The other side of Pakistan

When there is an outburst of anger on Pakistan from all sides, the uncontrollable heinous acts by the terrorists rise, one after another, I too seethe with anger but then the other side of me is stirred when I think of the elite and innocent living in Pakistan. Our angst is not for Pakistan on the whole, but for those heartless fanatics, who fail to understand humanity in totality.

I think they are diseased, mentally sick, they have seen so much hatred that they fail to sense any emotions but what about the innocent lives living in Pakistan? They are put to shame for no reason at all. They are delineated by foreigners, including India just because they are Pakistani? The child born in Pakistan would not even know why people will shrink nose if s (he) reveals her/his nationality as a Pakistani. I feel sad for all the innocent people of Pakistan. Imagine a country with so much in- house rivalry. There shall soon be a war within Pakistan between the elite and the fanatics and if the terrorist continue their atrocious crimes (which I am sure they will) then I feel Pakistan will collapse soon. The country is desperately in need of help to combat terrorism as terrorism is deep rooted in and around Pakistan.

The law makers the authoritarians of all the countries should be bold in grueling all the anti social elements of the society.

Once again, even being an Indian, I would like you all to think about destroying terrorism but not Pakistan. And may we have better journalists and speakers who hold a wider perspective and speak sense while being represented as icons of the country esp. when they are being aired on television.

Flying Ghodi

Marriage was thought to be solemnized by God, a holy and joyous occasion. Nowadays, it has become a moment of showing one's stand in the society. It is one of the easiest ways for the uber rich to herald their arrival in the society. There are elephants at weddings, elaborate ballet dancers from abroad, film stars, varied cuisines of the world, designer clothing, choreographed ladies sangeet etc. Despite all this showbiz the neo rich have sprung with a new way to seek attention on the day of their wedding 'Flying Ghodi. Wherein, the groom arrives in the 'helicopter' instead of a ghodi or a baggi. 

It is not an easy task to hire a helicopter. An elaborate process of getting permissions and other arrangements have to be made. The date and place have to be selected in advance and the last minute cancellation by the charter services might leave a lot of heart burn.

First of all a charter service has to be booked and the going prices are Rs. 55,000 ' 65,000 per hour for a four- seater, Rs. 75,000 ' 80, 000 per hour for 5- seater and

Rs. 80,000 ' 1, 00,000 for 6- seater helicopter (depending upon the availability.)

To hire a helicopter for the wedding, one needs to seek permission from the district magistrate, at least two months in advance. Arrangements for fire brigade, ambulance and security persons have to be made in advance. The helipad has to be prepared by the person availing the facility for charter, which actually poses a problem for the people living in crowded cities. No wonder this concept is more popular in rural Punjab and Haryana where lot of free land is available and where the farmers have literally become millionaires overnight due to the appreciation of land prices. The earlier novelty of a Limousine has been replaced by a helicopter and has become a matter of prestige among the neo rich.

On a lighter note, the point to ponder is, should the traditions be replaced by pomp and show of the modern luxury? Why make it such a big deal? What zest, what furore and fuss - over one special day in our life! Well, the perspectives vary from person to person. Today a luxury, who knows, this gimmick might later on become folklore in the region. Are we heading towards the future or going back to re-live the past where the gods travelled in their yaans (flying vehicles) .