about how I got here and where I’m going. And by ‘here’ I mean in life. I am compelled to write...

It’s no mystery to my close friends and family that I’ve enjoyed a tremendous, privileged life. My family has been number 1 with giving their all to ensure I get and stay on the right track to stand on my own two feet. I love them all for it, but most importantly I am grateful to be born into this life the way I was. No regrets, no change necessary, thank you very much.

What does any of this have to do with this article? I’ll get to that. Meanwhile, let me reminisce please.

Growing up was always interesting. My sister, Zaiena, a fashion designer, and I are only 4 years apart, while my elder brother, Adnan, is 17 years my senior. Irrelevant in the grand scheme, because he’s as much my brother as any brother could be to anyone; in some ways even better. He really helped me grow up and for that I am grateful. Not enough has been documented about him and his life, one of success, failure, humility and realization. I have learnt infinite amounts just watching him and that may be a big contributor to where I go eventually. I’ll always love him for the unconditional love he’s given me, unconditionally.

My father, without a doubt my model on character and perseverance, chose to chronicle his trials, tribulations and triumphs in a book. I’ll never understand the intricate manner in which he planned and secured our futures with his hard work, almost so infinitely, but without a blemish on his professional career.

Let’s not forget the kindred spirit who bore me for 9 months + 2 extra weeks to bring me kicking and screaming into this life, my beloved mother, who has seen her fair share of challenges – but championed her way through like it was nothing. She could have had a lot more, and still can.

I’m of a different generation than my parents; one where the internet began and now considerably dominates our existence …to…the…core! Just ask my wife. “Put down your phone when I’m talking to you!” She couldn't be more right; I'm so engrossed in all things digital.

The internet, such a wonderful wonderland, where so many Alice’s and Caterpillar’s live. A place we where we seek all our answers, ask all our questions, make many of our friends and share our experiences with. It could also be seen as a void or black hole that sucks in but doesn’t ‘give out’ so to speak. 

Yet here we are, in an era where 5 year old Whatsapp can be sold for a mere $19 billion US; peanuts for a guy who started a simple ‘hot or not’ kind of website. Now, 10 years on, makes headline news when recognizing small eastern European countries by simply adding them to a drop down list. So much power and still not as corrupt as the wolves running our many countries? Strange… or is it? I wonder.

So what is it that sets apart the many wannabes, has beens and are going to be’s? What is it that I can do with my 9 year old idea that has now evolved into so much more than I could ever have imagined? Part of it is creative imagination; part is the support from friends and family. The rest is really just a belief in something so important for me that it’s hard to walk away and ignore it any longer.

Without striking overzealous comparisons with the likes of Facebook, foona review started off as a name for something that I hope will, one day, set a standard that food can abide by – moderated and presided over by the general public, or foodies. Everyone asks how it will do something different. Depends on what they consider the norm. 

Do we have a platform that truly engages the foodie sense of individuals that is built over time, with a lot of love, care and attention? Much like how we are raised, so are our senses and abilities developed to differentiate between what is good and what is bad. Food is no exception – and I think a lot of food poisoned individuals can testify.

What does my family have to do with it? Everything! Them, my friends, my neighborhood, the cities I visited and lived in, all have a major influence on my perception of how good food should be. They are my credentials.

Can you tell me that there is a perfect measure for this, covering everyone equally? I doubt it, because in my 35 years, I haven’t seen any. Sure there are a dime a dozen sites that offer the same functional features, but I'm talking about behind the scenes thinking, philosophy. I think we can try and establish them, but standards are but the thoughts of many put together in a cohesive environment, usually becoming influencing factors for the decision of others. Who better to offer these standards than the buyers themselves; you and me alike.

At foona, the technology that we use to do what we want will continue evolving, but a great idea can stay great for eternity, if its utility is continually realized. Kind of like a light-bulb. No, foona is not a light-bulb and I will not be credited with making Edison turn in his grave. It was merely a light-bulb moment. I’m just saying, even the most meaningless idea can someday shape our every decision, if executed well. 

In the meanwhile, I have some work to do. I hope that you will continue sharing your thoughts, ideas and, most of all, criticism, about how I can make it better for you. My wife is committing to guiding me because she sees how far I am from where I want to be, with all these scattered pieces of thoughts floating around me. 

If I fail, at least I tried and tried again. 

Cause worth believing in: 20,000 KM, 132 Days, 22 countries for a free Cancer clinic

Friends and Readers,

As an active member of civil society, at least of the one that works towards a progressive future, I am proud to share this official news about a man and his ongoing journey across 22 countries, covering 60,000 KM, to raise funds and awareness for the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF).

It's one thing to have a purpose in life, then another to have the courage to execute it and see it through. Wissam, a man I am personally eager to meet, has not only shown the possibilities and will power 1 person can harness and exploit for a true cause, but he will touch us all in some way along his journey. I am pleased to support this cause in many ways, including financial support towards the clinic, rounding up troops to support his journey through Pakistan, sincere support of my fellow members at the Volkswagen Club of Pakistan (VWCOP), and press coverage for his rigorous, but most admirable trek.

I invite you to believe in and share his story, vision and dream with your friends and family to ensure Wissam sees the magnitude of well-wishers waiting to pat his back and give him the occasional and much needed push. This will be a difficult pursuit, but as we saw in the case of Moin Khan, the young biker from San Francisco (USA), if you put your mind to it, anything is possible. 

Share this news on your social networks (Facebook, twitter, etc.), talk about it to friends and family, ask your networks in the press to publish this news and create their own stories around this and please keep it devoid of any political or religious agenda so as to harness the authenticity of Wissam's endeavor. 

To follow the journey, use the 'Useful Links' after the release below.

Thank you.

@JJBaybee: Want to believe in a #Cause? Believe in: 20,000 KM, 132 Days, 22 countries on a bike 4 a free Cancer clinic in Palestine > @goodwilljourney

_______________________________________________________________________________

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE 

Palestinian biker embarks on ‘Goodwill Journey’ in support of the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund

Courageous journey takes rider across 22 countries along the Silk Route from UAE to

Singapore in support of building the first free standing Pediatric Cancer Centre in Beit Jala, Palestine.

Dubai, UAE: Biker Wissam Al Jayyoussi Palestinian 37 years old IT entrepreneur from Dubai will embark on a journey which will see him riding a motorbike across Asia in a bid to support the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund Pediatric Cancer Centre in the West Bank. Al Jayyoussi will ride more than 60,000 kilometers across 22 countries in a`132 days solo trip, in what will be his most challenging endeavor.

Flagging off the journey in Dubai, Al Jayyoussi will ride across Asia carrying the PCRF’s message and garnering support for the cancer ward project. In what is also being called the Silk Route Journey, Al Jayyoussi will cross into Oman and ride his way through Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kirgizstan, Kazakhstan, and Russia. Once there, the vividly green scenery of Eastern Asia will accompany him along the remainder of his thrilling journey through Mongolia, China, Nepal, and India, from where he will then head further Southeast into Bhutan, Bangladesh, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, to finally reach the hilly and sandy terrain of Singapore.

