Anyway, that’s all about her new embarking, but nevertheless Nazia has played a major role in Pakhtu music, whether positive or negative, which is up for debate. Last year, a friend and I were scanning some local English music channels; we got Rihanna’s songs on three channels in a row, to which my friend said:

“Fuck! Another Rihanna’s song? Mara dey nah kho hagha Nazia Iqbal kha dah, nor sah na nu pa sandare baandhey kas tah khanda rashee” (Nazia Iqbal is better, if anything, at least her songs are a good source of humour.)

While most people I know despise her for her choice of songs/poetry and singing style, I must add that there are songs of hers that I like… My personal favourite from her VERY VAST collection are:

“zah yum thagey zmaka, tah mey asmaan wai wai, yara pa ma da meene wokrah baran wai wai”

“che takaNRa gharma we, tah gul zah wagma wey”

“aale kana”

“da sitham dak sanama”

So, yes there will be neither “aaaoo kanaaa” in her melodious songs nor anymore sobbing while grieving a beloved’s separation…

So, I was waiting for my friend at his workshop, and one of his workers asked me if I could grab some coffee for everyone. It’s usually quite common that someone is sent to grab food or drinks at that workshop. Anyway, as I was leaving, they asked me to grab some Samosas as well; so, I went to a nearby Indian shop and realized it was a bit early as they were still working on their display items. An old man asked me if he could help me. I asked for some samosas and he replied, “Sure son, but there is a two-minute wait time as we are preparing fresh ones.” I told him that’s fine and I will be back in five minutes; thinking I would grab some coffee in the meantime.

I got back after 10 minutes or so, only to realize that my order was still not ready.  The same old guy at the counter greeted me with a huge grin on his face and said, “Son! Two minutes, it’s coming!”

After waiting for 15 more minutes, I’d had enough of waiting and asked him that if the samosas are not ready then I can come back later; but he insisted:  “It’s coming out any second. Wait two minutes.”

37 minutes later my order was finally ready; I paid him, and as he was handing me the bag of samosas he said, “Even though it took ‘TWO MINUTES’, our samosas are best!”

His conviction and the fact that he ratified “two minutes” convinced me that it was my watch that was running fast!

However, the issue for me is that one thing leads to another, and another to yet another. So, the initial 10 or so minutes that I’d reserved for social media websites would end up being well over an hour or more; hence, my reading and writing would supplant into a web-browsing saga. I still spend time on the net, usually to keep up with the latest news on politics, technology, etc., yet, somehow Facebook and Twitter has dragged me into unnecessary chit chat, discussions, etc.,  which I can easily live without.

I am not sure for how long I will refrain myself from these social media sites, as it’s a very good way to stay in touch with friends. And knowing me, I am notorious for not calling friends, nor keeping in touch; so these social media sites are social-saviors (if there is such term?). I have to also admit that during my readings, I often like to take a quick break by browsing the net. Yet, somehow somewhere reading books and writing (either poetry or blogging) has become secondary to Facebook and Twitter, and this has been bothering me for quite some time now. And, so I’ve decided to deactivate my account to discipline myself. But, let’s see how long I can behave myself. :P

In the case of my Pakhtuns, it’s very common to torture one’s ears, or to put it more specifically, brain, with naïve wishes such as the need for one more Khushaal Khattak, or one more Pir Rokhaan, or one more Abdali, etc.

I guess people have been exposed to too much stories of prophets and leaders, who come and rescue people that are subjugated in one way or another.  Exposure to such stories are to such extend that people end up buying this idea that someday some Messiah, some Caliph, some General, some son of a gun will pop up and turn things around and rescue them from the clutches of what they identify as “evil.”  My beef with such idea is that it makes people sluggish, especially Pakhtuns!

Heroes are not born, they are made, and they are not who they are because of their personality, mentality, etc. There are many dedicated followers who work smart behind the scenes in order to induce their dreams to fruition.  What made Abdali a success story? It was not his personal approach, nor his personality, nor his brain, but pure muscles of those fighters who fought with a strong conviction – a conviction that would lead them to something successful, something better! There was a reward, so to speak, but people often ignore the brain and muscles behind the scene.  Rather, they focus on that one individual, that one leader, under whose leadership dreams and hopes became a reality. (I would like to add for the record that I am not among those Pakhtuns who idolize Abdali; to me Abdali is just an example that I chose to use in this post!)

