May 12, 2007
In Karachi we are trudging along dealing with the heat and bijlee issues, and suddenly it hits us. The past.
Sitting at home today, watching news coverage on tv and praying for the CJ to come to his sense and just go back was eerily reminiscent of many days of O and A level times spent waiting for the tension time to be over so you could resume life. Normal life, as whatever we as students, defined it then. Giving exams in peace, sports day not being cancelled, last day of school being celebrated. Karachi has been good since then. Not brilliantly good but somewhat good. There has been some semblance of balance. Or have we just become immune to it all? I can’t even today, give into the cynicism and agree to it. I felt it myself, the sudden sporadic moments of coming together that this city has experienced in the last decade. One hoped with all their heart that it was not all random- that somewhere in there was a seed of civic sense that floated in from somewhere and took ground. And then a day like today comes along- and you wonder- if you imagined it all and really all that time passing meant no lessons learnt, no rules understood and nothing changed. I sincerely hope not.
May 13, 2007 at 3:34 am
sarah…i just saw on cnn what’s been going on in khi…be safe and keep loved ones near…i’ve got you all in my prayers…
May 13, 2007 at 5:31 am
i first saw it on NDTV (indian news channel), then i switched to aaj tv. i was just stunned at what i was witnessing. 200-300 workers trapped in aaj tv office, appealing for police protection. 30 ppl dead. it was surreal.
and then you have kids who have exams coming up, and no bijlee. trying to study in that heat and tension.. they are the future. i just hope that they’re still convinced at the end of it all, that they can make a difference when their time comes.
i hope you and family are ok.
May 13, 2007 at 10:11 am
Great post Sara!
May 13, 2007 at 10:15 am
thanks sara- we rfemain strangely-thankfully just an audience- but it doesnt depress one anymore- just makes you angry at the people who dont care about this city- this country.
cheeky- everyone is safe allah ka shukar- safe but like i said pissed off. :S
olive ream- long time- thanks. how have things been?
May 13, 2007 at 1:05 pm
I was wondering the same in my writing, are we going back to 1995? It is definitely my worst fear and the 3 killed today doesn’t seem very encourgaging. The weirdest bit is, in 1995, everyone kept looking to the army to intervene via coup or something but the army is the one in control now, so really where now?
May 13, 2007 at 1:49 pm
something like this shatters whatever faith any of us may have of anybody in power actually having what it takes of using it for the people… May the Almighty preserve us all and have mercy on the ones who have suffered at the hands of beasts in the guise of humans…
Hope and pray that things remained comparatively smooth for you and yours…
May 14, 2007 at 2:44 am
buildings with weak foundations always remain at risk. we need to strengthen our institutions. the places to begin this are where the youth are strongly represented: high schools, colleges, universities - even rock concerts and other gatherings. this can start at those institutions that offer a relatively liberal environment. and i do not mean liberal in a shallow, westernized sense but mean places where dialogue and discussion and debate prevail.
my generation failed miserably at doing this (although there were efforts). but, to be fair, it was taken unawares - having been brought up by an even more idealistic but simplistic one that had itself only recently been fooled into misery by sloganism. the one after me was so frustrated and disgusted with what we were passing on to them that it has decided to bypass everything via shortcuts - and instant gratification has become its only creed.
but i am now more hopeful than ever because i can see signs of a shift already. the may 12 event - costly in terms of human lives and misery, though it may be - has opened even more eyes and exposed the leadership of every kind, not merely those in power but also those trying to replace them for their own nefarious gains.
the new media and cyberspace can change things more than people imagine, but they need to be used well. blogging is a great step into getting the discussion going, but it needs to be followed by action.
and street power is not the only effective action. in fact, in such dangerous times it is ineffective for anything but destruction.
May 14, 2007 at 5:12 am
Sounds like things are out of control right now. maybe even more so since I’m not in Karachi.I remember how bad things were back in the early 90s…and i really hope it doesn’t continue to get worse. be safe…