The Lunar Problem

It was Shabb-e-Meraj a couple of days back.

As you kknow, Shabb-e-Meraj is one of the nights known to have significance, in Islamic calendar, among others such as Shabb-e-Baraat and Shabb-e-Qaddar.

I remember, in good old days, when I used to have time and when I had things to do other than sitting in front of my PC, we friends would stay late in Masjid on such nights. There used to be a Jalsa in the masjid. At the end sweets were distributed. We normally were part of the volunteer group, organizing things like getting sweets from shop to masjid, receiving guests, distributing sweets etc., intazamia as they call it. Normally there used to be 2 scenarios after the distribution; we would either run short of sweets, and nothing would remain for us, or we’ll have plenty of it left. In former case, we’d try to play graceful, as if we dont care , whereas in latter, we’d get lion’s share without looking nadeeda

After jalsa we’d sit in the mosque, offer nawafil, recite Quran and talk.

Those were the days …

Khair … this is not the topic of today’s post.

I was wondering, as we get different lunar dates in different parts of the world, i.e. it might be 27th of Rajab in Pakistan, with 28th in Saudi Arab, and 26th in some other part of the world. So … as we believe these nights are blissful, are all 27ths blissful, or is it just one of them. I hope I am making my point.

This gets particularly significant in case of Shabb-e-Qaddar, as its a special night. So special that it has got a complete surah for it. I might be wrong, but it seems its one night, and cannot be more than one. And as it is one of the odd-numbered nights in last 10 days of Ramdhan, if it is on 25th in Pakistan, it would be on 26th or 24th in some other part of the world, neither of which is an odd number.

Also, as our religious high-ups are notorious for manipulating Shawal’s moon, if in one calender year, they actually erred, that causes an error of a day in the lunar dates. For example here in UK, they dont base the Ramadhan/Shawal moon on sighting, but with the date announced in Saudi Arabia or Pakistan. How does that effect these nights?

I have no answer to this confusion, hence putting it here …

قیمے والے چاول

کل دفتر سے وقت پہ آ گیا تھا. تھوڑی دیر میں وقاص بھی آ پہنچا. ادھر ادھر کی باتوں کے بعد وہی روز کا سوال: آج کیا پکائیں؟
میں: گھر میں کیا کچھ ہے ؟
میں (ہاں دوبارہ ): چنے ہیں. سبزی ہے. چاول ہیں.
وقاص: آج مرغی بناتے ہیں.
میں: لانی پڑے گی.
وقاص: چل نا یار.لے آتے ہیں.
میں؛ اچھا !چل.
دل بالکل نہی چاہ رہا تھا مگر …

قریب میں ہی حلال گوشت کی دکان ہے. شکر ہے قریب ہی ہے. دکان پہ تین قسم کی مرغی دستیاب تھی. ہم نے ایک قسم منتخب کی، ٢ بنانے کو کہا  اور انتظار کرنے لگے. ہم انتظار کر ہی رہے تھے کہ نظر قیمہ پہ پڑی.
میں: قیمہ لے لیں؟
وقاص: لے لے.
میں: یار دھونے کا بڑا مسلہ ہوتا ہے، پر چل لے لیتے ہیں.
میں (دوبارہ ): آج قیمے والے چاول نا بنائیں.
وقاص: اچھی تجویز ہے.

.جب گھر پہنچے تو ہم فیصلہ کر چکے تھے. قیمہ چاول.

گھر پہنچے، وقاص مرغی دھونے لگا اور میں

دیکھنے لگا. وقاص مرغی دھو کے ہٹا تو میں اٹھا اور قیمہ دھونے لگا. وقاص دھلی مرغی فریزر میں رکھنے لگا TV.

