Meeting, Greeting and Condoling

Winter jackets are out. For a person like me who finds it difficult to receive and believe a compliment, its somehow getting easier to give one with the passage of time. That is why when someone approaches with a look in their eyes asking for praise for their jacket, I always tell them it looks nice. And most of the times the jacket DOES look good. But I am still unsure of what kind of a jacket do I want for myself?

Haajis (Pilgrims from Makkah) have started returning. Most of them wearing masks to protect against Swine Flu perhaps and a swagger indicating that they have done it…not quite understanding the true spirit of this long and tedious travel to the Holy Land. Even then, I am all for the celebrations that follow…dates and Aab E ZamZam..all being distributed to people who make it a point to come and give the returning haajis a hug.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs featured the most in the Pakistani Haajis’ paryers as they raised their hands in unison before Allah….because the ministry gave them dingy rooms in which they were crammed up, with other stories that said the toilet in the room was without a latch and so one Haji would wait out side while the other finished his thing inside, lest someone else barged inside and saw everything! The dispensary was also without any proper medicine stock….No transport was arranged for the Haajis to return back from Muzdalifah…they were on their own! But Ministry would be quite satisfied because their Indian and Bangladeshi counterparts meted out a similar treatment to their citizens.

It’s just a matter of some years when I think that people will make the switch from Bakras (male goats) to Cows and Bulls for good. This was very evident in the market in Islamabad and Pindi where the bigger animals were in larger number for sale. And an interesting reason that one shepherd gave me was : not enough rain received this year, that’s why bakras had not teethed properly! Hence majority of the Bakras were Kheeras!!

Condolences to the families of Parade Mosque attack victims and many more laying down their lives almost everyday. Salutes!