You know the drill. You come home from one day, planning on just how your Saturday is going to go (out with friends for a 'good' time - maybe even catch the new movie) when all of a sudden your parents ambush you with the biggest grin on their faces.
"It's fixed. We are meeting them tomorrow in the food court of the local mall."
Huh? In the few minutes it takes for you to clear your head, you recall a vague memory of seeing some blurry picture sent to your cousin sister's husband's hotmail (insertfullnametillAdam@hotmail.com). You remember saying 'not bad', and you will 'think about it later'. You also remember making up a quick excuse to leave the room immediately.
Well, now it has come to bite you back in the ass, as you get the first hint that your Saturday is not exactly going to go according to plan.
Compiled from advice from older cousins and friends, here are a few ways of how to deal with the situation.
1. You are going to meet someone. Officially sanctioned by the parents. Ofcourse they will remain ten feet away from you at all times (so you can forget about telling that joke about the Sardar and the pharmacist's daughter). And naturally, family members you never heard of will arrive at the mall. They are all running in the How To Make Things Even More Awkward trophy.
They will ofcourse, accompany you until you sit down at the table opposite your prospect. And suddenly, they will remember they have to check out the new sports shoes they have at Roots (the guys) or the new Dana Carling perfume at Sears (the girls). The extended family aunties meanwhile head to Dollarama.
2. Decide on what you are going to order at the food court. Avoid experimentation at this time. Don't order Columbian spicy cinnamon coffee with drop of mango leaves. It doesn't impress anyone, and you never know what will give you gas. Just get a double double.
3. Don't, EVER, discuss religion. Especially on a first meeting. There is no sane way to come out of that discussion looking good. Religion is personal - you should form your opinion from observation. Similarly, questions such as 'how many kids do you want' or 'do you believe birth control is allowed in the Hanifi sect of Islam' should be relegated to the dustbin.
4. Don't, EVER say 'well I am not ready for marriage at this time'. Why are you here then? To go on a date with ten members of your extended family tagging along? Not to mention making up stories such as 'I went bungee jumping on the Himalayas'.
Feel free to add more tips if you know some.
Tags: Desi
The personal, official blog of author Mezbauddin Mahtab
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Long Weekend BBQ Pictures
I love summer. Give me +40 over -40 anyday. Last time when I went back to the Middle East, it was winter there - which was 25C. I was switching on the A/C while my cousins who lived there were freezing and putting on sweaters. The best part of Canada is the Toronto summer.
We men can cook anything on a grill.
Dodgeball Action - I
Dodgeball Action - II
Dodgeball Action - III - The opposing team plans an attack.
Dodgeball Action - IV - So do we.
Cake is good.
We men can cook anything on a grill.
Dodgeball Action - I
Dodgeball Action - II
Dodgeball Action - III - The opposing team plans an attack.
Dodgeball Action - IV - So do we.
Cake is good.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Toronto Crippled
Tourism Toronto named their promotion campaign Toronto Unlimited. Certainly not the situation in Toronto at the moment.
It took me an insane 2 hours to get to work today. Yes, the Toronto Transit Commission, a slow, cumbersome way to travel at the best of times, decided to go on a wildcat strike. TTC = Take The Car.
This was an illegal strike. In the middle of the duration of your contract, you CANNOT go on strike. The transit workers decided to cherry pick an issue and stage a strike. They should all be fired AND jailed. *rant on* If this was Bangladesh people would be calling in the army, some would be grabbing a hockey stick and beating up the striking workers (well maybe not). I do not condone senseless violence under any condition, but it seems in some dictatorships you get better public/medical service than here in Canada. *rant off*
Our elected officials seem to have no spine. Native protestors dig up a road in Caledonia and all the government can do is urge people to "be nice" (while they are tearing down hydro poles) *rolls eyes*.
The TTC union went on strike because they knew there would be ZERO consequences for their actions, except causing an inconvenience to 3 million people (but what do they care). The government should ARREST the union leaders, as well as every third driver or worker on strike (since you cannot arrest everyone). And the police should stick to their guns and remain firm, and throw those guys in jail for a month or two. Repeat for other illegal strikes.
If they do that, the next time a union decides to hold a city hostage by an illegal strike, they will think again.
I honestly cannot understand what the hell do some of those fat TTC workers do? Sit in a cushy chair in a comfortable booth and watch people pour coins through a slot. Fire the lot I say, and get automated gates and smart cards. And you want workers? There are so many recent immigrants ready to work for the TTC. And in my opinion, unlike the current seemingly good-for-nothing bastards, they will PROUDLY show up to work.
Tags: Toronto TTC Illegal Strike
It took me an insane 2 hours to get to work today. Yes, the Toronto Transit Commission, a slow, cumbersome way to travel at the best of times, decided to go on a wildcat strike. TTC = Take The Car.
This was an illegal strike. In the middle of the duration of your contract, you CANNOT go on strike. The transit workers decided to cherry pick an issue and stage a strike. They should all be fired AND jailed. *rant on* If this was Bangladesh people would be calling in the army, some would be grabbing a hockey stick and beating up the striking workers (well maybe not). I do not condone senseless violence under any condition, but it seems in some dictatorships you get better public/medical service than here in Canada. *rant off*
Our elected officials seem to have no spine. Native protestors dig up a road in Caledonia and all the government can do is urge people to "be nice" (while they are tearing down hydro poles) *rolls eyes*.
The TTC union went on strike because they knew there would be ZERO consequences for their actions, except causing an inconvenience to 3 million people (but what do they care). The government should ARREST the union leaders, as well as every third driver or worker on strike (since you cannot arrest everyone). And the police should stick to their guns and remain firm, and throw those guys in jail for a month or two. Repeat for other illegal strikes.
If they do that, the next time a union decides to hold a city hostage by an illegal strike, they will think again.
I honestly cannot understand what the hell do some of those fat TTC workers do? Sit in a cushy chair in a comfortable booth and watch people pour coins through a slot. Fire the lot I say, and get automated gates and smart cards. And you want workers? There are so many recent immigrants ready to work for the TTC. And in my opinion, unlike the current seemingly good-for-nothing bastards, they will PROUDLY show up to work.
Tags: Toronto TTC Illegal Strike
The Blind Girl's Movie
For most of us, the Plan is clearly designed. When the time comes, our parents will try and arrange our marriages. Our focus, they ensure us, should be our studies that will prepare us for a stable future. Once we are settled in life, a bevy of candidates are thrown at us, of whom we pick a few - perhaps because they look good or sound interesting from a paper known as the 'bio-data'. Eventually, it all clicks and we end up married to a person we barely know but slowly grow to love over time. That's the Plan.
With all this, there are certain rules - we can have friends of the opposite sex, but that's it. There are certain lines that we cannot cross. We cannot be too flirty, we cannot 'play the field', we cannot dare to fall in love. We must keep the honour of the family and think with our heads, rather than live for the moment. It's all OK, because it will all work out in the end.
But what if you are blind? Deaf? Dumb? Have a disability? Suddenly, the rules don't seem to make sense anymore. Who will marry a blind person? Will he or she ever experience the love of another person?
Yes, I watched Fanaa, the new big movie starring Aamir Khan and Kajol. Those were the questions that were thrown at the beginning of the movie, and some stay with you till the end. All the main characters in the movie were Muslims. Should a blind girl, who admonishes her hero for skipping work as it goes against her values, or asks her parents for permission to marry the love of her life, decide to follow her heart and break apart all rules because she knows she may never experience love again? There is one point where she tells her friend - 'this feels right. And that's all I care'.
The movie was predictable to a huge extent, but given the hype and buildup, I am pretty sure it will make lots of money. Woodside was crowded when we went, and sold out. And like the Plan, there is one more fact that is constantly in the design when I see a movie at Woodside.
A guy with a huge turban or head will ALWAYS sit in front of me.
Update: A review that hits the spot perfectly.
Tags: Fanaa Desi
With all this, there are certain rules - we can have friends of the opposite sex, but that's it. There are certain lines that we cannot cross. We cannot be too flirty, we cannot 'play the field', we cannot dare to fall in love. We must keep the honour of the family and think with our heads, rather than live for the moment. It's all OK, because it will all work out in the end.
But what if you are blind? Deaf? Dumb? Have a disability? Suddenly, the rules don't seem to make sense anymore. Who will marry a blind person? Will he or she ever experience the love of another person?
Yes, I watched Fanaa, the new big movie starring Aamir Khan and Kajol. Those were the questions that were thrown at the beginning of the movie, and some stay with you till the end. All the main characters in the movie were Muslims. Should a blind girl, who admonishes her hero for skipping work as it goes against her values, or asks her parents for permission to marry the love of her life, decide to follow her heart and break apart all rules because she knows she may never experience love again? There is one point where she tells her friend - 'this feels right. And that's all I care'.
The movie was predictable to a huge extent, but given the hype and buildup, I am pretty sure it will make lots of money. Woodside was crowded when we went, and sold out. And like the Plan, there is one more fact that is constantly in the design when I see a movie at Woodside.
A guy with a huge turban or head will ALWAYS sit in front of me.
Update: A review that hits the spot perfectly.
Shiney Ahuja. Poor Shiney Ahuja. One would think he would have offers pouring in after 'Hazaaron khwahishen aisi' and 'Gangster'. I wonder what made him accept the script that listed his part as follows: 'Play football. Answer call. Drink tea. Die.'
Tags: Fanaa Desi
Friday, May 26, 2006
Mosque Candy
It was a strange sequence of events that found me at 10.30 pm on this Friday night inside a mosque rather than inside a cinema theatre watching X-men 3, or shooting some pool at a sports bar or bowling at an alley. I was at a friend's place away from the TO and he lived right next to the biggest mosque in that town. It was Isha time, the weather was nice and I wanted to go for a walk.
As I sat waiting for the prayers to start, I began to categorize the people present into groups. The older folk could have come straight from Pakistan/India/B'desh. Many still wore their shalwaar kameezes (with huge tea-stains at the corners), or were dressed in their thobes, stroking their footlong beards, their heads adorned with caps that had multiple patterned beads on it.
Then there was a group of young guys, around my age. They were seated in a circle, listening to some speaker in the center. They were dressed in long garbs, with jackets on top, and their heads covered in either caps or hoods. All had huge beards. Bits and pieces of the speaker's talk floated to me.
" ... must remain steadfast to our faith ..."
" ... be humble and kind ..."
" ... true salvation is in serving Allah ..."
Here, all this time, as I looked at those young people, I thought, 'boy, I have absolutely nothing in common with them'. Maybe it was just boredom but I was stereotyping these guys as strict conservative types.
I am used to our university crowd at the mosques - dressed in shirts, trousers or T-shirts and jeans. Beard is minimal (smartly trimmed or none at all), hair styled back, and so on. Guys who would pray and then drive off to the multiplex or mall.
I was a brown Muslim guy in a mosque filled with other brown Muslim guys and I felt like fish-out-of-water for some reason. How would a white convert feel?
Suddenly, a cellphone rang from somewhere. It was from one of those young men in the halaka circle. Frantically, he moved his hands from stroking his beard to searching the pockets of his dishdasha for the cellphone.
And why not? For the ringtone, in clear, loud, audible words to the rest of the congregation, was
I take you to the candy shop
I'll let you lick the lollypop
Go 'head girl, don't you stop
Keep goin 'til you hit the spot (whoa)
Maybe we have something in common with these guys after all.
Tags: Mosque Cellphone
As I sat waiting for the prayers to start, I began to categorize the people present into groups. The older folk could have come straight from Pakistan/India/B'desh. Many still wore their shalwaar kameezes (with huge tea-stains at the corners), or were dressed in their thobes, stroking their footlong beards, their heads adorned with caps that had multiple patterned beads on it.
Then there was a group of young guys, around my age. They were seated in a circle, listening to some speaker in the center. They were dressed in long garbs, with jackets on top, and their heads covered in either caps or hoods. All had huge beards. Bits and pieces of the speaker's talk floated to me.
" ... must remain steadfast to our faith ..."
" ... be humble and kind ..."
" ... true salvation is in serving Allah ..."
Here, all this time, as I looked at those young people, I thought, 'boy, I have absolutely nothing in common with them'. Maybe it was just boredom but I was stereotyping these guys as strict conservative types.
I am used to our university crowd at the mosques - dressed in shirts, trousers or T-shirts and jeans. Beard is minimal (smartly trimmed or none at all), hair styled back, and so on. Guys who would pray and then drive off to the multiplex or mall.
I was a brown Muslim guy in a mosque filled with other brown Muslim guys and I felt like fish-out-of-water for some reason. How would a white convert feel?
Suddenly, a cellphone rang from somewhere. It was from one of those young men in the halaka circle. Frantically, he moved his hands from stroking his beard to searching the pockets of his dishdasha for the cellphone.
And why not? For the ringtone, in clear, loud, audible words to the rest of the congregation, was
I take you to the candy shop
I'll let you lick the lollypop
Go 'head girl, don't you stop
Keep goin 'til you hit the spot (whoa)
Maybe we have something in common with these guys after all.
Tags: Mosque Cellphone
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
The Da Vinci Code
Watched the Da Vinci Code on Saturday evening. Even though I enjoyed the movie, I wish I didn't watch it then as I was really tired (we got the midnight show as all else were sold out, and this was after a day of BBQs, dodgeball games and 'sari' races). If you have read the book, you will definitely enjoy the movie. If you haven't - well my friends who are in that category said they enjoyed the movie too. But you definitely have to be a bit smart to follow some of the plot.
And like, duh, the book is waaaay better. Obviously as you can do a lot more in the book. However, this is a very faithful adaptation of the book.
A word about Tom Hanks. Is this the same actor who was in Forrest Gump? What a lousy job he did in the Da Vinci Code.
About the protests spanning the globe - there's even fatwas issued by Indian Catholics on Dan Brown's head, proving that Muslims don't have a monopoly here - given the topic of the movie and the way the Catholic Church is portrayed, I would expect that. What I don't get is the number of Muslims (not a lot) who protested. There was even a march on Friday outside the mosque I went to for prayers.
For .. um, Chrissake, why? Given that 95% of what the Da Vinci Code says (I don't want to give spoilers here) is what Islam believes happened to early Christianity, I don't get it.
