Chowk@Three: Opening Minds, Winning Hearts

All Chowk Associates

Pass me a small slice of the cake ----mmmmmm----congrats!

More meaningful thoughts later.....

regards,

temporal

[Contributed by Amitava Kumar - to appear in a newspaper]


Chowk: Where Subcontinentals Hold Talks By Amitava Kumar

Whether there is a ceasefire or not, there is a place where Indians and Pakistanis can always meet for chats. On www.chowk.com, no on comes home in body bags.

It was at midnight, in the moment that joined August 14 to August 15, that the website was launched three years ago. It was the fiftieth anniversary of India and Pakistan`s independence. A few weeks prior to the launch, two engineers living in California, Safwan Shah and Umair Khan, decided that ``the world needed some spicing up.``
Today, there are 4000 visitors to the site every day. The webmasters say that there are also more than 10,000 page hits daily. Pakistani and Indian expatriates make up 70% of the readership.

Although the inventors of chowk are proud of the fact that sites like rediff, sulekha, or chaitime came much after their own site, the site`s real strength might lie elsewhere. On chowk, Indians and Pakistanis are in constant conversation, even if that conversation so often resembles the real-life bickering between the leaders of the two nations. Unlike the latter, however, this conversation never stops.

This conversation can be bitter and even a bit bizarre. A review of a novel can, for example, turn into a discussion of the relations between India and Pakistan without any reference to the review or even the novel!

Suddenly, it makes sense to take note of a poll being conducted on chowk at present. It asks visitors to the site to cast their vote on the following issue: ``Indo-Pak articles provoke discussions that are 1. Useful 2. Useless 3. Neither.``

At the same time, the fact that any issue can be hijacked to discuss Indo-Pak relations suggests that such discussions are necessary. And, more important, that conversations between people from both sides of the border are taking place, despite assertions to the contrary.

Not all participants in the discussions, or even the contributors, are partisan. In the aftermath of the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan, pro-peace writers like Pervez Hoodbhoy, S.P. Udayakumar, Beena Sarwar and Zia Mian posted useful articles on the site that were widely circulated.

When asked about the future plans for chowk, the organizers say they want ``to keep focussing on issues that are generally shoved under the rug.`` They are also interested in drawing attention to ``the rights of women and other minorities`` as well as ``biases against gender and sexual orientation.``

In the meantime, however, the worsening situation in the subcontinent and the strife over Kashmir is likely to hold sway. One Indian writer on chowk recently said that after writing a piece on the site, there came ``a response from an otherwise absolutely sane cousin, hey chump, why are you writing for a Pakistani propaganda site?``
Chowk might be one of the very few places which raises such questions publicly and provides answers to them too.

Amitava Kumar is the author of Passport Photos [reviewed on Chowk] and a regular contributor to chowk.

Happy 3rd B-Day Chowk!

Since the last 2.5 years, you have been my fav site and I am so sorry that I missed 6 irreplaceable months of Chowk!

Continue with the your work and keep the minds stimulated and engaged with your articles!

All the best to you as you start towards your 4th year!

Keep on impressing us and thanks a zillion for everything!

Ciao!

Jash-e-Azaadi Mubarak

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/metro/chicago/printedition/article/0,2669,SAV-0008140026,FF.html

PAKISTANI POLITICS, PRIDE FUEL PARADE

AS CHICAGO`S PAKISTANIS CELEBRATE THEIR HOMELAND, THE SUBJECT OF KASHMIR IS NOT A WORLD AWAY.

By Evan Osnos

Tribune Staff Writer

August 14, 2000

With an old garbage can, some green plastic wrap and a bright red cardboard cone to represent an atomic warhead, Pakistani college student Syed Ahmed brought one gust of a geo-political squall to West Rogers Park on Sunday.

Half a world from the political fault lines separating Pakistan and India--but just hours after the latest bloody clash between militants in the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir--Ahmed arrived at Chicago`s Pakistan Independence Day Parade with the mock missile strapped to the roof of his car.

``It`s just saying that we`re powerful too,`` said Ahmed, 22, of Lincolnwood, not an official member of the parade but one of at least two revelers who mounted cardboard bombs on their cars and cruised, horns blaring, through the North Side`s Indian and Pakistani neighborhoods. ``We`re not making a fight here, but the world needs to be aware.``

Watching from across Devon Avenue, though, Mehdi Kahn fumed.

``That has no place here. No good,`` said Kahn, 32, who emigrated from India five years ago. ``That`s for nothing but to make conflict.``

More than two years after their two countries added nuclear arms to their decades-old territorial feud, Chicago`s Indian and Pakistani communities still thrive together happily, working and living side by side with little visible friction. As in past years, Sunday`s parade to celebrate the 1947 partition of the two countries drew supporters from both sides.

But amid a summer of mounting global tension over long-disputed Kashmir, which has been racked by separatist violence since 1989, some in Chicago`s Pakistani community took Sunday`s festival as a chance to voice their politics.

``The [model] missiles are not to scare anybody, but to tell everybody that we are now a nuclear power,`` said Razah Don, 32, a Pakistani cabdriver who wrapped himself in a flag proclaiming, ``Allah is great.``

Parade organizers said they intended no political message this year but understood if residents used the celebration to express theirviews.

``Here we are, thousands of miles away, but our hearts still beat with Pakistan,`` said Javid Kahn of the parade committee.

