Diary of a frequent Indian ET blogs commenter

Our countries are at loggerheads, but it’s nice to share a joke or have a chat with people from across the border.

Nandita September 01, 2013
Dear Readers,

The regulars here know me by my pseudonym ‘Nandita’. The head of the blogs desk has asked me to write a piece about my experiences of commenting on this page for the last couple of years. This is an attempt to enumerate the multiple reasons that compel me to visit The Express Tribune blogs on a regular basis.

I started frequenting this site sometime in 2010. I had moved to a new city (yet again!) and I found myself in an unfamiliar environment with little to keep me engaged after office hours. I’d spend the evenings reading books or articles/blogs on the internet while keeping an eye out for my husband to return home from work.

It was on one such evening that I stumbled upon this website. Now, I’ve always been one to enjoy debates and discussions so you’ll understand why I immediately took to this section of the site. What made my little discovery even more fascinating was the fact that this was a Pakistani website. If my memory serves me well, it was quite a while before I actually started commenting but I’d log on every once in a while; people in India and Pakistan have an innate sense of curiosity about each other and I’m no different. I found myself reading and analysing the blogs and comments intently. I was mostly looking for answers to the innumerable questions in my mind.

What is the Pakistani society like?

Is their culture actually as similar to ours as it’s made out to be?

What is it like to live in Pakistan?

Is the Pakistani populace really as religious and conservative as we perceive them to be?

What opinions do they hold of India and Indians (For Pete’s sake, please refrain from answering this question in the comments section – I’m all too aware of the ‘love’ that permeates the ET blogosphere)

Some of the questions I had were rather inane:

How do women in Pakistan dress? Do most of them wear burqas? Do they wear western outfits?

Do young Pakistanis go on dates?

Do Pakistanis eat meat every single day?

Do they watch Indian movies?

Mainly, I was keen on reading blogs written by Pakistani women and finding points of similarity and difference between the status and lives of women in both countries.

I’ve never visited Pakistan and it would be safe to assume that I will probably never get an opportunity to do so but the blogs page has given me an insight into the lives of Pakistanis, the ‘aam junta’ or the common man in Pakistan - their thoughts, sorrows and aspirations. What makes the blogs section so interesting is the fact that the bloggers and the commentators are ordinary citizens - not mainstream media professionals furthering their own agenda/interests.

My main objective of visiting this website, a couple of years ago, was to gratify my inquisitive mind; the reason I’ve continued commenting here is because I’ve come to admire certain fellow commentators and I enjoy reading the different views and perspectives of a varied group of people belonging to different countries, cultures, religions and backgrounds. I doubt I’d ever meet this diverse a group offline. It would be a herculean task to gather such a heterogeneous set of people under one roof, wouldn’t it? The Express Tribune gives me an opportunity to interact and connect with people I wouldn’t have met otherwise and I’m making the most of it!

Many a time the commentators are, in my not so humble opinion, more knowledgeable and rational than the bloggers themselves. There have been times when I’ve skipped reading the blog after skimming through a few paragraphs and moved to the comments section to get a far more balanced perspective of the topic at hand. Some rather engaging discussions have led me to discover that a lively, stimulating debate can prove to be an effective antidote to stress; a riveting article and an engrossing discussion tend to rejuvenate me.

A note of appreciation is in order to the blogs desk, for doing a commendable job in providing readers like me with a platform that promotes pluralism and free speech. Their professional and unbiased approach is indeed laudable.

Finally, it’s been a privilege interacting with so many of you, especially the Pakistani readers. Despite the fact that our countries are at loggerheads, it’s nice to share a joke or have a normal chat with people from across the border.

I’d like to list a few names here - Nobody, Parvez, Noman Ansari, Gp65, BlackJack and Indi Pop - thank you for making my visits to this website worthwhile ! I hope to continue seeing you here.

Cheers,

Nandita
WRITTEN BY:
Nandita A frequent commentator on the Express Tribune blogs.
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (117)

Dante | 10 years ago | Reply 2 years of regular comments. You must have a lot of free time at your hands (and motivation).
Nobody | 10 years ago | Reply Thanks for the shout out dear! And for the blog. Always nice to see what our neighbors across the fence are thinking (even those who can be unpleasant!) ;)
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