قیمہ دھونا میں نے شروع تو کر دیا، مگر اسے ختم کیسے کرنا تھا یہ مجھے سمجھ نہی آ رہا تھا. جی ہاں ہمارے پاس چھاننی نہی تھی. سو ہاتھ سے دھونا شروع کیا. اب پانی نکالنے لگتا تو قیمہ بھی پانی کے ساتھ باہر. قیمہ روکوں تو پانی بھی رک جاۓ. اب کریں تو کیا کریں. خیر کوشش جاری رکھی اور مٹھیوں میں قیمہ بھر کے، اس کا پانی نچوڑ کے، اور پلیٹ میں رکھنا شروع کیا. اب تھوڑا بہت قیمہ ہوتا تو شاید دھل بھی جاتا، مگر ١ کلو قیمہ ایسے کیسے دھلے.

کافی سوچ بچار کے بعد یہی ٹھہری کہ اگر قیمہ دھونا ہے تو دکان پہ جایا جاۓ اور چھاننی لای جاے. کوئی ٨ بجے کا عمل تھا، پتا نہی کوئی دکان کھلی ہو گی کہ نہی. یہاں ٦ بجے کے بعد کوئی چیز لینی ہو تو کافی مسلہ ہوتا ہے. Tesco کھلا ہو گا، مگر تھوڑا دور ہے گھر سے.قریب میں 99p سٹور ہے. جی ہاں ہر مال 99p  میرا خیال تھا کے ٩ بجے تک کھلا ہوتا ہے. سو .. چل پڑے چھاننی لینے. اب جو 99p پہنچے تو کیا دیکھتے ہیں، سٹور بند ہو چکا تھا. ٩ کی بجاۓ ٨ بجے بند ہوتا ہے.

وقاص بولا، قریب میں ایک اور سٹور ہے، وہ شاید کھلا ہو. وہاں بھی جا دیکھا اور اسے بھی بند پایا. اب کیا کریں. تھوڑا دور پاکستانی بھایوں کی دکانیں ہیں، وہ ذرا دیر تک کھلی ہوتی ہیں. سو ، کوسنے دیتے ہوئے اس وقت کو جب ہم نے قیمہ خریدا اور قیمہ چاول بنانے کا سوچا، چل پڑے اس بازار کی طرف.

بازار میں تھوڑا ہی آگے گئے تو ایک رسوی کے سامان والی دکان کھلی نظر آی. شکر کا کلمہ پڑھا اور گھس گئے. ایک خان صاحب سے ملاقات ہوئی. عرض مدعا پہ صاحب نے فرمایا کہ اب تو دکان بند کر رہے ہیں، اور آپ کی مطلوبہ، تھوڑی آگے پڑی ہے اور وہاں تک کے راستے میں سامان رکھ دیا ہے، لہذا پہنچ سے باہر ہے. اب چھا ننی ہمیں دکھ تو رہی تھی، مگر ہم اسے چھو تک نہی سکتے تھے. خان صاحب نے ایک مہربانی یہ کی کہ ایک اور دکان کا پتا بتا دیا، کہ کھلی ہو گی اور وہاں سے چھا ننی مل بھی جاۓ گی. ہم خان صاحب کو صلواتیں سناتے ، اور ایک بار پھر خود کو کوسنے دیتے، آگے کو چل پڑے.

جاتے ہوے دایں ہاتھ پہ ایک سردار جی کی دکان پڑتی ہے. ہم کھانے پکانے کا دیسی سامان وہیں سے لیتے ہیں. کافی بڑی دکان ہے. سوچا دیکھتے چلیں، شاید کہ گوہر مقصود ہاتھ آ جاۓ. دکان میں جا کہ جو نظر دوڑای تومایوسی ہوئی. سوچا دکان والوں سے پوچھتے چلیں.

