tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29414210336030685572024-02-02T04:34:17.480-08:00Courage to DifferCollection of my writings.Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-10764015270732333602023-09-12T13:39:00.005-07:002023-09-12T13:39:54.179-07:00Book Review: American Fever <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BBtehCwt_6E8IfsHhxX40jwe6oD8PbGKsEu-GelUI8fiG2Y-QmmtVwkHNcgbr_lPNTACjhGK6l2Xbq7v6pXb6jnlR6wk4RwV8YLpuBKicosGqkIeUzUW8ptPfAvL9mgiaaIgjXy7Q8J4xxXTqPiQyoI6hssd29zPvFVU7ZVd3tK5gq_nM23rm0KU0fAz/s447/9781950994496-2194219608.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="298" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BBtehCwt_6E8IfsHhxX40jwe6oD8PbGKsEu-GelUI8fiG2Y-QmmtVwkHNcgbr_lPNTACjhGK6l2Xbq7v6pXb6jnlR6wk4RwV8YLpuBKicosGqkIeUzUW8ptPfAvL9mgiaaIgjXy7Q8J4xxXTqPiQyoI6hssd29zPvFVU7ZVd3tK5gq_nM23rm0KU0fAz/s320/9781950994496-2194219608.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>I first heard of Dur e Aziz Amna when her essay '<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/98229c40-079d-11ea-9afa-d9e2401fa7ca?accessToken=zwAAAW8tKdCMkdOYIpxAB50R6tOa-tniQB-nygE.MEYCIQD0NmswKi0Y0-Nob2UeVVN2zRKxl_-KUXJEz8HmGIufkAIhANTGofj0FxDH9k65YNbr_bZv1YdIfXpdhsh7j8x7E_2-&segmentId=98229c40-079d-11ea-9afa-d9e2401fa7ca">Your Tongue is Still Yours</a>' won a prize from The Financial Times (FT). I ended up subscribing to the FT for a few months because I wanted to read the whole thing and there was a paywall. It felt poignant because the day I started reading it, I was at a Christmas party in a small Texas town, with no other brown people in attendance. The essay interrogated and mused upon what happens to our ancestral language when we move abroad, a topic close to my heart. I grew up in a Punjabi household where Punjabi was reserved for speaking with house help and among my parents and relatives but never with the children. I learned Punjabi when I went off to boarding school, hundreds of miles away from my home. I remember being taught English throughout my school years, with extra coaching during summer and winter holidays. When someone in the US or elsewhere asks me how do I know English so well, it is hard to explain to them that it is as much my language as it is theirs. <p></p><p>When I read on Twitter that Dur e Aziz Amna's novel was arriving a certain date, I bookmarked it in anticipation and bought a paperback as soon as it was available. It remained on my bedside table for a few months as I read it intermittently. I started off at a faster pace but there were so many resonances with my own experience that my mind would race and I would find it hard to sleep (I read the book almost exclusively before sleep), so I slowed down. Roughly, it is the story of a teenager from Rawalpindi, Pakistan, who arrives in the United States as an exchange student for a school year. My experience was visiting the United States for the first time as an exchange visitor when I was 26 and I only stayed for a month, so not exactly the same. 'Hira' ends up in Eugene, Oregon while I traveled with my peers to major cities. Here's my review and some related thought while reading the book. <br /></p><p>The opening sequence is dramatic, with our protagonist coughing up blood and being taken to the hospital by their host mother. While the author doesn’t describe at the outset as to what caused this illness, any medical student can tell that she was referring to having Tuberculosis (TB) which is very common in Pakistan and not so common in the United States. There’s the innocence of being an adolescent girl in Pakistan (Hira) , grinding between a changing body and the ‘modesty’ culture, even mention of the infamous ‘route’ in Rawalpindi, which meant all traffic coming to a halt to give way to a senior politician or general. <br /><br />I was familiar with what happens when you get a chance to spend time in the US on a fully funded scholarship. I had seen and heard some of my peers getting envious. I had felt the hesitance in my parents, I had even heard the same words as the protagonist, “will we lose you?” but not from my parents but by my then-fiancee who called me the night before departure, in tears. I couldn’t fathom why she was saying that or why she was crying and thought of it as an overreaction at the time (the “engagement” didn’t last, but that’s a story for another time). <br /><br />I am also, eerily familiar with the protagonist’s actions to Islamize herself (instead of doing the hijab, I almost joined the Tablighi jamaat and was very active in the mosque) as a way to distinguish yourself and gain some clout in the school. During the program orientation, the protagonist learns about doing chores in the U.S. I faced a similar cultural shock when I had to first do chores in a shared apartment and eventually it became part of life. <br /><br />I am also familiar with the complex interplay between Hira’s parents and how they treated her, her mother acting as the voice of her father. There is subtle humor in there, some of it from Hira, some from her parents or other characters, often spontaneous. <br /><br />The TB diagnosis is hinted at, while she is still in Pakistan, but not fleshed out. From the description, it sounds like she got latent TB, which is quite common in Pakistan. I highly object to her line “flying emirates wasn’t ideal, British airlines would have been better” based on recent experience on both. I could empathize with her feelings when she arrives at her host parent’s house, “the gaping wideness of such distance, the impossibility of returning home on a whim”. I felt that when I first went to boarding school, hundreds of miles away from home, as a 13-year-old. <br /><br />Reading the book reminded me of my fresh-off-the-boat days as well, when I impulsively compared everything to ‘back home’. I never had to be in a locker-room in the US (or elsewhere) so I didn’t know the feeling of shame when people change clothes in front of you. During my boarding school days, we didn’t have a lot of places to do that so many of us will fold a towel around our waist before stripping down. Maybe not on my initial visits but since moving here, I have definitely met Americans who “could talk so much, and without such little reciprocation required”. <br /><br />The sneaky wine-discovery scene made me laugh out loud. Hira exclaims to her host sister, who had snuck some boxed red wine, “its not sweet”! My first wine tasting was in Turkey on a vineyard and I had similar feelings. And the “how is your English so good” comments still continue, more than six years since I moved here. I rarely answer those anymore, having tried in earnest at times, using sarcasm at other times. Hira’s little posse of exchange students at the high school and their amazement/disdain at the Americans reminded me of being in Texas for a visitor position at a cancer hospital. I met some Chinese exchange students there and we gathered more ‘foreigners’, having lunch together and all the translated gossip. <br /><br />There’s a bit about Hira opining that while there are no simple words like ‘I love you’ in Urdu to express love, “there are so many words, so many proofs — just no quotidian three-word ellipsis..”. While I agree that there are no direct comparisons, I personally think the idea of ‘romance’ in Urdu, specially in Urdu poetry (but also prose) is frequently what we now call ‘toxic’. But that’s another debate for another time. </p><p>Overall, the story flows well and the prose is easy to digest. The affect was bland. I did not like the book as much as Amna's previous work. Maybe because the book did not meet the high expectations set by the anticipation for the book. There will inevitably be rave reviews in "western" newspapers and magazines about the book, and I don't envy that. Good for her. <br /></p><p> </p><p><br /><br /><br /></p>Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-12501721058397981612023-08-23T10:02:00.003-07:002023-08-23T10:02:57.305-07:00I'm back<p>I haven't written/posted much for this space in the last 5 years. The last things I posted here were my recollections of being in the United States as a newbie, a fresh-off-the-boat guy who was searching for a residency position, his place in this country and perhaps his own identity. In the meanwhile, I did find a residency spot, I got married, I became a citizen of the United States, and most importantly, father to a beautiful boy. I started blogging in the early 2010s because I had a lot to say and I was undergoing a transformation in my life. I started off with this blog, moved on to Pak Tea House (which is not alive anymore), then to Dawn blogs, The Friday Times, rarely Pakistan Today, and eventually to The News and The Nation. Digital media is not considered very important in mainstream Pakistani newspapers, thus a simple domain name change can wipe off decades worth of archives. If you gooogle my name today with The News and Pakistan Today, for example, you won't be able to find my work that was published there in the early 2010s. The same happened with Lok Sujag's website. </p><p>I haven't lived in Pakistan for almost six years now, and even though I keep an eye on what is happening there in the political space, I don't have much to add. Years ago, my mentor and friend Wajahat Masood told me to avoid pontificating to "fellow countrymen" from abroad as much as possible. I took his advice to heart. I wrote occasional things in the past few years, some satirical pieces for 'The Dependent', a one-off thing for 'The News', some for 'Hum Sub' and occasional musings for 'Brown Pundits'. I still have a lot to say, but little time, with medical training and parenthood as major time-consumers. There are also few outlets for me to express my thoughts and ideas beside this blog. News media in Pakistan is constantly under threat and Brown Pundits is teeming with one-dimensional nationalists. So here it is, a second life for this space, as and when time allows. <br /></p>Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-8245587288201764652018-09-09T13:09:00.001-07:002018-09-13T16:36:12.588-07:00Facts are not always Facts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
(I originally wrote this piece for Viewpointonline.com in 2012)<br />
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Writing about history takes a certain amount of knowledge
and courage because non-partisanship has to be taken into account. Different
people have different opinions about events as they unfold. Early Muslim
Historians used to include narration of all the eye witnesses while writing
about any particular event. Ibn e Khaldun, the doyen of muslism historians,
postulated that history and historiography is a scientific method, and that
history does not have a religion or caste. <br />
<br />
Pakistan’s history is almost as complicated as the problems facing the country.
The official narrative built up the Pakistani establishment places Iqbal as the
dreamer of a separate nation for Muslims and Mr. Jinnah as the creator with
everyone else as a secondary character. Another view, taken up by some on the
Pakistani side, but originally espoused by Indian Establishment is that
Partition was a plot by the British to divide the Muslim and Hindu Communities.
This view encompasses the assumption that Muslims and Hindus never had a problem
in co-existence, Partition was due to Jinnah's apparent lust for power, and the
border between two countries needs to be erased. Some have even gone so far to
say claim that Pakistan 'is an artificial state' created as a Cold War proxy by
the West.<br />
<br />
<br />
A third, and most objective view(in my opinion) is presented by historians
including Dr.Ayesha Jalal and Zahid Chohdary which posits that Pakistan and
India were divided based on the power struggle between three factors: The
British, weakened significantly after the second world war; Congress, vying for
a leading role in post-british politics and Muslim League, aiming to safeguard
the rights of Muslims in India. <br />
<br />
A few weeks ago, on 23<sup>rd</sup> March, someone told me about the revelation
in Wali Khan’s book “Facts are Facts” about the Lahore Resolution being
composed by Sir Zafrulah Khan, under command of the British Viceroy. I wanted
to confirm that version of events which led me to find the real “fact”. <br />
<br />
<b>Following is the transcript from Wali Khan’s book “Facts are Facts”.<br />
</b>From Lord Linlithgo to Minister for Indian Affairs, Lord Zetland, on 12<sup>th</sup>
March, 1940.<br />
“Upon my instruction, Zafarullah wrote a memorandum on the subject, Two
Dominion States. I have already sent it to your attention. I have also asked
him for further clarification, which, he says, is forthcoming. He is anxious,
however, that no one should find out that he has prepared this plan. He has,
however, given me the right to do with it what I like, including sending a copy
to you. Copies have been passed on to Jinnah, and I think to Sir Akbar Hydari.
While he, Zafrullah, cannot admit its authorship, his document has been
prepared for the adoption by the Muslim League with a view to giving it the
fullest possibility”.<br />
<br />
<b>The actual letter, copy of which is present in the India Office Library is
present, contains the following words:<br />
</b>“I sent you by the last bag a copy of Zafrullah’s note on Dominion States,
which I remarked purported to be a statement of the position from the extremer
point of view. I introduced tat qualification because I had not at that time
had an opportunity of discussing its precise nature with him and certain of the
propositions contained in it, were they to appear formally under the name of a
Member of my council, might, I think have justified a description in those
terms. I asked him yesteday to put me a little more in the picture and he told
me that this is a first draft only; secondly that, provided he is protected on
that point and the paper is not used publicly, I may do what I like with it
including sending a copy to you; thirdly that copies have been passed to Jinnah
and I think Hydari; and fourthly that while he, Zafrullah cannot, of course,
admit its authorship, his document has been prepared for adoption by the Muslim
League with a view to its being given the fullest publicity. I cannot claim
even yet to have had time to absorb it fully and I would suspend my comment on
it until later. But it is a substantial and trenchant piece of work and I shall
be greatly interested in your reactions to it.” (Letter present at India Office
Library and Records, MSS EUR, F/125/9)<br />
<br />
There are many discrepencies with Mr.Wali Khan’s book, irrespective of his
political affiliations. <br />
Firsty,No reference to the letter found in the book regarding the letter, a
mistake that has been present in the whole book. This is not an isolated case
as most of Pakistani authors writing in English and Urdu rarely bother with the
tedious task of providing references or even a bibliography. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
Secondly, it is apparent that Wali Khan concocted words in the letter which is
the worst form of intellectual dishonesty. <br />
Then, Wali Khan did not even mention the actual note that Sir Zafarulla Khan
wrote, a 32 page proposal which was not a novelty at the time. In those days,
countless proposals about the future of United India were written by all and
sundry because of the visible lack of British Political strength due to the
ongoing world war. It is also worth noting that in that 32 page scheme hatched
by Sir Zafarulla, it is mentioned that “Implementation of the so-called
“Pakistan” Scheme would be a disaster because it involves transfer of huge
swaths of population. We can claim with authority that this scheme is
impossible to implement and it would only amount to trouble and disaster.”
(Zafrullah Kahn’s Note on Dominion Status; India Office Library and Records;
Linlithgow Papers).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
Furthermore, this fact has also been mentioned in Dr Ayesha Jalal’s book “The
Sole Spokesman” pages 55-56. It is mentioned that “In the note, Zarfullah was
looking for a constitutional scheme acceptable to Muslim opinion generally, He
considered three schemes. The first was the ‘Pakistan’ scheme which he swiftly
dismissed as ‘utterly impracticable’. The second, closest to the League Working
Committee’s brief, envisaged two Muslim federations, in the north-west and
north-east, ‘in direct relation with the crown’. Zafrullah’s note was seen by
Jinnah. It is reasonable to assume that the League’s constitutional
cub-committee also considered it, and the Lahore resolution bears some marks of
this note.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
It is interesting to note that after publication of Wali Khan’s book in mid-80s,
a less-known rebuttal was written by Ikram Ali Malik in 1990, titled “Truth is
Truth” published by Book Services Publishers in Lahore. <br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-35464156315766828702018-03-30T08:56:00.000-07:002018-03-30T08:56:06.690-07:00What would ‘secularism’ mean in Pakistan?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In his inaugural address to the Constituent assembly of Pakistan, Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah proclaimed, “You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State”. It was a vision of a state where religious practice is entirely separated from the functions of state – as enunciated by the man who almost singlehandedly brought that state into existence. Mr. Jinnah knew that a clear majority of people in Pakistan at the time were Muslims. He was also well aware of the fact that almost a quarter of Pakistan’s citizens (at that time in history) belonged to various non-Muslim faiths.</div>
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<b><span class="_4yxo">Changed contours </span></b></div>
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<span class="_4yxo"> </span></div>
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Over the years, the contours of Pakistan changed, geographically and demographically. According to the latest estimates, an overwhelming majority of Pakistan’s citizens are Muslims. This has led many to question whether secularism is a viable option for a polity that belongs to a particular religion.</div>
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<b><span class="_4yxo">Secularism is not atheism</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="_4yxo"> </span></b></div>
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Secularism as an idea has taken some beating in the Land of Pure. It is associated with atheism, debauchery and lawlessness. However, secularism, as a political ideology has nothing to do with a particular religion. It is true that secularism arose out of the Enlightenment in Europe as a counter to Papal theocracy. It evolved into different shapes based on geography thereafter. The French version of secularism (with its basis in the concept of Laïcité) is profoundly different from the constitutionally mandated secularism in India, Turkey and the United States. The charge that secularism is akin to atheism is frequently thrown by religious commentators in Pakistan. As a result, the popular narrative in Pakistan is that secularism means going against religion (Islam) which can be a dangerous notion for anyone claiming to be secularist. This misinterpretation was done with an aim to close the debate altogether about system of governance.</div>
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The challenge for proponents of secularism in Pakistan is to demonstrate how a Muslim-majority country that was conceived to be a place specifically designed to be a ‘laboratory of Islam’ would function as a secular country. </div>
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</div>
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<b><span class="_4yxo">Secularism in Pakistan - a neutral state promotes coexistence</span></b></div>
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<span class="_4yxo"> </span></div>
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Secularism, in my opinion, would mean coexistence, tolerance and a confessionally neutral state in a multicultural society such as Pakistan. Even within Islam, there are different strains of thought. In fact, sectarian conflicts within Islam over the last three decades are only one of the reasons as to why a neutral state is required to mediate the different schools of thought and the conflicts that arise from within.</div>
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Moreover, Pakistan still is home to millions of people who are non-Muslim. Biased policymaking and intolerant jurisprudence has made the lives of these minorities a living hell. In the age of modern technology, people in Pakistan are still arguing over interpretation of religious texts and killing each other over it. The state has abdicated its responsibility towards Hazaras, Ahmedis, Christians and Hindus. The only way we can protect the minorities and establish a rule of law is in the presence of a neutral state.</div>
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What needs to be understood is that the opposite of secularism is theocracy, in which religious figures control the reins of government. In countries with diverse populations, the rule of one faction over the other leads to brutality and in some cases, genocide. One of the major examples of this trend can be seen in Myanmar where Buddhist monks have aligned with the ruling government to wreak havoc on Rohingya Muslims.</div>
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<b><span class="_4yxo">In Pakistan, secularism would mean respect for existing religious identities</span></b></div>
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<span class="_4yxo"> </span></div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa">
In a country like Pakistan, secularism would not mean erasing religious identities but a respect for existing identities and no efforts by the state to impose its version of faith on its citizens. The first attempt at reversing Mr. Jinnah’s secular message was the passage of Objectives Resolution in 1949 that foreshadowed an Islamization of Pakistan’s constitution. In the 1973 constitution, the resolution was kept as a preamble but a dictator (General Zia) made it part of the main text.</div>
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The importance of secularism for Pakistan can be understood by the way it has been opposed – tooth and nail – by the religious lobby since the very first day of Pakistan’s establishment. The poorly-constructed Nazriya-e-Pakistan (Ideology of Pakistan) was supposed to put Islam at the center of our politics. Currently, with exception of Jamaat-e-Islami and some factions of Imran Khan’s PTI, no major political party is willing to defend the ‘Nazriya’ as Zia defined it – and the sooner such a poorly thought-out concept is consigned to the dustbin of history, the better.</div>
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Pakistan deserves a secular, constitutional democracy, instead of a narrow-minded Mullah-cracy.</div>
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Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-76880841668895324092018-03-22T11:34:00.003-07:002018-03-22T11:35:02.567-07:00Guide for students taking USMLEs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Most people who pass the
USMLEs and guide other people talk about study resources, daily schedules,
importance of xyz things in a CV and a host of other things. I took the USMLEs
and was not a high-scorer. But I learnt more than a few thigs down this path
that I think could be useful for potential USMLE candidates. Here are some of
them. <br />
<br />
<br />
You develop a daily routine and follow it as best as you humanly can. It is
hard. You have good days and bad. You hope that the good days would outnumber
the bad ones. It is, in the end, a numbers’ game. Every hour in the library (or
your room) that you spend, adds to your preparation, unless you end up watching
YouTube videos of cats or go on a Daily Show binge (or both). You learn how to
spend most of your waking hours sitting in front of a computer. You get
addicted to coffee, tea or whatever drug keeps you alert. You start losing
hair, gaining weight, having headaches and backaches. USMLE is not just an exam
of your knowledge, it is as much an exam of your patience, your stamina, your
confidence. Your best friends in this ‘Brave New World’ are a book named First
Aid and a software named U-World. No parties for you, no casual hangouts,
family functions, holidays, weekends, nothing. You’ll have to befriend
solitude. You start thinking about what you are missing out on, and what you’d
like to do once it’s over. You’ll learn new words over the course of this
journey, words like NBME, ECFMG, CMS, CCS, Prometric, NRMP etc. Try not to
underestimate your enemy (the exam), you will have to be sharp to tackle the
challenge. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.0pt;">I read somewhere that
‘re-education’ is tougher than ‘education’ itself and that is what you do in the
course of preparation: unlearn what you’ve learnt before, add new information
and then learn how to use that new info in real-life scenarios. You need a
one-track mind, a state of commitment far superior to undergrad education, to
go through all of this. The state of affairs drives even the most stable people,
a bit crazy. No one can understand what you are going through, except the
people who have crossed this river of fire. During the course of preparing for
steps myself, I discovered a newfound respect for people who voluntarily go
through this grueling process. It is not impossible and thousands of people
across the world do it. Just beware that this endeavor is going to consume a lot
of mental and physical energy. You do emerge as a better doctor (and hopefully,
a better human) after this. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.0pt;">The whole process though, is
hard to explain to your parents, your siblings, your spouse, your friends, your
co-workers, what you are actually doing. There is an exam which you are
preparing for, but what happens after that? Oh, there’s another one. And after
that? There’s more. Right, so you’ll get a job after passing all of these? Not
really. There is a ‘match process’ and it’s a 50/50 chance at best. The odds
are not in your favor and after explaining this sequence for the 50<sup>th</sup>
time, you start doubting your own self. There would be naysayers, people who
will try to scare you, telling you how this is an uphill battle, that you’d be
competing with people from all over the world. But this is as much a battle
with yourself as it is with the rest of the world. You have to wake up each day
with the attitude that you’re going to win today. They’ll always give you
examples of people who either left the quest midway or faced issues after they
were done with steps. They’ll never tell you the success stories, stories of
people who survived despite the odds, the courageous lot, the go-getters. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.0pt;">The toughest thing about
USMLE I found was the fact that I had to choose the exam date myself. It means
taking the exam when you have optimal preparation. But can you ever have
optimal preparation? How can you tell when you are ready? To tackle this
question, you have to choose the time of the exam wisely. Too soon and you’ll
be underprepared, too late and you’ll get lax. You can always delay the exam (at
a certain cost) which is another thing that tugs at your heartstrings. It gives
you a false sense of security. This is the real battle for USMLE, not the exam
itself. What most people do is to plan ahead and take the date when they feel
they are at the peak of their preparation. It works for some people, it doesn’t
work for others. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.0pt;">What should be the sequence
of Steps? Step 1 first or 2? When to take CS? There is no fixed guideline for
that. However, you should start mentally preparing yourself sometime before you
start the actual preparation. In my personal view (and you can choose to ignore
it), if you think you are good in basic sciences, try taking step 1 during
final year (while preparing for it during 4<sup>th</sup> year). It is probably
the best time to take step 1. It doesn’t mean you can’t take it and ace it
later. If you think you really liked medicine, surgery and Gynae, take step 2
CK soon after final year. This is an ideal situation and human beings are not
ideal. If you can’t take it during these times, prepare later but it will
require more effort, as late as you take them after Final year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.0pt;">One should not forget the
financial cost of the exam. Just the exam fee for Step 1, 2 CK and 2 CS is about
4 lac rupees. The cost of U-world for different steps also gets higher than 1.5
lacs. For CS you need to visit the US and the lowest ticket cost is about 80
thousand rupees. If you stay in the US, the cost of staying here every month
ranges from 700-1000 Dollars. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.0pt;">The Exam itself is
fascinating. After preparing for six months to a year, you finally enter the
exam room and you take that damn test. I wish I had the words to describe the
sweet feeling that descends upon you when you start attempting the test. Just
being there, after all those hours you put in, all the revisions, all the good
things in life that you missed out on, all the friendships that were affected,
the grind of it all, you make it to the final stretch. The exam is grueling, no
doubt about that. I have a theory that at least 50% of your final score depends
on your test day performance (the rest on your prior preparation). You could
have every single word written in First Aid and UW on your fingertips and you
can still score less than expected. Just wish that you don’t have a bad day and
that you perform according to your preparation. There would be times during the
test that you’d be amazed at how easy some things are and within the next 5
minutes, you may be kicking yourself for taking it too lightly (because they’ll
ask you something totally ridiculous). Overall, it is a well-structured exam
with much higher standard than the UHS or FCPS, both of whom I’ve suffered over
the years. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.0pt;">To decrease the misery a bit,
people rely on SPs or study partners. There are Facebook groups and WhatsApp
groups and a gazillion other things like that which you’ll encounter during the
process. It works for some people, it doesn’t work for some. Choose what suits
you. You’ll find all sorts of people during this journey. Some you’ll forget,
some you’ll form life-long friendships with, some you’ll want to get away from
faster than the speed of light. There is no hard and fast rules when you are
preparing. Anyone that you’ll talk to, for advice, will give you their personal
experience, which would be unique in each case. So be careful when seeking