Tags: Da Vinci Code
And like, duh, the book is waaaay better. Obviously as you can do a lot more in the book. However, this is a very faithful adaptation of the book.
A word about Tom Hanks. Is this the same actor who was in Forrest Gump? What a lousy job he did in the Da Vinci Code.
About the protests spanning the globe - there's even fatwas issued by Indian Catholics on Dan Brown's head, proving that Muslims don't have a monopoly here - given the topic of the movie and the way the Catholic Church is portrayed, I would expect that. What I don't get is the number of Muslims (not a lot) who protested. There was even a march on Friday outside the mosque I went to for prayers.
For .. um, Chrissake, why? Given that 95% of what the Da Vinci Code says (I don't want to give spoilers here) is what Islam believes happened to early Christianity, I don't get it.
Tags: Da Vinci Code
Monday, May 15, 2006
At The Bank
The smiles we wear ...
I was in the bank today during lunch, waiting to deposit a cheque. In front of me were a couple. They looked lovingly at each other, had their hands in each others' rear pockets, and informed the teller they wished to visit their safety deposit box. To the world, it was just another happily married(?) couple.
Except that the couple were two balding middle-aged guys.
Living in liberal Canada, we see a lot of wild stuff, and we become desensitized to it. However, the sight of two gay men still strikes most people as a tad too much. Yes, you have your rights, just ... stay the hell away from me, seems to be the attitude.
It was interesting watching the teller's reactions. She was a young, 20-something blond girl, and as she looked up, ready with the smile that says 'Next', her face froze ... momentarily. Then she recovered and asked 'How may I help you?' before verifying their signatures and leading them off to the locker rooms. As she came back, I saw her give an involuntary shudder before fixing her smile back into place and announcing, 'May I help the next person, please?'
The lane besides me was having an argument. An older Chinese gent was ... loudly ... yelling at the cashier (an Indian woman - do banks hire any male tellers?) that his cheques were in order. The teller was trying, unsuccessfully, to a)calm him down b)explain that the cheques needed to be countersigned by his wife c)stop herself from blowing up. My teller, seeing the situation, told the Chinese guy 'she's just doing her job, it's bank procedure', before the customer again exploded as to 'how the bank should know he was his wife's husband and why they needed her signature when he was here and why ... blah blah blah."
In the end the Indian lady just got a Chinese teller to speak with him, while she herself gave him the cold shoulder. And the look. After he left, she turned to the next guy in line, smiled and said 'Hi. How are you today?'
It was so surreal. It was as if the incident with the previous customer was already forgotten. She was all smiles and hellos and other such niceties - but I guess that's good customer service. Reminded me of those news readers who would read a shocking piece of news followed by fluff in an equally unperturbed manner.
"[with grim voice] Authorities say five people are dead, including a child as young as five, in the shocking murder of a family that has stunned the small New Brunswick town with its brutality.
[pearly white smile comes on] In another piece of news, it's Baby One More Time again for Britney Spears, who has confirmed reports of her pregnancy ..."
Tags: Toronto Bank
I was in the bank today during lunch, waiting to deposit a cheque. In front of me were a couple. They looked lovingly at each other, had their hands in each others' rear pockets, and informed the teller they wished to visit their safety deposit box. To the world, it was just another happily married(?) couple.
Except that the couple were two balding middle-aged guys.
Living in liberal Canada, we see a lot of wild stuff, and we become desensitized to it. However, the sight of two gay men still strikes most people as a tad too much. Yes, you have your rights, just ... stay the hell away from me, seems to be the attitude.
It was interesting watching the teller's reactions. She was a young, 20-something blond girl, and as she looked up, ready with the smile that says 'Next', her face froze ... momentarily. Then she recovered and asked 'How may I help you?' before verifying their signatures and leading them off to the locker rooms. As she came back, I saw her give an involuntary shudder before fixing her smile back into place and announcing, 'May I help the next person, please?'
The lane besides me was having an argument. An older Chinese gent was ... loudly ... yelling at the cashier (an Indian woman - do banks hire any male tellers?) that his cheques were in order. The teller was trying, unsuccessfully, to a)calm him down b)explain that the cheques needed to be countersigned by his wife c)stop herself from blowing up. My teller, seeing the situation, told the Chinese guy 'she's just doing her job, it's bank procedure', before the customer again exploded as to 'how the bank should know he was his wife's husband and why they needed her signature when he was here and why ... blah blah blah."
In the end the Indian lady just got a Chinese teller to speak with him, while she herself gave him the cold shoulder. And the look. After he left, she turned to the next guy in line, smiled and said 'Hi. How are you today?'
It was so surreal. It was as if the incident with the previous customer was already forgotten. She was all smiles and hellos and other such niceties - but I guess that's good customer service. Reminded me of those news readers who would read a shocking piece of news followed by fluff in an equally unperturbed manner.
"[with grim voice] Authorities say five people are dead, including a child as young as five, in the shocking murder of a family that has stunned the small New Brunswick town with its brutality.
[pearly white smile comes on] In another piece of news, it's Baby One More Time again for Britney Spears, who has confirmed reports of her pregnancy ..."
Tags: Toronto Bank
Friday, May 12, 2006
Making My Family Tree
They were showing the myths discussed in the Da Vinci Code on the History Channel and mentioned a document tracing the genealogy of Christ - a family tree, if you will. The mention of those words made me reminisce about a particular incident from my childhood.
It was during my summer vacations, usually spent in Bangladesh. I must have been around ten. Now, when I used to travel from the Middle East to Bangladesh, it would mean losing connection with all my friends for two months, as well as giving up my favourite TV programs. I am talking before satellite channels (and the internet), and all of Bangladesh used to have one channel - BTV (still does). The only good program on BTV was Wednesdays, 10 pm, MacGyver. And this was if I was in Dhaka, and the power was there. For three days on every trip, however, my parents would go to our ancestral village. Which meant, for me, not even TV.
I used to be quite bored while in the village. First, as I mentioned, no TV. Second, thewashroomstoilets used to be ... disgusting. The elders did nothing but chew bidi and paan and have red teeth. The young kids thought nothing of playing football in the mud. And no one knew of Sherlock Holmes! And if you think I would have a fun time with my cousins, think again. All my cousins who lived in the village were a) older than me and planning to pressure my dad to get them a visa, any visa, to Dubai b) younger than me who thought nothing of grabbing a cockroach and tearing off its legs one at a time. All the cool cousins were in Dhaka, it seemed.
So there I was, at midday, sitting all alone, reading my Tintin comic for the fourth time, when my dad walks in.
"What are you doing?" He asks.
"I am BORED." Little spoilt me complained.
"Well, your Riaz bhaia's playing football." My dad offered.
I looked at him in shock. "It's raining outside. And the ball is not even Nike!"
My dad then had a bright idea. "Tell you what, why don't we make a family tree? It will teach you a bit about our family. We are descended from Isa Kha, you know.
So he asked me to get a piece of paper. Which proved easier said than done. At that time the only papers one could find there were newsprint papers attached to school notebooks, which my cousins were reluctant to part with (for some reason there was always paper when the elders were playing cards). I finallygot stole one notebook.
"Ok," my dad said. "Write your great-grandfather's name down. It's so-and-so."
I wrote it down.
"Now we are going to note the names of his kids."
At that moment my uncle popped his head into the room and asked us what we were doing.
"Making a family tree." I replied. I had to explain what that was.
"Oh." My uncle popped his head out and started to shout, "Maqsud! Shamim! Faiza! Poppy! Rana! Come here! WE ARE MAKING A FAMILY TREE."
Suddenly there were 10 people in the room. I drew four lines under my great grandfather's name and asked, "so how many kids did he have?"
"Wait." My uncle interrupted. "There was 4 ... no 5 ... but that was from his first wife. From his second ..."
"He had HOW many wives?" I asked incredulously. At that age polygamy was unknown to me.
"Three." My dad replied quite matter-of-factly. I quickly added a few more lines under my great grandfather's name. 17 kids, to be precise. I was going to need the whole notebook.
And that's how it continued. It was funny how everyone 3 generations ago had 2 or 3 wives and atleast 15 kids (not counting those that died in infancy). The next generation may have children in single digits (like 9) but could still have 2 wives. The following generation had 1 wife and only 3 or 4 kids.
When we were finally done, half the village was in that room. Everyone kept reminding me of someone I had forgotten "but what about Kamal the son of Quddus the ...". It had taken 13 papers, 2 hours, and we found out we were related to the village MP's eldest daughter-in-law.
I still have those papers. And come to think of it, that one afternoon was some of the best 2 hours I had spent.
Tags: Bangladesh Desi
It was during my summer vacations, usually spent in Bangladesh. I must have been around ten. Now, when I used to travel from the Middle East to Bangladesh, it would mean losing connection with all my friends for two months, as well as giving up my favourite TV programs. I am talking before satellite channels (and the internet), and all of Bangladesh used to have one channel - BTV (still does). The only good program on BTV was Wednesdays, 10 pm, MacGyver. And this was if I was in Dhaka, and the power was there. For three days on every trip, however, my parents would go to our ancestral village. Which meant, for me, not even TV.
I used to be quite bored while in the village. First, as I mentioned, no TV. Second, the
So there I was, at midday, sitting all alone, reading my Tintin comic for the fourth time, when my dad walks in.
"What are you doing?" He asks.
"I am BORED." Little spoilt me complained.
"Well, your Riaz bhaia's playing football." My dad offered.
I looked at him in shock. "It's raining outside. And the ball is not even Nike!"
My dad then had a bright idea. "Tell you what, why don't we make a family tree? It will teach you a bit about our family. We are descended from Isa Kha, you know.
So he asked me to get a piece of paper. Which proved easier said than done. At that time the only papers one could find there were newsprint papers attached to school notebooks, which my cousins were reluctant to part with (for some reason there was always paper when the elders were playing cards). I finally
"Ok," my dad said. "Write your great-grandfather's name down. It's so-and-so."
I wrote it down.
"Now we are going to note the names of his kids."
At that moment my uncle popped his head into the room and asked us what we were doing.
"Making a family tree." I replied. I had to explain what that was.
"Oh." My uncle popped his head out and started to shout, "Maqsud! Shamim! Faiza! Poppy! Rana! Come here! WE ARE MAKING A FAMILY TREE."
Suddenly there were 10 people in the room. I drew four lines under my great grandfather's name and asked, "so how many kids did he have?"
"Wait." My uncle interrupted. "There was 4 ... no 5 ... but that was from his first wife. From his second ..."
"He had HOW many wives?" I asked incredulously. At that age polygamy was unknown to me.
"Three." My dad replied quite matter-of-factly. I quickly added a few more lines under my great grandfather's name. 17 kids, to be precise. I was going to need the whole notebook.
And that's how it continued. It was funny how everyone 3 generations ago had 2 or 3 wives and atleast 15 kids (not counting those that died in infancy). The next generation may have children in single digits (like 9) but could still have 2 wives. The following generation had 1 wife and only 3 or 4 kids.
When we were finally done, half the village was in that room. Everyone kept reminding me of someone I had forgotten "but what about Kamal the son of Quddus the ...". It had taken 13 papers, 2 hours, and we found out we were related to the village MP's eldest daughter-in-law.
I still have those papers. And come to think of it, that one afternoon was some of the best 2 hours I had spent.
Tags: Bangladesh Desi
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Did You Say 'Heads'?
The new Canadian quarter. I got this amongst my change today. I wonder what would happen in a cricket match at the toss were you to use to this coin and call 'Heads'? If it lands as in the first picture, you win normally. However, if it lands as in the second picture, you did say Heads (with the plural). Are two heads better than one?
Did you say 'Heads'?
Tags: Canada Coin Toss
Did you say 'Heads'?
Tags: Canada Coin Toss
Monday, May 08, 2006
Go Watch MI3
If you like action movies go watch Mission Impossible 3.
Ditto if you are a guy.
If you are a girl, Tom Cruise is in the movie. He's almost Shah Rukh Khan, right? Go watch the movie.
This was the perfect blockbuster to kickoff the summer (even if Toronto is going through a cold spell). Not once did I glance at the clock. Unlike MI-1, the plot is linear and not too complicated. It's basically an excuse to go from one action scene to the next. Unlike MI-2, the movie kept me at the edge of my seat and never lagged once. At one stage when Ethan Hunt (Cruise) was about to attempt another dangerous stunt I was like 'Bismillah Bismillah' before scolding myself 'Mezba - get a grip, it's just a movie, chill'. It was that absorbing.
I have often heard the phrase 'leave your brains at home' (usually in connection with some awful Govinda movies) but this is the first time I can say, you don't need to think too much. Just buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Three points if you can guess which other famous movie the junior male spy (the other spy besides Ethan and the black dude) acted in. As well as the villain's female bodyguard, remember where you have seen her?
So yes, go and watch the movie.
Now, on the other hand, if you hate Tom Cruise ... well, you should know people disagree with my movie reviews. I hated Rang De Basanti and enjoyed Lord of War.
Tags: Mission Impossible 3
Ditto if you are a guy.
If you are a girl, Tom Cruise is in the movie. He's almost Shah Rukh Khan, right? Go watch the movie.
This was the perfect blockbuster to kickoff the summer (even if Toronto is going through a cold spell). Not once did I glance at the clock. Unlike MI-1, the plot is linear and not too complicated. It's basically an excuse to go from one action scene to the next. Unlike MI-2, the movie kept me at the edge of my seat and never lagged once. At one stage when Ethan Hunt (Cruise) was about to attempt another dangerous stunt I was like 'Bismillah Bismillah' before scolding myself 'Mezba - get a grip, it's just a movie, chill'. It was that absorbing.
I have often heard the phrase 'leave your brains at home' (usually in connection with some awful Govinda movies) but this is the first time I can say, you don't need to think too much. Just buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Three points if you can guess which other famous movie the junior male spy (the other spy besides Ethan and the black dude) acted in. As well as the villain's female bodyguard, remember where you have seen her?
So yes, go and watch the movie.
Now, on the other hand, if you hate Tom Cruise ... well, you should know people disagree with my movie reviews. I hated Rang De Basanti and enjoyed Lord of War.
Tags: Mission Impossible 3
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Why Are You Marching?
I went to meet a couple of friends downtown to watch Mission Impossible 3. As we were walking down University Ave., I started to hear shouting and chants. We looked at each other - the chants sounded familiar. Could it be ... Arabic? And why were there so many policemen on the road, blocking off lanes?
