Celebrating Teachers... for what exactly?!

I survived yet another October 5.... another World Teachers' Day celebrated with much pomp and a definite sense of righteousness! Teachers are healers, beacon of hope, spreading light of knowledge and more such rhetoric was heard all day through on media print and electronic alike. Thank god i didn't get too many text messages, only one which my close friend sent just to spite me.

The paradox is amazing and even mind boggling...on the one hand, the entire education sector is shrieking at the top of its voice to get Teaching recognized as a serious profession, where qualified and diligent people should be employed. On the other hand, anyone who happens to be a teacher, on this World Teachers' Day, is hailed and revered as if s/he is GOD reincarnated - above all human weaknesses, evils, desires... an ultimate embodiment of knowledge, wisdom, goodness and love!!! Schizophrenic is how i will define this notion. Teachers are just another brand of professionals, or ought to be one. There is nothing inherent in the PROFESSION that makes them angels and saviours of this world. Nothing. They dont even take the Hippocratic oath which at least serves some face value!

I am not against teachers nor do I deny that there are people who you learn a lot from. But that doesnt mean anyone and everyone teaching in a school or college or university is not corrupt, lazy, complacent, down right nasty to children and adults alike. There are good and bad teachers, and then there are pathetic and sick teachers, out to avenge the humiliation they faced in their school years. The archetype teacher, and i am not exaggerating, is the one who regurgitates the textbook exercises or the notes made when s/he was studying to a class of students day in day out. It is indeed hardwork. So is wagework and lifting of trolleys of sands. How come teachers demand a different treatment and status from a wageworker or farmer! They are at least being useful for a community. The orthodox teacher can scar hundreds of children for life! Having worked in the education sector, I have come across scores of teachers who can't identify one single thing that they interest them vis-a-vis their own learning and improvement. It is always the child, parents or the management who is to be blamed or have fallen short of the expectations. Never their fault, never something that can be improved at their end, never their own ignorance of as basic a thing as how learning takes place. Such is the sense of righteousness that they cant critically question their practices and dont even realize that they are being discriminatory and humiliating a child when they label him/her. In fact this righteousness has replaced any speck of creativity or spirit of inquiry, discovery and co-learning.

A facebook acquaintance had his status dedicated to WTD and it said... "if you can read this line, thank a teacher." My retort was and if you cant, catch a teacher too..because s/he is the culprit.

What learning and education should be about is to generate a spirit of curiosity and love for learning, but in Pakistan, especially school teachers, are obsessed with teaching ONE truth in ONE way... which is essentially their way!!!

