BREAKING THE STEREOTYPES (July)

With the passage of time, human thinking change. During my school and college timing I was surrounded by many people who never believed that India and Pakistan should be together, but now in my new institute, here I learn the realities not by reading by myself alone, but we are taught.  They made us realize that we were never innocent, we were also the reason and we should never forget that a coin has two sides. We are taught that we should realize our mistakes and realities of behind the borders.

During my college times my fellows always told me about "The Bad Side" of India. When I met Esha! I learned that what I heard were just stereotypes!

This is not the reality. We are dragged far away from the love of our friends living across the border. My friends always taunt me that I am a servant of India and I have nothing to do here just because I believe in true friendship and not in the stereotypes that were taught to us during our school life.

Moving on with the realities and defending it was not an easy task but then I met new friends and I came to know that I am not the only one who believes that India and Pakistan can never be separated.

My friends used to call me "BAGHI" for I never trusted a single word that was taught to us during our History lectures and I always asked that what IF we are the reason behind it and what if we played equal part in violence and we were also NOT THE INNOCENT?

Learning the truth is that we should stop believing in the myths, because we are ignorant of realities. Our bonds are stronger than the stereotypes and we should believe in friendships instead of stereotypes.

Esha :)

It’s been a long time I am friend of Esha!

We haven’t talked that much till now, but whenever we talk I feel like I have met her since my childhood, because we have a bond that can be felt through our friendships. I met a lot of new people here and everyone have special respect in my heart, because I learn a lot from them.

It’s been 7 months that I met the group but I can feel the friendships across the borders, how in very less time everyone have created a strong bond with their counterpart, how each and everyone understands others problems and help them.

This friendship shows that India and Pakistan still have those people who remember their old origins. Meeting Esha was one of my good luck, because she is a friend who always understand my delays and problems and help me in that.

I am happy to be her counterpart J

Seeing India through my eyes (JUNE)

What does India look in my eyes?

A question that is never been asked before. According to what I learnt about India is that it’s a part of us, a part of land with generous people we lost in political fights.

9 years ago India was an enemy to me, a country that only deserved to be hated because I was taught that Indians brutally kill Pakistani without any reason, they do not respect religions and they always cheated in fights and wars, and tried to take over to kill us. We were taught to hate every single Indian citizen who is a non-Muslim. Every year we were taught that those who killed Indians and destroy their worship places are our heroes and those who supported them are traitors to Pakistan and Muslims, but now I came to know that it was all political game, not every person is supposed to be hated and not every chapter is supposed to be believed, because real truths are never taught and you only have to explore them all by yourself. In our schools and colleges history was all out INDIA and PAKISTAN fights, a fake history created by education ministries.

How can two countries be enemies when they share almost same language, cultures, food and choices? In my opinion that person can be your best friend who shares a lot of similarities with you.

Now coming towards stereotypes, the most common stereotypes we heard about Indian’s are;

1: cow are always in street without any one surveillance.

2: Indian’s drink cow’s urine.

3: Indian families burns women alive after their husband’s death.

4: Indian are always dirty and they never clean their selves.

5: Literacy rate in India is very low, and people there are illiterate at its peak.

6: They used to divide people according to cast and do not respect people from different casts.

These are the most common stereotypes we use to hear about Indians, and people here believe in all the stereotypes.

Our Challenges ! (MAY)

I am a citizen of Pakistan and as citizens the challenges we face is bad economy and our education system. What I notice is that the political fights are everywhere, in every country. Political challenges are faced by every citizen whether they live in Pakistan or India.

What Pakistan really needs to work on is its Educational System. It somewhere develops hatred and anger in a student’s heart. The history that is taught in our schools is not the reality but it is someone’s thought that is taught to students. Education ministry need to work on context and should promote peace and love instead of war and hatred. The most common challenge faced by us, being Pakistani is education. Those who have killed people and had done wars are shown as our heroes instead of those who tried to promote peace and love.

Coming to the point of Democracy, in our country it is developing, as Pakistan is a country where dictatorship last more than democracy, so what I think is that our country is leading towards a better democracy which I found is a positive point.

Spending time with my counterpart, and after learning so much from her, I realized that our educational system should work on our country relations and we should be taught for promoting love and peace between the two countries.

Peace !

Peace!! Has it lost its meaning or is that still here in your hearts??

What is Peace?

A nap in your mother’s lap? A hug from loved ones? A soft music that can touch your heart? A newborn baby ? A calm Sunday? Or A new morning?

Everyone has their own meanings for Peace. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, A province of Pakistan, famous for its legendary places, its culture and hospitality. Is it still famous for love and Peace? Or has it lost its meanings? KPK, a province famous for Pashtun Taliban.