کچھ خواتین مقام ادایگی پہ موجود تھیں. ہم نے ایک کو مخاطب کیا اور عرض کیا کہ ایک عدد چھاننی کی ضرورت ہے اگر آپ کے پاس ہو تو عطا فرماے تا کہ گھر جا کہ قیمہ دھویں اور قیمہ چاول بنایں. ان خاتون کو ہماری بات کی کچھ سمجھ نہی آی، تو وضاحت کی خاطر وقاص بولا، جی جیسے چاۓ کی پونی ہوتی ہے، ویسی چاہیے مگر قیمہ دھونے کے لیے. خاتون نے پہلے تو ہماری اس معصومانہ مثال سے لطف لیا اور پھر پیچھے مڑ کے ایک اور خاتون سے اس بابت دریافت کیا. وہ کافی بھلی مانس تھیں، جب ان کے سمجھانے کے باوجود ہمیں سمجھ نہی آیا کہ دکان کے کس حصے میں دیکھنا ہے، تو خود ساتھ ہو لیں.  برتنوں والے حصے میں آ کے دیکھنا شروع کیا مگر کچھ ملا نہی. تھوڑی دیر میں خاتون کی آواز سنائی دی، الله، وہ تو ختم ہو گیں ہیں. اسی لمحے وقاص کی نظر ایک ڈبے پہ پڑی جس پہ انگریزی زبان میں چھاننی لکھا تھا. جس پہ ان خاتون نے بتایا یہ تو آٹے والی ہے. ہم نے قیمت پوچھی تو  ٧.٩٩ پونڈ . ایک چھاننی کے لیے اتنے پیسے، ہمارے حساب سے تھوڑے زیادہ تھے، سو ہم نے ان کا شکریہ ادا کیا اور دکان سے باہر نکل آے. اگر تھوڑے کم پیسوں کی ہوتی، تو شاید ہم آٹے والی

چھاننی ہی لے کے اس سے قیمہ دھو لیتے، اس وقت حالت ہی ایسی ہو رہی تھی.
تھوڑی دیر مزید چلنے کے بعد ہم خان صاحب کے بتائی ہوئی دکان پہ پہنچے اور یہ جان کر خوشی ہوئی کہ نا صرف دکان کھلی ہے بلکہ چھاننی بھی دستیاب ہے. خان صاحب کو دعایں دیتے، چھاننی خریدتے ہم گھر کو لوٹے.

اس بار قیمہ دھونا کوئی اتنا بڑا مسلہ ثابت نہی ہوا.

قیمہ دھویا، چاول بھگوے، مسالہ بنایا، قیمہ ڈالا، بھونا، چاول ڈالے، اور تھوڑی دیر میں چاول تیار. لیکن جیسا کہ عموما ایسی روایات کا نتیجہ ہوتا ہے، کہ چاول اتنے مزے کے بنے کہ نہ پوچھیں، تو ایسا کچھ نہی ہوا. چاول بس ٹھیک ہی بن گئے.
ہم نے دہی کے ساتھ تناول فرماے اور الله کا شکر ادا کیا.

آج دفتر سے وقت پہ آ گیا تھا. تھوڑی دیر میں وقاص بھی آ پوھنچا. ادھر ادھر کی باتوں کے بعد وہی روز کا سوال: آج کیا پکائیں؟
میں: گھر میں کیا کچھ ہے ؟
میں (ہاں دوبارہ ): چنے ہیں. سبزی ہے. چاول ہیں.
وقاص: آج مرغی بناتے ہیں.
میں: لانی پڑے گی.
وقاص: چل نا یار.لے آتے ہیں.
میں؛ اچھا !چل.
دل بالکل نہی چاہ رہا تھا مگر …قریب میں ہی حلال گوشت کی دکان ہے. شکر ہے قریب ہی ہے. دکان پہ تین قسم کی مرغی دستیاب تھی. ہم نے ایک قسم منتخب کی، ٢ بنانے کو کہا  اور انتظار کرنے لگے. ہم انتظار کر ہی رہے تھے کہ نظر قیمہ پہ پڑی.
میں: قیمہ لے لیں؟
وقاص: لے لے.
میں: یار دھونے کا بڑا مسلہ ہوتا ہے، پر چل لے لیتے ہیں.
میں (دوبارہ ): آج قیمے والے چاول نا بنائیں.
وقاص: اچھی تجویز ہے.جب گھر پوھنچے تو ہم فیصلہ کر چکے تھے. قیمہ چاول.
وقاص

Microsoft DreamSpark – Enjoy if you are a student

What is DreamSpark?

