If it’s happening in our neighboring country, there are chances that the same is happening here. There have been rumors of pesticides being used as one of the main ingredients in Coco Cola and Pepsi. This outcry was raised in Pakistan as well, one- two year back, but nothing came out of it.

The diehard Coke and Pepsi fans kept on drinking it but I did notice more indulgence towards white drinks these days. Personally, I always preferred 7up to others, but that’s just me and I do have friends, who don’t drink anything except Pepsi.

So, after reading the following article and keeping in mind the previous allegations and health hazard of actually drinking pesticide (bleurggh!), would you still keep on drinking black drinks or raise uproar against the authorities and Soft drink companies to put their act straight and get the real/healthy stuff out the market?

To read the original BBC article, click HERE.

Photo, courtesy of BBC.

For the Muslim populace:

Why do we say, “Hello?” When we pick up our phone/cellphone? Isn’t Assalam-o-alaikum a better greeting than ‘hello’? This board at Tariq road’s chowrangi reminded me this fact again.

Pehli Awaaz

Ger hai yehi maslik-e-shums-o-qam’r, in shums-o-qam’r ka kya hoga
Raánaî-e-shub ka kya hoga, andaaz-e-saher ka kya hogaa
Jab khoon-e-jiger ber’faab bana, jab ankhaiN aah’n po’sh hooeeN
Iss deed’ah ter ka kya hoga, iss zoq-e-naz’r ka kya hoga
Jab shay’r ke kheemay raakh huay, naghmoN ki tanabaiN t’oot gayeeN
Yeh saaz kahaN sar phoraiN gay, iss kulk-e-goher ka kya hoga
Jab kunj-e-qaf’s maskin t’ehra, aur jaib-o-garebaaN toq-o-rus’n
Ayay ke na ayay mausam-e-gul, iss dard-e-jiger ka kya hoga

Doosri Awaaz

Yeh haath salamat haiN jab tak, iss khooN mein hararut hai jab tak
Iss dil mein sadaaqut hai jab tak, iss nut’q mein taaqut hai jab tak
In tauq-o-salaasil ko hum tum, sikhlayen-gay sho’≈ï’sh bar’bu≈ß-o-n√°y
Woh sho’≈ï’sh jiss ke agay zubuun hungama tabl-e-qaiser-o-kay
Azaad haiN apnay fiker-o-am’l bharpoor khazeena himmat ka
Ik um’r hai apni har sa’√¢t, amroz hai apna har far’daa
Yeh shaam-o-sahar ye shums-o-qam’r, yeh akhtar-o-kaukab apnay haiN
Yeh luuh-o-qal’m, yeh tabl-o-hash’m sub apnay haiN

And that is all, ending at a positive note.

The Shadi season is ON and some of us might be having conveyance problems. Let’s face it, not everybody has a car and in some cases, even if they have one someone to drive it. This is such a time when we turn to other ways and taxi/cab is one option. So, there’s:

- Metro cab 111-222-787
- Karachi cab 111-572-222
- White cab 111-789-786

But, which is better? Are the rates similar or different? Those who have already some experience, share your two cents!

Doosri Awaaz

Hastee ki mata’√°y bay payaaN, jaageer teri hai na meri hai
Iss baz’m meiN apni mash√°al-e-dil, bismil hai to kya, rukhshaaN hai to kya
Ab baz’m chiraghaaN rehti hai, ik taaq ager weeraaN hai to kya
Afsurda’h haiN ger ayaam terey, badlaa naheeN maslak-e-shaam-o-sahar
T’he’herney naheeN mausam-e-gul ke qad’m, qayem hai Jamaal-e-shums-o-qam’r
Abaad hai waadee ka kal-o-lub, shadaab-o-haseeN gulgash’t-e-naz’r
Maqsoom hai lazzat-e-dar’d-e-jiger, mojuud hai naymat-e-deed’ah ter
Iss deed’ah ter ka shuker kero, iss zoq-e-naz’r ka shuker kero
Iss shaam-o-sahar ka shuker kero, in shums-o-qam’r ka shuker kero

Comments would re-open in the fourth part.

