میں کہانیاں کیوں لکھتا ہوں

تم جو پوچھتی ہو کہ میں کہانیاں کیوں لکھتا ہوں؟
میں تو کہانیاں تم کو سنانے کو لکھتا ہوں
تاکہ کچھ دیر کوئی بات تو ہو
میں کچھ دیر تیری آنکھوں میں جھانک سکوں
تجھے تیری زلفوں سے کھیلتا دیکھوں
تو میرے سامنے چائے پیئے
تیرے ہونٹوں کا نقش چائے کی پیالی پر پیوست ہو
چائے کی پیالی سے اٹھتی بھاپ تیرے چشمے کے شیشوں پر سمٹ جائے
اور پھر میں دنیا کے سب کام چھوڑ کر تیرے چشمے کے شیشے صاف کروں
میں تو کہانیاں اس لئے لکھتا ہوں
کہ میرے لکھے لفظوں کو تیری شرف قبولیت حاصل ہو
میرے لکھے کرداروں سے تو رضامند ہو
تب ہی میں روز اک نئی کہانی گھڑ کر لے آتا ہوں
اس کہانی کو بننے کا مقصد صرف تم ہوتی ہو
پر پھر بھی روز تم مجھ سے کہتی ہو
میں کہانیاں کیوں لکھتا ہوں؟

Fighting crime by raiding brothels

A video of a Police raid on a brothel in Johar town, Lahore is making rounds on social media now days. That video is thought provoking to say the least. It makes you to think and question not only the quality of policing in our country but also about the problems which serve as the stimulants for committing a crime.   

It is important that we understand that why a woman decides to sell her body. Frankly the women from the video were not nymphomaniacs or sex addicts their customers could be these two things but they were not. The glamorous and unreal portrayal of prostitutes in media, make us to think of them with a more materialistic perspective. There is a need to impart more realistic and humane understanding of the issue and also we should know that a prostitute is not Pretty Woman (1990) or Amrao Jan Ada or Pakeeza.  

The thing is the way those women were treated in that video, only makes me to have sympathy for them. They were doing something that is both illegal and immoral but at the same time risky and unsafe as any exploitation or an abuse by the customer cannot be reported. In short whatever they do, they are not protected by the law. Still knowing the consequences of their action, they did it. The severity of their compulsion has to be examined before making any judgmental statement about them. 

Though many would argue and suggest alternatives but it should be kept in mind that not everyone has the luxury of making a choice. Keeping in mind the recent sluggish economy and the stagnation it is facing, the downsizing and the inflation, it is not hard for any sane person to understand the problems of a common man. It is natural to have an increase in crime in such circumstances and generally it is observed that under such circumstances prostitution tend to increase too. Usually not considered as economic indicators but they surely serve as the indicators of a bad or sluggish economy. It is pertinent to mention here that none of those ill fated women were from any posh locality of Lahore; they belonged to middle class or lower middle class localities.
I am not trying to say that legalize prostitution. I am just saying that kindly show some empathy towards them; arrest them, take whatever actions the law states and permits but do not name or shame them. Be considerate of their problems and reasons.  Once there was a famine in Medina, Hazrat Umar (R. A) was the khalifa, he suspended the punishment of amputation for theft on the premise that state is unable to provide for its citizens and such situations can push an individual to take drastic actions. Today, if we look around we see that many are facing financial hardships. We have to accept that financial recession brings with it rise in the crime rate. It is wrong but hunger and desperation can justify any action.  So, it is very important that we should be considerate of the stimuli behind the crime

The motto of the police states “nafrat jurm say mujrim say nahee” thus videos like these where the offender is ridiculed and humiliated then there is little room left for correction and penance. The police should know that after the punishment the offender has to return to the society, with their identity blown there is very little space for them to return to a normal life and this will push them further in the world of crime and immorality. Above that videos like these do not improve the already tarnished image of our police on the contrary they turn out to be counterproductive and further damage the institution.