Al Jayyoussi, also the founder of the Goodwill Journey initiative is enthusiastic and excited about the grueling but meaningful quest, “It is a dangerous journey and I will ride through some of the most treacherous roads and terrain for a major part of the trip. It is a fulfilling experience to be able to support the PCRF and help raise awareness and funds required for the Pediatric Cancer Centre in the West Bank. I hope my journey is successful and people give freely to save the lives of little children who need our help the most.”

This is not the first time Al Jayyoussi has set out on a noble cause. He made his first trip in 2010, where he rode from Dubai across 36 countries in 60 days, finally arriving in London 40,000 kms later. His goal was to help raise funds for children with special needs in Gaza, and was in collaboration with ‘Hope and Play,’ a U.K.-based charity organization focused on helping the children of Palestine.

The trip expenses and requirements are being handled solely by Wissam to ensure that all cooperate sponsorships goes towards the Pediatric Cancer Center. Funds will be utilized to equip the cancer centre with medical equipment and critical supplies, as well as cater to the maintenance of the facility on an ongoing basis.

About PCRF 

The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) is a registered non-political, non-profit organization established in 1991 by concerned and altruistic individuals in the United States to address the medical and humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian youth in the Middle East.

Since its establishment, the philanthropic union has expanded beyond the borders of Palestine to help suffering children from other Middle Eastern nations, such as Iraq, solely based on their medical necessities. The PCRF aids in locating free medical care for children who are unable to get the necessary and specialized treatment in their homeland.

PCRF also helps to improve the quality of medical care in the Middle East by sending medical equipment and supplies to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Clearly, charity cannot be sufficient enough to guarantee the well being of an entire nation, so the organization has taken further steps to ensure children in need are attended to properly. With the health and longevity of a nation in mind, the PCRF has sent multinational medical personnel to the region to treat difficult cases and train medical personnel.

Media Contacts:

info@goodwilljourney.org

Useful links:

-       Goodwill Journey Official Web Site: http://www.goodwilljourney.org

-       PCRF Official Web Site: www.pcrf.net

-       Donation Web Site: www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/pcrf-uae/goodwilljourney

-       FaceBook Page: www.facebook.com/GoodwillJourney

-       Twitter: www.twitter.com/goodwilljourney

How the Islamabad Police helps me save...

This photo (taken today) is what's wrong with us

Sorry about the misleading title. Truth is that it doesn't. In fact, virtually any government run body that has any authority over basic facilities I need to live my day as an honest, hard working, upright citizen has managed to take what basic love and respect I have for this country and flush it down the toilet. I'm angry after my drive home fr and I'll tell you why.

I came back to Pakistan thinking I would get involved, do something productive with my time, education and life. I also though the system itself was tired of being bullied and needed fresh blood to take charge and take things in a new direction. Unfortunately, not only did the war on terror kill my ambition to be an involved citizen, it also developed so much negative publicity for Pakistan that anyone with half a decent blood cell in his/her body was stamped as a "Pakistani" - the kind with a green passport. Not their fault so we should stop calling the west and others ignorant. Instead, we need to stop, check ourselves for being the 'ignorant' ones. 

For all the lies we have told generations of Pakistanis coming in from every corner of what used to be the most celebrated country in the region. Remember PIA in the 50s and 60s? How about Hockey, squash and hell yes even Cricket (a game I have since began to despise). Don't forget the ski resorts up north. My dad told me he learnt how to ski in Malam Jabba back when he was defending Pakistan with Pride. Now, I hang my head in shame - defending my pride, period. We have done this and by we I mean the last few dozens of generations. All the corrupt leaders and cronies advising those leaders. From the PMs to the Presidents, all the way down to the munshies who run your paperwork between the courts in every city. Everyone became corrupt. 

Question I had been wondering all this time was, WHY? It occurred to me not to long ago. In fact, while I was driving home just now from work (yes, at 8PM), I remembered not to take the usual route because just yesterday I found that the last intersection before my final leg was blocked off by the Islamabad Police (I'm assuming they are responsible since they want to be the big boys of everything on the road with all the check posts - another story, another time). Obviously, they aren't on twitter and they don't have a Facebook fan page so there won't be a 'timely update' when they block off another intersection and make you drive an extra couple of kilometers before having to make another awkward u-turn to get to where you would have already been had they not been such punters with road planning and other such job-like responsibilities. There's no way for them to tell me what they are up to so I can plan my route, my day, my fuel consumption better. Instead, they prefer not to help, so I end up spending more money on fuel finding a way out like a rat in a maze. They are but one of many tentacles the Government of this country will not fix or take responsibility for because it's easier that way. Can't say the next guy will do much better because the system won't allow for change - which is something I have learnt the general populous is averse to.

The kids in my apartment building; oh what a special breed of human beings. Half animal, half homosapien. Somehow, I feel their parents forgot to raise them because I've found (and this is a fact) that my two domesticated cats are far better behaved and considerate of others in communal environments than these annoying, obnoxious, noisy at all the wrong time kids. So, I ask you all to stop asking me to have kids because this is what I live around and I don't want my kids living in a place full of this. It's everywhere by the way...all up to when you disembark the plane at Dubai International Airport, where everyone follows the rules and falls single file into a disciplined line.

Today, I went to Shifa (the highly lucrative business that pretends to be a hospital). We had an appointment with a doctor, whose assistants pestered us to hell yesterday with multiple calls confirming our appointment for today. I thought these guys are uber efficient, they really want to make sure things happen like clock-work. Can't hate them for that. We got there 5 minutes before time and sat down after informing our arrival. We waited....and waited....and waited...until finally 59 minutes later (and a few angry visits to the nurses counter), we were called in. I refrained from expressing my feelings to the good Doctor, but screw that! Not even an acknowledgement of the delay or an apology? Our time is precious too! I pay you to serve me so at least respect me and the time I took out to choose you over the many others in the city!

This rule should apply across the board to all those who don't respect one another. The government is there to serve the people of this country. Our taxes keep them there, but they also make them fat on nihari, power, free fuel and electricity, not to mention all the other benefits they get out of keeping us lost with load-shedding. How is it that they get to have fun, while we pay for it and they don't? Who put them in charge and where's the sense in that?

Common sense dictates...wait, my father-in-law said it right..."there's no such thing as common sense". It took me a while to get my head around that, but now I get it. He's smart as hell. Physicist with a Phd he completed in french...and he's Pakistani! Gone are the days we were celebrated. Here are the days we are fighting the good fight to regain what we believe was ours to begin with. 

How greedy can you be to ignore that your country is falling apart like a 60 year old car that has been bandaged to hell. My 40+ year old Volkswagen beetle is in better shape than the dysfunctional system we all survive every day! 

I am sick. I am tired. I am fed up. Could this be the reason my 4 years in college built me up to be proud of being Pakistani? What happened to the old me? I wonder if I've also become part of the system that is slowly corroding away with no one to notice me. I miss the days when I could drive to and from the diplomatic enclave (or the new world as I now call it) using the French gate (aptly named since the French Embassy is at that corner). Until recently (while I still had a good reason to go there), I needed to bribe the local police SSP and his staff to get a card allowing me legal entry into the place where I once owned a home! Imagine that. I pay another countryman who otherwise won't let me go home. And the best part...he can ask for 1 amount and then another, much higher amount when you go to pay. He asked for Rs. 20k and I ended up settling at Rs. 3k (per card that is, for each family member).