It was once called a place of beauty, Peace and hospitality. People used to enjoy in bazaars till midnight to have a bunch of gossips. Those laughs were their Peace. They found peace in the “Chaey” of bazaar, in the laughs of their families, in the dinners at “dhaabas”, which is no more found.

Roads are now empty, the “Chaey” is now cold, the laughs are limited and the fears are in hearts, Our Peace is lost somewhere in the markets and roads of Khyberpakhtunkhwa

Limiting Girl’s education, Beating women to silence, ending relations, killing people of different casts, destroying Tabernacles, Hiding realities and Violence is not Peace.

Meaning of Peace is lost somewhere in our hearts and souls. It has been forgotten to the level, that we cannot remember it. What is War? What is Peace? After killing other people, the success?? Or living happily with love and loyalty?

What type of peace we need? Our soul needs? Destroying homes of non-Muslims is not peace, War is not peace and Suffering is not Peace. Peace is beautiful, calm and lovely.

Peace is inside your body! If you cannot find it inside yourself. Let the others help you and your soul to find your Peace!

Our cultures and our lives (April)

Once there were two best friends who used to live with each other. They were always together, life was beautiful for them. They were best friends and then one day they were separated from each other. Hatred was born between them, they now see each other but never met nor talk, but somewhere in corner of their hearts Love is still present.

Yes! The two friends were India and Pakistan. They still are best friends. A question was asked in the Curriculum of BPP April assignment. “What India mean to you?”

Seriously I have no words, to me India is like my best friend who has gone far on a holiday and I know he will come back one day and will join me. What India and its people meant to me, can never be explained in few lines, because it’s a feelings that has no words to fit upon.

Well my Counterpart Esha! We both are Muslims, we are same. Our customs, our practices and our events, but the only difference is she lives in India and I live in Pakistan. What I learnt from her I think is that no matter where you are, the customs and the beliefs can be the same. The boarders and walls can only separate us but can never end our realities.

What I learnt from her this month is Patience! Step towards better friendship, because if you have to be the best to someone, you have to show your real care to them and this is the only thing that can last friendships for long time.

Well April was a busy month for both of us, but still the connection of friendship between us is strong, and it will last till it has to.

My experiences are going great with my counterpart, and I hope it will work out through till the end :p

Meeting Shughla...

Build Peace Project is a beautiful initiative which had me on cloud 9, right from the moment I was told about it. I was supposed to meet (virtually though)a counterpart who would soon become a friend, from Pakistan, and we were to allow our friendship to grow through a series of conversations and dialogues. This was a BIG BIG step for me. For the same me, who happens to be one of the greatest Bhutto fans on this planet. I had always nurtured a deep sense of curiosity for our neighbours who were once a part of this country. Be it Pakistan’s sense of ‘mehmaan nawazi’ or their delicious cuisine and culture, it was a country which always had me ‘lovestruck’ with itself.

This love story was to materialize through my friendship with Shughla. I was downright impressed right from the first time I heard from her. I was told that she happened to be heading a feminist movement in the Khyber pakhtoondawa, (a place I had heard about so much!). I was in awe of her but at the same time conscious of the limited credentials to my name. But the positive side was that, there was so much I could learn from her, know from her.

But just like India’s obsession with Bollywood, every tale needs its twist! My first meeting with Shughla went well. I was happy and convinced of a strong friendship which would bloom in the months to come. You must be wondering by now, well, then what went wrong? To answer that, one has to go back to a proper Indian stereotype (specific one for Bengalis!), we all have heard stories and seen in movies how Indians are almost always late for everything. Office meeting to fancy dates (remember, SRK running with his coat in hand talking about small things happening in big cities, senorita!). Well, that’s what happened to me. This blog post, you are reading right now was supposed to be written 3 months back :p

I kept getting notifications of other participants of this project updating their blogs while I was sweating my brow off with regular college commitments. I could totally visualize Shughla giving me quizzical looks, quite like the Juhi Chawla ones in Yes Boss (pardon my obsession with Bollywood, I have been told that bollywood happens to be one of the strongest bonds connecting the Indo-Pak relationship)while I awkwardly slapped my forehead every time I thought of it. She prodded me a few times wondering what exactly was wrong, when I finally had to tell her that I shall resume work only in May (sigh! Re affirming the Indian stereotype nonetheless!). Shughla being the amazing person she is, took it quite well, gracefully allowing me the time, while we continued chatting over facebook.

Finally, the month of May arrived and here I am updating a blog about the birth of our friendship, the one which has developed to be quite an impressive one over the past three months! (insert proud grin!)Thank the delay for this. Its only for this more than a month delay that our friendship matured and I got to know the super patient side of my friend across the border. As I end this post, I slowly murmur to myself, a popular indo-pak proverb..see afterall “jo bhi hota hai, ache ke liye hota hai” (whatever happens, happens for the good)

Watch this space for more on my perspective on Indo-Pak relations and I promise this time the wait would’nt be that long :p