The VOTE

It’s the May of 2013, the election season. The political parties in Pakistan are campaigning for vote, and with the rise in number of rallies and public gatherings, terrorism and bombings are trying to disrupt the process and discourage the masses from partaking the polls, although the bias of the terrorists is quite obvious. The strange thing is there is no authentic leftist party, which is contesting the election. Still, as someone else put it, our exploding friends want to rig a ‘right vs. right’ election with their bomb variety.

Along with a lot happening on the political canvas, this is a time which gives everyone a chance and a reason to judge you based on one small question, “Who will you vote for?” You name a party which the questioner doesn’t like and there you go. He makes a sketch of your personality, mentality, background, education, how good a Muslim are you, and how you are or you aren’t using your mind to decide on your vote. Because apparently, everyone thinks that he thinks right from his mind; everyone has established that he, individually, knows the best interest of the country and has the broadest vision and most pragmatic approach; things which others clearly lack. That’s why anything other than his vote is wrong and the person choosing the other candidate or party is perhaps a short sighted inferior being. The craziest part is this ‘sketching’ happens right at spot, within seconds, as soon as the first alphabet of party’s name leaves your mouth.

But is it that simple to answer this question? Is everyone really sure of which party to vote for till the time the ballot paper is in front of them whereon you can stamp only one and you have to stamp it with all the positives and the negatives? Well, overzealous followers (Jialas and Janisars) are understandable, but for a neutral person who wants to vote, there is a lot of grey shade in the choice. As someone said it right, most people don’t vote for an individual/party, they rather do it against a certain individual/party. The problem here is, fine you vote against a certain party, still there is a list to choose from. Of course, it gets much tougher when all you have is right and right on the list. There is practically no left you’re left with. 

So, an idea is to let it flow with the rhetoric. Yet again, is corruption the biggest issue you want to vote against, or do you want to go for a bigger education budget? Is it ‘rights for minorities’ or is it ‘land reforms’? The unfortunate part is that the party which vouches for one issue overlooks the other, and even if it addresses it, you’re in no way sure that it will actually happen. The question which might help is ‘Which cause is closer to your heart?’ but the harder question is ‘Which cause can be neglected for another?’

This time around, the regressives are still regressive – their tickets being given to people with proven connection with banned outfits – and still corrupt, brandishing ‘Transparency International’ clean chits and according to estimates, ready to claim the largest number of seats; the progressives are not very progressive, and corrupt, and amidst this corruption (a charge that has been used throughout our political history to bring down democracies), something that’s rising is the not very progressive, but not corrupt (as far as the leader is concerned), chanting slogans of ‘Naya Pakistan’ – a slogan which sounds very inspirational, yet the visualization of this idea changes with everyone’s personal opinion. 

So, this ‘Naya Pakistan’, what is it? Is it the same Pakistan minus those ‘Corrupt Political Leaders’? Is it the same Pakistan with a younger generation – perhaps the ‘youth’ focus? Well, for those who challenge the idea and question ‘Why Naya Pakistan? Is there something wrong with our good old Pakistan which Quaid-e-Azam founded, and which our forefathers strove for?’ the answer is ‘Yes, Fundamentally’. Having said that, we are still unsure if the ‘Naya Pakistan’ is going to have different ideological dimensions than the Pakistan we live in now. We do not know if this Naya Pakistan is going to revisit the basics, reinvent the fundamentals and be founded on mature thought and tolerance. Unfortunately, the enthusiasts of Naya Pakistan, are quite intolerant as far as twitter and facebook trolls are concerned.

The fact that this ‘Naya Pakistan’ is mostly ‘grey’ than black or white does put the voter in trouble. But another question rises, ‘Is ‘mostly grey’ enough reason for not voting?’ It may be, but what are the other choices out there? Along with Naya Pakistan’s visionary’s track record having several question marks i.e. politically, there are yet big positives to be considered. From his track record, one can expect a little immaturity in decisions but when he says ‘I promise I won’t lie to the nation’, it does draw one to believe. It is true that he has, knowingly or unknowingly, narrowed down his campaign on anti-corruption, and yes, the achievables are quite unachievable, e.g. ending the corruption in 90 days, yet it is believed that he’d at least try. Fine he hasn’t proven to be very progressive in the past, yet there is some change that the urban youth is following him. Yes he doesn’t have a very impressive political resume’, nonetheless the current campaign must have changed minds and won hearts. And resume’ nonetheless is there and is quite impressive, it has a Cricket World Cup, a state-of-the-art Cancer facility and a fully functional University on it, and above all it’s not dirty.