My advice, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Motivate another Imran Khan to come up and show the rest how we can be the best of the best, again. How we can live with honor without destroying the moral fiber of our society and still respect India and other countries so our energy is efficiently spent in plans of real progress. Create healthy competition, make entrepreneurship a career to consider and give some flexibility to the hard working kind so they can have a reason to enjoy working and living simultaneously.

The sickness that is eating away at our very souls is becoming a part of our daily life and even with fuel prices at Rs. 100 a liter (US $1.1), and our nominal GDP per capita (which seems far from accurate) at US $1,254 (reported by the CIA world fact book), our country is not going to shit, it's swimming in it. We are below Laos and above Kyrgyzstan. We have successfully managed to scrounge, steal, burn and wastefully spend to our heart's desire, while the hard working kind keep working hard to continue living a dignified life in the vicious cycle that is a difficult life...that is until they too resort to corruption because it's an easy buck, or two. Also because it will help feed the family 3 square meals a day. Honestly? Is that even a good enough reason to be corrupt and wasteful? It would seem so when you are hungry because the rich fatsos are getting richer and fatter, creating a middle class out of the upper-middle class and a lower/have not class out of the middle and lower-middle class.

STOP IT DAMN IT! I AM TIRED OF THINKING ABOUT HOW ANGRY I AM ABOUT BEING IN PAKISTAN! I AM TIRED OF WAITING FOR SUPERMAN TO COME DOWN AND SAVE US! I AM TIRED OF THE LAST GENERATION TELLING ME IT'S MY TIME TO TAKE CONTROL AFTER THEY TOTALLY DESTROYED ANY CHANCE FOR US TO PROGRESS AS A FINANCIALLY, POLITICALLY AND MORALLY STRONG COUNTRY!

Just stop, please. Let me live a peaceful life while I still can. Even if I don't want to stay, no one else will take me. Get those politicians and wannabe superstars out of their high cars and government paid security detail out of their cars and teach a lesson for stealing from us.

All this while I defend the company I love working for.

Social Media Metrics Between Worlds

I've been wondering about various social media metrics, more specifically fan growth and how they impact our public image - then a thought popped in saying "well, like currency, wouldn't the value of a fan vary from region to region, country to country?" I say yes, absolutely! I don't believe anyone else has confirmed or written about this already, but there needs to be a measurement criteria that differentiates what one fan in the US is worth vs. what a fan elsewhere, say in Pakistan, is worth.

I'm not talking about a $ value, but a unique value proportional to their social media saaviness, the exposure they have and how generally aware people in the region are. This may correlate directly with how successful a fan page for a brand will be in different countries. 

It's a simple thought - like a ratio. For example, if we took an example and said a US fan is to a Pakistani fan in ratio terms, I would say 100:1. That means, for every Pakistani fan on a brand's Facebook page, there are 100 fans on a US brand page (which can also be considered relatively global).

Facebook fan pages for Lady Gaga and Atif Aslam (Mar 10, 2012)

This is not an exact science, I'll figure the math out further on, or with someones help. However, 40 million coke fans from around the world, most of them based in the United States, that means a fan page in Pakistan with 400,000 fans (say Ufone) shows that correlation works, based on one of the most popular brand page in the US (and the world for that matter) compared with one of the most popular brand pages in Pakistan. 

However, when you take a music artist with the global popularity of, say 40 million fans, and another with 3.5 million (Lady Gaga vs. Atif Aslam - both of global fame, one more than the other), you have a significant variance in the ratio, which goes from 100:1 to 14:1.

What, then factors into how you can measure the worth of a fan? Is it just the combination of elements mentioned above? Can we say:

A fan's own social awareness + How active a brand is + fan page growth (per sec/min/hour/day)
DIVIDED BY

Regional social media awareness + brand fan page engagement

If you've read thus far, you know I am NOT a math guy at all. However, it suddenly occurs that math factors in as a critical component to assessing the factors for this formula. Not only is there a need to understand how you can quantify the factors, you also need to know where to create the values from.

The fundamental problem with this theory is that because of an unsettled and continuous shift in social media growth and activity in each region, quantifying it depends on some basics like internet penetration, computer or laptop penetration, restrictions or limitations to content access (UAE and Qatar don't allow pornography or torrents - which make up a bulk of bandwidth consumption), and lastly one's own interest in being online and social. Relatively ambiguous and near difficult to quantify, no?

About being online and social, if you read my last post, I gave the example of my wife, who is online (website and all), but not social. She had a Facebook account, but then decided to toss it with the whole privacy debacle that started. She's one of those netizen's who believes in the preservation of one's identity, personal attributes and overall way of life. We've become so entrenched in sharing our daily dose of activity with the world, we've forgotten the people who might be sitting on the sidelines, just watching us as we make fun of others, ourselves and everything else that isn't covered. From my fake-bald picture to your last taco roll, our philosophy remains "leave no stone un-turned".

So, if the formula is entirely dependent upon those variables (and how), then could this be an unquantifiable calculation? How then do I assess whether my brands 69,000 fans are equal or not equal to my industry peers in the US? Or could it be that my engagement levels (and their frequency) determine my brand's visibility and general awareness? If not, then perhaps whether there is even sufficient connectivity at the individual level for the awareness to spread?

Considering how viral content goes also factors in as a variant because it has a lot to do with how quickly information spreads between eyeball to eyeball. We all know about Obama, but how many know about Zardari? We all know about Lady Gaga, but how many know about Atif Aslam?

We'll save the twitter argument later, since their growth is only just beginning and we see no sign of 500 million twitterati slowing in their adoption.

To be concluded another time...for now, share your thoughts and consider the approach.

How to be furious and in love at the same time

Disclaimer: Before reading this, read Mehreen Kasana's post, followed by this video (because that's the order I followed and it made me puke the words below).

I was just an angry guy before. Now I'm furious at Maya Khan (correction added later - sorry for any confusion) and (figuratively) in love with Mehreen Kasana.

I read Mehreen's article about Maya Khan and suddenly felt this urge to write about a surge of feelings that rushed into my head, by way of my heart. It was love, not in the typical - May Khan will hunt you down for it - kind of love, but the over-inflated infatuation that comes from being overwhelmed by something so crystal clear, you couldn't have known it existed before you finally discovered it. That happened for me today, right as I sat cuddling my amazing wife (not in a park unfortunately), but that's an 'ass-piration' for another day.

Before I go on and on and on about my love for Mehreen Kasana and her innate ability (presumptuous, I know but hey, I'm in lurve) to write something so effective, so spot-on, so precise, I'm left with one thought - she must have written it while sitting in a park, gawking at Maya Khan as she too sat in a park with a monkey (not a funny way of calling a man or woman she was with, but a real monkey like chimps, apes, baboons).

Maya Khan, with the flip of a switch in a single bound, you have achieved the fame of George 'Dubya' Bush, who was best known for his creative work in the Middle East. Yes, I have matched you with the same man who believed so much in the power of abstinence that after launching the awareness campaign for no sex before marriage, you asked the folks over at the 'internet' to delete any evidence that he was ever with another woman before he married Laura Bush.

