Bonds…

Of all the bonds created in the universe,
The strongest is that of Creator and creation.

Madness!

I have a very dear friend. Her name is Maddy, the noun being madness :p

I just want to thank her for supporting me all these years…

Madness rules!

The hidden Jewels of Karachi

As you speed around old town Karachi, an entire civilization passes you by, with you none the wiser. Just pause one day and see, you’ll get a glimpse of what life once used to be…

Karachi has beautiful architecture, now forgotten and over shadowed by ugly monsters. I am all for modern art but aesthetics must be kept alive. It speaks for us as a nation that we embrace the new and the shiny and neglect the historic and the beautiful. Be it values, art or culture.

I took a drive through old town Kurrachi today and really SAW. The chamber of commerce is exquisite with intricate arches and proud domes that are being overwhelmed by new, ugly constructions. Funnily enough, the front of the building is maintained but the back has been allowed to fall into ruins. I wish I had my camera so I could have shown you what I mean.

We roamed around Kharadar. The Karachi Port Trust was the only building preserved in it’s original grandeur. It’s a sight to be seen at night time with it’s luminescent glow. The birthplace of the Founder of our Nation, Quaid-e-Azam was crumbling and is thankfully being renovated. Nestled within the dirt and decay lie the hidden jewels of Karachi, tourist spots that could bring in much needed revenue for the country.

I saw with new eyes, stories of yore. Karachi has so many tales to tell but is any one willing to lend an ear? I discovered that Lakshmi building where my optician is located is not just an ancient ruin but a masterpiece of Hindu architecture. You look past the jumbled wires hanging dangerously overhead and glimpse a delightful arch. Beneath the clothes line flapping in the wind is an intricately carved wooden balcony. And the New Memon Masjid hidden by tiny shops is, beautiful after all.

We came to hundreds of tiny rehri walas selling ever thing from macchi to clothes all at very reasonable rates. The air was rich with the aroma of halwa puri and nehari. People were thronging as though poverty had never struck them. Little kids dressed in their Sunday finery pranced around. As my mom chose the fish, I and my father shared a kinnu in the car. There was pleasure in every bite. Even as a horde of well-dressed beggars descended upon us. I would rather have had that orange with my father in Kharadar than a feast in Sheraton.

The past should not become a thing of the past. We have yet lessons to learn from history.

What is pain?

Pain is when you prick your finger and the blood gushes forth
Yet you don’t realize that you’re hurt.
Because the inner pain is too much.

My Proposition for Poverty alleviation in Farmers - E-Kisan

Here’s an article I wrote for a friend. My proposition E-Kisan is very dear to my heart but I wonder how viable it is…

FEEDBACK PLEASE!

PROSPECTS OF MICRO FINANCE IN PAKISTAN

The poor in Pakistan have generally been left alone because of perceived high risks, their inability to provide collateral and the high cost associated with small transactions. Thus the rich-poor gap widens and the poor have no route to lift themselves out of their misery.

Microfinance is the most powerful poverty alleviation tool being used today. It has been used with great success by Grameen bank in Bangladesh, CrediAmigo in Brazil, Equity Building Society in Kenya and Bank Rakyat in Indonesia. Microfinance calls for a radical change in thinking. The poor should be perceived not as a burden, but as prospective customers capable of bringing in profits. There is a hidden fortune at the bottom of the pyramid which needs to be tapped.

It is fallacious to think that the poor are not capable of returning loans. The credit return rate for Grameen bank is 99.99%. It is also a mistake to think that the poor are defaulters. They have invested their life savings in their plot of rural land and their huts; they will not leave their sole investment and run away. In fact the default rate is much higher in the rich than in the poor! The poor return their loans promptly to be allowed further loans. For example if a woman is given a loan to buy ingredients for her catering business, she will pay it back from what she earns so she can buy more ingredients. Thus profits and social welfare can go together.

Micro financing is acutely needed in Pakistan and there is a huge gap in the market especially where technology related micro financing is concerned. One such service is Amaana which provides the “unbanked” payment solutions via SMS, email, Web checkout, or a voice portal. Mobile phones have great penetration in Pakistan and can be effectively used in the rural areas to reach the poor at low cost.

I propose a microfinance cum auction system called E-Kisan for Pakistan. Farmers register via their mobile phones at the E-Kisan centre for a small fee and are provided seeds of their choice. Once their field ripens they notify the centre as to its quality and quantity and what price they expect. The E-Kisan centre then puts this forth before different buyers from the world and ensures the best price for the farmer. E-Kisan also charges 3% of the transaction.

In case some thing goes wrong with a farmer’s field, E-Kisan will still not make a loss. It will retain the fee paid by the farmer at registration time.

