meethapani

  Spearheading   Development Pakistan surprises everyone by doing the unexpected whether on the cricket field or surviving 75 years when pundits gave it a mere two years if that. In 1967, Gustav Papanek, Economic Adviser from Harvard to the Planning Commission of Pakistan in the 50s, in his book Pakistan's Development, noted that despite no prior industrial experience, the Memons, a handful of traders, conservative, uneducated and certainly not ‘modern’, drove Pakistan’s rapid economic growth, with the support of what he calls the elite "educated gentlemen" of the civil service. Other international observers called it "a rare success story", an "economic monstrosity," whose performance was "outstanding", supported by "positively brilliant" government decisions and a "sophisticated" planning system, not seen in other developing countries. A 23 year-old Mahbub ul-Haq, later to become the author of the Human Development...

  Planned Self-education Statistics show low literacy rates in Pakistan, out of school children, and poor standards of education. In a population of 242 million, only 12 million complete primary education, half that complete matriculation, less that 2 million acquire a Bachelor’s degree, and a mere 618,937 earn a Master’s degree or above. But are the remaining uneducated? Pakistan is buzzing with ‘uneducated’ people with expertise in laser printing, fixing laptops, phones and computers, working complex machines in factories, repairing cars, rewiring motors, making sensors and alarm systems, making guns in small workshops, growing arguably the world tastiest fruit. How did they learn their skills? Is that not the result of another kind of education? The concept of State-run formal education is only a few hundred years old. Informal education dates back to the beginning of society, when elders taught children and each other to understand the world around them, how to survive, h...

  A World of Love and Hate In Firdausi’s Shahnameh Rustam and Sohrab face each other in battle, fighting on opposing sides, not knowing they are father and son, until Sohrab is fatally stabbed by Rustom. In one tragic moment, the enemy becomes the beloved. How easily aggression has turned into compassion.   The recent deadly events in Palestine reveals the extreme polarization of world opinion as oppressors become the oppressed, and the oppressed become the oppressors, in a dizzying interchange. The world is in a moral confusion of right and wrong. The pivot of this conundrum are the primal emotions of love and hate bound together in an uncomfortable union. In order to love one’s own, the other must be ‘hated’ This forms the basis of training of soldiers who must hate the enemy enough to be able to kill him although in some ways they are the same, as Wilfred Owen expresses so poignantly in his poem Strange Meeting “I am the enemy you killed, my friend. I knew you in...

  Re-visiting the Sixties The three-day Woodstock Music Festival of 1969, attended by half a million young people, formalized the cultural change that began with the beat generation of the fifties, bringing in an era of humanitarian ideals, peace, hope and progress to benefit all humanity. It was “The Dawning of the Age of Aquarius”.    The sixties ethos spread to countries in the sphere of American influence, both in Europe and in the newly liberated countries that looked to the western model of progress. So Karachi, at least it’s elite, had it’s own 60s culture of music, psychedelic Smartelle fabrics and marijuana.    Behind the haze of LSD, free love and the Beatles, the sixties were also known for achieving many political milestones. In USA, the Civil Rights movement gained momentum, there was a call for equal pay for women, reducing the voting age from 21 to 18, since this was the age for being drafted in the army, and equal voting rights to African Ame...

  Taking Time Out Taking a break from a stressful work schedule, or from the demands of caring for a new born child, Is a familiar need for most people. Small breaks are opportunities to refocus one’s energies. There may be a call during intense negotiations to take ‘Take five’, a term based on the time taken to smoke a cigarette. Slightly longer breaks are recommended for personal conflicts that reach an impasse, such as a quarrel that is in danger of escalating, or a problem whose solution evades one. People are asked to sleep on it, look at it again with fresh eyes. People in high-powered jobs look forward to their annual vacation, often marketed as escapes, or getaways. There is a whole other world of stepping back from the all-enveloping pressures of everyday life. Retreats for artists unlock creative energy. Nuns and monks go on retreats to focus on devotion. Ashrams are spiritual retreats for people of all faiths or those searching for something to believe in. Hermits ...

  Standing up for Others “I have your six,” is a term used by air force pilots during sorties, indicating the six o’clock position of a clock dial — to say they are in position to protect a fellow pilot. Everyone needs someone to rely on and feel safe, whether it's family, friends or state institutions. The structure of society is intended to make an individual feel part of a community. However, these very structures are also known to collapse as society develops polarised interests, or faces war, disasters or economic crises. It then falls upon individuals or social groups to ensure protection of the vulnerable and the voiceless. Pakistan, and especially Karachi, has a very large number of charitable institutions, generous families and individuals, who effectively create an informal welfare state, stepping up where the state fails, by offering free hospitals, free meals, educational scholarships and micro loans. There are also those incidental moments where intervention is...