Other than totally cool? Glad you asked. Here’s how it works: if you’re a current university or high school student, you can download professional Microsoft developer, designer, and gaming software through DreamSpark at no charge. Yes, students get to download software at no charge. DreamSpark enables students, like you, to download and use Microsoft tools to unlock your creative potential and set you on the path to academic and career success by advancing your learning in the areas of technical design, technology, math, science, and engineering! It doesn’t matter what classes you’re taking right now, just as long as you’re a current student in a verified, accredited School and use the tools in pursuit of advancing your education in one of these areas.

This is an amazing service for students. You can download all the professional tools for free. That include Visual Studio 2008, SQL Server 2008, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003 and a lot more. For further information its http://www.dreamspark.com

You have to verify yourself as a student, and the service is not availble in Pakistan through DreamSpark website.

Rozee.pk has taken a good initiative in this regard, and you can have yourself verified through Rozee, and they will send you an access code, which you can then use to download software. I haven’t tried the Rozee stuff, by the virtue of not being a student, but I would appreciate if somebody can give it a go and see if it works. Its http://www.rozee.pk/dreamspark/

But its amazing to see the way Microsoft is giving away its mainline products to students, including Server OSs.

And I am not being paid by either Rozee or Microsoft for writing this post

Hum phir chacha ban gaye – 2

Allah has blessed Umair with a baby girl a couple of weeks back. He sent over the pics of the cute doll. She is adorable masha’Allah.

Umair, may Allah  bless your princess and your family.

Punjab / 2 = ?

We have a good track record of creating issues from non-issues. Be it Lal-Masjid massacre, TTP, or anything else, we toss an idea, nourish it, and take extreme care to nourish it well, till the time it emerges as a monster, which we, who created it in the first place, are incapable of handling it anymore. Then we let it get to streets, and mourn the fruits it brings & work, dedicatedly, to find & toss another such idea. And the circle continues ….

Its creation of new provinces this time. And the pinnacle of this idea is to bi-sect Punjab, while the bi part is open to debate, as it can easily tranlslate into tri or multi for that matter. Its a different discussion whether its a good idea to go for smaller adminstration units or not, myself being a supporter of the notion, the problem we currently have at hands is “Do we need it?”.

I was commenting on the same issue at another thread, and I qoute here:

While I agree to the idea of smaller administration units; the logics behind and the fruits it may bring, this may not be, the right time to begin the debate.

We are already surrounded by a plethora of problems that our government has proven to be incapable of handling:

- We have more than 2 million IDPs at our hands, and we have no plan for them.
- Our army is at war at more than one fronts, and yet to conclude any single of them. Ironically, all the fronts are internal.
- We have people deciding our matters, who seem to have no clue whatsoever, of what they are talking about.
- We are yet to settle the issues in Balochistan.

and the list continues ….

Amid all this mess, I don’t see any rationale for starting an altogether new issue, which has no urgency of the nature. And I don’t know why, but to me, the way this issue has arisen, or has been made to rise, to national horizon, raises suspicions. I mean from nowhere, it just touched the national headlines.

And thanks to Eidee Man, for pointing out, its not just Saraiki Sooba then. While PPP may be sincere in bisecting Punjab, but then it has stuff to follow, that neither our government, nor us, the public, are prepared, mentally and technically, to absorb. What will immediately follow is Bahawalpur. Then its Karachi. And it will amplify Balochistan’s voice for no reason.

While in essence of the idea of having smaller administration units, Bahawalpur and Karachi should be welcomed, but the prevailing political mindset in the country, and the trend majority of my countrymen follow in their thought process, suggests to the contrary. It will give rise to political instability, as political stakeholders in different areas have conflicting personal/party-level interests, and if they found it ungoing with what they want, they will resist the situation in a manner, quite damaging to the integrity of the country.

As somebody has already said, we already have smaller administration units, districts, and divisions. We should give them more power, if we *have* to handle this stuff on an urgent basis, for which I don’t see any need in current situation.

