Islamabad to lahore!!!!!!!

I had a long trip from islamabad to lahore from the GRAND TRUNK ROAD (GT ROad)

so here the coups d'oeil of my journey.

Bill Against Women Harassment

I couldn’t help but laugh at the first story I read in the newspaper at my breakfast table. The headline, which read ‘Higher penalty for women’s harassment approved,’ indicated that the government had increased the fine and years of imprisonment for all those lecherous men out there. And, in fact, according to the Criminal Law (Amendment Bill), the punishment for sexual harassment has been increased to three years’ imprisonment (up from one year) and an ‘unspecified fine’ for a ‘vague insult’ to a woman.
 

As I read on, I realised that the bill was aiming to do more than just dole out stricter punishments.


The story reminded me of my college days– a journey I began on the public bus system. As I commuted from home to college, I had to be wary of a number of things, primarily the rampant harassment at the bus stop and inside buses.


I remember out of seats – all eight of them – allocated for women, who constitute 52 per cent of Pakistan’s population, I chose to sit only on the seat adjacent to the driver or on the single seat above the engine. The remaining four seats connected to the male compartment, and I would deliberately avoid those, even if they lay empty. Better to stand than fall victim to the touching (from any angle!).


Where a moral building is needed there no bill can cast any diffrence in morality of men. That bill does not define how offenders who engage in sexual harassment on the street and in public places will be tried for this crime (since the police are hardly around when we need them the most). Also, what about those men who pinch you in public places and run away?

Can the members from the treasury and opposition benches explain how we’re going to hold such people accountable to the law in their ‘statement of objects and reasonings’ as well?




If not, they might as well make another amendment before it becomes an act: exclude ‘public’ and limit the amendment to ‘private and workplaces’ only. At least that way women have the hope of pursuing sexual harassers by utilising the mechanisms available to them in their offices. Without any regard for the practical implementation of such an amendment, it will remain ineffective.

Children's day special

The United Nations' (UN) Universal Children's Day, which was established in 1954, is celebrated on November 20 each year to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide. The day is simply set to honour children and minors.


Children’s Day is celebrated with great pomp and show across Pakistan. Different schools and organizations are seen initiating various competitions and awarding outstanding students. There are special offers for kids in Shopping malls, theatres and amusement parks. Parents are seen pampering their kids by fulfilling their wishes for the Day.



If we look around, we find another lot of children engaged in various occupations to earn a little bit of money for themselves as well as to maintain their respective families in a hand to mouth existence. Some little children have to bear the entire responsibility of providing meals and other necessities to their parents and families. In garages, tea stalls and various industrial and business houses, children workers below the age of 14 can be seen in large numbers. Some of them, both boys and girls are serving as domestic servants in many of the city homes, working themselves to the bone, just for bare survival. The employers are rarely kind to them and they make these little deprived children work much harder than their emaciated bodies can bear. These kids take over all the household chores from cooking to washing to any other back-breaking job – and after doing all that they get nothing but ill-treatment as reward.

They cannot raise their voices in fear and the employers often take full advantage of their poverty and helplessness. In fact, most of the employers prefer little children for petty and hard menial work, since their wages are minimum, and they cannot protest and raise their voices – though they do run away from tyranny sometimes – only to fall into a worse situation – which is like jumping from the frying pan into fire. These children have to bear all sorts of physical and mental torture – and for the girls the situation is much worse – they fall prey to lecherous advances of many lascivious employers. These small children go through a kind of living death, while the society and authority concerned stand by and watch indifferently.

For a nation to be progressive the children must be educated in the proper way, since they are our future. The hope of the country rests on them, some of whom may be one day called to lead the nation. Books are the windows through which they can see the light of this vast world of ours. But the windows are closed to them and they are condemned to live in a dark world, into which not a gleam of light can penetrate.

                                                                                          
So much has been said and so much has been written about compulsory education and child labour – though nothing worthwhile has been done to solve the problem of illiteracy. Child labour cannot be wished away and compulsory education cannot be whistled in by waving a magic wand. Sincere efforts and dedicated work are necessary to make the illiterate people realize the value of education for the good of their children.