تم کہ جو ہزار رنگ ہو

تم کہ جو ہزار رنگ ہو
ہر رنگ میں بھلی لگتی ہو
ہر رنگ میں میری لگتی ہو
وہ دعا جو نصیب کھول دے وہ دعا لگتی ہو
وہ آیت جو زمیں پر اتاری گئی
کہ جس کہ پڑھنے سے ہر آفت دور ہوجائے
وہ آیت لگتی ہو
کمال ہے اس دنیا کا دستور
تم اس دستور سے کی گئی بغاوت لگتی ہو
ہر محفل میں ہے چرچا تیرا
کبھی سرگوشی تو کبھی افواہ لگتی ہو
تجھے دیکھ کر زمانے کے دکھ جھڑتے ہیں
لوگ تیرا نام لے کر آہیں بھرتے ہیں
کبھی معجزہ تو کبھی وعید لگتی ہو
نجم کی چال ہو
یا قسمت کی لکیریں
تجھے کوئی کیسے اپنے بس میں کرے
تجھے کیسے کوئی اپنا کرے
بہت عام ہے تو پھر کیوں سب سے جدا لگتی ہو
میں نے جان لی ہے حقیقت تیری
تیری جستجو بے سود نہیں
تو تو منزل ہے ہی نہیں
میری جاناں تم تو منزل کا رستہ لگتی ہو
تم کہ جو ہزار رنگ ہو
تم کہ جو ہزار رنگ ہو

The boy who cried wolf

The difficulty in being me

The parched and minced

The storyteller who ran out of words

The boyish charms that girls love

The moves that set any dance floor on fire

I simply lack both

Drove hundred miles

Wearing that blue denim jacket

In a car that coughed carbon

Reached somewhere alien

Somewhere where I never wanted to be

Somewhere they told me there was once somebody’s home

Why can’t I be that somebody

You share my agony

You also knew that the wolves were grey  

And they love to rip and bite

But you still stayed

Happily waited for your turn

But the sole satisfaction is

The wolves spare no one

Paray Hut Four Weddings and a Funeral

90’s was the decade of romcoms in Hollywood. Many famous and classic romantic comedies were made in the 90’s. Hugh Grant was the male Julia Roberts of that decade. Two of his standout movies from the 90’s were Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral. This piece is about the latter one because I have just returned after watching Paray hut love which looks to be based on the movie. The loose girlfriend now wife scene or feminine friend character of Ahmad Ali Butt looks to be extracted directly from the movie and the overall story also looks to be loosely based on the 90’s movie. The writer has only indigenized the original script, which is a norm when it comes to such adaptations. However, what pained me was that the makers did not even bother to mention the original movie or thank the makers of the original movie. Interestingly, you see a poster of Notting Hill in Shahryar’s bedroom but no mention of Four Weddings and a funeral was found anywhere in the movie. So, if you haven’t watched the original one you cannot relate the two movies, which is out rightly creative dishonesty as due credit should have been given to the original makers and movie. It is something that is ethical and a right of an artiste. While debating this, I am not saying that remaking a movie is bad or wrong; my plea is simple that the due procedure should be followed. A mere mention of it in the film poster would have sufficed and due credit should have been given to the deserving.   

I know our industry is in a rebuilding phase. It is growing and mind you it is improving but let us just not become Bollywood. Their penchant for ripping apart classic Hollywood movies is not hidden. All of us in the absence of our own cinema grew up watching Indian movies and we all know that nearly all of them use to be a “charba” of Hollywood movies, at times the movie use to be a cross over between two to three movies. Those films were an insult to the original work. Above that they never acknowledged the original. Other than Kaantay no other movie can be named here that has done any justice to the original movie. This makes it rather more painful as we are following someone else’s footsteps rather than finding our own path.

The thing is Paray Hut love does not fail Four Weddings and a funeral. In fact, it is a perfect ode to the Hugh Grant classic. Cinematography is excellent. The depiction of Parsi community is applaudable and the best part is that the writer did it without forcing it into the script. In a way film teaches the viewer about our diversity which is a good thing and should be repeated and given due consideration in the future as well. Music is great. Acting is digestible. Ahmad Ali Butt and Zara shine but had very little to play with. Zara could be a discovery as an actress if given the right opportunities. She is being underused as an actress.  I read in one of the reviews of the movie that Hina Dilpazeer should come out of her Momo mould but frankly every time she was on the screen she was able to draw a smile if not laugh. It is important to understand that overdoing something or doing it right again and again are two different things. The boys sitting next to me really enjoyed the movie. Watching them was a scene in itself. I was delighted to see that our cinema is finally winning some honest fans but it is equally important that our artistes and filmmakers should also be honest to them.           