So many people I know are asking about you, talking about you and almost 'crushing' on you for your bravery in the Park that fine morning at an absurd time when I barely find reason to be awake. I believe that defaming you at this point would be pointless because clearly you're better at it than I am. And what's to say that my unqualified professional skills can ever be at par with your dramatic sense of ruining the pleasant morning those 4 couples were having before you wobbled along. 

I read on my twitter timeline that someone recognized you as a hot VJ from back in your hey day. Is that true? If it is, can you do a Veena Malik like photo-shoot so I can print out life-size posters and plaster them on my walls? Yes, it may create conflict with my wife, but she's cool so I'm sure living out of a box outside my apartment, while I try to regain her love and still retain your hotness on my walls will be worth it. Unfortunately, since I have seen what you now look like, it's going to be a tough one. 

If I've been even slightly amusing so far, then I apologize. When a young man falls in lurve, it's hard to articulate with a sense of clarity and so my jumbled brain is just trying to spit things out as easily and clearly as possible, without losing the context of this post. 

So everyone knows how hot you are

Maya Khan, I want to meet you in a park, with Mehreen Kasana (whom I lurve), and rip you a new one. I will do so with your best interest at heart because, after all, you have gone to prove what kind of kinky thoughts you have early in the morning so that your "chaapa" show is able to achieve viewership for things that 'Pakistan' is best known not to allow or permit or encourage. I think that the whole world is wrong and we have got the formula down to the tee. Everyday in Pakistan is opposite day and you have done well to prove me right. 

Confused? Let me clarify. When the holiday season comes around (pretty much all year round) with Christmas, Eid, Hannukah and the likes, it's a time for celebration. However, with the celebration comes discounts in shopping. Eid does not celebrate that kind of holiday. When the holiday season comes around in Pakistan, everything doubles, triples in price. What's the sense in that? Well, for someone with a good sense of business acumen, that means you sell less to fewer people at a higher price. Basic economics really, but I'm not here to share my academic meandering. It's to focus in on the point that you have managed to take a simple concept of a park - loved by most around the world as a place to frolic, meet, play, eat, share, laugh, cry, garden, kill, rob, abuse, rape and now Love (last one's on you and in that order). 

Parks are places where kids swing and parents watch. Parks are places where dogs chase frisbees and grown college kids smoke pot or drink beer (but any kind of alcohol will do). Parks are places where we can meet and rip you a new one, but only if Mehreen is there because I really want to see her do it while I provide viewers a live feed to your cheeks going red from pain, sadness, remorse and eventually happiness for having been ripped a new one. 

Parks are places where nature flourishes, even in the shape of something natural like love. Parks are places where we find a lost puppy or diamond ring. Parks are places where you find people doing things you feel obligated to expose on live public television.

Parks are places where I expect to walk with my lovely wife one day - but not today, because today you have made my image of parks a very dark and dreary place. Almost like the weather in London most of the year, but that's not important either because you're too smart to understand the metaphor. 

Parks are places where my kids will eventually end up losing their virginity to a bong, while their significant other holds them tight for dear life because Maya Khan may be lurking around in the corners waiting to "chaapa" maro on them - geographical limitations not need be considered. This applies to any park in any city/town/village in the world. Yes, your omnipresence is felt well and I shudder to think that my kids will encounter you before Mehreen and I do because I really want to change the course of your destiny, even if I have to steal the famous Delorean time machine from Doc and Marty to arrive 15 minutes before you do.

Sorry if my thoughts become scattered, my wife keeps giving me domestic chores to do and that can throw a fella off his game. 

Some may feel that I have been somewhat inappropriate in my post - the context being loosely relevant, but I will let you be the 'moral' judge, because after all you're famous and on tv so you can't be wrong about the dates in the parks. 

I think I've had a change of heart....I think I'm now torn between you and Mehreen because, while she makes a compelling and well articulated argument about how inhuman and uncivil you are, I cannot feel but a sense of admiration for your bravery. Without adorning your beautiful face with what some may call a 'religious beard' - most commonly found in madrassas, terrorist camps and local overzealous mosques - you have shown us what a hypocrite can really look like if they wear a ton of make up, designer sunglasses, a fat suit and (it's not real is it cause apparently you were hot and presumably still should be - I mean, people don't change), while being followed by a group of BFF's because they love your sense of civic responsibility to hunt down and expose society for what it has become - a breeding ground for love and eventually marriage and children and a long, happy life together - in the shape of a park.

I close my banter with some endless words from someone who narrated Howard Stern's biography in film "The fans want to listen because they wanted to hear what he was going to say next. The critics wanted to listen in because they wanted to hear what he was going to say next." You are my Howard Stern and don't you change that! Ever!

So, Maya Khan, can I please please please meet you in a park? We won't call it a date.

Your (least) biggest admirer,

The author of ¿Kiya Bola | What Say?

P.S. The worst thing about all this...I had never even heard of you until today and I already can't wait to rip you a new one. Peace!

On loving one's enemy - by Allama Iqbal

This post is dedicated to Allama Iqbal, one of the greatest thinkers of all time. Below is his thought on how to love an enemy and perhaps even overcome the need for any. Love them so much that they are no longer a threat, but just another human/living entity trying to make a life with their perception of right and wrong. Tied together with the theory of keeping your friends close, but your enemies closer and the need to be the bigger man (woman) to overcome your anger and fear.

Alas, to er is human.

"
ON LOVING ONE's ENEMY. Love is more than elixir . The latter is supposed to turn baser metals into gold; the former turns all the baser passions into itself. Christ and Buddha were absolutely correct in their perception of the nature of Love; but in their passion for ethical idealism they ignored the facts of life. It is too much to expect of man to love his enemies. Some extraordinary individuals may have realised this maxim in their life; but as a principle of national morality the maxim clearly falls down. The results of the Russo- Japanese war would have been different if the Japanese had acted on the principles of morality associated with their religion. 
"


Dr Allama Iqbal

Makes You Wonder About Tomorrow (inspired by Umair Haque)

Every morning that I wake up (not that there are some I don't), I first check my phone for anything that might determine the rest of my day. It can be anything like an email from my management to a tweet from someone who says some pretty profound things. I believe today might be slightly different because I happened to be tagged in a post by a friend with an article by Mr. Umair Haque (@umairh on twitter). It's the contents of his article, "The Betterness Manifesto" got me thinking while I was reading it in otherwise preoccupied circumstances.

Today, I also woke to a different beat. It's Christmas eve and a gentle cheer breezes across with wishes and presents and joy that millions are enjoying tonight. Then there will be plenty of those that don't. How about that? 

This year has been an interesting one indeed. I haven't seen the digital world buzz with so much about everything than ever before. People are chatting about social enterprises (or #socent), financial concerns, big businesses failing to meet targets, small businesses getting scores of investments from previously engaged investors and the likes. Never you mind, I will not divulge in the things enough people are talking about already. Instead, let's talk about Umair Haque's article and the perspective he has inspired.

In his 'manifesto', he provides a well-rounded overview of what it may take to improve life for all, especially with the first dozen years of this century nearly behind us. He goes on to outline a few very critical components to this plan, broken down into single word calls-to-action, such as Live, Invest, Civilize, and Reflect (to name a few). Each of them bearing a significant amount of weight that would otherwise be wasted in one of the 7 deadly sins. Instead, he presents us with the '8 inspiring values', 1 more than the deadly lot to ensure the goodness ratings stay on top. 

