Eathquake Hits India And Pakistan

Dear Sadhana:

I hope I am not preaching, but somehow reading your posts, it seems your clear vision is bit clouded right now. Let us not mix issues here, when General PM has extended a hand of humanity, let us accept it with gratitude. The cost of this earthquake is too much both in terms of money and lives. Any help from any direction is appreciated. So let us not be judgemental and accept the generosity shown by any people with great appreciation. Maligning or even raising finger, at least in this board, trivialises the genuine grief and anxiety expressed by many readers of the chowk.

ZZ #88, I hope what you said in response to Krashid is out of frustration, otherwise it might feel little bit of arrogance when India is asking for 1.5 billion dollar loan for Gujrat rehabilitation. The estimated property damage is around 4.5 billion, half of this is personal loss, the people who have spent probably live`s saving on a piece of flat. Forget about the loss in economy due to halt of many cottage and medium scale industries. So your assertion of that we can take care of our people may not be justified. If we could, then today there will not be 100,000 lost lives.

Regards,

cheraym

Ref DB Ji #45:

``Amrita Pritam has only one poem to her credit that probably every Punjabi remembers because it was not her poem but it was the people`s who were suffering in 1947 and she was only a medium to say it ..ujj aakhan wapis shah nu, kitay kabran wichon bol... ``

I always confused her with Rajkumari Amrit Kaur. Yes I vaguely remember this poem but I wonder if West Punjabis know it that well. If you find time, could you please submit a translation to the chowk or just post it on this thread?

Had to do a double take on `wapis` to realize a typo.

Samir Sahib,

I confess to be one of the unwashed masses weaned on Filmy muzak, but I am reading your and others` posts on classical music with great interest.

By the way, Surinder Kaur has an oldy `Lathe di Chaadar Uteey, Saleti Rang Mahiya`. Did you hear it and can you tell me if it has Pothohari Punjabi in it? What in the world is `` Ussi Kandhan da Mocha Moria``?

How is Gnostic? I hope he shows up here once in a while. He is a walking encyclopedia on classical music.

Dost Mittar Sahib:

Was Sehgal a Kashmiri or a Punjabi? I Never heard any Punjabi song of his before. Did he sing any other Punjabi songs?

Sadhna Ji:

Sehgal`s ``Babul mero`` is a great song from the thirties. I wonder if other singers tried their voices on it since then.

A tragedy that is a part of another. The relationship between two countries has got to improve.

From The News International today:

160 Pak fishermen feared dead in Indian quake

THATTA: At least 160 Pakistani fishermen who had reportedly been arrested by Indian Navy from the Arabian Sea a couple of months ago and were detained in a jail in Jam Nagar, India, are feared dead, following reports by international news agencies that the jail has been destroyed completely by the massive earthquake.

According to reports reaching here on Tuesday, the Indian Navy had arrested at least 160 fishermen belonging to a coastal strip in Thatta district, comprising Keti Bundar, Rochani, Jati and Shahbandar from Pakistani maritime limits in the Arabian Sea a couple of months ago and handed them over to Ahmedabad police. Reports said the prisoners were later shifted to a jail in Jam Nagar.

Reports by international news agencies said the earthquake had completely destroyed the jail in Jam Nagar in which some 600 prisoners, including 160 Pakistani fishermen, were detained. The families and relatives of the detained Pakistani fishermen are worried since there is no news from India about the safety of their relatives. They have asked the government to seek details from India and in case of fishermen`s death, take steps to get their bodies back home.

sadna,

good suggestion! let me, as a friend, make a small suggestion to you... don`t worry too much about what some bigots are saying re the human tragedy in Gujrat. you know that an overwhelming majority of South Asians sympathize with the victims of this devastating calamity… In a way it is good that lashkar-e-tayyaba made that statement… now everybody knows what kind of people they are… and what kind of education is being dispensed at their maddarsahs…

and don`t get angry if you don`t like this post :)
just ignore it.

cheraym #134
Please take a little trouble and read my post #97. If chowkers choose to preach and abuse even after my apologising and expressing my gratitude in that post(maybe because of that), what I say again is `take a hike`.

You make too much of my remarks, let me remind you, yours and others chowkwallahs esteemed attention is required in more urgent matters.

Sadhana

SameerJB, fairdinkum
I do believe in the silent majority Pakistanis, too. I am grateful for their humanity(and the efforts of their government) in this time of crisis for Indians. As far as our governments are concerned, I too hope this incident has helped them turn the corner toward better times, I really hope so from the bottom of my heart.

But what is anyone to make of this one? (This is a sincere question not a rhetorical one). Is it the right and proper path towards peace that you and I should close our eyes and ears as the only way ?
http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/2001/0205/kashmir_sb1.html

Sadhana

In response to sadna (Reply # 137)
Dear Sadhana:

The key often lies in patience, tolerance, and time. People like Socrates, Mohammad, Gandhi, King, and even Jinnah were not ordinary people – and, they had many common attributes. Part of the problem in our Indian and Pakistani people lies in the way we have been socialized in a broader sense. It often manifests in our inability to empathize.

