To Indo-Pak peace and women's rights

Hey Chintan!

You must be away on your whirlwind India tour and enjoying working and having a good time in the mountains. And I thought it was high time I took my turn to blog; it was just that I couldn’t think of a lot to write about.

The past two weeks have given a lot of people from both sides of the border both extremes: reasons to be ecstatic followed by utter depression, dismay and frustration.  First the happy part! Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to India on the invitation of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for the latter’s inauguration was probably the best thing to have happened between the two countries in a long time. The visit and the conduct of both leaders towards each other gave a lot of us much happiness and joy, thinking this could be an opportunity for restarting the stalled dialogue and peace process between Pakistan and India.

My personal take on this visit and the meeting of the leaders is that following the announcement of PM Sharif’s acceptance of the invitation there was a lot of joy around. But shortly after, many realised that there isn’t going to be a long, one-to-one meeting that could be called ‘dialogue’ per se between the two, however, it wouldn’t be wrong to assume the short meeting that took place could be a prelude to more detailed and formal processes in the future that cold lead to the much-sought peace between the two countries. All that in itself seemed quite promising and I for one was overjoyed at the presence of PM Sharif in India and how both leaders conducted themselves and that they had resolved to resume the stalled dialogue process. Here’s hoping it’s a new beginning to a much friendlier South Asia.

Another exciting part of all this was that I was invited by an online Indian news channel, www.indiapostlive.com, to participate in a live show about the invitation to PM Sharif by PM Modi. Here’s the link: http://indiapostlive.com/modi-invites-sharif/. I wish I could be there live but due to my idiotic work hours I managed to send in a recorded video message that they included. Some other show maybe!

Now for the distressing part. All the positivity had not yet subsided when that gruesome incident in Lahore happened. Shockingly, a woman was bludgeonedto death by bricks by none other than her father, brother and other male members of her family for marrying the man she loved. While the story is undergoing twists and turns as I write this, the basic fact that she was murdered in broad daylight and that too in front of Lahore High Court while people watched like bloody spectators. The father turned himself in and proudly confessed to the murder, saying she had been killed for ‘honour’.

This term ‘honour killing’ always freaks me out. WHAT honour are you talking about in a killing? Bloody uneducated, feudal, male chauvinistic lunatics! And this wasn’t the first such case. Many women have been and are killed for ‘honour’ almost everyday while nobody can do much about them because it’s the family that does it. And then there are rapes happening every single bloody day, regardless of a girl’s age, even as little as 2 or maybe 7 or 8. Gosh!! Even writing about it is giving me shivers. It’s scared and depressed the shit out of me.

Then probably the next day there were tow other news, India and Malaysia. Two Dalit girls, gang-raped, killed and hanged from a tree in India! And a 15-year-old girl gang-raped by 37 or 38 frikkin’ men in Malaysia. For heaven’s sake!!! If we weren’t troubled enough already. What is happening in this world? Is this all a girl/woman has been reduced to? Mere objects of desire, means for sexual pleasure, victims of tribal/feudal customs, exhibit power? Really? Do they cease to be human beings?

Education, which is also a topic we are expected to discuss this month under the BPP syllabus, is key I feel. But the sad part is a whole lot educated people are as misogynist, bigoted, male chauvinistic as their rural or uneducated counterparts. So what do we do? Educating men in this part of the world or maybe anywhere wouldn’t stop rapes or sexual abuse. So what would? I get speechless when asked this question. Even when I think for myself I can’t come up with a solution. This trend doesn’t seem to decrease, yaar! Ufff so it’s been a very very depressing one week, and so far it continues to be as more horrifying cases come up.

So anyway, that was my part of the rant. And that’s all that’s been consuming my thoughts for now. 

Here’s hoping for a better and friendlier future for Pakistan and India. And a peaceful world for women to live in where they feel secure, loved and can take their decisions themselves. More power to women! 

Cheers!

P.S. I'm quite excited about a cousin's nikah coming up in two weeks. Yay!!!

Young people bringing in the change

Dear Sheroo

It brings me so much joy to be able to write to you again. It has been almost a month since our collaborative blog has been parched for an update :p Before sitting down to write this, I read your last post again, and realized how much has happened between the writing of that post and this particular moment. And one of the most significant things that happened was that we eventually met, after all these months of corresponding over email, Facebook and Twitter, and having the occasional brief phone conversation.

