Chowraha

I had always wanted to visit Cairo, since my days in college. It was partly from all the anticipation about it and the love my brother had created in my heart for Egypt. He is a huge Egyptian-fan and since he is 11 years older than me, I find myself almost always in awe of any story or experience he has to share. Our recent trip to Egypt and Cairo was every thing I had heard about Egypt. The hospitality and warmth shown to us there by our friend and his friends was more than we could have imagined. I dont think I can imagine Cairo in any other way. Everyone at work and even in my family was worried about the conditions in the country, the protests and our safety. Our hotel was only 5 minutes from Tahrir square but we witnessed a buzzing, peaceful city enjoying its every day life and busy in it. We went right before the elections. As with any new democracy there was a sense of fear and bitterness amongst people there, unsure if the people standing in elections represented th...

Note: The following blog post has been contributed by Zarena Jabbar, a dear friend on a recent event in Afghanistan and her thoughts on its reactions worldwide. It has been a few years now that we hear talks of the Muslim holy book, Quar’an, being put on “trial” and then burned. Lately an unsettling feeling has overcome me after hearing about the Qur’an burned in Afghanistan on February 20th by U.S. soldiers. My belief in extreme human ignorance has been confirmed by the level of insensitivity that is on the rise in our society and around the globe. I am baffled by how easy it is for a human being to disrespect a holy scripture that is believed by billions around the world to be the divine words of God and a book that teaches only generosity, kindness, modesty and submission to One God. Have the non-believers ever picked up a copy and read a verse for themselves, or better yet, have they heard the book be recited which has left billions of people around the world humbled and moved...

I am one of those that does regularly enough watch the Morning shows on Geo TV and I must confess they do entertain me. Recently though, I understand it was to celebrate diversity and to show the hidden talents of Pakistan that Baluchis were invited as guests to the show. This was timely as there are talks recently in the political scene, whereby those speaking of an independent Baluchistan spoke more actively and opened a debate on media. Although excited about the show, what disturbed me was the language and its nuances throughout the show. They appeared extremely politically incorrect and furthering the stereotypes prevailing in our society about Makranis. I do have utmost respect for the guests in the show who despite such comments from the well-meaning host, handled themselves gracefully. Here's my blog post about this:  http://www.chowk.com/FizaPK/iLogs/tv/Being-politically-incorrect-in-Pakistan

More often than not, sports have shown to have a life and significance beyond the realm of  “sports”. Defined as a form of “physical activity” and mostly coupled with culture and media by world governments, sports is often seen as a form of  “entertainment” for its audience. The tragic events at Port Said earlier this month where the Al-Masry met Cairo’s Al-Ahly for a football match, was far from the description above when it turned into a debacle with 74 dead and many more injured. More sadly, it was yet another moments in history where politics killed innocent lives and the sport became the “murderer”. To me personally, the incident was a stark and painful reminder of the attacks on the Sri Lankan team in Pakistan and the Pakistani driver who lost his life. It is still unclear who was behind those attacks but it was extremely clear that this wasn’t sparked by hatred for the Sri Lankan, probably the only team after Pakistan that Pakistanis actuall...

It was the day I was leaving for university in Oakland, California after my winter break in Pakistan. I had gone to spend the day with my nani before I left for the airport. I have always been shy about showing affection publicly, so as soon as I found myself alone with her, I put my hands on her arm and tried to tell her I was leaving for the airport soon to go to uni. I wasn't even sure if she could understand what I was saying or if she was upset with me, a girl, for leaving my family and studying miles away in a different country. Deep down I wanted her to be proud of me but I had not heard her talk in weeks if not months.        There was a pause before she turned to say in her frailest, weakest voice, "dil laga kar parhna, bohot mehnat karna aur apna khayal rakhna" - put your heart into your studies, work hard and take care of yourself.      I wasn't sure how to react, my heart was pacing with excitement and ...