Why I Began Paper Making in Pakistan

hi, my name is hamna, i work for a management training & education institue in karachi, pakistan, am most pleased to read your views & efforts about paper making, i did not know much about it...am myself inetereted in commnunity development work, and try to do whatever i can with a group of like minded friends, needless to say that there is alot to do, it will give my great pleasure to hear from u...and if u r ever in karachi, it will b great to meet u...my contact is - hamna akhtar, email:hamnaa@hotmail.com, phones 5833556-59, address: Pakisatn institute of management,

management house, shahrah e iraq, clifton, karachi, pakistan, looking forward to hearing from u, regards

I want to join your organisation in the form of Creative Paper Making. please guide me

Prof Farakh A Khan

1a White House Lane

Sunder Dass Road

Lahore

farakh60@hotmail.com

To anyone interested in contacting Mr. Tajima:

email: tajima777@hotmail.com

cheers

dL

dL: Thanks for the offer.

PS: I am glad that the misunderstanding was clarified. I must say that you were not very clear in your post at all. Probably, you did not want to reveal something, but the reader cannot be always that alert to read between the lines. Sorry, I have a very hard time doing that and I hate to assume as well. The tension in your post said something and I had to revisit your previous one. If only you had been upfront than throwing so many ``may-be-s`` ...:-) that would have clarified the situation.

I may not be around to check this board for sometime so you can send me the information on z_jamshed@hotmail.com whenever you find it.

Take Care.

Zahra

thanks for clarifying. point taken. i keep forgetting to go through my stuff and find mr. shinji`s e-mail. i shall forward it to you as soon as i find it ...

cheers

dL

``If you do not wish to interact, don`t. I did not suggest/imply/demand any interaction. I did not even profer an argument. ``

I felt like coming back to this point as I think there is some misunderstanding here.

I view interactions very differently when it comes to certain topics. Topics that hold substance than just an exchange of ideas demand and require a different kind of interaction level. If someone else does not hold the same view that`s fine. They have the right based on their thought-process. I think my note was emphasizing a different issue. Just thought I will clarify that. And I was raising my concern loud and clear. It seems that dL is aware of this project as well as the story and was responding on behalf of Mr.Shinji/Chowkstaff - the ``maybes`` made me feel that way. It`s just a guess. Anyway, the issue was not the article itself or the writer or the topic; it was the approach that Chowkstaff entertains on certain subjects.

Thanks.

dL:

You are certainly entitled to entertain your own interpretation. That`s fine!

Take it easy!

dL:

You are certainly entitled to entertain your own interpretation. That`s fine!

Take it easy!

Zahra #16

The term Khudai Faujdar comes to mind. If you do not wish to interact, don`t. I did not suggest/imply/demand any interaction. I did not even profer an argument.

Whats with the high horse. Getting higher everyday? Or have you decided chowk is becoming too `common` by far?

dL

DL:

Positive Criticism!!!

Sorry your argument did not make any sense! Probably, ChowkStaff needs to pay attention to this aspect that was pointed out in my post. Do not post such articles. The efforts to enlighten Pakistanis or expats was just fine - no big thing! There is a difference between posting a poem, prose, romance, action articles, politics and etc. They need to create awareness among themselves to realize the concept of ``INTERACTION`` than throwing out things at random and expecting the same kind of response.

re: Mr. Shinji

This article (and others to follow in a series of articles on similar projects) has been published on chowk on behalf of Mr. Shinji. He may or may not know that his article has gone up since he was in the midst of leaving Pakistan as of end 2000 and was returning to Japan. If he does know, he presumably has his own reasons for not responding. The rationale behind posting this article was simply to inform and educate as many as people as possible on the subject of work being done in Pakistan by people such as Mr Shinji and his colleagues. He hoped that Pakistanis- non-Pakistanis, ex-pats and residents would help keep these projects alive.

regards

dL

Zahra #13 Looks like it is just you and me on this board now. I guess if the subject had been something like ``Manufacturing paper: India vs. Pakistan`` the number of posts would have reached a 1300 by now, rather than 13. I will try to look up the websites you provide, since this is something I am trying to get involved in.