advice. Try to ask people whom you trust. Don’t use too many resources (unless
you are absolutely comfortable), they’ll overwhelm you at the end. There is one
thing though, every step is tougher than the previous one (with an exception of
Step 2 CS). Remember one thing at the end though (for Steps and otherwise): the
world is not a fair place, don’t expect it to be one either. Do your best and
leave the rest to fate. Fight for every Inch. But if you don’t get that inch,
be gracious in defeat. Use it to your advantage. Best of Luck. You’ll need it. </span></div>
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Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-17666635393741211092018-03-22T11:33:00.000-07:002018-03-22T11:33:10.000-07:00On the Objectives Resolution <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The creation of Pakistan was a culmination of the ‘Indian Muslim National Project’ that was started by Muslim Elites primarily based in UP. It was bound to be a country where religion took center stage in the political arena. Led by a charismatic, populist British lawyer, All India Muslim League was a hotchpotch of landed gentry and titled aristocracy. The Second World War paved the way for an early exit by the British and handed a historic chance to Indian leaders to decide their destiny. It is difficult to predict if a ‘United India’ would have survived for some time in the absence of British interlocutors since fratricide and ethnic cleansing in Potohar had started much before the actual partition. The Muslim Elite (Ashraf) that founded Pakistan decided that the country would be an ideological state, the ideology was chosen to be Islam. Not because the elite overwhelmingly consisted of Islamists (with a few exceptions) but because religion is an easy way to manipulate people. The Khilafat movement had provided a glimpse of what mixing religion and politics could achieve and Muslim Leaguers were well-aware of its power, which is why they used the ‘Islam in Danger’ card during the 1945 election.<br /><br />
<span id="more-2805"></span>Objectives Resolution was the foundation on which this building was to be erected. It was presented a few months after Mr. Jinnah had passed away so minimal opposition was expected. It was the first effort of its kind among the newly established Muslim-majority nation states. One could argue that even if the Objectives Resolution was not passed when it was, situation in Pakistan would have been similar to what it is today. I completely agree with this sentiment but now that we have a starting point, we should examine what happened there and if it would have been possible somewhere along the line to course-correct. There are more reasons than one to explain Pakistani society’s ‘right-ward’ turn including Islamisation from the top, financial requirements (we always needed Dollars or Riyals in absence of a proper industrial base) and opposition to a ‘Hindu’ India. One factor that is implored much less is what I call ‘de-novo Islamisation’, i.e. Islamisation from below, by Islamic organizations in different guises. Outside of big cities such as Karachi, Pakistanis were always religious and conservative. It didn’t occur with Zia and Objectives Resolution before him. I fail to explain why ‘modernization’ has only been tried under military dictators while most politicians (despite being secular in private) turned religious in public, once they were in power. Anyhow, I wanted to plug a two-part commentary I wrote on the proceedings of Constituent Assembly following the presentation of Objectives Resolution by Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan.<br /><br />
<div class="entry-content">
The creation of Pakistan was a culmination of the ‘Indian Muslim National Project’ that was started by Muslim Elites primarily based in UP. It was bound to be a country where religion took center stage in the political arena. Led by a charismatic, populist British lawyer, All India Muslim League was a hotchpotch of landed gentry and titled aristocracy. The Second World War paved the way for an early exit by the British and handed a historic chance to Indian leaders to decide their destiny. It is difficult to predict if a ‘United India’ would have survived for some time in the absence of British interlocutors since fratricide and ethnic cleansing in Potohar had started much before the actual partition. The Muslim Elite (Ashraf) that founded Pakistan decided that the country would be an ideological state, the ideology was chosen to be Islam. Not because the elite overwhelmingly consisted of Islamists (with a few exceptions) but because religion is an easy way to manipulate people. The Khilafat movement had provided a glimpse of what mixing religion and politics could achieve and Muslim Leaguers were well-aware of its power, which is why they used the ‘Islam in Danger’ card during the 1945 election.<br />
<span id="more-2805"></span>Objectives Resolution was the foundation on which this building was to be erected. It was presented a few months after Mr. Jinnah had passed away so minimal opposition was expected. It was the first effort of its kind among the newly established Muslim-majority nation states. One could argue that even if the Objectives Resolution was not passed when it was, situation in Pakistan would have been similar to what it is today. I completely agree with this sentiment but now that we have a starting point, we should examine what happened there and if it would have been possible somewhere along the line to course-correct. There are more reasons than one to explain Pakistani society’s ‘right-ward’ turn including Islamisation from the top, financial requirements (we always needed Dollars or Riyals in absence of a proper industrial base) and opposition to a ‘Hindu’ India. One factor that is implored much less is what I call ‘de-novo Islamisation’, i.e. Islamisation from below, by Islamic organizations in different guises. Outside of big cities such as Karachi, Pakistanis were always religious and conservative. It didn’t occur with Zia and Objectives Resolution before him. I fail to explain why ‘modernization’ has only been tried under military dictators while most politicians (despite being secular in private) turned religious in public, once they were in power. Anyhow, I wanted to plug a two-part commentary I wrote on the proceedings of Constituent Assembly following the presentation of Objectives Resolution by Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan.<br />
<a href="http://dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/03-Jul-17/objectives-resolution-i">Objectives resolution, Part 1:</a> http://dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/03-Jul-17/objectives-resolution-i<br />
<br />Excerpts in Italics..<br />
<em>In this milieu, Objectives Resolution was a pioneering effort to define and crystallise Muslim Nationalism and an effort to ‘Islamise’ the society. This effort naturally faced opposition from members of the assembly who didn’t belong to the Muslim faith and were not enthused by the wording of this resolution. The debates that took place foreshadowed discussions about the Islamist-secular dichotomy as well as the status of minorities in a Muslim-majority society and role of religion in a society that had barely recovered from the shock of a violent partition based on religious affinity.<br /></em><br />
<a href="http://dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/06-Jul-17/objectives-resolution-ii">Objectives Resolution, Part 2: </a>http://dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/06-Jul-17/objectives-resolution-ii<br />
<em><br />Following is a concise account of the reaction that the Resolution garnered among members of the Assembly.</em><br />
<em>Bhupendra Kumar Datta said that if this Resolution is approved, it will open the door to political adventurers such as Yuan Shikai (Chinese General who attempted restoration of monarchy while crowning himself the Emperor) or Bacha Sakka (Habibullah Kalakani, an Afghan warrior who briefly became the King).</em><br />
<em>He warned against the deification of the state, citing Nazi Germany as an example. He delineated the core problem of mixing religion and politics as: “All our religious scriptures are subject to different interpretations by different theologians and divines. It, therefore, becomes a difficult matter when you speak of those ‘limits’ prescribed by the Almighty.”</em><br />
<em>Prem Hari Barma said: “The Objectives Resolution is not meant only for Muslims but it is intended for non-Muslims of Pakistan also. If the Honourable Mover has in his mind any limitations stated in the Holy Quran or any other scripture of Islam, then those limitations are known to Muslims only”.</em><br />
<em>Kamini Kumar Datta said: “Though supreme sovereignty rests in God, God doesn’t rule directly. The people have to exercise the right of sovereignty through its chosen representatives.” He demanded an explanation of the concept of Zimmis and the status of minorities in Pakistan.</em><br />
<em>Other members of the assembly suggested different amendments to the Resolution. Dr Ishtiaq Husain Qureshi, Pakistan’s first Education Minister, defended the Resolution. He rejected the theory that faith and politics belong to different spheres of life.</em><br />
<em>Maulana Shabbir Ahmed Usmani, a cleric with a dubious past, said in his speech: “It should not dismay us if we are branded as conservatives and reactionaries. We should try to unravel the tangled skein in the spirit of a seeker after truth”.</em><br />
<em>He went on to proclaim that “the Islamic state was the first political institution in the world which abolished imperialism and installed a caliph elected by the people in place of a king”.</em><br />
<em>He further elaborated upon his idea of an Islamic state as “a state which is run on the exalted and excellent principles of Islam. People who do not subscribe to those ideas may have a place in the administrative machinery of the state but they cannot be entrusted with the responsibility of framing the general policy of the state or dealing with matters vital to its safety and integrity”.</em><br />
..<br />
<em>The penultimate speech was delivered by leader of the opposition, Sri Chandra Chattopadhyaya, who warned the ruling party in no uncertain terms what the future held for the country if the Resolution was passed without amendments.</em><br />
<em>His advice fell on deaf ears and all amendments were rejected by the Assembly. Pakistan officially took its first step towards becoming an ‘Islamic state’ on 12th March, 1949. The rest is history.<br /></em><br />
Thoughts welcome!</div>
</div>
Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-66642365761195276732018-03-22T11:20:00.000-07:002018-03-22T11:20:15.044-07:00Story of Communism in Pakistan <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="ba3d" name="ba3d">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Yeh fasal umeedon ki hamdam,</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="b396" name="b396">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Iss baar bhi ghaarat jaye gi,</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="bfb7" name="bfb7">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Sab mehnat subhon shaamon ki,</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="ce29" name="ce29">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Ab kay bhi akaarat jaye gi</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="ef63" name="ef63">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">(This crop of aspirations</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="06c5" name="06c5">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">will be ruined once again,</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="17df" name="17df">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">the toil of day and night</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="85d8" name="85d8">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">will be wasted another time.)</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="fff8" name="fff8">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">(Faiz, Montgomery Jail, 1955)</em></div>
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<figcaption class="imageCaption">The view from jail</figcaption></figure><div class="graf graf--p graf-after--figure" data-scroll="native" id="06c2" name="06c2">
The year 2007 was eventful in Pakistan’s recent history. Political upheaval coupled with a rise in terrorism and a lawyers’ movement for the restoration of the judiciary gripped the country for most of the year. Musharraf, the military dictator, had forcibly removed the Chief Justice of Pakistan — sparking a movement led by lawyers across the country. Amidst all this kerfuffle arose a new band called ‘Laal’ with their song ‘Umeed e Seher’ (Hope for a new Dawn). The song became a sort of anthem for the lawyers’ movement alongside slogans against military dictatorship. The song was based on a poem written by Pakistan’s foremost progressive poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz and the band consisted of young academics who openly declared themselves Marxists. One of the band members was the General Secretary of a Communist Party in Pakistan. A communist party in Pakistan? That seems like an oxymoron, does it not?</div>
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<figcaption class="imageCaption">Laal performs in Karachi, Pakistan. Lead singer Shahram Azhar and guitarist Taimur Rahman take a curtain call with key leaders of Pakistan’s lawyers’ movement, Ali Ahmed Kurd (left) and Aitzaz Ahsan. (Source: Nighat Chaudhry/for NPR)</figcaption></figure><div class="graf graf--p graf-after--figure" data-scroll="native" id="bd0f" name="bd0f">
Today, the international media has no space for stories that contradict the dominant narrative of Pakistan as a fountainhead of extremism. In order to understand the current trajectory of Pakistan, it is imperative to discover the alternative discourse that existed in the days gone by. While it is an established fact that the All India Muslim League played a pivotal role in the movement that led to the 1947 Partition of India, the contributions of the Communist Party of India are often neglected in this regard. The Communist Party of India (CPI) was established in the third decade of the twentieth century. Initially, the CPI aligned itself with the progressive section within the Indian National Congress consisting of people such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Bose and Jayprakash Narayan. CPI adopted a ‘United Front’ tactic and sought positions within the structure of Congress. This relationship remained intact till the Second World War (WWII).<br /></div>
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In 1942, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) met in Bombay and passed a resolution condemning the British involvement in the war. All communist members of AICC voted against the resolution because the Soviet Union had entered the war by that time. This was a momentary divorce between the two parties and CPI sought other allies in their anti-fascist stance against Germany. By that time, the Muslim League had decided to support the British government’s war effort and proposed the formation of ‘Pakistan’, consisting of the Muslim-majority areas in British India. The British government and the Muslim League were the unlikely ideological partners that the CPI decided to support. In 1942, the CPI held a meeting of its central committee during which G.M. Adhikari presented a resolution indirectly endorsing the idea of ‘Pakistan’. Adhikari viewed Muslim nationalism as a reflection of uneven development of the bourgeoisie amongst the Muslim masses in British India. In an article published in the CPI’s Urdu newspaper Qaumi Jang, Sajjad Zaheer (member of CPI’s central committee) praised the Muslim League faction in Sindh for pursuing progressive politics.<br /></div>
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The Muslim League never enjoyed electoral success in the province of Punjab before Partition and the Muslim-majority province voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Unionist Party that ruled the province during the years 1936–1946. Before the 1946 elections, the CPI asked Muslim communists based in Punjab (including Mian Iftikharuddin, Daniyal Latifi and Abdullah Malik) to support the Muslim League in their electoral efforts. There was, however, a reversal in the CPI’s support to the Muslim League in later part of 1946, due to a change in the Soviet attitude towards such ‘liberation’. Sajjad Zaheer then wrote an article criticising the Muslim League’s strong-arm tactics such as the call for ‘Direct Action Day’. During the Partition of India in 1947, the CPI failed to have any significant impact on the larger political stage and the ensuing violence.</div>
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<figcaption class="imageCaption">Sajjad Zaheer</figcaption></figure><figure class="graf graf--figure graf-after--figure" data-scroll="native" id="5b3a" name="5b3a"></figure><figure class="graf graf--figure graf-after--figure" data-scroll="native" id="5b3a" name="5b3a"><div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked" style="max-height: 480px; max-width: 640px;">
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<figcaption class="imageCaption">Mian Iftikharuddin</figcaption></figure><figure class="graf graf--figure graf-after--figure" data-scroll="native" id="6780" name="6780"></figure><figure class="graf graf--figure graf-after--figure" data-scroll="native" id="6780" name="6780"><div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked" style="max-height: 379px; max-width: 352px;">
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<figcaption class="imageCaption">Daniyal Latifi</figcaption></figure><figure class="graf graf--figure graf-after--figure" data-scroll="native" id="89a9" name="89a9"></figure><figure class="graf graf--figure graf-after--figure" data-scroll="native" id="89a9" name="89a9"><div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked" style="max-height: 225px; max-width: 160px;">
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<figcaption class="imageCaption">Abdullah Malik</figcaption></figure><figure class="graf graf--figure graf-after--figure" data-scroll="native" id="aaff" name="aaff"></figure><figure class="graf graf--figure graf-after--figure" data-scroll="native" id="aaff" name="aaff"><div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked" style="max-height: 275px; max-width: 543px;">
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<figcaption class="imageCaption">Faiz Ahmad Faiz with jailmate Sajjad Zaheer</figcaption></figure><div class="graf graf--p graf-after--figure" data-scroll="native" id="e509" name="e509">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Ye daag daag ujaalaa, Ye shab gaziidaa sahar</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="541a" name="541a">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Wo Intazaar thaa jiskaa, Ye wo sahar to nahi(n)</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="2b20" name="2b20">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Ye wo sahar to nahii Jiskii aarazuu le kar</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="4f9f" name="4f9f">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Chale the Yaar kay mil jaaye gi kahi(n) na kahi(n)</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="6b3e" name="6b3e">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">(This blood stained light, this dark-stained dawn,</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="b3b2" name="b3b2">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">this is not the destiny we were waiting for.</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="b917" name="b917">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">This is not the Destination towards which</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="f758" name="f758">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">we travelled in hope and anticipation.)</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="a37a" name="a37a">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Faiz, “Subhe Azadi”, August 1947.<br /></em></div>
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In the year 1932, Urdu’s literary landscape was jolted by the publication of a collection of short stories aptly titled ‘Angaaray’ (Embers). The topics covered in the stories included gender, sexuality, women’s rights and a critique of religion alongside traditional Indian customs. The publication of this book divided the Urdu literati in two camps. On one side were the naturalists or people who favoured “Art for art’s sake” while the other side believed in “Art for humanity’s sake”. The second group, composed mainly of Marxist Indian students and aspiring writers, formed the All India Progressive Writers Association. Their manifesto was first published in February 1935 in Left Review and the Hindi translation in October 1935. From its inception, the movement had a core group of committed communists but its larger membership was not limited by political ideology. Writers and poets focusing on the miseries of the proletariat and mocking the bourgeoisie and ruling classes joined the movement during that period. The movement was not an offshoot of the CPI but worked closely with the communist party.<br /></div>
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Sajjad Zaheer was one of the Indian students at Oxford who became a founding member of the Progressive Writers Movement. He described the movement in the following words: “We can only call that literature successful, that knowledge true knowledge, that art real art, which benefits the tree of humanity, which soldiers against capitalist violence and oppression and is a blessing for the working class.”<br /></div>
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After the Partition of India, progressive writers who were based in areas that became Pakistan and those who migrated from India formed the All Pakistan Progressive Writers Association. There was no official presence of the CPI in Pakistan but APPWA worked as a cultural representative of left-wing politics in Pakistan. A new manifesto for writers was issued by the CPI which declared that all writers had to take sides in this new battlefield between the people and the ruling elite; neutrality was not an option. In the post-Partition era, debates about the future of Pakistan were going on in political and cultural spheres.To quote Saadia Toor, “one of the most pitched political/ideological battles of the post-independence period was conducted between two literary camps — the left-wing members of Progressive Writers Association and their liberal anti-communist detractors.”<br /></div>
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The liberal writers considered themselves first and foremost as patriots who were committed to putting their energies and talents in service of their new nation-state. They defined this project of nation-building as being incompatible with the socialism and anti-imperialism of Progressives. The Progressives went on the offensive and boycotted writers who deviated even slightly from ‘party policy’. This led to them ostracizing luminaries such as Manto and Noon Meem Rashid. These writers were denied any space in the magazines and newspapers controlled by Progressives. In a 1984 interview, Faiz Ahmad Faiz decried the ‘extremism’ that had gripped the PWA in the early post-Partition years. Faiz was never formally a part of the PWA or Communist Party.<br /></div>
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Manto wrote a scathing critique of the Progressive Writers Association and its admirers in one of his essays titled “Jayb-e-Kafan”. He wrote, “What kind of progressives are they, when all they advocate is regressive. Why does their ‘redness’ point towards darkness? How can they be friend of the proletariat when they urge working classes to demand their due rights before starting work? I can’t seem to fathom their innovations through which they want to turn the Ghazal into a machine and a machine into Ghazal. I was fed up of their ever increasing manifestos, their lengthy resolutions. Most of their statements arrived from Kremlin through Mumbai and reached McLeod Road (in Lahore). All they care is what this Russian writer wrote or what that Russian intellectual prophesized. I was frustrated on realizing that these people don’t talk about the land we inhabit. If we have stopped producing intellectuals, is becoming a ‘Red’ the only antidote to this malady?”</div>
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</figure><div class="graf graf--p graf-after--figure" data-scroll="native" id="b561" name="b561">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Wo Baat Saray Fasanay Main Jiska Zikr Na tha</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="82e3" name="82e3">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Wo baat unhain bohat Na-gawar guzri hai.</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="a8f2" name="a8f2">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">(The issue that was not even mentioned in the story</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="c0d6" name="c0d6">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">has bothered them the most).</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" data-scroll="native" id="ceff" name="ceff">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">(Faiz, 1951)<br /></em></div>
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In the second post-Partition CPI congress held in Calcutta, three people represented West Pakistan and 32 people represented East Bengal (later named East Pakistan). After the main congress, the Pakistani delegates convened and held the first meeting of a ‘Communist Party of Pakistan’. Sajjad Zaheer was chosen as the General Secretary. Sajjad Zaheer and two other people migrated to Pakistan to run the day-to-day affairs of the new party. After independence, only 1% of Pakistan’s population was working in industry and among those, only 25% were unionized. Apart from engaging in debates about the future direction of Pakistan via the Progressive Writers, the Communist Party of Pakistan motivated labourers to unionize. By 1950, almost 150 unions had been created in East and West Pakistan. Under the party’s tutelage, a Civil Liberties Union, a Peace Committee, a Women’s Democratic Union and a Democratic Youth League were also formed.<br /></div>
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Among students, left-leaning students had formed the Democratic Students Federation (DSF) in Karachi and Rawalpindi. While the party didn’t gain enough mass appeal, it focussed on particular areas to conserve its limited resources. Soon after Partition, Pakistan had sent irregular troops into Kashmir but the mission had been aborted after the Raja acceded to India. An adventurous veteran of the first Kashmir war, Major-General Akbar Khan, talked to some people — including the top brass of the Communist Party of Pakistan — about a possible plan to overthrow the government and attack Kashmir again. This foolhardy plan was unanimously rejected by the Communist Party of Pakistan.</div>
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But the matter was not to end there, given the Cold War environment.<br /></div>
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Following the Second World War, the world was divided into Capitalist and Communist camps led by the United States and the Soviet Union respectively. After Partition, Pakistan was looking for a benefactor to aid its economy and armed forces. A witch hunt was taking place in the United States against communists in Hollywood and the intelligentsia through the House Un-American Activities Committee and Jospeh McCarthy. In an effort to ingratiate themselves with the Americans, Pakistani authorities (in full know of General Akbar’s plan) arrested the General, some other military officers, the top brass of the Communist Party of Pakistan and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. This case became famous as the ‘Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case’. All of the accused were sent to jail but were released after serving less than their sentence. In 1954, Pakistan finally signed a Mutual Defence Pact with the United States. The Communist Party of Pakistan was officially banned in the following month. The Democratic Students Federation was also banned.<br /></div>
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Sajjad Zaheer left Pakistan after getting released from jail in 1955. In the absence of a communist leadership, many political activists from the party formed the National Awami Party (NAP) in the 1950s. Students formerly in the DSF joined a new student organization called the National Students Federation (NSF). NAP consisted of political heavyweights from East and West Pakistan. The party opposed Ayub Khan’s martial law in 1958 and supported opposition candidate Fatima Jinnah in the presidential elections held in 1965. After leaving Ayub’s cabinet in the aftermath of the Taskent Agreement with India and before forming his own party, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto wanted to join NAP. Mr. Bhutto was deterred by the fact that the party was not willing to accept him as a ‘leader’ without first coming through the party’s ranks.<br /></div>
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NAP split into pro-Moscow and pro-Beijing factions in 1965. The pro-Beijing faction further split and Major Ishaq alongside Afzal Bangash formed the Mazdoor Kissan Party (MKP) — a party of Maoist leanings that fought against entrenched landlordism in Hashtnagar, which is part of today’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Many left-wing ideologues, meanwhile, also joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founded by Mr. Bhutto and were a vital part of the party. In the 1970s, Pakistan needed benefactors beyond the United States and Mr. Bhutto started envisioning himself as the leader of the ‘Islamic world’. Left-wing ideologues in the PPP were tortured, jailed and abandoned as a result of this paradigm shift. The Progressive Writers Movement failed to have much impact on the literary scene beyond the initial years and wilted completely during the oppressive Islamisation under Zia’s dictatorship. Women’s rights organizations that started in the 1970s consisted of women with mostly left-wing worldviews. The only mainstream left-wing party working in Pakistan is the Awami Workers Party, a coalition of three leftist parties.The Lawyers’ Movement was hijacked in the later stages by right-wing parties and the Chief Justice was only restored after intervention of the military establishment.<br /></div>
