|
|
|
|
 |
 |
   |
daylight License
to roam The tale
of Baitullah To
greener pastures... word of
daylight Shaza Nishat wonders why DST is being met with such fierce opposition. Confusion, she says, is the order of the day All over the world, as
far as Daylight Savings Time (DST) is concerned, there is hardly, any
hoopla At a recent social gathering, I was forced to hear the trials and tribulations posed to the people by DST. Just about everyone – from the young and old to the wise and…err… not-so-wise -- waxed eloquent (pun intended) the 'virtues' of DST. For instance, a
friend, who I thought would be the voice of sanity among the people
there, told me that the last time it was introduced in 2002 she had made
all the arrangements to follow the system but, unfortunately, she
"could not adjust her own internal clock" so when she put a
cake in the oven Of course, this is not to say that everyone has had similar experiences. There have been people who are dealing with it just the way they would deal with any other thing (surprise, surprise!). Their argument is that they dealt with DST in 2002 and they can do it this time around as well. Apart from this, the most commonly held notion regarding the time change, which I am sad to announce comes from the older generation, is political in nature. Most old people say that DST has more to do with the change in governments rather than the shortage in electricity. In fact, one senior citizen in my neighbourhood pointed out that "they [the government] have changed the time to show that they mean business!" I, on the other hand, was trying to cook up reasons to excuse myself from the gentleman in question because I had had just about enough of rant and rave against DST. Then there is this
cousin of mine who wondered: "What will we do about namaz?" I
wanted to pinch Other people allege, however, that DST is nothing short of a conspiracy hatched by miscreants to completely disrupt the economy and to take over the country. There are many, both young and old, who sincerely believe that this was a ploy to distract the people while everyone in the government robbed the treasury, kidnapped people in Balochistan and assassinated popular leaders. "humain ghariyon ke chakar main ghuma ke yeh log kia khel khel rahay hain" said a banker uncle while the rest nodded gravely. When another exclaimed, "sab bakwaas, even if they mean business this is as unlikely to work as everything else." Another one added vehemently, "the people should take to the streets in protest -- this is another western concept we are blindly following." At the end of the day, it just an attempt to conserve our resources and nothing else. It's not the Spanish Inquisition and certainly not an evil plot to take over the world. Summer of discontent By Sumaira Jajja The decision by the
government to tip the clock an hour ahead is taking its toll on
Karachiites. The For starters, a large number of people were caught unawares. Monday morning blues took a new meaning as many reached their office late only to be reprimanded. "I had no clue about this 'time jump' and I reached work at 9.00 a.m. only to realise it was 10.00 a.m.", said Sadiq, who works as an office boy. Since he has the office keys with him, he was shocked to find all staffers waiting for him. Although he has now set his watch according to the new timings, he still finds the concept of DST strange. Similarly, with unruly hair, crumpled clothes and red eyes, Fareeha Ahmed looks anything but dressed up for work. A receptionist at a bank, Fareeha said that she is having trouble sleeping because her days are longer then ever before. "I haven't had a decent night's sleep for the past month or so. These power breakdowns are enough to drive anyone insane". Summarising her routine, she said that she used to get up at Fajar and had enough time for herself. "But DST is just adding on to my problems. Though I reach home during day light, there is hardly any electricity. How is one supposed to get their chores done when there is no electricity? By the time I say my Isha'a prayers it almost 11.00 p.m. This so-called DST is draining the life out of me!" Gul Khan, a labourer, is just as confused. Although he is also getting used to the new timings, he said that for him, his day begins at Fajar and ends at Isha'a. "Even if they change the times, they cannot make the sun change its pattern. So while the clock says one, it's still noon for me". When Kolachi explained the idea behind DST he said that this was hardly a solution as "the rich of this country have generators and UPS while for the poor people, it's just one problem after another." Khawaja Atif, an HR associate manager for a TV channel, said that DST is welcomed by women staffers at his work place who are happy that they reach home while the sun is still there. "It gets a bit hectic for the male staff members as they usually leave after Maghrib prayers. Now, they end up staying late at work," he added. As for saving energy, he said that load-shedding is still continuing. Hasan Ilyas, a non-linear editor with odd working hours, said that he feels 'jet-lagged'. "My body clock has yet to get used to this time change," he explained. "What sort of energy saving is this when street lights are on in broad day light? Sunday is the one day I get off and I spend it twisting and turning in bed as I don't have electricity at home." Fuming at the frequent power breakdowns, he insists that DST is of no use as it is just a temporary measure. "UPS and generators are not the answer, nor is DST. We need to revamp our infrastructure. If a mega dam is the answer, it should be constructed because in the long-run, it is for the benefit of the people of this country," he added. On the other hand, Saqib Billo, a young business man is in favour of DST. "I find it to be a good change as I get to work early and reach home while there is sunlight. And yes, I do get more work done these days. Rather then the