Then they came into view. Marching straight beside Mt. Sinai Hospital, where it says "Quiet Zone", came hundreds of men in white tunic and green turbans, followed by women in jilbabs pushing prams with kids in tow, marching and chanting.
As we watched, puzzled, the march was led by a car with speakers attached to its roof, and we could see a guy inside, with a microphone in hand, screaming what sounded like nasheeds. And following the car was a marching band!
Apparently, someone forgot the memo from Saudi clerics that musical instruments are banned. Or are drums the new dafs?
But what were they protesting/marching about? As far as I could remember, the Danish cartoons were a distant issue, and we Muslims have it pretty good in Canada. Especially South Asians. Then came the banner.
Wait a minute - celebrating a birthday? Lost that memo too?
Honestly, Satan is very creative. A female Muslim ex-blogger and MSA exec of UofT once commented that the Ummah seems to have a lot of time on their hands. Looking at this march, I can't help but think she was right. We have so many issues to deal with. The lack of spaces allotted to women in the mosques. The false interpretation of Islam by many clerics. The oppression of women in our rural communities. The false cultural dogma that colours our religion. The awful treatment of expatriate workers in the Arab world.
It's hard to solve those problems. It's impossible to criticize our clerics. It's much easier to grab a 'I Love Muhammad (s)' sticker and go marching. So go ahead, pick up a placard.
As one Saudi girl who was with my friend remarked, "You know, I am an observant Muslim, but when I see stuff like this [women screaming at the top of their lungs that Muhammad(s) is protection against all evil and sicknesses - shirk in my book] and that if I were non-Muslim, I would think Islam is so-uncool."
Satan is indeed creative.
These tourists got more than what they paid for.
The Metro
Tags: Toronto Muslims
Then they came into view. Marching straight beside Mt. Sinai Hospital, where it says "Quiet Zone", came hundreds of men in white tunic and green turbans, followed by women in jilbabs pushing prams with kids in tow, marching and chanting.
As we watched, puzzled, the march was led by a car with speakers attached to its roof, and we could see a guy inside, with a microphone in hand, screaming what sounded like nasheeds. And following the car was a marching band!
Apparently, someone forgot the memo from Saudi clerics that musical instruments are banned. Or are drums the new dafs?
But what were they protesting/marching about? As far as I could remember, the Danish cartoons were a distant issue, and we Muslims have it pretty good in Canada. Especially South Asians. Then came the banner.
Wait a minute - celebrating a birthday? Lost that memo too?
Honestly, Satan is very creative. A female Muslim ex-blogger and MSA exec of UofT once commented that the Ummah seems to have a lot of time on their hands. Looking at this march, I can't help but think she was right. We have so many issues to deal with. The lack of spaces allotted to women in the mosques. The false interpretation of Islam by many clerics. The oppression of women in our rural communities. The false cultural dogma that colours our religion. The awful treatment of expatriate workers in the Arab world.
It's hard to solve those problems. It's impossible to criticize our clerics. It's much easier to grab a 'I Love Muhammad (s)' sticker and go marching. So go ahead, pick up a placard.
As one Saudi girl who was with my friend remarked, "You know, I am an observant Muslim, but when I see stuff like this [women screaming at the top of their lungs that Muhammad(s) is protection against all evil and sicknesses - shirk in my book] and that if I were non-Muslim, I would think Islam is so-uncool."
Satan is indeed creative.
These tourists got more than what they paid for.
The Metro
Tags: Toronto Muslims
Friday, May 05, 2006
Its The Month To Be Desi
I was mistaken last night for a Gujrati. I know, I looking nothing like this guy, but apparently I don't have a Bengali face. Well, I am brown, so won't be mistaken for a Nordic ski instructor soon, but there was I, in the washroom of a sports bar.
I had gone to play some pool with a few friends, and was just emerging from the washroom, when this dude walked out of one stall. Then he looked at me, and without missing a beat, started to shoot off his mouth.
Well, it sounded Greek to me, but I could make out 'kemcho', amongst others. The he stopped, and looked expectantly at me.
"I am sorry?" I had a what-the-f-is-wrong-with-you look (I perfected that look).
Then the guy got really angry.
"You!" He waved a finger at me. "You are here and ashamed to be a Gujrati! Shame on you!" [he pronounced it same as in samed to be Gujrati and same on you].
And all I could think of at this moment was dude! wash your hands!
I wanted to tell him, loudly, in my best Punjabi accent "Oye! Tusi kya bolrao? Asi jaat Panjaaban!"
Instead, ofcourse, I said. "You are terribly wrong. I am Bengali."
"Oh," The guy deflated a bit. "Hokay!"
Still shaking my head, I walked out, before starting to laugh. I wished I did speak Gujrati, so I could understand what he was saying. And why would you start to talk to a stranger, IN THE WASHROOM, before you washed your hands? Eeeeyuck.
I wonder what he would have thought had he walked into our group, which included one Gujrati guy, who was actually yakking on the phone with his girlfriend in his mother tongue.
I have noticed this fact amongst some of us desi people too. We meet a non-desi, we politely talk about the weather, the terrible effect of potholes on our cars, and whether the Leafs are going to win the Stanley Cup ... ever. We meet a desi - boom! We talk about how your father is doing, how much are you earning, how's your job, whether you are married, how the rash-on-uncle's-bum that aunty is so worried about is doing... wow. You may hardly know the guy, but you know how much his third son is earning.
Maybe it's because we don't like to talk about personal stuff with non-desis that we talk about the weather.
May is South Asian Heritage Month in Canada (h/t Isheeta). In Toronto, this would be the month desis throng to Dundas Square and Harbourfront for all the masti and fundas shows (May 20,21). During elections in January this year, I actually had MP Bill Graham, who was Minister of Defense at that time, hand me a pamphlet for the Liberal Party on the subway. And the pamphlet was in several languages, Hindi, Arabic and Chinese being some of them. The Minister of Defense! Can you imagine Donald Rumsfield handling out Vote Me in Arabic in downtown LA?
Long live desis and desi-isms.
Tags: Desi Toronto
I had gone to play some pool with a few friends, and was just emerging from the washroom, when this dude walked out of one stall. Then he looked at me, and without missing a beat, started to shoot off his mouth.
Well, it sounded Greek to me, but I could make out 'kemcho', amongst others. The he stopped, and looked expectantly at me.
"I am sorry?" I had a what-the-f-is-wrong-with-you look (I perfected that look).
Then the guy got really angry.
"You!" He waved a finger at me. "You are here and ashamed to be a Gujrati! Shame on you!" [he pronounced it same as in samed to be Gujrati and same on you].
And all I could think of at this moment was dude! wash your hands!
I wanted to tell him, loudly, in my best Punjabi accent "Oye! Tusi kya bolrao? Asi jaat Panjaaban!"
Instead, ofcourse, I said. "You are terribly wrong. I am Bengali."
"Oh," The guy deflated a bit. "Hokay!"
Still shaking my head, I walked out, before starting to laugh. I wished I did speak Gujrati, so I could understand what he was saying. And why would you start to talk to a stranger, IN THE WASHROOM, before you washed your hands? Eeeeyuck.
I wonder what he would have thought had he walked into our group, which included one Gujrati guy, who was actually yakking on the phone with his girlfriend in his mother tongue.
I have noticed this fact amongst some of us desi people too. We meet a non-desi, we politely talk about the weather, the terrible effect of potholes on our cars, and whether the Leafs are going to win the Stanley Cup ... ever. We meet a desi - boom! We talk about how your father is doing, how much are you earning, how's your job, whether you are married, how the rash-on-uncle's-bum that aunty is so worried about is doing... wow. You may hardly know the guy, but you know how much his third son is earning.
Maybe it's because we don't like to talk about personal stuff with non-desis that we talk about the weather.
May is South Asian Heritage Month in Canada (h/t Isheeta). In Toronto, this would be the month desis throng to Dundas Square and Harbourfront for all the masti and fundas shows (May 20,21). During elections in January this year, I actually had MP Bill Graham, who was Minister of Defense at that time, hand me a pamphlet for the Liberal Party on the subway. And the pamphlet was in several languages, Hindi, Arabic and Chinese being some of them. The Minister of Defense! Can you imagine Donald Rumsfield handling out Vote Me in Arabic in downtown LA?
Long live desis and desi-isms.
Tags: Desi Toronto
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Battle Of The Tank
My MSN nick read - 'my cichlids ate my oscar'.
I keep an aquarium of cichlids. Cichlids are usually African or South American, a bit wild and territorial, and come in pretty colours and markings. I have had my setup for sometime now, so my fish have all grown used to each other, marking their territories and so on. On Monday evening, I decided to get a new fish from the petshop and add it to the tank, after three years of no new fishes.
I was describing what happened next to a female classmate who had just come online.
So, I now have a problem - how to introduce new fish into an established tank of cichlids. I thought with the oscar's reputation for being tough it would be OK but apparently they are not very communal fish, and slow to move. All of which the salesman tells me later.
The advises I got are conflicting.
1. Add a fish that is twice as large as the largest fish in the tank. No one will dare attack it and it can take on all comers.
2. Add a fish half as small as the smallest fish. No fish will see it as a threat and ignore it.
Please feel free to add to that list.
Cichlids can be beautiful and fun fish to keep.
Tags: Cichlid Aquarium
I keep an aquarium of cichlids. Cichlids are usually African or South American, a bit wild and territorial, and come in pretty colours and markings. I have had my setup for sometime now, so my fish have all grown used to each other, marking their territories and so on. On Monday evening, I decided to get a new fish from the petshop and add it to the tank, after three years of no new fishes.
I was describing what happened next to a female classmate who had just come online.
FF (female friend): What do you mean they ate the oscar?
Me: Well, after I had floated the bag containing the oscar ...
FF: Oscar is a fish, right?
Me: Yes. So, I took the oscar out from the bag with my net and placed it into the tank.
FF: And next morning you saw the fish dead?
Me: No, no. I placed the oscar into the tank, and then watched as six cichlids attacked it, completely eating it live in three minutes.
FF: Gross!
Me: I wish I had taped it - it was like National Geographic.
FF: Wait wait. You lost a fish, and your ... sole ... regret is you didn't tape it?
Me: Well, I did spend 10 bucks on the oscar ....
FF signs off and may not reply because her status has changed to Offline.
So, I now have a problem - how to introduce new fish into an established tank of cichlids. I thought with the oscar's reputation for being tough it would be OK but apparently they are not very communal fish, and slow to move. All of which the salesman tells me later.
The advises I got are conflicting.
1. Add a fish that is twice as large as the largest fish in the tank. No one will dare attack it and it can take on all comers.
2. Add a fish half as small as the smallest fish. No fish will see it as a threat and ignore it.
Please feel free to add to that list.
Cichlids can be beautiful and fun fish to keep.
Tags: Cichlid Aquarium
Monday, May 01, 2006
Metro Police Museum, Darfur
On Sunday, I was in downtown, out for a walk near the Metro Police headquarters. They have a police museum there that I had been planning to visit for some time, so I popped in. What I didn't know was, at the exact same time as I entered the place, they were starting a ceremony to honour common citizens who had helped the public and police during the past year. So as soon as I swung through the doors, this huge policeman, decked in complete dress uniform, white gloves and a golden sword at his side, walked to me, smiled a welcome and handed a paper to me.
'Wow, what a fancy museum,' I thought, as I completely sidestepped the neat array of chairs where various people were seated, much to the surprise of that policeman, and made for the exhibits. Only later, when I found out why so many people were seated there, why was the Chief of Police there, why there were cameras for three local TV channels there, did I feel foolish. I could have been on TV!
Anyways, the museum itself, while not big, is pretty interesting. If you are ever in the area, check it out. The most intriguing display were the showcases holding real pieces of evidences from past crimes.
There was an utility belt, used by one man in his disguise in an attempt to infiltrate the apartment of a young woman in order to assault her. They also had the actual tape holding his confession, as to how he planned the whole thing, stalking the apartment complex for days before selecting his victim.
There was an iron, whose utility cord was used to strangle someone to death. There were actual forged cheques, ropes used to hang a murderer, actual bullets fired during a robbery, and so on.
Other interesting display of note were old traffic lights. In olden times, the light used to be stored in a nearby shop, and the lamp had four screens, two red, two green. A police officer used to fetch the lamp in the morning, and stand all day on duty turning the lamp one way or the other (red for stop, green for go). I don't know how people lived back then.
On the way back, I walked past a rally for Darfur. I posted about it here, but I think there are some people who pick a 'protest for the month' and go attend that protest (without understanding what they are protesting). When I was a student, the closest I came to attending a protest was when they considered reducing the hours the computer lab was open - we had to do our assignments man! CS does that to you.
A police car, with working lights and sirens, that YOU can get inside and switch on or off.
Showcasing real pieces of evidence from actual past crimes.
The result of running a red light.
A replica of the original police station (circa 1800s) where the museum now stands.
Tags: Toronto Police Darfur
'Wow, what a fancy museum,' I thought, as I completely sidestepped the neat array of chairs where various people were seated, much to the surprise of that policeman, and made for the exhibits. Only later, when I found out why so many people were seated there, why was the Chief of Police there, why there were cameras for three local TV channels there, did I feel foolish. I could have been on TV!
Anyways, the museum itself, while not big, is pretty interesting. If you are ever in the area, check it out. The most intriguing display were the showcases holding real pieces of evidences from past crimes.
There was an utility belt, used by one man in his disguise in an attempt to infiltrate the apartment of a young woman in order to assault her. They also had the actual tape holding his confession, as to how he planned the whole thing, stalking the apartment complex for days before selecting his victim.
There was an iron, whose utility cord was used to strangle someone to death. There were actual forged cheques, ropes used to hang a murderer, actual bullets fired during a robbery, and so on.
Other interesting display of note were old traffic lights. In olden times, the light used to be stored in a nearby shop, and the lamp had four screens, two red, two green. A police officer used to fetch the lamp in the morning, and stand all day on duty turning the lamp one way or the other (red for stop, green for go). I don't know how people lived back then.
On the way back, I walked past a rally for Darfur. I posted about it here, but I think there are some people who pick a 'protest for the month' and go attend that protest (without understanding what they are protesting). When I was a student, the closest I came to attending a protest was when they considered reducing the hours the computer lab was open - we had to do our assignments man! CS does that to you.