Unless economic uplift of society at large is ensured, talking about “education for all” is merely a jumble of hollow words without any meaning. It is easy to talk about the value of education – but to translate it into practice is something entirely different.
 
 
 
 
 

A collective effort is need of the time. 

one step for progressive nation.......is within us.

We very often keep blaming, our relatives, our neighbours, our District, Provincial and Federal governments for our woes, to some extent may be rightly, but at times, willfully or ignorantly disregard the fact that it may be because of our own modes and behaviour, tradition and culture and callous way of life. Is it not a fact that when it comes to demanding, we are not willing to accept anything less than what the citizens in civilized societies are enjoying, but would pay no heed to the duties and responsibilities that a civilized society citizens voluntarily discharge?


It is rightly said that first deserve and then demand. Let us not forget that good governance that we all keep yearning would only come through, if the different tiers of the government as well as the people at large discharge their duties and responsibilities to the society honestly.

Aerial firing in celebrations, may it be on the eve of wedding, the birth of a son, New Year festivity and hailing the Independence Day etc. is one of such trival tradition that we have not been able to give up. one wheeling, bike and car stunts, voilation of traffic signals, parking on non parking areas, and etc. Miscreants  openly violated the ban on pillion riding while carrying flags of various political parties, and blocked many arteries of the city. Their “celebration” caused traffic jams at various points, causing immense miseries to other citizens.

Sadly, it was not only the illiterates, but even the educated persons also were seen indulging in all these unruly activities, making this precept of the wise men wrong that education is the panacea for all social evils, as for us even this seems to be an utter failure because it has thus far made no difference here.

we have to be socially literate, ethically literate, moraly literate, and moreover we have to be civilized and true figure. otherwise we can't match with pace of progressing world.

its said that everything is possible. and there is nothing impossible. As the word impossible utter that i-m-possible. so let teach our selves first and make our conscience bound to obeyt he law and order of our country.

Judy harper gave me friendship award.

i am going to pass this award to all those who read and like my blog.

The pride of all humanity.

Abdul Sattar Edhi of Pakistan and a Belgian human rights defender were Tuesday awarded a prestigious United Nations prize for their work in promoting tolerance and non-violence.




Edhi, the philanthropist, and Franois Houtart of Belgium were awarded the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)-Madanjeet Singh Prize on the unanimous recommendation of an international jury to UNESCO Director-General Koochiro Matsuura, according to an announcement in Paris.



They will share the $100,000 prize money and receive the award on November 16, the International Day for Tolerance.



Dedicated to advancing tolerance in the arts, education, culture, science and communications, the prize was created in 1995 on the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, with the help of Indian writer and diplomat Madanjeet Singh, who is also a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. It is awarded every two years to individuals or institutions for outstanding contributions towards its goals.



Edhi, one of the most active philanthropists in Pakistan through his Edhi Foundation, a non-profit social welfare programme with over 300 centres, received the accolade for life-long efforts to improve the conditions of the most disadvantaged groups in Pakistan and South Asia, and promote human dignity, human rights, mutual respect and tolerance, according to UNESCO press release.



His foundation provides the needy with medical aid, family planning, emergency assistance and education, and sets up maternity homes, mental asylums, homes for the physically handicapped, blood banks and orphanages, among other services.



Houtart, an promoter of North-South cooperation and founder of the Tri-Continental Centre (CETRI), a non-governmental organization (NGO) renowned for its work on development issues, was honoured for his life-long devotion to world peace, intercultural dialogue, human rights and promotion of tolerance.

Autumn dead leaf

Autumn is a season when nature changes her attitude. Sky looks so delicate and faint blue as breathless. Environment became silent and quiet. Everywhere we can see a transformation. Our moods became so dull likewise. Most important phenomena of autumn are the fall of leaves. We most called them dead leaves.

As a common viewer when we pass through the colorless leaves we mostly think that they are not more alive they are now garbage and should be disposed. But I wonder stuck when I saw a picture, which was made by the dead leaves in an exhibition. And that picture looked so beautiful as real. I stop near that masterpiece and keep gazing for quite a long time. Really I found a mysterious message inside me from that picture. The picture, which was totally made up with dead material, how alive that was.

