OK Pakistan
I was like WTF Pakistan? Link ended up buried on the BBC RD tells me. Then a Pakistani blogger contacted me, addressing me as Dear and Respected. I suspect she does that to all the boys. These bloggers seem quite cool, and they’re starting to organize at Pak Spectator. Some of the writing is admittedly stilted, but it’s very diverse, very interesting, and very real. I read a post by Naeem which said ‘On Tuesday morning, our revered Cricketing friends from Sri Lanka were attacked in Lahore, leaving the whole nation embarrassed, shocked and with our heads shaken in disbelief.’ And I was actually quite touched. I’m quite impressed that these Pakistani bloggers took time to reach out and make contact here. And to post something like Sri Lanka, We Are Sorry. I’m quite cheered at the spirit of the Pakistani people.
Ghazala – who contacted me – says please and thank you so much I suspect she must be in earnest. She has a post called Leader which concludes saying ‘Let’s Become Leader’. I know the grammar is off, but the thought is real, and honest. I was reading on Missing Sandwich’s blog about an Indian campaign on Gandhi’s birthday which read
D.O.
Two modest alphabets.
Placed side by side however, they form a word potent enough to turn a seething mass of people into a nation…
What we going to do
Are we going to continue talking about our infrastructure and our potholes and our property prices and our healthcare? Or are we going to use that telephone, that shovel, that PIL, that ballot paper and do something to make it happen?’
Stirring, cause I wrote a column for this Sunday Leader (on stands Sunday, surprisingly) saying
Dear Colombo, you are cowards and you are fools. Lasantha died for you. Soldiers die for you. Women and children die for you. Even cricketers would die for you. You won’t live for yourselves.
I’m more of a dick about it, but we certainly have a lot in common. Perhaps we should import something more than weapons between us. Bless up subcontinent. We’ll be a real continent soon.
I did an interview for Ghazala’s Pak Spectator last night. It’s a bit more candid than I’d thought. Sample quote:
You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?
It helps me get laid and get jobs.
What are your future plans?
Get laid, get more jobs. Getting married and settling down would be great.
A version of that D.O. thng was part of the Lead India Campaign by TOI. Sharukh Khan’s ad on that is worth a watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waS5FNFmxrk
Interestingly, there is a link to you on the BBC site, but it links to the Bandaragama.wordpress.com blog.
The interview’s very interesting, especially the first comment.
haha dude nice interview! i liked the last line especially..
the interview was awesome. So was the first comment :-S
:-) Again, another proof of how “un-Sri Lankan” you are. You really don’t belong to this part of the globe my dear! You don’t understand our pulse. Even Pakistanis can sense that.
Being unlike you doesn’t make me un-Sri Lankan. Just makes me me. You can’t take me being Sri Lankan away from me, and I’m not clear why you’d want to. There’s room for a lot of diverse opinions on this island. Just as there a lot of diverse opinions in Pakistan, I’ve been privileged to read and have contact with a few of them after this incident and I’m very impressed. I very much feel like we belong to the same part of the globe, and am very proud of that.
Questioning a person’s authority to make a statement is an age-old tactic. Instead of arguing the point, one argues the person’s authority to make the point. It’s lame, but it’s easier, because it puts the opponent on the defensive. In issues of race and nationality, questioning a person’s racial, national, or even political identity colours an observer’s perception of the argument. Nice one, VIC, but it’s been around since Goebbels had a go at the German Jews.
I’ve read a couple of your posts and have sort of become a stalker ahaha jk. But yea, it’s been long since i’ve read something good and non racist :) I truly appreciate your posts. Best Wishes XOxo.