Thank You Malik

We love cricket but we hate our cricketers. This notion seems to be paradoxical but it’s a reality. It is very hard to be a cricketer in our country. First there is no system that can locate or spot talent and second there is no quality domestic cricket that can polish that talent and impart skill in it. Our cricket is so redundant that we are always a step behind from our contemporaries; so, when a player comes either he is a parchi or a mirchi. Parchi fades away with time but a mirchi leaves you teary eyed but you still want more of it because you are hooked to the taste. However, this is not the topic of my blog. It is Pakistan cricket so there will always be reasons to rant about and criticizing it our favorite past time. Sometimes I think cricket is the youngest member of our families; always wrong and the target of every jibe.  This peace is about Shoaib Malik.

Shoaib Malik has taken retirement from ODIs. This is not big news, sportsmen retire all the time. They have a useful life and Malik has already taken his leave from the test cricket. He and we all would have hoped a better farewell for him but unfortunately it ends like this for him. Customary thing would be to wish him luck and move forward but the longevity of his career does not make the goodbye easy. There are so many moments. There are so many memories and there are so many Shoaib Maliks.

I still remember when Malik hit his first international maximum, he cramped and he looked cute while cramping. I remember his bowling action because it was similar to that of Saqlain Mushtaq. He was just a boy when he started playing and it has been 20 years since then. He came of age in the mid 2000's. Woolmer’s nurturing made him a good number 3 in ODIs and the added advantage was that he could spin the bowl too but after being called for a suspect action couple of times and a failed captaincy stint he got dropped. He should have faded away had he been somewhere else but here in our cricket, picture is always baaki hay meray dost so, he made comebacks after comebacks. Every time written off and every time he bounced back with more zeal and more zest. So when you will look, you will find him everywhere; braking his arm while taking a catch against England, winning a one day series in India, losing a T20 domestic match because he was angry at the umpires, grieving Woolmer in Jamaica, losing a T20 World Cup final then two years later winning one, ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final and vice versa. He was part of every frame and ever memory good or bad. He has been an eye witness to our changing fortunes. He has seen the game evolving and changing. In pure meme terms, Malik has become the Qaim Ali Shah of our cricket.

All these moments made him what he is today. That is why I wrote that there were many Shoaib Maliks. His journey is full of ups and down; from a promising young talent to a dependable team man then from a failed captain and bits and pieces player to the senior pro and mentor who trotted the globe and returned only to share his gift. The Obi Wan-Kenobi that was always fighting his inner Darth Vader. Whatever the experts think of his batting technique and flaws as a player for me he will always be someone who wasn’t able to materialize his potential.

His exit from the game is an end of an era but there will always be so many stories to tell.

Men in a male dominated society

A Patriarchal society is defined as a society where a social system is in place in which men hold primary power and are predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property. On the contrary matriarchal society is a society in which females, especially mothers, have the central roles of political leadership, moral authority, and control of property.

Human history has witnessed both the patriarchal and the matriarchal society. In the Stone Age, when farming was yet to be invented and the humans were dependent on hunting to fulfill their dietary needs. So, in the hunting when men were away it were the women who became the head of the family but once the farming was invented, men started to stay back and thus the patriarchal society started finding its roots in the human civilization.

Usually it is truly said that a patriarchal society is not good for women because it favors men. However, no one thinks that a patriarchal society or in simpler words a male dominated society is not good for men too.

A male dominated society sets standards of masculinity and expects the men to act in a certain way and if he does not comply, his masculinity comes under question. These societies projects and promotes role models. It is one size fits all model. Resultantly, a male is more under pressure than a female and the miserable part is that he is not even allowed to show that he is nervous or is feeling week because the society's definition of a man does not allows a man to be weak or anxious.