nine-to-five timings, we usually leave work at Maghrib," he explained. How it all began DST is the convention of advancing clocks so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. Usually, the clocks are moved forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in autumn. It is more common in high-altitude countries, where days are considerable shorter. The idea of daylight saving was first conceived by Benjamin Franklin during his sojourn as an American delegate in Paris in 1784, in a satirical essay, 'An Economical Project'. But it was in 1907 that William Willett, a British builder started a campaign to popularise DST, proposing the advancement of clocks 20 minutes on each of the four Sundays in April, and retarding them by the same amount on four Sundays in September. In his pamphlet he wrote, "Everyone appreciates the long, light evenings. Everyone laments their shortage as autumn approaches; and everyone has given utterance to regret that the clear, bright light of an early morning during spring and summer months is so seldom seen or used." While DST is an excellent idea in countries with a shorter day span, it seems to have an opposite effect here. A city like Karachi can rely on alternative power sources if the solar and wind energy are used. With the decision to use natural light, it is imperative that the government should have initiated an information campaign to publicise the benefits of DST. Other than that, steps that help cut down the use of electricity should be made mandatory. Given the on-going power crisis, it's a pity that hardly any measures are taken to address it. As the temperatures soar, the summer of 2008 is proving to be a summer of discontent. License to roam By Adeel Pathan Acquiring a computerised license is an ordeal-and-a-half. Whether you are in Karachi or Mianwali, getting a Pakistani driving license is easier said than done. The same is the case
with the Hyderabad branch of the computerised driving license authority.
This Upon reaching the office, one is faced with a crowd which is all the more aggravating because the office itself is quite small. There are no signs displayed outside office to guide the applicants with regard to the procedure. Not only this but also, it is impossible for the officials there to tell people what to do every time given the number of people there. Also, the office is understaffed and only two computers are available to collect and issue the computerised license, learner's license and international licenses. The worse part of the obtaining of a computerised driving license is that an applicant has to submit his/her documents and record of manual or old licenses. This data is then verified from the record available at DPO office in the city. This process takes sometime which means incessant trips to and from the driving license office to the DPO. No proper seating
arrangement is provided for the applicants, nor has any waiting room
been "Forty to 45 computerised licenses are being issued on a regular basis despite the electricity problem," says the in-charge of the driving license branch, Abdul Razzak. He adds that the trend of acquiring fake driving licenses has been discouraged because of this, explaining that more than 300,000 old licenses will be converted to computerised driving licenses to avoid forgery and other related problems. He feels that the office needs to be expanded given the number of people visiting every day to get a license so that "the old records can be brought here from the DPO." 'During the test, after completing a 45-day learning period, the applicant undergoes the test of both road signs as well as the level of confidence that he/she has acquired," he adds. However, several people are issued licenses without any such test, say most applicants, even though officials at the authority vehemently deny this accusation. According to an official who chose to remain anonymous, the license is issued after the completion of the process and the submission of application takes only a day. However, it was observed that applicants are told over and over again to come and collect their licenses. There is a need to shifting the driving license branch within the city and close to city areas to make it convenient for the applicants but the in charge of the driving license branch insisted that this place is fine because it has space for road tests -- otherwise applicants have to come back again for undergoing a driving test. Furthermore, there should also be boards and guidelines displayed properly outside the driving license branch for the applicants to avoid wastage of time. The tale of BaitullahBy Imtiaz Ali When Baitullah, a
seven-month-old infant became sick on May 14, his parents took him to a
nearby He said they took him for treatment at a private hospital in Sakhi Hasan where he remained hospitalised for three days. "They just administered drips to him, assuming that child lacked sufficient nutrition," he said. They did not conduct any test and on their insistence, the doctors became furious there. "If I had the power, I would have ordered the hospital's closure," Masood said. As no change occurred in his health, the family approached a relative doctor who instructed them to bring the child at National Institute of Child Health (NICH) as they could not bear the cost of private treatment. Baitullah has been put on a ventilator in the ICU war at the NICH. "When the polio report came, our hopes of his recovery were dashed," he said. "Now our hope is that at least his hands remain safe so he can eat and write properly when he gets old," he said. Masood said the mother remained at the NICH for 15 days but now he is taking care of the child who is getting food through nose as he still cannot move his body. "The child has been put on a ventilator because he is suffering from bulbar polio, that is, the severest form of polio in which all body movement stops," said the director of NICH Professor