What a read !!

Great post !!

well written

“The culture of guns has to be replaced by that of the pen. To make something useful usually takes years but all it takes to destroy it is one stick of dynamite.”

Education is the key. Even us who believe Jihad is using pen is not using it much. We are not sure too. We are stuck on umms ehs achhas and the likes often…

I think from childhood we must stress on Reading, writing and independent thinking.
Libraries provide an excellent way of grooming new generations with these three things. Unfortunately we neither have libraries no reading culture. We just tend to forget when Hulago Khan captured Baghdad libraries were one of the firsts that were destroyed( though he rebuilt later).
Iqbal also said
” magar woh ilm kay motee kitabein apney aabaa ki….jo dekhein in ko europe mein tou dil hota hai si para”
I guess internet has given that access to the information but it can not replace traditional libraries atleast not in the near future.

“The female host walked on stage and unfolded a piece of paper, reading out from it: ‘Pakistan was made with great sacrifices by the Muslims … our Muslim brothers have given their lives for this country …’ and she went on and on.”

Geez, shamoon turned out to be quite an idiot. The female host was just saying that Pakistan was created by muslims and have given their lives for this country. She never said that non-muslim does not deserve to be a pakistani.

“I just couldn’t take it anymore so I stood up and said: ‘Khatoon, my name is Shamoon Masih and I am not a Muslim. Should I be thrown into the sea as I don’t deserve to be a Pakistani?’””

Shamoon… Calm down!

Very well written, though i do contradict on some points… Mr.Shamoon have a set of very strong point of views!!

Fine with Fyodor’s words but it is for sure that both halves of women’s life are particularly made up of fooleries and mostly nothing.

‘If you don’t read Ghalib, how can you do the crystallization?’

It’s true only for the crystallisation and purity of soul. Did Ghalib write something on Tasavuff?

Otherwise a chemical process has nothing to do with his poetry. Perhaps Dr sb was anxiously reading Ghalib these days.
No connection at all.

If you havn’t read him then buy his collection and go through it thoroughly.

Riyaz! The question is: Are we really stuck? I don’t think so.It’s case only with those who don’t want to move.

Zios! I think from childhood we must stress on Reading, writing and independent thinking.

Majority of schools and educated and even not-so-educated parents are taking good care of these things. Even our Massi is sensible enough and her both children are studying in school.

Though We don’t have much libraries but lemme tell you that: Where there is a will there is a way. By the way what is meant by ‘Independant Thinking’ of a 6 yesrs old? Please elaborate.

Yeah, actually I remember reading this from a long time ago. It was probably a re-print in DAWN, because I have definitely read this article before somewhere.

Anyway, I completely agree with Mr. Shamoon on this. I can see the deterioration in my own speech. Now, even when I write, I use the same figures I would when speaking. In fact, I can see a very troubling change in my writings from four years ago and my writing now.

So yes, it is time to act now.

I have grown up in India, so I can comment only on what I have seen around myself.

I find that a large number of people among my generation and the generations following it are seriously linguistically challenged.

For example, those who consider themselves ‘progressive’ amongst Punjabis, do not teach their childrean to speak Punjabi. So, they can’t speak their own mother tongue.

They teach them to speak Hindi, but the children can’t speak that language correctly because their basic vocabulary and sentence-formation skills are based on Punjabi.

They are taught English at school, but they tend to speak and write that language incorrectly, as well, because they directly translate entire sentences from Hindi to English without bothering much about grammar and correct usage.

So, in effect, they can’t speak or write correctly in any language at all.

I suspect that one only needs to substitute Hindi with Urdu to get a fair idea of what the ‘progressive’ among the Punjabi youth are up to, on the other side of the international border.

Incidentally, the marketing is in ‘Hinglish’ only because standards of knowledge of the English language have been declining steadily since independence. It is not uncommon to find grotesque phrases like ‘cut a cheque’ in so-called reputed national dailies.

mystic thanks if it was worthy :>

Riyaz we’re loosing our focus on goals …!

Zios Kind of right here, but as newer lot’s coming, kids are becoming more and more addicted to internet and other mediums online (as in orkut) rather the books – I havent seen one good library catering to real literary and interesting stuff in urdu and english in lahore and Islamabad, further the registration and other such stuff is such an hassle that you stay out of such activities … promotion of one thing needs some ease in the way for people too – to attract ….!

Rammal in one perspective he was right ..!

Lubna All of us have our opinions :> thanks for coming by

GH Ghalib and Tasawuf as in tujhay hum walli samajhtay jo na Baa’dah khwar hota – interesting point BTW … I believe naphthalene’s crystallization and ghalib were connected by doc sahab in a more deep way … for the state of change (of matter or emotions)a major force is needed (a deep impact is needed) and ghalib’s poetry is full of impacts and changes … I’m too sleepy to say what I want to & I’m not chickening out :>

Absar Same here … instead of refining I feel like going back to Raw stages (if there was any *:>*) we think – say- and forget it — action usually gets evaporated en route … !

Sidhusaaheb Hmmm Should I jump with joy that we are not in such bad state well actually at some places here I’m quite impressed as in Aitchison or Lahore Grammar they even teach punjabi or novels in urdu at matric/o-level stage … fewer steps by parents are much needed too … !

Hoping things dont deteriorate and improve progressively with time, inshah allah!

To see efforts being made to preserve one’s culture and heritage is certainly very pleasing. I am so glad that they teach Punjabi at such reputed institutions. In fact, I was glad to converse in Punjabi with a cross-section of people, when I visited the Pakistani part of Punjab, some of whom definitely spoke better Punjabi than me!

Here, the lingua-franca of the common Punjabi is Punjabi, of course. It’s those who consider themselves ‘hip, hop and happening’, jihna da haal-chaal maaDa ai!!

The problem with people like shamoon hashmi is that they live a life of lies and cheat their way into the minds of innocent individuals. Knowing Shamoon Hashmi the way he wants to know us is probably a rebel with a beautiful cause but the people who know him personally,would call him a cheap conformist who wears the clothes of a rebel. A person graduates with a bachelors in mechanical engineering without knowing the definition of engineering or efficiency, gets hired in a job at a sensitive scientific facility and does nothing but writes speeches for Dr AQ Khan,goes for a masters in a course which is not related to his basic job.A lot of explanation is due upstairs,dont take us as dumbos mr. Hashmi. You may have tricked and treated your way into stardom without sweating but you would pay, if not here then up there.A true “do number” you are.You have to meet your creator, even if you intend to die as christian or burnt like a hindu or a sikh. Your gods await you upstairs,stop posing and come out of the closet.