The momentary thought that knock my mind and heart was that how disappoint we were when we were deceived, cheated, disappointed, or loss something. We normally closed all the gates of our mind and keep mourning for days and nights. But those dead leaves show us a sign of life. While wilting they contribute the colors and richness in nature. The autumn trees give a vibrant fashion to the environment. 

As I always try to drag positive facets from everyday situation, so as yesterday. Really I felt so relax and comfortable from my trip. I would love to show you that picture but the owner didn’t allow me to take a snap, and I can’t violate the rules.


But what I want to share is, there isn’t anything in this world, which is useless. As our national poet Allam Iqbal said



Nikami nahi koi cheez zanany mai


Koi bura nahi qudrat k karkhany mai


(urdu)
(translation)
" there is not anything useless in this world.
and nothing is bad in this nature.
*( i think i didn't translated it well. but i hope you all will get the bottom line)*



the same philosophical thought I also find in an example of a fruit. Life is like a  fruit. There isn’t anything useless in it. Seeds can give us new generation. Fruit itself energize us and the peel of the fruit can easily be used as fertilizer. Everything that exists has its own purposes, sun, star, moon, seasons, weather, body organs, instruments even a log of tree. All we need is a magical touch, which led all of us on the way where everything is constructive.

we as a human can contribute our efforts to make and give life a true meaning. we can be a mentor and guide for the other so all utilize their productive sense to build up nations on stream line.  we can raise the moral of all those people who left their hope.  

(A picture from google which is only paste as an example.)

Beggary — a social problem

One of the most humiliating and difficult profession to adopt, is beggary. It requires sacrifice of human ego and integrity. It needs great courage and tolerance to accept disdain, contempt, insulting remarks and abuse from other fellow beings. But once these absurdities are taken for granted, they drift in human genes like a parasite and travels along with generation after generation.






From my childhood when any seasonal festival came I found my city and area flooded with beggars. I always think why should they ruin their ego their self respect and adopt such humiliating life? The answer I ever found was that they are poor and can’t afford healthy lifestyle. But a few days back I was taken aback that the beggars in Asia mostly living a quality of life. They have their place like homes in other cities and I was so shocked on that documentary.






Well to make sure, that is true or not yesterday a beggar knocked my gate for some money or cloths. An idea suddenly came in my mind lets test her, and I offer her a job in my home and asked her to join us and I was astonished when she refused. I asked her a couple of question about her refusal. And she after much hesitation replied that while being a beggar she can earn more then 20,000 a month. And I got shocked!!!






The night I came back on my bed and I kept thinking how a human can tolerate such shameful life? And why?






Well I am not sure but recent scenario of the world made me decide that now we are so materialist that we left everything behind. We only want to make our lives easy with lots of money. We never take notice from where the money came. We find easy and even easiest ways to earn. And beggary is one of them.






Although not all the beggars are alike some were are really needy… and poverty-stricken but how to distinguish them is most difficult.




We have to take an eagle eye for needy people or else we have to condemn beggary as profession. We have to skill them. We have to give them a new direction. Because this is not a life they are living. Life is what we live with satisfaction of our inner soul and with respect. We daily see a sunrise and warm ourselves. Today we have to resolute that we are going to show the new horizon. We will tell them that they have enough time to lead estimable life.






Because our soul is yet not dead and world needs individual effort for demolishing the evil from society. We have to show the world that there is one more horizon that rises in our hearts for the benefit of the humanity. We are conscience people.

“Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.”

Happiness is the best emotion one ever had. Happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. A variety of philosophical, religious, psychological and biological approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources.




In the book Authentic Happiness, Martin Seligman, one of the founders of positive psychology, describes happiness as consisting of "positive emotions" and "positive activities". He further categorizes emotions related to the past, present and future. Positive emotions relating to the past include satisfaction, contentment, pride and serenity. Positive emotions relating to the future include optimism, hope and trust.

The world we are living in now a days are so tens and depressed that even we forgot that how to be happy. Everywhere we can found hopelessness, despair, and lack of amenity. So the question is how to be happy? How to see smile on our face? How to be satisfied from our life what she granted us?