I am glad I got the opportunity to visit Pakistan for the third time, thanks to the organizers of the Children's Literature Festival and the Teachers' Literature Festival in Islamabad who invited me as a speaker and workshop facilitator. And owing to the generosity of the Pakistan High Commission, I was also able to get city visas for Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi. There is so much that I treasure from this trip. I had the most amazing time there, interacting with children and teachers, meeting old friends, making new ones, and visiting places that I have been meaning to for a long time.

 I am glad we could meet so many times during the short period I was there for. It would not have been possible had you not been so flexible about your timings. Your work involves night shifts but you gave up a lot of your daytime sleep to be able to meet up. That meant a lot to me. There is something quite special about meeting someone in person, as opposed to online interaction, isn't it? I remember us saying to each other that it did not seem like we were meeting for the first time. It seemed like we had known each other for several years. 

I enjoyed being taken to some of your favourite restaurants, and also watching that film with you. Speaking of the film, Revolver Rani was crazy, wasn't it? We started off liking it, imagining that it would turn out to be a really cool spoof of sorts. However, it let us down terribly. Do you remember I told you I had a hunch that it wasn't going to be a very good film? Nevertheless, I did want to watch a Bollywood flick with you, considering how often we talk about movies. To be fair, the popcorn at the movie hall was good :p

 Before setting out for Pakistan, I was wondering what I would get you as a gift. A kurta maybe, a movie poster, a coffee mug with local motifs, a book perhaps. Those were the things I was thinking of but you said, "Chintan, bring me an Indian God." It is quite interesting that you said so. I knew what I would bring along soon as I heard that. The Ganesha I gifted you was bought years ago in Pondicherry, a seaside town I love going to every once in a while. I spotted it on a makeshift stall set up near a lovely temple called Manakula Vinayagar Kovil. That temple also has an elephant called Lakshmi right outside, heaping blessings on those who offer money that is passed on to the caretaker :-)

I loved what you gifted me - a tasbeeh. It is amazing how this particular object is used by people from so many spiritual traditions to build concentration or as an aid to chanting and prayer. Muslims use it, Christians do, and so do Hindus, Jains and Buddhists as well. This is precious, for three reasons: 1. It came from you. 2. Your ammi helped you pick this one for me. 3. I believe in the power of good wishes, healing intentions and blessings.

 Before I conclude this post, I feel like sharing something I was musing about just a few hours ago. It was a late Saturday evening, and I was watching the film Veer-Zaara
 on television along with my parents. This is a movie I saw years ago when it released in cinema halls, and I remember not being too impressed. However, my experience of it this evening was quite different. I have visited Lahore thrice, and that has made all the difference. Much of what I would have earlier dismissed as soppy really tugged at my heart. The violence of the lines that divide us, the suspicion in people's minds, the futility of our long-standing feuds, the suffering of divided families and innocent folks languishing in prisons on both sides - it hit me hard, once again. What really stayed with me is something that Zakir Ahmed (played by Anupam Kher) tells Saamiya Siddiqui (played by Rani Mukerji) at the very end - "Tum jaise naujawan in dono mulqon ki takdeer badlenge." (Translation: 'It is young people like you who will transform the destiny of these two nations.") So true! We are at it, already!

Joy (or lack thereof), busy bee me and teachers

First up, apologies for being mega late with my turn to blog. You remember during one of our conversations you reminded me it was my turn and I thought otherwise. Yes, that’s what’s become of my memory. Short-term memory loss issue ho raha hai. Anyway, the past two weeks were incredibly busy with work and family that I didn’t get the time to write. 

When I asked if there was something specific you wanted me to write about, you said you wanted to know what brings me “joy”. You know, quite surprisingly, I had never thought about this. Ever. Till you asked me. I thought and I thought. But what came to my mind was boring, clichéd and redundant. I realised there were certain moments that brought me joy, not something or someone or some place or anything specific. It was all cluttered, momentary. 

