Lahore Airport

Everyone was looking at me as I walked down the aisle of the Emirates airplay that was going to take us all to Lahore. Well, I felt like everyone was staring at me, which made me feel very uncomfortable. I fixed my gave on the floor and found my seat, luckily next to a woman who was already asleep. This would help in avoiding strange questions and stares. As if I was some sort of a famous person - I wish! If you look different enough, you get attention like you never experienced before. 

I flicked through the airline magazine. It talked about the latest fashion trends in Asia, new Bollywood films, cheap flights to Saudi Arabia... It was 2007 and this was the first time for me to travel to South Asia. I was excited and a little apprehensive, given the post 9/11 political situation. I was meant to be doing some volunteering work for a couple of NGOs, but my friends and former colleagues resident in the country were warning me that I may be disappointed with the work that I’d be able to do. The political situation was slowing life down and people were not doing as much as they would have wanted to. 

As we descended into Lahore airport, through the fog and in the darkness of midnight, I wondered how this trip was going to turn out to be. Perhaps someone would mistake me for an American and that would be the end of me. At least, then, I will have died doing something I loved doing. 

I strolled out of the plane, now growing immune to the looks that people were giving me and walked to passport control. A serious young lady with an aggressive manner sat behind the border control desk. She looked at me angrily.

‘Madam, why are you coming to Pakistan?’, she almost shouted at me.

‘I am coming to visit some friends and to do some work’, I replied, refusing to be shaken by her manner.

‘Where will you stay?’

‘I will stay at a friend’s place in Lahore.’ I handed her the address. 

‘Where is this house?’

‘It is in Lahore. Not far from the airport’, I said. ‘I have not been to Pakistan before so I cannot give you exact directions.’  

‘Why not? You are supposed to know if you are coming here!’ She was becoming more and more aggressive. 

‘My friend is waiting outside in the terminal and she will take me to her house. Here is the address again. If you doubt my story, you can call the family and ask’, I said firmly.

She gave me a stern look.

‘What do you do in the UK?’

‘I work as a research assistant for the University of London and I am doing my doctorate.’

‘You have a brother? What does our brother do?’

I looked at her. What did this have to do with anything?

 ‘He works for an IT company in Finland.’

‘And how long will you stay here for?’

‘Three weeks.’

‘In Lahore?’

‘Yes.’

‘Just make sure you won’t leave any legacy.’ She waved her hand to indicate that I could go and pick up my suitcase.

Make sure you won’t leave a legacy? What a friendly welcome... I proceeded to pick up my suitcase and waved my way through the crowd of porters  who were all equally eager to carry my suitcase and to ask a lot of money for their effort. 

It is December 2009. I am sitting at the terminal at the Abu Dhabi airpot, waiting for the Etihad Airways-flight to take me to Lahore. My second visit to Pakistan. Of late, they have had a series of militant attacks in public places, killing people in all the major Pakistani cities. There is so much political tension in the air, my Pakistani friends and colleagues tell me. People’s lives have slowed down and it is difficult to lead normal daily lives at times. 

Everyone in Europe thought that I had lost my mind when I announced that I would go to Pakistan for four weeks over christmas break. ‘Why don’t you just go on holiday in Iraq or Afganistan as well then?’ and ‘There are cheaper ways to kill yourself’ were just some of the comments that were said. Why would anyone want to go to Pakistan if they didn’t have to?  

I looked around the terminal lounge. Most of the people seemed to be South Asian. There was a western looking business man sitting on the second row, busy typing on his laptop. We were the only ones with lighter skin colour, eyes and hair. This did not seem to attract attention from the others, however. As if people had gotten used to the presence on westerners in 2.5 years.

As we descended into Lahore airport, I recalled my trip to Pakistan in 2007 and how it had been life-changing for me in certain respects. I hoped that this trip would be too. 

As I walked to passport control, I felt a little uneasy. Perhaps they would grill me for hours. I handed my passport and landing card to the young lady sitting behind the desk. She did not look at me even once. She took my passport, flicked through and waved her hand indicating that I could go. I looked at her. Wasn’t she going to ask any questions? She avoided eye-contact with me and looked rather uncomfortable, as if she knew what I was thinking. 