A police car, with working lights and sirens, that YOU can get inside and switch on or off.
Showcasing real pieces of evidence from actual past crimes.
The result of running a red light.
A replica of the original police station (circa 1800s) where the museum now stands.
Tags: Toronto Police Darfur
Friday, April 28, 2006
How To Play Football (for Cricketers) - 1
As the kick-off time for the football worldcup 2006 dawns closer (41 days according to the MSN nick of one of my soccer-crazy pals), certain changes start to occur to my normally-cricket friendly friends. During the weekend cricket games, a football will emerge next to the kits. After a long game of cricket, a few people will start to kick the ball around. Slowly, the number of people kicking the ball will grow, the number overs bowled start getting shorter, until finally everyone is playing soccer.
For a month.
Now I am not a normally soccer-playing person. I would rather go to the gym and do a targeted-muscle-cardio-vascular-tension exercise (I just feel good saying that). I will watch the World Cups and the Euro tournaments religiously - but that's as far as I go. Who really cares if Arsenal beats Barcelona in Paris for the Champions League. However, this summer will be the summer of football. Based on that, here's the first post in a series of pointers on how to play a game of football (for cricketers).
Position
When they coax you, a cricketer, to play football, a selling point will be 'you can choose what position you want to play'. And what does our normal, slightly lazy, cricketer do? He chooses the goalkeeper position. You would think, 'well, all I have to do is run around between these two posts for a few minutes for the whole game. How bad can it be?' - WRONG!
The goalie's position can be very stressful. No one remembers all the saves (close eyes and pray and fluke!) that you do. Besides, try imagining a 200 pound center-forward bearing down on you and ready to kick that huge ball at 100 mph towards your face.
No, the best position is the defender's position. Stay a few feet in front of the goalkeeper. Chat with the fellow defenders. Have a smoke if you will. You don't need to come forward or run at all - opponents will marvel at your discipline in sticking to your post.
In the unfortunate event that the other team is on the attack, all you need to do is run forward with a Howard Dean scream 'aaaaaaagh' and launch a flying tackle at the other dude's feet. If you can manage to kick the ball away, good. If not, well, you tried, right? In which other soccer position will people say well played when you kick the ball away, without any thought of direction or speed or strategy?
Tags: Football Cricket
For a month.
Now I am not a normally soccer-playing person. I would rather go to the gym and do a targeted-muscle-cardio-vascular-tension exercise (I just feel good saying that). I will watch the World Cups and the Euro tournaments religiously - but that's as far as I go. Who really cares if Arsenal beats Barcelona in Paris for the Champions League. However, this summer will be the summer of football. Based on that, here's the first post in a series of pointers on how to play a game of football (for cricketers).
Position
When they coax you, a cricketer, to play football, a selling point will be 'you can choose what position you want to play'. And what does our normal, slightly lazy, cricketer do? He chooses the goalkeeper position. You would think, 'well, all I have to do is run around between these two posts for a few minutes for the whole game. How bad can it be?' - WRONG!
The goalie's position can be very stressful. No one remembers all the saves (close eyes and pray and fluke!) that you do. Besides, try imagining a 200 pound center-forward bearing down on you and ready to kick that huge ball at 100 mph towards your face.
No, the best position is the defender's position. Stay a few feet in front of the goalkeeper. Chat with the fellow defenders. Have a smoke if you will. You don't need to come forward or run at all - opponents will marvel at your discipline in sticking to your post.
In the unfortunate event that the other team is on the attack, all you need to do is run forward with a Howard Dean scream 'aaaaaaagh' and launch a flying tackle at the other dude's feet. If you can manage to kick the ball away, good. If not, well, you tried, right? In which other soccer position will people say well played when you kick the ball away, without any thought of direction or speed or strategy?
Tags: Football Cricket
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Why Do You Want To Return?
"Pay the laborer his wages even before his sweat dries up."
- Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as reported by Ibn Majah on the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar.
"I want to go back." A friend confided to me. He was talking about returning to work in the Middle East. "The pay is better, no taxes, and best of all, it's a Muslim country. I can hear the azaan, I can pray and I can bring up my kids properly."
"I see." I replied. "It's a Muslim country. Really? You do remember you are a brown skinned desi right?"
"It's better than the racism I face here." He retorted. "They don't say it, but it's there."
He was ofcourse talking about Canada. A country that has given him land, citizenship, job, education, freedom of speech, freedom of movement and most of all - dignity. Return to the Middle East, and you are nothing more than a dark skinned rafik, a derogatory term used by Arabs for the desis.
I like visiting there. I like shopping there. But I will not like working there. Hearing the azaan five times a day while the imams who deliver the sermons do nothing about the plight of foreign workers there (while sermonizing the West about defending Islam from a poor powerless Afghan convert) is not my idea of a Muslim country.
The Washington Times carried the stories of few unskilled Asian workers. One cannot visit his hospitalized wife, another has seen his kids only 6 times in 26 years. According to reports by Human Rights organizations, in one of the Middle East nations there are only 80 inspectors for nearly 200,000 companies that hire foreign labourers. Racism is rampant, and open.
Classifieds ask for "US/UK/Canadian Educated Only" when looking for managers. When a brown man commits a crime, the newspapers proudly say "Asian convicted of crime ..." - as if Arabs from the Gulf are not Asians.
The fault is ours. Governments of Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka cannot create enough jobs for their millions of citizens. So they encourage them to go abroad and work in unskilled positions, and remain grateful for the foreign exchange they send back. However, they turn a blind eye to the abuses these workers have to suffer. Men who leave their wives and kids, borrow money by selling all they have, to procure a visa. They in turn work illegally and are not paid for months. They return, years later, with nothing much to show for it except broken families and lives.
Women, who leave their kids and husbands to go abroad and work as maids. They suffer from sexual abuse, rape, overwork and return to find their husbands having remarried, their children discarded and no help from their government. The cycle continues.
If I return, yes, I will get a work as a well paid manager. I will wear a suit and tie and have a Pakistani driver on call and an Indian waitor to make me tea whenever I want it. I will have an Indonesian maid to clean my house. I will have a Bangladeshi labourer slaving away at the machines. But I will be perpetuating that cycle of abuse. And the white guy next to me and who knows less than me will be earning triple my wages. And, meanwhile, the so-called Muslim country, that pays these labourers less than $4 A DAY will deduct their wages for time lost due to prayers. Yes, Muslim country indeed.
Workers stand on a plank they have used as a makeshift bridge over a stream of sewage in their camp.
Many bunkbeds in a single room serve as residences for these labourers
- Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as reported by Ibn Majah on the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar.
"I want to go back." A friend confided to me. He was talking about returning to work in the Middle East. "The pay is better, no taxes, and best of all, it's a Muslim country. I can hear the azaan, I can pray and I can bring up my kids properly."
"I see." I replied. "It's a Muslim country. Really? You do remember you are a brown skinned desi right?"
"It's better than the racism I face here." He retorted. "They don't say it, but it's there."
He was ofcourse talking about Canada. A country that has given him land, citizenship, job, education, freedom of speech, freedom of movement and most of all - dignity. Return to the Middle East, and you are nothing more than a dark skinned rafik, a derogatory term used by Arabs for the desis.
I like visiting there. I like shopping there. But I will not like working there. Hearing the azaan five times a day while the imams who deliver the sermons do nothing about the plight of foreign workers there (while sermonizing the West about defending Islam from a poor powerless Afghan convert) is not my idea of a Muslim country.
The Washington Times carried the stories of few unskilled Asian workers. One cannot visit his hospitalized wife, another has seen his kids only 6 times in 26 years. According to reports by Human Rights organizations, in one of the Middle East nations there are only 80 inspectors for nearly 200,000 companies that hire foreign labourers. Racism is rampant, and open.
Classifieds ask for "US/UK/Canadian Educated Only" when looking for managers. When a brown man commits a crime, the newspapers proudly say "Asian convicted of crime ..." - as if Arabs from the Gulf are not Asians.
The fault is ours. Governments of Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka cannot create enough jobs for their millions of citizens. So they encourage them to go abroad and work in unskilled positions, and remain grateful for the foreign exchange they send back. However, they turn a blind eye to the abuses these workers have to suffer. Men who leave their wives and kids, borrow money by selling all they have, to procure a visa. They in turn work illegally and are not paid for months. They return, years later, with nothing much to show for it except broken families and lives.
Women, who leave their kids and husbands to go abroad and work as maids. They suffer from sexual abuse, rape, overwork and return to find their husbands having remarried, their children discarded and no help from their government. The cycle continues.
If I return, yes, I will get a work as a well paid manager. I will wear a suit and tie and have a Pakistani driver on call and an Indian waitor to make me tea whenever I want it. I will have an Indonesian maid to clean my house. I will have a Bangladeshi labourer slaving away at the machines. But I will be perpetuating that cycle of abuse. And the white guy next to me and who knows less than me will be earning triple my wages. And, meanwhile, the so-called Muslim country, that pays these labourers less than $4 A DAY will deduct their wages for time lost due to prayers. Yes, Muslim country indeed.
Workers stand on a plank they have used as a makeshift bridge over a stream of sewage in their camp.
Many bunkbeds in a single room serve as residences for these labourers
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Back From An Ottawa Wedding
.. with a few observations.
Why It Pays To Be The Bride's Cousins:
(and why Ottawa is bo-o-o-o-o-ring)
Gate-dhora. When the groom is about to enter the wedding hall, the bride's cousins will block his entry until he demands to pay a fee. It's usually the saalis (bride's female cousins, that too the younger ones) who do that 'blocking'. This Thursday, I was in Ottawa for my cousin sister's wedding, and I was placed as the 'overseer' of the gate-dhora. Well, we got $200 dollars. We would also have got more for stealing the groom's shoes (don't ask) but nowadays grooms are smart and wear them throughout the ceremony. It's pretty hard to steal shoes when someone is wearing them.
Well, now, it was next day, Friday night, 8 pm, and we have 13 cousins and $200 to blow. And what is there to do in Ottawa on that Friday night?
Absolutely Nothing. Hah! (sorry, just had to get that in there).
Keep in mind some cousins were young so we could not just go anywhere. Some ate Halal/Zabihah so we could not go to any restaurant. We wanted to go for Chinese but the groom (cousin's new husband) was treating us the next day to Chinese. So I suggested we watch the Indian movie Humko Deewana Kar Gaye and go for some dinner later. And what do I discover? There is NO Bollywood movie theatre in Ottawa. They did play the movie last week at some English cinema.
So in the end we all ended up going for shawarma. Shawarma?! I could have done that in some backyard alley in Toronto. We didn't scrimp and ordered the whole plates for each person, BBQ chickens, veggies and what-not, and spent 140 bucks. But seriously, shawarma? If this was Toronto, we would have gone to Woodside at 9, then Gerrard Street to Lahore Tikka for some butter chicken at 12.30 past midnight, then Timmy's for some dessert. Toronto rules.
Why It's Good To Be The Groom:
You get treated like royalty. If you are the guy, you can pretty much demand anything. Even if you are not a demander, your parents will tell you that you MUST demand, to preserve porompora (tradition), as in your sisters' wedding her groom will demand. Besides, the bride's side will get offended if you don't have any demands (huh?).
So BE A MAN. At my wedding, I am going to demand that the bride's party show up with purple M&M flavoured gulab jamuns.
PS. What's Wrong With Brown Skin?
Beauty parlors. What use are they? The desi women going to a wedding go into a beauty parlor and come out looking like Casper the friendly ghost's not so friendly friend. White as hell. What is with that obsession?
Why It Pays To Be The Bride's Cousins:
(and why Ottawa is bo-o-o-o-o-ring)
Gate-dhora. When the groom is about to enter the wedding hall, the bride's cousins will block his entry until he demands to pay a fee. It's usually the saalis (bride's female cousins, that too the younger ones) who do that 'blocking'. This Thursday, I was in Ottawa for my cousin sister's wedding, and I was placed as the 'overseer' of the gate-dhora. Well, we got $200 dollars. We would also have got more for stealing the groom's shoes (don't ask) but nowadays grooms are smart and wear them throughout the ceremony. It's pretty hard to steal shoes when someone is wearing them.
Well, now, it was next day, Friday night, 8 pm, and we have 13 cousins and $200 to blow. And what is there to do in Ottawa on that Friday night?
Absolutely Nothing. Hah! (sorry, just had to get that in there).
Keep in mind some cousins were young so we could not just go anywhere. Some ate Halal/Zabihah so we could not go to any restaurant. We wanted to go for Chinese but the groom (cousin's new husband) was treating us the next day to Chinese. So I suggested we watch the Indian movie Humko Deewana Kar Gaye and go for some dinner later. And what do I discover? There is NO Bollywood movie theatre in Ottawa. They did play the movie last week at some English cinema.
So in the end we all ended up going for shawarma. Shawarma?! I could have done that in some backyard alley in Toronto. We didn't scrimp and ordered the whole plates for each person, BBQ chickens, veggies and what-not, and spent 140 bucks. But seriously, shawarma? If this was Toronto, we would have gone to Woodside at 9, then Gerrard Street to Lahore Tikka for some butter chicken at 12.30 past midnight, then Timmy's for some dessert. Toronto rules.
Why It's Good To Be The Groom:
You get treated like royalty. If you are the guy, you can pretty much demand anything. Even if you are not a demander, your parents will tell you that you MUST demand, to preserve porompora (tradition), as in your sisters' wedding her groom will demand. Besides, the bride's side will get offended if you don't have any demands (huh?).
So BE A MAN. At my wedding, I am going to demand that the bride's party show up with purple M&M flavoured gulab jamuns.
PS. What's Wrong With Brown Skin?
Beauty parlors. What use are they? The desi women going to a wedding go into a beauty parlor and come out looking like Casper the friendly ghost's not so friendly friend. White as hell. What is with that obsession?
Monday, April 17, 2006
Dude, Get Out Of My Car
Note to self: do NOT let a teenager sit in the front seat of your car. Ever.
I am at a party on the weekend when this aunty approaches me.
"Baba, I have to go home a bit early and my husband is still at work. Is it possible for you to give me a ride back? My place is very near."
