The Justice League Rises...

My blog has now gone viral! One of my best, and highly imaginative work has been published in one of the leading news site of Pakistan: The Express Tribune!

Read my blog post here, and all its colorful glory:  http://bit.ly/1acbJBV

Independence Day 2013

Some quotes on WORK, by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah:

I insist you to strive. Work, work and only work for satisfaction with patience, humbleness and serve thy nation.
- (All India Muslim Students Conference Jalandhur, 15 Nov 1942)

Get out of tranquility and step in the practical life. Dedicate your faculties to seek improvement in every field to make the condition of people. It is only then we can be strong enough to counter threats to our nation and defeat our enemies.
- (Message to Bohar Students of Karachi, 13 Jan 1941)

Now is the time, chance and opportunity for every Mussalman to make his or her fullest and best contribution and make the greatest sacrifice and work ceaselessly in the service of our nation and make Pakistan one of the greatest nations of the world. 
 - (August 31, 1947)

Independence 2013 Blog?

I know most of my readers have been waiting for me to break my year long silence. Rest assured, this blog is not over. I'll be writing a lot more, and cover many topics.

For the moment, the topic is Pakistan's Independence Day, year 2013. This blog piece will be up in the next week. Later then the Independence Day, but the reason for the delay will be main theme: WORK!

See you all soon,
Yours truly,
Soul Searcher

Independence Day 2012

Happy Independence Day Pakistan. Its been 65 years... 65 years since we gained our Independence. 65 years since the birth of this great nation. 65 years since we earned the right to self rule and free will.

What have we done with this right to self rule and free will? Have we done justice to our country, our society, ourselves? Or have we squandered each and every opportunity, and embraced a free-for-all-brawl to see who can do more to line their pockets without any thought to the well-being of our fellow man?

Independence 2011

Happy 64th Birthday Pakistan! They say what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger. So far we have survived corrupt politicians, greedy generals, impossible bureaucracy, an unethical media, strikes, load-shedding, dishonest law-enforcers, trigger happy looters, robbers, rioters, and all sorts of criminal scum ever to walk the face of the earth. They just keep on coming like restless zombies, and yet here we are, still standing. Mashallah, now that's an achievement.

Explaining Karachi's recent situation to an Outsider

A foreign friend of mine recently emailed me and asked me to explain the Karachi situation to her. She asked me what a "mahajir" is, why there was so much trouble in Karachi, and why it happens so frequently. I tried to be brief, but still my answer took more than a couple paragraphs. Anyway, I decided, now that I had finally written something worthwhile, why not blog it?

So here it is: Explaining the Karachi situation to an Outsider

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First things first, who are the mahajir? The dictionary says it is someone who migrates from one place to another, i.e. an immigrant. However, in the murky world of Pakistani politics, a "mahajir" is a person who speaks Urdu. Basically a person with roots in Delhi, Bihar, Lucknow, or other Urdu-speaking parts of India. Take me for example. Even though I was born and raised in Pakistan, and consider myself to be a first class Pakistani citizen, society and politics label me a "mahajir" because I have roots in Bihar, India. This is racism at its finest!

Politics & Tolerance

I am writing after quite a while. Sometimes I was busy, sometimes I was lazy, other times I was uninspired. However, recent events have shaken me awake from my slumber, and I think now is a good time to start writing again.

What recent events have shaken me so, you ask? None other than the mud-slinging main event which took place outside the Parliament of Pakistan. Such obscene language, graphic remarks and allegations; shocking indeed, but not surprising.

The Justice League of Pakistan

I was talking with a friend yesterday, and in our witty & pun-filled banter we stumbled upon a hilarious concept: a Pakistani version of the Justice League! Hehehe, just thinking about it makes me laugh. But on a closer inspection, what if it were real? What if there actually was a Pakistani superhero group? Who would these characters be, and what would be their superpowers?

Here's my take on this idea:

1) Bijli-Man: A man with the power to control electricity, he's able to supply enough volts & watts to power up Karachi for a month. Needs to recharge by diving into a pool with current flowing through it. Got his powers when he stormed KESC's headquarters to complain about loadshedding and voltage fluctuation, and fell into a tank of electric eels. Exactly what that tank was doing at KESC's headquarters is anybody's guess. (Although, rumors are abound that KESC was experimenting on extracting the electricity from the eels to cover the shortfall in electric supply). Coming back to Bijli-Man, he's able to turn into an electric current and move between places via electric wires. (His experiments with going wireless have left a lot to be desired). He stands for justice and peace, and has vowed to rid the world of the dangers of KESC.

Independence 2010

I have grown quite cynical over the years. When I was a child, I used to be very happy whenever 14th August came around. I would hoist the flag on my roof, listen to milli naghmay, and dance around to the tune of Dil Dil Pakistan.

As I grew up, and had to face the harsh realities of life, I was quite depressed. I have had to deal with all sorts of people over the years, and it hasn't been a pleasant experience. Dishonest policemen, corrupt officials, filthy politicians, liars, looters,,, they are everywhere. Law & order situation throughout the country is in tatters. No one and no place is safe. Bomb blasts, suicide attacks, in markets, crowds, places of worship... its an open game and we are the target.

The Square Root of Three

I fear that I will always be
a lonely number like root 3

A three is all that’s good and right,
why must my three keep out of sight
beneath a vicious square root sign
I wish instead I were a nine