The Dream

Re: Criticism on this piece

My first reaction after reading this piece was as follows:

“Urstruly,
Against your sound advice, I read it. Yeah, definitely belongs in Akhbar-e-Jahan`s teen auratain teen kahanian. “
Yes, it is not the best piece of writing I have ever read. And yes, it’s not subtle or spellbinding. And yes, it is not a very good example of breath-taking story telling…. I agree that it diminishes the pain and suffering that Farzana went through, and so many others like her have to go through in that unfortunate country we call “land of the pure.”

However, this is a true story, and despite it’s literary shortcomings, I appreciate the courage with which the author shared her experience with us.

Albert Einstein once said:
“When you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor”

And the following is for the mentally agile and farsighted lady – replace “man” with “woman” and “he” with “she” where relevant (with thanks to Brat):
“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.``

-- Teddy Roosevelt

PS. Some mentally agile people probably missed the subtle sarcasm in temporal’s comments when he said, ``Another story in the finest traditions of Islamic heritage perceived and vociferously practised in the land of the believers!``

And he said: Speak to us on Giving ?

Princes,

It was a relief to read your thoughts, good to hear that some are mentally alive. I hope the writer gains some insights from these interactions.

The prevalent irony among our people is - lack of:-
a)farsightedness
b)mental agility

They can see, write, read, listen, talk, smell, eat, drink, but they resist thinking. Personally, I abhor reading a weak flow of thoughts, no matter how damn articulate it may be! Anyway, one does not have to waste one`s time reading everyone. [

princes #37

Well said!

sadna #22,

Some good ones are Waaris, Khuda ki Basti (based on the novel), Sitara aur Mehrunissa, Aahat, Asavari, Ankahi, Tanhaiyan, Marvi, and others that I can`t remember off hand. There`s a good website that reviews dramas:

http://website.lineone.net/

Re: princes

True Khadija was independent business woman but that was pre-islamic era!!!!

Zeejah #26:

real writers don`t just reflect reality; they also hint at solutions. They go that extra step, which is what separates them from journalists. good writers just make it look subtle.

Temporal #1 wrote:

``Another story in the finest traditions of Islamic heritage perceived and vociferously practised in the land of the believers!``

Come on, you have to be kidding!!!

The prophet said, ``Pursue knowledge even if it means going to China.`` Any parents denying the girl`s education are acting in an un-Islamic way. The prophet`s wife Khadija was an independent businesswoman--he LIKED educated women.

Forcing marriage on any person, especially a woman is un-Islamic. A well-established hadith: A woman approached the Prophet and outright refused a match for herself with a well-respected person. The Prophet agreed that the wedding could not take place (because she did not agree), but expressed his surprise. She replied that she was not serious in refusing the would-be suitor, but had only said ``No!`` to emphatically establish the fact that the woman has an equal right in independently deciding her fate.

As for rape, I won`t even go there.

This story represents the heritage of mis-guided muslims...Who knows when we`ll get our act together...

Zahra #28

Good post. Just consider, IF there was a telephone in the village, IF there was an abuse hotline, IF there was someone at the end of the hotline who could be sent to to help file and pursue a police report, or at least create a stink, taking care to avoid the wellknown legal/other pitfalls in cases of this kind, then future Farzanas in our countries would be just a little safer, though this one had to pay the price.

Sadhana

I`m afraid this article was a bit...typical. However, I believe that it carried an important message: maybe it is seeming typical to us because we have heard of and seen too many Farzanas and don`t want to be reminded of their existence any more. Just a thought.

Zahra #28

I agree with the spirit of your post..:)

cheers.

RE: Reply #: 16 temporal

My e-mail address is:

ras@chowk.com

Rooh Afza will be acceptable but ...

Ras

Re:Zahra #28

Zahra Bibi,
I hope you are well.

RE: Zahra #28

The writer got atleast one person motivated; that is YOU, Zahra. Don`t you think he did his job well. All my life I always beleived in that one tiny little raindrop-the first drop.

Dear Zeejah,

I am sorry that you had to write this.

It must have been very painful. I am not going to make any comments other than thank you for writing this article so well.Very kind of you to share and we hope that we learn from it rather than pointing finger at the writer.

Thank you and keep the good work going. By the way your ``Enchanted forest`` was also a remarkable experience.Take care and hope to see you around .

Cheerio bye.

Fairdinkum: -

Your likeness for the writer`s work was duly noted! I am in no way obligated to agree with you and I suggest vice versa. With that said, please do not assume that anyone ought to agree with you in anyway! Got it!