Desicritics Author: Shirazi

One Year Later: A Reflection on Azad Kashmir After The Quake

Shirazi — Mon, 9 Oct 2006 04:54:42 EDT

Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, where an earthquake hit hard on October 8, 2005, is known worldwide for its natural beauty and atmospheric serenity. Here I am going to explain some of the beauties that I remember from my to-ing and fro-ing in the area in the past. You have to relate this to the present day's devastation as caused by one of the deadliest earthquakes in history.

The beauty of the Azad Kashmir landscape lies in the light, unlike any other tourist mountain region in Pakistan including the northern areas. Fiercer, stronger, and sharper light silhouettes the mountain resort and scattered houses on slopes in ever-changing patterns against the skyline. The sunlight plays with the green nooks and crags of the Kashmir landscape, tossing out long shadows that ripple across the green gorges, sometimes through tall pine and fir trees. It turns the hills from opal in the morning to sapphire to gold to silver and finally to dross before descending swiftly in a bright red ball in the evening.

It is the light of sculptors, not painters, who love the soft diaphanous hues and tones. Out of that light comes the great image of green hills and the long, clean lines of the spurs separating craggy countryside from the plains. In the background of photogenic natural settings, Kashmir weather proves fickle, switching from sunshine to downpour and again to sunshine in minutes. The rain that falls over the land and blots out the sun can be seen in the red, grey, and brown layers in the cliffs that plunge dramatically into the horizon.

Whereas the beauty in most places in the world has been marred by the detritus of tourism, one can still find secluded places in Kashmir -- relatively quiet where one can find privacy as well as unmarred vistas of the green hills. Away from the hustle and bustle of the life in the fast lane, in Azad Kashmir one can enjoy a sense of solitary elation at that height -- to meditate, and have a rendezvous with life. No hurrying up.

And in Azad Kashmir one can not only see but also feel and smell Kashmir everywhere. Other than the hilly landscape, the beauty of Kashmir lies in the people who live there. In the area, one sees mostly older men and women strolling along the contours or working in fields or following fodder-laden donkeys coming down from the hills, repose written all over their faces. Younger ones usually move out to cities in search of better opportunities.

Visible cultural fusion takes place in areas that see heavy tourist traffic from all over the country and abroad. Hill-village culture is gradually changing, from plain rustic to urban. Walk on any of the trails interlacing the area, talk to the locals, maybe in one of the many makeshift tea houses doing business in a nowhere kind of place, or take up any of the serene hikes, and you will find them politically alive and well aware of the hot national and international issues, discussing these in pleasant Punjabi blended with flavours of Potohari and Kashhmiri dialects.

The locals are amazing people. Resilient! There are many secrets hidden behind those silent smiles -- secrets and strengths. In my experience, the Kashmiri people go to extremes to ensure their hospitality is perfect.

I keep thinking about Miran Khan who told me to tire the mountains while climbing, Murad Khan who advised me to suck on lemon while walking the hills to avoid thrust and many more whom I have had the chance to meet there. I don’t have an idea about what I will see when I go to Azad Kashmir next time. Will the landscape be different or will there be a visible change in the people?

Looking for Fairies

Shirazi — Mon, 7 Aug 2006 01:46:43 EDT

Anyone interested in fairies must have heard about Lake Baikal situated in Russia - an area commonly known as the Paristan. During my Russian language studies in the National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, our great Russian teacher Aleca, who knew about how Paristan (fairy land) is famous in our local literature, used to tell us tales of fairies famous in Russia. She told us about Baikal Lake.

"Baikal is one of the most beautiful and fourth highest lake in the world. The panorama is such that fairies come and dance there and meet those who visit Baikal." She also told about the fairy of love and taught the language in the process. What is the most distinct feature of Baikal? It is a fairies land full of romantic legend. I have heard many stories and one that particularly touched me. Local lore has it that there was a fairy of love. Her job was to distribute love among those who needed that in life. (Who does not need it?) She wanted love to prevail the world over. She also protected Baikal's natural surroundings and used to be on the shores of Baikal every night.

One night she met a man who just appeared on the shore of Baikal out of the blue. The man's name too was Baikal: mortal, deprived, lonely, and it looked from his face that he needed some love in life. The fairy saw him and fell head over heals, taking it as a test case. Led over the waves of sympathy and challenge, they instantly crossed all the distances usually not possible in a short time. They together wove hopes for the future.

But their love came to a tragic end. Baikal thought that he was no match to the fairy. He was afraid of himself being human. And one day, he disappeared all of a sudden without any explanation, without warning. The fairy kept looking for him, found him and cut off his feet, making him unable to move. Who will decide about this love affair?"

There are two other lakes that remind me of Baikal: one is the world's highest Lake Toba in Simatra (Singapore) and the other lake is Saif ul Muluk in northern Pakistan. Besides similar environments, the romantic legends are also attached with both lakes. A man named Samosir once caught a fish in Toba Lake that transformed into a beautiful woman. She married Samosir and started living happily with him, bore him children. Their love too came to a tragic end when the husband transgressed and told someone the secret that she was a fish. Gods sent relentless rain, flooding the valley. Samosir drowned and an island grew from his body.

