Rendezvous with Dr.Arfa Sayeda Zehra, Chairperson, National Commission for Women

I want to thank Dr. Arfa Syeda Zehra for taking out the time to let me interview her. She is an inspiration for many people in this country. She has been the Chairperson for National Commission on the Status of Women. Previously, she was teaching at LUMS now-a-days she is teaching Formanites and I want to thank her for taking that decision.
Me:What is Pakistani Culture to you? Why is there a lacuna between the traditions followed by different families although we live in the same country?
Dr. ASZ: It’s difficult to answer this question but culture is not made up of history or geography. You and I like to eat bhutta or rice because that is the aura of our land. I would like to recount an incident over here to explain this point, I went Mohenjodaro with my friend and while we were at the platform we asked for roti and the roti that we were provided with was made out of grounded rice! So coming back to your culture question, we are a great kill-joy-nation. We can not be happy and we can not see anyone happy! We love to see people in misery; we like to sympathize with people, why? Because we don’t know compassion, we only know pity. So for me, culture has three components, the values that you believe, the history that you share with certain someone and the geography. Have you ever heard Pashto, it almost makes the sound of stones rolling down from the mountains. If you move to North Punjab it feels that as if sersoon is blossoming when someone speaks. Whereas it feels like air is blowing in a desert when someone speaks in South Punjab. You see how accents and intonation changes with geography. Now these days, people blame Aishwarya Rai for destroying our younger generation. I like her. She is the second most beautiful face from subcontinent, the first being Madhubala. Who was handicapped in a way because in those days they did not have access to colored screen or computure techniques
Me: Then the western culture can also infuse into ours and can become a part of our culture too?
Dr. ASZ: If we don’t compromise our values! truth can also be spoken with pants and shirt on; there is no attire of the truth.
Me: Madam to what extent can we accept the western influence?
Dr. ASZ: Anything that credits your value system; we have modesty, we used to have decency, we used to have protocol. Hey dad! I am not willing to accept that but even now we call our fathers ‘Aba’ with love. I’ll tell you something very interesting. My sister’s children are trilingual. Their father, however, only responded to them when they spoke in Urdu. One day his eldest son tried to converse with him in English and he did not register him. His youngest son said ‘Bhai, Aba is very mean he will only respond when you’ll talk in urdu’. I would like to emphasize this point that language is your cultural reflection all the sophistication and priorities are reflected through your language. Two leaders of Pakistani nation Iqbal and Jinnah both were educated in the west, but did they work for the interest for the west or the interest of the Muslims? Did their western education stalled them in any way to dispose their liabilities? Hindus never got out of the subcontinent but we ruled Spain, and of course we brought bits of their culture back too. No one in Europe sleeps in the afternoons expect Spanish people. Everyone is familiar with the Spanish siestas. So, basically culture is check of the denominator for defining your values. If I am modest, I will remain so no matter what dress I wear and I can be very kitschy wearing Salwar Kameez and it can be an eye sour.
Me: It is a grim time for all of us; do you see any ray of light at the end of tunnel?
Your generation! I confess to be a failed generation and I take responsibility for it. It’s the burden of my sins that you people are bearing. If we had ever thought about you as part of our future we would have not done what we are doing right now.
Me: How can ‘we’ bring a change?
You do not have to do big things all the time to get big results. It is always very small things that give you big results. You can bring change in things by not doing wrong yourself. No matter how much the pressure is or what loss you may have to incur.

SHUT UP!

With freshman’s arrival and intermediate’s infestation of the campus, it’s very hard to even stand in the cafeteria, I wish the administration won’t allow the inter students to enter the S-block café. During my freshman, I came across rather a grave problem; I was not sure whether to write about it or to not. But, finally, I thought it’d worth writing about something that’ll makes people think. I am rather a traditionalist when it comes to ethics, so I let people be, and don’t appreciate when they tend to get too nosey and personal. But the times have changed, and so has the vocabulary of the intelligentsia (smirks). Gone are the days when people used to say may I, and please let me, and to be honest it does get annoying when people use such archaic expressions. Being direct can be good, it saves you time and sometimes you don’t have to be pleasant to the people you don’t like a lot. But, when a faculty member uses expressions like ‘she’s a bitch’, ‘that’s all bullshit’, ‘shove to a place where the sun never shines’, I have issues. We all know that the B school is buzzing with all kinds of isms but its fun to see it from a distance and not get involved. We may not be a match to American technological developments but we can at least copy their lingual degeneration. Of course, one now comes across more expressions like shut the fuck up, she is a cunt, she is such a bitch or that guy is a faggot. I even heard a girl say, I‘d love to fuck that guy behind the bushes, who ironically claims to be pristine. At first it’s disturbing and eventually it gets annoying. Being direct is one thing, but being kitschy and downright obscene is another. So, I didn’t know, how to act initially when around being people who swore a lot, and eventually I learned two magical words, SHUT UP! And walk away. Of course the desired results ensued; you have to try it to believe it.

Around Lahore, in four hours

On the faithful morning of Saturday, I was told by my friends that we’re supposed to visit four different corners of Lahore in four hours. My adventurous and nomadic sense was yearning for some amusement of such sort. So, we started our journey from the center of Lahore the Food Street, notorious for its hors d’oeuvres. Of course, one can not just be there and not eat. So, our first stop for eating was the Paradise Hotel, apparently it’s not very hygienic so if you happen to be a high maintenance freak, I would not recommend that place to you. The environment is dull and there is not much to enjoy expect for the spinning sound of the fan, or every now and then, some woman asking her children for more roti(bread). With such nauseous surrounding, we were finally provided with the menu card. People, who know me, are aware that I prefer vegetables to chicken anytime. But, I was thrilled to my bone to see all the chicken dishes on the menu card. I finally made my mind about what I was going to have with apprehensions, why choice for the day was chicken Karahi, Chicken Boti, with Nan and drinks. Finally, after much waiting the viands arrived. And contrary to my expectations, the food was scrumptious. Any connoisseur of food would agree to it, the food was perfectly cooked; the spices were just about right. However, the fat (the ghee content) was a little over the top. The second stop was Lahore museum art gallery. The gallery was exhibiting oil, pastel, and glass paintings, along with trinkets such as wax candles and vases made by the fresh graduates of National College of Arts. I was very impressed by the work of the students; some of the abstract landscapes and oil paintings were out standing and that too, for a cheap price. My recommendation to all the avid art collector is this; instead of buying printed paintings, buy the original, it will not only look good but also encourage the upcoming talent. The third stop was a distant area of canal, but it was beautiful. The fourth destination, a high tea at Nandos, which was not at all that special, but nevertheless we stayed there for an hour or so. The fifth destination, Islampora’s bazzar, interesting place if you want to buy stuff on cheap price, I recommend it highly. And my adventurous expedition finally came to an end.