Headache and Heartburn

Just one quick question ... . You went to bed thinking about the symapthetic Beant Singh , but what did you do the first thing you got up in the morning ? Did you actually change something in his life ? Sure , it feels good to write an article and see it get published with your name on it , and you sentiments penned in this virtual online ink. But the question remains ... did anything change for Beant Singh: New York City cab driver?

Hi Sameer

Ha, Ha Ha. Man! your previous post was hilarous. Sachche madhupremi(lover of wine) Ghalib aur Harivanshrai Bachchan se prerana(inspiration) prapta kar ek aadh baar mein bhee kosis(attempt) kee thee . Par beer ki badboo aur whisky ki kaduwahat(bitterness or sharpness of taste) mujhse nahin jheli gayi. Shayad sachche madhupremi banane ke liye jeevan mein kaduwahat ka hona zaroori hai.Aur meri kabhi koi girlfriend bhi nahi rahi ki usike bichadne ke gam mein thodi see halaq(throat) ke neeche utaar leta. Nihayat hi rookhaa sookhaa aur unromantic aadmi hoon. Mujhe Harivansh Rai ki madhushala(house of liquor) yaad aa rahi hai. Shayad tumne bhi padhi ho.

``

chhote se jeevan mein kitnaa, pyaar karoon, pee loon haalaa

aane ke hi saath jagat mein, kahlaayaa jaane waalaa

swaagat ke hi saath bidaa ki, hoatee dekhee tayyaari

band lagee hone khulate hi, maeri jeevan MADHUSHAALAA

``

Transliteration:

In this brief life, how much can I love, how much can I drink

Right on arrival in this world, I became `destined-to-go`

Parting and farewell arrangements I have seen just following welcome

Barely upon opening, started to close my life`s wonderful madhushaalaa.

Ya phir

``Laalaa in adharon se jisne, haay nahein choomi haalaa

harshit kampit kar se jisne, haay na chhuwaa madhu ka pyaalaa

haath pakad lajjit saaqi ka, paas nahein jisne kheenchaa

vyarth sukhaa daali jeevan ki, usne madhumaya MADHUSHAALAA``

If one has not yet kissed a ``drink`` with his lips,

And has not yet felt the ``pail`` with delight and trembling hands.

If one has not yet held the hands of the bashful ``bar-tender`` and pulled her towards oneself,

Such a person has totally wasted his life`s wonderful Madhushaalaa.

Aur anta(end) mein

``dharm granth sab jalaa chuki hein, jiske bheetar ki jwalaa

mandir, masjid, girje sab kuchh, toade chuka jo matwaalaa

pandit, momin, padariyon ke, phandon ko jo kaat chuka

kar sakti hae aaj usi ka, swaagat meri MADHUSHAALAA

``

That, whose fire from within, has burnt all holy books of his religion

That, who has demolished all his personal religious structures- temple, mosque or church

That who has freed himself from the clutches of religious priests- Pandit, Imam or Bishop

That alone is today welcome in my Madhushaalaa.

Khair chodo,aur batao. Yeah I read about the exile of NS to S. Arabia. They say, fact is stranger than fiction. This incident happened out of blue. Nobody had an inkling of this event. Does Saudi really wields that kind of influence in Pakistani politics as this incident seems to suggest. I am purposely avoiding the other boards as ylh is back with a bang and ready to flood all the boards with his Gandhi-Jinnah obsesssion.

PS Do you live in Houston?

Pankaj #338:

tum ne bilkul na pee, hum ne jee bhar ke pee

tum bhi mar jao gay, hum bhi mar jaiN gay

Translation: You chose not to drink, I did. In the end we both will die! P.S. Bhai yeh ``gay`` at the end of the verse is different than those at Westheimer Street, Houston.

Whether people puking after getting drunk or coming down with cirrhosis, death will come to all-give and take few years.

By the way, did you hear that NS has been exiled to Saudi Arabia until he performs 21 Hajjs and comes back to Pakistan as the 2nd incarnation of Imam Ghazali.

Dear aicha

Jo nasha aankhon se peene mein hai, woh bechaari sharaab mein kahan -:) Sharab to madad bhar karti hai, asli nasha to kahin aur se hi paida hota hai-:)

On a more serious note, I have seen a lot of my over enthusiastic friends who drink beyond their capacity to take and end up puking! Or wallowing in the mud in street! Its a very repulsive site.

That`s why I say, drink for your pleasure but not to get drunk. Addiction of anything is bad, be it drinking alcohol or posting on Chowk! :) However I do support freedom of choice. People should be made aware of the harms of alcohol addiction, but the choice of exercising so should be left to them.

Cheers!

Fairdinkum, Fuzair, sac #382 Here`s one from the US Civil War: Gen Grant was winning all his battles while the other federal generals were getting beaten, and so was being considered to head the northern armies. People complained to Lincoln that he drank, at which Lincoln said that he needed to know what brand of whisky he drank so he could send some to his other generals as well.