Sometimes being with friends and family makes me happy, something seeing someone else happy makes me happy, close family weddings make me happy, music and dance makes me happy. But that’s pretty much it (or maybe it’s my memory problem again). All this may make it sound as if there’s been nothing significant in my life, but even that’s not true. My features getting published, my going to the US, or someone praising me should ideally make me happy, but they don’t/didn’t. And that I feel isn’t really normal. I’m sure if a lot of people were in my place they would have been ecstatic and over the moon over the ‘achievements’ I mentioned above. But well, that’s me I realised some time ago. That’s how I am. Nothing will make me overjoyed or excited or give a sense of achievement, because I tend to find a logical justification for everything happening and in that case feel life taking its normal course. I go, “So what? It’s happening because blah blah blah…nothing unusual.” Hence, I feel I’m an old, boring soul. No I’m not saying I’m unhappy with myself; just that I’m not as fun as zillions of people out there. But then, that’s also fine, I tell myself. Everyone cannot be same and alike. THAT would be boring J

Now let me tell you what kept me busy the last two weeks. I had quite a few social/fashion events to attend (for work), from small fashion presentations to brand launches, to one of the days of a fashion week that was held in Lahore last week. Then I also interviewed Farhad Humayun, lead singer of the band Overload. They have a very distinct style of music. They use dhols and drums as primary instruments and make very edgy, musical (if that makes sense) music. I interviewed Farhad about a website he’s launching in a couple of days, called riotarts.com. He says it’s his answer to the Youtube ban here so that people around the world can have access to Pakistani music, audio and video. He says he’s taken on board quite a few local musicians and continues to reach out to the rest of them to contribute their stuff for the website. More details you can read when I post a link to the interview as soon as it’s published.

With a friend and fellow journalist at the fashion week. Loved this funky jacket I wore.

Family and friends also kept me quite busy. I went to a very good friend’s nikah last Saturday, which was a lot of fun. As always, I ended up being among the only three people dancing. Because we just had to! You know, can’t control when the music starts playing, even, as per my brothers, if it’s in the chotha mohalla. They even say I can dance to a news bulletin. There were lunches and dinners with family and friends, separately; friends get togethers, cousins visiting from abroad. I even had to travel to and from Islamabad twice, for less than 24 hours, in three days for some urgent piece of work. That really made me frazzled and I’m still recovering. Have another friend’s wedding to attend tomorrow Inshallah. I enjoy most weddings even if I don’t know anyone there.

At the friend's nikah, with other friends

I may have missed a few things out. And you know because of this hectic schedule, I couldn’t even watch any movies. I missed Mein Tera Hero, which I wanted to watch as its music reminded me of those silly Govinda films, some of which were enjoyable too. Now I really look forward to 2 States, which is out. Also, I'm a massive Game of Thrones fan. Its fourth season just started 2 weeks ago. If you havent watched it, NOW's the time!! I got hooked to it in the first episode that my friends made me watch. 

I remember you also wanted to me talk about my teachers that I haven’t liked. I even used a specific word for them ;) What I meant to say was that I’ve never ever liked teachers, from school to university, that have favoured a student, passed him/her at the cost of a deserving student just because some students are thick with a teacher to get favours at the end. And that has happened to me a few times, which I found extremely unfair, obviously. You can’t talk to the teachers about it; that’ll make them hate you even more and even justify their not giving you what you deserve. But overall, I’m thankful I’ve had great teachers from whom I’ve learnt a lot. They have all been very helpful, kind, guiding and encouraging towards me that developed in me so much respect for them.

And finally, many many congratulations on getting that Maine peace programme thing. I’m sure it’ll be a lot of fun. I’ll formally congratulate in person when we meet next week Inshallah. Looking forward your trip to Pakiland, and then you writing about it.

Until then, keep rocking and smiling.

Sheharyar 

Mortality, films and cross-cultural friendships

Dear Sherry

It has been about two weeks since Viqar Uncle, your phuppa passed away. I hope the family is moving in the direction of healing. This is the second death in your family in the last two months. It must be a difficult time for everyone, and I hope all of you find ways of supporting each other through this. I'd like to be around for you, so if there is anything you want to share, just reach out and you'll find me there. Thanks for sharing with me a little about Viqar Uncle's career as a teacher. I am sure his students feel the loss, and also a lot of gratitude for what they learnt from him. Teacher-student relationships can be incredibly special. Many of mine have been. The person I am today is, in large measure, thanks to the wonderful teachers I have had. Their love, encouragement, constructive criticism and guidance have helped me shape my thinking and open my heart.