Being the bhodro chele ('nice' boy) that I am, and calculating to myself that I will be missing at the most ten minutes of the very latest conspiracy theory of why America wants an Iraqi civil war (authored by Uncle Mo), I replied, "ofcourse aunty, I will be delighted to."
So I get in my car. As is the norm, aunty sits in the back seat. Then her teenage son gets in the front passenger seat.
"Strap your belt on." I tell him. He's less than 16 and I, in no way, want to pay his fine if caught.
"Oh it's only a few minutes." He protests. I decide to take advantage of my bhodro chele reputation (it can come in real handy at times) to tell him we must ALWAYS obey the law. His mum now joining my urging, the boy straps up.
"Oh, what a cool car!" He gushes, as I reverse out of the driveway. "Is that a Bose sound system? Wikkkked!"
And then, without warning, he presses the CD button.
Never, never, NEVER, touch another guy's sound system without his permission. And pray, what song emerges from the speakers at full blast?
I can see (in the rearview mirror, as I am driving down the little road) aunty getting flustered and uncomfortable. I can just imagine her thinking 'and this was such a nice boy. Such awful songs he hears. I wonder what is a hump?'
Very deftly, I reach for the radio button. Good old 24-hour news radio station 680. I can always count on you. I toggle the radio on.
".. conclusively proving that former studies regarding the symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, irregular menstrual cycles, breast tenderness, loss of libido and dryness in the ...."
Somedays you just cannot win.
Tags: Desi Car Humour
I am at a party on the weekend when this aunty approaches me.
"Baba, I have to go home a bit early and my husband is still at work. Is it possible for you to give me a ride back? My place is very near."
Being the bhodro chele ('nice' boy) that I am, and calculating to myself that I will be missing at the most ten minutes of the very latest conspiracy theory of why America wants an Iraqi civil war (authored by Uncle Mo), I replied, "ofcourse aunty, I will be delighted to."
So I get in my car. As is the norm, aunty sits in the back seat. Then her teenage son gets in the front passenger seat.
"Strap your belt on." I tell him. He's less than 16 and I, in no way, want to pay his fine if caught.
"Oh it's only a few minutes." He protests. I decide to take advantage of my bhodro chele reputation (it can come in real handy at times) to tell him we must ALWAYS obey the law. His mum now joining my urging, the boy straps up.
"Oh, what a cool car!" He gushes, as I reverse out of the driveway. "Is that a Bose sound system? Wikkkked!"
And then, without warning, he presses the CD button.
Never, never, NEVER, touch another guy's sound system without his permission. And pray, what song emerges from the speakers at full blast?
What you gon' do with all that junk?
All that junk inside your trunk?
I'ma get, get, get, get, you drunk,
Get you love drunk off my hump.
My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump,
My hump, my hump, my hump, my lovely little lumps. (Check it out)
I can see (in the rearview mirror, as I am driving down the little road) aunty getting flustered and uncomfortable. I can just imagine her thinking 'and this was such a nice boy. Such awful songs he hears. I wonder what is a hump?'
Very deftly, I reach for the radio button. Good old 24-hour news radio station 680. I can always count on you. I toggle the radio on.
".. conclusively proving that former studies regarding the symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, irregular menstrual cycles, breast tenderness, loss of libido and dryness in the ...."
Somedays you just cannot win.
Tags: Desi Car Humour
Friday, April 14, 2006
A Crash Of Roles
Crossposted on Desicritics.org
I was returning from a movie with my friends. We had all taken J's car, and living on the eastern-most part of the city meant I would be dropped off last. And so, we were on the highway, just the two of us left, when J's 13 year old Civic started to sputter. Keeping a cool head, my more religiously-inclined friend J started to utter a few duas before easing the car onto the shoulder, where it completely stalled.
When we could not get it started (even after J pretended to know what he was doing and poked around under the hood, and told me his 'engine cylinder belt' was probably stalled) we called for a tow truck to take the car to J's mechanic's place. As we were waiting, J turned to me and said, "This is all a test from Allah. We needn't worry."
"I'm not worrying dude." I told him. I had already called another friend meanwhile to arrange a pickup. "It's your car."
The two truck driver was a cheery, tall, white Newfoundlander called George. Within minutes, he had hoisted the Civic onto the mount, and we were off. Both J and George's extroverted natures meant they were soon talking about many things. J casually mentioned his brother was getting married soon.
"Nice." George replied. "Do you know his fiancee?"
"Know?" J laughed. "Not at all. Actually, my brother barely knows her. And he didn't even know she existed until one month ago."
George nearly braked hard. "What? How the hell he getting married, man?"
"Oh." J decided it would be a good time for some dawah. So he extolled the virtues of an arranged marriage.
"Oh." George grunted again. "By the time I was 25, I had slept with 17 girls." And obviously, he communicated this fact via a more cruder language than I used here. Which was followed by George extolling the virtues of NO marriage, and of sleeping with 17 girls. 'Arranged happiness', he called it.
Afterwards, I thought about the whole incident. Here, we had two people, a white Newfoundlander and a Bengali, who probably knew naught about each other's culture. And yet, for the whole duration they were together, all they did was vindicate their own stereotypical views of each other. Each delighted in reinforcing the other's opinions, and each had a smug sense of superiority in their own.
Most of the desi writers facilitated by the West include those (such as Jhumpa Lahiri, a personal favourite) who promote a cliche view of their culture - such as arranged marriages ending in tragedy, immigrants not integrating well, or mysterious wise sages of the East. Or there are directors like Deepa Mehta, whose films, remarkable as they are, tell of same-old repeated mantras of the horrors of desi beliefs.
Toronto may be one of the most diverse and multicultural cities on earth, but how much do we really know of each other? Would George have had a better view of Muslims, had he known that we had just returned from seeing Ice Age 2? Would he even feel more closer to us had we told him we did try to sneak into another movie after Ice Age 2 was done (damn that brown security guard)? Or are we so comfortable in our own shells, and fearful of another, that we have defined roles for everyone, and ensure people live up to those definitions?
Tags: Stereotype culture
I was returning from a movie with my friends. We had all taken J's car, and living on the eastern-most part of the city meant I would be dropped off last. And so, we were on the highway, just the two of us left, when J's 13 year old Civic started to sputter. Keeping a cool head, my more religiously-inclined friend J started to utter a few duas before easing the car onto the shoulder, where it completely stalled.
When we could not get it started (even after J pretended to know what he was doing and poked around under the hood, and told me his 'engine cylinder belt' was probably stalled) we called for a tow truck to take the car to J's mechanic's place. As we were waiting, J turned to me and said, "This is all a test from Allah. We needn't worry."
"I'm not worrying dude." I told him. I had already called another friend meanwhile to arrange a pickup. "It's your car."
The two truck driver was a cheery, tall, white Newfoundlander called George. Within minutes, he had hoisted the Civic onto the mount, and we were off. Both J and George's extroverted natures meant they were soon talking about many things. J casually mentioned his brother was getting married soon.
"Nice." George replied. "Do you know his fiancee?"
"Know?" J laughed. "Not at all. Actually, my brother barely knows her. And he didn't even know she existed until one month ago."
George nearly braked hard. "What? How the hell he getting married, man?"
"Oh." J decided it would be a good time for some dawah. So he extolled the virtues of an arranged marriage.
"Oh." George grunted again. "By the time I was 25, I had slept with 17 girls." And obviously, he communicated this fact via a more cruder language than I used here. Which was followed by George extolling the virtues of NO marriage, and of sleeping with 17 girls. 'Arranged happiness', he called it.
Afterwards, I thought about the whole incident. Here, we had two people, a white Newfoundlander and a Bengali, who probably knew naught about each other's culture. And yet, for the whole duration they were together, all they did was vindicate their own stereotypical views of each other. Each delighted in reinforcing the other's opinions, and each had a smug sense of superiority in their own.
Most of the desi writers facilitated by the West include those (such as Jhumpa Lahiri, a personal favourite) who promote a cliche view of their culture - such as arranged marriages ending in tragedy, immigrants not integrating well, or mysterious wise sages of the East. Or there are directors like Deepa Mehta, whose films, remarkable as they are, tell of same-old repeated mantras of the horrors of desi beliefs.
Toronto may be one of the most diverse and multicultural cities on earth, but how much do we really know of each other? Would George have had a better view of Muslims, had he known that we had just returned from seeing Ice Age 2? Would he even feel more closer to us had we told him we did try to sneak into another movie after Ice Age 2 was done (damn that brown security guard)? Or are we so comfortable in our own shells, and fearful of another, that we have defined roles for everyone, and ensure people live up to those definitions?
Tags: Stereotype culture
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Cricket And Superstition
I am usually not a superstitious person. Usually. And we Bengalis have a lot of strange superstitions. For example, do you know you are not supposed to cut your nails after Maghreb (evening)? Now I don't know what led to this rule (probably in ancient times light in evening was precious and you did not waste it cutting nails, also nailcutters were not there so you could cut yourself in bad light - my theory). One of my aunts told me if you cut your nails at night you won't be rich. See, I don't believe in that kind of stuff - but I still cut my nails in the morning on the weekend. I mean, why risk it?
However, when it comes to cricket, superstition takes a whole new meaning. During the 1999 World Cup, Bangladesh vs Pakistan, every time I would check Cricinfo for the scores and keep the live score window running, Bangladesh would lose a wicket. When I closed the browser window we would do good. I was convinced it was my browser that was costing Bangladesh wickets. So I walked away from the computer and checked the scores after the game. It worked - we won.
Similarly, during India's tour of Pakistan, when Pakistan nearly chased down 350, I was watching with a few friends. One Indian was amongst them - he was pacing. I told him in jest that every time he sat down Pakistan would hit a four. At first it was funny, then it became eerily true. He never sat down. In the final over he went out of the room to pace in the next hall. It seems to have worked, as India won by 5 runs.
Currently Bangladesh and Australia are engaged in a good dogfight of a match. This is the number 1 team against the number 10 team, or as BBC never tires of reminding their viewers endlessly - the worst Test team. To have had the Aussies down on the mat for two days was amazing in itself. All across my MSN, people had various ways to affect the outcome of the match.
I am convinced if I open Cricinfo in Firefox Bangladesh will do well, but if I open it in IE they won't. Another friend warned me not to post anything on the blog about the game lest we jinx it. Another friend of mine was changing his MSN nick to reflect the scores. Last night, when Bangladesh was on 41/0, he had 'BD kicks Oz A**' - and then we started to collapse. We all messaged him to immediately change his nick back - never count your chickens and all that.
Then, religion is never behind from entering the mix.
During last World Cup final, India vs Australia, a friend's mother had promised Allah she would pray 10 rakats nafil if India won. When Australia scored near 350, then it became 10 rakats if there was rain. When there was rain, and India still lost, she was in a dilemma - pray or not - because by rain she had meant game abandoned, but she said rain. In the end, she prayed.
And that's what we all are doing now. Hoping, praying, and closing browser windows (IE only). C'mon Tigers!
Tags: Cricket Bangladesh
However, when it comes to cricket, superstition takes a whole new meaning. During the 1999 World Cup, Bangladesh vs Pakistan, every time I would check Cricinfo for the scores and keep the live score window running, Bangladesh would lose a wicket. When I closed the browser window we would do good. I was convinced it was my browser that was costing Bangladesh wickets. So I walked away from the computer and checked the scores after the game. It worked - we won.
Similarly, during India's tour of Pakistan, when Pakistan nearly chased down 350, I was watching with a few friends. One Indian was amongst them - he was pacing. I told him in jest that every time he sat down Pakistan would hit a four. At first it was funny, then it became eerily true. He never sat down. In the final over he went out of the room to pace in the next hall. It seems to have worked, as India won by 5 runs.
Currently Bangladesh and Australia are engaged in a good dogfight of a match. This is the number 1 team against the number 10 team, or as BBC never tires of reminding their viewers endlessly - the worst Test team. To have had the Aussies down on the mat for two days was amazing in itself. All across my MSN, people had various ways to affect the outcome of the match.
I am convinced if I open Cricinfo in Firefox Bangladesh will do well, but if I open it in IE they won't. Another friend warned me not to post anything on the blog about the game lest we jinx it. Another friend of mine was changing his MSN nick to reflect the scores. Last night, when Bangladesh was on 41/0, he had 'BD kicks Oz A**' - and then we started to collapse. We all messaged him to immediately change his nick back - never count your chickens and all that.
Then, religion is never behind from entering the mix.
During last World Cup final, India vs Australia, a friend's mother had promised Allah she would pray 10 rakats nafil if India won. When Australia scored near 350, then it became 10 rakats if there was rain. When there was rain, and India still lost, she was in a dilemma - pray or not - because by rain she had meant game abandoned, but she said rain. In the end, she prayed.
And that's what we all are doing now. Hoping, praying, and closing browser windows (IE only). C'mon Tigers!
Tags: Cricket Bangladesh
Monday, April 10, 2006
Real Men Just Drive
"Wow, that's neat." One of my friends whistled as he checked out the dashboard of my car. He was looking at the motorcycle-inspired gauges and the chrome finish on the gear. "But why auto? Why not get stickshift?"
"Well," I replied, "I prefer auto."
"Tsk, tsk." He shook his head. "Real men drive manual shifts."
"Why?" Now it was my turn to shake my head. "I drive during rush hour, and just want a relaxing drive on the way to work."
"No man." His eyes had the evangelical look some Jehovah's Witnesses had when they knocked on my door that morning. "Manual is the BEST!!! You gotta feel one with the car. You've got to drive it really - if you know what I mean."
"No, I don't know what you mean," I could be stubborn when I wanted to, "and um, you are driving a CAR, not something else you have to be 'one with', whatever that means ..."
My friend just had that sad look on his eyes, the same one those Jehovah's Witnesses had when I told them, no, I was not interested in having Jesus as my savior (I had also asked them it was Sunday morning, shouldn't they be at church?).
It's not that I have not driven stick before. My father had a huge Mercedes in the Middle East and I drove it there (well, not for long, enough to stall on Sheikh Zayed highway there when I tried to rev it). I also drove in Bangladesh (if you can call moving at 20 km/hour with the guy on the rickshaw beating a car comfortably). So I have some experience in driving manual. However, with tiptronics becoming more of a standard feature nowadays, and automatic transmissions now superseding manual transmissions in fuel efficiency, it doesn't make sense (to me) in deliberately hunting for a manual car, especially if you live in the city.