And the lake, Saif ul Muluk, we are more familiar; the Crown Prince of Persia hears about the beauty of the fairy Princess Badar Jamal - the daughter of king of Caucasus - and falls in love. The prince, after wandering and hardships, succeeds in winning the heart of Badar Jamal. The lake becomes the rendezvous where the lovers meet: contemplating matters of heart and their future together, hence the name. The Jinn guard of the queen of Parbat becomes jealous of their love and one day breaches the bank of the lake to drown them. But the lovers escape and find shelter in a nearby cave, which still exists.

I keep thinking of the lovers and fairies that come to the lakes to swim and dance in moonlit nights. I tend to believe such legends. The first impact that I get after setting eyes on Lake Saif ul Muluk is simply romantic. You do not get tired seeing the play of sun and shade. When you devote enough time to look at Saif ul Muluk - or any other - it becomes a bit magical, clouding over, changing colors, and cliffs of surrounding hills turn convex and concave according to the slant of light. It is a place where I forget the stress of today's fast lane life. The legend keeps haunting me, though.

Outsourcing; Where To?

Shirazi — Tue, 1 Aug 2006 11:22:52 EDT

The world economy has always been international. Offshore outsourcing is not a new phenomenon. In our part of the world, outsourcing has been a prominent feature since at least the 18th century, when the British began to explore the Subcontinent in search of riches and power. Only the advent of IT has changed practices, as well as types and directions of economic flows.

In the old times, when Vasco da Gama landed on the shores of Southern Asia, it was for "spices and Christ"; later on, it was for "Made in Sialkot" sports goods for the USA and Europe; now it is for software, back office operations and call centres.

One of the most important issues in developing countries rich in human resources, like Pakistan, is to understand IT outsourcing. Developed countries are doing it to lower costs and to free scarce resources back home for high value-added work, and work concentrating on core competencies. On our end of the equation, outsourcing is important in order to boost the economy, reduce unemployment, and develop the local IT services industry. Both sides can mutually benifit.

Untill September 11, high tech companies in the developing world, including Pakistan, were admired extensively for the quality of work they produced and for their technological edge. But the economic slow down and increasing layoffs after the heinous events of September 11 changed things in more than one way. Moreover, the workforce in USA and Europe is seeing offshore outsourcing differently: they complain that jobs meant for them are moved outside their countries, for cost savings, to the extent that they have started influencing policy makers to check this practice. Their worries were confirmed by the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, which stated that in March 2003 alone 212,000 US computer and engineering professionals were unemployed.

Pakistan is one of the important destinations for outsourcing. The country has a good base of IT professionals, developed infrastructure, and friendly government policies and laws. The effect of "Pakistan's 60 fold rise in its budget for IT" has already started showing results. An employable workforce with good command of the English language is available at a very competitive cost. Pakistani universities and IT institutions in both public and private sectors have internationally standard curricula and are turning out many tens of thousands of IT graduates each year who are adept at turning their hands to anything from software development to running call centres.

The IT market has also matured, as local IT companies have been doing contract work for clients in developed countries for over a decade. But, sadly, the trend has not picked up as much as in neighbouring countries like India and China. Reasons are rather political and diplomatic than technological. Pakistan, relatively, is a smaller market. Pakistan has always been a frontline state to fight terrorism but ironically the image of the country in the world media is not very helpful either.

Clearly, Pakistan needs to catch and then hold the attention of big IT players. For that, we have to have a constant supply of skilled IT workers to meet the demand when it comes our way, now and in the future. Policymakers have to ensure sufficient planning is done to create the human/intellectual capital. This done, it will be difficult for anyone to ignore Pakistani talent that is untapped so far.

Book Review: What Color Is Your Jockstrap?

Shirazi — Tue, 1 Aug 2006 00:50:29 EDT

Gil Zeimer is an accomplished travel writer and globetrotter, who has visited four continents, skied in four countries, and scuba dived in both tropical and cold waters. He picked up a book by his fellow blogger and world-renowned traveler Jen Leo - What Color Is Your Jockstrap? and wrote about the book on his blog Vagablond. He promised me a copy that I got and am still ogling. Thanks Gil.

Gil wrote, "Now I enjoy a story about projectile vomiting or chronic diarrhea as much as anyone, but I was falling off my chair while reading this outlandish collection with a new twist -- stories from men."

While reading, "Eavesdrop on Jim Benning's phone call with a Chinese prostitute in "Lust and Translation", spend all your money shooting off heavy weapons with Eben Strousse in "Guns and Frivolity in Cambodia", hit on a smoking hot Argentinean with Elliott Hester in "Love and the Bad Empanada", or fight a mob of Nepali taxi drivers with Rachel Thurston's mother in "Mama Chihuahua, World's fiercest Travel Partner." Jockstrap stories include:

Dare to kiss a woman of Elliott Hester's dreams in Argentina. Question Tamara Sheward's sanity as she vacations in war-blasted Chechnya. Discover that adventure king Tim Cahill has a fear of freshwater lakes? Begin your marriage with a sick-off like Julia Weiler did in Mexico. Grimace with Sean Presant as you flesh is eaten by fish in Turkey. Hide behind Rachel Thurston's mom as she takes on taxi drivers in India. Have "fried rice with crap" for luch in Thailand with Rolf-potts. Enjoy 900 holiday photographs from Laurie Notaro's parents. Spend your cash shooting machine guns with Eben Strousse in Cambodia. Conquer your fear of flying with Susan Orlean and Skymall magazine.