Mira (a turtle from the Either Or store in Pune, India) reading bell hooks 

My finest teachers have been those who haven't told me what to think and believe but who have created the space for me to ask questions, reflect, argue, challenge their ideas and mine, and pursue the love of learning. I feel grateful that at every period of my life, be it school, college, university, or after, I have found some amazing people to learn from. In a broad sense, so many people have been teachers -- family, friends, colleagues, mentors, students, and the people whose work I have read and admired. One of my favourite writers on education is bell hooks, an African American feminist who brings together quite beautifully the seemingly disparate worlds of Paulo Freire and Thich Nhat Hanh.

In the blog post you wrote just a few days ago, you mentioned a bunch of movies. Of those, I have managed to watch only two - Shaadi Ke Side Effects and Queen. I am quite fond of Vidya Balan and Farhan Akhtar, and that is what led me to the cinema hall. Though the film made me laugh a lot, I could not help noticing the familiar stereotypes around men's work and women's work. Of course, the film did try to turn them around a bit but not much. The most important thing that film left me thinking about was the amount of hard work parenting requires. And that willingness to put other people's needs before your own. I'm not ready for it. I wonder if you are either. What's your take on fatherhood?

As for Queen, I simply loved it. Such a progressive film! It felt great to see a Bollywood heroine stand up for herself, and come into her own. Seeing her grow into a confident person was an education in itself. I felt the film was empowering at many levels, and not from the lens of gender alone. I found strength in Rani because of the way she managed to negotiate living in countries and contexts quite different from her own. Regardless of the many cross-cultural friendships I treasure, I have still not travelled outside Southasia, and I do have some amount of anxiety around how I would feel once I go to the US or to Europe. I felt Rani had something to teach me. 

With Zach, a very dear friend who lives in Seattle

I am glad you wrote about your trip to the US, and how it felt to be there. I too would like to go. Berkeley is a place I feel a very special connection with. I cannot explain why. It is something visceral. I will be able to tell you only once I have had the experience. What I would love to explore in the US includes public libraries, street art, cafes, bookstores, various cuisines; most of all, the experience of cross-cultural friendships with people from all over the world. I have friends in Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, New York, and elsewhere but I have not had the opportunity to travel there yet. Inshallah, soon. I have applied for a program that might take me there. I will keep you posted. 

A beautiful tree spotted in Bandra, a suburb of Mumbai, on a walk with my friend Adithya

Now, I'll go back to a book that I picked up in Pune last week. It is called 'Just look up...to see the magic in the trees around you'. The author is Sadhana Ramchander. It is a quiet little book, with lots of pictures of beautiful trees, flowers, leaves, and plenty of poems and musings. I love trees, and I love hugging them. Have you tried it? You must. Hugging a tree, and resting your head on its trunk, is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world. Of course, you can enjoy it only if you are prepared to risk looking like a fool to others who don't understand. When I visit Lahore, I would love to spend time looking around at the trees in various neighbourhoods. By the way, if you were a tree, which one would you like to be? I'd like to be a banyan.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Love,

Chintan

Never too late

Ok so Chintan, it has taken me quite a long time to come up with my next blogpost; partly to be blamed on my laziness.

But the major reason, as you’re already aware, was the death of a very close uncle (my phuppa) just last week. I fall short of words while expressing what he meant to all of us. Such a gentle, kind, quiet, soft-spoken soul. He barely talked to anyone, but when he did, it was always meaningful. He was an economist and was part of the famous Lahore School of Economics. He had taught the late Benazir Bhutto at Oxford University, as well as many other major political personalities at the Forman Christian College here in Lahore. Anyway, the entire family was shocked at his sudden death even though he had aged but was healthy and well.

Moving on, before this tragedy, I had planned to watch almost all the good movies playing in cinemas: Queen, Gulaab Gang, Shaadi ke Side Effects etc. And guess what, I couldn’t watch any of them and now they’re almost off the cinemas. Too too sad. I really didn’t want to miss Gulaab Gang and after I hear such raving reviews about Queen from everyone, even people who didn’t really watch Bollywood movies, I had made up my mind not to miss it. But who would have known what was in store. Khair, I think ill have to download them all, just like I have eight others that I haven’t been able to watch yet.

