There are a number of things on my mind and I’m thinking what to say first.
A couple of years back when winter used to arrive in Karachi, I used to do this thing which used to make me happy and glad. The feeling was out of this world kind and it was not munching cookies with tea or coffee. It was to stand under the night sky barefoot on the cold mosaic floor and breathe deeply and I’d feel the cold and crisp air going down my windpipe and the chill that I’d feel going down my spine! I know it’s kind of weird but somehow it used to cheer me up!
And yesterday when it rained all day and the temperature was down to 8 degrees before Maghrib, I remembered how different it was in Karachi! I remember once running to the roof with our maternal uncle sneaking behind our mum’s back and getting all soaked in the winter rain. Mum eventually found out and came with the towel over her head scolding us while we tried to hide behind our mamoon who was like, “Baji, barish sardiyon ki ho ya garmiyon ki… barish tu barishh hoti hai.. janay phir kab aye!”
*sigh* good memories!
Anyway, so when the news came of the earthquake last night, it was quite depressing as it took me back to the Ramadan when the northern areas of Pakistan were hit with the earthquake. I remember the horror of it! Just imagine everything gone in just a sec. At that time one of the professors at KU said that it was a reminder of the Day of Judgment as the Quran says how the mountains will become dust and cotton. I distinctly remember how people were in denial that this was not an azaab from Allah. Even with the floods, people keep denying that it is not an azaab from Allah. Or the shocks that were recorded yesterday were not a warning from Allah. Have we forgotten what’s written in the Quran. Many people wold say why are the poor people being affected. All I’d say is that Quran says that there are signs around you for the people of understanding. Just look at ourselves, what is one gunah that we are not surrounded with? Look at our society… why are we soo blind to see it! I remember once my father telling me that the aristocracy of every nation is involved in gunaah and when the same habits are transferred to the other levels of the society, that is when the azaab comes. Just look at the number of killings, bloodshed, zulm, corruption, etc happening around us? Nobody would stand up to all these damn politicians.
Media stood up to the blasphemy law and took an aggressive stand. Calling on experts, which were not experts, and asking their opinion and whatever, the Governor was killed. Now the media has adopted a soft policy. If you see the programs closely all of them are trying very hard to be soooo subtle in their stance that people who are vulnerable to the affects of them would definitely change their point of views. Conglomerates are ruling them! And media has done an amazing job in ruining our society and spreading all the worst of things that are out there in this world!