IMHO, we should stay content with what we have, try (read struggle) to solve the current problems, and once we reach a state where we can find some breathing space, we can think about these administration improvements.

We should learn to prioritize problems as compared to enhancements, and concentrate on top priority issues.

While the legislative thrives with comments from the MPs hailing from different parts of the homeland, I look up to my Lord and pray, “Please save my homeland.” Aameen!

Des men nikla ho ga chand

Indeed.

Its my cousin’s wedding this weekend. We are really good friends, and most of the people in family still believe that I am going to give a surprise , as I can’t miss his wedding. Also my track record of going back home is not quite good, as I would run back on a 7-days vacation too, and that too with less than 3 months’  break in betwean Aaahh, but sadly enough, I have no such plans this time, for some unavoidable reasons. And BTW, days are too few now to give a surprise anyway.

I talked to my sis today, and she specifically put the phone near to dholki, “bhai awaz aa rahi he?” And I was like … haan aur jalao mujhe

All the usual stuff is in full blow. Almost the whole family is together, except me and another cousin. He has an interesting story too He had an official meeting in the second week of July, in Thailand, and this wedding was being scheduled in second week as well. So he convinced his bosses to move the meeting to first week, so that he can attend the wedding. For reasons beyond groom’s family’s control, the wedding is now scheduled for the first week too   He is furious … quite understandbly … and now has no plans of rescheduling. I think he had his flight today.

Khair …. life goes on.

My best wishes for the groom and the bride and both the families. May Allah bless you guys.

A day at Heathrow

It was a good day last Saturday, for Asif bhaee at least

Yup, bhabhi arrived from Pakistan. Flight was scheduled to arrive at 3:00 PM. Since the time we woke up in morning, he would not sit in peace, yar der na ho jaye, jaldi karo. I would tell him every time that he should not worry and we’ll be in time, but he won’t listen to anybody.

Khair, we left around 1:00 PM and reached Heathrow arnd 2:00 PM, yup  1 hour before time. I had nothing to say, except to give him a look, and he smiled back to me

We checked the board, and the 3:00 PM flight was coming at 3:25.I gave Asif bhaee another look and he smiled again

We had plenty of time at our hands.

My first shot was to have a cup of tea, as I didnt have one with breakfast.

Then we prayed.

We checked the board again and the flight was coming at 3:45

We still had plenty of time. So … we started exploring Terminal 3.

We looked around and saw a lot of people with black caps, similar to the Jinnah cap, but not exactly that. It didn’ have that dip in the center, might be similar to the one Ghalib wears in the picture we have, but shorter in length. They were also wearing black waistcoats. I recon them, they are mureeds of Eidgah Sharif in Pindi. We got near to them and asked an uncle why they were here in that number? It was Pir Saab coming, Pir Naqeeb-ur-Rehman sb, he told.

They were so many and all looking alike giving a good impression of unity. We stayed there for a while, and took some pictures.

We came back to the arrival passage, where some more mureeds were holding flowers to present to Pir Saab upon his arrival. We stayed with them for a while. Now I wanted to take a first hand picture of Pir Saab. So I told Asif bhaee to stay with the group awaiting. An uncle was trying to diciple the people, like side pe ho ke khare hon, rassta chor den etc. We obliged.

I think it was 10 minutes, when Pir Saab arrived. I tried to capture him, but right at that moment, somebody got in between. So it was a

Pir Sahab was now surrounded by a lot of people. I was about to lose heart when the G17 photographer inside me screamed, “You can still do it”.

And so I did

It was 3:40 PM, almost the time for the flight to arrive, so we headed towards the arrival passage again. We stood there, and stood there … and stood there.

While we were waiting, we saw a group of boys coming out, all in Green. Now that was Pakistan Hockey Team, we clapped and shouted slogans, Pakistan Zindabad, it was fun

We stood again, and stood … and stood there

It was around 5:15 PM, when finally bhabhi came out. The wait came to and end, and we headed straight to home.