I highly recommend reading What Color Is Your Jockstrap?, edited by Jen Leo. It just might be the perfect travel companion because it packs light, never questions your judgment, and makes you laugh.

Sustainable Rural Development - An Idea For a Book

Shirazi — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 11:21:33 EDT

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs is sustainable. It contains within it two key concepts: the concept of "needs", in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and the future needs.

Ironically, the term Sustainable Development is not understood in its true sense. It is being used to warn the society about short term and short sighted success only or to keep the priority of the status-quo or the economic-viability instead.

Basic Error

The development of the early industrialized nations paved the way for prosperity. That happened rather quickly and was successful in spite of the basic error; it was limited in scope to western civilizations alone. Increasing difficulties in creating the politico-economic relationship made it necessary to expand the system to more and more regions while passing the error to other regions. Result: in context of the complexity, speed and uniformity, more populous regions are at a disadvantage where poor people start believing that they are in competition for a better life.

Demography

Majority of population still lives in rural areas despite fast growing trend of urbanization. Dichotomy of the rural population is the contradiction between its humility to be able to cultivate and sustain their living independently on one side and the inferiority complex towards the urban population on the other, which is exploited by the urban people on the basis of so called improvements in their standards and quality of life. In fact, it is not the rural folks that needs the urbanites but it is other way round. Like developed countries need the developing countries. This is the subject for another intellectual discussion in itself.

Cultural Conflict

Life in cities has lead to basic changes in social structure; sizes of the family, behavior, needs and wants as well as lifestyle have changed over time. One knows about these irreversible changes only when it is too late to take corrective measures and revert back. In the meantime, basic errors keep multiplying with each problem speeding up the change. What is more, the short term success often hides the real problems.

The city cultures look towards modern time measures (more energy, wider roads, higher buildings and better education) to solve the problems. But industrially emphasized education is not in a position to address the basic issues and find independent answers for which multiplicity and time are important preconditions.

Any NGO in rural areas have to build up on the roots of traditional culture because that is where lie the strength, power and uniqueness of durable and comfortable existence instead of moving to urban areas only adding to chronic problems there.

Doll Village

Thatta Ghulamka Dhiroka (TGD), internationally famous as the
Doll Village, is a small hamlet in the backwaters of Punjab. Residents of the TGD lead simple rustic life. This in part is due to the location and tedious approach to the village. This shows that it is not infra structure which is helpful to a local NGO but the intentional separation from outer influences that allows NGO members and village community to grow together slowly.

The slow pace is expressed in the day to day and step by step developments of the NGO. That is why NGO Anjuman-e-Falah-e-e-Aama (AeFeA) stands in sharp contrast to the usual help methods and common NGO projects in which success is measured in quantities and industrial approach - concepts not suitable for the development in rural areas.

Villagers and NGO

The village life has always been characterized through limited social contacts in all the cultures. The tasks to be carried out have been regulated through centuries of conditioning. The NGOs established today, in contrast, are a result of developments of the early industrialized societies of the nineteenth century.

NGO work can be a success provided social infra-structure is available. This needs balance between too much and too little of the task distribution. Which is why the work of any NGO with an aim of generating additional income for rural folks should begin with a careful evaluation of capabilities of the villagers? For this one has to sacrifice luxury and be physically present in rural areas and still be satisfied.

Rhythm of Rural Life

Traditional values are a basic component of an NGO. There will be no identity of NGO members without basic values. Therefore no NGO can ignore the traditional rhythm of the rural lifestyle.

In this case, traditional handicraft capabilities of the villagers were evident to AeFeA to start with. The rustic folks who live in TGD have been making stuffed dolls, embroider textiles and thematic toys since ages. AeFeA recognized the indigenous talents and proceeded to develop using non-conventional methods, time and analytical capacity. The resultant success may not be compared with the success of an industrial concern though.

Coaches

The inclusion of foreign experts (coaches) and the possibility of participation by the local members are important for the accomplishment of results by any NGO project. External experts are useful as an outside influence and to have an opportunity to witness the effects of NGO work without becoming dependent on them. This lets honorary foreign experts to be accepted as the leader of the community within the community and be viewed as an embodiment of exceptional management qualities outside, which one may learn to a very limited extent at a university.

Singular Productions

NGO totally depending upon financing from outside can not be successful according to the "theory of NGO work". The correct relationship between the ideal and the material is of paramount importance and like commercial venture money must be earned from the market through sale of products.

NGOs in rural areas can work together and share their resources. But they must have a philosophy of their own. Production has to be compatible with the rural culture to allow traditional field work and household occupations. It can not be rigid line 9 to 5 job. Work practices have to be highly flexible; working together or individually, working from home, work sharing.

Similarly, the delivery schedules of high quality and singular products also have to be flexible. Dead lines can only met by commercial organizations with heavy investments in machines and organizational channels. The often surfacing objection is to increase the production by including other villages. This shows the widely spread way of thinking. There are over ten thousand villages in Punjab alone and one cannot copy the idea blindly. Capabilities of each community need to be analyzed first.

Quality Control

NGOs create additional income by producing total quality controlled items in limited quantities. This is essential to satisfy customers within and outside the community and whole-sellers as well as to strengthen relationship with them. Given the small production quantities, only the quality and the uniqueness of the products can make it possible. The uniqueness can be reinforced through participation in notable events.