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The demise of Pakistan’s left has been blamed on many factors, including but not limited to the lack of an industrial base in the country. A former member of the party joked that when the Communist Party didn’t find industrial workers, they started recruiting railway workers (who were government employees). Another frequent criticism is the lack of adaptability shown towards local conditions and political economy while preaching ‘class war’ to people. Despite all these factors, there is still political space for progressive parties with workable ideas. After all, as Faiz would have reminded us, this stained dawn is not what we were waiting for!</div>
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Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-34975610842731361632018-01-02T14:25:00.002-08:002018-01-02T14:25:50.555-08:00Using Public Transport to Reach Galveston from Houston and Back<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">I am a fervent believer in public transport (mostly because I don't own a car and Uber/Lyft is untenable over long distances). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Getting from Houston to Galveston (distance ~ 75 miles) was a challenge that I faced for the first time in June 2017 as I wanted to visit UTMB (University of Texas Medical Branch) on the island. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I looked online for multiple solutions and eventually carved my own path. The biggest challenge at that time was the lack of a direct bus service connecting the two places. There were buses that went from Houston to Bay Area and there were buses that went from near Bay Area to Galveston but you had to traverse the intervening distance yourself. Now, there is a service that promises a direct transfer between the two cities. I want to list the two options that one might take while traveling between Houston and Galveston. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">ROUTE 1: The Direct Route (Island Express)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This service was supposed to start in August 2017 but due to Hurricane Harvey, there was a significant delay in commencing the route. Much like the 'indirect' route, this one involves changing buses, but not stations. This route combines route 249 and 246 (Houston Downtown-Bay Area Park and Ride) with a direct bus from Bay Area Park and Ride to Downtown Galveston. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The official web page for this route can be accessed <a href="http://galvestontx.gov/895/Island-Express---HoustonGalveston-Connec">here</a> (http://galvestontx.gov/895/Island-Express---HoustonGalveston-Connec). There are three times on which the buses depart the island and three different timings for buses arriving on the island. Despite the relative comfort it provides, there are numerous pitfalls to this plan. It is however, a cheaper plan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">(i) TIME </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You have to wait up to 3-3.5 hours to traverse a distance of 70 miles (which takes anywhere from an hour to ninety minutes depending on traffic on a car). So in order to make this journey, you need ample amount of time with zero flexibility, at least on the Bay Area-Galveston route (since 246/249 run almost every hour from Houston). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">(ii) CASH</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The buses to/from Galveston only accept Cash so you better have $4.50 in hand. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">(iii) LACK OF CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">One day I wanted to catch a bus to Houston from Downtown Galveston (I had a dinner to attend that night in Houston). I couldn't figure out where the bus is going to depart from and the number given on the brochure wasn't responding. I tried asking two different bus drivers and they gave me opposite directions. I missed that bus but eventually made it to Houston using the indirect route. For future reference, the bus leaves from the Strand bus-stop (which is the main bus stop for all local Galveston buses). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">(iv) AFTERNOON?<br />The Afternoon service from Galveston leaves at 11:04 am (which is technically not 'Afternoon') and there is no service between then and 4:48 pm. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A screenshot of the timings, just in case. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5x6mtNg_OSXiShw1voxUCjWdPF8mhbrw-KmKm0qwsHbN4kjDDk3Tj_QczzWhQlJ8ZuHTUKBjSEhVxJnbCijlevu7nStJyRSUsNBNKvw7C9dO7oe7mi6k9YyFNR0fDcVaFXto5xPgo7RfS/s1600/Houston-Galveston.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="348" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5x6mtNg_OSXiShw1voxUCjWdPF8mhbrw-KmKm0qwsHbN4kjDDk3Tj_QczzWhQlJ8ZuHTUKBjSEhVxJnbCijlevu7nStJyRSUsNBNKvw7C9dO7oe7mi6k9YyFNR0fDcVaFXto5xPgo7RfS/s640/Houston-Galveston.png" width="328" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">ROUTE 2: The INDIRECT ROUTE</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I did not come up with this route but I don't know many people who have utilized this so I am sharing this for public benefit. It involves taking 246/249 from/to Houston from/to Bay Area Park and Ride. That is the easy part. If you are coming from Houston and you reach Bay Area, you have to take an Uber/Lyft to 20738 Gulf Freeway, Webster, 77598. I have marked it on Google Maps as 'Clear Lake Center Pick-up Spot for Bus to Galveston'. In the parking lot of this shopping center, there is a stop sign near Hooters where a bus stops and takes people to Galveston (or drops you off if you are coming from Galveston). The charge is $4 in cash. I believe that despite the inconvenience of taking an Uber, this route offers more flexibility, time-wise. There is even an Afternoon service, which can take you to Galveston from Houston in around 2 hours if you time it well. (I have personally traveled from Hou-Gal using the Morning and Afternoon timings mostly). Following is the bus schedule for the Galveston-Clear Lake Center bus.It can be accessed here<a href="http://galvestontx.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/4475"> http://galvestontx.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/4475</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3hMt2cL7d9OWpi_PxskurmkBpe1KTsdGqJo321m-UYIUdHRWIpzSXQ5B_WBR-aTCBh3ZHpj14ImA0oRTrQ_bgoZ9qvJ6vlOwyvezCWD2ZmGJ4XZNKnUW4eVi_85dq7EgOdVbsTmzw69e/s1600/Screenshot+2018-01-02+16.05.20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="930" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3hMt2cL7d9OWpi_PxskurmkBpe1KTsdGqJo321m-UYIUdHRWIpzSXQ5B_WBR-aTCBh3ZHpj14ImA0oRTrQ_bgoZ9qvJ6vlOwyvezCWD2ZmGJ4XZNKnUW4eVi_85dq7EgOdVbsTmzw69e/s640/Screenshot+2018-01-02+16.05.20.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It shows that the first bus leaving from Clear Lake is at 7:09 am. The Afternoon bus leaves Clear Lake Center at 1:34 pm. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Schedule for 246/249 can be seen here </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">https://www.ridemetro.org/MetroPDFs/Schedules/BusSchedules/gulfcorridor.pdf</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">PERSONAL EXPERIENCES:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have used the afternoon service multiple times (coming from Houston to Galveston). I used 249 that left Milam & Jefferson or Milam & Dallas around 12:05 pm, reached Bay Area around 1:05-1:10 pm and then took an Uber/Lyft (cost between $6-10) to reach Clear Lake center before 1:34 pm. The afternoon bus from there reaches Galveston around 2:15 pm. On my last trip, I got off at El Dorado Park and Ride because that is closer to the Clear Lake Center than Bay Area but that's my personal tweak. </span></div>
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Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-87224639708318729322016-11-04T00:16:00.002-07:002016-11-04T00:16:12.538-07:00Where to Get Polio Vaccination in Lahore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">During the last few decades, Polio has been eradicated from most countries in the world. Pakistan is a different case altogether and after a successful vaccination drive in the 1990s, we failed to keep up the good work and now we get occasional reports of polio cases in different parts of the country. As a result, WHO has asked every traveler moving out of Pakistan to get the polio vaccination. As a health professional, I get asked this question every once in a while and I was initially unable to mention specific places which provide polio vaccination. The top places to get free polio vaccination in Lahore are</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1. Health Department </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. Special Counters at all Public Hospitals</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. From Private Hospitals </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. From a kiosk at the Airport (least reliable)</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I decided to visit the Health Department's facility the other day and got a polio vaccination certificate without much hassle. It took me all of ten minutes to get it done. I am posting the exact location of the office so that future travelers can get their certificates with ease. Kindly take your passports along when you visit the office. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Step 1: Locating the Office on a Map</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><br />If you go from Canal Road on the Mall Road towards Lower Mall, right after NCA on your right, there is a huge building of Lahore's Town Hall. Between these two places (NCA and Town Hall) is a small road. Take that road. I have attached a Google Maps Screenshot of that place. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtjlsNdmRrVlFY8KcnYtzU0mY8ARX_c82dIaKdSiHJ81JoTpwT83BoG-_2qmwaRMub56oBVYPB0ia2q6PP_lK__A67x8TXCQsdSmI9yfq9gmHt0ybEc4VHoKBnrzeRTjHV_JcnFuFb3i8/s1600/Photo+04-11-2016%252C+11+45+21+AM.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtjlsNdmRrVlFY8KcnYtzU0mY8ARX_c82dIaKdSiHJ81JoTpwT83BoG-_2qmwaRMub56oBVYPB0ia2q6PP_lK__A67x8TXCQsdSmI9yfq9gmHt0ybEc4VHoKBnrzeRTjHV_JcnFuFb3i8/s320/Photo+04-11-2016%252C+11+45+21+AM.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Step 2 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">There is a small Ally (Gali in Urdu) on your right, opposite the office of Ombudsman. Here's how it looks like</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKG6ipEfnpNfcv-BfUKcX3sHcD5wzOuxzG6BD5lEnxVLyqsuZok-wYEydJuBCsVGWJkYOgrZq-ypd8jVhnnGEjdS6myMsLnzylr3EaBGTv0yNde-XC0eUkiSM8hatL0OrHAe2_A9Pb9jo1/s1600/Photo+04-11-2016%252C+9+48+11+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKG6ipEfnpNfcv-BfUKcX3sHcD5wzOuxzG6BD5lEnxVLyqsuZok-wYEydJuBCsVGWJkYOgrZq-ypd8jVhnnGEjdS6myMsLnzylr3EaBGTv0yNde-XC0eUkiSM8hatL0OrHAe2_A9Pb9jo1/s320/Photo+04-11-2016%252C+9+48+11+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Step 3 </span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Keep moving forward once you are in the alleyway, You'll see a small gate at the end. Here's how it looks like</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXIklw27LVnQmP0DJ-YPZo8FB4omG-uZqMeSej8P_11kPcmDikXbMfpxcRUpPSQkm4SWxrymWumiMBQsl_jOkfV10W6YBhP9ljeLqoqm3d4SwX7HWe2odRRzJzFRXx460MqGI3pcINvlF/s1600/Photo+04-11-2016%252C+9+47+37+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXIklw27LVnQmP0DJ-YPZo8FB4omG-uZqMeSej8P_11kPcmDikXbMfpxcRUpPSQkm4SWxrymWumiMBQsl_jOkfV10W6YBhP9ljeLqoqm3d4SwX7HWe2odRRzJzFRXx460MqGI3pcINvlF/s320/Photo+04-11-2016%252C+9+47+37+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Step 4</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Enter the Gate and Ta-da! you've reached your destination! Get two drops of the polio vaccine and get your certificate. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnwgWTasz1vHi5muysBCstS18YZAQKLDpCkwGgHEVB0iCoegvcqwZD2qzVLN7DU_GSBM1IOs-DWDrUBPqmeXEsgeN2ntLH5vzS7NuKDGfJKLVxW25sQS4Nsa1B079C-UE728wYk8rujAAI/s1600/Photo+04-11-2016%252C+9+47+22+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnwgWTasz1vHi5muysBCstS18YZAQKLDpCkwGgHEVB0iCoegvcqwZD2qzVLN7DU_GSBM1IOs-DWDrUBPqmeXEsgeN2ntLH5vzS7NuKDGfJKLVxW25sQS4Nsa1B079C-UE728wYk8rujAAI/s320/Photo+04-11-2016%252C+9+47+22+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a></span> </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAwREUJsSENncYNmwTKd9cfV-gB9_AboH5an3CGYRiHXiolX5-u510e-FaKYVIREyQ-FCbehfMEpAcJxBHS74kaO8gK4oKe-xWv-GJxPJjg7qYQgLF6lGWmoqaWJtAg6y1jrlQDYaEQX4/s1600/Photo+04-11-2016%252C+9+47+17+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAwREUJsSENncYNmwTKd9cfV-gB9_AboH5an3CGYRiHXiolX5-u510e-FaKYVIREyQ-FCbehfMEpAcJxBHS74kaO8gK4oKe-xWv-GJxPJjg7qYQgLF6lGWmoqaWJtAg6y1jrlQDYaEQX4/s320/Photo+04-11-2016%252C+9+47+17+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-77873711736657960442014-11-20T05:57:00.000-08:002014-11-20T05:59:56.536-08:00Turkish Delight: Grand Bazaar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">(I traveled to Turkey for vacation during first half of
July,2014. Following is an account of my experiences in Istanbul. This is the Eleventh installment of the series,
focusing on a missed opportunity to visit Topkapi Museum and things I learnt about Turkey. I hope you enjoy
it.) </span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Cumartesi, On Ikinci Temmuz</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">(Saturday, 12<sup>th</sup> July)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I had planned to visit Topkapi palace but as soon as I
exited my hotel after breakfast, I felt intense pain in my upper back, just
below the shoulder blade.I ignored it initially and took a morning stroll
around the half-empty Isteklal Street. During the walk, I bought one of the
only English-language newspapers published in Turkey (Today's Zaman) from a
small store. During the walk, I noticed the inability to move my neck sideways.
It was probably a strained neck muscle, so I visited the nearest Eczane (Turkey's
answer to Walgreens) and got some painkillers. Thankfully, I was able to find
the right tablets despite the language-barrier. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I decided to continue with my plan and boarded the Taksim Tünel
followed by a tram to Gülhane. I found Meltem and her fellow volunteers Gülhane
station. They were guiding tourists about the Istanbulkart Refill machines. I
spent almost 30 minutes assisting the volunteers. I wasn’t able to walk
comfortable so I decided to postpone the Topkapi visit and walked towards Blue
Mosque. My interest was piqued by a sign pointing to a place that used to be Hurrem
Sultan's hamam. Initially I ventured towards the ladies' side of the
establishment but I was then guided by a lady towards the entrance for
gentlemen. At the entrance, I received a brochure for a ‘Royal Message Service’.
It felt like a godsend but a) It was expensive and b) I wasn’t looking forward
to jumping in the sauna with a loincloth. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I continued my journey to to Blue Mosque’s gate A and caught
up with Hatice and Bayzanur along with their fellow volunteers. Went inside the
mosque and sat with Doğukan and Ahmet in the </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Shady courtyard of the mosque. It was there that I learnt
about traditional Turkish dishes from Sinem, and took some absurd photographs
of different varieties of hair. Discovered that Today's Zaman is published by
Gülen party sympathizers and they had started criticizing the Erdoğan
government since the 17th December crackdown on Gülen sympathizers (Hizmet
Movement) in judiciary and police. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I confessed to my volunteer friends that I had already tried
etliekmek, kurimpi, simit, börek, patso, doner, Turkish delights, Turkish
coffee and baklava among traditioal Turkish cuisine. They asked me to try
Iskander, Mantı and Dolma apart from Turkish Pizza. Sinem and I talked about
medical education in Turkey and she mentioned that Istanbul University was
probably the best medical university in Turkey We also touched upon the cost of
braces for teeth. As a former "sufferer" of braces, I empathized with
her and reminisced about the difficulties faced by people in braces after
eating any regular meal. She explained the education system of Turkey (8 years
primary school, 4 years high school, entry exams and then University). I
discovered that possessing a Turkish passport was only slightly better than
having a Pakistani passport, as people with Turkish passports could only visit
a handful of countries without visa.(Being a third world citizen really sucks!)
We scattered on sight of Miss Cansu, the supervisor and landed near German
fountain. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">It was there that I had a good chat with Ertugrul (his name
reminded of Chilean midfield player Arturo Vidal) about religion and politics (I
learnt that ISIS was called "Ishit" in Turkey). He confessed about his
"virtual relationship" with someone in Torino, Italy. Kaan joined us
after a while. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">We talked to a Ukranian family that wanted guidance regarding
a place that was quite far from Fatih and the patriarch of that family was really
funny. They were visiting from Kiev and supported the Euromaidan protests. They
were amused by my reference to "the Chocolate King"(nickname of
Ukraine's current President, as he owns chocolate factories). Kaan made a
cheeky comment about him supporting Yanukovich (the deposed Ukrainian president
who fled to Russia) which didn’t amuse them and they branded him a “risky boy”.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I was supposed to get a shoulder bag for my younger sister,
so I sought help of Sinem in this venture.We walked to Grand Bazaar (called
Kapali çarşı in Turkçe) with Kaan and Ertugral in tow. En Route, We encountered
a very animated Turkish girl who knew three languages (Turkçe, Italian and
Spanish with some knowledge of English). She was interested in our “group” due
to the “Ask Me” shirts worn by volunteers. We did a grand tour of the Bazaar focusing on shop that sold bags but the prices were quite high, due to what
Ertugrul called the "Grand Bazaar effect". Sinem informed that she
could get bags of similar quality from market near her home.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">As a last resort, we visited the nearby flea market and
finally found a decent bag. On our way back, a restaurant worker recognized me
as a Pakistani and tried to tempt me by offering Biryani with kebabs (I would’ve
accepted his offer but I was not hungry and am a vegetarian anyway). On our way
back, we had to make two stops as Sinem wanted to get bracelets for herself. During
the return journey, we talked to a German couple from Dusseldorf who wanted to
know directions to the Galata Bridge. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I wanted to get some balance charged in my account and
wanted the volunteers to help me interpret it to the sales person. They took me
to the nearest “Avea” franchise. To my surprise, one of the sales people was a
former musician and knew Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (one of Pakistan's finest
Qawals/sufi musicians).I had to sing a stanza from NFAK’s "Dam Mast
Qalandar" to convince him that I knew and revered Nusrat. I later roughly
translated "Dam Dam Ali Ali" to the guy, who was pleased to entertain
us. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Upon reaching the hippodrome, the group split up
and I talked about Ataturk, his dictatorial tendencies and effects of
"forced secularization" with Kaan and Ertugrul. We were approached by
two boys doing a metropolitan survey regarding political choices in the
upcoming Presidential elections. I encountered an ex-volunteer (she volunteered
last year) named Rabia. She was studying English Literature at the university,
favored socialism over the existing political system and had't read any
socialist literature (which did surprise me). It was another day well-spent in
Istanbul. </span></span></div>
Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-60737722053993085352014-10-23T09:54:00.000-07:002014-10-23T10:04:07.636-07:00Turkish Delight: Cuma Sermon/Football <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXa4og-r8VsWoQg92mMIX1Fgjqvj55ObGycuzKAo-spOSbsS0NHcYPO9B990P-HyrWSRMgyBdt6dlfowl7RzMtGqt06nSIgBFrIR8ylVih5sT9c8WCV9xmX1Zo9Cx9KfDhBtu79UFEpdPo/s1600/10516738_10154325338835587_3563785227529506294_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXa4og-r8VsWoQg92mMIX1Fgjqvj55ObGycuzKAo-spOSbsS0NHcYPO9B990P-HyrWSRMgyBdt6dlfowl7RzMtGqt06nSIgBFrIR8ylVih5sT9c8WCV9xmX1Zo9Cx9KfDhBtu79UFEpdPo/s1600/10516738_10154325338835587_3563785227529506294_n.jpg" height="400" width="395" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Mosque</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrK8GwAifouUOBeUjO3nWitjgz6jOlrhTa6Qui5x9wHpIqa_CzaH3xCYZnqmYzWwilJUb0cMIfU5K5t3r8FpUW68KT_AgzLEm7Yw3XT7t7ynxSJsP0_wZSDrWOY7K4RfkGBThhfIBHhuZg/s1600/10551023_10154325339875587_7873909306079339984_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrK8GwAifouUOBeUjO3nWitjgz6jOlrhTa6Qui5x9wHpIqa_CzaH3xCYZnqmYzWwilJUb0cMIfU5K5t3r8FpUW68KT_AgzLEm7Yw3XT7t7ynxSJsP0_wZSDrWOY7K4RfkGBThhfIBHhuZg/s1600/10551023_10154325339875587_7873909306079339984_n.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taksim Tunel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-ES91vaPjmXBs3_o5v061qnZ8i7HI7wvLLTz5hWL16bN5vIXJcnS93nxLCFYpn_OcfS4x6M-9PXDxPm52r0n4aBFXqoTopgbMrmL5MyQbXaVdW0F3b3MKzb829_IaCXJhQZAmtMLl6SK/s1600/10514734_10154325339560587_8049512934290016472_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-ES91vaPjmXBs3_o5v061qnZ8i7HI7wvLLTz5hWL16bN5vIXJcnS93nxLCFYpn_OcfS4x6M-9PXDxPm52r0n4aBFXqoTopgbMrmL5MyQbXaVdW0F3b3MKzb829_IaCXJhQZAmtMLl6SK/s1600/10514734_10154325339560587_8049512934290016472_n.jpg" height="400" width="390" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">139 years of Taksim Tunel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_qpxiQEJCOMs_Quz3RxxcfR4WN6J4c4_KH4ml8SxHg8JS0Mct9gf7_88_ObYBS2Giz8AVGjfrM9DgHrrm825b9qt-UJw2Gy2J-mFUFOxZb6c979N8gozaMtLjr5CUQB50fOUaokfqBKFG/s1600/10487210_10154325343750587_4546985716131284640_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_qpxiQEJCOMs_Quz3RxxcfR4WN6J4c4_KH4ml8SxHg8JS0Mct9gf7_88_ObYBS2Giz8AVGjfrM9DgHrrm825b9qt-UJw2Gy2J-mFUFOxZb6c979N8gozaMtLjr5CUQB50fOUaokfqBKFG/s1600/10487210_10154325343750587_4546985716131284640_n.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Kaan, caption: "Depressed Turkey"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">(</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I
traveled to Turkey for vacation during first half of
July,2014. Following is an account of my experiences in Ankara/Istanbul.
This is the tenth installment of the series,
involving my encounter with some Turkish teenagers working as volunteers and what I learnt from them. I hope you
enjoy
it)</span></span></span></div>
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Cuma, On Bir Temmuz <br />
(Friday, 11<sup>th</sup> July)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I was back from Ankara. After a terrible scheduling issue
and Istanbul’s heavy traffic, I had failed to make my flight to Cappadokia, and
I had decided on the fly, to spend another day in my favorite city: Istanbul.
I had a rough night on Thursday, half-awake and dizzy throughout. The breakfast
was a low-key affair as usual. Having spent my previous week in a lavish hotel
in Sultanahmet area, I had settled for a modest place this time in Asmali
Mescit area. I started my day with a walk across Isteklal Cadessi towards the
Tunel station, from where I boarded the Taksim Tunel to Karakoy. </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">From Karakoy, I took the tram to my favorite haunt,
Sultanahmet. Upon arrival, I roamed around the half-empty hippodrome and ended
up chatting with an Ask Me volunteer who was curious about Pakistan,
particularly our (supposed) fascination with Tea.I taught her the recipe for
milk tea(the variety that is common in Pakistan) and told her differences
between Pakistani and Turkish cuisine. She couldn't understand why we used the bread
(roti/ekmek) as a spoon to eat the curry/çorba/shorba. She also found it
difficult to imagine lives of vegetarians and how they don't apparently have
any variety in their food.She asked me if people in Pakistan consume tea more
than water, as she had read it in some book. I replied in the negative but
later discovered that it was the case in Central Asian Republics. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Afterwards, I met Kaan's friend Mustafa, who wants to write
and teach history and Elif who wants to be a diplomat.I was delighted to talk
to Elif as she is a wonderful person and her ambitions at such young age are
impressive. We talked about some of my favorite topics from Turkish Politics:
The main opposition party (CHP), Presidential candidate Mr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu,
SOMA, usage of religion in politics and “Blasphemy of Ataturk”. We also
discussed as to how the Turkish social structure is stacked against older
people. Kaan showcased his photography skills with my camera, and I was
impressed. It was almost ‘lunch’ time for the volunteers so I accompanied them
to their office, where I encountered Mehmet, and did his “photo shoot”. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">While we were sitting outside Sultanahmet Camii (Mosque),
the Juma/Cuma sermon started. Elif was kind enough to translate it for me. The Imam
(Hatip) talked about marriage and finding a well-educated wife with a job and
to beware of apparently "perfect" proposals, that there should age
difference between bride and grooms, some spiel on dating and even mentioned
'tourists from pakistan' in some context that was not apparent.I was pleasantly
surprised to hear such ‘progressive’ views from the pulpit, having been
accustomed to hearing utter drivel during most Juma sermons in Pakistan. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The pleasantness was short-lived as the Hatip switched to
English in the final part of his speech. He railed against many aspects of
modernism and how latest technologies are driving people to loneliness. He
mentioned refugees from Syria and that they should be helped, ended with
"May Allah Help muslims in gaza, east Turkestan, and Myanmar". </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I moved near Hagia Sophia after the prayers where I met another
Mustafa and my favorite volunteer:<span style="text-transform: uppercase;"> Ö</span>zge.
I discovered that Mustafa was also a football fanatic like myself and I learnt
a lot from him. We discussed major Turkish football clubs, Turkish football league
and its structure, famous players who played for Turkish teams, nicknames of
supporters of Istanbul’s big three(Galatasaray=Lions, Fenerbahçe=birds,
Beşiktaş=Eagles), Coldplay, English Premier League, Merlin, Turkish wimmens and
much more. He was studying to become an interpreter and wanted to move to the
UK after studies. Upon his insistence, I tried Simit (a Turkish snack) for the
first time. It was a chocolate Simit and was probably a bit dry for my taste. We
sat on the steps facing Hagia Sophia, between Million Stone and Basilica
Cistern, till the time for departure of volunteers arrived. I spotted Mehmet
again and took some more snaps for the “Behlul look-alike album”. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On my way back, I finally gave in to the temptation and
indulged myself by getting a new cover of the iPhone (which as I later
discovered, was too expensive). During my daily stroll around Isteklal, I
decided to try "Kumpir" for dinner, which is basically a baked potato
stuffed with different toppings. It was actually quite tasty. While walking
back to my hotel, I witnessed that the impromptu musicians that throng Isteklal
Street hide their instruments as the police approaches. </span></div>
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Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-73618853232960177982014-10-11T06:53:00.000-07:002014-10-11T06:53:21.028-07:00Turkish Delight: Disappointment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">(</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I
traveled to Turkey for vacation during first half of
July,2014. Following is an account of my experiences in Ankara/Istanbul. This is the ninth installment of the series,
involving an aerial journey to Istanbul and a missed flight to Cappadokia. Later I hung out with a Kurdish fellow and had a jolly good time. I hope you
enjoy
it)</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
I woke up fairly early on my last day in Ankara and was ready to get down to
the airport by 8 am. My Turkish friend Yigit had promised to pick me up on his
way to the airport. My flight was supposed to leave at 9:30 am. Yigit picked me
a bit later than we expected him. I bid my Pakistani friend goodbye and thanked
him profusely for his hospitality. </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">During our long journey to the airport(which is quite far
from downtown), we had a good chat.I told Yigit about the number of cousins I
had and how my mother used to cook when we hosted an annual party, about
population explosion in Pakistan and how the population of only Punjab province
is larger than whole population of turkey. We also talked about conspiracy
theory culture in Pakistan and turkey (his master’s thesis was on conspiracy
theories while I have written about this topic for many years). We reached the
Ankara Airport just in time for me to check-in at the last moment. Pegasus
airlines has the cutest pre-flight instruction videos, involving kids only. I
wish more airlines used a "human" touch like that. The flight went
seamlessly and I was at Sabiha Gökçen Airport, Istanbul by 10:15 am. I later
discovered that “Sabiha Gökçen” was the name of Ataturk’s adopted daughter who
was a fighter pilot. The airport is located almost 55 Kilometers away from
Ataturk Airport from where I had a flight booked for Cappadokia. I was supposed
to be there within 2 hours till the check-in counter closed. I had two options:
Either take the Havataş bus service which left from Sabiha Gökçen to Taksim
every 30 minutes and took almost 1.5 hours, or I could take a Taxi which would’ve
cost more but was supposed to be faster.When I exited the airport, the 10:30
Havataş shuttle was full so I could either wait for the 11:00 am bus (and pay
19 TL) or ride into one of the Taxis.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span> </span><br />
I chose the later option and took the first available Taxi out of Sabiha Gökçen.
I was unfortunate because the driver didn’t understand English and my Türkçe
was not good enough to get across my message. I asked him to drop me off at the
nearest Tram stations (which, in any case was pretty far) but he took me to Kabataş.
