Month: October 2016

حیرت ہے تعلیم و ترقی میں ہے پیچھے
جس قوم کا آغاز اقرا سے ہوا تھا

The translation of above Urdu verses: it is so outrageous to watch, extremely ignorant in knowledge and virtue is the civilization who originated with the word READ…

There is a big story in the media, look for the story they are trying to distract you from.

You spend first two years of their life teaching them to walk them and talk. Then you spend next 16 years telling them to sit down and shut-up. I also was considering myself very unfortunate when I was about two and a half feet tall and could not reach light switches as the elders did it very conveniently. Politicians and diapers have one thing in common; they both should be changed regularly and for the same reasons.

In Pakistan, they have been changed over frequently. When we got independence, the wars of power and greed influx had us inviting for military dictators to gift us promises and assurances of glorious future. This roller coaster journey is not unusual in third world. Immediately I am reminded of Gaddafi in Libya who ruled for 41 years and actually gifted many mega reforms against our dictators who brought one man show miseries.

I am very uncertain how current discussion has disassociated itself so widely to establish a link between technologies and dictators. However, strange but that is how I intend to describe this post. One more thing, news was fixed at 7 PM for English and 9 PM in Urdu which still is relatively constant in all TV channels.

The day of joy arrived and we received a color television, so did ‘love hate’ arrangement: love as our life style was upgraded at par with elite of Lahore and hate because I had lesser time allowed to watch television due to my superior commitments demanded for my studies. I stole few ideas learning English from the movies resulting my passing through English subject exams conveniently but on the contrary showing terrible scores in Maths. Whether glass is half full or half empty, I miss the point glass is always fragile and so venerable was my personality. This was the period when I first attempted to masturbate, this experiment so successful that I did it more than all the standard limits physically allowed; I watched my first colored pornography on 8 mm projector owned by my father which I without permissions stealthily took it to my friends house.

Surround yourself with assets, not liabilities.

To be continued…

حیرت ہے تعلیم و ترقی میں ہے پیچھے
جس قوم کا آغاز اقرا سے ہوا تھا

The translation of above Urdu verses: it is so outrageous to watch, extremely ignorant in knowledge and virtue is the civilization who originated with the word READ…

I’m so thankful I had a childhood before technology took over.

The transmission lasted for about three hours daily and everything was live. Black and white experience was the only option until the technology was eventually upgraded to color transmission in 1974. Abrupt mistakes and sometimes, blunders were not noticed and entertainment was nice pass time for families.  The technology is so advanced today pizza arrives quicker than an ambulance.

Color television also brought colored movies and talk shows which were labeled as controversial and sometimes needed parental guidance. Unlike black and white period, during the improvement in technology color transmission mostly separated kids from their parents and the gap continued sky rocketing. Many programs were censored and the censorship was at its limit when General Zia-ul-haq came to power overthrowing Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in a bloodless coup. The host of programs if females were tightly scarfed around faces and no glamorous makeup was allowed. Many soap opera programs were cancelled when the theme was not acceptable as they were found either un-Islamic or raised fingers against the dictator’s ideas.

I don’t want to become a bit political but as a matter of recalling the events of the past, I have to answer the correct history. Talking about color television, of course, I desperately wanted one in my home. It reminds me of the lines I read somewhere on Facebook, ‘I asked god for a bike, but I know god doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness’.

Usually, the dictator (Zia-ul-haq) justified his coming to power and promised national election in 90 days and perhaps was convinced he would carry out elections. No elections were arranged until his death on 17^th August 1988 in a plane crash: his rule lasted for 11 years. No one argued with this idiot, and those who did, Zia-ul-haq apparently beat them with his experience dragging them down to his level.

Relationship advice: pay more attention to your parents then your phone.

To be continued…

حیرت ہے تعلیم و ترقی میں ہے پیچھے
جس قوم کا آغاز اقرا سے ہوا تھا

The translation of above Urdu verses: it is so outrageous to watch, extremely ignorant in knowledge and virtue is the civilization who originated with the word READ…

You have to be odd to become number one.

Only few countable privileged and rich arranged to receive the ‘idiot box’. Only Phillips electronic corporation had sole rights for distribution of 23 inches television sets in Pakistan. Who knew this new arrival would give birth to endless ‘couch potatoes’ that eventually would risk lives of thousands if not millions giving way into hypertension and heart diseases.

I was counting days when my father would makeup is mind to place an order for a television, I repeat OUR television set. Mind you, it was only black and white. He ordered one and there came the blessing in shape of a monster that understandably resulted as a curse.

Before owning one, I manufactured a fake antenna made of bamboo and sticks with a hanging black wire and placed it on the roof so on lookers assumed we also had purchased the prettiest invention. Thankfully, my initiative was not condemned by any member of my family. I assumed the purchase of our television set impossible until it was done.

The transmission started with long display of the television station logo, and then some religious programs and then, kids’ cartoons were scheduled. We as children were only allowed to watch cartoons and later were time for our homework. This limitation was never adhered and followed by me; I cheated to watch English movies aired in prime time.

All the servants and some people of neighborhood used to regularly come to view the masterpiece. No regrets until I realized I wasted precious time watching screwed up presentations. Of course, there was hardly any other entertainment available at least for young growing kids at that time. It was a rare facility that became a common disease.

It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.

To be continued…

حیرت ہے تعلیم و ترقی میں ہے پیچھے
جس قوم کا آغاز اقرا سے ہوا تھا

The translation of above Urdu verses: it is so outrageous to watch, extremely ignorant in knowledge and virtue is the civilization who originated with the word READ…

Technology is a queer thing. it brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in  the back with the other.    Carrie Snow

Humanity is aquaring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons.   R. Buckminster Fuller

Long sizzling hot summer is now, ultimately over. Very important to mention here, only for last month I had used my old feeble window air conditioner. Mainly, for two reasons, first, fear of the AC knocking down and getting it repaired being out of my financial reach. Secondly, the kind of inflated bills sent here by power company is so unjustified it becomes quite absurd for me to show courage and effort to face it.

This much for the change of the weather. When it comes to change of weather, let’s paint the change of technology, political systems (governments), and change of over all state of personal moods. I may sound weird but most certainly I cannot ignore even the slight improvement that my smart phone has delivered in my life style upgradation.

Too late to keep up with current sudden changes in cellular technology, I remain a little self contained using my so called smart phone. It was not too long ago when I had about five dolor’s US, phone that remained my most loyal and trust worthy companion.

It was Ayub Khan’s regime in 1964, the self proclaimed Field Marshal who was of course a dictator. In discussing technology, obviously he has no legitimate place in this write up. He deserved this mention mainly to explain you the period that I am mentioning was about more than fifty years ago and was led by a dictator. That period yet had not encountered with the ‘glorious’ invasion of a box called Television or Idiot Box.

But quite sooner, it was 1965 and the transmission activity through test services was launched in Lahore, Pakistan and we all were so thrilled to hallucinate the TV. The whole Lahore became TV eccentric republic. My parents could not afford the new life style accessory despite both were bread earning people – father and mother were medical doctors. Rod antennas erected on top of roofs clipped by cable coming to the rooms where almost square black boxes were installed.

To be continued…