The success of one NGO shows the way to other NGOs, not fully aware of the concept, to copy the processes. But when NGOs start thinking in masses or copying others instead of creating their own specialties they actually act like industrial undertakings: producing inter-changeable products in large quantities. In the process, price levels destroy the small manufacturers who may start thinking that they too need to produce more to earn more. If the uniqueness and quality are maintained at a level, the products can remain attractive to the buyers and the additional income can be maintained indefinitely.

Learning on the Project

As opposed to cities, long-term free education is not possible in the rural areas unless yet another dependence is acceptable. The problems emerging from such an effort are covered up in cities because the consequences of an education for the sake of education do not appear to be recognized by the decision makers. A local NGO must therefore make each manufacturing project as a learning experience. This can only happen while producing in small portions, which is not known to urbanites, who are used to thinking in terms of quantity.

Activities Abroad

An NGO must establishment fine network home and abroad to maintain its permanence and to adjust to the given situation. NGO has to function like a company to do this, of course without mass production and sales channels. This should happen with smallest of staff (and avoiding "milking" by employees) and support from outside "coaches".

Creating a soft network of cooperation at different levels in order to be independent of the money flow is also necessary. Effort should be made to work together with similar institutions locally and abroad.

Local and international outsourcing of parts in small quantities is also possible to manufacture economically. It is however important to keep in mind the basic idea of the NGO works notwithstanding the factors like level of education, harvest time and climatic differences. Participation in special festivals, museums, international exhibitions and bazaars and active presence in different countries is to be realized with a minimum of financial expense. The eyes should be kept open all the time, because business relationships are never long lasting!Networking

Talking of any cooperation, networking is a common magic word these days. Cooperation has a very long tradition but "networking" perhaps refers to keeping contact with each other via the Internet? In this case the city people are at an advantage unless competencies are clearly defined in a rural NGO where the payments cannot be realized as it can be done in cities. A lot of work is voluntary in case of NGOs, which members of city communities may not afford because of the high costs of living and the fast pace of life there.

The difference between smaller and a bigger organization can be best expressed in the words "Small Is Beautiful" by Schumacher, whereby a smaller venture has to be better than a larger organization. As one GM of an international concern said, "The large ones will not eat the smaller ones; rather the fast ones will eat the slow ones". Here, the fast ones must act "wisely" and thereby more carefully.

Political and other Upheavals

NGOs in rural areas are directly effected by political upheavals in the country as well as abroad where they have sensitive business relationships. Change of governments, weapon tests, attacks on objects relating to other cultures, wars, terrorist acts and or riots have immediate effects on the NGOs. As opposed to private companies and public sector, NGOs not as flexible, hence they are more susceptible to negative effects.

Climate too has a big influence on life in rural areas. It becomes impossible to work in rural areas when temperature exceeds average values whereas city dwellers have ready solutions for improvement, which may be unrealistic when seen in context. NGOs should continue income generation uninterrupted otherwise they are destined to fail. The beneficiaries start asking themselves when the financial help is forthcoming when money flow stops due to any reason.

Cameroon, Colombia, Dubai

Anjuman-e-Falah-e-Aama has received invitations for sale of products from a number of countries. This is good case of effective use of modern media by small organizations. With the help of information on the Internet, various initiatives of women's groups could be supported and similar initiatives became possible in Cameroon (in 1998) and in
Columbia (in 1999).

These organizations work in similar manner, are located more or less in rural areas, and their members are differently educated and living in completely diverse cultures. As such factors cannot be measured statistically so they are totally overlooked by industrial concerns as if they are not there.

Each women group in Pakistan, Cameroon or Columbia manufactures its dolls and handicrafts separately. The mother project functions as supplier of raw dolls, where raw dolls could be manufactured but a higher cost, which would make the product more expensive for the buyers. This is also true for others projects in Greece, Iceland and
Germany.

Independence - Whys and Hows?

Independence is gladly propagated but is not possible as such, especially to larger extents. It may only be possible in small units, the price of which is a special type of dependence, provided there is a constant vigilance and continuous review of the basic values.

Alternatives

The development of NGO projects in rural areas with a vision to generate additional income in certain regions through handicrafts is a real challenge. Given the globalization euphoria, driven by city elites and strengthened by the people migrateing from rural into urban areas who are prone to fall easy prey to the propaganda of the virtues of automation and appropriate advertising, it becomes more difficult task. But it is all the more important to show alternatives when every one is running in the same direction.

The whole world seems to be moving in one direction. The prevailing system must collaborate, which eludes the participants, who can only judge it from a distance.

Without entering into discussion about economical, social and political tendencies, the results must lead us to describe the inefficiency of the growth-oriented economy to adjust to changes.This points out to the necessity of a behavior which needs to be corrected. Even if the change can hardly be expected from the urban world, the necessity of this change must be pointed through change in the work methods.

Choices

Human navigation system is based on the orientation towards opposites. This is how the difference between small and big, dark and light, hot and cold becomes natural to humans.

Either and or are two opposite poles with no room in between. This type of challenges may be necessary for the purpose of orientation but does not correspond to the reality in human dealings. Nature did not develop itself in this categorical way nor with such speed and without examination of the surrounding situation.

The choice should be therefore more like 'as well as' instead of the either and or in order to see the complexity of questions.

