A Cry in the Wilderness

Prolific Brazilian writer, Paulo Coelho, once wrote, “Human beings can withstand a week without water, two weeks without food, many years of homelessness, but not loneliness. It is the worst of all tortures, the worst of all sufferings.” If there is something like ‘the biggest truth of life’ than this thought is it. It’s written in the human template that we are social creatures who cannot stand loneliness and alienation. We formulate societies and develop relationships just to satiate our basic instinctual drive to socialize and bond. That’s why we want to be loved, cared and consoled as we are emotional beings with hearts that feel and minds that imagine. Therefore, relationships either the ones we are born with or the ones we choose to develop and further extend, are crucial for the proper development of one’s personality.


Although life isn’t easy for anyone and everyone has to bear his or her share of toils and good tidings, it’s incredibly difficult for homosexuals to express their romantic and sexual preferences because they are regarded as mere filthy perverted souls who are doomed to end up in hell. Torn between the social pressures and religious dogmas, most of them remain conflicted and never reconcile with their true nature and self. Due to this discrimination and stigmatization, there many instances of excommunication, verbal threats, bullying, physical abuse and even suicide in this vulnerable minority.


In Pakistan, homosexuality is regarded as a taboo issue and people generally avoid talking about it. But if someone dares to talk about it, he is targeted as a pervert himself who is intoxicating the impressionable virgin minds of the common man. No one seems seriously interested in addressing and discussing the issue. Religious scholars either pronounce capital punishment for homosexuals or lifetime celibacy. Psychiatrists and medical practitioners, who otherwise blindly approve of every single western piece of information or research in their field, have serious doubts regarding the authenticity of evidences declaring homosexuality a natural phenomenon and not a disorder or disease. Social workers and civil society are busy raising slogans for judges, women’s and children’s rights while completely over looking this issue.


For the most part, people disregard homosexuality as immoral while completely ignoring the suffering and pain of homosexuals, who are denied their basic human rights to affectionate relationships because the heteronormative majority disapproves of such relations. Society accepts them so long as they are marrying, procreating and fulfilling the responsibilities of their families; after that they are free to do whatever they want. But leading this dual life is hardly a solution and it’s high time that we addressed this issue and tried to develop an alternative framework as traditional Judaism and Christianity have done. Therefore, Muslim societies need to seek alternative interpretations of scriptures and available scientific research evidences to develop a rational and considerate stance regarding homosexuality.


As far as scientific front is concerned, in 1999 a constellation of prestigious organizations – the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Counseling Association, American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, American Psychological Association, American School Health Association, Interfaith Alliance Foundation, National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of Social Workers and National Education Association – jointly issued a document entitled, "Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation,” which clearly stated that homosexuality is not a matter of choice and it cannot be changed. But such research evidences seems to fall on deaf ears as in developing countries like Pakistan, homosexuals are still ridiculed and discriminated against, with a complete absence of any religious, social or legal protection and support.

Arguments for the innateness of homosexuality may even be deduced from the verse 30:22 of the Qur’an put forward by famous Canadian journalist and intellectual Irshad Manji, who stated that God made nothing in vain. She questioned that if God has created diversity in nature, personality, color and race of human beings than how can He simply have discarded sexual orientation? As the verse states:

“And one of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your tongues and colors; most surely there are signs in this for the learned.”

Renowned American scholar Scott Siraj ul Haqq Kugle had pointed out that the Qur’an certainly implies that some people are different in their sexual desires than others when it mentions “men who are not in need of women” (Verse 24:30). The reason for no sexual desire can be due to old age, illness or self-control that involves an inner disposition that could be characterized as “asexual” or due to different sexual orientation. This suggestion from Qur'an is suggestive not indicative.


Homosexual behavior is natural in the sense that it is extensively found in nature. It has been observed in antelopes, boars, bulls, chimpanzees, cows, ducks, cats, dogs, fruit flies, geese, gorillas, gulls, horses, humans, langurs, rams, sheep, macaques, monkeys, turkeys and vervets. Bruce Bagemihl, a biologist from Seattle, Washington, USA, has even prepared an encyclopedia of homosexual and transgender behavior among animals which lists more than 190 species, including butterflies and other insects.