The roads were very crowded and it took us almost 80 minutes to reach Kabataş
station. His meter showed 85 TL, but he charged me 96 TL due to some stupid
reason. I was in too much hurry to argue with him at that point. I recharged my
Istanbulkart and took the Tram to Yusufpaşa from where I took the
Aksaray-Havalimani line. In hindsight, I should’ve changed the trams at
Zeytinburnu but I was in full panic mode at that time. The tram reached Ataturk
International Airport at 12:26 pm. I ran like crazy towards the Domestic
Departures lounge which is on the second floor. By the time I arrived at the
check-in counter, I was 10-15 minutes late and check-in counter had been
closed. I talked to a Turkish Airlines representative who informed me that I
had lost the flight and my only option is to get a new ticket from their
office. </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I found Turkish Airline’s office on the same floor and
waited for almost 40 minutes before I got a chance to exchange my ticket at the
counter. I was informed that I had to pay 200 TL if I wanted the ticket on next
flight to Cappadokia. I had previously paid the same amount for a return ticket
and this felt too expensive (considering that I was looking forward to an
air-balloon ride which cost almost 350 TL). I pondered over my options for a
moment and decided that it was too much of an investment, and asked for a
refund. I got 93 Liras back and I walked away dejected. I had gotten hotel
booking through my Iranian friend in Istanbul but this was an unexpected turn
of events so I decided to call my friend and get the reservation for another
night. With a heavy heart, I strolled back and took the tram. I was extremely
tired after the panic-ride on taxi and tram followed by the airport hassle. On
my way to Isteklal (where my new Otel was based), I decided to take a detour of
Sultanahmet and catch up with my new friends, the Ask Me volunteers. I had
missed them immensly during the Ankara visit. I grabbed a Tavuk Doner from a
nearby shop and reached the Hippodrome arena. I met Doğukan, Ahmet and some
other volunteers near the entrance of Old Bazaar. I recounted my tragic tale
of missing the flight due to terrible traffic and how I decided to stay another
day in my favorite city. </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
After spending an hour or so with the volunteers, I collected my luggage and
took the tram to Karakoy and the Tunel from there. My next hotel was located in
Asmalimescit Cadessi, at walking distance from Isteklal. I was welcomed in the
hotel by the reception guy with an impromptu rendition of "Jeevay Jeevay
Pakistan"(means Long live Pakistan, a famous anthem back home). I was
allotted a room on the 4<sup>th</sup> floor and thankfully, there was Wi-Fi
availability in the room. I rested for a while and then decided to take a
detour of Isteklal Cadessi. <span> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">On my way back from Taksim I square I found the stall of a
socialist party (it had a long name which I don’t recall but their flag called
for promotion of socialism, income equality and feminism). They didn't have
anyone there with English language skills so a Kurdish guy became my
interpreter. They showed me their newspaper (more of a newsletter actually) and
despite the language barrier, were quick to dissociate themselves from
"Turkish Communist Party". Later on, I accompanied the Kurdish guy
across Isteklal and we ended up having a long conversation about Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) and Iraq.He told that he was studying cinema at Erbil
University and was working in the youth and culture ministry of KRG. He was in
Istanbul to work in a stage production. One was his brothers was in the Peshmerga
force (KRG's national army) and he showed me a lot of pictures of Peshmagras
and himself in a Peshmerga outfit (as he had portrayed them in a drama). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">He mentioned the natural beauty of Erbil, KRG's capital and
how victims of chemical weapons (used during the Saddam era) were still
suffering from the after-effects. He emphasised his strict dietary habits (lots
of water, some fish, oranges and lemon juice) because he wanted to stay fit as
an actor. We talked a bit about situation of Turkish and Iranian cinema during
which I name-dropped Antonioni, the only legendary producer I had heard of,
from some film aficionado friends.<span> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">He used the word "very" quite a lot and had
difficulty in explaining some terms but my cursory knowledge of Arabic was
enough to keep us away from a communication blockade. We shared contact
information and had Turkish coffee at a chic coffee place in the Galata area. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I finished the wonderful evening by having an "Aaloo
paratha" at an Indian restaurant run by Turkish owners. They were playing
Bollywood songs in the background, probably to emphasize their "Indian
connection". I had a lot of difficult sleeping that night (despite my
tiredness) because of strong Turkish coffee. I chatted with a Pakistani friend
who was visiting the United States in those days and a Greek friend who told me
about “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response”, a technique to help insomniacs.
It probably helped and I finally slept around 3:30 am. <span> </span><span> </span></span></div>
</div>
Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-1408070552097394382014-09-28T00:52:00.000-07:002014-09-28T00:52:15.261-07:00Turkish Delight: Konyaaa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Directions </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mevlana</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Miniature depicting Konya</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of a Whirling Dervish</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-PfbQa0P_VKhGFs2wOcxxMgzCxawylkqH9os_kagDI7Jchp893pD7A01buGADfz5zA7lSze-3T9YCPQqclsv7THPBeq7P_VO5d2LYwuHppPAE1WN0SSaWONdp1IKyfBwCZi3hu_4GFA3/s1600/10487236_10154318128370587_3648647322168997706_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-PfbQa0P_VKhGFs2wOcxxMgzCxawylkqH9os_kagDI7Jchp893pD7A01buGADfz5zA7lSze-3T9YCPQqclsv7THPBeq7P_VO5d2LYwuHppPAE1WN0SSaWONdp1IKyfBwCZi3hu_4GFA3/s1600/10487236_10154318128370587_3648647322168997706_n.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">After spending a boring day in Ankara, which consisted of
lazing around in the apartment all day and visiting Golbasi park in the
evening, I was ready to visit Konya. The only saving grace of the Boring day
was my Turkish Friend<span class="fcg"><span class="fwb"> Yiğit</span></span>, who showed up after his work at the airport
traffic control. <span class="fcg"><span class="fwb">Yiğit</span></span> was a volunteer for the program that brought me to
Ankara last year. He was one of the most interesting people from my trip. He
has majored in Political Science and tried three times to land a job at the
Turkish Foreign Ministry.The exam has multiple steps and one has to pass written
exams as well as multiple interviews to be finally selected. <span class="fcg"><span class="fwb">Yiğit</span></span> was terribly
unlucky as he had once reached the final interview but was deemed unsuccessful
by the interviewer. To quote <span class="fcg"><span class="fwb">Yiğit</span></span>, They are not looking for just any
diplomats, they are looking for Henry Kissingers.<br />
Among the many gems shared by <span class="fcg"><span class="fwb">Yiğit</span></span> that night, a few are worth mentioning. <br />
On the topic of Turkish foreign policy and ambitions towards a local hegemony<br />
“We [Turkey] cannot actually become a superpower, despite our apparent attempts
to do so, we are just too lazy to be a superpower”. <br />
On the topic of Turkish people trying other languages, “Turkish people don’t
usually know how to appropriately express themselves in English, which is why
they flail and swing their arms like a shadow boxer when speaking English”. </span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
He had participated in Anti-AK party protests after Gezi and SOMA and he
regaled us with stories of how <i>Beşiktaş </i>fans trolled the Riot police and
how a Tennis Player in Ankara used to to hurl the Tear Gas canisters back at
the police using his racquet. I asked him about CHP, the main opposition party
in Turkey. He was of the view that CHP felt content with their role as
opposition. They are rich, have a support and patronage network and are not too
bothered with the nuisance of governing. In 2014, mayoral elections,a CHP candidate
lost in Ankara due to massive rigging but the party didn’t capitalize on this
issue and chose to remain inside their cocoon. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
We discussed my plan to get back to Istanbul and then to take a plane to
Cappadokia. He advised me to book a plane ticket, instead of taking the bus, as
the price-difference wasn’t too huge and it would save me time as well. As he
left, I looked up websites of different local airlines on the inter-web and
chose Pegasus’s flight. The only issue was that my credit card was not valid
for online transactions and I had to get that authorized by the bank in
Pakistan. It was time for Suhoor in Pakistan, so I called my parents in
Pakistan who got the card activated for online transactions and the deed was
done. I was supposed to fly at 9.20 am to Istanbul, the caveat being that the
flight was to land at Sabiha Gokcan airport while my Cappadokia flight was to
leave from Ataturk Airport at 1:20 pm. I left the details to the future and
took a good nights’ sleep. </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
My Pakistani friend and I left for Ankara-gar an hour before our train was
scheduled to leave for Konya. I discovered that Ankara’s train station was
established in 1937 and it connected Ankara with Antalya, Eskisehir, Konya and
Sivas in the eastern part of Turkey. As we embarked upon the train, it was the
first time outside of an airport that our luggage was scanned by a machine. In
Pakistan, every major government/private building has scanners and people who
pat you down for security purposes. The train journey was smooth and without
incident. I discovered that speed on the screens was shown as Kilometers/s. I
initially thought it was Kilometer/second, but my friend corrected me that the “s”
denoted “Saat” (which means hour in Türkçe). I spent the two-hour journey
reading Elif Shafak’s ‘Forty Rules of Love’ (Its Türkçe version is called ‘Aşk’)
while my friend dozed off. <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
From Konya-gar, we took the tram to reach Mevlana, the site of Mevlana Rumi’s shrine.
I must confess that I am not a very spiritual person and I was not exactly
moved by the experience at Mevlana. I went there as a curious tourist and was
delighted to see history and historical items being preserved in the leafy
Anatolian town of Konya.I was disappointed when my friend informed me that
Whirling Dervishes only performed on Saturdays and we won’t be able to witness
a live performance during our short visit. Following the visit to Mevlana, we
walked to the nearby Bazaar and looked for a good place to eat some Etli
Ekmek(Pizza-like dish which originated in Konya). Despite being a vegetarian, I
indulged in the ritual to mark the occasion. The Ekmek felt bland as we were
not given any sauces with it, and I improvised by using some lemon juice and
spices as a spread for the Ekmek. </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Our train was supposed to leave at 6 pm and we were done with Mevlana by 2 pm.
There were four hours to kill, so we walked across town, found a green spot to
rest and saw some old mosques. From the Bazaar, I got some Pişmanye, a sweet
which is similar to “Pateesa” in Pakistan. We found a graveyard of Indian soldiers who were part of British Army in WWI but switched sides and fought alongside the Turks. I discovered that parking at Mevlana was free for the first one hour and one had to pay certain amount afterwards. <span></span>Konya is a small city and we walked across the
city center to reach Konya-gar by 4 pm. My friend dozed off again while I
busied myself with reading some articles off the internet. On the return-leg of
our journey, my friend, who is doing his Masters Degree in Soil Sciences,
talked about difference in agricultural practices between Pakistan and Turkey.
He comes from a land-owning family and has studied agriculture in Pakistan so
it was an enriching experience listening to him. <br />
We were really tired by the time we reached the apartment but it was a day
well-spent. <span> </span><span> </span></span></div>
</div>
Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-76048973419224068612014-09-06T08:47:00.000-07:002014-09-06T09:11:53.053-07:00Turkish Delight: Road to the Capital<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZsOrjmwDxC3-0Ga65qWNUP-4ehrtGoVXuegCX0YTLtHQiFSTPrhtIZeMzNuGnlsC3YNDS5Y5kktKlTJzsL7Nf5kQR5Bz0drt8R2rRyI85ZLAfhwj4588-gxR27RcMrwn_GOfoMrxxZr5/s1600/10443440_10154314380595587_8895010563115013496_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZsOrjmwDxC3-0Ga65qWNUP-4ehrtGoVXuegCX0YTLtHQiFSTPrhtIZeMzNuGnlsC3YNDS5Y5kktKlTJzsL7Nf5kQR5Bz0drt8R2rRyI85ZLAfhwj4588-gxR27RcMrwn_GOfoMrxxZr5/s1600/10443440_10154314380595587_8895010563115013496_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotdwkSYj47ozMo2BKggCB6TdHXTkJtJhJ1mHoVyOG29bmEuGyRhZhVs7SyFqlITgTMahs0jb0Rhve6Bn2QEnhasLJlGzBhV91JNYkazzhGlJ7XEn9kUsJNF1ZVRseElHiRQz2JGFuguh-/s1600/10455968_10154314380680587_3083739517510001139_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotdwkSYj47ozMo2BKggCB6TdHXTkJtJhJ1mHoVyOG29bmEuGyRhZhVs7SyFqlITgTMahs0jb0Rhve6Bn2QEnhasLJlGzBhV91JNYkazzhGlJ7XEn9kUsJNF1ZVRseElHiRQz2JGFuguh-/s1600/10455968_10154314380680587_3083739517510001139_n.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atakule </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Monday/Pazartesi </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Fret not where the road will take you. Do not go with the flow. Be the Flow. Elif
Shafak</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I have this weird habit of not planning about things when
abroad. Back home, I plan every single detail possible but as soon as I step
into foreign territory, I am without much planning. In the last three years, I
have visited two countries (US in 2012, Turkey in 2013 and 2014) and I didn’t
plan much in either of those trips. The US trip was pre-arranged by an
organization so the lack of planning was not a problem. The first Turkey visit
was also pre-arranged (or at least its Ankara leg) so there was not much I
could do about it. The second trip to Turkey was my first foreign tour without
a conference/program and I was supposed to be completely on my own. I did get
my hotel booked online and learnt some basic Turkce phrases, but that was it.
My only plan was to spend time in Istanbul and to visit Konya with my friend in
Ankara. The plan to visit Cappadokia was a last-minute impulse buy and I had
not thought it out well. Anyhow, I got the ticket on Sunday evening for a 10 am
bus to Ankara. </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Istanbul's Otogar evoked mixed memories in my head. I had
visited the place last year on the very first day that I was in Istanbul. I had
enjoyed a very good ride from there to Ankara. I had endured a disastrous
journey on my way back and had reached the place at 5 a.m. I vowed to make my
experience better than my previous one. On Monday morning, after an early
breakfast, I checked-out of my hotel almost two hours before the time of my
departure. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Using the Karakoy-Bagçilar line and then the Aksaray-Airport
line, I reached Otogar in almost 40 minutes from my hotel in Sultanahmet. I got
out of the central area and failed to locate the "Metro" bus service
centre initially. Then I asked one of the ticket-guys who guided me to the
Other side of Otogar. I had apparently ventured onto the wrong side. Upon
reaching the right spot, I was disappointed to find very few seats in the
station itself. I stopped outside the place and waited to get a vacant
seat. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I got a seat after about 10 minutes and hopped on the
relevant bus at 10 am. It takes almost 1.5 hours for the bus to leave Istanbul
as it stops at different small stations. I had good memories of the last time
that I travelled in the 'Metro' company's bus. The seats were spacious and
there was Wi-Fi throughout the journey. This time, my seat was the same but Wi-Fi
was terrible. I sat along a Turkish guy who slept for most of the
journey. It felt different this time. Maybe I had forgotten it due to my
excitement of last year but the journey was tooo damn long and the seat wasn’t
as comfortable as I expected it. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I tried listening to a football-themed podcast that I like.
Then I started Elif Shafak's book, which I felt was quite interesting. There
was a little girl sitting across the aisle from me who was very active and
naughty and smiled back whenever I smiled at her. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">As we approached the city of Ankara, my friend called and
asked about my whereabouts. He and I used to be roommates in a boarding school
when we were in the 7<sup>th</sup> grade. Since then, I had graduated from
medical school while he had acquired a bachelor’s degree from an Agriculture
University. He was pursuing a Masters Degree in Soil Sciences from Ankara
University and had been living in Turkey for the last 8 months, learning the
language. He could speak Turkce fluently and had helped me learn the basics.
Upon reaching the Ankara Otogar, I waited for him to arrive. Meanwhile, I
wanted to get some dollars changed but there was apparently no Doviz at the
station. I didn’t know what a money-changer was called in Turkce so I decided
to ask the lady present at “Information Center” of Otogar. She probably didn’t
understand English and thus pointed me in the wrong direction. I later found
out that there was NO Doviz at the station. My friend arrived and we took the
tram to Ulus from where we rode a bus to Atakule(Ataturk Tower). I was amazed
to know that Cinnah Cadessi was named after the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad
Ali Jinnah/Cinnah. We moved to a flat near Cankaya Cadessi, the road which
evoked beautiful memories from the previous year. </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
I have been to capitals of three countries, Pakistan, Turkey and United States.
While all of them are wonderfully planned, they share that one trait which is
universal to capitals: They are really boring places to be. Islamabad, Pakistan’s
capital, is known as ‘Islamabad the beautiful’ and it indeed is very lovely(If
straight roads and greenery is your thing). It is also incredibly boring.
Washington DC at least has some good museums to while away one’s time. Ankara
had none of these. No greenery, not much natural beauty and no wonderful
museums either.</span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
My friend had arranged for us to live at a Pakistani diplomat’s flat in a
residential neighborhood. On our way to the apartment, we stopped to buy some
shopping at a grocery store where we got some vegetables and bread(Ekmek) for
dinner. I was surprised to find the way people got their vegetables. In
Pakistan, when you go to buy vegetables/fruits, you ask for a particular item
and the shopkeeper provides you with that item in the required quantity. In Turkey,
there are no shopkeepers to put the items in your basket, there are disposable
shopping bags. You can choose the vegetables you want and weigh them at the
store, paying for them at a separate counter. This way, you can choose the
vegetables of your choice(size, shape etc) and it is not left to the whims of
the shopkeeper. </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
It was during that walk that I discovered “Bim” stores. They are like utility
stores where one can buy items of daily use in bulk form, at subsidized prices.
I was incredibly tired upon reaching the apartment so I unpacked hurriedly and
called home to inform them of my arrival in the city. My friend had to visit
his dorm so he left me in peace. After the necessary updates on Facebook and
browsing through twitter, I sat down with the young Pakistani diplomat. He had
been stationed in Ankara to learn Turkce and was being posted to Istanbul in a
few days. We talked about my interest in International relations and he told me
about the workings of Pakistan’s Foreign Service. We sat down for dinner and he
told me about the Turkish claim of having the most diverse cuisine in the
world(and how it was not exactly true). He also told me of the special kind of
Ekmek(a bulky one) that was available only during the month of Ramadan. My
friend arrived from his dorm and we talked about the plans for next two days.
We had to go to konya and we had a spare day. I had already seen Ankara’s main
attractions(Ataturk’s musoleum,Cankaya Cadessi, remains of old city) so there
were few options left. I was also supposed to see a Turkish friend of mine whom
I had met last year. </span></div>
</div>
Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-67284030845232416202014-09-02T09:35:00.001-07:002014-09-02T09:35:41.093-07:00Turkish Delight: The Wandering Prince<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the Princes' Islands</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horse-cart station at Buyukada</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPJTqwjVhSD3AcUkxabG0taTVmvxHf0FOtdoy3HVy_VsTpoHAf9RlcXMfVdxcQ4zS6Hd2b_UMhZkyqb2n7fPL3EUKQQ1zyDoRawyp2YiYM5TLeX-uQtypfg6hU7fwm4-yTAbNGCsW4lUd/s1600/10514563_10154310289385587_7378997863359510485_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPJTqwjVhSD3AcUkxabG0taTVmvxHf0FOtdoy3HVy_VsTpoHAf9RlcXMfVdxcQ4zS6Hd2b_UMhZkyqb2n7fPL3EUKQQ1zyDoRawyp2YiYM5TLeX-uQtypfg6hU7fwm4-yTAbNGCsW4lUd/s1600/10514563_10154310289385587_7378997863359510485_n.jpg" height="400" width="346" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fatih's Tourist Police</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Sunday/Pazar</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I had reserved a whole day during the trip for visiting Prince's island. In all
the Top-10 lists of places that must be visited in Istanbul, Princes’ Islands
are placed near the top end. Many people that I met in Turkiye were of the
opinion that the islands are a world in themselves, distinct from Istanbul and
probably the best thing about it. A Pakistani friend who lives in Ankara these
days told me that he felt the most peaceful in Istanbul while visiting those
islands. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Walking through hippodrome, I saw some tourists taking pictures with the ‘tourist
police’. I was amazed at the efficiency levels of Turkish municipalities
especially when it came to cleaning up. Thousands of people descended upon
hippodrome during Ramadan daily but there was no sign of trash come next
morning. The tram from Sultanahmet took me to Kabataş from where I hopped on a
ship towards Prince's island. It took us almost an hour to reach the place, as
we traveled through the Bosphorus and Sea of Marmara. I didn't find many English-speakers
on the ship but I had gotten used to this situation by then. The most memorable
moments during the journey were the showmanship and performance of the Captain
of ship. He demonstrated little tricks using citrus fruits and urged the
passengers to applaud him. Most people on the ship were families out for a
day-trip and picnic. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The Prince Islands are an archipelago off the coast of
Istanbul, in the Sea of Marmara. They consist of four large islands,
Büyükada(Big İsland), Heybeliada, Burgazada and Kınalıada and many smaller islands.
I disembarked the ship at Büyükada. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The first thing that got my attention at the island itself,
was a huge flag of Fenerbahçe football club(current champions of the Turkish
league). I had no idea what to do after reaching the place so I roamed around
to assess the situation. I found a horse-cart station where one can hire a
horse-cart with a driver who takes one across the island. The short-tour was
supposed to cost 70 (yetmish) Liras, which I thought was a bit expensive. I
found a cheaper and healthier alternative nearby. There were multiple shops
that let one borrow a bike at the rate of 5 Lira per hour. I have loved riding
a bicycle ever since I was a child. I used to roam around my city on a bicycle
and have a few scars to show for my efforts. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I got a bicycle on rent and start pedaling on a random road.
It was easy at the start but I was faced with a dilemma within a few minutes.
The road was not horizontal in character, in fact, it had an ascent.It was not
like the plain streets and alleys of my city. While biking upstream, my bicycle
almost gave in. I have never used the gears on a bike and have no idea how they
function. As a result, i was exhausted within 10 minutes of starting my Island
adventure. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I opted to walk along the bike until i had little energy or
motivation left for it. I was panting for air, sweaty and very thirsty. The
return journey went very smoothly because I didn't have to pedal and used only
the breaks to control my ride. I went back to the bicycle store and a guy there
urged me to try again. I took a different route during my second attempt and
spent almost an hour cycling around the place.During this ride,a guy asked me
for directions in Türkçe to whom I replied that I don't understand Türkçe, in Türkçe
(Türkçe Bilmiyorum) :P </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Büyükada is a primarily residential area visited by people
who want to enjoy picnic. There's a small beach-like place as well where I
found people swimming and sun-bathing. The horse-carts run wildly on the road
and bikers are at a risk of getting trampled by the horse-carts. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I had to wait for almost half an hour to board the ship back
to Kabatas. At the station, I saw an Arab guy wearing a stupid T-shirt which
said, "No means Yes"(I found it stupid because it was a polar
opposite of feminist slogan "No means No"). The ship that brought us
back, stopped at all the small islands en route. It reminded of the old,
rotting public buses in Pakistan that stop after every five minutes,
irrespective of space for passengers. Some passengers tempted the seagulls
during our voyage and the birds kept flying close to the ship, looking for
bread crumbs. I talked to an Englishman on the ship who was a frequent visitor
to Istanbul. He recommended that I should read "Forty rules of love"
by Elif Shafak as I was going to visit Konya. I found two senior citizens sitting side by </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Later on, I spent some fun time with Meltem, Furkan and
Özge. I confided in them that I had not had a proper Turkish meal since I
landed because of what happened last year(I coughed for almost a month and a
friend of mine got terribly sick). They encouraged me to try the dishes so I
asked them about Iskander, Piyaz and Simit. Özge told me about her fondness of
waffles(from Mado), irrespective of flavors and that she liked watching
different people(and that,according to her,was the reason why she chose to do
volunteer work). Furkan revealed his love for history, and how he was learning
Italian to be able to understand historical documents. We also discussed
political prospects of Fatih's mayor, Mustafa Demir(whose whole family is into
the profession of dentistry). Furkan and Özge were of the view that Fatihullah
Gülen(Pennsylvania-based Turkish preacher who has established schools all over
the world and was a former ally of the AK party) was a "traitor".
Meltem confessed her fondness for dystopian novels including "1984"
by George Orwell and "A brave new world" by Aldous Huxley. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">We encountered a guy from Konya who was studying Sharia'h at
the university and knew about Pakistan. He could understand English but had
trouble in talking the language(a common problem for many Turkish students that
I met during my stay). He told me that he was more interested in Arabic than in English. Afterwards, we had an unpleasant experience with a middle aged man who
tried to shame me for not fasting, and pooh-poohed the volunteers when they
told him to keep his opinions to himself. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I was supposed to travel to Ankara the next day and I wanted
to get the ticket beforehand. I decided to use the tramvay to go to Otogar.
Boarded the tram from Sultanahmet and got off at Aksaray, walked a bit till the
İstasyanu and got on the tram for Airport. It dropped me off en route at the
Otogar. During the ride, I saw a girl checking Facebook, zooming in on the
picture of a guy and looking at the girls in the background. It was so
"girlish" that I almost broke into a chuckle, but restrained myself
somehow. Got off at the Otogar, got the ticket and took the return tram to
Aksaray. Walked from the station to YousufPaşa and went to Karakoy and from there
to Taksim. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I had seen books by Elik Shafak at a chic bookstore in
Isteklal Street and I got a copy of it. I felt very hungry after my exertions
during the day and had initially planned to find some Piyaz as appetizer and
then to have a meal from Fat-burger. I chanced upon a shop in Isteklal that had
an open salad bar, so i decided to skip Peyaz and to enjoy some salad(Salata)
of my own liking. After enjoying salad i was moving towards Fatburger when I
saw a shop titled "Patato"( In Türkçe the word for 'potato' is ‘Patates’). I
ventured in and found a dish called Patso, which was basically french fries in
a panini bun with ketchup and mayonnaise as topping. I decided to give it a try.