Desi Culture

Shirazi — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 13:07:35 EDT

One evening a few months ago, Ghulam Ali Bloch, a retired bureaucrat turned progressive farmer, who has his roots in remote village Jalla Balla in the suburbs of Sargodha, was finishing up a contract negotiation for buying a piece of land for opening an Ostrich Farm when he realised that a crucial piece of information required to close the deal is missing. He needed to know who had the right to haqq-e shufah (pre-emption). He could only obtain the facts from the central registry of the revenue department.

In order to verify the legal status of a property, including business homes and personal estates, one has to go to the patwari, garedawar, tehsildar and it entails a lengthy and laborious procedure. Historically, getting the required information takes a very long time. But thanks to an old man Mir Thana Khan, a minstrel in the village Jalla Balla, the information was available in his private but very authentic record.

As per his own account the ancestors of Mir Thana came to the village when a Jaskani Bloch tribe migrated from Balochistan in the fifteenth century and inhabited Jalla Balla in the central Punjab. The forefathers of Mir Thana were given the responsibility of keeping an account of lineage in the tribe. How did they keep the record in those days? One wonders. During my visit to the village, I along with my friend Ghulam Ali Bloch had an opportunity to meet the frail man who now walks with the help of a stick and is famous as Baba Thana.

Thana had learnt reading, writing and counting during his four years of schooling. At the ripe age, Thana took over his ancestral job once his father was unable to do the legwork. Knowing my interest he started to reminisce the past, "My father used to remember things like the entire shajra-e-nasab (family tree) by heart. But I started writing them in a register. Than collects information about births, marriages and deaths in the sleepy village of about 400 households and enters them in his record family wise. "Collecting this information is easy because I am invariably present on any event of the village," he explained.

"All my life I have lived in this village," he continued narrating, "I take care of every one and do what ever I can and people of the village look after my family and me. Life in villages in not complicated; no hurry, no fast lane. I help my neighbours and my neighbours help me is the philosophy there. There are no marriage halls or other renting places. Community centres known as Deras are utilised for different functions and congregations. At the time of marriage (or death) the guest of one family are looked after by every one in the village. Hospitality is like one of the religious duty and a cultural landmark, as villagers strongly believe that a guest comes with the blessing of Allah Almighty.

Talking about his chosen pursuit Baba Thana said, "I live on trust. Village folks share their personal secrets with me and even consult me like a family member while deciding the marriages of their children. I have always kept my ears to the ground. I register every bit of information but divulge only what is necessary and when asked. For me each member of the community in Jalla Balla and their relations living elsewhere are equally honourable and they all care for me. I know all those who have relations in our village."

"I still accompany the barats (marriage processions) and before that carry the messages to and fro. But I think have to give up this duty because I am getting old. I am also losing my eyesight and cannot see at night. I have no issue who can carry on what I have been doing for all my like. But I also see things are changing very fast. May be newer generation will need services like mine," thinks Mir Thana.

Interdependence and new demographic trends are gradually changing the outlook of life in villages. Commenting on the current demographic bias Thana Khan said sentimentally, "Anybody who goes to the city does not come back. Gradually they sever their roots with the village." Urbanisation is mainly responsible for the shift, which is changing faces of villages as well as cities. People desert villages in search of largely non-existent jobs in the metropolitan areas, crowding the already congested cities and making urban life more chaotic. This tendency needs to be checked for sustainable living in the future.

Thana Khan has an ascribed status that is very familiar in the simple village society. Talking to such a person is very enlightening and revealing. In general for villagers city life still holds a mystery. While travelling back to the city through endless expanses of waving crops of different shades of colour out of which Jalla Balla surfaces like an islet in an ocean of green, my own memories of once being a village boy came flashing back. How much has changed. But I know I have to return to my own village where I spent my childhood and the next time the stay will be longer. I will live without accessible roads or other civic amenities of this modern age like telephone or the Internet. But I will be close to my roots.

Pornography - Taking the Moral Highway

Shirazi — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 00:56:47 EDT

Pornography on the Internet is a new plague that has spread all over the world. It is seamlessly tearing apart the fabrics of societies, visibly corrupting the public morals and damaging the institution of family. It is also here in our society and every Web user is aware of its presence. "More than 60 percent of the country's Internet users are visiting porn sites," BBC reported quoting Pakistani telecom officials. But many local users are still unaware of its impact and hence are indifferent about the need to combat this threat; some has simply chosen to ignore its presence. Even talking about pornography on any forum is considered a taboo.

Like it or hate it, explicit images of naked flash on the Internet are popular. Free and easy access to naked flash engaged in various acts is extremely popular. Let me hurry to add a disclaimer that the Internet cannot be blamed for this because it is merely a tool; neutral. Restricting access to the Internet is also not a solution. Similarly, Playboy, Penthouse, or Hustler cultures overseas cannot be held responsible for exporting the trend here. Dr. Irfan Mahmud Chaudhry, a psychotherapist in Lahore says, "Viewing nudity is a personal penchant that may lead to addiction and many other negative behavioural changes."

Pornography began spreading with the advent of the Internet as a new medium of communications in the middle 1990s. Earlier, like the video cassette recorders and even earlier like printed material, the Internet has been effective because it allows viewing pornography anonymously in an absolute privacy, without fear of being pointed out as a sex starved or a perverted psychopath. And, now cyber space is littered with porno websites for any one with a computer and a modem to access. Experts predict that tech advancements like use of cable modems and DSL connections will fuel even more growth in the trend. No wonder some people in the world have not only accepted porno but playfully heap it with high brow attention and defend it?