One can then make the argument that if homosexuality is an unnatural perversion how come the Almighty created gay animals, who certainly do not exercise a choice in the matter? Thus, if God has created various varieties of fruits, exotic types of species, different kinds of human beings, each with separate physical, mental and emotional attributes, then how is it possible that the Almighty overlooked sexuality, which is one of the essential components of a human being?


Sexual diversity can also be understood in terms of personality types. For instance, there are some people who are born extroverts and some are introverts by their natural inclination. It is neither possible nor does it seem to be the purpose of God to artificially change the personalities of human beings as they are operating in accordance to their innate predispositions. Therefore, this diversity in human personality is God’s will and we should respect it instead of damaging it with our self-centered views. One can only come up with the best of his/her potential if one is given enough space to act in accordance with what one actually is.


Hence, it will be a great contribution towards society if everyone starts understanding and giving respect to the human dignity and personhood of sexual minorities. As the writer Pamela Taylor put it, “The Prophet said we are not true believers until we want for our brothers and sisters what we want for ourselves. I want a satisfying, committed, loving relationship with my spouse. How could I want to deny that to anyone?”

(This Article has been published in May 2009 issue of Chay Magazine).
Photo Courtesy: Alberto Ruggieri

It's Rain Again

I was getting bored in the office one fine day, when it started to rain. Then I started feeling a regenerating change in my otherwise bored mood. I was enjoying watching the rain drops splashing on the glass window of my office and than suddenly I decided to come in direct contact with them. When I stepped out under the cloudy sky, the rain started drenching me like anything. It was moment of spontaneous and juvenile joy, such as I used to feel when I was a kid and I would run, play and enjoy myself in the rain. My nostalgia took me back to my unbounded, serene childhood which has always fascinated me. The rain, a symbol of my past, just brought back all the flavor and fervor of my childhood to me. The tiny refreshing rain drops were caressing me like a child who has lost his favorite toy and they were trying to placate him and infusing life and mirth in his lost soul by their touch. An loud horn of a car made me come out of my reverie, and the driver uttered several curses. I just smiled and thought that now we are only left with these ‘curses’.

Every time when it rains, we have become attuned to watching TV channels lamenting over the lack of system developed for the discharge of rain water and the flood-like situation that has developed and which is jamming people’s routine life. People have now lost that sense of enjoyment which they used to have years back. Special foods and pakwans like, samosas, pakoras were prepared to celebrate the festivity of the season. One can witness children running and playing in the streets enjoying the rain and everything, both animate and inanimate, seemed to get refreshed from the cool, transparent and blessed drops falling from the sky. Rain was then a blessing not a misery.

But now the whole situation has changed and sometimes I wonder what has gone wrong. Has our behavior changed so much that we have become unable to appreciate the blessing of God or has the blessing itself changed its nature and now converted into a threat and unpleasant occurrence. Floods used to come previously too. People used to face the same water discharge problems, but there wasn’t such a hue and cry which has now become a benchmark of our monsoon life.

The reason seems that we as a nation have become more intolerant and impatient and have lost harmonious unity of getting along with each other. That’s why problems are ruling us and driving us in any direction they want. We have to reunite; we have to achieve the same synchrony which we had when this country got independence. We have to rise above from our petty preferences and regional identities. Only than can we tackle with every quirk and disaster tactfully.

Photo Courtesy: Coloured Daisy by Gabriella Fabbri

Psychology Chronicles

Why I have opted for Psychology for my Masters programme, is still an unsolved mystery to me and my kin. Replying candidly and what might seem in a slapstick manner, I can simply say that I opted for Psychology due to my immense interest in it (any objections!!!). But being a Pakistani I will say that I chose this field for the social, political and moral betterment of the general public. You see it’s a common trend in Pakistanis to always claim they want to render undying contributions in the interest of society or the country. Politicians undertake certain actions in the vast national ‘interest’. Corporate institutions charge maximum possible ‘interest’ on public welfare or noble causes and thus students like me tend to develop a keen ‘interest’ in a field alien to them. That’s how ‘interest’ works.

