Good luck, and good night!
Dear readers of Karachi Metroblog:
To be honest, Karachi doesn’t “rock” the way we’d like it to. It’s never as wonderful as we wish, while we do have many great people. This city which feeds a large population of the country with its business needs to be greener, cleaner, and generally fuller of love.
Above all, love! For nothing changes the world for better but love – not the romantic one! We Pakistanis in general and Karachiites in particular are people who love too much; we have a lot of unspent energy, but don’t know what to do with it. There is no shame, at least for me now, to admit to the many “tussles” on this blog are just our energy expressed very loudly over a rather limited medium. This blog, after all, is a microcosmic representation of our city – a model of what we are in the real world – and it is how we are.
What on the surface is our fight and anger is, to me, our lack of direction and purpose for the one creative energy all humans have: the energy of love! But love and deeply care we do.
In sometimes muted, sometimes positive and sometimes very critical words, what everyone on this blog has been saying is just one thing: we want a better Karachi, a better Pakistan, and a better life. For ourselves, for our neighbor, and for our animals and trees.
How we each choose to spend our energy and in what ways do we express our concern differs for most of us. I differ with the approach taken by many here. For having a good thing is not the same as using it in the right way. I have always felt very deeply – and especially after observing thousands of young Karachi people working tirelessly during the quake relief days – that we need to harness our talents and our energy (love!) in more productive ways.
Criticizing without reason or without offering suggestions and similarly engaging in non-issues is not the right thing. It is the wrong thing; and Karachi does not deserve such wastage of human energy. I am a part of the culture, and to change myself, I need to step away and work on projects – personal, professional, and community – that will change the world, no matter in which small way. At least that would be productive. So for now, this is the choice for me.
I love this blog. I love many of the readers here – our stat counters report thousands of hits a day so there is a silent majority out there that reads these pages – and I love the writers. I will remain here as a reader, but as an author and an agent of change, my area of work is going to have to change.
Take care. May Allah watch over you.
Good luck, and good night!
-Ramla A.
are you a desicritic?
http://desicritics.org/2006/01/25/205846.php
at DC we invite desis all over to come and write
Hey you are not going anywhere Ramla. I hope you stay and keep posting.
come on dont tell me that
i like your posts in fact every post on this blog
i think we are a family, one big karachi family spread over the world connected through this blog and if some one of us stay quiet then we probably not going to feel his/her presence
Whoa! Well best wishes for everything.
Atleast we know the desicritics read this!
Why are you leaving Ramla?
Kabhi alwida na kehna, kabhi alwida na kehna!!!
What kind of post is this Ramla Akhtar? We love your posts, we love you!!!!
And before going anywhere post my crocodile pic..
Hey Ramla Khala where are you going?I think shes getting married and her susral is out of karachi,so like QK she also decided to quit.Shes hiding it because shes not willing to invite us(though its matter about a bottle of coke)
ok,let me be serious,Ramla,i dont understand what are you trying to say?What made you anger?if some one made fun of you,ignore him/her:)
Dude…weak!
what/where/when/how?
kidhar ja rahi ho ‘saathi’ and why?
dont make some losers who would criticise just everything to quit your job.
As the words on the bottom right of this window say, “So long, and thanks for all the fish!” My mind is made up.
I am doing writing of a different kind elsewhere; and inshaAllah they will be published soon. That I feel will be a better contribution from me to the society. Apart from that, it’s actually new projects including teaching, business, and travel for which I had decided to leave the blog. It was the reader’s occasional love that I was sticking for (as most humans do, I love goodness and positivity and fair praise), and that reason is no more. Besides, I started here with the naive wish that “Here’s one place where we can make Pakistan shine” – but…
Zain: Afraid, but there’s not going to be an op-ed #2, at least from this author. The alligator pic was going to be the second user contribution.
Thank you everyone, it was a pleasure for a while. I will participate as a community member.
Regards, and Allah Hafiz.
Dear old Temporal! How nice to see you – I didn’t know you read this blog! I will look into DC. At the moment, though, there are some already-made promises to keep.
Nice to find you are part of the KHI MB community – please interact more often.
if you are leaving for some others reasons rather reaction of readers then its OK,best of luck for your future projects.