Empowerment of poor farmers will circumvent their oppression by cruel feudal lords. They will have an opportunity to lift themselves out of their poverty and a fair chance at exercising their budding entrepreneurship skills. The enterprise will also sustain along the way because it is based on a proven and successful model.

Allama Iqbal says:

Jis khet se na ho muyassar uske dahkan ko rozi
Uss khet ke har goshai gandum ko jala do!

If a farmer is not able to eat from his field
That country has no right to exist!

Girls who think the whole world is crazy about ‘em

Girl 1: O-mi-God! O-mi-God! Will you believe it? He messaged me twice today!!!!

Girl 2: WhatttttttT???? You’ve gotta be kidding me! He really messaged you? What did he say?

Girl 1: He wanted to know what’s coming in XYZ paper

Girl 2: I think this is totally fishy… He was just looking for an excuse to talk to you.

Girl 1: Really? Umm I think so too…

Girl 2: I mean the clues are all adding up…. Remember that missed call at night?

Girl 1: How can I forget? Maybe he was missing me..

Girl 2:You know what? I even think he was making goo goo eyes at you the other day!

Girl 1: Whatttttttttt????????!!!
.
.
.
.
Guy: It’s always good to confirm the course from many people before an exam.

Vocab Issues

Lucky: Samar! Tum bohat kutti cheez ho! Kinna kutta blog banaya hai!

Samar: Err, I’ll take that as a compliment.

Contrary to Urdu, the English language lacks sufficient words to exclaim your displeasure. I remember pondering this when we studied Interjections in 7th grade.

LESSON 10:

INTERJECTIONS:

A part of speech used to disclose a strong emotion. It is usually followed by an exclamation mark.

EXAMPLES:

Extreme happiness : Yahoo!
Extreme sadness: Alas!

LESSON OVER! YAHOO!

Jokes aside, Alas is too old fashioned. The more modern version !@#$ is unfortunately profane. Damn! is along the same lines. These days I say Darn! or Shit! which is very unladylike.

I need to get rid of the latter.

Ideas, anyone?

Good times and Bad / Love him not his Wallet

I am free now but hardly feel so. The burden of bad papers is weighing down on me. Each has been worse than the last. To add insult to the injury, my article didn’t get published in Dawn though the editor said they liked it and WOULD publish it. I feel dejected.

I have to send in the Unilever application today and don’t feel braggy at all. I wonder why companies and universities ask you to write these egoistic essays. They are a blow to modesty.

Little refusals do affect one after all.

Moving on to better things I had a blast with my buddies yesterday. The fact that I had two papers the next day some how did not prevent me from having fun

My friends are a talented bunch. ZT is doing her ACCA, Bee’s a textile designer, Ash’s a dentist and Lucky is the lead vocalist, Hive o 5ive. Incidentally the band’s Marketing Manager is yours truly.

The talk turned to guys as it invariably does if you’ve studied in girls only all your life My friends feel men and infidelity go together. I disagree.

It’s the way you make him feel. If you cherish him and nurture him, make him feel special, he’ll never go astray. But if you nag and discourage or are suspicious of his every move, he’s bound to feel claustrophobic.

But there are always exceptions. Guys do cheat but then so do girls.

Furthermore we, girls have this tendency to measure a guy’s bank balance and not his heart. Money is all very good but are you gonna spend the whole night talking to his money or cracking jokes with it as you take a walk in the rain? The little pleasures in life don’t need money. How will a guy feel about your relationship if he knows you married him for money? And that the person that he is doesnt mean anything to you?

Love him not his wallet.

We’re in love with the feeling of being in love. True love happens when that feeling of love fades away - and you still stick with each other.

Every moment is not magic. It’s up to you to make ‘em magical

“And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may dwell in tranquillity with them and He has put love and mercy between your hearts: verily in that are signs for those who reflect.” (Surah Al Rum 30:21)

The Ultimate Achievement

“O Allah, make my love for You the most beloved thing to me, and my fear for You the most fearful thing to me, and remove from me all worldly needs and wants by instilling a passion for meeting You, and when You have given the people of the world the pleasures of their world, make the coolness of my eyes pleasure in worshiping You”.

The Essence of Freedom

Let go.

Let go of the troubles that are plaguing you. Release the pain. Don’t you know that you are Allah’s possession and that He takes care of all that He creates? Who waters the lush foliage sprouting abundantly everywhere? Who feeds the tiny insects crawling here and there? Who brings up little babies abandoned by their parents?

Unburden yourself.

Your difficulties are not just your own, Allah knows them, He will resolve them. For you have been created by Allah, now he will fulfill your needs.

Trust Him.

“And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower”. [Surah Al baqarah, ayah 268]