I used to watch Comedy Nights with Kapil regularly and couldn’t follow that either; it’s been a month now. But I sure am successfully following Koffee with Karan regularly for some strange reason.

So anyway, in your previous blog you mentioned all the beautiful places you had travelled to in India and some interesting people you met during your travels. It was quite fascinating to know at least someone had seen a lot of his country. Whereas look at me, I have barely seen any city in Pakistan but Lahore just because I live here. I’ve seen Pindi and some of Islamabad but don’t remember the last time I went to its landmarks like Shakarparian, Daman-e-Koh, Pir Sohawa etc. And Karachi it’s been a lifetime; I think I last visited it in the mid 90s. It’s a shame, I know! I’ve also been to some places in the up north but that was also when I was in my teens (and that is quite a long time ago). So you see, I’m such a loser; haven’t even seen my own country properly aur chala hoon doosray mulk ghoomnay. But yes, I do have been to the US, last year, on a month-long journalists exchange programme and I can share that with you briefly.

Daman-e-Koh, Islamabad

The programme was by the InternationalCenter for Journalists in America. I was part of a 13-member group of print journalists from different parts of Pakistan to travel to the US (and I was the youngest among them). As part of the programme, we were all then sent to different cities and states and attached with newspaper organisations there. We were supposed to shadow journalists and just learn and observe how their working was different from ours here, and the difference was massive of course. I wrote an opinion piece during my stay there because coincidently our historic general elections were held while I was there, so I monitored them and shared my opinion with the local Americans because while there I realised a lot of them barely knew about Pakistan. So I found that as an opportunity to tell them about our elections and why they were so significant for Pakistan. I also did a local story about bats for the paper. It was an adventure and an experience of a lifetime, for I was there in an alien country, around alien people, all by myself.

You can read about my experience in detail in this piece I wrote for the newspaper I was attached with there in the US after my return, and they were kind enough to publish it. I also wrote for them about Malala Yousafzai’s historic speech she delivered at the UN General Assembly. So this is my little travel history, nothing compared to your extensive trips across India.

Oh, by the way I didn’t get to watch that video Kirthi shared; you know YouTube issues, even proxies don’t seem to work now. Though I am trying to figure out a way. Did you watch it?

Now that another one of my features got recently published, which you were kind enough to share with the rest of the group, I’m thinking of ideas for the next piece. Want to do an interview now. Oh and hey, I started interacting with some cool people from across the border all thanks to that Facebook group Miss Greatness Kirthi created for us. It’s been a nice couple of conversations so far. Learning about them, the cities they live in, culture practiced there, what they’re doing. The more you know, the more you want to meet them in person. And it was lovely learning about Xavier’s from you the other day. Until now I had only seen it and heard about it in Hindi films. Gosh it sounds exciting and fascinating and from the looks of it, resembles a castle.

Khair chalo, I’ve run out of stuff to talk about. You know me and the time I get to write all of this at. Is time par toh kuch dimagh mein aa jaye yehi bari baat hai. I’m sure you already have your next blog ready considering how efficient you are with words. I shall wait to see what you have in mind now and also what Kirthi Jii has in that ‘curriculum’.

Until next time, Khuda Hafiz!

Sharing more of me

Dear Sherry

I enjoyed reading the blog post you wrote in response to mine, particularly the energy and spontaneity of it, the affection and laughter in it. What made it even more special is knowing that you wrote it after a long night at work, while you were sleepy and dazed. Having a job that requires you to come in when most of your friends are returning from their workplaces must feel like a bit of a challenge. Anyway, thanks, for making the time to write. My favourite part of your post was this: "We'll meet up and I'm sure we'll bring the house down. Nobody would have seen more madness than we'll show them. Heehaaw!" Yaar, hearing from you always brightens up my day. I'm sure you know that :-p

What I look like when someone brightens up my day (Photo credit: Vibha Shah)

I was wondering what you'd like to learn about me through these blog posts. Thankfully, you've given me a lot of ideas. This time, I'll share with you some glimpses from my recent travel experiences. There have been several in 2014 - Madikeri, Bylakuppe, Bangalore, Panchgani, Pondicherry, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Sakad. I am not able to recall anymore. I guess that's about it. There's something quite thrilling about travel. Tiring too. Yet it remains one of the things I love most.