It was not a princely meal but it was enough to satiate my hunger. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">On my way back, i encountered a few people selling
Che-guevara merchandise and some Turkish magazines. I also saw an
office-building owned by the Turkish Communist party,located right next to a
mosque :P . </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-81085325331043783282014-08-29T08:59:00.002-07:002014-08-29T08:59:51.838-07:00Turkish Delight: On Top of The World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEqi0cv48QgtK8OZh4bA3DMVZwqFxxQyjRlo_d73Pwi7PWP87Duf8bhxewFwAnBryQz8GLCZXui0_vOVcV_mwklpbvot6zRev4WPFduDhqPMCFGs-jBFrB6X9y4BeQsLaW1dbMcGVk-Zz-/s1600/10404514_10154302418830587_8500339261514434845_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEqi0cv48QgtK8OZh4bA3DMVZwqFxxQyjRlo_d73Pwi7PWP87Duf8bhxewFwAnBryQz8GLCZXui0_vOVcV_mwklpbvot6zRev4WPFduDhqPMCFGs-jBFrB6X9y4BeQsLaW1dbMcGVk-Zz-/s1600/10404514_10154302418830587_8500339261514434845_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galata Bridge, Eminonu Pier and Sultanahmet in the backdrop</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtn6_4JfePcYkWi6TMTiXBWf0Q9iFCrttifdDTlJCXNUmD1VCGu5B4HOkNiipijGwZvp4xCAwjM8-YFtFyBEM3yCnNeP6eEr3HBKCfuix3kxxip4QQOtHrmNaDf6RVB3tanE3wSy6WbgM/s1600/10500315_10154302416215587_8734998303375826877_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtn6_4JfePcYkWi6TMTiXBWf0Q9iFCrttifdDTlJCXNUmD1VCGu5B4HOkNiipijGwZvp4xCAwjM8-YFtFyBEM3yCnNeP6eEr3HBKCfuix3kxxip4QQOtHrmNaDf6RVB3tanE3wSy6WbgM/s1600/10500315_10154302416215587_8734998303375826877_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Galata </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKaV36reKNkU2J3jbn6JZSxYYdvKNobf5YctASK2T6B9eIwhf4-BAseoWObNgVj3Q-WOAw8z7K-UxFyeStdnSXUry75pGJkOTKS-A-cFClFqaYNDfDsYgk9qEse6CwNRCPB4DGnQvQYCf/s1600/10530742_10154302418180587_7220708229312546480_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKaV36reKNkU2J3jbn6JZSxYYdvKNobf5YctASK2T6B9eIwhf4-BAseoWObNgVj3Q-WOAw8z7K-UxFyeStdnSXUry75pGJkOTKS-A-cFClFqaYNDfDsYgk9qEse6CwNRCPB4DGnQvQYCf/s1600/10530742_10154302418180587_7220708229312546480_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another wonderful view from the Galata Tower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Galata 4</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Basilica Cistern</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view of Basilica Cistern</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Saturday/Cumartesi<b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Traveling to other countries and exploring different
cultures is a wonderful experience. Most people that I talk to are afraid to
visit another country ‘alone’. I never had any such apprehensions while
visiting Turkey. I believe that it is easier and more feasible logistics-wise
to travel alone as it gives one absolute freedom to pursue anything that one
fancies. </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Most (if not all) good pictures of Istanbul include the Galata tower in their
backdrop. It is one of the icons of Istanbul’s historic skyline. On my third
day in the city, I had wanted to visit the top of Galata tower and had reached
it the other evening, but I could not reach its top due to closing hours. My
first mission on Saturday was to reach the top of Galata and take a look at the
majestic surroundings of Fatih area. After finishing my usual breakfast
(yogurt, boiled egg, cucumbers, chocolate-toasted bread and watermelons) I took
the tram to Karakoy. Walked up the steep incline to arrive at the basement of
Galata Tower. Fortunately, the queue was not very long and I was able to
purchase the ticket within minutes of arrival. Once you line up in the queue,
you have to wait for your turn to buy the ticket and then wait for the next elevator
lift to arrive at the ground floor. The elevator can accommodate around 6-7
people and it takes the visitors to the floor just below the sky deck. The
reception at that floor has a gift shop and a photography setup where one can
get pictures taken while wearing Ottoman attire. </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
After two short flights of stairs, the Sky deck awaits eager visitors. At any
given time, no more than 20 people can use the Sky deck so one has to move
faster or give other people some space to navigate. The Galata tower was built
of wood as a lighthouse in 528 by Byzantine empire Anastasius Oilosuz. It was
rebuilt of stone masonry and called Christea Turris(Christ Tower) by the
Genoese in 1348. The tower is almost 67 Meters high from the ground and 140
Meters high from sea level. </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I have been to some really tall buildings and have seen
skylines of New York City, Chicago and St. Louis. I had seen many cities of
Pakistan from places up top. Despite all that experience, the view from Galata
tower blew my mind away. It was probably the most beautiful view I had ever
seen. There's a verse by Pakistan's national poet Iqbal(in Persian Language)which
says that “If there is a heaven on earth, it would have to be in Kashmir”. I
partly agree with this opinion as I've witnessed the green magic of Kashmir,
but this, this was probably better than that. It was an out of the world
experience.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I was smitten. I took a lot of pictures from the top but
what I felt at the moment cannot be adequately described in words or pictures.
It was a feeling, of unadulterated joy. Shakespeare wrote many centuries ago
that 'a thing of beauty, is a joy to behold'. I had a similar experience. While
doing the photo shoot from the skydeck, I was approached by a young Turkish
woman who wanted her pictures taken with the historic skyline as the
background. I did my best to do as I was instructed. I just hope that she was
pleased to see the results. After spending almost 30 minutes up there, I came
downstairs(without getting the Ottoman attire pictures) and went back to
Sultanahmet. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">My next stop was Basilica Cistern, a place that I couldn't
visit last year due to the reluctance of my friends to visit any place that had
tickets for entry. The queue for entry was not that long and a group of
ridiculously blonde people was ahead of me in the line. I had wanted to visit
the place ever since I read Dan Brown's novel "Inferno". Much of its
action and drama had happened in and around the Cistern. It was an interesting
place, with ancient pillars supporting so much weight till today and waterways
that had fish, visible from the surface. The two heads of Medusa were a sight
to behold. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The Basilica Cistern was constructed in the 6th century,
during the reign of Emperor Justinianus. It is 70 meters wide and 140 meters in
length. The dome covers an area of 9800 meters square, and has 336 marble
columns arranged in 12 rows each. The capitals of these 9 meter high columns
are a blend of Corinthian and Ionic styles. The water reserved in the cistern
was transported from the Belgrade forest which is 19 kilometers away from the
city. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">On my way back to the hotel, I saw Kaan and we got to
talking. He invited me for lunch at the volunteer office. We had some time to
kill so we roamed around the hippodrome area and still managed to reach the
volunteer office ahead of time. I wasn't particularly hungry so I took a pack
of Aryan and a piece of watermelon. At lunch, I met Meltem and Mehmet, who were
deputed to look after the Gülhane area. I walked with them to Gülhane Park and
talked to them for some time. Mehmet is studying forest engineering and his
hometown(in the Anatolian heartland) had many forests which is a good thing for
him, career-wise. He lamented that popular Turkish dramas are distorting the
historical events and that he looks slightly like Behlul. He mentioned his
fondness for Erdoğan and the popularity of AK party. Meltem explained to me the
social customs in Turkey for young adults. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">While we were sitting near the entrance of Gülhane park, Some
American tourists came over and asked for directions. We offered to accompany
them to their destination, and one of them asked "how many?". We told
him that we were volunteers providing free information. He said that he got it,
he was jokingly asking 'how many of you would accompany me?"(there were 4
of us :P). That incident justified my liking for American people and how
fun-loving they are. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">After a wonderful discussion with Meltem,I walked from
Gülhane towards the German fountain and struck up conversation with Ahmet Kaya,
Aysenur and Mustafa. It was there that I met Hatice, and discussed my favorite American
dramas with her for many hours. Hatice(Hatijay) is the Turkish equivalent of
the Arabic name “Khadija”. There was a brief interlude as I had to take a quick
detour of my Otel to call my mother, but we resumed our conversation after
that. She loves Sheldon(like myself) and had watched different TV series. She
was shocked to hear my indifference towards Game of Thrones and gave out a
spoiler regarding the next 'Hunger Games' movie. Ahmet taunted her as a
"nerd" while I kept telling him that he was too young to be a
volunteer and that he should stay and home and enjoy life for a while. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Throughout my interactions with the volunteers, American pop
culture references were a common factor between me and them. It truly is a
globalized(Americanized?) world. </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Hatice was one of the very few girls I met who did NOT want
to become a doctor or a psychologist. Some unruly Turkish men approached us and
asked the girls about the German fountain in broken English. They were
obviously trying to harass the poor souls and If it were in my power, I'd have
gotten them arrested. The most memorable part was the arrival of baby Majed.
Her mother brought his walker near us and we were stunned to see a cherubic
baby with golden hair and blue eyes. Her mother asked us something in
English(to our mighty relief) and we talked to her for a while. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">She let us play with Majed who enjoyed playing with water.
Hatice fell in love with him and asked him to remember her when he grew up.
Afterwards, we were sitting at the steps of German fountain when we got invaded
by pigeon-poop. Ahmet got a stain on his trousers while I got my shoes dirty.
Hatice was kind enough to lend a few wet wipes from a Turkish family so that I
could clean up my footwear. We witnessed a very ‘modern’ problem while sitting
near an ancient monument. There were three Turkish girls at the fountain who
were trying to get a picture taken with the monument. First they tried
themselves, then they asked Ahmet, then someone else, but were still not
satisfied by the end result and were arguing about it for almost an hour. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">As soon as the clock struck 5.45 pm, volunteers from nearby
thronged to the fountain and waited for the supervisor to come, to mark their
attendance. She arrived a few minutes late, and in a few minutes everyone was
on their way home. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I was supposed to accompany my Mexican friend to a concert
in <i>Beşiktaş</i> but I was stoop up, so I walked over to sea-side and sat
there for a while.</span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Later in the evening, I visited Burger King outlet in Sultanahmet area where a
teenager bumped into me, got confused and said "Thank you"!! I
replied with “Bişey değil” which means “not a problem”(Its Spanish equivalent
is de nada). He was with some of his friends and they all laughed. He said
‘Sorry’ correctly after that. </span></div>
</div>
Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-30433262244906220982014-08-22T01:06:00.000-07:002014-08-22T01:06:55.987-07:00Turkish Delight: Friday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-P9qC4cNaWhUG320wUt05zU6Skjzty2AVeDZq5JffRcSlerAorg_VTrxYlSThVZIZ0v_5XcnEf9hgmQLO2PYexz4tBdVPcc9cHoq-O6Hvr91GZSV0qKTeZ87jTqgXW3UKHZSv0Q9ZF01B/s1600/10484521_10154302379580587_8299432348853568663_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-P9qC4cNaWhUG320wUt05zU6Skjzty2AVeDZq5JffRcSlerAorg_VTrxYlSThVZIZ0v_5XcnEf9hgmQLO2PYexz4tBdVPcc9cHoq-O6Hvr91GZSV0qKTeZ87jTqgXW3UKHZSv0Q9ZF01B/s1600/10484521_10154302379580587_8299432348853568663_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gezi Park,Istanbul</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB38LzTtD7lXJ-tSL560WQ2cUAmOeHCqSwQuYQvIIdKy2BApRJ9dfy9fmu0G0QRbc_Mh8i62k2NByT50AjxffksThBFCFg4NItwdvOibXn_zGDsQf3r3t-IYNPz6tlvjPko6PYXDtjGpu4/s1600/10462484_10154302380620587_3209125530156330903_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB38LzTtD7lXJ-tSL560WQ2cUAmOeHCqSwQuYQvIIdKy2BApRJ9dfy9fmu0G0QRbc_Mh8i62k2NByT50AjxffksThBFCFg4NItwdvOibXn_zGDsQf3r3t-IYNPz6tlvjPko6PYXDtjGpu4/s1600/10462484_10154302380620587_3209125530156330903_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taksim Square, Istanbul</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceramics Bazaar</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some weirdly named spices</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Mosque: Alternate View</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the mosque's courtyard during rain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rain, Sea, Rainbow, Balloons, Macaroons and Me</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exquisite color of the sky during dusk</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galata Tower: From across the bridge</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Mosque at Eminonu.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0788Z3ZoxHj47KSAuG6ckFfrYF4GuxDi52JiTay02Q1Kiz_TPnOxxoy-TfpcR4MfsS54PHxUqodMX11MHC3V0PDUDTSqMxO0lGyeOqtwnaNMDkEqizQ4pPszWINJdH0_4S_N8zh7fGf_D/s1600/10525934_10154302385785587_8420092471468085130_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0788Z3ZoxHj47KSAuG6ckFfrYF4GuxDi52JiTay02Q1Kiz_TPnOxxoy-TfpcR4MfsS54PHxUqodMX11MHC3V0PDUDTSqMxO0lGyeOqtwnaNMDkEqizQ4pPszWINJdH0_4S_N8zh7fGf_D/s1600/10525934_10154302385785587_8420092471468085130_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galata Tower, from below</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">(</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I
traveled to Turkey for vacation during first half of
July,2014. Following is an account of my experiences in Istanbul. This is the fourth installment of the series,
involving an quick trip to Taksim, meeting new people and an unsuccessful trip to Galata Tower. I hope you
enjoy
it)<br /></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Friday/Cuma, 4<sup>th</sup> July 2014. </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
“Each and every human being is a work in progress that is slowly but inexorably
moving towards perfection. We are each an unfinished work of art both waiting
and striving to be completed.” Elif Shafak</span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
I started Friday in frenzy. Having gotten myself booked on a flight to
Cappadokia, I was supposed to buy a ticket till 11 am on Friday. The closest
sales office was near Taksim and I had failed to locate the office last night.
I was determined not to miss this wonderful opportunity. The weather was
overcast and made the historical skyline look even prettier. Following the
routine breakfast, I left the Otel to take a tram towards Taksim. I had used a
map from foursquare to locate the office previously. This time, I took the
exact address from Turkish airline's website and checked it on Google maps. I
reached my destination well in time and got my return ticket. A wave of calm
and accomplishment swept over me. I was finally relieved. I strolled across the
square to enter Gezi Park and stayed there for a while.</span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Ever since the Gezi Park protests, I've felt spiritually close to that
place. The events at Gezi, initially with an environmentalist agenda,
snowballed into a protest movement that affected the Turkish society as a
whole. AK Party’s Islamist government overreacted to the protests by using
indiscriminate force, and the viral videos of police brutality affected the
optics. Turkey, with its tremendous economic growth under the AK party regime
and tourist-friendly policies, presented a unique model as a modern Islamic
country for much of the last decade. Gezi Park changed the perception that
everything was alright under the surface. The protests united people from
various strata of society and stood as a symbol of cosmopolitan awakening in
face of an increasingly repressive regime. Taksim square, with the Monument of
Republic and Ataturk Cultural centre in background, became the symbol of
resistance of urban middle classes against forced gentrification of their city.
One of the aspects that I discovered and which fascinated me was the role
played by Ultra-fans of different football clubs in Istanbul(more on Turkish
football in later), especially the bravery shown by members of <i>Beşiktaş </i>club’s
ultras known as<i> Çarşı. </i></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Gezi Park is not as majestic or historic as the monuments in Sultanahmet, but
it is a modern shrine to that resistance. I took the tram back to Sultanahmet
and spent some time hanging out with my friend Doğukan.I joked that If he ever
went to the US, he’ll most definitely be nicknamed “Doug”. During our walk
around the hippodrome, I was introduced to Nazlıcan. We went together to the
volunteer centre where the youngsters had lunch and I got some Ayran.Ayran is
Turkey’s national drink and is a mixture of yogurt mixed with water and salt,
shaken together. We have a similar drink in Pakistan known as “Lassi” and it is
served in both salted and sweet flavors, although it is not AS popular as it is
in Turkiye. </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Doğukan led me back to B gate of Blue Mosque via the ceramics bazaar(Arasta
Bazaar).I spotted some oddly named spices there and the smell of spices there
reminded me of Old bazaar in my hometown. During the walk back, I spotted
graffiti in support of East Turkestan movement in China. It felt out of place,
until a friend later explained that Turkish government supports <i>East
Turkestan</i> Islamic <i>Movement </i>as part of its foreign policy. The
movement strives for greater autonomy of Uyghur Muslims living in Xinjiang
province of China. The weather was absolutely pleasant and sat at one of the
wooden benches in front of B gate. Soon there was a whole gang of volunteers
there chatting with a south Korean tourist (Yeonghwan Kim) .While we were
sitting there, a group of north African girls approached us and asked about the
"black market" of Istanbul! We suppressed our giggles and told them
that they were probably looking for a “flea market”. The volunteers informed
them that all tourist areas are relatively expensive in Istanbul and they had
little options to shop cheap. We were later joined by a British lady and even
more volunteers. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">We talked about south Korea and the subjects that each of us
was studying (or pursuing to study at a university). All three girls (Beyzanur,
Nazlican and Sinem) wanted to be doctors. Upon enquiry, I was told that the
reasons for this choice included the prospect of a good, wealthy life,
influence of TV show 'Doctors'(Turkish version of Grey's anatomy) and choice
made by parents. Later on, I found many girls who wanted to become
psychologists. They gave the reason that it involved less work than becoming a
doctor and the profession was quite popular. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">While we were sitting outside the mosque, it started raining
heavily. Before that, we were surprised to hear the imam conclude his Juma
sermon in English!! I was sitting there waiting for a friend of mine who was
supposed to visit me. I met a British-Pakistani there who was visiting Turkey
to obtain a hair transplant. He regaled me with his life-story, how he used to
run a business in Leeds and lost his savings in the stock market crash, his
move to Hull and the hooliganism he faced at his takeaway place initially.
Meanwhile, we spotted two Pakistani families coming out of the mosque after
Juma Prayers, recognizable due to Shalwar Kamiz, the traditional dress in
Pakistan. One of the families had immigrated from my hometown to Denmark and
the other family was based in London. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">The rain got so ferocious that we had to move
inside the mosque. It was full of other tourists who had sought shelter in the
covered area of the mosque. I met Kaan under these circumstances. He works as
freelance photojournalist and we discussed political situation in Turkey,
socialism and anarchism (inside the courtyard of Blue Mosque :P). <br />
<br />
I caught up with my friend whom I had met the last time I was in Turkey. He
hails from Iran but has spent the last five years in Istanbul, getting two
masters degrees in International Relations. We sat at a café near the
Hippodrome and discussed about the time we had last year and the intervening
period since then. We had Turkish tea/kehva while he informed me that he worked
part-time as a tour guide to support his stay in the city. He promised to get
me booked in a cheaper hotel with similar amenities as soon as I vacated my
previous one. We discussed Iran-US relations, situation in Gaza and American
Universities. He was kind enough to escort me to the nearest Koska shop, from
where I could get the best Baklava in town. It was raining and we didn’t have
an umbrella, so he departed afterwards and I walked back towards my hotel. <br />
<br />
After taking some rest, I grabbed coffee and macaroons from the nearby McCafe
and walked to my favorite place near the seaside. There were balloons, rainbow,
slight drizzle and an absolutely beautiful view of the city from afar. I tried
to let the feeling sink in for a while and then took a walk towards Galata
Bridge. I had previously visited the Galata area but had not visited the top of
Galata Tower, I decided to reach the place and take a look at the city during
the wonderful dusk shades. I was not fortunate enough and reached there an hour
too late. The tower was closed for visitors after 8 p.m., a fact that I was
previously unaware of. I roamed around Isteklal street and visited Carl
Junior’s near Taksim square. It was almost empty except for me and an Arab
woman with her young daughter. Brazil was playing Colombia that night in
Quarterfinals and I kept checking the scores on my mobile. Everyone was glued
to the TVs in cafés and restaurants across the neighborhood. I was supporting
the underdogs(Colombia) but they lost the match eventually. It was another
fun-filled day spent in a city that I began to love even more.<span> <br /><br />(To be continued)</span><br />
<br />
</span></span></div>
Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-63818772993691336362014-08-20T11:18:00.000-07:002014-08-20T11:18:58.427-07:00Turkish Delight: Sightseeing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYzaGMKBjn9AmkQvHTRI_TEbu7Edrjn4yDW7CM7AxvCw1pJwtPRaO7_Meu2_py2t1SkB2grFtvqGfHT-4nK8orzCJFv59uTu20exdiiMyIG7NHpkTnyMq5G5ngVakG0OaZF0kXd8q9lWk/s1600/10292509_10154294366505587_1016994490375223221_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYzaGMKBjn9AmkQvHTRI_TEbu7Edrjn4yDW7CM7AxvCw1pJwtPRaO7_Meu2_py2t1SkB2grFtvqGfHT-4nK8orzCJFv59uTu20exdiiMyIG7NHpkTnyMq5G5ngVakG0OaZF0kXd8q9lWk/s1600/10292509_10154294366505587_1016994490375223221_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Kennedy Street,the coast of Sea of Marmara</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Theodosius Obelisk and the Yilani Column</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwPE4lmz-0Ndv_wruWT6Cls5OBWaU0IFRhJ_RWsoVec4emCOW1UDLkJjFrGS44KHmaFGrPZFxmEDj9QSsZtfhss17stjamsmZEk5skFJ7zhoShlgmevWJvAz22CIYaRSWYlKuPQx75DiD/s1600/10420225_10154294363625587_6321392920853035819_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwPE4lmz-0Ndv_wruWT6Cls5OBWaU0IFRhJ_RWsoVec4emCOW1UDLkJjFrGS44KHmaFGrPZFxmEDj9QSsZtfhss17stjamsmZEk5skFJ7zhoShlgmevWJvAz22CIYaRSWYlKuPQx75DiD/s1600/10420225_10154294363625587_6321392920853035819_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Konstantinus Obelisk and Yilani Column</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGv0G7yVEEvwkIhZYpq0LbkFoTVYSaAiXqFYCJitBbcg826_FgKlKu5uuts4WSPOnvlPzLvqc3tMrLgq9Kl30dC866z1zhR9HtWONPq_g5eNdySzdg8E03LB7AIBsH5uOiRlpqIP-mAKO3/s1600/10350514_10154294377375587_5815046034108253308_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGv0G7yVEEvwkIhZYpq0LbkFoTVYSaAiXqFYCJitBbcg826_FgKlKu5uuts4WSPOnvlPzLvqc3tMrLgq9Kl30dC866z1zhR9HtWONPq_g5eNdySzdg8E03LB7AIBsH5uOiRlpqIP-mAKO3/s1600/10350514_10154294377375587_5815046034108253308_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hippodrome. These tables and chairs have been installed here by local government.People bring their food and do Iftaar here. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tram crossing the Sultanahmet area. On its way to Kabatas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHAQeYeyBViooabgd6eXQM2xrWF8je41hKtnqxpi1pnoNxcRWYaZ3ZKb6STISp_JZMoVSctinv4moDtai6ToTLduiB7P1KJzLGyjv_IByeA2i_QbulO3S61J7FxdK8oYnFyUlezQmpNOb/s1600/10458343_10154294378770587_6726857046888701910_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHAQeYeyBViooabgd6eXQM2xrWF8je41hKtnqxpi1pnoNxcRWYaZ3ZKb6STISp_JZMoVSctinv4moDtai6ToTLduiB7P1KJzLGyjv_IByeA2i_QbulO3S61J7FxdK8oYnFyUlezQmpNOb/s1600/10458343_10154294378770587_6726857046888701910_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nurosmaniye Mosque, First Look</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhob5ctwujJm2V_J2-LbYpXlf85nef-_BMrAgapJe5IomYKTY93vuD87nIfd98_94orvkxMqNhqafkqnzh8qqUqcOVkcEqA9cFVu-unJCfmyIug29wBLBvPdkrHjPYz78uOmVZgw5LbYpol/s1600/10404084_10154294379220587_66619563602573357_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhob5ctwujJm2V_J2-LbYpXlf85nef-_BMrAgapJe5IomYKTY93vuD87nIfd98_94orvkxMqNhqafkqnzh8qqUqcOVkcEqA9cFVu-unJCfmyIug29wBLBvPdkrHjPYz78uOmVZgw5LbYpol/s1600/10404084_10154294379220587_66619563602573357_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Nurosmaniye Msoque</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9EK01CSU2gCsabm9scSHh1fMhhzVgOe73xRIk321SREvHwn5zpX7nwqwjiWNLBUbqB_3zLsOo1BXC9wyzOuM_mTeG_zP6nSRULG4je_MnGMTXH8kmpGb4ty76a2TO_6bSZ321R_qr4iO/s1600/10440866_10154294379420587_5206524454167500855_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9EK01CSU2gCsabm9scSHh1fMhhzVgOe73xRIk321SREvHwn5zpX7nwqwjiWNLBUbqB_3zLsOo1BXC9wyzOuM_mTeG_zP6nSRULG4je_MnGMTXH8kmpGb4ty76a2TO_6bSZ321R_qr4iO/s1600/10440866_10154294379420587_5206524454167500855_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nurosmaniye Mosque. Exterior</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFM8GFaNGLz9YDOOTTK5S52y25HzWWj8Uyx0vRnIhQdIuGLliRJ3DWghThsBQLLqFSXb_3w4u5NYGLbWHHsMaXfkI5Nnj6sPRXbcqQOVQsD3S462Ylfm2LdEcNwgNbmHcW99yoaYf8ndW/s1600/049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFM8GFaNGLz9YDOOTTK5S52y25HzWWj8Uyx0vRnIhQdIuGLliRJ3DWghThsBQLLqFSXb_3w4u5NYGLbWHHsMaXfkI5Nnj6sPRXbcqQOVQsD3S462Ylfm2LdEcNwgNbmHcW99yoaYf8ndW/s1600/049.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast View: Exhibit A</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLcdDLFnDCpxDKM0g98qSkGW4WsDocoulvjxjQaejD-8spQTD_JyoCqEhex_1MKQugoAsfIOq6Dpxjsji8yFFvjsIzwDs_QwVaBxzNo5-CWW9TjK1zQVs8xP_gCikGuOhcKAlr6JUdKJ7/s1600/050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLcdDLFnDCpxDKM0g98qSkGW4WsDocoulvjxjQaejD-8spQTD_JyoCqEhex_1MKQugoAsfIOq6Dpxjsji8yFFvjsIzwDs_QwVaBxzNo5-CWW9TjK1zQVs8xP_gCikGuOhcKAlr6JUdKJ7/s1600/050.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast View: Number 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-YrLlgZ2O_PO5pFatOQy4yysEiXg3HnGPYRy1ApsOXNYo1bIia9gGKCo9hsSOM3skT4Ph6Fmlbc1EEy971MocTJ2qx2hl0fURjSrFL8HhUjqqTD87TFUSfopfBd8bWMOwQFI9mcKJ-aI/s1600/051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-YrLlgZ2O_PO5pFatOQy4yysEiXg3HnGPYRy1ApsOXNYo1bIia9gGKCo9hsSOM3skT4Ph6Fmlbc1EEy971MocTJ2qx2hl0fURjSrFL8HhUjqqTD87TFUSfopfBd8bWMOwQFI9mcKJ-aI/s1600/051.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast View: No. 3</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WyQKL7wJP3tTRtmFo3759C5AOt5qPOxq1XLn7O1bSFdWWpuDQZr_-j5rn1id6GIStTha7tP4i_fcEKLfWzR-TLiadMr023IwaBXPucea6HcNr8qPRc7hB3sFA1omJ3HrAKlFWTzARsMj/s1600/055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WyQKL7wJP3tTRtmFo3759C5AOt5qPOxq1XLn7O1bSFdWWpuDQZr_-j5rn1id6GIStTha7tP4i_fcEKLfWzR-TLiadMr023IwaBXPucea6HcNr8qPRc7hB3sFA1omJ3HrAKlFWTzARsMj/s1600/055.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Mosque: From the Courtyard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdP8zoqUmyyfht_IEwabYdTrnWdr11SB_4h7B7Mqmt2iMC7dgOkq1YV5PQ58VBdkE8V7eKDZjUz2gx5xHzGEkbMtrBJZ9Wsracb63-NUw0JXOQVgmdnRhkewn8dmxZAkVJNjBJNU_WNAq/s1600/056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdP8zoqUmyyfht_IEwabYdTrnWdr11SB_4h7B7Mqmt2iMC7dgOkq1YV5PQ58VBdkE8V7eKDZjUz2gx5xHzGEkbMtrBJZ9Wsracb63-NUw0JXOQVgmdnRhkewn8dmxZAkVJNjBJNU_WNAq/s1600/056.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fountain inside Hagia Sophia Premises</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIdSPDLTSaaE2YPzUonwlwEMmkHenhbcqjI7c9EP8oKqHMNfhpvWB30BY_CeICPjSqLSk3nPTptbDm7eGXx4veC1s-yEbOeOItyRu__Af0VNl6ucCSwhxmbWKQEcKZsspc8Yncd82oX47/s1600/060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIdSPDLTSaaE2YPzUonwlwEMmkHenhbcqjI7c9EP8oKqHMNfhpvWB30BY_CeICPjSqLSk3nPTptbDm7eGXx4veC1s-yEbOeOItyRu__Af0VNl6ucCSwhxmbWKQEcKZsspc8Yncd82oX47/s1600/060.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Hagia Sophia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSg0DDbkUOoDsJPaJ4uGZ1cVx63IA7DU5tk70hHeDwHvbqE4FFHue1U88X6VmAZyiK7FUCWi5N_-Cvg4OzBH643-lbYUnnLMWieByFe7P0uVrAWmCXWn8VFebVH-EjheCF5jKalh9aTbL/s1600/064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSg0DDbkUOoDsJPaJ4uGZ1cVx63IA7DU5tk70hHeDwHvbqE4FFHue1U88X6VmAZyiK7FUCWi5N_-Cvg4OzBH643-lbYUnnLMWieByFe7P0uVrAWmCXWn8VFebVH-EjheCF5jKalh9aTbL/s1600/064.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hagia Sophia: Another View</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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July,2014. Following is an account of my experiences en route to
Istanbul and onwards. This is the third installment of the series, including sightseeing done during my second day in Istanbul. I hope you enjoy
it)<br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Thursday,
3<sup>rd</sup> July, 2014</span></span></span><br />
<br />I was informed the day before, that breakfast would be served from 7-10 am on
the top floor. My room was present on 2<sup>nd</sup> floor and the “top” floor
was the fourth floor. So I took the stairs and reached the designated area. As
soon as I reached the place, I was spellbound by the view of Bosphorus and the
ships from that vantage point. It was such a perfect backdrop for breakfast
that I forgot all about the breakfast itself. Took a few pictures of the
surroundings and Blue Mosque, which was hardly 500 meters away from there. That
view alone was worth the expensive hotel bill. Turkish breakfast typically
includes three necessary ingredients: Olives, Honey and Cheese. I picked three
different types of cheese, black and green olives and small packs of honey,
which I ate with toasts. There was option for coffee but not tea (the kind that
we have in Pakistan, black tea with milk). </span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
After the healthy breakfast, I had two major objectives for the day apart from
sightseeing. I had brought along some clothes for my nephew and sister who live
in Germany, and I was supposed to send those items to Germany via courier. The
other major task was to find an iPad-to-Camera connector, as I could not shift
any photos from my camera to the device without it. I had bought a knocked-down
version of the connector from Lahore but it failed to work when I tried it in
Istanbul. Aside from these tasks, I wanted to sightsee as much as possible. On
the previous visit, I had tagged along with friends who were loathe to visit
any place that had an entrance fee, which restricted our options very much. I
had seen two documentaries (<i>The Ottomans</i> and <i>Byzantium: A Tale of
Three Cities</i>) in the intervening year, after which I cursed myself that I
had been in such a magnificent place and had squandered the chance to visit it
just to save a few pennies. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br />
I left the hotel to find a suitable electronics shop in Sultanahmet or Grand Bazaar
(<i>Kapali Çarşı) </i>area. During the morning shower, I had noticed weird
texture on my nose and I realized that it was sunburn because the Ultraviolent
(UV) index in Istanbul can cause sunburns. Passing through the Old Bazaar (Asirlik
Tatlar ve Sanatlar), my first stop was a chemist shop, from where I got a
sunscreen. Afterwards, I wandered around the place, stumbling upon a cemetery
where tomb of Sultan Mahmud II was present. I found that most of the graves
were built in a particular style that was uniquely Turkish, and one doesn’t see
such graves in the subcontinent. During this walk, I reached the magnificent Nuruosmaniye
Mosque (<i>Nuruosmaniye Camii). </i>It was commissioned from the order of
Sultan Mahmut I beginning in 1748 and completed by his brother and successor Sultan
Osman III in 1755. After doing a photo shoot of the interior and exterior of
the mosque, I went back to Sultanahmet. Volunteers (or ‘Ask Me’ Volunteers as
they call themselves) had started to descend upon the area, gathering in the
Hippodrome area and the green belt between Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. <br />
<br />
I decided to visit Blue Mosque and venture inside its main hall. On my last
visit, I had managed to come here twice, but had not gone inside, due to stupid
reasons. This was my chance to rectify that, so I went in. The mosque was built
from 1609 to 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. It is one of the most memorable
parts of Istanbul’s historic skyline. It was majestic, beautiful and haunting.