You're all big boys and girls, go on and read the article for yourself to understand what he's talking about. But before you do, let me delve a little deeper into my morning and how this article may have impacted it more than the normal email or tweet would.

I am and have been looking for inspiration, guidance and a chance to give more of myself to my life, my surroundings, my country, my family and my profession. It's funny that I write this while watching THE MOVIE of my youth, Top Gun. Man, what a rush watching these aces take to the sky and race against sound, light and one another. The closest I can relate is through my father's stories of his days as a fighter pilot, fighting for a country that was, once, really worth fighting for.  

My loss has probably been in avoiding the truth about myself, to myself. And in doing so, I've missed out on what could have been an application of greater potential in the person I could have been (perhaps better, or worse). Sorry, run on sentences are not ideal, but sometimes essential to avoid losing chain of thought.  Throughout my childhood, I was always told that I don't exploit my true potential. That I always leave it hanging at the edge, just when I'm about to make it through to the other side of enlightened souls who plan, manage, influence and dictate the fate of our world. I mean, let's face it, human beings are pretty amazing. 

When I visit a city like Dubai, I am perplexed at how we (evolved monkey's if you still believe Darwin) have been able to do such unbelievable things like build thriving civilizations in the middle of the desert. Then again, haven't we always done that? It's true that the most progressive civilizations all started close to a body of water, no matter how big or small. And then there was Mohenjo-daro; a UNESCO World Heritage site, right in our backyard, housing some 35 thousand residents, with a very sophisticated city-level layout. This was done approximately 4,600 years ago. Jees louis! Four thousand years ago we had people planning city layouts and then suddenly disappearing until the 1920's, only to be rediscovered as something that we are still doing in pretty much the same way? 

Before going into the larger scheme of things, we should tie things up to how the Harappan civilization relates to me. Interestingly enough, it probably relates to all of us more than we know or like to think. This classic city is located in modern-day Larkana, the district of Sindh, where the first female Prime Minister of the Muslim world was born, Benazir Bhutto - a true symbol of hope and prosperity. She was first elected into power when I was very young. She had been seeking council from my father because he was close to her father, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Also, she happened to be a very close family friend otherwise and we got to see quite a bit of her. What she once represented is truly missed. 

This lady, originating from the land where the four thousand year old civilization once thrived, helped get me my first ticket into politics and country. I stood behind make-shift stalls at what used to be a cricket ground, handing out flyers while the party song, "Havva De" was blaring in the background. The park was located in F7, Islamabad, right on Parbat Road. This is before it became the entry point for 7th Avenue, a major road cutting through the bustling city. I was charged, but only because we supported the belief she was bringing. Heck, at that age, I hardly knew more than 5 cuss words and had barely been out with a girl. So, let's say this was an overall christening of sorts for me (my apologies if these last two paragraphs were a tough read).

I didn't realize that would be the last time I would make an effort to be involved in Pakistan until the 2005 earthquake (read my article in the Acumen Fund blog to learn more). That was a pretty decisive year for many of us. If we didn't already have a career, this natural calamity did more than make one for us. My career in social development began and ended with the quake and irrigation in Sindh. I switched over to corporate and have been there since. Strangely enough, the nature of work has overlapped quite a bit because now, addition to other things, I am also responsible for corporate social responsibility initiatives. Huh...

Today, we have what could be the biggest race to a truly democratic Pakistan. With an elected government in power that neither the people nor the army wants,  the rise of Imran Khan (one of the greatest cricketers and philanthropists of our time) and his own army of tweeters, bloggers and civilized society, I'd say we are pretty set for an exciting and possibly unpredictable year ahead. Or are we...? 

I registered with the PTI because I like following what's popular. It's true,  this makes my entry into different popular interest groups a lot easier. Somehow though, the salmon in me is not convinced. I think that Imran is fine, but what he stands for is what everyone else is really just looking for; another option that hasn't pillaged, plundered and de-stabilized the Pakistani economy. I don't 'feel' the vibe so I'm stepping to the sidelines and waiting it out. Maybe once when PPP represented something to me that I didn't even know I was looking for, is now taken over by a complete and utter loss in a sense of loyalty to anything other than my wife, family, friends and cats. Then again, maybe I'm not exploiting my full potential like my teachers and advisers always said. 

When I read the article by Umair, it got me thinking. Maybe I am not as smart as I like to think. Maybe I have a real deficit in my abilities to conquer my potential and become an ardent supporter of equality for all through self-realization. His 8 values have made me realize that idealism is really just a myth and it doesn't happen to work for all of us. Possibly of shared origin, the two of us are looking at the same world from two sides of the looking glass. My side is slightly murky, with little to clean it with. We don't have education at a large enough scale to say that 'people who need to get his point are reading his thoughts and applying themselves', except those who already know what they want and use his articulate sanity to help map the plan. 

If I was as powerful as say Richard Branson or Warren Buffet or Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, I'd be singing to a different beat. I'm Zohare, so I'll stay Zohare. My potential is best exploited in the safety of my well-being and I am a selfish human being. I knew this the day the nice lady in the airplane said,"...please place the oxygen mask over your face and mouth before helping the person next to you". If I don't take a moment to do something I want, then I will never live up to the values suggested by Umair (truly profound, but nothing new to say the least). As an economist by education, I feel we are really just trying to enforce a classical sense of philosophical bantering (not in the whimsical sense) on those who either can't use it effectively or don't want it because they know better. Not our fault because someone needs to say it, whether the people like it or not. Other's reading your manifesto may be in a better position to apply themselves. That's not going to be me because everyone told me so when I was growing up..."he has potential, just doesn't use it"

If I struggle to live for myself, maybe in that effort I will find the courage and will to step up and say, "this country, this world belongs to me. I pay taxes for safety, utilities, comfort, involvement and reasonably priced tomatoes. I will place the oxygen mask over my own face before I help the person next to me, because if I can't help myself, I can't help anyone else." It's also possible that, because so many of us have decided to put more faith in God, career, drugs or whatever other choices drive 7 billion people, we all need to stay at bay and let things roll the way they have always. Top of the pyramid rules the bottom majority?

Thank you, Umair, for reminding me why I am not in a league with people such as yourself, who are successful, influential and able to reach out to the world. It's a heavy responsibility to bear and I, for one, cannot volunteer more than is possible. I mean this with sincerity and admiration. Some of us need to stay out of the way so the worker ants can get their job done effectively. The challenge of moving people to the same beat is awful (and I mean full of awe-awful:: Definition #5 - inspiring reverential wonder or fear, according to google). I can't commit to something and I think it has to do with my inability to conquer myself and my true potential. Perhaps, I should have made better use of time in school, college and professional life. Yet, here I stand, humble before humanity, saying that there are better people out there to do the hard work needed for a Better 21 century. 

Then again...maybe, I'm just missing the point. Anyway, another year, another chance. In the meantime, I have to cheer with the rest of the world for a better year ahead. 

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

I'm not talking about my own gas, it's yours I want!