So, maybe we send some whisky to our generals so they can build up the courage needed to put the mullah in his place.

faidinkum: Thanks for posting a very moving narration about Josh Maleehabadi. Gone are the day when governments and Mullahs did not have the unofficial authority to grant people heathen and non-Muslims based on some of the choices people make, like having one or few drinks (not having one too many!!!). To me it is a habit like many others where people must make choices, be it drinking, smoking, eating greasy foods, too much red meat with animal fats or too much sugar. Most people are lot smarter than Mullahs to know better about good and bad.

Thanks also to Fuzair, sac and Tahmad for some good thoughts about alcohol. The story of Josh and the one sac mentioned about income-tax official is very common in Pakistan. Even myself, being a Jamaatia during my college and university years and shouting ``Allah is Great`` or ``Asia is Green`` with other jamaatias during rallies did enjoy Murree Brewary beer and Hunza water during a trip to Hunza valley. I think Hunza water is locally produced white wine but tastes great when enjoyed in the valley sitting beside Indus river. Lately, I heard, they are more careful about producing and serving only to trusted friends because of Mullahism next door in Gilgit and Shiaism across the river in Nagar.

We people have been drinking as long as our history is known. They were producing wine during Indus valley civilization days and Aryans brought their own fermented drink called ``soma``. It is not clearly known what carbohydrate source Aryans used to brew soma. This drinking habit of Indus valley is well mentioned in Mahabharata and I guess, Punjabis love for drinking at Basant (New Year) and particularly at Baisakhi might be a continuation of long historical traditions to feel good at celebrations given the tough life during rest of the year.

scout#281:

``hmmmmmmm....things are coming together....

in other words, man is the weaker sex..``

Men are conditioned to repress their feelings (esp. wrt other men) much more than women are. Though this is certanly regrettable in an age when we don`t need to keep our guard up all the time lest the other male steal our food or women, I`m not so sure this trait makes us `weaker` in any way.

Nice try, though :-)

Re: Fairdinkum #382

I had a v. good Shia friend who would keep every roza during Ramzan, pray religiously and give up alcohol and bridge for the whole month.

I never quite understood this but, hey, whatever, works for you.

Re: Scout #381

Given the longer female life expectancy, higher pain thresholds and higher male:female birth ratios, was there ever any doubt about females being the superior gender? Males have greater upper body strength and, maybe, better spatial skills. The only ones who doubt female superiority are the mullah types and other true believers.

Regards.

re scout #381:

Brilliant deduction Watson. The best argument arguing the superiority of women IMHO is the duration of their orgasms wouldn`t you agree? :)

re faridinkum #382:

I distinctly remember my sixth grade Urdu teacher waxing eloquent about Josh and `Yaadon ki Barat`. Being the precocious nerd that I was I borrowed the book from the school library and spent the whole weekend reading it cover to cover (and some passages many a time!!). Needless to say my moustache appeared shortly afterwards :)

Funny you should mention the drinking habits of income tax officials in the land of the pure. The standard joke in Lahore goes something like this. If you want to bring in anything duty free just call the income tax or Customs hotline. For the mere `gift` of a bottle of Johny Walker or two one can walk away thru the Green channel or the dry-port in a Mack truck no questions asked!!

later

-sac

Fuzair, Sac, Tahmad,
Some anecdotes and random thoughts on drinking.

Joosh Maheehabadi once said that, “sharaab is only haram for those who can’t handle it.”
Josh used to drink regularly after “Maghrib”… immediately after the aazaan he would have two drinks and then say his takbir too… no kidding!! As you guys may know, apart from being a great poet, he was a great Marsiah poet, and a great recitor as well. He was highly regarded in India and Pakistan … In Lucknow, India; he used to recite his Marsiah at Luckonow’s grand mufti’s (of shias) place. This was a regular yearly event… People knew about his drinking habits… he never hid it from anybody. A delegation of “respected” people from the community once went to grand mufti’s house and complained that Josh is a drunkard, and he should not recite marsiah at your place.. Grand mufti took note of their complain and said, “I will make an announcement on the day josh is scheduled to recite marsiah at my place.” People must have thought the mufti sahib is going to humiliate josh in front of all the people and replace him with somebody else… when the day came, the crowd gathered at mufti’s place was four times the normal crowd… sure enough, mufti had invited josh… he was there, and so were all the people who complained about his “character.” To the disappointment of “respected” people of the community, mufti sahib instead of making any announcement, invited josh to recite marsiah… josh (not knowing anything about the complain thing) made his way and was about to sit down at the designated spot for marsiah rectors when grand mufti suddenly got up and asked josh to sit down where he (grand mufti) was sitting… then addressing the crowd mufti said, “ I have received a complain about josh that he has some weakness which renders him unfit to recite marsiah. Well, let me tell you that in the scheme of things josh is a lot higher than me. The reason I have asked josh to sit where I was sitting is to show my utmost respect for this person. Those who don’t like josh for his weaknesses are more than welcome to leave!”
Of course, times were different then… people hadn’t known Zia-ul-Haq or lashkars … otherwise they would have simply shot josh… btw, josh was banned in Pakistan during Zia period… wasn’t he?