There were dozens of tourists, as amazed as I was, from the experience of being
inside that wonderful place. I spent almost twenty minutes inside the main hall
and emerged from front gate (Gate A) of the mosque. There was some kind of
ceremony going on there, with a lot of volunteers present. I walked towards the
ceremony to find that Mayor of Fatih Municipality, Mustafa Demir had arrived at
the ceremony and some local official was giving a long speech. I spotted my
friend Doğukan sitting near the Mayor, so I approached him and sought his help
in finding the nearest DHL office. He directed me towards the road next to
Basilica Cistern. It took less than ten minutes to reach the DHL centre and
send the clothes to my sister. It later transpired that I had made a blunder in
that regard. I had sent the items using “DHL Express” which is a faster but
expensive way to send items, and that I had declared the cost of items to be
too high, which resulted in my sister having to pay some Euros as insurance!! In
my defence, it was only my second day in Turkey and I had yet to master the
language, and it was my first experience with sending anything to a different
country from Turkey. <br />
<br />
Hagia Sophia was my next destination. There was a long queue for visitors and
it cost 30 Turkish Lira to enter the place. Hagia Sophia (from the Greek: Ἁγία
Σοφία), is a former Greek Orthodox patriarchal basilica (church), later an
imperial mosque, and now a museum (Ayasofya Müzesi). From the date of its
construction in 537 until 1453, it served as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral and
seat of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when
it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire. The
building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. It was then secularized and opened
as a museum in 1935, under the Kemalist government. I had read about its
history but my interest in the place was piqued by the documentaries that I had
seen and the fact that I had learnt a few basic things about Greek Orthodox
church from my lovely Greek friend. She lamented that “It used to be decorated
with gold, diamonds etc. and amazing pieces of art” but it had been “Ottomanized”
under the Muslim rulers. It is still considered the holiest site for Greek
Orthodox christians.It was named after St. Sophia, patron saint of
Byzantium/Istanbul. I discovered that only the “Muslim” part of the church was
open to general visitors (but I secretly longed to meet the Greek Orthodox
priests or members of the church). The first thing to capture my attention upon
entering the building was a gold-plated fountain (Sadirvan) in the courtyard.
It was built in 1740AD. <br />
<br />
The interior portion was baroque, and a weird mix of Christian symbols and Arabic/Islamic
calligraphy. I walked to the upper portion of the building for some
photography. I was feeling hungry so I ventured out to find something to eat. I
wanted to eat something from the Turkish cuisine, but vegetarian in nature. I
walked along the tram line from Sultanahmet, crossed the <i>Çemberlitaş </i>station,
<i>Beyazıt </i>station and finally decided to sit down at “Izmir Restaurant”. I
wanted to taste Turkish Pizza (called Pide), so I ordered a margarita pizza.
The server brought few pieces of bread and a mixture of
crushed-tomato-and-onion paste. I was flabbergasted for a while, thinking that
they had misunderstood my order. I had finished three pieces of bread when the
REAL pizza appeared: P. It dawned on me that I had mistook the appetizer for
the meal, and had killed at least half of my hunger already. In addition, the
pizza was exactly like the ones that I’ve had in Pakistan, so I was slightly
disappointed. The meal was not too bad, so at least I had a full meal after all
the walks since morning. <br />
<span> </span><br />
On my way back, I enquired about the phone connector from a few shops and it
transpired that I had to go to Apple Store Zorlu Centre in <i>Beşiktaş</i> if I
wanted the accessory. I had acquired a map of the tram from a volunteer and the
tourist information centre in Sultanahmet guided me about which trams to take.
I was supposed to change three trains to reach Zorlu Centre. I was desperate
enough to get that connector so I decided to give it a go. Took the tram from
Sultanahmet, disembarked at <i>Kabataş</i>, and took the Füniküler to Taksim
and then the train to Gayreteppe. It involved changing trains, walking (in my case,
running) on the escalators and walkways and finding enough room to stand in the
trains. It was time for offices to close, so the trains were full of people.
After Gayreteppe, one has to walk almost 1.5 Kilometers to reach Zorlu Centre,
which is a very modern mall. I had previous experience of Apple Stores in the
US so I expected similar customer service. I didn’t have to wait for a store
employee to find the connector for me, but during the billing process, his
iPhone got stuck! On top of this, he didn’t even know English too well. It was
not a disaster in anyway, but I realized that even Apple Stores worked in
Turkish ways :P. On the return trip, I lost my way(because the “M” for Metro
trains and Metro Buses looks so similar), but eventually reached Sultanahmet
without much trouble. <br />
<br />
In the hippodrome area, I noticed a specialized Childcare room for all the
families that had camped there for Iftaar time. I realized that Turkish
government cares for its citizens much more than our government does for us, as
I have never seen such facilities at any public place in Pakistan. I also found
a father-son duo playing football who included me in their game for a few
touches. My new friend from Mexico had told me about Cappadocia so upon
reaching the hotel, I looked at ticket prices offered by Turkish Airlines from
Istanbul. I was delighted to hear that I could get a discount price return ticket
to Cappadocia in 200 Liras. I submit my details online and the ticket was
reserved. The only catch was that I was supposed to get the ticket within the
next 12 hours. My options were, either go to the airport or find their nearest
office. With help of the internet, I found that Turkish Airlines had an office
near Taksim. I left the hotel immediately and took the tram to Karakoy, and
boarded the Tunel train. I found my Mexican friend in the Tunel and we talked
about my ‘adventures’ of the day. She had to meet one of her friends at
Fatburger,so I proceeded on my own and walked through Isteklal Street to
Taksim. Google Maps and other maps mentioned the location of the Airline office
near Divan Hotel. I walked on the Cumhuriyet Caddesi for half an hour, without
finding the place. By 10 pm, I was extremely exhausted by the search so I took
the train back to my hotel. It was a long, but enriching day. </span></span></div>
Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-69586764184305328862014-08-15T10:12:00.001-07:002014-08-15T10:12:39.867-07:00Turkish Delight: Love At Second Sight<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmtK95dGt0_EnGEwhfXHKqe9SmcGRdj_YKsS9zraUqWYbrDdJb5Tov9vP5oB79HnPLrBzOWc-y-2TTHUkajUJ4BtD41CpXdg-a8erwAMusk5yAlfkVRvV8hcuKTGMm4jUTELk4_TZuV1d/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmtK95dGt0_EnGEwhfXHKqe9SmcGRdj_YKsS9zraUqWYbrDdJb5Tov9vP5oB79HnPLrBzOWc-y-2TTHUkajUJ4BtD41CpXdg-a8erwAMusk5yAlfkVRvV8hcuKTGMm4jUTELk4_TZuV1d/s1600/029.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Istanbul: First Look</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwTWbxsx34gBznnNdlqFNwKsqoKCSNGoQIM-tAlMW3mI-Rehxefv9_TmzTdljSh9Av6_9c8BI9cZ6hK7zdm1i6z5ND_BHDvTRbcO2I0aZ6XrPTXZevU_QirjyQoKvi9Hwi2CJtuENcD3f/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwTWbxsx34gBznnNdlqFNwKsqoKCSNGoQIM-tAlMW3mI-Rehxefv9_TmzTdljSh9Av6_9c8BI9cZ6hK7zdm1i6z5ND_BHDvTRbcO2I0aZ6XrPTXZevU_QirjyQoKvi9Hwi2CJtuENcD3f/s1600/017.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Flight Route</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjzZs3wTZLt6-2CNPylw-qrV5anqmVoXOTWpeOjnoR0pYwkDg5Yc0anejNwDSsuCu6iK1RLWg84riGm_ZlA5JytYGVIGotofCqNHvlZjKJjWP4vfsPi8MB4DQy7G5nzeSC_J5wuaX-q-1/s1600/035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjzZs3wTZLt6-2CNPylw-qrV5anqmVoXOTWpeOjnoR0pYwkDg5Yc0anejNwDSsuCu6iK1RLWg84riGm_ZlA5JytYGVIGotofCqNHvlZjKJjWP4vfsPi8MB4DQy7G5nzeSC_J5wuaX-q-1/s1600/035.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My First Meal in Istanbul, with the Volunteers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMwI0Rpumc8B1KjXYi5MCaBwZKERk4W9D5vObgB59IRFq4DfeMYgHzTq2PKwQn32L8Geam87hmEzAmDMyO0KUyTaVULloPYCcP6hzg7SXG0y__yggNKWtEPdpcQtIM5l3QvCyg5f6PXvD/s1600/036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMwI0Rpumc8B1KjXYi5MCaBwZKERk4W9D5vObgB59IRFq4DfeMYgHzTq2PKwQn32L8Geam87hmEzAmDMyO0KUyTaVULloPYCcP6hzg7SXG0y__yggNKWtEPdpcQtIM5l3QvCyg5f6PXvD/s1600/036.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Milion Stone</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SCPmFTcmMQ87WQdIgRLg03aO8PCktN2NMe9ymK3IVB99V_nTzNDFS_7THWg0FlrTBjS0ynzScr6L2xGRhfYTnKjz35zRYE_xW3ccp7spQWoF9WFVSaGkm_YVud26WGUabY1KlrLPXbqY/s1600/037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SCPmFTcmMQ87WQdIgRLg03aO8PCktN2NMe9ymK3IVB99V_nTzNDFS_7THWg0FlrTBjS0ynzScr6L2xGRhfYTnKjz35zRYE_xW3ccp7spQWoF9WFVSaGkm_YVud26WGUabY1KlrLPXbqY/s1600/037.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Distances of different world capitals from Milion Stone</td></tr>
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<br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuoXZahqvDzJeegCG0jhYZwlkWG8xa6oE7FZ8O3vgpM2DDZhrbh6xjIkVNABxVLVlzCHM_3Io4eHNw3_NZmr8Xv3hSIc0jwbHKtvaRmM3UJFWS_kO96ec1v3aY4VlYDX1ZBHYJ7J12P1Y/s1600/040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuoXZahqvDzJeegCG0jhYZwlkWG8xa6oE7FZ8O3vgpM2DDZhrbh6xjIkVNABxVLVlzCHM_3Io4eHNw3_NZmr8Xv3hSIc0jwbHKtvaRmM3UJFWS_kO96ec1v3aY4VlYDX1ZBHYJ7J12P1Y/s1600/040.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Hamid Jalilee, Fatma, Dougkan, Ahmet, Beyzanur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmcDdNCQ5fYX8P04n9dudc0JqWcCn7iOIBnudV0W6DYCzobRhRDqG_PEQmyF2gE-Zk3JPIy2yjrU35G0bFtKphIKT9e4zjA-6BudhxzOEDa67w8Y-5VsCDWSWXEXd-urhCSkBCudqv0Qm/s1600/043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmcDdNCQ5fYX8P04n9dudc0JqWcCn7iOIBnudV0W6DYCzobRhRDqG_PEQmyF2gE-Zk3JPIy2yjrU35G0bFtKphIKT9e4zjA-6BudhxzOEDa67w8Y-5VsCDWSWXEXd-urhCSkBCudqv0Qm/s1600/043.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea of Marmara</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiglgOBvn17d4Edw4FVLtOBhvkA55jKXrvEt5-l0HY_uhFWBSNZ5FnudBCCORbiANvGmkPuHPml7HGs6Wcsfbm7ZmWdqAUFrvVp_W2hSM53WKgw8pkzZyRSyVXj_wssKGG4rt3eUj-j8ZbO/s1600/044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiglgOBvn17d4Edw4FVLtOBhvkA55jKXrvEt5-l0HY_uhFWBSNZ5FnudBCCORbiANvGmkPuHPml7HGs6Wcsfbm7ZmWdqAUFrvVp_W2hSM53WKgw8pkzZyRSyVXj_wssKGG4rt3eUj-j8ZbO/s1600/044.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPk4Tn5OuTqe9OMb0wl5-DBzHFmHgkF-dkv04pukCmNsH9krKEOQXSuRHqwH29396cbMdif4epUzb4K3T9b3XNIFvvaxPqQTBArfS0Kc0vG6UrEKVuBnA2iylp2SyoeZclMH-TaFGhyphenhyphenrzS/s1600/045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPk4Tn5OuTqe9OMb0wl5-DBzHFmHgkF-dkv04pukCmNsH9krKEOQXSuRHqwH29396cbMdif4epUzb4K3T9b3XNIFvvaxPqQTBArfS0Kc0vG6UrEKVuBnA2iylp2SyoeZclMH-TaFGhyphenhyphenrzS/s1600/045.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shake Shack! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwkUqxd8BSzyX2wzCMHJDZb7mGPRyTEFmjRjCNZSfLwi842_GKWGLQRlBrwexrmXQBWlktw76iIsiLR_7l6bd3MTc74WnzwF767pzCJC2TPCANkCzpdbB8vCKsRl5MLaodWCvHI_9CMTi/s1600/048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwkUqxd8BSzyX2wzCMHJDZb7mGPRyTEFmjRjCNZSfLwi842_GKWGLQRlBrwexrmXQBWlktw76iIsiLR_7l6bd3MTc74WnzwF767pzCJC2TPCANkCzpdbB8vCKsRl5MLaodWCvHI_9CMTi/s1600/048.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Hala' in Isteklal </td></tr>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">(I traveled to Turkey for vacation during first half of
July,2014. Following is an account of my experiences en route to
Istanbul and onwards. This is the second installment of the series,
focusing on the departure from Lahore Airport and First day in Istanbul. I hope you enjoy
it.) <br /><br />
Wednesday, July 2<sup>nd</sup>, 2014 <br />
<br />
I reached Lahore Airport well in time before the flight. I had never been too
late to catch a flight or a bus because of my fathers’ insistence to be
extra-careful in these matters. My flight was supposed to fly at 5.30 am and I
had arrived at the airport at 2:00 am, with a couple hours of sleep. I am not a
nigh-person by any stretch of imagination and do not like anything more than a
good nights’ sleep, so this was one of those nights when I sacrificed my sleep
for “a greater cause” (:P). I took a seat at the waiting area, alongside two Turkish
men. One of my high-school friends was studying in Ankara on a scholarship and
he had sent me a small guide-book outlining basic phrases in Türkçe. Based on
my previous experience in Turkey, I had decided to learn the basics of
language. I had tried to memorize some of the important phrases given in that
book, and had relied on Google Translate for pronunciation. <br />
<br />
We waited till 3:00 am for the check-in counter to start functioning. There
were two flights (one of Emirates, the other of Etihad) ready to leave before
us and their passengers had spent hours while checking-in. As soon as one of
the flashboards showed the number of our flight, the two Turkish men leapt
towards the counter and positioned themselves at the front of the line. I
walked behind them and found a place in the same line. There was an additional
queue for business class passengers. The clock kept ticking while we stood
there. 15 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes. The line stood still;
there was no one at the check-in counter to help us! A tall Turkish guy in the business
class queue got impatient. Initially, he asked politely for the “manager” of
the area. There was no reply. We were informed that it was time for ‘Suhoor’
and thus the staff were busy in that. Later, we got news that staff was busy in
Fajr Prayers. This was too much to take for the tall Turkish guy, who started
shouting at the manager and anyone who cared to listen. He pointed to the
Turkish guys standing in my line that no Pakistani was protesting, and everyone
was just standing there, in no hurry. <span> </span><span> </span><br />
<br />
After 45 minutes of standing in the queue, the staff miraculously appeared.
Another issue surfaced this time. Apparently, a tax had been imposed in the latest
budget and everyone who got their tickets after 30<sup>th</sup> June, 2014 had
to pay an extra Rs.1200 ($12) at the counter! This was unprecedented and most
passengers balked at this idiotic gesture. Some people did not have enough cash
on them, some were only carrying US Dollars and the check-in counter staff did
not have any currency other than Pakistani Rupees. Even Credit/Debit Card
facility was not available and they only accepted cash. It caused a minor
kerfuffle but eventually, the line started moving. On my turn, I asked the
check-in guy to assign me a window-seat, which he did. <span> </span>After almost 70 minutes standing in that line,
I was able to get past the Check-in and in the Departure Lounge. It was there
that I first used my newly-acquired Türkçe skills and asked one of the two
Turkish men that I had seen, if he knew English (İngilizce biliyor musun). To which
he replied, “Yes”. I told him about the gate number where we were supposed to
gather, as he was sitting at the wrong gate previously. <br />
<br />
<br />
The Flight left Lahore at 5:35 am and I sat comfortably in my window seat,
gazing at the beautiful sunrise over Lahore. I slept for sometime and woke up
when our plane had crossed Afghanistan. We crossed Baku and entered Turkey soon
afterwards. We could not land at Istanbul airport at once and had to wait for a
few minutes due to some technical issues. Meanwhile, the pilot gave us an
excellent overview of Istanbul, the vastness of which amazed me(I later discovered
that Istanbul’s total surface area is FOUR times as big as that of New York
City!). The last time I had landed at Ataturk Havalimani(Airport), there were
long lines at the Passport control points, but this time was different. There
were hardly any people and it took me less than five minutes to get my passport
stamped till the baggage collection section. <br />
<br />
<br />
More than half of the passengers on our plane were in Istanbul for Transit and
were moving on to further destinations, because of which the rest of us had to
wait for another 30 minutes till our luggage arrived. During that period, I got
to talking with a fellow Pakistani who was going to Italy after spending 3 days
in Istanbul. It was his first time in Turkey so I gave him some pointers about
the situation. As soon as my bag arrived, I took it and ran towards the exit
doors. My first task was to get some Turkish Liras and then to get an Avea SIM
card. I got the US Dollars changed and got a new SIM. I discovered at the kiosk
that a mobile phone in which a Turkish SIM has been previously used, can’t be
used again in Turkey. It was weird to know, but fortunately I had a spare phone
so I got the SIM card for that. I asked the salesperson internet package, which
he informed me about. He also instructed me to turn the phone to “Airplane Mode”
and only use the phone after two hours. <br />
<br />
I moved out of the airport and took a Taksi to Sultanahmet. Using
Tripadvisor.com, I had booked myself in for five nights at Saba Hotel near Sultanahmet/Blue
Mosque. I had spent two days in that area last year so I knew the place a bit. The
weather was nicer than in Lahore and I kept the window open throughout the
ride. I told the driver in Türkçe about the hotel and showed him the email from
the hotel that I had printed out. He called someone and asked them about exact
location of the place. As we got near Sultanahmet, he informed me that due to
traffic issues, he won’t be able to drop me in front on the Otel but near it. I
was okay with it as I don’t mind walking. As it turned out, he had dropped me
off on the backside of Sultanahmet and I had to drag my bag through the
cobblestoned streets till I reached the mosque. I was relieved to see it
because I knew my hotel would be somewhere nearby. I walked slowly in the
hippodrome area and tried to see any hotels around the area. I reached Gate C
of the mosque and was standing aimlessly when three teenagers wearing blue
shirts approached me. They asked if I needed any help, in English. I was
relieved to hear someone speaking English and told them that I definitively
required help and that I was Lost! I showed them the email from the Hotel,
which had mentioned their address and a small-ish Google map was also given. <span> </span><br />
<br />
Despite the instructions given in the email and Google search by those
teenagers, we were not able to figure out my destination. A slightly older girl
in a red shirt came over and asked us about the issue. She saw the email and
after some discussion with the teenagers, was unable to locate the place
either. She said that she will help me find it and starting walking towards
Hagia Sophia. One of the volunteers asked if I would like to have lunch with
them. I accepted their offer delightedly, and walked with them to their office
on the other side of the Mosque. I discovered that the teenagers were volunteers,
working for Fatih Municipality(which contained numerous tourist attractions),
guiding tourists in English, without charging anything. They were aged 15-25
and most of them were either in high schools or in initial years of university.
