An hour later i was home, i was anxious to get the latest news, the fear that the death toll may have been very high was getting on my nerves, but as soon as i was about to reach the TV remote my mom warned “Jamal don’t ! ” her eyes were red from crying ” The footage is unbearable “.  That is exactly what happens each time there is a bomb blast in the country. The news channels blast out television screens with explicit, graphic insensitive imagery. Parts of human body drenched in blood, a head in a policeman’s hand as if its a trophy that you just got to find the culprit and yes any heads found must immediately belong to the suicide bomber and must be shown on all news channels. Yes I knew the news on TV would be all wrapped in imagery that would give any sane person nightmares for ages but i needed the news so the demon’s idiot box had to be turned on.

Ten people dead over 80 injured, mostly women and children and a missing child too and yes the two trophies were also found, the head of the suicide bomber which i am very sure will soon turn out to have belonged to an innocent victim because that is what usually happen to most of the  found heads at a bomb site. But the ordeal of the day doesn’t end here, a news channel announces that educational institutes will remain closed for the following day, after which the educational ministry announces that schools will remain open. The two conflicting statements caused more confusion and calls from close family members started coming to me to confirm if the schools and their universities will remain closed or open sadly i was as clueless as they were because some privet schools had called parents telling them that their institution will actually remain closed. The only advice i gave them was to keep their kids home, and let them skip a day just to be on the safe side.

Most news channels are now showing our politicians either blaming it all on the inability of the other or pretending to be an expert in everything and knowing all in the world or just lamely being them selves.

The city on the other hand is again in a grip of some unrest and violence dotting tomorrows date with uncertainties, no one knows what the three day mourning announced would bring to the people of city the coming day and since it is Friday tomorrow most protests and the expected unrest would likely be after the Friday prayers in the afternoon.

but who knows what tomorrow morning brings for us  while we grief the innocent lives that were lost, we cant even imagine the pain and trauma their family are going through right now and also of those 80 people who are injured and being treated at the moment. will the three day mourning, burning tires, violent protests, pelting stones at moving cars and setting them ablaze help ? I really doubt it would !

Photo: Hira S. Malik

It was only less than a month back that i had my first personal encounter with the flood displaced people living in a small shanty town here at the Chakra goth, korangi. It was difficult to understand how over fifty people, including children living in a small single room house would be managing, and there were several such homes. but once we were there the picture become more disturbing than i could ever imagine. Almost all of these flood displaced people were infected badly with scabies specially the children, who are twice as many in number as the adults. There were several pregnant women, some of them needed immediate medical attention, many babies had diarrhea.

After a thorough assessment by the members of FLP, the NGO i am associated with for the flood relief efforts, they were immediately provided with food, and their medical needs were taken care of during the following few days. as some who needed a long term treatment are still being provided with the necessary medical support.

My next trip was to Thatta and another one to Jamshoro, both locations almost 2 to 3 hour drive from Karachi. The situation of the flood survivors there left me much more worried and disturbed. Besides the diseases like, skin infections, scabies, eye infections, diarrhea which are common almost throughout the camps for flood displaced people, there are pregnant women who need medical attention, women with medical issues since years but have never ever thought of taking any medical advice all their lives. mostly all women are week and ill, in no better condition than the goats and cows in the farm, actually even coats and cows have been taken much more care of.

most of these women don’t even know the basic of hygiene, health, and self care. They just know they are the way they are, if they have a pain it just is, it had been since years or months, most of them don’t even recall for how long they have been suffering. when you approach them they want you to make their kids more healthy, and solve their health issues, they wont even talk about their own issues unless you ask them and tell them that they need to take care of them selves as well.

Another thought provoking account of an interaction Naveen Naqvi had with a group of those flood displaced people who don’t follow the common religious view of the majority of the society can be read here .