Abdul Ghaffar Nagi. He said there are chances of his recovery. But the recovery continues up to two years. Sometimes, it is spontaneous, he added. He recalled that they treated a polio patient who is now 18-20 years old and can write properly. Baitullah is among the nine children who have been infected with the polio virus in Sindh during the last five months. The Project Director, Expanded Programme on Immunisation, Dr Mazhar Khamisani said the child was never administered polio drops due to the attitude of the people concerned. He claimed that the child brought the virus from Waziristan -- where the family hails from. The EPI head said there are around 30-35 houses in the same locality in Site Town who are reluctant to allow polio teams to administer drops to their children. He said that recently, for the the first time they launched a special campaign in Gadap Town and Baldia Town where people from NWFP and tribal areas were living. But Masood contradicted the claims of the EPI officials. He said the child was administered polio drops recently but only once. He said that the family had not gone to the troubled areas of Waziristan since the birth of the child. He claimed that the residents of Iqbal Nagar, UC 9, Manghopir, Site Town have never resisted the polio campaign. "If you want a solution to your problems, you should approach the elders, Nazim or the concerned councilor," he suggested, adding that by doing so "you will get respect and your problem will also be solved." He said the polio teams never approached elders or concerned councilors for the campaign in their locality. He said the parents think that death and disability come from God. The child's father is a driver by profession and returns home late at night. But Masood admitted that precautionary measures should be taken. The family has been living here since the last 20-25 years. Dr Nagi said that confirmation of polio virus in one child means that health of 100-200 children have been already adversely affected in proximity. Its effects could be seen among other children in shape of flue, cough and bodily pain. "If you want to protect child from polio virus, you need at least three dozes of routine immunisation and five to seven dozes of oral polio because of frequency of diarrhea and other gastrointestinal infections," he said. He said three dozes were effective up to 75 per cent but to get 95-100 per cent effectiveness against the polio virus, more dozes were required in developing countries because of diseases and lack of proper sanitary conditions. He said main source of polio virus is human stool but it is also spread by the 'fecal-oral route' whose main cause is sewerage or contaminated water. Professor Jamal Raza, a child specialist at the NICH, said improving sanitary conditions will not be sufficient to control polio virus as it has been eliminated in all other countries except Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Nigeria through proper immunisation. He feared that the surfacing of more polio cases might lead to 'fatigue syndrome' as the people might wonder what use of administering drops to children is when the same could not protect them. It enhances importance of running the polio campaign in a better way, Dr Raza suggested. Leaving a city that has been home to you all your life is never easy, especially when you're going away for good, writes Amna Kaleem Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner Sometimes I feel like my only friend Is the city I live in The city of angels Lonely as I am Together we cry It's not the most
beautiful city in the world, it is certainly not the richest nor the
luxurious – despite So what do I write when I bid adieu to my city. As I pen my farewell note to the city which has shown me the good, bad and the ugly life has to offer, I must commit the crime of being clichéd by stating that I do love Karachi, why… I don't know. Maybe I love the city because it's been kind enough to house me, or maybe because this is all the world I've known so far, whatever the reason be, one thing is undeniable, this city has shown me the ugliest face of humankind, the brutality to which one can stoop to and the callousness we are all capable of possessing. With all of that, Karachi has taught me to stand up to this, to be brave, to face my worst fears…it's taught me that life goes on, no matter what. I wanted to leave the city by after feeling the dynamic, chaotic pace of things; after soaking in the serene stretches of the beach; after enjoying the eclectic colours of life that are so beautifully woven in the fabric of Karachi; that is the city I had wanted to say good-bye to. Sadly, the city I bid adieu to was a ravaged skeleton of its former self. As I drove to the airport, I felt drained, tired and sad. What I had expected to be a moment of joy, was eclipsed by an unknown fear and a strong sense of guilt. While waiting for the final call to greener pastures, I felt I was betraying my city by leaving it at its worst and the weakest moment. Good-byes are never easy, and this particular one was the most difficult of them all. I grew up in a house
surrounded by people and, food. Birth or death, health and happiness or