The answer is very simple. To be happy isn’t reside in what we achieved and what we don’t but resides in what we have we should be gratified with that. We should not mourn what we loss, because as Edna St Vincent said “life must go on.” A very common example of the season they alternate after on another so an life. we can see the stages of our life, it go on changing till death and we live every apar we accept every breath wether we like to inhale or not but the process must go on. life's happiness makes us live and if we want  to spend life lively we must accept all ups and down with open arms and let resolute our selves come and try me i will be unbeatable for you. As life secret is in smile and in sharing smiles with others.

hope, optimism, share, care and trust are the major short key to live.

Amy lowell:

Happiness: We rarely feel it.
I would buy it, beg it, steal it,
Pay in coins of dripping blood
For this one transcendent good

PAKISTAN: apperceptive vs reality

Have you ever tried searching Google for images of Pakistan?

You’ll be hard-pressed to find any pictures that depict the progressive and modern aspects of our country. Try typing ‘Pakistan progress’, ‘Pakistan modern’ or ‘Pakistan cafes’ in the search bar, and chances are there will be no results.

But if you just type in the word Pakistan, you’ll be flooded by a collection of frightening pictures (excluding some seductive shots of ‘Miss Pakistan’): kids holding guns, bomb blasts and violence will inundate your computer screen.

When will the world see Pakistan from all angles – the good, the bad and everything else in between?

Two recent encounters suggest that the only way we can get people to expand their vision of Pakistan is by experiencing it first hand…

As my land is really beautiful and  so rich in ethics and filled with down to earth, generous and progressive people. but yet some negative element show the world a false image of my land. I don't believe and wont ever that Pakistan is not a safe land, because my land is beautiful and prosperous. Where we are lacking in is bad governance and our conscious pricking. The day all the youth realize their 1st obligatory duty as a citizen that day would be a revolution, and our state ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN would stand on its own power.

I share my little effort because any progressive nation needs the true, dutiful, hardworking and honest youth. I hope we will soon wake and realize our prime concern. we will because we shell!!!!!!!!

SAVING THE BIRDS

SAVING THE BIRDS

One day in spring four men were riding on horseback along a country

road. These men were lawyers, and they were going to the next town to

attend court.



There had been a rain, and the ground was very soft. Water was dripping

from the trees, and the grass was wet.



The four lawyers rode along, one behind another; for the pathway was

narrow, and the mud on each side of it was deep. They rode slowly, and

talked and laughed and were very jolly.



As they were passing through a grove of small trees, they heard a great

fluttering over their heads and a feeble chirping in the grass by the

roadside.



"Stith! stith! stith!" came from the leafy branches above them.



"Cheep! cheep! cheep!" came from the wet grass.



"What is the matter here?" asked the first lawyer, whose name was

Speed. "Oh, it's only some old robins!" said the second lawyer, whose

name was Hardin. "The storm has blown two of the little ones out of

the nest. They are too young to fly, and the mother bird is making a

great fuss about it."



"What a pity! They'll die down there in the grass," said the third

lawyer, whose name I forget.



"Oh, well! They're nothing but birds," said Mr. Hardin. "Why should

we bother?"



"Yes, why should we?" said Mr. Speed.



The three men, as they passed, looked down and saw the little birds

fluttering in the cold, wet grass. They saw the mother robin flying

about, and crying to her mate.



Then they rode on, talking and laughing as before. In a few minutes

they had forgotten about the birds.



But the fourth lawyer, whose name was Abraham Lincoln, stopped. He got

down from his horse and very gently took the little ones up in his big

warm hands.



They did not seem frightened, but chirped softly, as if they knew they

were safe.



"Never mind, my little fellows," said Mr. Lincoln "I will put you in

your own cozy little bed."



[Illustration]



Then he looked up to find the nest from which they had fallen. It was

high, much higher than he could reach.



But Mr. Lincoln could climb. He had climbed many a tree when he was

a boy. He put the birds softly, one by one, into their warm little

home. Two other baby birds were there, that had not fallen out. All

cuddled down together and were very happy.



Soon the three lawyers who had ridden ahead stopped at a spring to

give their horses water.