As compared to a party which is just talk, another party which is still campaigning with its martyr’s portraits, yet others who try to sell themselves on the basis of religion and sell religion instead, ‘Naya Pakistan’ along with its grey areas, doesn’t seem to be a bad idea as with all pluses and minuses, its one thing, ‘Hope’. Let’s vote wisely.

Loosing Parity

"Ok guys, good news! I've brought my laptop and speakers" announced the guy from Islamabad. All excited, he took his laptop, connected the speakers and started playing that really torturous i-am-urban-and-i-listen-to-english-music sound. I wonder if everyone from Islamabad is such an eccentric, listening to English music, watching bizarre serials, using products and brands that are hard to find anywhere else but good old 'Isloo'. And when the show-off session approaches the end, they start whining about how they miss Isloo. Pathetic!

What bugs me most is the huge deal it is for an Islamabadite to stay in a town a little more than hundred kilometers away; that how is our town so disparate from Islamabad? Fine, understood that they have better roads which we don't, they have cabs instead of our rickshaws and yup, they have the advantage of calling themselves the citizens of the capital, yet it remains inexplicable how can they listen to such repugnant music and watch boring movies without songs.

Its not that we don't listen to English music, we know all the big stars, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, that Enrique guy, that Hanna Montana girl, that GaGa woman, to name a few, but we prefer the new Atif Aslam song featured in that new Katrina movie. Weird thing is that not only is this Isloo-baby oblivious and uninformed about that Atif Aslam song, but he gives you disparaging looks if you mention that you know all the superstars like Britney and Boyzone.

He also mentioned that he worked on a radio station back there in Islamabad. I reckon it was something… 94… yeah, PlanetFM94. That is where he plays all that torturous – what he calls – music. But who knows, maybe the sort of music that we listen to is equally detestable to him. Maybe his thoughts reciprocate what we perceive about his ideas and tastes.

I wonder if the personalities diverge to such an extent as you travel along the GT Road, and with those personalities vary the choices in music. But this divergence itself is not the question. The question is how these differences signify? Does this individual choice of music enrage itself into a violent clash of ideology or transform into something productive, positive exposure maybe. Does this difference encourage enmities or does it persuade more tolerance. I really can't say about everyone, but maybe we should go for the latter. Maybe different music isn't that big a deal. Maybe we should give people more space and maybe, we should listen to and accept, rather enjoy each others' music.

Revelation 3:1

Sigh......so what can one say?....it seems as if the electricity that we have so much of in this country is suspiciously obliterated and non existent.....*shoot to thrill...plays in head.......God what is wrong with these people??......Whats with them?.....Just give us power!!!.....*sigh.......Have you seen any of the adds on tv lately??.....God their becoming inundated with ridiculous banter.....its hillarious how a bunch of creative designers cant go beyond women and their long computerised long hair......University started for me a week back, i hope their nice this year considering its my last.....*shoot to thrill.......Insane man......today we were crossing the murree road and an individual blessed with both sides of the sexual spectrum crossed us clapping his/her hands in glee.....'MONEY MONEY' $$$$$$$$$..........'MAY YOU HAVE MANY KIDS' she/he screamed....my buddy who was walking besides me replied nonplussed......'May you have many children with pink noses and gooey eyes too!!'..........In that moment i realised that today was just one of those insanely zonked out days........life was playing paintball and i was the moving unarmed target......non of this makes sense...but if u read what i write standing upside down u'll see that im just ahead of the current.......I aint crazy.....i just woke up really early....and i want more sleep.......*swims to shore......awaits the drumroll........Oh well.....lets go back to the show right?....its what i do.

Karma

Newtons 3rd law states "every action as a equal opposite reaction". I wonder if this applies to people?! Most of us just run through life regardless of the route we take just too focused on the destination. Well lemme pop your bubble, the only destination in our lives is at the end of it; the grave! Life itself is a journey, sure there are pit stops but a journey that starts at birth and ends at death. Its this journey that makes us who we are and who we become.