Discovering a life in few hours

Mujhe hawai jehaz ki sub se khoufnaak baat, khas tour per lambi purwaaz per, yeh lagti hai ke aap musalasul chund ghuntoun ke liya bundh ke baith jaatay hain... phir agar qismet achi howi tu aap ko acha saath mil jata hai aur nahin, tu bhugtiyay.
Pichlay saal mein safar ker rahi thi, kuch 4 ghantay ki purwaaz thi, aur mera izteraab urooj per ke ab kaun saath hoga. Jub mein apni seat per pehunchi tu ek 6 saal ki bachi meray baraber bethi howi thi – woh apni seat belt nahin pehan paa rahi thi tu mein ne uski madad kerdi aur yahan se humari batoun ka silsila shuroo howa. Shaya akelay hi safar ker rahi thi aur us purwaz se bethnay se pehlay, woh teera ghantay safar mein guzaar chuki thi. Mein ne us se poucha ke Karachi mein ussay kaun lenay aye ga tu woh boli Rubina Mom. Mein ne poucha woh apni ammi ka naam kyoun le rahi hai... khali mom bhi kaha jaa sakta hai. Jawab aya ke yeh aasan hai. Mera sawal tha kya aasan hai? Shaya ka jawab mujhe hila denay ke liyay kaafi tha. Us ne kaha us ke dou maaien aur dou baap hain... Rubina Mom is a good mom. Sultan dad is good too. Magar uske ek Monster Dad hain aur ek witch mom hain. It is easy for her to differentiate. Jub mein ne poucha ke woh America se wapis kyoun aa rahi hai tu us ne kaha Monster dad ne usay janay nahin diya tha magar ab woh rubina mom ke saath rahay gi..yeh baat us ko family counsellor ne batai thi. Woh 6 saal ki bachi apnay bhai behan ki taadad nahin bata paa rahi thi – us ne kaha 6 behnain aur 6 bhai nahin 7. Aur dost koi bhi nahin.
Un chaar ghantoun mein Shaya aur mein achay dost banay - Jehaz ka khana, jo ke itna mazeedar nahin hota, us ne khanay se saaf inkar ker diya – us bachi ko junk food ke ilawa kuch khana nahin tha, us ke bag mein tamam tarah ki chocolates aur chips bharay howay thay. I was horrified looking at the sugar intake. She drew me near her and whispered that she has lots of money also and his good dad said not to tell this to anyone but because I was her friend, she told me.
Hum ne mil ker puzzles khelay aur colouring ki, mein ne dekha ke woh koi bhi cheez mukammal kernay se pehlay dosraa kerna shuroo ker deti thi. Woh mujhe se pouchnay lagi ke mein uski hamesha dost rahoun gi ya chour doun gi. Mein ne kaha rahoun gi... usi ke crayons se mein ne usko ek card bana ker diya aur apna email aur phone number bhi de diya. Us ke paas koi contact nahin tha... jehaz utarnay se aadhay ghantay pehlay usko jehaz ka amlaa utha ker saath le gaya.
I was left to my speculations... it was obvious that she came from a broken family where probably both her parents remarried and may be re-divorced. Not knowing the number of siblings and their name is an indicator enough to say how 6 year old Shaya has been affected... meray wehm o guman mein bhi is tarah ki dysfunctionality nahin thi. Hum bhai behnoun ko tu ek dosray se baat aur larai kiyay baghair saans bhi nahin aati!

Chund din pehlay meray paas ek phone aya, khatoun ne mera naam poucha aur kaha mein Rubina baat ker rahi houn. Mein pehchaan na saki, tu unhoun ne kaha kiya aapki koi bahut choti se dost buni hai? It took me a second to place her..... Shaya remembered me as I do her... hum donoun ke ehsaas mukhtalif aur yaad kerna ki wajah bhi mukhtalif.

Of Italy and more

I wonder if Ibne Buttuta was asked the same questions as I was for travelling alone (or let’s just say holidaying) or is the difference only because he was not Binte Buttuta! I believe the plethora of probing questions, gasps, suspicious smiles were directed to me more because I was going to Venice, which is considered as a sole proprietorship of honeymooners in Pakistan. Astonishingly ignored by the Rights activists, the perception is definitely gender inequitable – all the travel brochures and airline promos are completely insensitive to the G&L liberation movement, feminists and single people. Jokes aside, travelling with company and that too romantic is massively overrated. Until of course your companion is that rare breed which is highly chilled, super secure and can appreciate you appreciating the beauty and beaus around. Almost utopian. So are Italian hotties; thus it can be frustrating to be in Venice, Florence or Rome and not being able to swoon and ogle at them.

What a place to be… from the moment I got on the bus from the airport to reach Piazza de la Roma, the central point of Venice, I was on a high – ecstatic, exuberant and wide-eyed seeing the Grande Canale, the dome of Piazza de la Roma, bridges, gondolos, vibrantly coloured multi-hued buildings and windows covered with blossoming flowers. Long flight, heaving 20 kg luggage, figuring out bus routes to my hotel or the four hours walk searching for a mobile connection shop was all so pleasant thanks to the breathtakingly beautiful Venetian architecture punctuated with stylishly done shops, vivid displays of Murano glass outlets, an art dating back to the 7th century, and hordes of stylish and beautiful people. Now I understand why Hollywood and Bollywood filmmakers flock there – they save up the money that the cosmetics and grooming gurus would charge for makeovers. It is a treat to watch all the stylish, jazzy, classy people streets are littered with. While I am impressed with their sense of style, aesthetics and the immense effort Italians have put in to preserve and nurture their cultural heritage and architectural sites, I am bamboozled as to why is it so endowed with natural beauty? Weather conditions, amazing fauna and flora, and golden skinned, beautiful people – they have everything. I felt liberated not only because I had no deadlines and agenda to worry about but also due to the much needed break from the ugliness (political, civic, aesthetic and people created) that surrounds us in Pakistan. I lamented the absolute aesthetic monstrosities that we have in Karachi as part of the city beautification plans – and desperately hoped that the barrage of advisors at Nazim Secretariat get inspiration and wisdom to learn from Italians!