The majority of Pakhtuns I know of can’t read nor write the Pakhtu language. (I must add that it’s not a matter of one’s social circle, but rather of epidemic; and it’s like a virus that affects many Pakhtuns.) However, when you talk to them they will often have this naïve and inept idea that someday someone will come and unite all Pakhtuns and breathe life into our Pakhtu language. Though, the logical approach would be to learn to read and write Pakhtu, and make it our utmost priority, thus ensuring that the language never meets its demise.

Having a great leader does not necessarily secure a victory! A nation can’t simply prevail by having a great leader. What is it that made Nelson Mandela’s struggle a success story but earned Ghaffar Khan (aka Bacha Khan) half of life in prison and a departure to a grave with broken dreams?  While Gandhi earned his peoples’ freedom, Ghaffar Khan earned himself a life of exile and prison bars! Were leaders like Mandela and Gandhi necessarily better leaders than Ghaffar Khan? I beg to differ. While Mandela and Gandhi had their people with them, Pakhtuns were divided and left undecided over their ultimate goals.

The point I am trying to make here is that you can have the greatest of all leaders, but it’s not the leader that makes the difference, but you, as an individual person. Also, team work is needed to bring about changes and if you are not doing your part, then no struggle, no faith, and no brain can bring about the changes you wish to see. A leader only becomes “great” because of his/her active followers!  And, as we Pakhtuns indeed have a choice to make, either we sit and wait for yet another great leader (that we can blame our luck on once he/she fails), or we can understand what greatness requires of us on an individual basis, and actually do something about it.

We must remember that a leader can only give us a dream; it’s we who can make it a reality. You don’t need one more hero or one more savior. You are the one.

However, I couldn’t help showing my resentment towards my teacher’s brutal method. I believed and still firmly believe that my teacher should instead have stuck to her first parental instinct of correcting her child; each and every time. But, yes, I remember vividly how, for a long time, I was in my teacher’s bad books for not only disapproving her methods, but confronting her in front of the class about it.

Anyway, this memory of my past made its flashback the other day, while I was reading about some 150 students in Pakistan, who were protesting against democracy and wanting to have a Caliphhood based system in Pakistan. How are these two things connected? Well, when Taliban took over Afghanistan I was just a kid; and many Pakhtuns from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan) liked them. They were either sympathetic to them, defended them, or just simply thought that regardless of the Taliban’s barbaric ways, they still brought stability to Afghanistan. Of course, the whole Caliphhood brought back by Taliban seemed less harmful; since most Pakhtuns of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were salvaged from such a system as compared to their own Pakhtun brothers and sisters in Afghanistan! That all changed when Taliban, after their defeat in Afghanistan, brought their Caliphhood and Sharia law to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Soon destruction was in every corner of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

They say you learn from your mistakes, I personally think it’s wiser to learn from other people’s mistake, so that you don’t have to make your own! Why suffer from an experience if you can learn just by observing your surrounding? But alas! We, Pakhtuns, have to always learn our lesson the harsh way, just like my teacher’s daughter! Their hands were finally on that hot stove. And today, although that strong resentment is seen towards Taliban, the scars will remain with Pakhtuns forever! I often tell my close friends and family that some mistakes are made only once in life, and then there is no return from it; you have to live with it forever! It becomes a permanent, hideous scar that you wish you can remove but can’t, because it has now become a part of your manifestation in this lifetime.

Nevertheless, I am hopeful that someday we will overcome this mayhem that has befallen us, but the scars will live with us forever! It’s not something we can throw behind us and forget about it.

Esapzai

 The great leader chose to speak of something that many conquerors and leaders, in the past, never dared to speak of. A hero and a leader whose name was once hailed was now an infidel and an apostate. The pulpit, where he started the struggle for the freedom of his land, ended up becoming a place of his crucifixion for seeking the freedom of mind from the dogma that his people were shackled to.

His idea of freedom for mind was not new, just like his struggle for freedom was not new either. Indeed his farewell was cruel and inhumane, but what could one expect from the enemies of freedom? Those who snatched the freedom of that great leader had forgotten the words of Che Guevara: “You are only going to kill a man”.