When I finally honoured the University campus after the tiresome written tests, interviews and waiting to see my name listed in the successful candidates, I was shocked to see the presence of perennially prejudiced ATMs (not ATM cards but Average Testosterone Males) goggling their eyes and passing jeering comments, doubting I had that sacrosanct macho ego because I was joining a department in which there were mainly females. And trust me; if it wasn’t for the fact that my naturally somewhat beefy build was enough to impress my university colleagues, the situation was volatile enough to test my boxing skills. Thankfully my Kashmiri genetic predisposition saved me from gaining the repute of a sandbag. In college I always tried to maintain myself as a mere innocent non-partisan student of Psychology without crossing swords with these celestial souls, but to no avail they remain as prejudiced as ever before.

Talking of prejudice, one is repeatedly reminded of certain issues that have arisen in our so-called patriarchal society, of feminists lamenting and drawing attention of the whole world to the dreadful inequality and suppression they are subjected to in this land (Gosh! Poor victims). But for yours truly, in the words of the poet Shelley, “To me the cup has been dealt in another measure.” In this department I experienced a totally different situation, which called upon all my abilities for the preservation of my basic human rights to get through the day. I used to face the continuous threat of harassment from bands of the fair gender towards a single Me. Well time passed and gradually I became used to it or rather learned to rise above the possible threats as this was essential for my survival, more essential than Darwin’s ‘Survival of the Fittest’.

My epic adventures don’t cease after college hours, but took various forms and questions. I remember people often asked me why I had opted for a ‘Larkion wala subject’? I swear to anyone who comes up to me with this question that if ever God had assigned Psychology to only the fair gender, I may not have chosen it (by the way, read other possibilities with the word ‘may’).
It is said that bad company earns you a bad name and it may sounds ridiculous to you that by opting for Psychology, I also tended to earn a weird image among others. People seemed to stop regarding me as a normal human being, and looked on me like someone who has come from an alien planet and has the uncanny ability to envision the hidden secrets of everyone’s heart, with the conviction that my knowledge gave me powers greater than the magical incarnations of mystical clairvoyants and soothsayers.

Another common and popular idea people had, which frankly even I used to enjoy, was that in the end every psychologist also tends to become mad. I still remember the wails of my Nanny when my sister told her that I was going to be “Pagalon ka doctor” (psychologist). She asked my mother to make me study anything except Psychology, as I was already mad and after studying this subject then surely I would become completely and irredeemably mad. But a stubborn head like me, I was determined to complete my Masters in Psychology and that’s what I did.

And that’s how, I ended up doing what I am doing right now; writing articles for a magazine. Life takes new twists and turns. Studying Psychology was one and joining the media was another, both pursuits are extensions and expressions of my own self as both define me. Therefore, I feel that in life it is necessary to explore different facets and dimensions of your personality and provide outlets for expressing them, disregarding what others may say or believe, and trust me, you are better off with it.

Pakistani Advertisment Industry

The astatic world of advertisement is full of glitz and glamour with its countless manifest and latent pageantry outcomes and forms. It’s all about looking good, feeling good and in the end becoming good (at least every second ad claims so). Omnifarious print and electronic advertising campaigns are taking up the media scene with frenzy every day (as we don’t have anything else to do). This media revolution touched its zenith during the past few years due to the media friendly government policies which enabled several new TV channels and Radio stations to dive into the media sea and to test their meter and capability to be a part of mainstream. Getting strength from this media boom, the field of advertising also spreads its wings for a full new flight and tried to infuse new life in the field by reinventing something catchy and creative to inspire public. The increased interest of national and international multinationals and brands in the Pakistani society and their close and ruthless competition also fueled this urge to advertise one’s product in a more unique and user friendly manner.