You guys should read “yadoon ki barat” … I highly recommend it.

I have known a lot of poets, writers, critics etc. in Pakistan who drink regularly… btw,those who become a nuisance after having couple of drinks are known as “kam zarf.”

On my visit to Pakistan in 1998, I went to visit a person who is an Income Tax Commissioner in Karachi… not that I know many govt. officials… he is know to our family from the days when he was a school teacher… I was escorted by a servant into the living room and informed that, “saab namaz parh rah hai...aap baithain thori dair main saab aata hai.” When Saab came in he was wearing an Islamic cap and looking very solemn… After exchanging pleasantries, he asked me if would care to drink something… when I said coffee… he laughed and said, “aap mazaq kar rahay hain?… theek say batain beer ya whisky?”

Couple of high ranking government officials soon joined us … Interestingly both had outwardly religious appearance… Pakistan is so full of twofaced basta#ds… I wouldn’t be surprised if I found out that most of the leaders of so-called religious parties also drink. But then, alcohol is not suitable for “kam zarf” people… so they may not…

I don`t understan why ``drinking`` is such a big deal? ... even from Islamic perspective taking bribe, violation of human rights, back biting, corruption etc. etc. which are widely prevalent amongst all classes in Pakistan are lot more serious breaches of Islamic law...

sac #379, ``The army is well-known for its drinking proclivity. ....I think it serves as a bonding

exercise.``

Are men so dumb and unsure of themselves that they need to get drunk to ``bond?``

I read somewhere that men are more apt to get more ``touchy feely`` with each other (in an affectionate friendly sense) under the influence of alcohol.

They`re not man enough to be sure of their sexuality, so they have to resort to losing their inhibitions (by drinking) in order to ``bond`` with their peers.

hmmmmmmm....things are coming together....

in other words, man is the weaker sex..

re TAhmed #376:

Just curious, how long have you been away from Pakistan? And please discount your 2-3 week visits to Pakistan every year or so.

re Fuzair #377:

The army is well-known for its drinking proclivity. Zia did a lot to tamper that but it is still widely practised not only at the officer but at the JCO/sepoy level also. I think it serves as a bonding exercise. You are absolutely right in your observations. Except for scattered pockets of lower middle classes, drinking in Pakistan is widespread just like any other country.

later

-sac

Fuzair #377 I dont have a problem with people drinking as long as their drinking is not a problem for others. It becomes a problem when (a) they drink to excess and make themselves a nuisance - or worse - with their drunk behavior or talk; (b) they drink to prove something (these are the only fellows where I think brother Farangi`s ba-ba-black sheep epithet is well deserved).

I dont think one needs to be in very exalted circles to realize that people in (a) and (b) are generally looked down upon in Pakistan. I am sure we can agree on that (Please agree, since I am spending too much time on chowk trying to fix the world).

I agree that for a man to die trying to save another person (per your example) is perhaps the highest definition of class.

So, on that note, shall we say ``cheers`` and drink to that?

Reply 376 - Pankaj



`` Dont drink, and if you drink make

sure you dont get drunk.``

arrey - phir peenay ka mazaa hi kya hai : )

Re: Tahmed #231

Actually, no, that was not my intention. It was simply an example of how widespread drinking is in Pakistan. Its found in virtually all social circles and walks of life. My experience has been that the average Pakistani is a pretty tolerant chap who is willing to accept a little human weakness (for want of a better term) in others. One of the officers who used the liquor license, not my uncle, was one who later on lost his life in the Northern Areas trying to resue one of his men from a crevasse. Now THAT is what I would call class. I don`t know what you would call it: drunken stupidity I suppose. The only ones whom the soldiers despised were the ones who drank to excess. But isn`t any excess to be condemned? Even an excess of virtue? BTW, they also condemned ultra-maulvi type officers.

I have no idea what exalted circles you move in but my experience is very different from yours. The only Pakistanis I know who ``despise`` people who drink, as opposed to despising drunkards, are ones from an excessively religious and/or lower-middle class background--actually the two are just about synonymous now aren`t they?

Most sensible people see it as being a personal lifestyle choice that, within moderation, does no one any real harm. They, unlike you, do not immediately see having a vodka tonic or a beer as a sign of immediate moral degeneracy.

You still haven`t told me how villagers in the NAs fall into the baa baa black sheep category. Now, they were Ismailis so by your reckoning do they fall into the kaffir category? And all kaffirs are baa baa black sheep? I also assume you and Scout lump Mr. Jinnah, whiskey sipping, ham sandwich eating kaffir that he was, in to the same category?

Fuzair #373 So the christian army officer let the muslim army officers have his drinking licence, and the latter jumped for it. If these individuals represent your idea of class, then we obviously have different views on what is class.