tough I was 11 I think when we went to Lahore and I realised (and made it very apparent, much to the dismay of my aunt) that I didn't really care much for what they referred to as biryani. To me, biryani was more than just meat and rice put together. To me it deserved to be more. In that moment, I arrived at a sort of culinary coming-of-age. I realised that more than the texture of things, I needed the spice. I needed to feel, see and smell the things that went into cooking the perfect plate of food. I needed to see life breathed into the food that went into me. In short, I needed to know what went in the food and how that affected it. I had seen my mother and aunts prepare biryani with loving care and a lot of attention. To me it was an other-worldly concoction of rice and meat. The rice cooked so that their grains were separate, fragrant and yet cooked to perfection. The chicken marinated in an abundance of spices that would, to the untrained eye seem like a handful, but in the hands of the culinary geniuses of these super-women that I knew, they came out in a ratio so perfect, so delectable that even the best of chemists wouldn't know what hit them. Biryani wasn't just meat and rice thrown together. Cooking it was a science and an art and these women had perfected. I suppose in more ways than one, cooking is just that; a delectable balance of chemistry and art and a pinch of drama to jazz it up. A scrape or two of nutmeg, a handful of coriander, a pinch of saffron and a few sprigs of thyme: small, little things that make all the difference, things that added to the excitement. This knowledge transformed into a full-fledged love of cooking with the passage of time. This, I told myself, is my niche. This is what I can do to almost-perfection. The healthy curiosity of how a pinch of turmeric can change the colour of daal from bland to a spicy yummy sun-drenched yellow, of how the perfect green chillies can immediately give you a whiff of spice that you can smell from a mile or how the curry leaves taken off fresh from the stem can enhance the flavour, this gave me the drama I needed. I have to be honest, I need the drama, and I need the flair. To me, cooking is magic. It was a blend of three of the most vital ingredients of life: art, science and magic. I was hooked. There has been, for me, no turning back since. I haunted everyone who, I learnt, were cooks. I would ask them questions, plaguing them until I saw my mother's face and in situations where she wasn't present, I would continue to ask the questions incessantly. Some of the people answered -- some answered with pleasure while others with pride so strong in their creation that it translated into passion. This was the passion for cooking and in spreading the love that came from seeing other people eat the food they have prepared. It isn't easy, I can tell you that. It's a passion and passions are rarely easy to channel. I've wasted many an ingredient, destroyed too many utensils to count, and thrown away too many 'creations', but the best of all was that I learned. I learned that it takes hard work to make the prefect plate of food. That you needed to learn and more, feel the perfect blend to give your food the pizzazz it needs. I learned that appreciation of the hard work you've put it in is well worth it. That cooking is art and science, drama and magic, but most importantly of all it is love. The love that goes into making ordinary ingredients extraordinary and the love that shines through when you see people loving it back.
|
|
about the political, economic and religious ramifications as the masses
simply adopt the new timings and go on about their lives normally.
However, in Karachi (I cannot speak for the whole country), it seems
that the new timings have brought nothing but confusion to the people.
From the day it has been announced, Karachiites seem to have nothing
better to do than to criticise and complain about the effort it is going
to take for them to move their clocks an hour ahead and how much it will
affect them.
and then went about doing other chores, she could not keep track of the
time. It was only when she smelt smoke that she realised that a lot of
time had, indeed, passed. I for one could not muster the courage to
point out that the situation had nothing to do with DST – it had much
more to do with her 'mental' clock which had probably gone cuckoo,
especially when she decided to narrate this anecdote in a room full of
people.
myself to see if I was dreaming when I heard this. It turns out I wasn't
because I was forced to listen to the rest where the cousin urged
everyone to keep two different times in their houses. "That
way", she added cheerfully "you'll never be confused about the
when to pray!" Talk about being two bricks short of a full load!
decision, implemented from June 1, 2008, is headed towards the same
route as the 2002 campaign -- to save energy. Taken as a measure to deal
with the on-going power crisis, Day Light Savings (DST) seems to be
adding to the woes of the citizens.
office facilitates applicants from not only Hyderabad but also those
from other districts of Sindh except Karachi. In fact, it is the second
computerised license branch to issue licenses to both national and
international license seekers. The state of affairs of the authority,
however, is another story. For starters, it is located at least three to
four kilometres out of the city that creates problems for the people
when it comes to commuting.
established for the applicants. The recent wave of power outages has
also affected work in this regard because no alternative source of power
has been made available.
clinic in Site Town. They changed three doctors within two days as his
health did not improve. "One doctor said the child was suffering
from double pneumonia," said his uncle, Hameed Masood. "When
we were bringing him back home, one of his legs stopped moving," he
said, adding that soon after his another leg also stopped functioning.
the pockets of luxury scattered on the fortunate side of the bridge –
it is Karachi – the city of lights, blight and everything in between.
It is home to the politicians with big cars and even bigger promises,
home to beggars who make more money than a blue-collar employee, home to
street children who sell flowers by day and their innocence by night,
home to middle-class morality and the suffocated masses who breathe in
confusion and breathe out dogma, home to free spirits who cherish their
polluted existences, along with all of this…Karachi is home to me…or
at least it was.
times, there was always food present. In some ways I suppose I studied
the science and art of food, the love and the care it goes into it very
young.