It can be easily maintained that today’s world is simultaneously reflecting and is being shaped by the creative ideas of ads and at times they serves as a unique source of entertainment among the monotonous soap operas, news and talk shows. Consider it a virtue or vice, but its true that we are living in an ad driven world with bundle of ideas and thoughts, not necessarily be of quality. Ads should be more than making females’ anorexics and males’ hypochondriacs. Sometimes it seemed that the dear advertiser is more conscious and anxious about you than you yourself are. That’s the level of Apnapun, Etamad and Saalon ka Bharoosa, with which one feels compelled to tie up and remained a faithful buyer of the product. When we compete the level of ads being generated by the kings rather Vikings of our advertising industry, we at times feel that they are not up to that specific level of excellence which we witness in foreign lands or even in our neighboring country India. I am unable to digest the idea that by using a specific brand of toothpaste how one can win one’s loves interest or if one shows his/her loyalty towards product X, he/she can be a head turner. Mainly the ideas are just a lethargic repetition of the previous one with changed models, outfits and locations. These run of the mill ideas depicts either the barren minds of our directors and advertising agencies or the outcome of the typical Pakistani psyche, the residual of Macaulay’s training which has unabled us to think of our own and to polish and carve our own creative niche, unique from others. Let’s have a bird’s eyeview over the advertisement scene in Pakistan and our neighboring India.

Cellular Companies and Cell Phones:

If you just sit for a few minutes in front of your TV sets, watching local TV channels, with your ears and eyes open, you will end up in deducing what I have concluded that we are only selling mobile Sims and buying cell phones(as we don’t have any other option left). Every year the cellular companies and mobile manufacturing companies spend billions of rupees just to make their presence felt through the expurgated and savory celebrities. You might have watched Ali Zafar and Aminah Haq enchanting Yehi Hai Sab Ke Dhun, Meera, Gia Ali and Veena Malik dancing in obnoxious way (thinking of Shakira) over the remix version of Nazia Hasan’s Baat Bun Jaye and Iman Ali and Mommar Rana thanking some Happy hour as it had Kar de Mushkil Aasan. All these cynosures of our eyes just want us to believe in the product they are endorsing and amazingly we get convinced. But why there’s always someone renowned, why not general public, any obese housewife, a middle aged rickshaw driver, or a school going boy? Cannot they make us believe in the very perennial comfort and access which the cellular companies promises? If you just see the print versions of all these ads, you will find all the models posed in a slightly tinted manner to one of their respective sides. This semi recumbent pose reminds me of the images one used to witness in fashion magazine pages where celebrities and socialites pose to be noticed.
If we just peep into Indian ads of same genre, you will end up quite astonished and at time smiling at the uniqueness of the idea. They do make star studded ads but also make ads with general masses; even they have worked miracles by casting children in these ads. I think it’s simply awesome to watch children mouthing out the company’s philosophy in a simple, cute and convincing way.

Soaps:

Discarding the regular washing soaps likes of Gulahri, Gaey soaps, we shall concentrate on beauty soaps which ensures our Ticket to Edenhood. Before the invasion of cellular companies in the advertisement industry, soap ads were the undisputed kings of advertisement world and I think they feel in a same way as a dethroned king feels. There are old and established names in the market who have carved the golden statement of Log Hamara Chehra He Tou Dekhtay Hain, delivered through a gorgeous lady with impeccable beauty. Most of the times, the International brands make similar ads for there campaigns to be run in different nations. Difference lies in the selection of popular faces and in storyline which yields the cultural values of the respective country. One can take the notice in the famous soap brand’s ad of Reema stipulating Ab Khoubsourti Say Daar Kaisa and its Indian version of Priyanka Chopra. But again, it’s run of the mill idea with least innovation of idea, cast and content, although it promises to be an eye candy and visual treat otherwise. As I have mentioned, it’s all about, looking good and feeling good.