I think it’s both other reasons + the readers’ reactions. She was already doing a lot before and writing for KMB as well, but now after all this critique for the sake critique coming from a few readers, I don’t blame her. Good luck Ramla.
she came
she shined
she left
I dont expect a lady like Ramla will run away just coz of lame and pathetic comments by readers.Come on ramla,what if people on some other forum treat you similarly(teasing you) will you run away from there as well?its not good at all.You disappointed me.
:) Hmmm. Adnan, I have prior commitments including my family – this just became a matter of prioritization. There are several projects that I am involved with in the real world, and I like it there. I don’t even get to update my own blogs, though I write and lecture quite a bit.
I am not running but writing – just in the “real world” – and for a different audience. BTW I am primarily a business writer which requires a more focused and peaceful state of mind. There is a book(let) that I am writing based on classroom notes – and that’s where my writing time will now be put.
KHI MB has very able writers and will inshaAllah get much more able and decidated bloggers to fill the space.
It doesn’t feel good to be suddenly deprived of someone you read or watch, and I am thankful to my fan base. But the good news is that those who like my writing will be able to find them elsewhere shortly.
Have a good time. Thank you, all!
Ramla…even I am a bit depressed on the thought that you won’t be a regular contributor any more but I do wish to thank you for all your wonderful posts and comments during the last year or so.
I do wish you all the best on your next future endeavours.
This is what happens when a HARRY POTTER fan tries to fix the world.
yeah awab,ramla and kaptaan sahab try their best to comeup with quality posts.As i said earlier Ramla,best of luck with your career and life and if you are not married yet,do invite me(I am one of those who are always ready to attend mufta parties) *grin*
ramla:
am part of the DC community now and came here as an ex karachite to invite folks to DC…have also posted similar messages on lahore and isloo m-b boards
have posted a link to DC earlier
good luck with your ventures
stay in touch,
duas
t
Yo Yo: I am about to take my wand out and place an “EXCRUCIATO!” on you. Watch out.
Adnan: if you’re willing to dance the camel’s mehndi dance, you’ll be invited to all taqreebat.
Tempy!: There are many aspiring writers among our readers who could do very well on DesiCritics. Some commentors are very profound, just without a place to express their op. I hope you will get good people from here. Love ya and the (olde) Chowk Family!
Shiraz, Zeeshan, Inspirex, Danny, Zain, Mukka, Illusion, Zag, Al Khan, Arsalan: thank you for your concern and wishes. InshaAllah I will remain part of the community so in that sense I am not “going anywhere.” But I hope that this will help this community in the longer run. At the end of the day, we all need a reason to do something we are doing, and that reason can be a little selfish.
I have great respect for the readers in general, and those who have previously and now expressed their liking. I will be writing elsewhere on the Web and mostly in the printed world.
Jazak Allah and thank you.
Not when I know the unforgiveable curse….RAMLA
Want a wizarding dule?
I will just use my humour to flatten you.
” aai hai kambakhti maaroon! bhaga diya naa…kaissi piyari bachchi hai apney future ki kitni fikar hai iss ko…aik tum log ho sara sara din aur raat internet pey …..”
Ramla i saw couple of your last posts and i don’t think it is a momentous,instinctive decision, it appears to be a well planned career move…and i’d say its a good choice because even if they pay you to write on this blog,which i seriously doubt,they can’t be paying enough….and the people who rip your post apart with their comments are mostly big time losers and Net-junkies absolute nobodies….you can’t expect them to change anything including themselves….i am here just because my neighbours are busy at the forum and iam watching their dog..she is expecting….i don’t even own my personal computer.
You seems to be a very nice,loving and caring person. you have the talent to excel in whatever field you choose don’t look back you have made the right decision to move ahead…i stand by you and be very happy to help you in your future projects personal or community based….i can also watch your dog(just kidding!)for you while you do whatever you want to do….
This Blog has no future,today we talk about moderation in comments, moderation requires tolerance and tolerance leads to indifference which means “NO COMMENTS” at all….!(check-out the London MB its so boring….boooooooo!)
@wasiq
Go blow it out yours buddy!
Sitting around watching dogs and you’re calling others losers.
It’s like the kettle calling the pot black.
wish you all the best, here and hereafter.. assalaamualaekum
@Well ofcourse my friend i’ll get the life membership of the IRISH KENNEL CLUB next year or the year after that for sure!