Karma does have a little play in our lives. its simple really if your nice to someone someone is gonna be nice to you. Sure there are some pricks you cross that u really wanna beat up but the smart thing to do is just let it go because he's gonna get his from someone some where.Same goes for the principle of helping people. Don't help people because you have to, help em because you want to.

It doest matter who your helping or if the person is great full. Just help him because its gna come back to you in a good way. We all have to strike a balance, nature itself fights for balance so rest assured whatever you do in life its gna come back some way :) ; good or bad depends on what ou did.

Fat Guy In Tiny Car

It’s a humid and muggy September that just won’t quit. I was walking the road in E-11, looking for a taxi to reach Radio Pakistan for today’s show on Planet FM94. The Govt. has restricted sales of CNG on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so the taxis were few and those who did stop, were evil  – they were charging me an evil Rs. 300 to Radio Pakistan. Running on Petrol, I guess it cost them to the tune of Rs. 150 for the trip, one way. That’s a 100% profit. It was evil.

I was rather down and out. My aspirations for “artistic penury” were being fulfilled right there – isn’t this what you want Hamza, the bohemian existence of Van Gogh?

The vagrant with an overpriced tag for a life? Is music really worth it?

Great – just great, you don’t find a taxi, what do you do? Ponder the meaning of life! Awesome! @#$%!!

Why is my head in the stars?

“So what is the topic?”

That’s Zubair texting me, while I’m standing in E-11.

“Don’t know. Don’t care!”

I didn’t actually write that.

“How we need public transport?”

I did write that.

Which is true. But who am I kidding – this is Pakistan – the economy is in a flap, the energy crises has us in a deficit of over 1000MW and petroleum prices are leaning to the ludicrous. CNG is being load shed. 

And I STILL can’t find a taxi! Is there NO hope, for me, or this country?

And that’s when this really FAT guy in a tiny car turned things around! He had a tiffin box in the front seat and asked me if I needed a ride. He’d just seen me flip a taxi guy – who was asking for my soul in return for a trip to PBC.

He dropped me as far as in the direction he was headed – F-8. Which suited me well because my office is there and finding a car then would be easy. And that’s when I realized, there was hope yet for Pakistan. For music. There were fat people in tiny cars doing their best to put the world right. A few, but that’s enough to get the show on the road! And no matter how bad things got, we’ll find a way to make sure the music plays on. That reminded me of an old 80’s track by the Pet Shop Boy’s track called “Its Allright”. I’ve played it at FM94 before. The beginning of it goes like this:

“Dictation being forced in Afghanistan
Revolution in South Africa taking a stand
People in Eurasia on the brink of oppression
I hope it's going to be alright
I hope the music plays forever”

Spreading Smiles

Smile as they say is that a curve that set many things straight.That smile is always an asset when its on your lips and an achievement when it's on someone else's becuase of you. Lets take a moment and think about all the times that we made others smile. Doesn't a chill go down your spine when you see all those smiling faces in your closed eyes and giving you such a sense of achievement knowing that you were a reason for it.

Smile is an amazing gesture, the simplest one but the most effective. So if you haven't smiled today as yet do it right now because we all look better when we smile.

Even though this is something that is pretty much talked about all the time everywhere but I just felt the need because it is not too long ago when it struck me and I ended up questioning myself as to what was the last time I was the reason for this particular gesture on someones face that we call smile.

Really hope that this question starts poping up in most of our minds, because if we take up this responsibilty of spreading smiles around us, then welfare would a mere understatement to describe our society.

To be gone

'Gone'; a word tossed around a bit too much. Its probably just standard English but it means a bit too much!.. it could mean an action a verb if u will or merely the absence of someone. The passing of someone.

Funerals are always sad, you just cant help it but think that you might be next. Some of them just bring the ugly out others however; more constructive. Someones death just might bring you closer to someone else or maybe just deepen some cracks. Its really up to you for that matter.

Its an odd feeling laying someone in their grave. You cant really understand whats going on but you can realize that your time is gonna come so better shape up or just start digging.

Some realities of life just cant be escaped. The world is a yard sale; everyone must go.