Yes, I have driven a friend's RX-8, and yes, it does feel good when you shift down and floor it. The car takes off. I can however have that same effect with a tiptronic (or even my auto) - the only thing would be a little delay.
Too many people have written on why driving manual is better. Here's my riposte on why I prefer an auto:
Morning rush hour: I can change my CDs while on the highway, and sip my tea at the same time. If I am late, add eat my sandwich to that list.
While listening to music: Have a free hand to play tabla on the steering wheel.
When someone cuts you off, you have a free hand to ---
Rush Hour again: I am more efficient when I don't have to worry about shifting. Using the same route for years, I know exactly when to change lanes depending on location and time of day, so I can just concentrate on doing that.
If I may say it:
Tags: Driving Transmission
"Well," I replied, "I prefer auto."
"Tsk, tsk." He shook his head. "Real men drive manual shifts."
"Why?" Now it was my turn to shake my head. "I drive during rush hour, and just want a relaxing drive on the way to work."
"No man." His eyes had the evangelical look some Jehovah's Witnesses had when they knocked on my door that morning. "Manual is the BEST!!! You gotta feel one with the car. You've got to drive it really - if you know what I mean."
"No, I don't know what you mean," I could be stubborn when I wanted to, "and um, you are driving a CAR, not something else you have to be 'one with', whatever that means ..."
My friend just had that sad look on his eyes, the same one those Jehovah's Witnesses had when I told them, no, I was not interested in having Jesus as my savior (I had also asked them it was Sunday morning, shouldn't they be at church?).
It's not that I have not driven stick before. My father had a huge Mercedes in the Middle East and I drove it there (well, not for long, enough to stall on Sheikh Zayed highway there when I tried to rev it). I also drove in Bangladesh (if you can call moving at 20 km/hour with the guy on the rickshaw beating a car comfortably). So I have some experience in driving manual. However, with tiptronics becoming more of a standard feature nowadays, and automatic transmissions now superseding manual transmissions in fuel efficiency, it doesn't make sense (to me) in deliberately hunting for a manual car, especially if you live in the city.
Yes, I have driven a friend's RX-8, and yes, it does feel good when you shift down and floor it. The car takes off. I can however have that same effect with a tiptronic (or even my auto) - the only thing would be a little delay.
Too many people have written on why driving manual is better. Here's my riposte on why I prefer an auto:
Morning rush hour: I can change my CDs while on the highway, and sip my tea at the same time. If I am late, add eat my sandwich to that list.
While listening to music: Have a free hand to play tabla on the steering wheel.
When someone cuts you off, you have a free hand to ---
Rush Hour again: I am more efficient when I don't have to worry about shifting. Using the same route for years, I know exactly when to change lanes depending on location and time of day, so I can just concentrate on doing that.
If I may say it:
It's not how you shift your stick, it's how you drive on the road that matters.
Tags: Driving Transmission
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Inside Man
We had arrived just as the movie was starting, so felt our way in the dark towards the front of the theatre. An Indian couple sat behind us. The credits rolled, and the movie started.
"Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya, Chaiyya Chaiyya ....
... chal Chaiyya Chaiyya, Chaiyya Chaiyya ...."
And we literally jumped out of our seats. What the-! A Bollywood song, playing in the intro to a big budget Hollywood movie - wow!
And just them, the Indian guy behind us turned to his girl friend and said, VERY loudly, "I told you so! And you wouldn't believe me."
I don't know if they were on a date (probably, it was Friday night) so that was probably not the tone you should use on a girl, even if you were right. Points to note down in the Things To Know Book of Life.
The movie was very good. It was a Denzel Washington-Spike Lee movie, so my expectations were very high. I don't know if they were completely met, but it was a very mentally engaging movie. Even though it was classified as action, there are not too many action scenes - it's mostly a battle of wits between the cop and the hostage taker, the likes of which used to be seen in older movies.
As with Spike Lee, you get a lot of racial topics thrown into the mix. One thing that disturbed in the movie was the police brutality. I don't know how true it is (it's a movie after all) but police should remember they are there to serve and protect. Lee also makes a comment about the existing (white) power structure, and how the anti-hero must rise above to crush the system. All-in-all, a good movie.
As we walked past the City TV studies, we saw a crowd had gathered, with police directing traffic. It was the artist Pink, who had come to Toronto.
For my fellow programmer techies - I love Java, and it's great that Bell seems to use Java too on their site. The heading reads 'NULL'. The text reads 'Enter your phone number to see if the power of null is available to your home'.
Tags: Inside Man Denzel Washington Spike Lee
"Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya, Chaiyya Chaiyya ....
... chal Chaiyya Chaiyya, Chaiyya Chaiyya ...."
And we literally jumped out of our seats. What the-! A Bollywood song, playing in the intro to a big budget Hollywood movie - wow!
And just them, the Indian guy behind us turned to his girl friend and said, VERY loudly, "I told you so! And you wouldn't believe me."
I don't know if they were on a date (probably, it was Friday night) so that was probably not the tone you should use on a girl, even if you were right. Points to note down in the Things To Know Book of Life.
The movie was very good. It was a Denzel Washington-Spike Lee movie, so my expectations were very high. I don't know if they were completely met, but it was a very mentally engaging movie. Even though it was classified as action, there are not too many action scenes - it's mostly a battle of wits between the cop and the hostage taker, the likes of which used to be seen in older movies.
As with Spike Lee, you get a lot of racial topics thrown into the mix. One thing that disturbed in the movie was the police brutality. I don't know how true it is (it's a movie after all) but police should remember they are there to serve and protect. Lee also makes a comment about the existing (white) power structure, and how the anti-hero must rise above to crush the system. All-in-all, a good movie.
As we walked past the City TV studies, we saw a crowd had gathered, with police directing traffic. It was the artist Pink, who had come to Toronto.
For my fellow programmer techies - I love Java, and it's great that Bell seems to use Java too on their site. The heading reads 'NULL'. The text reads 'Enter your phone number to see if the power of null is available to your home'.
Tags: Inside Man Denzel Washington Spike Lee
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
It Must Be April
It must be April when:
- I see my new neighbour across the street for the first time in three months. The previous family had moved out in December. In Canada you hardly venture out of your house in the winter months. Coming home after work you lie in the warm comfortable cocoon that is your home and venture out only infrequently. Even when you do, you step into your car and are off.
He was yelling at the kids next door, who had let their pet rabbit loose. Supposedly it had ventured into his garden and was eating his non-existent vegetables. He was a desi too, and this is what I heard:
"Bhut vhat if I had noooo vejetabhals? If I had? Your rabhit vud hav eat them!"
This guy is going to provide me with so much blogging material.
- The return of the 'Blue Girl'. I went jogging in the park on Sunday morning to warm up for a cricket game later in the day, and there she was. Dressed in what appeared to be a shorts made of spandex, and tight fitting t-shirt with a light jacket across her shoulders, a young woman from my street, also out to jog. It was obvious she had been exercising and keeping fit for the whole of winter, and was waiting for this day to show off her body. After reminding myself that only the first glance is forgiven and that first glance should probably last a lot less than 3 minutes, here is why I called her Blue. It may be April and the weather forecast may be 19C for the afternoon, but it was still morning and a chilly 4C. Her legs were cold. And blue. With her was the Ugliest Dog Ever. Is it backbiting if I criticize a dog behind its back?
- I get an email invitation to a BBQ. In May. Last time we planned it a month in advance. It rained so hard on the day we had to hold it indoors. Thank God for Rumpa Apu's huge house.
- The weather forecasters start to get it wrong. Back in the Middle East, anyone could be a weather forecaster.
Sat - Hot.
Sun - Hot.
Mon - Hot.
Tue - Hot.
Wed - You get the idea. Then the weather forecaster will announce Prayers for Rain would be held in two weeks. We would rejoice because it would be a declared school holiday.
Here, it's a bit harder to predict the weather. "A mix of sun and clouds with slight chance of precipitation in the afternoon and overnight cold leading to below freezing temperature and chance of flurries" probably covers all the bases for April.
Ah, April. The fickle month of glorious sunshine one day and ice pellets the next. Here's to the first beautiful weekend (read: hot). May such more beautiful weekends (read: more hot) be the recurring theme this summer (Amen).
Tags: April Winter Spring Canada
- I see my new neighbour across the street for the first time in three months. The previous family had moved out in December. In Canada you hardly venture out of your house in the winter months. Coming home after work you lie in the warm comfortable cocoon that is your home and venture out only infrequently. Even when you do, you step into your car and are off.
He was yelling at the kids next door, who had let their pet rabbit loose. Supposedly it had ventured into his garden and was eating his non-existent vegetables. He was a desi too, and this is what I heard:
"Bhut vhat if I had noooo vejetabhals? If I had? Your rabhit vud hav eat them!"
This guy is going to provide me with so much blogging material.
- The return of the 'Blue Girl'. I went jogging in the park on Sunday morning to warm up for a cricket game later in the day, and there she was. Dressed in what appeared to be a shorts made of spandex, and tight fitting t-shirt with a light jacket across her shoulders, a young woman from my street, also out to jog. It was obvious she had been exercising and keeping fit for the whole of winter, and was waiting for this day to show off her body. After reminding myself that only the first glance is forgiven and that first glance should probably last a lot less than 3 minutes, here is why I called her Blue. It may be April and the weather forecast may be 19C for the afternoon, but it was still morning and a chilly 4C. Her legs were cold. And blue. With her was the Ugliest Dog Ever. Is it backbiting if I criticize a dog behind its back?
- I get an email invitation to a BBQ. In May. Last time we planned it a month in advance. It rained so hard on the day we had to hold it indoors. Thank God for Rumpa Apu's huge house.
- The weather forecasters start to get it wrong. Back in the Middle East, anyone could be a weather forecaster.
Sat - Hot.
Sun - Hot.
Mon - Hot.
Tue - Hot.
Wed - You get the idea. Then the weather forecaster will announce Prayers for Rain would be held in two weeks. We would rejoice because it would be a declared school holiday.
Here, it's a bit harder to predict the weather. "A mix of sun and clouds with slight chance of precipitation in the afternoon and overnight cold leading to below freezing temperature and chance of flurries" probably covers all the bases for April.
Ah, April. The fickle month of glorious sunshine one day and ice pellets the next. Here's to the first beautiful weekend (read: hot). May such more beautiful weekends (read: more hot) be the recurring theme this summer (Amen).
Tags: April Winter Spring Canada
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Marriage Prenupitals - Part 2
Part 1, called Marriage Strangenesses.
Divorce By Words
"I divorce you!"
And with those words, a woman's life comes crashing down. Every woman has three simple words they would like to hear occasionally from their special someone. Many Muslim women have another three words they would never like to hear.
In the olden days of Islam, when the spirit of the laws were properly followed, such three words would not be uttered lightly. If a couple had problems, they would follow the Islamic procedure of appointing two arbitrators from their families to resolve the dispute, according to the Quran (4:35). Divorce was a last resort. If a man uttered those words, he was now liable to maintain the woman in the same standard as their marriage until she got remarried. The woman also had other rights, similar to those of a man (Quran, 2:228).
Nowadays, women's rights are a joke. The Shariah in the so-called Muslim countries are 'interpreted' by scholars who are men, through a cultural bias, disregarding the spirit of the law. Why should a man in a Muslim country, therefore, continue to have the right of divorce?
Let's assume now, you (a guy) are in Canada. You marry, and things are not working out. You divorce your wife by saying "I divorce you". But Canadian laws will not recognize this divorce. You must separate for a year before applying to the courts for a divorce. The whole process takes two years. For these two years, you are legally married according to the laws in the land you are living in. And in Islam, marriage is a legal contract. So, are you married, or not? And once again, to prevent such a legal limbo, a man must forfeit his right to divorce. And Islam, in its wisdom, has allowed such a condition to be placed in the marriage contract, which it has made mandatory on Muslims. It is a shame most brides and grooms blindly sign on the paper when sobbing Kabul Hai (each sobbing for different reasons), without giving the most important document of their life a second thought.
Islam by default appears to give men certain rights which if the women do not check via a prenup they could be the losers. Canada gives women lots of rights which if a man does not check via a prenup he will be the loser.
Premarital Property
Moving on, you (a guy in Canada again), have graduated and are working here. You have a car, and perhaps a condo or house. Your parents own property as well. You have a few investments in RRSP, pensions, stocks and shares. You now marry a girl (probably from back home). Things don't work out and you divorce. Now she owns 50% of whatever you own, by Canadian law. You worked hard for your car, your condo, your funds, and she gets them.
Unless you had a prenup, where you had listed your property that you were bringing into your marriage, on which your spouse has no claim. This situation is also applicable for women.
Mahr
I once discussed the Hostage Mahr situation; suffice it to say if you are a woman who has specified a huge amount of Mahr but payable only in case of divorce, you have gutted a right Allah has given you. Demand a Mahr, payable before marriage (as is the proper Sunnah) and make it such that the groom has the capability to pay out of his own pocket.
There are a few other issues people deem important to place in a marriage contract. One of my female classmates had placed a clause that her husband would not forbid her from working, while a guy I know placed a clause that said the husband's career would take priority. Now I am no shiekh or lawyer, so take this post with a pinch of salt.
When I mentioned all this thoughts to an elderly married female cousin of mine, she looked at me for sometime and then remarked, "You know Mezba, you have analyzed marriage as a contract. You have thought of everything. But in all this, where do you find place for true love? Shouldn't that be the most important thing in a marriage, rather than clauses?"
I had no answer.
Tags: Marriage Islam Nikah
Divorce By Words
"I divorce you!"
And with those words, a woman's life comes crashing down. Every woman has three simple words they would like to hear occasionally from their special someone. Many Muslim women have another three words they would never like to hear.
In the olden days of Islam, when the spirit of the laws were properly followed, such three words would not be uttered lightly. If a couple had problems, they would follow the Islamic procedure of appointing two arbitrators from their families to resolve the dispute, according to the Quran (4:35). Divorce was a last resort. If a man uttered those words, he was now liable to maintain the woman in the same standard as their marriage until she got remarried. The woman also had other rights, similar to those of a man (Quran, 2:228).