During my last visit, I had not seen the volunteers as their tenure ended in
September and I had visited in the second week of September. I enjoyed lunch at
the office, while talking to many volunteers. Most of them had never met a
Pakistani before, so it was my duty to leave a good impression upon them. After
we finished the meal, one of the volunteers(Doğukan) escorted me to the area
behind the mosque. He explained the history of the Hippodrome and the cages
where Lions were kept. During our walk, we asked someone for directions to Saba
Hotel and were finally guided in the right direction. <span> </span><br />
<br />
We crossed the Marmara University Presidency and I found the sign of my hotel
in the adjoining street. I stopped Doğukan in his tracks, asked him to get back
to where he was deputed and promised to come back and hang out with him as soon
as I checked in to the hotel. The lady at the hotel reception was very nice and
friendly and she guided me to my room. When I paid the bill using a Credit
card, it dawned upon me that I had accidentally booked a really expensive
hotel. The friendly lady informed me that Wi-Fi service was only available in
the Lobby, which was a big let-down. <br />
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After Checking into my room, placing my luggage and changing my shirt, I headed
to the Hippodrome where I joined Doğukan and Fatma Betül. They took me on a little
tour of the Hippodrome, starting from German Fountain to the Egyptian Obelisk
and Roman Obelisk and then to the Milion Stone. We later sat down on one of the
many benches placed in the Hippodrome and talked about history and each other.
During that time, I restarted my mobile and it started working. It was a relief
to finally have 3G service. After almost an hour of this chit-chat, we were
joined by a guy sitting on a bench nearby. He was Mr. Hamid Jalilee from Iran,
a businessman learning Türkçe in Istabul. We talked about common words in
Persian, Türkçe and Urdu(Pakistan’s national language, which is a mix of
Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit). We also taunted the Turkish teenagers about the
poorly cooked rice, found in Turkey. During our chat, we were joined by Ahmet
Kaya and Beyzanur. We talked and talked and talked for almost three hours, and
I left the area around 6 p.m., having sat there since 1 p.m. I learnt plenty of
words and names that day, which helped me during the rest of my stay. <br />
<br />
It was tiring(as I hadn't had much sleep in the preceding 24-30 hours) but it
was sooper fun. I left for my hotel, which was hardly five minutes away from
the Hippodrome and took some rest. One of my Pakistani friends is studying in
Australia. One of her classmates was doing an internship in Istanbul and was
staying in Sultanahmet. I caught up with her after some rest at the Hotel. We
walked towards the Marine Drive, and sat alongside the Sea of Marmara. She had
graduated with a degree in Psychology and was pursuing a Masters Degree in “Role
of Gender in Development”, a subject close to my heart. We talked and walked
alongside Keneddy Cadessi(Road) towards Galata Bridge and took the Tunel to
Isteklal Cadessi. I was terribly hungry so I got some fries and a shake from
Shake Shack which lies right next to the Tunel station. Last time, I had walked
across Isteklal twice without visiting Shake Shack even once, and upon my
return had heard rave reviews about its burgers and fries. My new friend gave
me an Istanbulkart which was a blessing. We walked across Isteklal, enjoying
the live music and at one place, a group dance(I was later told that it was
called ‘Hala’, a traditional Anatolian Dance). We took the Funicular from
Taksim to Kabatas and from there we took the tram to Sultanahmet. I reached my
Hotel around 11.30 pm and was really exhausted so slept immediately. It was a
wonderful first day in Istanbul. <br />
</span><br /><br />(To be continued) <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-48819882823207355882014-08-14T07:22:00.001-07:002014-08-14T07:25:03.422-07:00Turkish Delight: Preface<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqwW2CQO6RfWu1SV7XbjVY80Kyjf1Qz8P20B2gngjAFwgTqKtwVj-3piurPGqciyQiDgTaQrnZcsB0DRtka2RNvW54Q2GEESSJoM-9JAG5gPEyJNTv20hE7vQL2GFs2zlZf6KRkd7zjy4/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqwW2CQO6RfWu1SV7XbjVY80Kyjf1Qz8P20B2gngjAFwgTqKtwVj-3piurPGqciyQiDgTaQrnZcsB0DRtka2RNvW54Q2GEESSJoM-9JAG5gPEyJNTv20hE7vQL2GFs2zlZf6KRkd7zjy4/s1600/015.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Turkish Airline Plane crossing Afghanistan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxJ6FWKBJmd8hzFXMUK3mOSHJQQJVw7Z4wzTyDRNJoYPl2UQ51hKYNb5cxnWRLYXi08wtMps0SVH7mym-rPo1oLxXMSP9P8JNLx6jfqo0Iq7e4CM7tpd4kUkJul3VX_lzqhiv8E9cx0WP/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxJ6FWKBJmd8hzFXMUK3mOSHJQQJVw7Z4wzTyDRNJoYPl2UQ51hKYNb5cxnWRLYXi08wtMps0SVH7mym-rPo1oLxXMSP9P8JNLx6jfqo0Iq7e4CM7tpd4kUkJul3VX_lzqhiv8E9cx0WP/s1600/030.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Istanbul: First Look </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">(I traveled to Turkey for vacation during first half of July,2014. Following is an account of my experiences en route to Istanbul and onwards. This is the first installment of the series, focusing on the planing and visa phase of the journey. I hope you enjoy it.) <br /><br /></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Life is a sequence of births and deaths. Moments are born
and moments die. For new experiences to come to light, old ones need to wither
away. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Elif Shafak</span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<br />Preface</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I was not supposed to be in Istanbul in the summer of July, 2014.
There was no such plan beforehand. I wanted to travel abroad and my eyes were
set on Europe as the possible destination. My sister lives in Germany and I
wanted to visit her and my nephew. I filled the application form for Schengen
visa and obtained requisite documents (Passport valid for at least three months
after arrival, health insurance, hotel booking, bank statement, air ticket,
employers' certificate etc). With one eye on Europe, I submitted the documents
at the Dutch embassy (as it is considered the most lenient embassy). I had
planned to visit Amsterdam, stay there for a day or two, move towards Germany
and spent two weeks there, followed by a week in Greece. I was quite confident
about getting the visa. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Almost two weeks after the submission, I was taking a class
when my phone buzzed. I couldn't pick it up at that time so I called back. It
was a call from the Visa service and they told that my passport had arrived and
I should come and collect it. I thought I had made it. The visa center is
located almost a hundred kilometers away from my city and it takes almost two
hours by car to reach there. I applied for leave from college and drove towards
the visa center the next day. I had to wait for almost two hours until I got my
passport back. When my ticket number appeared on the electronic screen, my
heart skipped a beat. Hoping for the best, I approached the relevant counter
and received my documents, clad in a white bag. I opened the bag to find my
passport and a few printed pages. I went out of the visa centre and started
looking for the visa stamp on my passport, full of excitement. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">There was no additional stamp!!! I thought I might be wrong
I checked the pages again, and again, and again. Couldn't find it. It was at
that time that I took a peek at the printed pages. The first three pages were
in Dutch so I couldn't understand what they meant. The last page had a summary
in English. It said that my visa application had been rejected because I had
failed to demonstrate enough resources to sustain myself during my intended
stay in Netherlands and that I had not given any proof that I'd come back to my
country. I was devastated to read this. I realized later that I should not have
mentioned my salary at the medical college along with my father's bank statement
(thus creating a financial disparity). I should have mentioned my contract with
the medical college to prove that I intended to come back to Pakistan.
Fortunately I have a Dutch friend, who helped me understand the rejection
document and filed an appeal on my behalf (I haven't heard back from the Dutch
Foreign Ministry about that appeal till now). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">There was no way that I was spending my holiday time rotting
away at home. Something had to be done and it had to done fast. The first three
options that came to my mind were Turkey, Malaysia and Dubai. I had been to
Turkey before and had enjoyed the trip immensely. Malaysia is a beautiful place
to go and Dubai has a lot of glitter/fancy places. I could easily get visa for
either of these countries. The factor that helped me decide easily was the
timing of my trip. The medical college was supposed to be closed during Ramzan,
for summer vacations. I figured that Dubai, being an Arab country, would not be
too attractive an option. Malaysia had recently been in the news for some
repressive laws against its minorities. Turkey was the best option, considering
these facts. I had a very important exam to tackle on 4th of June, so I
postponed my efforts to get a Turkish visa.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> As soon as I was done with my exam, I focused all my
attention on obtaining a Turkish visa. I got inoculated against Polio as soon
as possible (as it has been made mandatory for everyone traveling outside
Pakistan to be inoculated against polio by World Health Organization. Turkish
visa application required me to possess passport with validity of at least 6
months after my arrival. My passport was due to expire in 4.5 months. I was
informed that I won't get visa until I fulfilled this criteria. I visited a
passport office located on the other side of my city (to avoid the congestion
at the main office) and applied for urgently renewing my passport. On my first
visit, I forgot to take along my original national identity card (I had a copy
of it but not the original one at that time). I finally managed to go through
the whole process on the next day. Meanwhile I tried to obtain the documents
required by Turkish embassy. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">My passport arrived the next week and I left off for
Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, the very next day. I had prior experience of the
workings of Turkish embassy so I was confident of getting visa on the same day.
I reached the embassy almost an hour and a half in advance. They are supposed
to start working at 9.30 am but they don't typically begin before 10 am. I got
ticket number 7. I was ushered in around 11 am. The visa officer asked me a few
routine questions, and when I told him about my previous visit to Turkey, he
was satisfied. He collected visa fee from me and asked me to collect my
passport at 4.30 pm.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I went to Islamabad city and met a few friends working
there. A lawyer friend of mine wanted to have lunch. He arrived 30 minutes late
and we only reached the restaurant at 3 pm. It was located almost 10 kilometers
away from the diplomatic enclave (In Islamabad, most embassies are based in a
particular area that has been cordoned off and only diplomats can enter it. For
visitors like myself, there is a bus service that takes people to different
embassies and later collects them. The last bus to depart the bus station
leaves at 4 pm). I got free from lunch around 3.30 and asked my friend
directions to reach the bus station as soon as possible. He told me that there
were two ways, the shorter one involved crossing the constitution avenue (which
houses Pakistan's Parliament, Supreme Court and President House) while the
other way was long. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I decided to try the shorter route but was stopped at the
first check post. The traffic police guys said that I won't be able to cross
the constitution avenue because of heavy security measures. I asked one of the
cops the route towards the enclave. He guided me to the road that was supposed
to take me nearer the enclave. It was 3.37 pm already. I fastened my seatbelt
and rammed the accelerator as hard as I could. I was terribly panicked and
drove very fast. After taking a wrong turn, I eventually reached the road that
went to the enclave. I parked my car in a hurry and ran towards the counter to
get ticket for the bus. It was 3.59 pm. I was the last passenger on the bus
going across diplomatic enclave that day. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I was one of the three passengers on that bus. We reached
the Turkish embassy around 4.15 pm. Just like the morning, the embassy staff
didn't start giving back the passports on time. We waited there, with baited
breath. The clock struck 5:00, then 5:15, then 5:30. I had brought along a
pamphlet on "political economy of Milk and its distribution in
Pakistan" which I finished till 5:00. We were not allowed to bring mobiles
to the embassy so there was not an awful lot left to be done. The first person
to be called for collecting passport went in at 5:35 pm. My turn came at 6:00
pm. I boarded one of the last buses to exit the enclave and reached the bus station.
I was finally relieved.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I hung out with my friends that day and drove back to
Sialkot, my home town, the next day. <br /><br />(To be Continued) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-60453952362332631182014-08-14T06:26:00.002-07:002014-08-14T06:26:53.043-07:00The Tide is Turning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid1xd29Qpvn1DrFagBKHbSkptKX1tCyT6pZcswaTHfkSPCa6k_wEAgLEgevdm_vbYbyH358sudYlrT2OueNQ2K15lgbYz0wKR5_MhpQRIpOnGuwzvGR0W54Ej15XaEaSpXgiXY17CcAavf/s1600/european+elections.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid1xd29Qpvn1DrFagBKHbSkptKX1tCyT6pZcswaTHfkSPCa6k_wEAgLEgevdm_vbYbyH358sudYlrT2OueNQ2K15lgbYz0wKR5_MhpQRIpOnGuwzvGR0W54Ej15XaEaSpXgiXY17CcAavf/s1600/european+elections.jpg" height="282" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Thoughts on impact of mass-scale immigration on Europe and rise of right-wing nationalist parties in European Elections <br />
<br />(<a href="http://www.nation.com.pk/columns/16-Jun-2014/the-tide-is-turning">Originally Published in The Nation on 16th June, 2014</a>)<br /><br />On 31st of May, 2014, more than 3000 migrants from North Africa reached
the shores of Italy. Most of the refugees, using boats to cross the
Mediterranean Sea, had arrived from Syria. In 2011, the number of
illegal border-crossing detections in the European Union (EU) jumped by
35% to 1, 41,000 as thousands of Tunisians arrived at Italian island of
Lampedusa after the start of ‘Arab Spring’. This exodus from Africa
continued in 2012-13 due to the uprising in Libya and Syria. In 2013, a
boat carrying 360 people from North Africa to Italy capsized in the
Mediterranean Sea. It was not a solitary event and similar accidents
have been reported in the last five years. In 2012, 51% of migrants
entering the EU illegally did so via Greece. This prompted the Greek
authorities to construct a barbed-wire fence at the Greek-Turkish
border. <br /><br />According to the Dublin Regulation in European Union’s Law,
entry-point states bear unilateral responsibility for migrants. The law
stipulates that asylum seekers must remain in the first European country
they enter, and that country is solely responsible for examining
migrants’ asylum applications. Migrants who travel to other European
Union (EU) states face deportation back to the EU country they
originally entered. In Italy, migrants face fines and deportation under
the Bossi-Finni Immigration law enacted in 2002, which stipulates that
migrants must secure work contracts before entering the country.
According to the law, illegal migration is a punishable offense in
Italy.<br /><br />The great economic recession that engulfed United States in
2008 affected many countries in Europe as well. The first to fall was
Ireland in 2007-08, followed by Spain, Greece, Italy, Iceland, France
and Portugal. Economic disparity reached new heights while the number of
jobless people was on an all-time high. The Eurozone crisis was blamed
on trade imbalance between countries in Northern Europe and Southern
Europe. <br /><br />In November 2008, the European Commission presented the
European Economic Recovery Plan which aimed at promoting austerity and
decreased government spending in the affected countries. Following the
recession, there is a significant decrease in confidence faced by
European Institutions and according to data from Eurobarometer, levels
of mistrust towards the European Commission escalated from 27% to 47% in
the period between 2007 and 2013. <br /><br />Results of the latest round of
European Elections should be evaluated in the backdrop of increased
immigration and financial crisis. Far-Right nationalist parties
witnessed a surge in their vote share and were able to win a few seats
in different countries in the European Union. From among 751 electoral
seats in the EU parliament, far-right or euroskeptic parties were able
to win 108 seats, compared to 56 seats in the previous election.
Countries where Euroskeptic parties made inroads included Germany,
France, United Kingdom, Poland, Greece, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and
Austria. Major political parties across Europe did not place too much
importance on these elections and a sharp decline in number of voters
was seen.<br /><br />Judy Dempsey-an expert on European politics at Carnegie
endowment for International peace-was of the view that “the turn out
continues to decline [in the EU elections]. This time around, the recent
economic crisis has fed into this sense of disillusionment with Europe
and boosted Euroskeptic parties across the continent. The two most
prominent are Britain’s UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party) and
France’s Front National. It must be said that mainstream parties
standing for European parliament have not done the kind of grassroots
campaigning necessary to defend Europe. In contrast, the
nationalist/populist parties are exploiting this weakness with their own
high-profile campaigning. They are well-organized and highly motivated,
and they are able to sell a very clear message.” <br /><br />Founder of
France’s ‘Front National’ party suggested prior to the elections that
“releasing the deadly Ebola Virus could sort out Europe’s immigration
issue in three months”. A neo-Nazi party called ‘Golden Dawn’ in Greece
vows to “rid Greece of Filth” and a good number of members of the party
are in prison for hate-crimes against immigrants.<br />In the last few
months, Russia and its annexation of parts of Ukraine, has threatened to
bring war to Europe, after relative peace for the last 70 years. Russia
is the main supplier of Natural gas to Europe and a conflict can lead
to serious energy crisis in European countries including Germany.
Presence of far-right parties in the European parliament is not going to
cause too much trouble for the European populace because of limited
powers of legislation. The maximum that can be achieved by the
nationalist fringe is ‘nuisance value’ during legislation.<br /><br />Due to
unexpected results in the elections, multiculturalism and integration
have been deemed to fail in European societies. It is far too early to
mourn the demise of an idea as big as multiculturalism. Societies across
Europe are changing at a sluggish pace and it would still take many
decades to integrate migrants from places that are less developed
socially and economically in the diverse native cultures. The
far-right/nationalist movement is a reactionary enterprise and would
defeat itself in the near future.</div>
Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-74526170874027555062014-08-14T06:21:00.000-07:002014-08-14T06:21:02.541-07:00Trouble in Mesopotamia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAghZ13GA9p9dmkjgkk3H29wxAEeoDBzUpimmD0FzrJMqeYunaz-HxQANirfw6U8Q6XvB0KTmrgzZ85LHICpn8UmJdM5g7b-4mf4TkhojdieO_4KkslY_VtCF8HqQsPVcMmWq6gT29xRI/s1600/iraq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAghZ13GA9p9dmkjgkk3H29wxAEeoDBzUpimmD0FzrJMqeYunaz-HxQANirfw6U8Q6XvB0KTmrgzZ85LHICpn8UmJdM5g7b-4mf4TkhojdieO_4KkslY_VtCF8HqQsPVcMmWq6gT29xRI/s1600/iraq.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
Thoughts on the rise of ISIS(Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and the possible reasons for this upheaval according to history. <br /><br />(<a href="http://www.nation.com.pk/columns/23-Jun-2014/trouble-in-mesopotamia">Originally published in The Nation on 23rd June, 2014</a>) <br /><br />The looming threat of civil war in Iraq can be traced back to at least
three different historical events. The Islamic State of Iraq and Sham
(ISIS) surprised most observers by seizing control of cities and towns
in Western and Northern Iraq in the last few days. Using the northern
part of Syria as a springboard and training ground, ISIS attacked Iraq’s
second largest city-Mosul-and Saddam Hussain’s hometown, Tikrit. Iraq’s
national army did not defend the cities and two divisions of the force
(almost 30,000 men) simply turned and ran in the face of the assault. In
December 2013, parts of Fallujah and Ramadi (in the Anbar province)
were overtaken by the ragtag army made up of militants from around the
world; an “Islamist” legion of sorts.<br /><br />The first fault line of this
conflict was drawn more than fourteen hundred years ago in the Arabian
Peninsula. The conflict that arose after the death of the Prophet
Muhammad regarding the right to succession as Caliph blew out into a
schism that continues to this day. Sunnis believe that Abu Bakar, the
senior most companion of the Prophet was rightly chosen as Caliph while
Shias are of the view that Ali, the Prophet’s cousin and a member of his
clan deserved the position. This internecine conflict has caused
innumerable deaths whenever one group has gained ascendancy over the
other. The Umayyad Caliphs were ‘Sunni’ and Shias suffered heavily under
their reign. When the Abbasids (who claimed to be descendants of Abbas,
Ali’s Uncle) rose to power, they unleashed a wave of terror towards the
Umayyads. The last Umayyad caliph was tracked down to a church in Nile
Delta, where his head was chopped off and his tongue was fed to a cat.<br /><br />The
animosity between the Umayyads and Abbasids was apparently political in
nature but the underlying cause was sectarian. The second event that
casts a shadow over the emergence of ISIS is the Sykes-Picot agreement
that was signed during the First World War. It was a secret agreement
signed between the governments of the United Kingdom and France, with
the assent of Russia, defining their proposed spheres of influence and
control in the Middle East should the Triple Entente succeed in
defeating the Ottoman Empire in 1916. Mandates from the League of
Nations gave France control of Syria and Lebanon. Britain held mandates
over Palestine, Iraq, and the newly created Transjordan. In this way,
new countries were created out of an existing monolith based on no
particular parameters. There were no physical boundaries (like a river
or mountains etc) between the new countries and arbitrary lines drawn in
sand divided them. As a result, there are no well-defined,
internationally recognized boundaries between countries in the Middle
East till today (Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 was based on the fact
that the boundary between the two countries was never properly
established).<br /><br />The last piece of this puzzle is the American invasion
of Iraq in 2003. Saddam Hussein was ruling only through sheer force, and
not because he was immensely popular amongst the common people. His
Ba’ath party favored the Sunni minority of Iraq and oppressed the Shia
majority. Saddam’s regime targeted Shiite groups such as the ‘Dawa
Party’, of which the current Iraqi Prime Minister, Nuri Al-Maliki was a
member. His forces used chemical weapons against the Kurdish population
during their reign of terror. But Iraq did not possess any weapons of
mass destruction (WMDs), which was the raison d’être presented by the
United States before launching their war. In February 2011, the defector
who convinced the White House that Iraq had a secret biological
weapons’ programme admitted that he lied about his story, as reported by
The Guardian.<br /><br />Following the war, American policymakers made huge
tactical errors, which resulted in a Shia-Sunni armed conflict that is
yet to be resolved. Gideon Rose, in his book “How Wars End: Why We
Always Fight the Last Battle,” is of the view that, “wars actually have
two equally important aspects. One is negative, or coercive; this is the
part about fighting. The other is positive, and is all about politics.
And this is the part that, as in Iraq, is usually overlooked or
misunderstood.”<br /><br />In the 2010 parliamentary elections in Iraq, a
secular Iraqi leader named Ayad Allawi gained the majority of votes but
he was not allowed to form the government due to a contentious court
ruling. The Americans could intervene and point out how this contravened
the Iraqi constitution but they hedged their bets by supporting Maliki,
who spent most of his life as a violent Shia activist.<br /><br />ISIS and its
methods are so extreme that even Al-Qaeda distanced itself from the
group. They were initially bankrolled by Sunni Arab states including
Saudi Arabia. A recent news report mentioned that before capturing
Mosul, ISIS’s total cash and assets were $875 Million. Afterwards, with
the money they robbed from banks and the value of military supplies they
looted, they could add another $1.5 billion to that. They recently
released a series of photos titled “The Destruction of Sykes-Picot.”<br />Iraq’s
neighbors, including Iran, Turkey and Syria are alarmed by the rise of
ISIS and at least Iran and Turkey are contemplating the use of direct or
indirect force to stall their advances. Turkey is supporting the Iraqi
Kurds who seem to possess the only military force that has defeated
militants and taken control over the vital city of Kirkuk. Iran’s clergy
has called upon able-bodied men to take up arms and defend the holy
sites of Shi’ism.<br /><br />The most worrying aspect of this conflict is the
potential for a Shia-Sunni civil war as ISIS fighters gain control over
Sunni-dominant areas in Iraq; the Iraqi forces that deserted without
fighting also had a lot of Sunni members. Sunni groups such as Majlis
Thuwar Al Anbar, Jaish al-Mujahideen and Jaish Ansar al-Sunnah are
providing tactical support to ISIS. It would seem that deep trouble now
brews in Mesopotamia.</div>
Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-56560632357001114662014-08-14T06:16:00.000-07:002014-08-14T06:16:00.072-07:00No More Chicken, Kiev? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOygN-K_yAtPPNQfIY_39aRX2RwFIwr58PAKJaAAnjI7chukY5HX_9AenmYBzPD2eJYLluz_lWXItZ8vtGEV7ck30j2Y5z9pIKLNSh1aXUkYTYSfPaW4r2prlESKSIvYkcbY4pfdkUSOX/s1600/Euromaidan_03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOygN-K_yAtPPNQfIY_39aRX2RwFIwr58PAKJaAAnjI7chukY5HX_9AenmYBzPD2eJYLluz_lWXItZ8vtGEV7ck30j2Y5z9pIKLNSh1aXUkYTYSfPaW4r2prlESKSIvYkcbY4pfdkUSOX/s1600/Euromaidan_03.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
Thoughts on the crisis in Ukraine, along with some contemporary history of the region. <br /><br />(<a href="http://www.nation.com.pk/columns/30-Jun-2014/no-more-chicken-kiev">Originally Published in The Nation on 30th June, 2014</a>) <br /><br />Contrary to popular belief in Pakistan, the USSR (Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics) was not brought to its knees by Afghan Mujahideen
supported by our boys. Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies of Glasnost (meaning
‘openness’) and perestroika (restructuring) and his reorientation of
Soviet strategic aims led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The
Last Soviet Soldier left Afghanistan in 1989, while Estonia had declared
Independence from the Soviet Union in November 1988 and a pro-communist
government was incharge in Kabul till 1992. The Berlin wall was not
brought down by Afghan and Arab ‘Mujahideen’. Considering these
essential facts, the fallacy of “destroying a superpower” seems shallow
as a puddle. Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,
Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and
Uzbekistan emerged as Independent states.<br /><br />Ukraine is the largest
country within Europe according to area and the sixth largest European
country by population. Census data from 2001 revealed that 78% of people
living in the country were Ukrainians in ethnicity while 18% were
ethnically Russian. Till 2004, Ukraine was a semi-presidential republic.
In 2004, Viktor Yanukovych, the incumbent Prime Minister, was declared
winner of the presidential elections, while the Supreme Court ruled the
election to be rigged. The massive rigging caused a national outcry in
support of opposition candidate Victor Yushchenko. It led to the “Orange
Revolution” which resulted in a re-vote ordered by Ukraine’s Supreme
Court, resulting in victory for Yushchenko. He remained President till
2010, when Viktor Yanukovych was elected President after the elections.