Ab saêe ka imkaaN aur naheeN, parwaaz ka mazmooN ho bhi chuka
TaaroN pe kamandaiN phaink chukay, mehtaab pe shub’khooN ho bhi chuka
Ab aur kisi far’daa kay liyay in aankhoN se kya paimaaN keejiyay
Kis khwaab kay jhootay afsuuN se taskeen-e-dil-e-nadaaN keejiyay
Shireeni-e-lub, khushbu-e-deh’n ab shoq ka unwaaN koi naheeN
Shadaabi-e-dil, tafreeh-e-naz’r, ab zeest ka darmaaN koi naheeN
Jeenay ke fasanay rehnay do, ab in meiN ulajh ker kya lainN gey
Ik maut ka dhunda baaqi hai, jab chahaiN gey niptaa laiN gey
Yeh tera kaf’n, woh mera kaf’n, yeh meri leh’d, woh teri leh’d

When I read this four-part Nazm by Faiz–occurring in a dialogue between two different viewpoints–I was starkly reminded of the populace of Karachi; mainly containing three kinds of people, optimists, pessimists and neutral people; the latter having the largest ratio generally. Of course there can be thousand interpretations of this Nazm: a talk between a pessimist and an optimist, Yin and Yang, balance of a system, two sides of a coin, so on and so forth. This post is not only for your reading pleasure but with this I’m urging the neutral audience to actually sit up and take notice of their surrounding and at least comment on what’s happening around them.

The rest three parts would follow consecutive day.

Er…. What the hell is this? My mind pondered. So, we all know that the Pakistani Television Media has been lifting heavily from its neighboring country. All thanks to one Ekta Kapoor who glamorized and produced truck loads of soaps that are just that: all bubble and no storyline. Of course, it’s a shame that most of our mums, aunts, bhabies and even some friends (*cringes*) love to watch these Star Plus crap… Oh don’t mind me, junk! But, have we stooped so low that we are generating carbon-copies of whatever that is shown in Star Plus?

Weren’t the heavily penciled eyebrows, ghastly make-up, and all the damningly thousand close-ups with dhish dhish dhish background music enough to torture our souls that the local media is following suite? Oh, Lord, have mercy on our youth!

So, you’re driving down Shahra-e-Faisal after a long working day. The warm weather is killing you and you don’t have enough gas to turn on the A/C. You honk on a signal just to wake the slow u-turning drivers, only to be perturbed by a dancing hand beside your window, irritating you further on.

Is it just me or you have been noticing the same melee of eunuchs cropping up, splaying their hands like beggars, with rattofied lines on different signals? I remember seeing them in Tariq road, Bahadurabad and such shopping areas, but now they have kind of come OUT.

So, is it because a drag queen (a.k.a. Ali Saleem), Begum Nawazish Ali, has become a talk-show celebrity? Or simply, they have become bolder?

Good or bad?

courtesy of pakistanpage.net

YahaN se sheher ko dekho to halqa-dar-halqa
Khinchi hai jail ki soorat har ek samt faseel
Har ek rahguzar gardish-e-aseeraaN hai
Na sung-e-meel, na manzil, na mukhlisi ki sabeel

Jo sayay duur chiraghoN ke gird larzaaN haiN
Na janey mehfil-e-ghum hai ke bazm-e-jaam-o-saboo
Jo rung har dar-o-deewar par pareshaaN haiN
YahaN se kuch naheen khulta yeh phool haiN ke LahU

- Faiz (Karachi, 1965)

The Aussi crowd loved our rang-birangi, lashakar-e-daar minibus. They were fascinated by it so much that they turned their local tram into one!

Above is the screenshot of the video taken of the Karachi to Melbourne Tram. Not only this tram’s decorated like a typical Karachiite minibus, but it even has complimentary Punjabi music playing, on which the passengers are hopping about. Especially notice the conductor who cannot stop jigging. ;)

You can find the video here.

Thanks to krachi4eva for the tip.