Everyone's talking about the current situation in the country and how our global environment is treating us. Some resort to arms, others to sophisticated language. Either way, it's the big picture folks are looking at. From Memo Gate to Zardari's health to Veena's (unforgivably) hot bod on the cover of the "Enemy at the gate" (not reflecting personal opinion as have too many friends there to ignore the facts). 

Today, I'd like to briefly touch upon another small issue that affects my quality of life; one that, again, everyone suffers from on a day to day basis. This little trinket has become a partner in crime for another buddy of his/hers (no gender bias). They simply alternate their roles, and sometimes overlap in their responsibilities towards the many citizens and residents of our great country with ample supplies of natural resources and plenty of geniuses to help exploit greener, more efficient ones too!

If only!

Yes, you guessed it! I'm talking about Gas, and not the kind we could live off of if self-sufficiency was possible to such an extreme. HAH! More specifically, the shortage of which comes during the winter as the electricity happens to repeat during the summer, when my AC sounds like a 60 year old Jalopy. 

Imagine walking around with a container to harness gas for personal consumption. I know a few folks who could be a friendly neighbor. Alas, i digress again. I am talking about the gas supply that comes into our homes for heating, cooking, and maybe even a few kinky things people might have thought up. Nevertheless, my beef is focused on my own gas supply at home. Since the temperatures have dropped in Islamabad, I have also noticed a proportional drop in the availability of gas to heat my room early in the morning or late in the evening, when it is needed the most. 

Seems there is a propaganda waiting to happen, but no one has zoomed in on it since there are other, pressing matters at hand. Let me be the first to get the ball rolling. 

My in-laws, who live in one of the more exclusive parts of town (or so we thought) have not had a ready gas supply for the last two weeks, In fact, because of the shortage, and the fact that her son and his family were visiting recently from abroad, they had to buy two stoves that are powered by a gas cylinder, along with some extra cylinders. Now, the first thing you will say is "Be thankful you have gas. I live in fala fala part of Pakistan and I don't even have a gas line." Well, to that I say it's not my concern. Selfish you think? I disagree. Why? Because we manage with the resources we have available to us. If I pay a gas bill, I expect a gas supply. Can you imagine living in a world where we were 'OK' paying for services that weren't ever really served? And if they aren't even available - like NETFLIX  in Pakistan - why would you critique the concerns of those who use it but have issues? 

I thought they were building a pipeline from Iran to my house? What happened to that project? Did the contractor take all the money and run away, again?! Man, those guys are such assholes. I mean, you try to be nice and give them a few road projects, but they refuse to rectify themselves. 

Coming back to the point, why is it that the quality of life we all seek is resting in the hands of the big kahunas who rule the roost and lead the cabal? Sorry, had to use those expressions because it seems they are 'POPular' (read it in Bill Nighy's accent) and help establish the writer's sense of propriety over important issues. I don't want popularity and have tried not to ever. Instead, just give me your gas that I pay for and we'll call it a day. Seriously man, it's bloody cold in the morning when I have to take a shower, get ready for my day at work. I want to work and I want to be there on time, but only if I can get the little things I need, the ones I already pay you for, and be on my way. Too much to ask for you say? I disagree...

Driving Ms. Daisy, Crazy

Dear readers, while on my adventure to rejuvenate my rants, I would like to start off with a topic that is not only close to my heart, but also something I regularly experience, at least twice a day. I'd like you to note that it is a matter of anxiety for me and everyone I know.

On my 18th birthday, the one thing I had looked forward to the most was getting my driving license. My father promised that I would be allowed to take the test once he was satisfied with my driving and road sense. The first day he (almost) took me out for my first spin, I mucked it up because I forgot to release the handbrake. It was a '94 pickup truck and they have one of those handbrakes that you pull towards you from beneath the steering wheel. We never left the driveway because my dad just got out of the car, having only given me one chance to get the car out. Obviously, I had been driving for sometime already, but kept from my father's vast book of knowledge. I figured, even if I get nervous with my dad next to me (only the most intimidating person to know on the road), I'd still manage to at least get the damn car on the road. It's actually sadder that I have a vivid recollection of this moment 14 years later.

Eventually, it all worked out. A few days later, I mastered the art of handbrake release and convinced my dad that I am road-ready. Please keep in mind that he's a retired fighter pilot and doesn't take even the smallest mistakes very lightly. Lesson learnt, registered and administered. Only issue was that I had to keep someone with me at all times for the next ... years. The timeline wasn't predetermined; unlike an open airline ticket that you know has an expiry date. This limited liability statement came with a VERY open clause...

Moving on a few years, I'm in college and junior year somehow managed to stroll along. I managed to get my US driving license, partly thanks to a friend who lent me their car for the test. The lady taking the test (known for her lacking sense of humor) managed to compliment my parallel parking, saying that it's the best job she's seen in her 18 years of test taking. The kind of moment you wish your Dad was there to hear her say it. I passed the first time around with flying colors. I wish every test was like that.

My buddies insisted that I need a car, but not just any car. Mine had to stand out and still manage to fit into the budget extended to me by dad. The funny thing about this (and I digress) is that I was always taught the value of money, but never that I would always only be given enough not to buy the worst option, but also just below the amount needed for something decent. Catch 22. I was spending my time looking at Honda's and Toyota's, but the young college buck in me asked for something more powerful...something that I should be seen driving. 

I ended up with a 2.8 Audi A4 and with no regrets until my first visit to the friendly German-American mechanic, who didn't believe in discounts or shoddy work. Regardless, my solo driving career began and I made a sincere effort to obey traffic laws, learn how to be a polite, considerate and noise-free driver (horn and exhaust alike). 

Somehow, due to severe financial constraints, I had to rid myself of the white stallion. In all, I ended up sinking a lot more with this investment (or complete lack thereof) with bank charges, financial loss during sale and the copious amounts paid to my friendly German-American mechanic. Keep in mind that with all this money, time and effort, I have not been in a single collision, despite a few small fender scratches here and there.

Fast forward another few years and we end up in modern day Islamabad, Pakistan. It's 2011, the year politics has infused our vast youth with energy and vigor never before seen. Prices are higher than ever, there's a complete absence of assurance in our country's future as some fight with the US, some with the militants, some with banks and others with themselves. You would think with all this, we'd be more careful on the road and with our lives and try to use all the power we possess to preserve whatever little bit of humanity we have left.

But alas, as the title suggests, everyone on the road is Ms. Daisy's crazy cousin Sid, who is always running late for a medical emergency at the hospital across town due to a severe memory loss caused by the previous time he had to make the trip and ended up in a near fatal situation with another Sid-like person.

With a nice 'Chuck Norris-like roundhouse' we come to the foundation of my rant; what's up with the way people drive in Pakistan? Especially in the more civilized (questionable reference) cities I have lived in. While Karachi maintains the record for highest number of vehicles on the road, an obvious conclusion since they have the most fertile and sexually active people residing there, Lahore trails behind with a few million less, followed by Islamabad the Green City where I currently reside. Some say education is the foundation of a civilized society, but I've managed to find that even basic academic experience may not be the saving grace of the very rampant virus that is un-monitored driving. Even the traffic police is like "Fuck it". 