During the ‘Orange Revolution’, Yanukovych was supported by Russia.<br /><br />In
November 2013, protests broke out in the country after President
Yanukovych’s government rejected a far-reaching accord with the European
Union, in favor of stronger ties with Russia. Thousands of people
thronged into Central Kiev for peaceful protests. They occupied
Independence Square, known as ‘Maidan’. The anger was fuelled by
perceptions of political corruption and alleged links between the
government and super-rich oligarchies. Police launched a brutal raid on
student protestors, images of which spurred more people to join the
protests. In January 2014, the Ukrainian parliament passed anti-protest
laws which were later repealed. On 22nd January, two protestors died
after clashes with the police. Protestors seized government buildings
the following day in western Ukrainian cities. Prime Minister Mykola
Azarov resigned on 28th January. The next month, violent clashes erupted
in Kiev while the Speaker of Parliament refused to initiate debate on
changing the Constitution. More than 77 people were killed and hundreds
wounded due to a stand-off in Kiev.<br /><br />President Yanukovych fled to
southern Russia and the Ukrainian Parliament voted to remove him from
his post. A national election followed in May, leading to the victory of
Petro Poroshenko, a pro-European candidate. Mr. Poroshenko was known as
the ‘Chocolate King’ as he owned the Roshen confectionary group. He was
one of the leaders of the 2004 Orange Revolution and participated in
the ‘Maidan’ movement in Kiev.<br />It is worth consideration that the
protests against President Yanukovych were strongest in the Kiev area
and Western Ukraine, where there is a greater affinity with Europe,
rather than in the Russian-speaking East and South. Ukrainians in the
East, working in heavy industry that supplies Russian markets, were
fearful of losing their jobs if Ukraine moved closer to the European
Union. Collapse of Government authority during the last few days of
February 2014, led to a secession crisis in Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula
which has a significant ethnic Russian population. Following the
Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774, Crimea had been annexed by the Russian
Empire. Armed Russian soldiers began moving into Crimea on 28th
February, 2014.<br /><br />The ‘Maidan’ protestors had ‘started the fire’ by
taking over government buildings and establishing ‘local authorities’.
“After Yanukovych’s removal, it became the turn of the opponents of the
Maidan,” Nicolai N. Petro, wrote in a magazine called, ‘The National
Interest.’ Local representatives from the East and South convened in
Kharkov and assumed all political authority until “legitimate political
authority” in Kiev was restored. The Crimean delegation took the lead,
seeing an opportunity to restore the autonomy that Kiev had largely
taken away from them in 1998. But when the interim government in Kiev
told them they could not hold a referendum on autonomy within Ukraine,
and tried to replace those in charge of local security forces, the
Crimean parliament declared independence and changed the wording of the
referendum—altering the language from “staying within Ukraine” to
“joining Russia.”<br />The Donbass followed a similar scenario. In March,
local authorities in Lugansk asked Kiev to ensure the rights of Russian
speakers and disarm its militias. When the interim government ignored
these requests, those most impatient and distrustful of Kiev occupied
government buildings in Donetsk, Lugansk and Kharkov, and organized a
referendum for creating local republics that stopped short of asking to
join Russia. In many areas in the region, a majority of those who voted
were overwhelmingly in favor of regional sovereignty.<br /><br />Faced with the
problems of stabilizing the economy and keeping the country together,
President Poroshenko has tried to steady the ship since assuming power.
He signed the European Trade Association Agreement, which was the bone
of contention for the previous regime. Experts believe that this
agreement would benefit the Western and Central parts of Ukraine but
workers in Eastern Ukraine will suffer because the country’s free trade
access with Russia will be revoked. In his inaugural address, Mr.
Poroshenko affirmed that the Ukrainian language will continue to remain
the national language (despite the fact that 83 percent of journals, 87
percent of books, and 44 percent of television programs in Ukraine are
solely in Russian, compared to 28 percent solely in Ukrainian) and that
aspirations towards regional autonomy would not be tolerated by Kiev.<br /><br />Russian
President Vladimir Putin has overtly supported the rights of Russian
speakers in Ukraine and it is feared, rightfully so, that the current
fiasco can lead to the breakup of the country along ethnic and
linguistic lines.</div>
Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-39962818640509734782014-08-14T06:08:00.000-07:002014-08-14T06:08:50.205-07:00Father of the Bum? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Thoughts on Dr. AQ Khan's proliferation activities and his recent diatribes. <br /><br /><br /><br />(<a href="http://www.nation.com.pk/columns/11-Aug-2014/father-of-the-bum">Originally published by The Nation</a>)<br /><br />On 20th January, 1972, Chief Martial Law Administrator and President of
Pakistan—Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto—called a meeting of the country’s most
eminent scientists in Multan. Pakistan had faced the ignominy of a
terrible defeat at the hands of the Indian army a few months ago. Mr.
Bhutto asked the scientists to start working on the assembly of a
nuclear bomb. While the experienced heads declined to commit to this
venture, younger scientists unanimously responded that it could be done
in five years. Mr. Bhutto was satisfied by the response and left for a
tour of Islamic countries soon afterwards.<br /><br />In July 1974, a letter
arrived at the Prime Minister’s secretariat (Mr. Bhutto had assumed the
office of Prime Minister after passage of a new constitution in 1973)
from the Netherlands. The correspondent claimed to be a physicist
working for a European nuclear consortium. He claimed to have obtained
blueprints for a revolutionary new process involved in building a
nuclear bomb. The person, let’s call him AK, was working as a technical
translator for the multinational URENCO consortium. In his letter, he
claimed ‘writing innumerable research papers and an internationally
renowned book.’ Son of migrants from the Indian state of Bhopal, AK had
been living in Europe for 13 years and was passionate about ‘debates
about the Hindus over the border, who had ransacked his old home in
1947.’ Mr. Bhutto tasked an Intelligence Agency to investigate the
whereabouts of this mysterious scientist named AK. It was found that he
had worked as Inspector of Weights and Measures for the Karachi post
office in the 1960s, after obtaining a science degree from Karachi
University. He left for West Germany for further studies and received an
offer to attend a series of introductory lectures in Metallurgy in
September 1962, by West Berlin Technical University. He moved, with his
newly wed wife, to Holland in 1963 and continued his education at Delft
Technological University. In his spare time, he used to write letters to
European Newspapers and magazines that he felt had misrepresented
Pakistan. <br /><br />Mr. Bhutto was satisfied by AK’s track record and invited
him to start the process of assembling a nuclear bomb for Pakistan. He
was provided a laboratory to run, and unlimited funding as well as
official patronage. After smuggling different parts required for
building the bomb from a plethora of countries, and through not-so-legal
channels, AK succeeded in completing the crucial step in manufacturing a
nuclear bomb. The rest of the hard work was done by the Pakistan Atomic
Energy Commission (PAEC), an organization that AK hated with a
vengeance.<br /><br />By this time, AK had developed an acute case of
megalomania. AK’s psychiatrist at that time, Professor Haroon Ahmed
mentioned in his reports that by this time, ‘he was suffering from
depression, and was classically manic.’ He used to boast, “Jinnah built
Pakistan, but I saved it.” AK even had an intelligence team follow his
Dutch wife and daughters because he thought they were more loyal to
Europe than they were to Pakistan. In 1984, he called a reporter at a
local Urdu digest and asked him to send him a list of questions for an
interview. He was so disappointed with the list that he threw it away
and drafted his own set of questions. He asked himself: “What do you
think was your greatest achievement?” and “Did the government recognize
your contribution?” In February 1984, he called Nawai Waqt and used the
same formula. He used to give charity to mosques and schools, all of
which had to bear his name as ‘testimony to his greatness.’ In 1986, he
invited a journalist from a small-circulation weekly digest called
Hurmat to interview him at his laboratory. It resulted in a series of
articles and a biography full of accolades for Mr. AK. One of the
articles echoed AK’s inner thoughts: “In order to overcome the energy
crisis in Pakistan, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission should be
overhauled and its leadership should be handed over to this Mard-e-Momin
of Iqbal”. <br /><br />After Pakistan’s requirements for nuclear materials were
fulfilled, AK started selling different parts as surplus to the highest
bidder. He first chose Dubai and later Timbuktu as his operational base
for nuclear proliferation. The Afghan War prevented the United States
from clamping down on his activities, but the noose started tightening
in the 90’s. His footprints were all over the nuclear proliferation
racket around the world, from Libya to Iran to North Korea, earning him
the nickname “Typhoid Mary of Nuclear Proliferation.” In 2001, Musharraf
was forced by the International community to get rid of AK and his
crime syndicate, after two of AK’s ex-colleagues were found to have
travelled to Afghanistan to meet Osama bin Laden (OBL) there.
Intelligence sources in India and the US allege that AK co-owned
Al-Shifa chemical factory in Sudan with OBL, and OBL had financed the
construction of the Hendrina Khan Hotel in Timbuktu. In 2004, AK
apologized to the nation in a televised address for his “errors of
judgment related to unauthorized proliferation activities.” Musharraf
noted in his memoir, “The truth is that he was just a metallurgist,
responsible for only one link in the complex chain of nuclear
development. But he had managed to build himself up into Albert Einstein
and Robert Oppenheimer rolled into one”.<br /><br />The arrogant “Father of the
Bomb” started writing elementary school-style essays for a national
newspaper a few years ago, continuing his crusade against common sense
and reason. He has made hundreds of factual errors in his “columns” over
the years along with an attempted whitewash of history. His most recent
diatribes have been directed against chairman of PAEC Munir Ahmed Khan
and Dr. Abdus Salam, Pakistan’s only nobel laureate. AK has accused them
of selling Pakistan’s nuclear secrets while comfortably ignoring his
own efforts to sell the same secrets to the highest bidder.Without the
efforts of these gentlemen, technicians such as AK would have failed.
Perhaps people living in stone houses should avoid throwing stones at
others.</div>
Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941421033603068557.post-35871762369354652502014-01-25T03:41:00.000-08:002014-01-25T06:53:31.450-08:00On Orya Maqbool Jan (In Urdu)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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(Appeared first on <a href="http://urdu.dawn.com/news/132304/orya-ka-borya-am-abid-aq">Dawn Urdu</a>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">
<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">اوریا کا بوریا</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">برطانیہ نے
نوے سال تک
براہ راست برصغیر پر
حکومت قائم رکھی۔
اس تمام عرصے
کے دوران حکومت
کا کام افسر
شاہی کے ذمے
تھا۔ سن 1857
سے تقسیم تک
برطانوی افسروں کی
تعداد کبھی ایک
ہزار سے تجاوز
نہیں کی، بلکہ تقسیم کے
وقت متحدہ ہندوستان
میں کل چھے
سو چالیس برطانوی
افسر تعینات تھے
اور انہوں نے
کروڑوں کی آبادی
اور ایک وسیع و عریض
علاقے پر برطانوی
راج قائم رکھا۔
ایک برطانوی وزیر اعظم نے
اس افسر شاہی
کو برطانوی راج
کا آہنی ڈھانچہ
قرار دیا تھا۔
وقت کے ساتھ
ساتھ اس سروس میں ہندوستانی
افراد کو بھی
جگہ ملی اور
انکی تربیت برطانوی
افسروں جیسی ہی کی جاتی۔
پاکستان بننے کے
بعد اس سروس
کے لوگ پاکستان
میں پی سی ایس
(پاکستان سول سروس)
کے نام سے جانے گئے۔</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">قیام پاکستان
کے بعد سیاست
دانوں کی نااہلی
کے باعث افسر
شاہی کو حکومت
میں حصہ لینے
کا موقع ملا
اور غلام محمد،
چوہدری محمد علی وغیرہ نے بہتی گنگا میں ہاتھ
دھوئے۔ ان کے
بعد آنے والوں
نے براہ راست حکومت
تو نہیں کی البتہ ایوب
خان کے قریبی
حلقے میں ضرور
شامل رہے، جیسے
قدرت اللہ شہاب اور الطاف
گوہر۔ ان افراد
میں سے بہت
سوں نے مصنف بننے کی
کوشش بھی کی۔
اس ضمن میں
چوہدری محمد علی
نے ایک کتاب
لکھی جو پاکستانی
کی ’نظریاتی‘ جہت کی جانب
پہلا قدم شمار کی جاتی
ہے۔ الطاف گوہر
نے بھی اس میدان میں
مشق آزمائی کی اور
شہاب صاحب نے بھی۔ان کتابوں
میں عام طور
پر اپنے کارناموں
کی تفصیل بیان کی جاتی
ہے اور پاکستان
کی جملہ خامیوں
پر اپنی ماہرانہ
رائے سے نوازا
جاتا ہے۔</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span style="font-size: large;">ہمارے زمانہء ِ
طالب علمی کے
دوران کسی محفل میں جب بھی اردو
ادب کی بات
چھڑتی تو چند
مخصوص کتابوں اور
مصنفین کا تذکرہ
ضرور ہوتا تھا۔
ان کتابوں میں
شہاب نامہ سر
فہرست تھی(آج کل
’بابا صاحبا‘ کا یہ مقام ہے)۔ ہمارے
ایک استاد کے
مطابق ’شہاب نامہ دراصل
بارہ مسالوں کی
چاٹ کی مثل
ہے۔اس میں قاری
کو مزاح بھی
ملتا ہے، تلقین بھی،
افسانہ بھی،تصوف بھی
اور کچھ کچھ
تاریخ بھی۔‘ قدرت
اللہ شہاب کا شمار
ملک کے ان
مصنفین میں ہوتا
ہے جو ساری
عمر افسر شاہی
کا حصہ رہے۔
اپنے عروج کے
دور میں موصوف
ایوب خان کے
دست راست سمجھے
جاتے تھے اور
انہوں نے اردو
لکھاریوں کی ایک
گلڈ تشکیل دی،
جو ادیبوں کے
سالانہ جلسے حکومتی
خرچ پر منعقد
کرواتی رہی۔ کہا
جاتا ہے کہ اس گلڈ کی بدولت
ایوب خان کی
حکومت نے اپنے
آپ کو تنقید
سے محفوظ کر لیا اور اسی بہانے
ادب کی درگاہ
پر بھی پھول
چڑھ گئے۔شہاب کے دیگر کارناموں
میں پاکستان ٹائمز
اور دیگر ترقی
پسند اخبارات کا
سرکاری تحویل میں لیے جانا
اور 1963 کا جابرانہ پریس
آرڈینینس بھی شامل ہیں۔</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">شہاب صاحب نے ساری عمر
سرکار کی نوکری
میں گزاری اور
اواخر عمر میں
صوفی ہو گئے۔ شہاب
صاحب کے سلسلے
کو انکی وفات
کے بعد کچھ دیر زوال آیا
لیکن
عصر حاضر میں
اس سلسلے کے ایک نئے گدی نشین
کا ظہور دیکھنے
کو ملا ہے۔</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">جہادی اخبار
ضرب مومن کے لیے باقاعدہ
لکھنے کے بعد یہ صاحب
کافی عرصے سے دائیں بازو
کے ایک اخبار
کے صفحات پر
براجمان ہیں۔ کچھ
عرصہ قبل ہم نے انکا
ذکر کیا کہ
کس طرح وہ
حضرت شعیب کی
قوم کے زوال
کا سبب سرمایہ
دارانہ جمہوریت کو
ٹھہراتے ہیں، یا زیارت ریذیڈنسی
کے نذر آتش
ہونے پر انہوں
نے دو قومی
نظریے کو خدا کی جانب
سے تقسیم قرار دیا۔ جی، میرا اشارہ
حضرت اوریا مقبول
جان کی جانب
ہے، جنہیں چند شریر دوست یوریا مقبول
کے نام سے یاد کرتے ہیں۔</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> <br />
<br />
<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">بین الاقوامی
اخبارات اور ٹی وی چینلوں
کا یہ وطیرہ
رہا ہے کہ
جو افراد کسی
مخصوص شعبے یا
مضمون میں مہارت
رکھتے ہیں، ان
سے اسی مضمون یا شعبے
پر رائے کے
اظہار کے لیے
کہا جاتا ہے۔
اگر کوئی معاشیات
کا ماہر ہے
تو وہ اخبار
میں اسی موضوع
پر لکھے گا
اور اپنی رائے
کا اظہار کرے
گا، ایسا ممکن
نہیں کہ وہ
طرز معاشرت یا
طب کے متعلق
بھی کہانی بننا شروع
کر دے۔ ہمارے
ملک میں فی الحال
ایسا کوئی رواج
نہیں اور اس
کے باعث ہمارے
کالم نویس اور ٹی وی
اینکر(اور اکثر مہمان)
ہر فن مولا سمجھے
جاتے ہیں۔ فلسفے
سے لے کر
طب اور دودھ
کے بڑھتے نرخوں
تک، ہر مسئلے
پر ان خواتین و حضرات کو
عبور حاصل ہے۔</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">اوریا صاحب کی زندگی
کی کہانی انہی کی زبانی
سن لیجیے</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">’</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">میں نے سات
سال کی عمر میں شاعری
شروع کی، بارہ
سال کی عمر میں میری
پہلی غزل ایک
مؤقر ادبی جریدے
میں چھپی، سولہ
سال کی عمر میں پہلا
افسانہ میں نے
حلقہ ارباب ذوق میں پڑھا۔ سن
1988 میں میرا
شعری مجموعہ ’قامت‘
شائع ہوا۔ اس
کے بعد میں
نے بیس سال ٹیلی
ویژن پر
ڈرامے لکھے جن میں پانچ سیریل اور
پچاس سے زیادہ
انفرادی ڈرامے شامل ہیں۔
میری بنیادی تعلیم
نفسیاتی امراض کے
علاج سے متعلق
ہے۔ میں یہ
مضمون بلوچستان یونیورسٹی
میں پڑھاتا رہا ہوں۔لاہور مینٹل
ہسپتال میں میں
نے دو سال
تربیت حاصل کی
ہے۔‘ یہ ساری
تمہید باندھنے کے
بعد اسی مضمون
میں اوریا صاحب
نے سعادت حسن
منٹو کی قبر
پر لاتیں رسید کی ہیں
اور انکو جنسی ہیجان میں
مبتلا قرار دیا
ہے۔ ساتھ ہی ساتھ یہ بھی ارشاد
فرما دیا کہ
معاشرے میں فحاشی
کی لت منٹو
کے افسانوں جیسے دیگر افسانوں
کی بدولت پھیلتی
ہے۔ اوریا صاحب
نے جانے کیسی
نفسیات پڑھی اور
پڑھائی، کہ انہیں
ہمارے معاشرے کی
گھناؤنی رسومات، دقیانوسی
رواج اور جنسی
تعلیم کا فقدان
نظر نہیں آتا،
منٹو کے افسانے
ہی دکھائی دیتے ہیں۔</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">اوریا صاحب
نے پاکستانی کالم
نگاروں کی سنت
پر عمل کرتے
ہوئے ہر مسئلے
میں ٹانگ ضرور
اڑائی ہوتی ہے۔
کبھی انہیں خفیہ
تنظیمیں عوام کی
سوچ قابو کرتے
نظر آتی ہیں
تو کبھی و ہ
تحریک طالبان پاکستان
کے نام عشقیہ
خطوط لکھتے نظر
آتے ہیں، کبھی
شام میں برپا
خانہ جنگی انہیں
قیامت کی قربت
کا نشان دکھائی
دیتی ہے اور
کبھی ہندو جوتشیوں
کی پیش گوئیوں کی بنیاد پر
وہ پاک بھارت جنگ
کا اعلان کرتے ہیں۔ اسی
طرح وہ انگریزی
زبان کی جگہ
طلبہ کو عربی اور فارسی
پڑھانے کے حق میں ہیں۔</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">تاریخ اور
حقائق میں گڑبڑ
کرنے کی روش
جاوید چوہدری، حامد میر،
جنید سلیم اور
اس قماش کے دیگر
افراد کا خاصہ
رہا ہے البتہ
اوریا مقبول صاحب
اس فن کو نئی انتہاؤں
تک لے جانے
کا اعزاز رکھتے
ہیں۔ معاشیات کے
مضمون پر صاحب کا خصوصی
کرم ہے۔ ان
کے مطابق دنیا
کے تمام سرکاری
بینک ایک خفیہ
ادارے کے ماتحت
کام کرتے ہیں
جہاں یہ فیصلہ
کیا جاتا ہے
کہ کس ملک کو غریب
رکھنا ہے اور
کسے امیر کرنا
ہے۔ انکے مطابق
کرنسی نوٹ اور
اے ٹی ایم مشینیں اور بینک دجالی
نظام کی گواہی
دیتے ہیں جسے یاجوج ماجوج
نے نافذ کر
رکھا ہے۔ ایک
کالم میں صرف
اپنی علمیت جھاڑنے
کے لیے</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> <br />
KIBOR<br />
<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">کا ترجمہ
تک غلط کر دیا۔ یہ بھی انکشاف
کیا کہ دنیا </span><br />
<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span> نے معاشی بحران
سے نکلنے کے لیے اسلامی
بینکاری کا رخ
کرنا شروع کر دیا۔ ایک
جگہ لکھا کہ
برطانوی راج نے
برصغیر میں ترقیاتی
کام کیا لیکن
کبھی قرضہ نہیں لیا(اس قسم کی بونگی
میٹرک کے طلباء
بھی نہیں مارتے)۔
ایک کالم میں نیوٹن غریب
کو سونے کے
سکوں کی جگہ
کرنسی نوٹ جاری
کروانے کا ذمہ
دار ٹھہرا دیا
اور ایک دن
انکشاف کیا کہ یہود دراصل یاجوج ماجوج
کی جدید شکل ہیں۔</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">پاکستانی دائیں بازو کی روایت
زندہ رکھتے ہوئے
اوریا صاحب کسی بھی مسئلے
کا</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">صر ف ایک
پہلو(جو انکے موقف
سے مطابقت رکھتا
ہو)پر روشنی ڈالتے
ہیں۔ منٹو والے
مضمون میں انہیں
’ٹھنڈا گوشت‘ ، ’بلاؤز‘
اور ’کھول دو‘
تو نظر آئے،
’ٹوبہ ٹیک سنگھ‘ ،
’انکل سام کے
نام خطوط‘ یا ’نیا قانون‘
کا ذکر کرنا
مناسب نہیں سمجھا ،
اسی طرح مصر میں
اخوان
کی حکومت کے
خلاف ’سیکولر‘ اقدامات
پر طعن و تشنیع تو ہوئی لیکن
اس عمل کی حمایت کرنے
والی سلفی جماعت
اور مشرق وسطی کی مسلمان
حکومتیں نظر نہ آئیں۔ بنگلہ دیش
میں غلام اعظم
کو ملنے والی
سز ا پر ایک
پورا کالم لکھ مارا لیکن
البدر یا الشمس
کی جانب اشارہ
تک نہیں کیا
بلکہ بنگلہ دیش کی
موجودہ ترقی پر
بوگس اعتراضات کا
پلندہ پیش کیا۔
اس موضوع پر
انکے ایک کالم
سے حامد میر
کے والد صاحب
کے سنہری الفاظ
ملاحضہ کریں</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> ’ <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">مشرقی پاکستان، بھارت،
مشرقی پاکستان کے
ہندوؤں اور پاکستان
کے کمیونسٹ اور
قوم پرست دانشوروں
کی مسلسل محنت
سے ٹوٹا‘۔</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">وارث میر صاحب
کافی عرصہ نوائے
وقت میں کالم
لکھتے رہے لہذا
انکی ’نظریاتی اُپج‘
کافی واضح ہے
البتہ اوریا مقبول
نے بھی ایسے
لغو الفاظ لکھتے
وقت کسی تاریخی
کتاب کا مطالعہ
کرنے یا حوالہ
دینا مناسب نہیں
سمجھا۔</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">اوریا صاحب
نہ جانے کس بوٹی کا
استعمال کرتے ہیں
جو انہیں ہر
سمت سے سازش کی بو آتی ہے
اور وہ یک طرفہ
حقائق کی بنیاد
پر الم غلم
کہانیاں گھڑ لیتے ہیں۔ گزشتہ
دنوں صاحب بہادر
نے ملالہ کو
موضوع سخن بنایا
اور حسب معمول
اس پندرہ سالہ
بچی کے خوب
لتے لیے(اس کار خیر
میں انصار عباسی
اور طلعت حسین
نے بھی اگلے
روز مقدور بھر
حصہ ڈالا)۔ کچھ تفشیش
پر معلوم ہوا
کہ اوریا صاحب
کا وہ کالم
جولائی 2013 میں ایک برطانوی
اخبار میں چھپنے
والے مضمون کا
حرف بہ حرف
چربہ ہے۔ یعنی
پاکستانی افسر شاہی
کے علم بردار، تنقید
میں بھی عقل
سے زیادہ نقل
سے کام لینے
کے شوقین ہیں۔</span><br />
<br />
<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">سچ پوچھیں تو
ہم افسر شاہی
سے اسی قسم
کے نظریات کی
توقع کرتے ہیں۔
اسکی وجہ جاننے
کے لیے پچھلی
دہائی میں مقابلے
کے امتحانات کے
کچھ سوالات ملاحضہ
کریں: ’دوسرے مذاہب
کے مقابلے میں
اسلام کی بڑائی
اور شان وشوکت پر تفصیلی مضمون
لکھیں‘ ، ’اسلام میں
خلافت کے تصور
کو تفصیل سے بیان کریں‘ ،
’اسلام کے سیاسی
اور عدالتی نظام
پر روشنی ڈالیں‘۔
’سانحہ مشرقی پاکستان
کے بنیادی اسباب
بیان کریں اور
اس واقعہ کے
پاکستان کی تاریخ
پر کیا اثرات
مرتب ہوئے‘ ، ’برطانوی
اور ہندووانہ سازش
کے نتیجے میں
پاکستان کی تخلیق
قائد کی سوچ
کے مطابق نہیں
ہو سکی، اس
پہلو پر روشنی
ڈالیں‘۔</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></div>
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Abdul http://www.blogger.com/profile/07048861001027797725noreply@blogger.com0