``To date, we have been able to hold more than fifty five Paper-Making workshops for Community Mobilization, Functional Literacy and Income Generating activities for Karash minorities, children in the Adiala jail, female teachers in villages, artists and students in colleges, Pakistan Literacy Commission, Ministry of Women Development and Social Welfare, Ministry of Man Power, many NGOs in the country, UNICEF, Sindi University, First Women Bank, Afghan refugees, and many others. Over 1700 persons including institutions and NGOs have directly studied papermaking in these sessions, and they are now spawning a variety of movements across the country.``

It`s real sad that Mr. Shinji is not around to read some views or ideas and share some thoughts. Personally, I think there should not be any interact section for such articles where the writer is hiding like a ``shutar-murgh.`` No offense meant to Mr. Shinji.

Having assited UNICEF in various fund-raisers few years back as a volunteer during my graduate years, I was very amazed how outgoing the Elderly Americans were. The person I worked with was over 65 or so and had been diagnosed with cancer, but his compassion to serve the community regardless of white or wheatish was highly commendable. He contacted me as he was looking for a Muslim in the area who could assist him and it was the time`95-96 when Unicef started Arabic greetings on their cards for the first time. I always loved this group since I was in college and university in Pakistan. As I came to the US, I made it a point to get involved with them in community projects. It`s been 5-6 years and I am a die hard supporter of this group of compassionate people and make it a point to buy their stuff each season. What really makes me feel very sad is the fact that we do not have enough promotion of our handicrafts. UNICEF cards have certain themes from different parts of the world and they promote them. I have seen great stuff from African countries, Asia [Nepal, Sri-Lanka and India]. The rarities seen on the cards from Pakistani origin entail nothing but an Udaas Girl Child`s face - what the hell is wrong with our society? Or sheesh-mahal`s little sheeshae. Great Job, Pakistan!!!

I will strongly urge readers and writers to checkout the UNICEF websites as well as catalogues to get a feel of different countries` great stuff. This season they are promoting Indian Saris` cutting on the cards aside from other rarities from different parts of the world.

http://www.unicefusa.org/donation/cards.html

If you do not see the catologue on the web page, you can call them on 1-800-FOR-KIDS
or conatct them at E-mail: webmaster@unicefusa.org


I think people who are in the paper industry, assisting like Mr.Shinji, ought to explore that avenue and make the talent of our local people be common to all and sundry. And there is no dearth, it`s just the matter of exploring it.

Also, Body Shop has a few projects going on where the community trade concept is highly promoted. I think people in the UK can look into that and assist some who are back home and would like to start a project. Kindly checkout the following website.

http://www.the-body-shop.com/usa/aboutus/ctrade.html


I think I read somewhere Omar Pheonix`s comments and did not have his email address. If anyone can forward him this information that will be great. There are tons and thousands of voluntary and non-profit orgs back home, but they are not all worth looking into. There is hardly a significant % that is registered. I`d suggest working with well-organized and reputed groups and proposing your project or idea and going from there.

Regards to all.

Mr. Shinji,

I think you are doing great work. It is now increasingly clear that national boundries are becoming increasingly irrelevant, and problems in one part of the world - e.g. illiteracy in Pakistan - are common problems for all of us. What we need more of are practical solution providers like yourself, and gradually things will improve for everyone. I was in Pakistan last couple of weeks, and spent some time with my nephew who is a non-Pakistan national, but works as a volunteer nowadays there. His NGO works with firm owners to create education facilities for child laborers - while the child can continue to work, he/she gets the chance to get an education for a few hours every week as well. It was truly a pleasure to see how much of such public-spirited efforts are going on - involving local as well as expat Pakistanis as well as people like you from other countries - to help ensure a better life for the next generation. One day this battle will be won, and the real heroes of our generation will be people like you.

Tajima,

telling truth is the foundation of social reform, can you use the paper to print what happened to the corresponding hindu property confiscated in pakistan. see below.

Bangla Hindus to get back property

From Hassan Shahriar

DH News Service

DHAKA, April 12

Minority Hindus in Muslim-dominated Bangladesh are happy that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has kept her word. Her government has finally passed a law, which will ensure the return of properties vested with the government after the 1965 India-Pakistan war.

regards

jay

Dear Chowk Staff,

I see my post has ben accidently lost...again and not just on this site.

Perhaps I should change my name to some Hindu, commit blasphemy towards the Prophet, maybe then your liberal attitude will suddenly awaken.

My God, you left the dirty politics of Pakistanis years ago but you Chowk staff are the same, `same sh *t, new package.

I do apologise for the frustration. I know this will not get posted either.