Above the festival bandstand at Warren Park, where people gathered after snaking along Devon and Western Avenues, a single new portrait had been added this year to the pantheon of Pakistani leaders showcased in years past. Between portraits of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the nation`s founder, and celebrated poet Muhammad Iqbal, sat the picture of A.Q. Khan, Pakistan`s chief scientist credited with producing its nuclear arms.

``For us, he is as much a national hero as the other two,`` said the parade committee`s Kahn. ``It is not about politics.``

In the parade itself, there were only scattered flashes of international politics between the waving politicians and floats.

Looking little different than the adjoining floats for a gastroenterologist and a travel agent, the brightly festooned entry from the Kashmir Solidarity Front was covered with smiling children and their parents.

They waved and passed out fliers: ``Kashmir--Happy Valley, Valley of Death.``

``This is a free country. We are making our voices known to the world on this important issue,`` said Nazir Mirza, 60, as he distributed a flier urging Muslims to boycott Indian merchants.

Just up the road, though, many younger revelers scoffed at the politics. That`s nothing but the grist of old hatreds, they said.

``It`s doesn`t matter to us--here we`re all mixed together,`` said Indian-American A.J. Kahn, 17. Kahn and four Indian friends hooted joyously and pulled their car onto Devon Avenue, with Pakistani flags in hand overhead.

You guys are GRRRRRRRRRRREAT

happy birthday Chowk

happy independence day Pakistan & India

You guys are GRRRRRRRRRRREAT

happy birthday Chowk

happy independence day Pakistan & India

Great job!

I have been away, but couldn`t pass up this opportunity to congratulate you on a job so well done. My best wishes.
Aliya Saeed

Chowk Staff:

A very happy birthday to you all.. You guys are legends.. Keep it up!

All the best!

cheers,

Fairdinkum

Two years ago, I accidentally found this site, what I liked about it, was the quality of articles and their Interact responses . I`m hooked since then and enjoy it as much as the time permits. I admit I dont interact that much but still like being a part of this cyber community.

A Job well done! Happy 3rd B-Day and many more to come.

Well wishes

Moez

thans for bringing the chowk dream all of us

THANKSSSSS AAAA LOTTTT!!!!!!! AND A HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Chowkwala..

Adnan.

Dear Chowk Staff,

Once again I`d like to thank all of you for the effort you have put into this site. I`ve been a regular chowk reader for 2 years. The quality of certain writers on this site is so good that I have a better appreciation for a well written piece of prose or poetry.

I`ve also enjoyed taking part in the interacts with people from around the world and look forward to more of this in the future.

Regards,

Fozia Zaidi

Thanks for stressing the guiding principles of Chowk, especially at a time when there is frequent & intense debate among the chowkizens on the lines of what/who is allowable/not allowable...

Wish You Many more Happy return of this day!

Thanks Chowk staff for creating this great site and for keeping it growing in the right direction.

Dear Chowk ,

A.O.A

I have become a ``chowkwalla`` by design two days ago - though I have been lurking on the periphery for the last 6 months or so.

The experience with my first `interactivity` has been every bit as fascinating as you have implied in the overview.

Yes, please do let the meandering Chowkwallas to roam free, their spirits soaring and their orb ever-expanding.

There would be some falls; is`nt that part of the

human endeavour and discovery trail?!!

Carry on into the next millenium!

Three cheers for your Staff and the coordinators/moderators/comptrollers -- whatever you may call yourself!

Regards,

Mateen

Dear Chowk Staff:

Allow me to chime in with the rest and congratulate you on creating an incredible virtual community. Others and I will watch with great interest the evolution of this site.

This place is so awesome that it had a large part to play inspiring me to try and express my feelings verbally and graphically and what I learn from mingling with the incredible group of people here actually influences the content of my creations.

Thank you all for facilitating my growth as a human.

Now onto the questions the Chowk staff asks us and my own do paisa on them:

1. Nationality or `Leaning` of Chowk:

This comes up off and on when a Pakistani nationality is asserted on this site. I have argued vehemently against this notion over and over again. I don`t think Chowk is a Pakistani site. Its creators may be primarily Pakistani and its visitors may be mostly Pakistani but that still does not mean that Chowk leans to the West of LC. Time and again the editorial staff has defended the likes of me in these debates and it is greatly appreciated.

2. Dividing the site up by region or content:

I think this is quite a good idea. The structure is already in place in form of the avenues.

Currently one arrives at the Chowk and the articles on the main page lead one to the various avenues like Chaathouse and Leafy Glade Inn. The `Town Square` and `Avenue` paradigm fails because when one does click on an article that belongs to a certain avenue, the hyperlinks on that article do not emphasize other articles of that avenue.

I think it would be much better if one looked at the site as many chowks organically connected. This would allow people with specific interests to go to the Chowk that they are in the mood for. It is pretty obvious from the current situation where once an article drops off from the front page the responses stop completely. I think if there were five different front pages by content than the number of articles with active participation would pentaple (is that a word? :)

3. Self -Posting articles to avoid long queues:

I think this is a great idea! Basically it`s a way of letting people see the queue as it moves up. What if all the Chowk submissions were to be in a public area reserved for self posting and then while other people browsed it, the editorial staff could review it simultaneously and pick a handful as `featured` pieces on one of the Chowks? Please go to sites like Gumballpoetry.com to see how an `edited magazine` can co-exist with a `self posting area`. You could use a basic automated sensor for self-posting like you have for interacts.

All in all I think that if there were 25 high profile articles on Chowk displayed so that the linking is prominent and intuitive it will be more fun. I also think that segregation by content is a good idea. And self posting would rock.... you could even have a `live chat moderator`