Happiness is just a frame of mind: A fake eye and a haunting past
So what’s the biggest problem in your life? An exam you failed? The fact that your parents spoil your little sister more than they spoil you? Is it the new lawn prints you can’t afford? How unfair life is, right? I thought the same until my maid told me her story. I was lying in the lounge, depressed as ever. How could God be so unfair? I moaned and I complained. A dumb friend of mine had received an acceptance letter from a university abroad because he could afford it; I couldn’t. I was still in the worst of all moods when my ...
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Slim is weak and healthy is fat? Are women a flock of sheep?
Submerged in a conversation with my friend a few days ago, she suddenly looked at me and quipped, “Oh, I wish I was as thin as you.” As per ritual, I started blabbering about how healthy she was, how her weight suited her and that she should embrace and flaunt it rather than complain about it. A few seconds later, I joined her and started complaining about how extremely petite I was and how I wish I was slightly athletic looking. We spent almost fifteen minutes cursing, complaining, then patting each other on the back and consoling each other. The conversation went on and my ...
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What war does to women
There is so much going on in the world. The clouds of war and violence seem to hover around the globe and there seems to be no end to this mayhem and chaos. Billions of military troops march out in the name of war and conflict every day. They fight against each other under the shadows of cannons, tanks, nuclear warfare, chemicals, gunfire and smoke. The fight goes on and on and when it ultimately ends (which it never does), we find them buried deep under the ground. They take cities, culture and heritage down with them, like they never existed. And ...
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You can’t be a journalist, you’re a woman!
“This is not the right field for a woman”, he said, with an impudence that seemed at odds with his otherwise timid appearance. He offered his two cents, “advice” he called it, as if delivered with nothing but my best interest in mind. “Why don’t you go into TV or reporting?” Being a woman, with any kind of unique ambition in Pakistan, comes with the stigma of rebellion. Women, however, are no longer choosing their occupational roles based on societal expectations. There are now female taxi-drivers, camera operators, police force employees and photojournalists — and while this shows the progress the country ...
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People who ride motorcycles are not sub-human
Progress comes at a price they say, but when it comes to Karachi, motorcyclists seem to be the ones paying this price most often, if not always. From entry into state-of-the-art shopping malls and luxury hotels to snap checking by the police, motorcyclists face discrimination in most situations. This is about the rights of two million motorcyclists — sales agents, delivery staff, factory workers and other corporate as well as public sector employees — who serve the city in one way or the other. If you are on a motorcycle, the security at a five-star hotel will not let you in, nor will they treat ...
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Let’s give Shaista Wahidi a break
Shaista Wahidi, sometimes referred to as Dr Shaista or Shaista Lodhi is Sahir Lodhi’s sister. The brother-sister duo have a way of ruffling both the wrong feathers and the right ones; they can be called ‘famous’ or ‘infamous’. Shaista is one of Pakistani television’s most known faces. People have loved her and have been irritated by her simultaneously, but have not been able to ignore her. We have talked about her antics, her typical laughter in which she covers her face with her hand, her metamorphosis in how her face looks and have broken her down multiple times. One of the most ...
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Too lazy to work, too lazy to move: Make the wife work
Gone are the days when marriage meant that the husband was responsible for earning bread while the woman’s role is that of staying at home, running the household and taking care of her husband and children. With evolving times, the concept of matrimony has changed in developed, as well as developing countries. Now, a husband and wife are considered two wheels of a car in all aspects. Women earn as much as their husbands and take part in contributing to the household expenses. While this approach has been acknowledged worldwide, people belonging to the subcontinent, and mostly Pakistan, have contradictory opinions. For instance, a ...
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Dear women, all men are not rapists!
It was a regular Monday morning, and I left home early to meet a client. I assist a friend with his event management business and we were meeting this ‘rich’ client and so, I made sure I was dressed well and looked my best. My friend promised to pick me up from a spot close to my place, a spot where I decided to get to by a qingqi rickshaw. For those who don’t know, a qingqi is a motorcycle rickshaw with a compartment that has enough space to accommodate six people — three ladies in the back and three gents ...
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How many will be murdered in the war on education?
When Malala Yousafzai, was shot by the Taliban last October, there was a huge outcry all over the world about the dismal state of education for girls in Pakistan. It wasn’t the first time such an attack happened however, and unfortunately it is not the last. Despite international awareness and pressure put on the government to provide girls a safe haven for education, we seem to be engulfed in violence where teachers, schools and students are attacked frequently. Just days ago, a principal in Baldia Town in Karachi was killed along with several other children during a prize distribution ceremony. Even though no immediate response ...
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Dear women, equality comes with a price!
Pakistan is now producing more female doctors than male ones and it is not a good sign. According to some of the senior doctors and medical staff, Pakistan’s health system had won the gender equality battle at the cost of productivity. More women are now pursuing medicine, as compared to their male counterparts, which is affecting the health system adversely since a large number of women abandon the profession after completing medical school. Due to the open-merit system introduced by the Supreme Court in 1991, which abolished the 60:40 ratio for male and female students in medical college admissions, men and ...
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