The technology allows access to and distribution of pornographic material -- explicit graphics as well as textual -- primarily via websites, peer-to-peer software, IRC, Usenet, blogs and now through Webcams to large audience beyond geographical boundaries without meaningful restrains. Some of the programs even work independently of Web browsers like Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, and can bypass many filters designed to block pornography and other objectionable material.

Content developers, distributors and all other who are involved in this evil activity are morally insensitive and enslaved by greed. They know the instinctive lure of human being and are capitalizing on it in a big way. NetRatings has estimated 34 million visits to porn sites in only one month. All this browsing has caused number of pornography Web pages to mushroom up to millions during the past few years.

Cyber porn has already become an industry and is in rapid expansion mode with huge sums involved in the field. Subscription services have come up, charging a fee to deliver access to large sites along with hundreds of small affiliate sites, generating a lot of revenues. Free contents are posted frequently in an effort to entice surfers to visit repeatedly, to sign up and gain instant access. Contents are generated and distributed elsewhere but empirical evidence is that the users' market is rapidly growing here in our society.

The happening is not new, of course. It has been there in some form or the other. But what is unprecedented in the age of personal computers and the Internet is this: the mass consumption of cyber porno moving way beyond the pathetic stereotypes into the potent mainstream, the use of the Internet to rummage the smut, assault of covert and overt signals from different web sources and exposure to inappropriate sexual themes.

With some odd exceptions, the viewing of naked images is sinful in most religions. Different schools of thoughts and cultures also consider it at least objectionable, an idea of the Internet as a tool of free speech and issues of civil rights and liberties notwithstanding. Besides being degrading to humanity, "the act (of viewing porno) is harmful physically as well as mentally," says Dr. Irfan Chaudhry.

One aspect that caught the world attention first is that children, who cannot distinguish what is right from what is wrong, might fall easy prey, hence they should be protected. It is one of the few areas which have been subject to law enforcement activities in many countries. There have been measures aimed to restrict this happening, but the material remains widely available, much of it for free. That led to increasing demand for software products by concerned parents who are in the know of the matter, which could filter Web pages. A number of software developers have made big profits by selling filtering programs though nothing seems to be working. Web filtering software is far from perfect. Some block many innocent sites along with the objectionable sites rendering the Internet experience as discouraging. "There is no demand for porno blocking software," says an IT graduate and software vendor Azmat Hayat in Lahore. Another reason that efforts at restricting the viewing of pornography over the Internet have been largely ineffective is because of the high demand, which make restricting very difficult if not impossible.

Viewing pornography is a clear violation of the divine directives and suggested way of life in the first place. It reinforces sinful feelings. Scientific research even in more liberal societies has shown the profound effects pornography can have on human behaviour: thoughts, speech, desires, expectations, actions, habits, and lifestyle. It has been established beyond doubt that looking at pornography causes one to lust and leads to a desire to commit adultery. Continuous viewing of pornography over period leads to destructive addiction with seismic results. Even basically innocent users can have profound effects when by chance come to know of the seedier side of the Internet. The dangerous effects of porno plague are not just for children. They are on victims of all ages.

So what should be done? First, every one must teach himself to live within the limits set by Allah the exalted. Parents (and elders) should set a positive personal example for the younger generation and guide them through the new experiences in life. The subject should be discussed deliberately and thoroughly. The awareness should be raised at homes, in schools, in mosques and at all other places of learning with the logic and reasoning in step with technology and the information age. Those peculiar net cafes should be regulated making them useful public places to view information restricting their ability to sit behind partitions and look for obscene material.

Pornography as it exists on the Internet and its proliferation is a global problem and should be taken as a global challenge. It is not an easy task. Nations of the world should join hands to combat it. Every one from major Internet providers and industry giants to local Internet Service Providers and net café owners should take steps to fight the dilemma. Search engines should exclude the pages containing explicit material from their databases making it difficult for surfers to find them. Intellectuals, scholars, and writers should endeavour to shape the public opinion of all segments of society and shield people from the copious amount of explicit material flying freely in the cyber space. I am decidedly anti any type of censor in any form whatsoever but the governments should enact strict laws against creation, hosting and distributing the contents that are immoral and harmful for humanity. To me it is not a censor. It is effort to make the Internet a safer place for users by balancing the rights of the individuals against the rights and needs of society as a whole. Nothing should be left undone to do that.

Wandering Scholars from the Third World

Shirazi — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 03:26:29 EDT

Only a couple of decades ago, education abroad was still the preserve of a small elite of potential superstars of third world countries. Not anymore. The number of students going abroad for higher education has increased many folds.

What is driving this solid growth and "massification" of students going abroad? Three things: the perception among informed parents and students that the quality of education abroad is a lot better and up-to-date than in eastern universities and higher educational institutions; second, the "foreign-qualified" candidates see better response in not only local but global job markets as compared to those with similar qualifications from local universities; third, effective marketing of education services by the foreign universities along with the easing of immigration rules by their governments.