Baffled, I walked on to pick up my suitcase. I could tell that a great deal of change had been taking place since my last visit. May the following four weeks indicate how the depth of it.

 

Both Etihad Airways and Emirates Airways fly to Pakistan, with reasonable prices and with excellent service:

 http://www.etihadairways.com/sites/etihad/Pages/GatewayPage.aspx

http://www.emirates.com/

Sanzita and the kids

This is Sanzita, the manager of the NGO in Nepal that I did volunteering for, with some kids at the orphanage. Anyone interested in going to volunteer for them in Nepal, is mostly welcome anytime! Volunteers can: play with the kids; teach kids; help Sanzita with administrative work and construction work.  

The Shoe Man

The mountain tops looked so beautiful and magnificent from above the hazy sunshine and scattered clouds. I leaned against the window, with the autobiography of Barack Obama resting on my lap. Indian Airlines had proved to be a comfortable and pleasant vehicle to get to Katmandu from London. Air hostesses dressed in saris walked up and down the aisle offering drinks and spicy curries for passengers to eat.

The man sitting next to me tried to peak out of the window. 

‘Are you going to Kathmandu on holiday?’, he asked, appearing to be a little nervous. I turned to look at him and he gave me the biggest smile I have ever seen in my life. I smiled back. 

‘Yes. I am going to be holidaying a little, but I will also do some volunteering and consultancy work for some charities in and around Kathmandu.’  

‘Oh that is great’, he beamed.’ I know many westerners who have been doing good work in Nepal. Nepal is a beautiful country! You will love the nature and the people. Everyone is very welcoming and friendly.’ A dreamy look was starting take over his eyes. ‘Such a beautiful country... but the government doesn’t care. They do nothing. No one knows what they do. But people are free. They are free to do what they want. Much safer now than before when we had the Maoists.’ He nodded eagerly.

‘What do you do in Nepal?, I asked him.

‘I own 25 shoe shops’, he replied proudly.’ This is why I was in India just now. We have a shop there. I am hoping to open something in the Middle East and in Europe as well. Nepali leather is amazing. People love wearing shoes made of it.’ He looked at me, up and down, as if trying to see how I reacted to this piece of information. ‘When you are in Kathmandu, you can go to my shop. It is on one of the busy streets of the city centre.’

‘Sounds great’, I said. ‘And do you live in Kathmandu?’

He shook his head. ‘No. As most Nepali people, we live n small villages. We only come to Kathmandu for business. It is a place for studying, learning, doing business... No one wants to live there forever. Everyone goes back to their villages whenever they can.’ 

‘I see.’

The man looked at the book lying on my lap. ‘Obama... what does he say?’

I laughed a little. ‘Talk about politics and ideasl.’

The man looked annoyed. ‘Yes, it’s all talk... these politicians. In the end of the day, everyone is left to their own vices.’ 

The plane started to descend into Kathmandu international airport. I could see roof tops, temple bells and dozens of people walking the street of Kathmandu; all getting bigger and more visible by the minute. The plan took a sharp turn and hit the ground. Here I was - in Kathmandu.

Useful links for anyone going to Kahmandu:

http://www.friendshipnepal.com/sightseeing_places/shopping_kathmandu.php

http://www.explorehimalaya.com/clothing_in_nepal.php

 

     

'The Unwinking Gaze' by Joshua Dugdale

This is an intriguing documentary about the Dalai Lama and his fight for the freedom of the Tibetan people. The documentary discusses the independence of Tibet from the perspectives of the Lama himself and the Chinese Government. An impressive amount of world leaders and politicians were interviewed in the making of the documentary. This is definitely worth a watch if one hopes to gain anew insight into the issue.

http://www.film4.com/reviews/2008/the-unwinking-gaze-the-inside-story-of-the-dalai-lamas-struggle-for-tibet

Tony Parsons: Man and boy (HarperCollins Publishers, 1999)

A few weeks ago, as I was tidying up my flat and deciding which books to give away to charity, I found a few treasures that had been sitting on my bookshelf for sometime. One of them is a novel titled ‘Man and boy’ by Tony Parsons.

