Calligraphy of Coils ``A city being brought to memory by the rain``

it has rained in new york for the past 13 days. i`ve always marvelled at what a nusiance rain is here, as opposed to karachi, where it was a cause for celebration. i especially loved the few hours leading upto a monsoon, when the sky would darken, and the weather would become cool, the air heavy with anticipation of a cleansing rain.
Agha Shahid Ali is a master poet, especially of nostalgia...

Sex Everywhere Berlin, 1939:

First they came for the Jews,
But I did not speak out,
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists,
And I did not speak out,
Because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade-unionists,
And I did not speak out,
Because I was not a trade-unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,
And I did not speak out,
Because I was not a Catholic.

Then they came for me,
And there was no one left to speak out for me.

- Pastor Niemller (Anti-Nazi Resistance Movement)

Sex Everywhere Kafir:
There is the South Asian Lesbian and Gay Association, SALGA, based in the States. someone once told me of a publisher based in faisalabad? hyderabad? that printed lesbian/gay poetry. finally, there is a book written by a desi queer, ``A Lotus of a Different Color,`` I can`t remember the authour.

Brown Man’s Burden Re: Anita Zaidi

Not meaning to sound bigoted in any way, but Bapsi Sidhwa is Parsi, and Suleri is half Welsh. Do you know of any wholly Pakistani-Muslim female writers in English. I guess Tahira Naqvi qualifies, but her English stuff is translations, no?

Azadi So, the evil, alcohol drinking, westernized fella gets his at the end. I liked the story until the tone became didactic, as you glorify the fascist komiteh with Khadija, the veritable knight in shining armor as she saves Fatemeh from a fate worse than death (her husband drinks...gasp!).

On a more general note, is it just me, or does Chowk seem to be undertaking a fundamentalist flavor? This parable about the evils of non-fundamentalism, and the virtue of giving up the people you love to fascist regimes seems to continue the march towards an inevitable Islamic Republic of Chowk. Ah, well, it was fun while it lasted.

Searching for Answers ``My Son the Fanatic,`` by the way, was published in the New Yorker, and is included in Kureishi`s relatively new collection of stories, ``Love in a Blue Time,`` which, inexplicably, has not been reviewed on Chowk. Last I heard, the BBC was going to make a serial on the story.

Searching for Answers Regarding your description of Pakistanis who believe religious fervor is the answer, I wonder if anyone has read Kureishi`s ``My Son the Fanatic.`` Interesting phenomenon of disenfranchised Pakistani children born in England embracing Islam with a radical zeal. Kureishi`s Black Album deals somewhat with the same theme. It might not provide the ansers you`re searching for, but maybe it`ll get you some questions.

Dreams and Promises Re: Hassan

I completely agree. Of course, as we all know, it is much easier to SAY something is wrong than to actually work towards correcting it. However, my response was just a comment on the piece as literature, not an attempt to right all the wrongs of Pakistan. We may need a bit more time for that.

Sobriquets, Pseudonyms, and the Like Re: Waheed

What are we taking responsibility for? Chowk is not exactly Parliament. Those who reply should not have to be held accountable for their views. In fact, I would venture to say that the replies section is one of the fabulous aspects of the Internet...the FREE flow of ideas, without fear of reprisal (just to set the record straight, NO ONE on Chowk quite approaches Salman Rushdie).
As far as your self-evaluations go, won`t the constructive criticisms you desire carry the same weight if addressed to your sobriquet. If someone were to say, ``Hey Raaj, you`re full of crap,`` I`d be fairly certain they were referring to me, even though, alas, my name isn`t Raaj. Like you say, this space is a forum for the exchange of ideas, where people can freely express themselves. If someone wants to express themself behind an alias, would you deny them their right to speak?

Sobriquets, Pseudonyms, and the Like p.s.:

Fellas, this is a great site, really informative, excellent stuff and I really appreciate the effort, but there is no way in hell I am about to pay for it.

Sobriquets, Pseudonyms, and the Like What exactly does it matter what someone`s name is. Isn`t the quality of their thought more important. When I read the replies on Chowk, I`m more interested in what the person has to say rather than what their name might be. Even if the response is, uh, different, it is integral to an OPEN forum that all viewpoints, no matter how ignorant or narrow-minded, be heard. Restricting respondents to only those who have supplied a name would greatly affect the quality and number of the replies on Chowk.

Dreams and Promises Excellent stuff. Truly, a modern Pakistani parable. There are two Pakistans, unfortunately, and Barkatay was born in the wrong one.

In Defence of Desi Pun Re: MAK

I believe the entire point of Desai`s article was to define what she believed to be a dsei, and in doing so, she simply ran down a cliche´ list of everybody`s desi stereotype. After all, as you say, what else does describing the attitudes and way of living of a people accomplish, other than to define it?
However, I do disagree with Mr. Anwar in that we should be able to laugh at ourselves once in a while; at least we are upto the point where we can describe the stereotypes affecting us. Besides, it sounds as though Mr. Anwar has taken too many South Asian empowerment classes (can we all identify every South Asian academic`s favorite catchphrases?: diaspora, model minority...)