Outside North Coorg Club, Mercara

I had booked a train ticket for the 1st of January. It took me from Mumbai to Mangalore, from where I boarded a bus to Madikeri. It is located in the Coorg district of Karnataka. On my second evening there, I was just walking around, and happened to come across this postbox, a little before the entrance to the Madikeri Fort. I like the sight of postboxes. I associate them with handwritten letters. Did I ever tell you that I wanted to be a postman when I was in second grade? I love writing and receiving letters. At that age, I imagined that I would get a lot of letters if I became a postman. Anyway, I still enjoy writing letters. Maybe I'll write you one someday.




The real reason for my going to Madikeri was to use that place as a stopover. It is about two hours away from Bylakuppe, the site of a major Tibetan refugee settlement. I wanted to begin my year listening to the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. And I did. I was there only for the last of 10 days. However, it felt beautiful. I feel closely connected to the Tibetan community because I have spent five weeks with them in Dharamsala, a beautiful in the hills of Himachal Pradesh. This short trip gave me a chance to reconnect with them. I was also able to meet some of my monk friends from Namgyal Monastery, which is attached to HHDL's home. They received me warmly, invited me to have lunch with them, and spent some happy moments reliving our shared experiences in Dharamsala. Those five weeks were incredibly special. I received them as a gift from The Foundation for Universal Responsibility, an organization started by HHDL using the money he received along with the Nobel Peace Prize. I was one of around 30 young people who had the opportunity to live with the Tibetans, attend Buddhist philosophy classes, learn meditation, volunteer with local NGOs like the Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution and Students for a Free Tibet, and generally experience the beauty of life in the hills.




What you see above is a picture of the three principal deities at Namdroling Monastery (also called The Golden Temple) in Bylakuppe. They are Guru Padmasambhava, Buddha Shakyamuni and Buddha Amitayus (from left to right). There were plaques explaining the significance of each. I was quite excited by this bit, which I read on the plaque about Guru Padmasambhava: "He was born twelve years after the passing of Buddha, on the lake Sindhu, in the land of Oddiyana (the present day Afghan-Pakistan Border)." Such an amazing reminder of our beautifully connected histories, isn't it? When I was reading that plaque, I was instantly reminded of Shiraz Hassan, my friend in Rawalpindi, who loves historical monuments and searching for stories among ruins.

Later in the month (yes, I'm still talking about January), I was in Panchgani, where I met those beautiful people from several different parts of the world. We were participants at the Making Democracy Real Dialogue organized by the Initiatives of Change at Asia Plateau. The first guy in that picture (the one with the camera) is Puvaan Jayandren. He's a Malaysian of Indian origin. His paternal grandfather used to live in Pondicherry before he migrated. We had beautiful long conversations. Yet again, I was struck by how depth and intimacy in interactions are not necessarily determined by the length of time people have known each other. Some people, by virtue of the way they are, immediately inspire trust and confidence. 

In the same picture, you also see Kobi Goodwin in that lovely purple pullover. I was surprised to learn that he too was in Bylakuppe for the same set of teachings I mentioned earlier. I remember Kobi for his silence, the sincerity with which he listened, our brief exchange about Israel and Palestine, our early morning starlit trek, and for the verses he recited from the Torah during an interfaith prayer session one morning. I also met some people from Pakistan. The one who inspired me most was Salman Rashid, a travel writer based in Lahore who I would love to see again.

In the second half of January, I was in Pondicherry thanks to the invitation of my friend Payal Adhikari who teaches at a small village school on the outskirts of Auroville, a township that is home to people from various countries of the world. The blue house you see in the picture above belongs to Krupa, who I met thanks to Payal. Krupa is an artist, educator and art therapist who lives in Auroville. That's a house built from a giant metal container. Krupa has designed it herself. I loved listening to her talk about it, seeing the vegetable patch next to it, and the fence around which she wants to transform into an affirmation-art installation space, where people can tie their 'intentions'.

