India? No! Sindh∂is? Yes!

The recent laws in India

Going to India 2 or 3 times a year seemed normal a few years ago, but the recent rules have mede this impossible. Although the new High Commissioner from India has promised that things will get better (good luck to him!), it won't be until laterlaterlater in this year. On the other hand, what happens laterlaterlater is not something all of us can decide now, actually, with the extreme right wing been given the powers to stand up in our elections by a Commission: People are still trying to understand what they are committing to, though many people I have met seem to have very similar ideas about why this is happening.

No point discussing this here, for Democracy does mean differences of opinion, so I will let their opinions stay … but I may try to change them in conversations, though. Democracy, right!!!

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The first thing that happened was my 'Indian' niece, Sahar Zaman, who ran a lovely Art Program on TV, is a wonderful Artist and Designer, and runs a News broadcasts on TV, refused to come to Pakistan (for a School of Tomorrow Conference) because she thought it would be dangerous here. The Media in India obviously supports this view, so I could not change her opinion.

(Media here is - er, was - better,
but it's also headed that way, either by choice or by force.)

Months later my niece decided to host a show on her grand-uncle (and my Chacha Jania), playback singer and film actor, Talat Mahmood, in 2 places in India (so far)

Talat Mahmood & Sahar Zaman

I so wanted to go. I called her up to ask for the dates — and she said I shouldn't try to come because of 'various reasons' (I won't mention all of them here, though, but lack of Visas was one of them.)

Jashn-e-Talat Announcement

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Her lovely husband, Dhiraj, who is also an Artist, Traveller, and a Designer of the strangest of things that attract a lot of audience, is now holding a Mango Festival in Art and probably has good mango stuff to eat there, too, apart from his delightful Mangoes. I am sure I could have gotten Dassahris, Lang∂ās, Lakhnavva Safaedās, and much more if I went. 

Dhiraj Singh

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But a NO is a NO and I can't travel to India again

until some miracle happens.

(Actually that doesn't ever happen!)

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Sitting in Karachi hasn't been too bad. I've had delightful Dassahris and Lang∂ās, here, and despite being constantly reminded that its against my Diabetes (it's not!) I eat three mangoes a day: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. And my sugar count remains ok.

3 Mangoes a day is fine!

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A little digression - but still about mangoes and diabetes: I used to check my blood sugar count every three months, since my father was Diabetic. So I discovered that I was in the beginning of Diabetes. Rushed off to a Diabetic Expert as fast as I could. She told me that I should eat from a list she gave me. There were no Mangoes on that list. I was teaching at Hamdard University, heading a New Media Class, and used to eat Mangoes everyday during our lunch with my Vice Chancellor, Dr. Qazi, who was also a Diabetes patient. (He was a wonderful man who died recently.) The Diabetician told me that if I didn't eat mangoes this year my life would get me 2 more years. Shit! I left her and went back to eating mangoes. Can you imagine 2 more years of life without mangoes?

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Dr Qazi - we all miss you!

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These days my life is full of delightful Sindh∂is, sent to me first by Umer Khan of Champion Mangoes. And you can even send them to USA.

Umer Khan

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This was added to later by

Hana Tariq and Zawwar Taufiq

of Beyond The Classroom,

a piece by Qasim Aslam that started as

The History Project and has now spread much further!

Hana Tariq

Zawwar Taufiq

Finally, a large crate was sent by Marvi Mazhar (from her Mangoes grown in her gaõñ). She's a lovely Architect and loves preserving heritages. She did the CAP's National History Museum in Lahore (Karachi will also take place, some day, IF the Sindh Government[?] agrees …)

After having done so much work in Karachi (take a look at the Cantt Station, folks) and in parts of Sindh. She also runs PCCC, a place worth going to if you are in Karachi. 

Marvi Mazhar

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Happy Summer, friends!

… and Peace, forever!