Insurance Companies:

A much popular field of advertisement in India, the insurance companies ads have been ignored in Pakistan. Having only the golden jingle Aye Khuda Meray Abbu Salamt Rahein at our disposal, we haven’t witnessed any thing substantial since ages. Although with the recent surge of terrorism prevailing in the country, we may be in a need of more than our voluminous and devouring neighbor of more than 1 billion souls.

Soft Drinks:

As the scorching summer is on its way to hit us, the soft drinks ads will also come to bang us. With the great titans in the field, every year the whole country spend drift on their purchase as soft drinks have attained the status of social and culture drink. Mainly targeting youths, these ads are comparatively innovative and permissible enough to be appreciated. But this list strongly discludes the local desi ads of lemonades, lassies and sardaiyes compelling the whole nation with the slogan Piyo Piyo or Piyo Jiyo.

Cooking Oils:

The politicians, social activists, writers and businessmen all have their mutual consensus over the fact that we have purged into the great 21st century but I don’t think that our advertising people have completely reckoned it. They still portrays women as a household products and cooking oil ads are the evidence of it where wife or mother is using the prescribed oil in order to win the hearts of her family members. The Maa aur Maamta connection has never withered after its continuous exploitation since ages. Its still catchy, emotional and in. our Indian counterparts are also following our footsteps in this regard by using more Bahus instead of Maas for these ads (got there obsession with Saas Bahu serials).

There are bundles of others products that target the potential consumers equipped with the latest technological advancements beyond imaginations. But I resign here in the vast national interest (Qoom Kay Vaseeh Tar Mafad Main), and hope for that dazzling time when we shall rise from the microscopic views about things and issues and shall be able to comprehend the diverse spectrum of viewing at things. We shall learn it someday, yes someday (not now).

Anime Flicks and Me

Looking in the retrospect, about 10-15 years back, as children we didn’t have much recreational activities except climbing trees and picking up fruit, playing in the courtyard, running to catch butterflies and glue ourselves in front of television sets to watch the few cartoons that were aired. At that time, the only existing television network used to telecast them as a chunga (complimentary) just sort of to acknowledge, “Yes we do have kids in Pakistan.” I remember, how much I used to hate cricket matches because they replaced the time of our chunga cartoons, leaving us feeling deprived. Nevertheless, my prayers and wishes were eventually amply granted and a separate sports and full time cartoon channel were launched, but as my mom said, “It’s too late, you have grown out of that age.”

But the time has gone when animated movies and cartoons were considered to be only ‘child’s play’ and a ‘no adult zone’, because with the discarding of conventions all around the globe and the countless possibilities to experiment and improve existing knowledge and potential, the production houses are generating new creatively aesthetic animated movies that cater to children and adults alike. That’s even evident from the number of renowned actors who have lent their voices for various anime characters like Walt Disney, Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Martin Scorsese, Antonio Banderas, Tom Hanks and countless others. Academy Awards have also recognized it as a unique genre of movies and offers nominations in the categories of Best Animated Feature Film and Best Animated Short Film of the year.

Animation is basically a graphic representation of drawings to show movement within those drawings. A series of drawings are linked together and usually photographed by a camera. There is a slight change in each individual frame to follow whatever movement is to be depicted so that when they are played back in rapid succession (24 frames per second) there appears to be continuous movement within the drawings.

Among the pioneers of animation, Winsor McCay of the United States, Emile Cohl and Georges Melies of France are included, but it was Walter Elias Disney commonly known as Walt Disney who epitomized the genre of animation movies. He was the first animator to add sound to his movie cartoons with the premiere of Steamboat Willie in 1928. Some consider McCay's Sinking of the Lusitania from 1918 as the first animated feature film but in 1937, Walt Disney produced the first full length animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. A dyslexic by birth, Disney had difficulty with language and vocabulary and thus shifted his genius towards animation and started working at the Kansas City Slide Company, with his friend Ubbe Iwerks at the age of 19 and won his first Academy Award for Flowers and Trees. This film was the first to use 3 strip Technicolor (color).
Early animations, which started appearing before 1910, consisted of simple drawings photographed one at a time. It was an extremely labor intensive process as there were literally hundreds of drawings per minute of film. The development of celluloid around 1913 quickly made animation easier to manage. Instead of numerous drawings, the animator could now make a complex background and/or foreground and sandwich moving characters in between several other pieces of celluloid, which is transparent except for where the drawings would be painted on it.