In Pakistan alone, there was only one university in 1947. Today, we have almost 35 universities in the public sector, more than 100 in the private sector, and this number is growing with newer disciplines being added every year. Same is the case with other South Asian countries. Many private universities have shown their results whereas some of them have even left their mark on the world map. No doubt these universities are playing their role in promoting quality education, but at the same there is a difference between graduates from private sector universities and public sector universities. The difference is more visible when it comes to getting a job. There is an even bigger difference between local graduates and those who have graduated from abroad.

On the other hand there are not very many openings in the local job market. Ask any decision maker in national or international organizations, private sector companies, multinational companies, NGOs, and educational institutions about their hiring needs, given chance they will prefer graduates from foreign universities as compared to those passed out from local universities. "There is a better match between the modern organizational needs and the foreign education, particularly when the hiring concern has to operate globally," says Professor Dr. Tehseen Sulehrya.

What is more, the glamorous and magnetic power of the world's top universities in the developed world have speeded this growth even further. They are extensively marketing their education services. A growing number of rich countries is redefining both their education and their immigration policies in order to attract more students. Competition for the tuition fees that foreign students have to pay, which is particularly fierce from countries that will not allow their universities to charge realistic fees to home-grown students.

Another factor is the European Union's policy of sponsoring student mobility within the Union so as to create a European identity among the young people. Several countries - most notably Australia and New Zealand - are trying to turn education into an export industry. Foreign students are triply valuable. They pay fees to universities, spend money on things like food and lodging, and may even end up staying on permanently. What better way to shift an economy from its traditional reliance on primary production?

For the past 50 years America has effortlessly dominated the market for international students, who have brought both direct and indirect benefits to the country. Not only are the foreign students contributing some $13 billion a year to America's GDP, they are also supplying brainpower for the US research machine and energy for its entrepreneurial economy. After September 11, America's leadership came under a challenge. The Institute of International Education reported that the number of foreign students on American campuses is on the decline for the first time.

American leadership was alive to the situation and academics acted fast. Now the United States of America has streamlined its visa process for education purpose. Applicants earlier had to wait for 75 days for technical clearance, but the period has now been reduced to 13 days, and students can walk into the embassy without an appointment and apply for an interview at the visa desk. Similarly other western countries and their universities are also making changes to facilitate the students from third world.

Stakeholders have been demanding the government to establish such resource centre in collaboration with foreign embassies and streamline the process till the time the needs of the students desirous of higher education can be met at home. Sadly, that has not started happening yet.

Living or a Life - Choices for Women in the East

Shirazi — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 03:48:30 EDT

Many of us have to make a choice: should we devote our time and talent to making a living -- or to getting a life? But there must be a third way and an equilibrium point. Where is that?

In the faster lane of life these days, what growing human needs and wants promises is this: Every one must work. Work opportunities that are available are not all great. Therefore, labouring at something that may not be personally engaging and rewarding is common. There is also too much stress and compromises in life. Many of us are willing to accept the situation because there are not very many choices to be had. It is even crucial when it comes to women in our society. They have yet another societal constrains to work and pursue a career or stay home and give time to family.

Exceptions apart, women in our society are expected to be home. Men are not equally involved in parenting and running the household. Women mostly are responsible for raising and educating healthy, happy, and successful children, give care and look after every one. If women are not there, it is considered neglect on their part, which puts the whole family in jeopardy. But this is not a debate about role of women in changing society, nor is it about propagation for any of the feminist movements. Instead, the point here is about the choices women have today and how they exercise them.

Consider some realities as well as rhetoric before examining the choices: Our society as a whole does not see women as career persons in the first place. Then, there are no openings for the girls in public sector or corporate Pakistan. Arguably, some of the barriers of past years are down. See the improved girl boy ratio in higher educational institutions. Measured against the way things were only a couple of decades ago, this is certainly a progress. But measured against the way things should be, this is a revolution slowed down.

Actually, the roots of how women are trained to make choices can be traced to deeply entrenched societal attitudes and to lack of opportunities. Attitude is a behaviour trait that is ascribed from customs, traditions and education. Formation of attitude begins at home right in childhood when most parents show certain preferences: whereas boys are expected to grow up as providers and are facilitated to learn manly things, girls on the other hand are seen as care providers and are encouraged to excel in homely things. Similarly, there is visible gender discrimination in the corporate sector.

Talking to some women or seeing many more go about their daily lives reveals that attitudes cluster in place and time. Early in life, female students tend to think that they are going to pursue a career and they say so. But then, suddenly, the girls stop. Despite all those graduating year after year, very few women enter service. Even fewer pursue a planned and a long term career. For an overwhelming majority of those who get a chance to join some vocation, marriage is a major drop out. Those who survive in jobs after marriage incline to get out after they have children, often thinking that they will renter jobs when the kids grow up. But then it is too late for some.

My first stop in exploring the subject was Dr. Laila Farukh, herself a successful career woman and mother of three successful children and a sociologist. She says, "Those women who choose careers despite non support and a sort of scepticism from different corners may have to change plans after marriage or may find it knotty coping with both career and family obligations at least at some time in life. Reasons are that daughters here are considered "paraya dhan" and are educated or put in professional institutions mostly to provide them with an alternative to fall back upon just in case the need ever arises in life. That is basically wrong. Children should be raised free to decide their own identities apart from the stereotypes and prejudices of society. The approach should be balanced and girls should be brought up to be successful and useful persons of the society giving them equal chances to choose what they want to. Rest every thing will follow. Countering this sensitivity at the gross roots level is essential and it can be done with determined efforts from multi directions."