A patriarchal society projects a man as someone who is a provider, who is the decision maker because he is wise and sagacious; he is responsible because women are not and he is the custodian of honor because women are the honor but they are weak and gullible. So, with this understanding there is no room left for a man to be human. He is not allowed to make any mistakes; the basic human privilege. He cannot falter and will only do good by all. With these desired qualities, all males all expected to act in a single manner or way. You cannot be your own man. Other than being pure evil, one possible reason of bad treatment meted to women at the hands of men is because of their internal fissure and frustration. Their inability to fulfill the role the society expects of them or they do not feel comfortable in their socially defined role and whenever someone points out that and usually it is a woman, they try to suppress it through force and take solace in the social values that makes them, “the man”. 

So, a society where there is equality or near to equality between the both genders, that society establishes space for an individual to be him or herself. That society enables them to grow at their own pace and do not pressurize them with expectations. That society is free from performance anxiety. 

Usually religion is quoted to justify the current social arrangement but interestingly Islam is a religion that in fact preaches gender equality. Its understanding of gender specific roles is based on the roles that are assigned by the nature to men and women. They are the way they are because the nature wants it to be that way. Those roles are not transferable and are meant to be performed by the particular gender. Otherwise, it does not give any superiority to one gender over the other.

I am not favoring any deviance from social or natural segregation; I am talking about stereotyping masculinity and for that matter femininity. There should not be some set roles that only a male should perform because of his gender. For starters we can make the kitchen a gender neutral territory or taking care of the family not a woman only thing especially holding a child. Roles like these should not be restricted to one gender. The society should be open and should make room for any such role "reversal". Above all should stop judging, every household has their own problems and many fail to come out of these problems because there answer to that problem is not what the society advises. The book of solutions that the society gives you at the time of orientation needs some amendments now and the time is ripe for these long due changes.

This blog was also published by the Dunya Blogs. Below is the URL:
http://blogs.dunyanews.tv/24789/

Happy and Happiness

The novice, standing by the door was looking at everything with great amazement and wonder. The people in the room were simple people. It was not like that the room was filled with rock stars or sportsmen. Like I said earlier, the room had normal people leisuring and acting all normal. But the thing was that the novice had never seen normal. He knew no happy faces. For him a world where being happy is a possibility does not exist. There was no planet where smiling people lived. Even if there was one, he was not aware of it.

But the people who were laughing, the object of his amazement, were they really happy? The answer varied but all of them were trying to be happy. Nobody can ever be happy without trying. It requires a lot of practice and hard work to stay happy. Staying happy is not some involuntary action. You cannot observe happiness, you can only feel it.

The novice was fooled by the sight like most of us; who think that they are happy but sorrow nests in them. The mirage that the happiness is, is a web that entangles the strongest of the strong, it fools the wisest of the wise.

If you are fortunate, it comes to you and if you are not that lucky then you have to walk to it. The distance may vary, sometimes few steps and sometimes a journey needing you to crawl through waters full of crocodiles, land that is mined and air that is un-breathable.

But the pursuit of happiness is a stimulant that is at par with father’s tap on your shoulder and a mother’s prayer for you to succeed.

The reality is that there is no thing called happiness in this world. The reality of happiness is that when the pain is bearable and sufferable it can be called happiness and if it is otherwise than it is the opposite of happiness.  So, if you want to stay happy make sufferings of others and yours sufferable.   

ہم نے اب یہ سوچا ہے

ہم نے اب یہ سوچا ہے
ہم زندگی یوں گزاریں گے
جس سے لڑنا ہوگا
اس سے بھڑ جائیں گے
جس کو جو کہنا ہوگا
اس کو وہ کہہ ڈالیں گے
کیوں کہ
ایسی ساری دیری
دل میں نفرت کو جنم دیتی ہے
اور ہم نفرت کے ہاتھوں ہار کر پھر
نہ کچھ کہہ پاتے ہیں
اور نہ ہی ڈھنگ سے لڑ پاتے ہیں

Me and my future wife

When it comes to marriage in general and a wife in particular, my knowledge is based on observation alone with no personal experience so far, I am like the kid in the toy store who wants every toy he gets his hands on (Not in a Charlie Harper kind of a way). 