With scores of people pouring in from various cities around the country, so do driving habits, each of them unique and correct for their place of origin. For example, in Karachi, I learnt, red lights indicate 'GO', while green represent the opposite. Amazing you say? I say it's just another day in the city by the sea. Lahore is just a notch worse with fast-moving cars, bikes, vans and pedestrians everywhere. I mean, blind-spots aren't even a thing there...just a need for circular mirror's giving you a 270 degree view at all times. Islamabad is just that nice little town I grew up in that everyone around the country learnt about and decided to migrate to. Some 30 years later, it's a conflicted city with every language and corner pocket of Pakistan represented, each with their own terrible driving habits.

I write all this as I return from a quick road-trip during lunch time, where I managed to trail a traffic police officer in his police car as he senselessly steers into my lane from oncoming traffic, swerves back to the slow (left) lane and continues accelerating until he's well over 90 (i was over 80 in a 60 zone), switching lanes with no indication whatsoever. At first I thought he was chasing someone because his lights and siren were not on. Apparently they only put them on when they are driving slowly in the slow lane - dangerous and distracting, but a sheer lack in logic.

If the traffic police isn't watching the way they drive, how the hell are the rest of us supposed to manage? The next time I get pulled over for talking on my phone or not wearing a seat belt or speeding even, I'm going to rip the cop a new one. It really grinds my gears (no pun intended; credit to Peter from Family Guy during his one off appearance on Channel 5 News) when the guys who are supposed to be moderating the crazies on the road are the ones who crazies look to for inspiration!!

I learnt how to drive in Pakistan, took my experience to the US, where I got a license and an accolade, as well as a lot of very insightful traffic habits and rules. I bring them back to Pakistan, along with all the knowledge I went to 'acquire', thinking I am going to make this place better. Instead, my wife is now uncomfortable driving with me because it's unsavory the way I drive. ACK!

In trying to be the solution, I have slowly become part of the problem.Our ability to take the little good we have and turn it into a complete and utter mess is amazing. Driving is just one of those things...

Until my next rant, read this article for some better times.

The ‘Great Nepal-India-Pakistan Spinal Beetle Drive’ arrives in Lahore

Kathmandu-Lucknow-Delhi-Amritsar-Lahore-Rawalpindi-Peshawar

The ‘Spinal Beetle’ making a fund-raising and awareness-raising subcontinental journey

for spinal injury rehabilitation arrived in Lahore this afternoon. The 1973 Model VW

Beetle, driven by journalist and civil rights activist Kanak Mani Dixit from Kathmandu, is

also making the trip “to strike a blow for overland connectivity between the countries of

Southasia,” he says.

The Spinal Beetle was flagged off from Kathmandu by President Ram Baran Yadav, and

in Delhi it was seen off by actor Om Puri and the founder of the Indian Spinal Injuries

Centre, Maj. HPS Ahluwalia. It arrived in Lahore across the Wagah-Atari border in the early

afternoon of 11 November.

The Journey: The 1973 model VW Beetle of the Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Centre (Nepal)

started its journey from Kathmandu Valley on 4 November 2011. Coming down to the

plains, it entered Uttar Pradesh and reached Lucknow on 5th evening. Westward, it took the

National Highway-2 to Agra, getting on to the Grand Trunk Road originally regularised by

Sher Shah Suri in the 16th century.

The ‘Spinal Beetle’ arrived at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC) on 7 November evening.

Travelling further along the Grand Trunk Road, it stopped off at Chandigarh and Amritsar

before arriving at the Wagah-Atari border. The Spinal Beetle will enter Pakistan via the

Wagah-Atari border and, in Lahore, visit the Mayo Hospital. From Lahore, the car will ride

the Grand Trunk Road as well as the M-1 motorway to Rawalpindi / Islamabad, and end the

journey at the Paraplegic Centre in Hayatabad, Peshawar on 16 November.

Why the Adventure: The sudden rise of the number of patients over the last year has

forced the Spinal Centre-Nepal to raise its service from 39 beds to 51. We seek to raise USD

110,000 from the 1100 mile journey, at the ‘rate’ of USD 100 per mile from friends and

supporters worldwide. At midway, the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in Delhi is 540 miles

from Kathmandu. The final destination, the Paraplegic Centre in Peshawar, is 1100 miles

away. About USD 35,000 of the USD 110,000 goal had been raised by the time the vehicle

arrived in Lahore.

Awareness: The Spinal Beetle Rally is also an effort to raise awareness of spinal injury

prevention, rescue, care and rehabilitation in the Subcontinent. In this effort, the Spinal

Centre-Nepal is assisted by Indian Spinal Injuries Center-Delhi and the Paraplegic Centre-

Peshawar.

‘Overland connectivity’: Kanak Mani Dixit hopes that the drive of the Spinal Beetle from

Nepal through India and Pakistan will also help promote the goal of ‘overland connectivity’

across Southasian land borders so that there is high-volume people-to-people contact. “The

visa regimes must be softened, and the people at large must feel free to move about,” he

says.

The Trip So Far: After a gracious send-off from Ram Baran Yadav, President of Nepal, the

Spinal Beetle left Kathmandu Valley and arrived at the Bharatpur Hospital. Interactions

were held for the start-up of a spinal injury rehabilitation unit there, with the help of Spinal

Center-Nepal. The Hospital committee contributed Rs 50,000 for the Spinal Beetle’s fund-

raising drive. Having come down past Gorkha District of Nepal, crossing the border we came

to Gorakhpur, where we learnt in Hindustan newspaper that Pakistan had allowed the

opening of the Gorakhnath Temple in Peshawar after 60 year closure.

In Lucknow, the SIPS ‘super speciality hospital’ organised an interaction with patients

and staff, and we met activists who were working on peace related issues, including India-

Pakistan people-to-people solidarity. From Lucknow, we took a spanking new superhighway

to Agra, which is on National Highway -2, and part of the Grand Trunk Road, whose original

incarnation was built by Sher Shah Suri in the 16th century. We will be following this road

all the way to Peshawar. In Agra, we were greeted and hosted by the Physicians for Peace

and Development, which is also affiliated with the Physicians for Social Responsibility. At the

interaction with the doctors there, it emerged that there is no spinal injury rehabilitation

centre in the city even though there were seven or eight neurosurgeons there. Some time

was spent visiting the Taj Mahal, on the very day of Eid, and Agra Fort, the ‘power center’ of

the Mughals.

In Delhi, a grand reception was organised by the Indian Spinal Injuries Center, with which

the Spinal Centre-Nepal has been collaborating since the latter’s inception a decade ago.

Speaking at the function, Major HPS Ahluwalia, founder of ISIC, lauded the three-country

drive for helping spread awareness about spinal injury rehabilitation, and promised the

support of ISIC both for the drive’s fund-raising objective as well as for the Spinal Centre-

Nepal. The Director of ISIC Dr. HS Chabra repeated these sentiments, while journalist and

peace activist Kuldip Nayar (born in Sialkot) lauded the Spinal Beetle participants for helping

to raise awareness about people-to-people contact across Southasian frontiers. At the

flag-off, actor Om Puri bowed in a ‘namaskar’ to the Spinal Beetle and talked about the

importance of “dignity to the disabled”. Sending the Beetle off on its journey to Lahore, Maj

Ahluwalia recalled his childhood in Lahore. He suggested that Dixit work to bring together

a Southasian association for spinal injury rehabilitation. From Delhi, with an over-night

stopover in Chandigarh, the Spinal Beetle arrived in Amritsar, to be hosted by Tejinder Singh

Gogi, the hotelier and significant India-Pakistan ‘link person’. The team found time to visit

the brilliantly lit Harminder Sahib (the Golden Temple) on the very night of Guru Nanak’s

birthday.