Nowadays, women's rights are a joke. The Shariah in the so-called Muslim countries are 'interpreted' by scholars who are men, through a cultural bias, disregarding the spirit of the law. Why should a man in a Muslim country, therefore, continue to have the right of divorce?
Let's assume now, you (a guy) are in Canada. You marry, and things are not working out. You divorce your wife by saying "I divorce you". But Canadian laws will not recognize this divorce. You must separate for a year before applying to the courts for a divorce. The whole process takes two years. For these two years, you are legally married according to the laws in the land you are living in. And in Islam, marriage is a legal contract. So, are you married, or not? And once again, to prevent such a legal limbo, a man must forfeit his right to divorce. And Islam, in its wisdom, has allowed such a condition to be placed in the marriage contract, which it has made mandatory on Muslims. It is a shame most brides and grooms blindly sign on the paper when sobbing Kabul Hai (each sobbing for different reasons), without giving the most important document of their life a second thought.
Islam by default appears to give men certain rights which if the women do not check via a prenup they could be the losers. Canada gives women lots of rights which if a man does not check via a prenup he will be the loser.
Premarital Property
Moving on, you (a guy in Canada again), have graduated and are working here. You have a car, and perhaps a condo or house. Your parents own property as well. You have a few investments in RRSP, pensions, stocks and shares. You now marry a girl (probably from back home). Things don't work out and you divorce. Now she owns 50% of whatever you own, by Canadian law. You worked hard for your car, your condo, your funds, and she gets them.
Unless you had a prenup, where you had listed your property that you were bringing into your marriage, on which your spouse has no claim. This situation is also applicable for women.
Mahr
I once discussed the Hostage Mahr situation; suffice it to say if you are a woman who has specified a huge amount of Mahr but payable only in case of divorce, you have gutted a right Allah has given you. Demand a Mahr, payable before marriage (as is the proper Sunnah) and make it such that the groom has the capability to pay out of his own pocket.
There are a few other issues people deem important to place in a marriage contract. One of my female classmates had placed a clause that her husband would not forbid her from working, while a guy I know placed a clause that said the husband's career would take priority. Now I am no shiekh or lawyer, so take this post with a pinch of salt.
When I mentioned all this thoughts to an elderly married female cousin of mine, she looked at me for sometime and then remarked, "You know Mezba, you have analyzed marriage as a contract. You have thought of everything. But in all this, where do you find place for true love? Shouldn't that be the most important thing in a marriage, rather than clauses?"
I had no answer.
Tags: Marriage Islam Nikah
Friday, March 31, 2006
Marriage Strangenesses - Part 1
I opened BBC and saw this news heading.
Pakistan cleric radio station hit.
Wow, I thought. A cleric radio station that is actually a hit with the locals! What does it play? Not music, surely? Maybe cultural or religious issues with a dose of modernity? Eagerly, I clicked on the news link. And the truth shall set you free.
Let's move on to Pakistan's neighbour. Another BBC news article caught my eye. This is about dowry fraud. Foreign Indians return to the mother country to marry a girl, get the dowry and disappear, leaving a girl and her family scarred financially, socially and economically. I don't know if Bangladeshis face this problem - a few months ago the CBC (Canada's BBC) did an equivalent documentary, called Runaway Grooms, on Canadian Indians engaged in this vile act.
For me, the first thing when I saw Runaway Grooms page was this picture.
So far, I have not heard of anyone who has gone to bed single yet woken up married (I heard rumours of a reverse case).
All this makes me wonder - WTF?! No, seriously, WHAT THE F***?!!! Has the so-called clerics in these small town villages or back home lost their minds? And what excuse does the immigrant, foreign residing desi have for submitting to this ancient practices? And that's the last part that bugs me.
If someone my parents decided to get me hitched called me up and said, "Ei, listen! I was thinking of saying our Bismillah Kabuls by phone, next Sunday there's a 2-for-1 deal, book an STD line and get an Imam free, how's that for you?" I would probably change my number and get an unlisted line. Not to mention telling my parents not to contact Rishtaa Aunty for any more rishtaas.
I have a bad habit. When I get interested in something, I research that topic thoroughly. I exhaust literature on that topic. A few months ago I got interested in Muslim marriage rules, though for reasons mentioned here. All of which has led me to compile a list of dos and don'ts every Muslim must demand in their prenup, or nikah-naama. Islam is good and beautiful, unfortunately some uneducated Muslims can be SOBs.
Since this post has already grown big, I will make that list part 2, iA.
Tags: Desi Marriage Dowry
Pakistan cleric radio station hit.
Wow, I thought. A cleric radio station that is actually a hit with the locals! What does it play? Not music, surely? Maybe cultural or religious issues with a dose of modernity? Eagerly, I clicked on the news link. And the truth shall set you free.
Let's move on to Pakistan's neighbour. Another BBC news article caught my eye. This is about dowry fraud. Foreign Indians return to the mother country to marry a girl, get the dowry and disappear, leaving a girl and her family scarred financially, socially and economically. I don't know if Bangladeshis face this problem - a few months ago the CBC (Canada's BBC) did an equivalent documentary, called Runaway Grooms, on Canadian Indians engaged in this vile act.
For me, the first thing when I saw Runaway Grooms page was this picture.
This is the picture from the CBC link. Note that the groom is missing in this ceremony. The girl is getting married to a photograph!
Now before you think this is a Hindu India problem or a rural problem, I have encountered a few such weird wedding practices amongst the educated elite in Bangladesh as well (thankfully no frauds).
- Phone wedding (guy in Canada says I do, girl in Bangladesh says I do).
- 'Proxy' Wedding. Guy is here. So he nominates friend or brother who is in Deshland to stand on his behalf. 'You may kiss the bride' not yet part of marriage ceremony there.
- Text Wedding (now this is verging close to Maniac Muslim's online nikkah, but essentially the guy texts his "I do"s to the girl's cell who stores it in her inbox as 'proof'. Apparently, have not heard of this site.
- Surprise! Wedding - Guy comes to get engaged, elders decide to get them married.
- All Inclusive Tour Package For Ladies - Go for vacation back home, see the sights. Hotels, mealplans and one husband included. Usually accompanied by tragic phonecall to non-existent Canadian embassy.
So far, I have not heard of anyone who has gone to bed single yet woken up married (I heard rumours of a reverse case).
All this makes me wonder - WTF?! No, seriously, WHAT THE F***?!!! Has the so-called clerics in these small town villages or back home lost their minds? And what excuse does the immigrant, foreign residing desi have for submitting to this ancient practices? And that's the last part that bugs me.
If someone my parents decided to get me hitched called me up and said, "Ei, listen! I was thinking of saying our Bismillah Kabuls by phone, next Sunday there's a 2-for-1 deal, book an STD line and get an Imam free, how's that for you?" I would probably change my number and get an unlisted line. Not to mention telling my parents not to contact Rishtaa Aunty for any more rishtaas.
I have a bad habit. When I get interested in something, I research that topic thoroughly. I exhaust literature on that topic. A few months ago I got interested in Muslim marriage rules, though for reasons mentioned here. All of which has led me to compile a list of dos and don'ts every Muslim must demand in their prenup, or nikah-naama. Islam is good and beautiful, unfortunately some uneducated Muslims can be SOBs.
Since this post has already grown big, I will make that list part 2, iA.
Tags: Desi Marriage Dowry
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Hell Hath No Fury ...
I dropped into a friend R's place (the one from Maternity Ward incident) to borrow a few DVDs. At that moment another friend, F, dropped in as well. While I was chatting, Bhabi (R's wife) asked us to stay for dinner - she had prepared chilli chicken.
"Sure, why not?" I replied. I had nothing planned. F consented too. Bhabi said she had to put the baby to sleep and excused herself. So we had 10 minutes to kill before she returned to serve us dinner.
For some reason the conversation turned to marriage and life after marriage. R, being the married man, began to share his profound thoughts.
"Man, marriage can be a constraining affair." R said. "You develop a tail."
"Tail?" We both asked.
"Yes, tail." R explained. "Wife and kids. Wherever I go, I have a tail now. I want to make some plans, I have to clear it with your Bhabi. Weekends, the kids have something to do, or there's some housework to be done."
"I see." This ofcourse, was running counter to my thoughts about marriage, which ran closely to how Bollywood portrayed it. Unrealistic - probably. Pleasant dreams - absolutely! R, a happily married man, was warning us to keep our expectations low.
"When I was in college," R continued, "my four roommates and I used to party into the night. Now I take your Bhabi to the movies - only if I can get my parents to babysit - and that's pretty much it."
"Moreover," R wasn't finished. "marriage is responsibility. You guys should now enjoy yourselves. Don't wear chains, don't ..."
At this moment the bedroom door opened, Bhabi had presumably put the baby to sleep. Since R couldn't trash marriage in front of her, he wisely shut up. Bhabi went to the kitchen, and pretty soon we were told that dinner was served.
As we tucked into the chilli chicken and rice, R commented on how tasty it was.
"Thank you," Bhabi had a smile, "but I am sure one of your 4 college roommates could've cooked better."
R had a puzzled look on his face at the reply, but continued to eat nonchalantly. Me? My spidey sense started to tingle furiously. Something was not right.
Soon, F asked how the new baby was treating her and R.
"Well," Bhabi replied, "the baby does wake up at odd hours, but you expect that. Joys and chains of being a parent, you see." She had subtly placed an emphasis on the word 'chains'.
Even R had a wary look on his face now. F and I exchanged glances. This was getting interesting. She couldn't have overheard R from all the way from behind a closed door in the bedroom, could she?
"Any plans this weekend?" I asked, after some time.
"No," Bhabi interrupted before R could reply. "R has to take us to my mother's. When you get a long tail you have to wag it - you see."
R almost choked on his food. Bhabi had a twinkle in her eye. When she glanced at us she had a hint of a smile. I knew now for sure she had overheard the conversation.
But how?
I finished the dinner quickly. So did F. We both bid adieu in a haste to leave. R looked at us as if we were abandoning him on a sinking ship, escaping with the only lifeboat.
As we crossed the living room where R had regaled us with the talk of chains and 'tails' of marriage, and for which he would now be in the soup, we heard a baby's cry. From behind the sofa. It was coming from a white object on the shelf.
Baby monitor. Ofcourse! Like a two-way walkie-talkie, baby monitors come as a pair. You place one of them near the baby's cot, and another to wherever you were seated. It worked exactly like the walkie-talkie. As soon as the baby cried, his voice would be transmitted to wherever you were seated. On the sofa. And as soon as you talked, let's say on why marriage is bad and has chains and tails, your voice would be transferred to wherever the baby was.
Or wherever the baby was being put to sleep by your wife.
And to top it all off - the baby monitors were a gift from me.
Tags: Desi Marriage Family Wife
"Sure, why not?" I replied. I had nothing planned. F consented too. Bhabi said she had to put the baby to sleep and excused herself. So we had 10 minutes to kill before she returned to serve us dinner.
For some reason the conversation turned to marriage and life after marriage. R, being the married man, began to share his profound thoughts.
"Man, marriage can be a constraining affair." R said. "You develop a tail."
"Tail?" We both asked.
"Yes, tail." R explained. "Wife and kids. Wherever I go, I have a tail now. I want to make some plans, I have to clear it with your Bhabi. Weekends, the kids have something to do, or there's some housework to be done."
"I see." This ofcourse, was running counter to my thoughts about marriage, which ran closely to how Bollywood portrayed it. Unrealistic - probably. Pleasant dreams - absolutely! R, a happily married man, was warning us to keep our expectations low.
"When I was in college," R continued, "my four roommates and I used to party into the night. Now I take your Bhabi to the movies - only if I can get my parents to babysit - and that's pretty much it."
"Moreover," R wasn't finished. "marriage is responsibility. You guys should now enjoy yourselves. Don't wear chains, don't ..."
At this moment the bedroom door opened, Bhabi had presumably put the baby to sleep. Since R couldn't trash marriage in front of her, he wisely shut up. Bhabi went to the kitchen, and pretty soon we were told that dinner was served.
As we tucked into the chilli chicken and rice, R commented on how tasty it was.
"Thank you," Bhabi had a smile, "but I am sure one of your 4 college roommates could've cooked better."
R had a puzzled look on his face at the reply, but continued to eat nonchalantly. Me? My spidey sense started to tingle furiously. Something was not right.
Soon, F asked how the new baby was treating her and R.
"Well," Bhabi replied, "the baby does wake up at odd hours, but you expect that. Joys and chains of being a parent, you see." She had subtly placed an emphasis on the word 'chains'.
Even R had a wary look on his face now. F and I exchanged glances. This was getting interesting. She couldn't have overheard R from all the way from behind a closed door in the bedroom, could she?
"Any plans this weekend?" I asked, after some time.
"No," Bhabi interrupted before R could reply. "R has to take us to my mother's. When you get a long tail you have to wag it - you see."
R almost choked on his food. Bhabi had a twinkle in her eye. When she glanced at us she had a hint of a smile. I knew now for sure she had overheard the conversation.
But how?
I finished the dinner quickly. So did F. We both bid adieu in a haste to leave. R looked at us as if we were abandoning him on a sinking ship, escaping with the only lifeboat.
As we crossed the living room where R had regaled us with the talk of chains and 'tails' of marriage, and for which he would now be in the soup, we heard a baby's cry. From behind the sofa. It was coming from a white object on the shelf.
Baby monitor. Ofcourse! Like a two-way walkie-talkie, baby monitors come as a pair. You place one of them near the baby's cot, and another to wherever you were seated. It worked exactly like the walkie-talkie. As soon as the baby cried, his voice would be transmitted to wherever you were seated. On the sofa. And as soon as you talked, let's say on why marriage is bad and has chains and tails, your voice would be transferred to wherever the baby was.
Or wherever the baby was being put to sleep by your wife.
And to top it all off - the baby monitors were a gift from me.
Tags: Desi Marriage Family Wife
Monday, March 27, 2006
Bornona - The Real BSA Show
So, do you clap, or not clap? At the end of a rendering of your national anthem?
That was what I was wondering as Rachna started to sing Amar Shonar Bangla. My experience with anthems had been restricted to opera pieces sung at the Air Canada Centre during hockey games, where after the anthem is done you clap, cheer, hoot and spill your beverage 'by accident' on the visiting team's supporters. That would probably be against the protocol here.