Rialto bazaars and Piazza San Marco with its majestic Basilica, Library and Palace Ducale demands for a whole day to take in the history and the sheer grandeur of the place. Religious affinity and an eye for Venetian art attracts more than a million visitors to St. Marc’s square every year. And I am sure, just like me, no one wants to believe that these are most vulnerable sites in Venice estimated to be underwater by 2020. For now, the museums, galleries, shops and streets are buzzing with life and beauty.

The wooden bridge of Accademia spanning the Grand Canale gives people watching a whole new meaning. Since Accademia district houses finest art institutes, exhibition spaces and galleries in the world, people crossing the bridge mirrored their art preferences from ultra classic, modern and abstract to complete bohemians. So did their dogs. Another must experience are the Venetian Islands. Stepping on the Lido Island with an endless series of Venetian Villas, some converted in plush hotels, I could only think who are the lucky people who live there and how? Whether the Venetians realize how much envy they cause is anyone’s guess. Florentines definitely do. On my way to the hotel, I asked the cab driver what is a must-see in Florence. With a huge smile, he categorically replied anything and everything. Spot on. A random window in Florence, a bus stop or even a garbage can, there is nothing that you wouldn’t marvel for its aesthetic value. Then there are buildings and sculptures like Palazzo Strozzi, Cathedral Duomo, Basillica of SS. Annunziata, Spedale Degli Innocenti (Church of the Innocent), Galleria Di Uffizi that are designed, sculpted and painted by likes of Giotto, Andrea Del Sarto, Flippo Brunelleschi and Giambologna. When I could finally rip my eyes off the artistic expressions on the streets, I was awestruck and overwhelmed by the masterpieces in Galleria de Uffizi and Galleria of Accademia. Call me shallow but I can totally achieve Nirvana if I can go and see Da Vince, Filippo Lippi and Michelangelo and of course, “David” everyday and then have a sumptuous meal finished with Florentine gellateria! Although travelling to Italy was never as unattainable as going on space, but somehow, I could never have imagined experiencing so many original works in such a short span of time.

The serenity, controlled pollution, sparse traffic in Florence and ACTV boats in Venice were so cosy, compact and comfortable that exploring Rome became a bit daunting initially. I almost forgot what traffic jams were! A spontaneous strategy to familiarize myself with Rome that I used was to hop on a sightseeing archeo bus tour. The Vatican, Castel St. Angelo, the Pantheons, Colosseo and hundreds of archaeological sites leave you wondering about the bloody yet magnificent history of the place. Juxtaposed with ancient history are the modern history makers – Via Veneto for its elegance and Via Condotti for the designer outlets of Salvatore Ferragmo, Louis Vitton, Gucci, Prada complex to name a few. But this will only become visible if you can tear away your glance from the beautiful Spanish Stairs and Trinita Monti facing it. Wow. When I saw the hundreds of artists sketching, drawing caricatures, painting, making things in Piazza de Spagna and in Piazza Navona, I was sadly reminded of the cliché I hear often parroted by media and educators alike… Pakistan mein talent ki kami nahin hai! The talent spread all over the Piazzas in Italy drives home the reality that talent is not in deficiency, it is actually extinct in Pakistan!

I was stupid enough not to throw a coin in Fontana di Trevi, with an age old legend that you revisit Rome if you do, but I am eager to go back again and drink in more of the country. Seeking amnesty in Italy in the advent of a much dreaded Taliban take over (god forbid) isn't a bad idea either!