"Where is Lincoln?" asked one.



All were surprised to find that he was not with them.



"Do you remember those birds?" said Mr. Speed. "Very likely he has

stopped to take care of them."



In a few minutes Mr. Lincoln joined them. His shoes were covered with

mud; he had torn his coat on the thorny tree.



"Hello, Abraham!" said Mr. Hardin. "Where have you been?"



"I stopped a minute to give those birds to their mother," he answered.



"Well, we always thought you were a hero," said Mr. Speed. "Now we

know it."



Then all three of them laughed heartily. They thought it so foolish

that a strong man should take so much trouble just for some worthless

young birds.

"Gentlemen," said Mr. Lincoln, "I could not have slept to-night, if

I had left those helpless little robins to perish in the wet grass."

Abraham Lincoln afterwards became very famous as a lawyer and

statesman. He was elected president. Next to Washington he was the

greatest American.

_______

 [short story by James Baldwin]

EYES are expressive

Today while reading a feature in newspaper about eyes, that how depicted and expressive they are i found this image of a child. I stop and deeply watch his face and found number of longings and wish list in his eyes. This child is so expressive through his eye that we don’t need to ask what he wants.

Cause ongoing situation in Pakistan what else he can want a shelter, peace, harmony, love, no hatred, secure future, securitye, want education or the daily bread. The misery spread all around us. We are so dump that we see the issues like spectators. We don’t feel the after effects of that mayhem. We even eat our meals while hearing the news how much people suffering from hunger, how many died in the line for the food aid really we are dead.



We don’t see in the eyes. We don’t even realize our fore more duty. We pay no attention. We can gossip we can satire but we can’t share their wretchedness.



This child is just like our own child. We should think…. Before going into our beds what a misery we are creating in this world. We should stand and speak now against all misconducts and raise our voices for the fair dealings.

We should before its too late.

strength of belief

Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.

I met with one of the refugee a few days ago and I was so inspired by her that she give me a new way of life. Her whole family was killed in drone attack. No one left she alone in this world but when I sympathized her she said “my life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I'm happy. I can't figure it out but I know I have my destination I know God is there to help me. I am not sad because I know life never end and every dawn reminds me I am not alone because those who were the residents of sky are somewhere very close to me in my heart and I live my everyday with same contentment.


When I came back I thought how many valuable possessions we lost in our life and keep lamentation our it till days and years and see that girl she lost her whole family and still her face is complacent. Her spirit is alive. Life must go on.


Corita Kent said:
"Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed."

war of peace

Throughout the world one common word we are listening about Asia is WAR. war on terror, war for the rights,  war for the benefit of human race. But after searching the whole history of any nation China, India, Britain, Russia any nation you name can you pluck a one example about war which results in peace? No its all about bloodshed,  martyrdom and Calvary.

"How fortunate for governments
that the people they administer don't think."

~ Adolf  Hitler ~

I don't know when we will understand that war isn't the answer of peace. I remember a very beautiful Chinese Proverb

"If there is light in the soul,
there will be beauty in the person.
If there is beauty in the person,
there will be harmony in the house.
If there is harmony in the house,
there will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation,
there will be peace in the world"

home and relation

Relational theories, as I understand it, are interested in the way social embeddedness and social difference matters for our autonomy, responsibility and so forth.

But home and her living relations are so more different then that, the love, care, reponsibility, attention and etc are those facets that can never be explain in any theory. recently i go through with the estimation of mothers, birth rate and principles how to built a relation, survey of america. well i stop and think for a while that this calculated estimation can calculate all those happening moment that cherish our life and give us endless moments of joy and answer is no. certainly what we give our family is thankless performance because we love them without any conditions.

 

thats why may be its said love always live in our hearts and cant ever be explain in words.

life's battle

life is hard and tough for those who live under the poorest conditions.For those who were not sure about tomorrow's meal. For even those who work hard day and night to make their both ends meet.

Everyday you rise, you face the world with open eyes.
but as you venture through the day.
you learn your vision not that great.
the task, the life, the hard work of this day.
end with nothing and cast only a penny pay.

(by me; sahar)