When I started writing what has now become the first part I did not know that there would be a second part. It just happened, one silly sentence led to another and I had a full-blown spoof on my hands. I had to just release it like a trial balloon and see how it went. It seems it went quite well. Thank you for liking it. And please know that your comments are much appreciated. Doing a follow-up piece seemed only logical. So here it is. If you’ve not read the first part, please read that first otherwise this will not make much sense. Here goes… Read more ›

Valentine’s Day. Funny that they would dedicate only one day to love. If it were in my power I would devote every moment to it. Because what could be better than love. Even so, it is a good idea to have such “days” to celebrate what is generally taken for granted. It breaks the routine and sets the humdrum to a different beat. The cynic in me would dismiss it all as a marketing gimmick. The realist in me would tend to agree but at the same time would also allow for the spirit behind such holidays. Read more ›

It’s instructive how a few phrases can reveal a mindset of a people. Have you read a matrimonial ad lately? A generic ad will go on to describe qualifications, profession, height, weight etc. And if the ad is for a girl then “simple”, “respect for elders” and “fair complexion” are mandatory requirements. And if it is for a boy, he of course must be well-settled, family-oriented and loving. Invariably every ad will have a punchline: he/she must be well balanced between religion (deen) and worldly affairs (duniya). Read more ›

Two great souls departed this world this week. One, Howard Zinn, had a deep and lasting influence on me, and the other, J.D. Salinger, missed me by a decade or two – if only I had discovered him in my youth when I was too much of a nice boy for my own good. These two men shared the greater part of the last century but it is interesting how different, even contrasting, their narratives are. Read more ›

It was February 15, 2003. In Toronto it was freezing cold. But the world was running a high fever of protest against the impending U.S. attack on Iraq. These were heady times, hundreds of thousands of people around the world poured out into the streets with one voice, one intention: to stop the war. It was as if the whole humanity had become one creature, speaking with one conscience. How could one not to feel the pulse of the zeitgeist, not to be part of this collective heartbeat? Read more ›