It is nothing but a thick dark cloud of ignorance that these people have been living in. men because they move around and meet other people and socialize much more are more health conscious for them selves, but for their women it seems they care not much. there seems to be no concept of civic sense among these people. In camps too although they will chose to live shelter less but wont move in with person from another clan or village so they live close by in clusters of people from their own clan and yet often the cooperation there should be between the occupants of the tents right next to each other seems missing.

These people have been living under a strong feudal and strictly Petrarch system for generations, the poison of which has seeped deep into their upbringing. Their social structure, life style, behavior and ignorance clearly show the signs of it all, whats more sad is the fact that that it is actually our own fault that we have kept them enslaved and ignorant and ended up completely destroying the mind sets of a whole generation of ours and maybe also of those to follow if we don’t realize out mistakes of the past now and take actions to improve the society we too are an important part of.

like many have said, this floods has shown us the real face of the population of out country and given us an opportunity to change once and for all. The next step is to rehabilitate these flood displaced people, which will give us a chance to re structure their lives for their own benefits. The need is to give priority to education, micro-finance projects, gender equality, health and care projects. so their tomorrow and the future of our country can have a chance to come out of this thick dark mist of ignorance and hopelessness.

Image Credits : Hira S. Malik

Visit: http://asiancorrespondent.com/sanasaleem1/help-guide-for-relief-in-thatta

Image Credits : http://flp.org.pk/

Every day I receive many email/SMS notifications/requests on flood relief work. Dawn captured these moments from a similar initiative taken by the students of SZABIST and Indus School of Arts & Architecture Karachi to raise money for flood victims. The student witnessed some inspiring moments. “One guy just dropped Rs. 10,000 – just like that” said one student. “What’s more interesting is that the people in the more affluent cars are not stopping yet continuously rickshaw drivers gave as much as 10 or 20 rupees” said another student.

Toys, specially the stuffed ones are the most commonly sighted item at these flea markets, i have seen a lot of people buying them and handing them right away to the kids. We all know that Stuff toys are made of stuffed fabric, which is an absorbent martial, that means it will absorb any liquid they may come in contact with.The stuffing in these soft toys is usually of 100% polyester fiber, which is less absorbent but often at times these toys are stuffed with cotton which is a highly absorbent natural fiber. you must understand that these toys while been used previously, or during storage may have been exposed to chemicals, toxins, or fluids which may contain germs and may prove extremely lethal if digested. When ever you are buying stuffed toys make sure the item is washable. never hand over toys to your kids with out properly washing them with some and a germicidal like Dettol. Hard / Solid toys too may contain some contamination, or may have been exposed to some toxic chemicals so they too should be washed properly with detergent and Dettol before they are handed over too your kids.

Electronic toys, gadgets, and equipment too appear on such stalls in abundance, these items specially if they are toys should also be properly cleaned before they ca bee used. you can take an all purpose cleaner, or mild liquid soap mixed with Dettol on a damp soft cloth and wipe clean your electronic toy or equipment, leave it in the sun for an hour so if there is any liquid which may have reached the circuit can dry off before you can use it. The same rules apply for decorative item. You should always clean them with a germ disinfectant and soap before you use them,

Another sett of item which are not visible very frequently, but when ever they appear they go like hot cakes are baby diapers, sanitary napkin, tampons, and menstrual cups. Never Buy such items if the packaging is even slightly damage. examine the packaging very carefully because these are highly absorbent products, and even a slight contamination can cause a serious infection.

Another product which often attract the crowd is cosmetics. you must understand that used cosmetic products may contain germs from someone who may be suffering from a skin infection, they also may contain other chemicals, maybe someone tried to experiment with something and it didn’t work, a loose bottle or container may also get contaminated by some other leaking chemical. So never buy anything which is not completely sealed also Make sure it is not already expired when you buy such items.