Nonetheless, we shouldn’t worry too much about those who simply don’t want to learn (at a particular moment in their lives).

Sincerely, Bilal Ahmad

P.S. I have intentionally excluded Jesus and Ram from the list above. I hope, you and others will understand.

sadna #138

Thanks for the link. Insane stuff to say the least... but i am sorry to say that there was nothing new in that article... you have provided similar links, and asked similar `sincere` questions a thousand times before... and lots of people have answered... what is the point of repeating the same argument over and over and over?

we all know that Pak army is involved in kashmir... or was it a secret before the publication the article you pointed to? we also know what indians have done to crush the uprising in kashmir.. we know that what`s happening now is absolute madness... we know that Pakistani and Indian governments are not interested in resolving their differences in a peaceful manner... we know how lashkrs (with the help of Pak army) have a strangle hold on the discourse of Pakistan..... and ok, if it makes you happy, then let us assume that majority of pakistanis are terrorists and blood thirsty Muslims...look! their major political parties have not issued any statement to condemn lashkar for issuing such a rotten statement re gujrat earthquake... they must all believe in that barbaric medieval religion called Islam... they are a threat to civilization as we know it.

so what do you propose?

Urstruly,

You once said you were a lover most of the time an an occassional fighter.

For what it`s worth, I actually believed you then.

Remember those shoes we once talked about? Maybe now is a good time to invest in them. You could use a looooong walk in the countryside.

PM

Sameer,

I don`t quite know why, but your post (#133) left me in tears.

Thank you.

Patrick

Jawahara #111

Just to intervene.

The areas affected by earthquake has a Muslim population of from 3-17% and so they are also being affected in same percentage in every tragedy.

But there is no treatment of fascist people who have taken the flag of isms.

Dear Sadhana:

I read your #97, which also is a mixture of things! Or may be my reading/writing comprehension skill is not as good as yours to fathom it fully. As because, I chose to say something different (which I usually do not)from you, please do not consider this to be preaching. You are well above my preaching, and in fact that is what I mentioned in my post. It was a simple issue of being courteous.

It is so easy to burn the bridges than making one. Now you can tell me what are the burning issues at Chowk we should concentrate, deliver, deliberate? I have yet to see any constructive thing coming out of my spending time at Chowk, other than some spiritual solace by knowing that there are good and bad people in every country, and humanity does exist even in cyberspace. And of course, I learn history from Chowk.

Do not be offended, that is not the purpose of my post.

Regards

cheraym

re. Bahmad #137

``P.S. I have intentionally excluded Jesus and Ram from the list above. I hope, you and others will understand.``

:)

Bilalji, I think most thinking Christians nowadays tend to agree that Jesus` `divinty` means nothing without his humanity.

But yor post makes an important point nonetheless. Thank you.

rgds,

PM

fairdinkum
``ok, if it makes you happy, then let us assume that majority of pakistanis are terrorists and blood thirsty Muslims...look! their major political parties have not issued any statement to condemn lashkar for issuing such a rotten statement re gujrat earthquake... they must all believe in that barbaric medieval religion called Islam... they are a threat to civilization as we know it.``

I have never said any of this, these are all your words not mine.

As far as L-i-T is concerned, there is a long list of issues for the silent majority wishing peace to think about. As long as L-i-T makes open and public threats even against the Indian Prime Minister without any restraint, it makes it impossible for a foreign government to be seen to capitulate and hold talks. They even threaten attacks elsewhere in India, against the general public and prominent personalities . If they succeed in even one of these threats, as I said it makes it impossible for the Indian government to talk. Where will the silent majority be then?

Lets say everyone `ignores` L-i-T, takes up on the spirit of cooperation built during the earthquake, and goes ahead with talks despite deaths and violence even elsewhere in India. Eventually, say, Mr Musharraf announces a peace deal. If the silent majority is still silent and L-i-T is still the only organization making public statements, Mr Musharraf`s position in implementing any peace deal becomes extremely difficult.

OK then Mr Musharraf tells L-i-T and others to live with the peace deal and pack up and go home, they donot agree and the various political party eaders are not proactive in support of peace measures, but only sitting around like vultures waiting for pickings(as they have done before) and the majority is still silent?

The majority should cease to be so silent and take some turns at the microphone.

Sadhana

Rsaxena

So what is your preference. Would you rather be in hell or be a jackass again? Anywho

In case you chose hell, bring shorts, T-shirts, sandals, and SPF-15 along. It is hot in here. Dont bother bringing a sleeping bag. They dont let you sleep here. Its an all night party.

I will meet you at the gate wearing NJ Devils` costume-you know the red one, with two horns, pointy tail with an arrow-head, and a three pronged rake. Madhuri Dixit and Brook Shields are expected to be there too. I`ve heard that they had turn them young again like the days when both used to wear paded bras. Oh! BTW bring YLH too. I`ve heard that you two are getting along really well these days. He will help you recognize me. Also bring that pervert PM along with ya. Tell him that Mel Gibson will be there too. Gosh! I wanna see his face when he will find Mick Jagger instead.

Oh! BTW I feel sorry for Sadhna, she will be sitting with Ayotullahs and Talibans on the other side.