The Mayuri Restaurant of Jalandhar: During the drive into Amritsar, the team stopped off

at the road-side Mayuri restaurant at ‘bypass Jalandhar’. Only when the Spinal Beetle was

already in Amritsar did Dixit realise that he had left all the passports and travel documents

at the restaurant. Thankfully, he received a call from the proprietors, the Prajapati family.

Upon return, there was joyous handover of the satchel. The grandfather, 96-year-old Barkat

Singh, was originally from the village of Fatehgad near Sialkot. He asked that a fistful of

earth be brought back for him from Fatehgad.

The Rallyists: Kanak Mani Dixit, Founder-Chair of the Spinal Centre-Nepal, is driving the

Spinal Beetle. He is accompanied by Shanta Dixit, board member of the Spinal Centre-Nepal

and educationist. It was Kanak’s trekking accident a decade ago, resulting in a broken back,

which led to the establishment of the Spinal Centre-Nepal. Dixit has been a journalist since

1971, and has worked to maintain Nepal as an ‘open society’, fighting King Gyanendra’s

autocracy and challenging the Maoist party to stand by the peace process.

Done it Before: The Spinal Beetle has done the Kathmandu-Dhaka stretch twice, in 2002 and

2005, to generous response.

About the Spinal Centre Nepal: Inaugurated by Sir Edmund Hillary on April 2002, the Spinal

Centre-Nepal will be ten years old in 2012. Originally catering to patients from ‘traditional

accidents’ such as fall from trees and cliff-sides, spinal injury victims of ‘modern-day

accidents' related to construction, rock mining and traffic events are increasingly filling our

wards. We offer physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing, medical care, counselling

and home rehabilitation. We are also involved in prevention. The Spinal Centre is run by the

non-profit Spinal Injury Sangha – Nepal.

Website: Details of the ‘Great Nepal-India-Pakistan Spinal Beetle Drive’ are to be found at

www.sirc.org.np. The site also gives information on online support and pledges.

Lahore Contacts:

Farjad Nabi, Phone: 322-4491969
Dr Waseem Iqbal
Head of Department
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
Combined Military Hospital
CMH Lahore Medical College
Lahore Cantt, Pakistan
Office: +92-42-6699-36174
Cell phone: +92-333-5600-504

Peshawar Contact

Ilyas M Syed,
CEO, Paraplegic Center
Hayatabad, Peshawar, Pakistan
Phone: 92-919217900-2

Kathmandu Contact:
Esha Thapa, Director, Spinal Centre-Nepal
Tel: +977 11 660847/48
spinalinju@wlink.com.np
eshthapa@hotmail.com

www.sirc.org.np

Give me my country or I'll starve...

About 2 weeks ago, I got a very peculiar message on my Blackberry from a friend who owns a well-known photo center in Islamabad. The gist of the message was interpreted as "hunger strike against corruption". For a second, I thought I was expected to join his cause by going on a hunger strike. My first thought was hell no, I ain't bothered about corruption. It's the disease we have grown to ignore for the last 20 years, so what's the big fuss now? We have had questionable people in power throughout my lifetime, many with blood, credibility and corruption stains on their careers.

I believed in a Pakistan once upon a time; a country that gives me more than a green passport (it's a different story that 99% of the world doesn't think much of it), a place for my family to seek continued refuge, a place I managed to find one hell of a wife, a career, friends, comfort (although this last one is completely relative). Now, I am in a bind with my own belief. The bind is a simple one - I don't care much anymore. I figured it's much easier to just avoid being involved than get involved and then settle for utter disappointment not long after.

Going back to my friend's message, I gave it a few moments of thought and moved on with whatever I was doing at that time. A few days later, I see scores of posts on my Facebook wall from other friends supporting some hunger strike related event. Being the ignorant idiot that I am, I didn't sum up that it was the same event. Nevertheless, succumbing to peer (virtual) pressure, I accepted the invite and acknowledged my attendance at the protest. This is when I noticed the photos of an elderly man who looked like no one I knew. This curiosity peaked my interest and I ventured to find that this protest was actually in support of a single man going on hunger strike, Mr. Jahangir Akthar, who was fervent about social causes, especially the ones that would help regain some pride among me and my kind. My role was to merely show up, sandwich and drink in hand, to show that I too believe in someone else going hungry if we all don't receive our fair share of civil rights as tax paying citizens of this land.

So, I was wronged...wronged by my misinterpretation and complete ignorance towards the senior citizens of Pakistan who still hold on to a faint, but present memory of a Pakistan that is fair, just, equal (for all - even the minorities represented by the 'white' part of our national flag) and alas comfortable in real terms. 

My father too is a strong believer in this 'Pakistan' that our generation has not been able to connect with (don't sue me for generalizing - i'm trying to make a point here). He wrote a book some time back called "Flight of the Falcon" or "Shaheen ki Parwaaz" in Urdu. In this book, he discusses his career as a fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force, an active member for a united and accepting Pakistan and an advocate of the Quaid's vision.

Again, returning to the crux of the story, I committed to join the rally and be there every day. Unfortunately, the powers that be (work, not wife) required that I get my things done so I can have a peaceful, stress free evening before starting the new work day. The nature of my work does not allow me to leave at any one time so it varies, safely later than 6pm on average. By this time I am knackered and want nothing more than to go home and lay back. This went on for a while so finally came a Sunday (7 days later) when I was able to make time and visit the rally. While present, I noticed 2 things:

1. CNBC crew conducting an interactive session with the audience
2. An audience of no more than 50 people (not including side-liners such as myself)

So, 7 days into this very important protest, supporting a very critical cause in Pakistan's life, and only a meager 70-80 people to support it....on a Sunday, when everyone is free from work and other encumbrances. Fortunately, the 8th day brought a different turn of events for Mr. Jahangir Akhtar, after a visit from MNA Farahnaz Ispahani, who vowed to raise this amongst her peers and bring this worthy cause to the front-lines of our government. I believe that brought a sigh of relief to Mr. Akhtar's family, who are very concerned about his health which has deteriorated significantly. 

A man in his late 60's should not have to spend more than a day without food, especially if he has done his part to make a better country for all of us. This hits home for me because I come from a family of individuals with strong opinions about how this country has come to be the way it is today, and not all of it is bad...but most of it is.

Question: Are we 'really' interested in what the government is up to? Do we really care about things that determine our fate, future and acceptance by the rest of the world? I don't know the answer, but I do know that we probably should be. After all, if we segregate our society so much that we take little or no active interest in public policy, how are we to claim hold over this land for ourselves or our future?

Here is an article link back below on the day I attended the rally in support of my friend, Jawad Jahangir's father and his cause, our cause:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/255199/hunger-strike-on-the-seventh-day-hints-of-a-resolution/

Ironic isn't it...one starves so everyone else can eat. 

The moral: We don't have to starve to get what we need. But we will starve if we don't...