Let me establish one thing here that the above statement is not with regard to some number but I am specifically talking with reference to qualities. Thus whatever I have observed and deemed it to be a good quality, I added that trait to the resume that my future wife to be has to fit in. The qualities my better half should have, have piled on over the years. So, if I ever have to publish a matrimonial advertisement, it will read like this:

A 30 year old not so white, curvy around the edges boy (still calling himself that) wants the hand of a girl in marriage along with her rest of the body and a bangla in People’s colony (a quality that made its way to the list when I was at the Punjab College). The girl should be a super chef, who is a PhD in Physics, has won an Oscar and a Nobel Prize and has at least won a silver medal at the Olympics, says her prayers five times a day, observes purdah and can keep my mother happy. Can sing and write poetry. Should have authored at least 3 books and is an administrator of two face book pages and five whatsapp groups. Working women can also “apply” but only if they are a CEO at a Fortune 500 company. The age of the girl should not be more than 20 years. Beauty pageant winners will be given priority.

But then I read somewhere that a woman is the reflection of his man. It changed the equation for me. Even if I get a girl with all the above mentioned qualities she will still be my wife and if I am a bad guy she will be the wife of a bad guy nothing more nothing less. So, since then I am trying to be worthy of my future wife. I am working hard on my short comings (which I will not mention here as they might harm my any possible chances). So, as Gandhi Saa’hib once said that be the change you want to see in the world, in pure matrimonial terms, I say that be the spouse you want to marry. 

نفرتیں

نفرتیں ہم نے جیب میں ایسے رکھی تھیں
جیسے وہ کوئی ریزگاری ہوں
اور جو راستے میں کوئی ملے
اسے اس میں سے کچھ حصہ
دیتے ہوئے چلے جائیں
پر ہر دفعہ
ہوتا ہے کچھ یوں کہ
میں جب بھی واپس لوٹتا ہوں
میری جیب میں پہلے سے زیادہ ریزگاری ہوتی ہے

بلا عنوان

جو حزن اس کی آنکھوں میں ہے
وہ اس کی زبان سے نہیں جھلکتا
صبر اس کا ایسا ہے
جو کسی بہلاوے سے نہیں بہکتا
بات تو عزم کی ہے
انگارہ تنہا بھی ہے دہکتا
دور آسمانوں میں ستارہ بھی ہے چمکتا
فرصت کسے ہے
وقت کے ہاتھوں قید ہیں سب
خواہش کیا بلا ہے یہ کوئی نہیں سمجھتا
وہ جو اس کے وجود سے ہیں بے خبر
اسے کیا معلوم کے سارا چمن اس کے وجود سے ہے مہکتا
انجام کیا ہوگا ابتدا کیا تھی
سوال کرتا ہے وہ جواب نہیں دیتا

The man who knew that he knew nothing

It was 11 in the night, when he started writing, writing about the times that could be something; times that were great and brought a lot of joy to him. His happiness was real but today mean the present his now is sorrow so, the good past haunt him a bit more haunt him because it makes his present a bit more unbearable.

In those days he knew a girl. Remember it is always a girl. Knew is inapt, he loved the girl. However, he also knew that that girl was surely out of his league. He thought of telling her about his feelings, once or twice but as he knew that he will be rejected or set aside thus he never spoke. On the other hand, the girl always waited for him to say. You know, girls are this way, they want to be loved, to be cared and to be told how much lovely they are, how much care they deserve. She was the similar type not like the girls of today who do the talking by themselves. So, she took the matter in her hands and told a friend to tell him to tell her that how much he loves her.

He upon listening was red faced not with anger or anything but because he felt like somebody has just called his bluff or caught him stealing red handed. He told the emissary that it is all just a figment of her imagination and he never loved her.

How twisted it may sound to you now but in his head then all this was enough. Knowing she loved him or if not love, want him was enough for him. He realized that what he knew about himself was all wrong; the thing was that he never knew himself. He never loved her; he just wanted her to notice him. Just to know that he existed, getting more than what he hoped for was a bonus and he was happy with the bargain.

Now, when the reality has kicked in the loss seems to be irreparable because now is never was. Now when he knew that he knew nothing, the time to learn was already gone.

He while writing realized that a thought needs a face of words for it to be seen and he never knew the right words because inside he never knew the answers because he never knew the question. Now when he can tell you many words those words have lost their meanings and impact and he is left only with the knowledge that somewhere, sometime ago, some girl had some emotions for him. The knowledge which was once his pride today is his biggest regret.