The red thread you see me tying is from the Buddhist teachings in Bylakuppe. I received it from one of the monks there. When Krupa told me about the installation, I remembered that the thread was still lying in my bag. I took it out, and tied it around, while chanting 'Om Mani Padme Hum', a beautiful Buddhist mantra which means 'May all beings be happy and peaceful'. The fence around Krupa's home seemed to me a lot like the jaalis one sees at shrines like Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya's dargah in Delhi. It was a special moment in my friendship with Krupa. I hope to see her again.

After spending a week in Pondicherry, I went to Chennai for two days. The most valuable part of that trip was getting to reconnect with Navaneet, my friend from college. He used to live in Mumbai before he moved to Chennai to devote himself completely to the learning of Carnatic classical music. Navaneet took me to the home of Keshav Venkataraghavan, a dear friend of his who is a cartoonist with The Hindu, a newspaper you must have heard of.  That is Keshav's desk. It was enchanting to linger over every little object in and around his work space. He showed me several paintings and murals, and lovingly answered all my questions. I also got to spend a fair amount of time with Navaneet's sister Jayshree Akka (Tamil word for 'elder sister') who shares so many of my interests. She is super-cool.

I'm moving towards the end of my blog post, and I realize that I have been able to share so little. Anyway, we have a year to go, and more, Inshallah. Writing this blog post made me revisit a lot that happened in the last few months. And through these recollections, I hope, I have given you a flavour of what delights my heart. Now I look forward to reading your post, and learning more about you, Sherry.

PS: Thank God for hyperlinks! :-p

Dream come true? Maybe!

As Salman Khan would say on Bigg Boss, Hello, Asalam-o-Alaikum, Namaskar, Sat Sri Akaal, Kemcho…

Chintan, to begin with, it was a massive surprise when you and I got paired with each other for the Pakistan-India Building Peace Project. Thanks a tonne for letting me know about it and convincing me to apply when I was being a little lazy.

 Just the fact that we both knew each other before the project came along and eventually getting selected and also being paired with each other couldn’t have been more pleasant a surprise. And you know what the best part for me is? I finally FINALLY may get to visit India (fingers crossed) at the end of this project at the Peace Summit these good guys at The Red Elephant have planned for us. I mean can you believe it? My childhood dream -- that’s what I keep telling everyone it is -- may actually come true. This reminds me of that dialogue from Om Shanti Om, “Kehte hain agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaaho to puri kainaat usse tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai.” So that’s what I’m most excited about. We’ll meet up and I’m sure we’ll bring the house down. Nobody would have seen more madness than we’ll show them. Heehaww!!

But you know Chintu even if this wonderful opportunity hadn’t come along I know we would have been communicating anyway. Yes the biggest advantage of this yearlong virtual Building Peace Project chit chat would be that we’ll be able to get to know each other in so many ways that we may not have otherwise through our usual Facebook chats. Because what we’re usually doing is what, pagalpan! But we may have to restrict that pagalpan at least for these blogs as they’ll be public :)

I’m glad over the next one year I’ll be able find out about your past, your present and what you have planned for your future; your family, friends, your city, where all you have travelled within India and outside, your education (I know you’re great with words), your hobbies and so much more. And yes, I for one would like to talk about relations between our countries and what people around us feel about it.

From some of our previous chats I’m so glad to find out that some of our thoughts are so similar: we’re both pagal (as you say), we both feel the need to be alone at times, we can both be eccentric and enthusiastic yet serious and focused on our work and so on…. But dude, you’re quite deep and spiritual in your thoughts and emotions and feelings, and I’m definitely not. And you read books, which I don’t. But chalo, there has to be difference also na, otherwise where’s the fun? Hehehe…

Acha I’m not as efficient as you are with words so it’s getting a little difficult to stretch this. By the way, before I got on to writing this, I was watching my current favourite Indian TV shows Koffee with Karan and Comedy Nights with Kapil (you know very well that Hindi movies and music are among my deepest passions). Karan had Shradha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapoor on his show this week, and man, both of them sing really well. Yeah, they sang on the show. 

And finally, if I ever get a chance to visit India, Inshallah, the five cities (because we get a visa for five only) I would want to visit are Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Lucknow and Agra or Goa.

Ok then, until your next blog, Khuda Hafiz!