Advocate Shama Asim, another career woman who has observed many family cases in her practice says, "Work environment here is not conducive for women. Sequencing -- temporarily dropping out of the work to raise children "is there in some jobs but it practically is not possible. The high profile jobs do not wait during the necessary absence. What works in developed word -- Work hard before the children arrive? Step off the career track to be at home when the kids are young. Step back on when the children are older with work is not possible here particularly for more demanding jobs. Similarly concepts like job sharing and flex jobs are not there at all."

Dr. Mueza Faheem, a busy medical practitioner says, "It is very sweet to do nothing and then rest afterwards but economic compulsions these days force women to work."

"The turn over in the stitching unit is very high because women have to take or leave the job on the whims of their male family members. Women come on the job when male members of their family want them to and they do not come when they are told not to. Children are another reason for working women to step out. In the developed countries, firms have nurseries to look after the babies near the work place while women work but there is no such provision here. How does a woman who has to feed her child work even if she wants to" say a Saima Nasreen who is a supervisor in a stitching unit of a textile factory.

Scouting reveals that work here in our society is not a matter of choice; it is a matter of economic needs instead. Lucky are those who can have best of both worlds: a family life and a job they are satisfied doing and can manage equilibrium in life.

The Writing Life: Why You Write?

Shirazi — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 00:23:33 EDT

Everybody has a book in his mind, as they say. But, everybody trying to write one is a different thing, and self-publishing one yet another. There are lots of considerations that induce people into writing about various things: people, events, ideas, issues, passions, observation, noble causes, problems and more. Some of these are pricked by their strong sense of right and wrong to raise their voice for or against a cause of their own or of their community's interest, while some others do it to cover up some disrepute and or misdemeanors. There are those who do it for amusement. And the ones for whom writing is a career. Of the many other classifications, there is a class of writers and it is a very well populated fraternity that takes its writings as a means to achieving an end. The end, of course, varies from person to person, but the mercenary passion with which the community members market (yes, market) themselves remains constant.

As a sub category of this specie there are among them the innocent writers who keep visiting publishing houses simply in a hope that some day someone will be convinced about the great idea presented by them and will be willing to invest in the publication of their work. The writer whom I am going to profile here is a commoner. That seems to be his first problem. When the first time he took the draft of his book to a well-reputed publishing house, the owner of a publishing house enlightened him to go do something else instead of writing. My writer friend was surprised with how the owner had given his opinion even without setting an eye on the draft of his life long labour of love.

My friend did no lose heart though. He kept visiting publishers "who would publish his book and give him royalties and he would grow famous and rich and then he would write some more". Somebody had told him that this is what happens to every new writer. After a lot of legwork and listening to many unfavourable remarks, he came to the conclusion that they are not going to benefit from his work. They were unlucky!

And finally he decided to become a publisher of his own book. He thought that after the publication of his first book people would discover the gem in him and would come searching. Now the first problem was finances. He consulted his wife who was very proud of him but unable to help financially. She advised her husband to get one copy printed to be kept in their drawing room so that any body could see that "we" have written a book. The idea was very sincere but hardly practicable. Then he consulted his friends. Everybody gave his opinion with a varying degree of sincerity. But one of his friends was most candid. "Do you have a car, bank balance or any other sellable assets?" asked a friend. The answer was obviously no. The candid friend told him that he was already living a miserable life so why not get a loan from the bank and publish a book? Banks are so eager to offer personal loan these days. Of course every thing would be all right once the book was published added the friend reassuringly. And the writer agreed to do just that. "Why had this simple idea not come in my mind?" my friend kept thinking.

Composing, printing, binding, and finally the book was published and dumped in the house of the writer. It was a great boost to his already highflying ego. A new marathon to market and sell (read dispose of) the book started. The writer kept the copies of his books for display at all the bookshops in the city (who agreed to that). How he managed to keep his book in display windows of the bookstores is yet another story. But after six months once he went about to collect the sale proceeds he, to his horror, found out that only four books had been sold. Who were those four patrons?

Now the writer started distributing his book to his writer friends other members of the fraternity -- with a hope that they would write about him and his book in the press and he would get noticed. But the best remark he could get in the press was that this: "He is very promising and upcoming writer of the future."

"This is a crux of my lifetime experiences, empirical observations and research findings. What else I should come up with?" he thought in awe. The others have nothing new, they just write rumours and yet they are published as well as sold and appreciated. The newspapers carry their profiles and interviews. Why not me?

On the advice of yet another sincere friend the writer managed to pursue a "writers' forum" in the town to arrange a book launching ceremony. Sitting on the stage between the chief guest and a few guests of honour and listening to the speakers talking about him my friend kept thinking about writing his next book. During high tea (that was financed by the writer himself) after the speeches, the spirits of my friend were at the zenith.

Over a period of time and after a lot of sittings with my "writer friend", I have found out what he thinks about his future. He is convinced about two things: One, that he is a great writer and has to be 'discovered' by others some how. Second, or else, as written by Kevin Kelly (in some other context) in a recent cover story in Time, "The page (and reading and writing) will die. Who will adhere to the linear rationality found in books, new and old?" But I dare disagree with my friend.