and now one of my favorite items, Kitchen appliance, tools and utensils. Wood is a good absorbent, so i never buy any thing wooden for using in the kitchen, unless the item is properly sealed. when ever you buy pots, containers, spoon knives, chopping boards, make sure you not only wash them properly with detergent and Dettol, but also give them a good boil for a few minuted or steam them nicely before you can use them for keeping, processing or serving food. Don’t buy those mugs for kids which have straws because you cant really clean them and even boiling wont effect the inner surface of the straw, specially if it is twisted and turned in all sorts of shapes. same goes for those plastic thermoses which cant really be cleaned. Avoid Wooden Chopsticks unless they are in a sealed packaging. Check the packaging for any damages it may have. it is good if it is completely sealed or if it is a melamine one you can always always give them a good boil before you use them. For post and pans, after washing them with detergent and Dettol, fill them to the brim with water and let them boil for 5 to 10 Minutes, let them cool down throw the water wash them again with a dish washing soap before you use them.

Clothing are also a common attraction in such markets and a lot of people even purchase under garments from such markets, i don’t but if you want to  make sure that you get them washed properly, with lots of detergent in warm water with germ disinfectant before you use them. the same applies for any other piece of clothing you buy from these markets, including blankets, quilts, bed seats, shirts, trousers, jackets, carry bags, purses and what so ever it may be it has to be cleaned properly before it can be used.

flea markets are a wonderful source of all sorts of items that you can find at a very affordable price but you just need to be a little cautious to avoid exposing your self to any health threats and make the most of these items.

in the mean while the girl’s mother too was back from the medical story, and now they were walking away to get a rickshaw for their next destination.

if you may have realized, i am not at all a well built person, actually i am quite skinny, and was no match for these culprits, but what scared them was the feat that if i could have raised alarm, and the shop keepers and passers by would probably have beaten the crap out of him.

people keep asking me how they can bring a change in the society, i tell you, It takes not much to do so, if you want to see a change, the next time you spot a man gazing a women, ask him out loud what his problem is. If you are a men looking at this culprit alone will be enough to get him back to his senses. Be the change you want, feel and take the responsibility of the society you are a part of, and you will see the change coming.

Sabra was a maid and her husband was killed in a bomb blast some years back in Karachi, leaving behind all the responsibilities of their only son on his wife’s frail shoulders but she didn’t  gave-up and worked endlessly day and night from house to house, and even got her son enrolled in a privet school. Her dream was to see her son as a doctor.

For three years, she struggled hard and with all her might, held straight and remained strong for her son, who was now in class 4. but then one unfortunate afternoon her son never returned home from the school. She looked for him every where, the police was contacted but days passed and then after over a week someone told her about a “BABA” a spiritual healer or tantrik or so called Buzurg somewhere in the Sadar area who could help her find her child.

sabra who by now had almost completely lost her hope thought this might be her only way to re-united with her lost child so she went to this BABA who told the women that her child was alive and has been kept captive in a house but to tell the location he demanded a lac rupees within seven days, he predicted that the captives might kill the child or move him to a different location after that period of time so she has to be quick in bringing him the money.

This women still didn’t gave up and went door to door begging for money but in seven days she could only manage to sum up an amount of a little more then sixty thousand rupee, She went to the BABA with the money she had collected but was returned being told to bring the remaining amount so a Chillah (Ritual) could take place to find her son. After two days Sabra returned to BABA with another installment of money she was still a twenty thousand short. but this time The BABA kept the money and told her to visit him again, day after at night.

That night when she went back to this BABA she was told that she was too late to bring him the money, and his Chillah (Ritual) relieved that her son has been killed. The news was such a shock to this women that for days she remained in her little hut and when she finally appeared she had already lost her mental balance. since then she lives on the streets, and eats from the garbage, she often shrieks in mad rage,ripping apart her clothes and shouting all sorts of foul words.

It has been several months now since i had seen Sabra sitting on that garbage heap, but today i don’t know why i have been thinking of her all day, i don’t know why i felt she needed a mention on this Women’s day today, i don’t know how many others like her are on our streets or in rehabilitation centers. I don’t know but i know that she was not someone who would have given-up so easily Only if she was given a fair chance. i am sorry Sabra you tried your very best but we all failed you.