Shim, the president of BSA (Univ. of Toronto), had changed his MSN nick for the whole of last week to 'the real BSA show is on March 24, Friday'. And I think that aptly sums up my take of Bornona, U of T BSA's signature cultural show this last Friday, at the St Lawrence Theatre of the Arts.
Other universities do put up a BSA show. Some of them even turn out to be very good. But U of T though, puts out something special. It's like the forever favourite that everyone tries to catch up to. Every year you see a couple of good performances and think, well, how will the favourite top that, this year? Well, U of T is the favourtite who always has one last trick to pull out of the bag to blow all competition away. Their shows have always been in a class of their own, regardless of how good the others were. For your $10, you get a seat at a posh theatre - probably the only time so many Toronto Bengalis attend the theatre simultaneously. There are cops to control the crowd, the technical details (lighting, sound, sets) are always professional, and that's just the frills.
The show started EXACTLY on time. I canNOT tell you how impressive this is to me, anytime desis are on time. For the last three years, U of T has started fairly punctually.
A word about MCs at these desi shows. You have all been to these shows where an MC (or a pair of them) will come on stage with microphones, say a few words about the next performance, read the names of the performers like a laundry list and disappear. Often, one will say it in Bengali, then another in English (usually the girl, leading to a few catcalls and jeers of 'Bangla Bol, Beti!!!'). Well, U of T changed that a couple of years ago. That year, the pair of MCs, Sumaiyya and Rifat (the up-and-coming standup comedian), played the part of a couple watching TV and channel surfing, where each program on the TV was a performance on stage.
This year, Sumaiyya played an MTV Bangla program hostess, interviewing 'local' Bangladeshis, while the music videos played between interviews were the performances. The locals being interviewed were a pickpocket (of Pick-pocket Inc.), a rickshaw driver (perhaps hoping to join the Bangladesh Commonwealth cycling team and disappear in Australia) and finally - which brought the house down - rapper Fata Lungi. All played excellently by Rifat.
As for the performances, they were all very good. It was a nice variety of songs, pop and classical, a live vocal performance by Mahbub of The Trap, dances (classical and the enjoyable), poetry and skits about life in Bangladesh (city and village differences being notably portrayed). I enjoyed the performances of Mashala Meye (Spice Girls) and Pichoner Golir Chele (Backstreet Boys) immensely (OK, this is the first time I have EVER used the word 'immensely'). The ending, by the BSA execs with a flashback to past performances, was a great deft touch and a suitable send-off.
After the show, came the after-show party. And that is another post for another day. At the moment, I am posting a few pictures here, but enjoy the full slideshow on flickr.
Rachna sings Amar Shonar Bangla.
Sumaiyya interviews 'Biddut'.
A pop duet.
An MD-digging auntie.
Aisha leads a dance troupe.
Another song.
The work continues for a village woman after sunset ...
... while a city couple prepares for a party ...
.. while some things are the same.
Mosholar Meye (Spice Girls).
Malaysian womens' heart throbs.
The protagonists of the natok.
Tags: BSA Bornona
That was what I was wondering as Rachna started to sing Amar Shonar Bangla. My experience with anthems had been restricted to opera pieces sung at the Air Canada Centre during hockey games, where after the anthem is done you clap, cheer, hoot and spill your beverage 'by accident' on the visiting team's supporters. That would probably be against the protocol here.
Shim, the president of BSA (Univ. of Toronto), had changed his MSN nick for the whole of last week to 'the real BSA show is on March 24, Friday'. And I think that aptly sums up my take of Bornona, U of T BSA's signature cultural show this last Friday, at the St Lawrence Theatre of the Arts.
Other universities do put up a BSA show. Some of them even turn out to be very good. But U of T though, puts out something special. It's like the forever favourite that everyone tries to catch up to. Every year you see a couple of good performances and think, well, how will the favourite top that, this year? Well, U of T is the favourtite who always has one last trick to pull out of the bag to blow all competition away. Their shows have always been in a class of their own, regardless of how good the others were. For your $10, you get a seat at a posh theatre - probably the only time so many Toronto Bengalis attend the theatre simultaneously. There are cops to control the crowd, the technical details (lighting, sound, sets) are always professional, and that's just the frills.
The show started EXACTLY on time. I canNOT tell you how impressive this is to me, anytime desis are on time. For the last three years, U of T has started fairly punctually.
A word about MCs at these desi shows. You have all been to these shows where an MC (or a pair of them) will come on stage with microphones, say a few words about the next performance, read the names of the performers like a laundry list and disappear. Often, one will say it in Bengali, then another in English (usually the girl, leading to a few catcalls and jeers of 'Bangla Bol, Beti!!!'). Well, U of T changed that a couple of years ago. That year, the pair of MCs, Sumaiyya and Rifat (the up-and-coming standup comedian), played the part of a couple watching TV and channel surfing, where each program on the TV was a performance on stage.
This year, Sumaiyya played an MTV Bangla program hostess, interviewing 'local' Bangladeshis, while the music videos played between interviews were the performances. The locals being interviewed were a pickpocket (of Pick-pocket Inc.), a rickshaw driver (perhaps hoping to join the Bangladesh Commonwealth cycling team and disappear in Australia) and finally - which brought the house down - rapper Fata Lungi. All played excellently by Rifat.
As for the performances, they were all very good. It was a nice variety of songs, pop and classical, a live vocal performance by Mahbub of The Trap, dances (classical and the enjoyable), poetry and skits about life in Bangladesh (city and village differences being notably portrayed). I enjoyed the performances of Mashala Meye (Spice Girls) and Pichoner Golir Chele (Backstreet Boys) immensely (OK, this is the first time I have EVER used the word 'immensely'). The ending, by the BSA execs with a flashback to past performances, was a great deft touch and a suitable send-off.
After the show, came the after-show party. And that is another post for another day. At the moment, I am posting a few pictures here, but enjoy the full slideshow on flickr.
Rachna sings Amar Shonar Bangla.
Sumaiyya interviews 'Biddut'.
A pop duet.
An MD-digging auntie.
Aisha leads a dance troupe.
Another song.
The work continues for a village woman after sunset ...
... while a city couple prepares for a party ...
.. while some things are the same.
Mosholar Meye (Spice Girls).
Malaysian womens' heart throbs.
The protagonists of the natok.
Tags: BSA Bornona
Friday, March 24, 2006
Bornona Today, T's Birthday Party
I posted my thoughts on the Afghan Christian convert's trial on my political blog here. I don't have too much more to say on that topic except I wish people would just grow up.
Today is University of Toronto's BSA's signature event - their yearly show. This year it's called Bornona. I got a call from Asif two nights ago requesting me to participate in a play in a very miniscule role. I would have to play a village elder smoking the hookah on stage for a few minutes. Cool! - I thought - until I realized I would have to wear the lungi. On stage.
For those who don't know, the lungi is a petticoat-like cloth worn by men in Bangladesh, comparable to the dhoti - or a sack with holes at either end. My problem - I am scared I would tie the knot on the lungi so badly it would unravel on stage. A person's worst fears would be realized. That didn't stop me from telling everyone to watch out for me at the show, smoking hookah on stage. At the end though, due to time constraints, my scene was edited out of the script. So no lungi worries for me.
We threw a surprise birthday party for T recently at Mandarin. It was organized by his sister. Next time though, I should remember not to park my car right near the entrance of the restaurant so that the person who is getting the surprise party thrown in his favour can be truly 'surprised'. In my defense, it was a fantastic parking spot.
J's 'tattoo t-shirt'. The name was because one guy saw this from afar and got the shock of his life when he thought they were all tattoos.
The cake.
Even eating seafood only can still pile up to a lot of food at Mandarin's!
Outside Mandarin
Tags: Mandarin Surprise Party Bornona BSA
Today is University of Toronto's BSA's signature event - their yearly show. This year it's called Bornona. I got a call from Asif two nights ago requesting me to participate in a play in a very miniscule role. I would have to play a village elder smoking the hookah on stage for a few minutes. Cool! - I thought - until I realized I would have to wear the lungi. On stage.
For those who don't know, the lungi is a petticoat-like cloth worn by men in Bangladesh, comparable to the dhoti - or a sack with holes at either end. My problem - I am scared I would tie the knot on the lungi so badly it would unravel on stage. A person's worst fears would be realized. That didn't stop me from telling everyone to watch out for me at the show, smoking hookah on stage. At the end though, due to time constraints, my scene was edited out of the script. So no lungi worries for me.
We threw a surprise birthday party for T recently at Mandarin. It was organized by his sister. Next time though, I should remember not to park my car right near the entrance of the restaurant so that the person who is getting the surprise party thrown in his favour can be truly 'surprised'. In my defense, it was a fantastic parking spot.
J's 'tattoo t-shirt'. The name was because one guy saw this from afar and got the shock of his life when he thought they were all tattoos.
The cake.
Even eating seafood only can still pile up to a lot of food at Mandarin's!
Outside Mandarin
Tags: Mandarin Surprise Party Bornona BSA
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Illegal Aliens, Jilbab
The Conservative government of Canada is deporting thousands of illegal workers, mainly Portugese and Italians, from Canada. Many have come on a visit visa, some ten years ago, and have stayed on. They worked in mostly construction projects, paid taxes and generally did not leech off the Canadian welfare system. Yet, many are now given less than two weeks notice to depart Canada. As usual, the left is out crying "Amnesty", or the construction industry claiming deporting thousands of workers will hurt a booming sector. The right is leading with sloguns such as "follow the rules" or "join the line" or "illegal is illegal".
I am generally to the left of center, but here I would have to agree with the right. When my dad decided to move here with his family, we paid an exorbitant landing fee, went for an interview, got our skills evaluated, went for a medical exam, waited months, before getting the nod. After coming here, it was another struggle to assimilate, gather experience, education, transfer skills before being integrated into the social fabric. Illegals jump the queue. They come here under false pretenses, get a job and settle down. Then, when found out and ordered to leave, they point to their very act of breaking the law as reason for amnesty.
Illegals also steal jobs. It's no use saying no Canadian wants the jobs. If there is a shortage of Canadians to do the jobs, the government should bring in guest workers under a specific plan, so that employers follow the rules (minimum wage, safety standards and so on). An employer can hire an illegal alien, pay them lower wages, turn a blind eye to safety and workplace regulations, and the illegals won't complain. This also creates a class of work which now has a stigma so that no local will do the job. Witness the US immigration problem, where illegal Mexicans now pluck their fruits, make their beds, wash their cars and so on. Their illegal immigration has grown to such an epidemic that it is now impossible to deport illegals. Canada is doing the right thing by coming down firmly on these workers. I don't doubt their honesty, sincerety and hard work, but you can go back and reapply to come to Canada legally.
In another piece of news, the British Law Lords, Britain's highest court, has ruled against Shabina Begum's right to wear the 'jilbab' to school. The school she originally attended implemented a school uniform, and the jilbab was found contravening the school code. The Lords took into consideration the fact that the school implemented a policy acceptable to most mainstream Muslims, as the uniform was designed in consultation with representatives of Muslim students, who made up more than 79% of the student body. The shalwar kameez was permitted, as was the scarf. Again, I see nothing wrong with this ruling.
In a recent post, Muslim blogger Abu Sinan said women who wear the hijab but also extremely tight, revealing clothes (in other words dress like a whore with a hijab on) cause a disservice to thousands of Muslim women who are trying to win the right to wear the hijab to work, school and so on. I would postulate that women in the other extreme, who fight to wear the nikab, jilbab and the Afghan burkha on their driver's licenses, school and work places also cause a disservice to thousands of mainstream Muslim women who wear the simple hijab. I fail to see what was Shabina's problem, especially when the school took the pains as it did to design a school uniform to fit mainstream Muslim needs. If she indeed believed her religion required such extremism, she should go to a religious school that fits her needs.
Tags: Canada Illegal Aliens Jilbab Britain Shabina Begum
I am generally to the left of center, but here I would have to agree with the right. When my dad decided to move here with his family, we paid an exorbitant landing fee, went for an interview, got our skills evaluated, went for a medical exam, waited months, before getting the nod. After coming here, it was another struggle to assimilate, gather experience, education, transfer skills before being integrated into the social fabric. Illegals jump the queue. They come here under false pretenses, get a job and settle down. Then, when found out and ordered to leave, they point to their very act of breaking the law as reason for amnesty.
Illegals also steal jobs. It's no use saying no Canadian wants the jobs. If there is a shortage of Canadians to do the jobs, the government should bring in guest workers under a specific plan, so that employers follow the rules (minimum wage, safety standards and so on). An employer can hire an illegal alien, pay them lower wages, turn a blind eye to safety and workplace regulations, and the illegals won't complain. This also creates a class of work which now has a stigma so that no local will do the job. Witness the US immigration problem, where illegal Mexicans now pluck their fruits, make their beds, wash their cars and so on. Their illegal immigration has grown to such an epidemic that it is now impossible to deport illegals. Canada is doing the right thing by coming down firmly on these workers. I don't doubt their honesty, sincerety and hard work, but you can go back and reapply to come to Canada legally.
In another piece of news, the British Law Lords, Britain's highest court, has ruled against Shabina Begum's right to wear the 'jilbab' to school. The school she originally attended implemented a school uniform, and the jilbab was found contravening the school code. The Lords took into consideration the fact that the school implemented a policy acceptable to most mainstream Muslims, as the uniform was designed in consultation with representatives of Muslim students, who made up more than 79% of the student body. The shalwar kameez was permitted, as was the scarf. Again, I see nothing wrong with this ruling.
In a recent post, Muslim blogger Abu Sinan said women who wear the hijab but also extremely tight, revealing clothes (in other words dress like a whore with a hijab on) cause a disservice to thousands of Muslim women who are trying to win the right to wear the hijab to work, school and so on. I would postulate that women in the other extreme, who fight to wear the nikab, jilbab and the Afghan burkha on their driver's licenses, school and work places also cause a disservice to thousands of mainstream Muslim women who wear the simple hijab. I fail to see what was Shabina's problem, especially when the school took the pains as it did to design a school uniform to fit mainstream Muslim needs. If she indeed believed her religion required such extremism, she should go to a religious school that fits her needs.
Tags: Canada Illegal Aliens Jilbab Britain Shabina Begum
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