Ultimately, the book is about a man maturing and growing up. It is about relationships between sons and farthers, boys and girls, men and women... The book is written from the perspective of a young-ish (i.e. 30-year-old, which nowadays tends to be classified as ‘young’) married man who had a 5-year-old son. 

The story line develops into an intriguing narrative and dialogue on the challenges of life in the modern society: how to deal with a marital break down and to start a new relationship when one has a small kid; how to learn to love your own farther when you realise that he is also just a human-being and not a superhero; how to teach your son your values and beliefs when the society around is throwing all kids of nonsense at him. 

Tony Parsons writes in a captivating way, which makes one want to read on in order to know what happens to this young man. Throughout the book, I could fully identify with the issues raised regarding modern life in a big city (the book is set in London so anyone who live or is familiar with London, will enjoy spotting familiar locations in the book). In the end of the book, I felt as though I had made a friend with the main character and was glad to see him have a happy ending.

I fully recommend the book for anyone looking for something relaxing and entertaining to read, yet something that will make one reflect on one’s life in the modern society. 

  

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/man-and-wife-by-tony-parsons-642944.html

The streets of Lahore are much emptier than when I was here in 2007. A lot can happen in two years. As we drive past the empty bazaars that used to be full of happy people out doing their shopping, one cannot help but feel a hint of sadness mixed with sympathy and nostalgia. More than anything, daily outings in Lahore are reality hits that makes me feel ashamed to say that I live in the UK, in a country that has put do much fuel into this war on terror. 

Countless check points, innocent people being questioned by the military personnel, x-ray machines at shopping mall entrances.... This is all supposed to make people feel more secure and protected, but it also rubs the facts of war in your face. 

People carry on living their daily lives, worrying about little things that we are all too familiar with - which colour clothes to wear, which film to watch, where to get the daily newspaper from... Despite feelings of frustration and lack of freedom, Pakistanis have high hopes for the future and pray for a better tomorrow. 

Some miles away right next to India, dirty faced kids run on the narrow alleys of Kathmandu, begging for money from tourists and trying to find bits of food to eat from cafes and restaurants. Monks are walking peacefully through the crowded streets, with the bells from the nearby temples echoing to their foot steps. The sun burns beyond the tops of the mountains overlooking the valley. There is laughter and happiness in the faces of all the people that one sees, no matter what they are doing. 

According to the Nepalis, their country has reached freedom. Despite a lack of social support by the state, or any obvious governmental work, people feel free and independent. They are no longer afraid nor do they feel that they are being controlled, how they used to during the Maoist era. People are genuinely happy with their lives and with whatever little they have - be it a tiny room at  cousin’s house, or a plot of land behind the village market - as long as they can practice their religion, their beliefs and value in peace. 

Here are two countries that have undergone significant change over the past decade. Each one of them battles with their own problems and challenges. Is total freedom and being left on your own better than political fighting and military operations? Is having check points and security personnel better than not having any governmental support?

For those interested in these issues, here are links to a couple of books that are worth reading:

http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199568161.do

http://www.sterlingpublishers.com/bookinfo.asp?na=1932705473

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2566815.A_Glimpse_of_Eternal_Snows

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/making-sense-of-pakistan-by-farzana-shaikh-1707702.html

 

The beginning

Here it comes - a blog about Nepal and Pakistan, about my adventures in both countries, about my work and will to help...

The aim of this blog is to create awareness about issues surrounding us, whether they are geographically close to us or not. The primary aim of this blog is inspire people to do their bit for the world and to understand how the different parts of the world need one another. 

A further intention is to introduce cultural activities that I have engaged in in my free time. If I see an excellent art exhibition, read a mesmerizing book or feel uplifted after a concert, this is the place where you can read about it. I may also talk about my spiritual adventures, such as after a particularly stilling yoga or meditation session, so watch this space!