With the introduction of computers, animation took on a whole new meaning. Many feature films of today had animation incorporated into them for special effects. A film like Star Wars by George Lucas relies heavily on computer animation for many of its special effects. Toy Story, produced by Walt Disney Productions and Pixar Animation Studios, became the first full length feature film animated entirely on computers when it was released in 1995.

Talking about the psychological aspect of the anime flicks, the psychologists have opined that they provide a sort of escapism from the hectic realities of busy practical life, where logic is the prime factor and motivation is money. Animated movies nourishe and project the more humane side of the human personality to which a person can relate or even become nostalgic about his or her tension free, fiddly diddly childhood days. Movies are regarded as the perfect form of mass communication and even propaganda to some extent and the same is true for anime flicks.

Whenever you have sometime to probe into animated flicks and cartoons, you will notice that while most of the anime flicks and cartoons project the positive and humane virtues of love, care, generosity and sacrifice, but along with them, there are too many others which give negative messages, promoting violence, anger and frustration among viewers. Such flicks should be discouraged by anime film producers as well as by the viewers alike, because basically people always associate anime flicks with children and childhood, and we should celebrate these carefree happy days throughout our lives without any streak of violence. What do you think?

Lost

Now don't think that I am going to write a review of HBO Original Series Lost in this week's edition of Essay of the Week. I am going to talk about some serious, really serious subject and that is…lost. Not on my PC or in the final prints of the magazine's deadline, but it's lost in my imaginative wonderland where the blue bird sings, the beautiful landscape is endless and flowers talk to you. I don't know what the psychologists have to say about this issue but I think that nowadays the memory span of homo sapiens have showed a marked decline without leaving any trace for recovery. Are we too pre-occupied with the various things we have to do in our daily work catalogue or are we just simply paying minimum level of attention to everything. My! My! It's a very critical situation. This means that on one unfortunate day, we will wake up with nothingness. We might have unburdened our selves from everything around us, even our own self. Now the question is why are we becoming so inattentive, detached, irresponsible and lost?
Yesterday, I asked one of my cousins who has just completed his A-levels about his future plans. But he simply said, "I have no idea." The reason is that we are beset with skyrocketing inflation, shortage of basic food commodities, extinction of electricity, the issue of having a new president and no one has any idea about all these issues. Are we collectively experiencing feeling lost? Are we so clueless that we are just groping like blind people in the dark alleys of a maze and unable to reach a way out or are we just pretending not to see, recognize or solve the issues crying out loud for attention?
TV channels hold innumerable talk shows discussing various political, social and psychological issues, politicians promise to solve all the painful riddles of the Awam, but where are all the solutions leading to. We are still suffering from all the problems we lament about. This means we all are just simply bragging and beating about the bush on those issues which we don't want to solve. There's an old saying, 'where there is a will, there is a way,' but the tragedy of the situation is that we have lost our way. We have lost that constructive attitude to build our country, our nation and ourselves which guarantees a healthy, secure and happy life, just because it was difficult and required a lot of hard work and dedication. We have examples of countries like China, who united for a single cause; to elevate their country from uncertainty with hope and determination and despite the fact they gained independence after Pakistan, look at them today; they are enjoying the fruits of that determination and hard work.
So the crux of the whole thing is that there isn't any shortcut to success. At times, you have to take detours, make tunnels and build dams with complete determination and hard work in order to be a big happy family. So, consider this time as a SOS call and wake up before the situation becomes worse and we are only left with the feeling of being LOST.

Photo Courtesy: Old Memories by Asif Akbar