Those Who Do Not Remember The Past ....

I am currently reading The Last Mughal by William Dalrymple. This is a wonderful account of the court of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and the events of 1857. I have reached a point where the sepoys of the Company have mutinied/rebelled (take your pick) and come to Delhi to swear allegiance to the Mughal emperor. The British are in the process of preparing their response. As a result of the sepoys arrival, civil administration in the city has broken down and there has been much looting, arson and killing. All markets in the city have closed and economic activity has virtually halted. A major concern of Bahadur Shah Zafar is to get the markets reopened so that people can get provisions. This is rather topical to what is happening in Karachi at the moment. Civil administration has collapsed. Markets have been closed for two days. Provisions are not arriving into the city. Daily wagers cannot get to work and hence are not getting paid as a result of which they are going hungry. General economic activity has halted as factories are shuttered. Importers and exporters cannot get their goods cleared because ports and customs are closed.

Descent To Chaos

There is a palpable sense of tension and fear in the air. Karachi has witnessed a comprehensive breakdown of law and order. Immediately after news of Benazir's death, reports started coming in of massive traffic jams all over the city. Immediate reaction of every one on hearing the news was to get home as quickly as possible and make sure relatives and friends are safe and sound. The result was total gridlock and choked telephone and cellular networks. Over the next two days reports came in of markets totally closed, widespread arson and looting and general destruction of both private and public property.

On a personal level, my wife and I went out on Saturday to get some medicines. Of course all shops were closed. However the pharmacy at National Hospital was open. So when we reached there, we saw first one burnt out shell of a car, then another, then a third one and then a whole row. A mighty discomforting sight I tell you. We went inside and were in the process of buying the medicines when the guard came running in telling all people to quickly remove their cars as some boys were approaching with mala fide intent. Like the Light Brigade, ours was not to reason why. Everyone hurried out and swiftly removed their vehicles from the front of the building. Fortunately, the police came out in a heavy presence and an untoward incident was averted. A little later, while talking to some of the staff in the hospital, it transpired that the mob had also tried to attack the hospital. However the guard had fired in the air thereby dispersing it. Later, we went to the market to try and see if some shop was open; some of the medicines required not being available at the hospital. One shop was open although we only realized it because of the small crowd gathered in front of it. The occasional person coming out was also a give away. There was a tangible and infectious sense of panic inside the shop. If the shutters were open for even an extra second, there would be a scream from inside to close them. A city completely paralyzed by fear.

Benazir Bhutto Assassinated

Benazir Bhutto is dead. Her death an act of brutal, premeditated murder. This is a tragedy on several levels. At a personal level, no one should go the way she did. This is an act of violence which cannot be condemned enough. She has young children who unfortunately have been deprived of their mother. At the level of her party, her death has left a massive void. Like nearly all political leaders, Benazir treated her party like a fiefdom. Any one who gained or even started to gain popularity was swiftly sidelined or ejected. The result is that the party has been left rudderless. The next few months are going to be crucial for the possible survival of her party. At the country's level, there is going to be massive instability. The full extent of this will become apparent over the next few days. Tough times are ahead. Pakistan seems to be acting out the ancient Chinese curse.

Her death has blown a massive hole in Musharraf's strategy. This will definitely impact the elections and there is a possibility that it may be postponed.

The perpetrator of this dastardly deed is dead but the masterminds are still out loose somewhere. In all the acts of suicide bombings, the point to note is that the person who actually carries out the attack and dies is some brainwashed idiot. All extremists tend to pervert the teachings of their beliefs. Essentially peaceful teachings are used to justify acts of violence. The people who espouse and spread these perversions are never the ones to suffer. Neither are the fools who kill themselves (in this world of course). No. The ones who really suffer are the family members of the suicide bomber and his/her victims. And in the general public, the people who suffer are those who are caught up in the riots that usually follow and those whose properties are damaged or destroyed as the cycle of violence escalates.

Mind Block

Here's a question. Why is it that when one is away from a desk/computer/writing pad/whatever, one thinks of brilliant and witty things to write about but seat yourself within range of writing instruments and the mind goes completely and comprehensively blank. I am sure that many a great novel has been written mentally while sitting behind the wheel stuck in a traffic jam. You get very excited about this great idea which the world will hail as a modern classic and posterity will cherish as an ancient classic. But get home and the whole idea evaporates like mist in the morning sun.

Eid Day

Eid is here. The good bit is that there are three days of holidays and in the years in which it co-incides with the weekend, the result is 4 or (if a person is lucky enough to work in a company that observes a 2 day weekend) 5 days of holidays. Talk about an extended weekend!

The problems is that on the Eid day itself, one has to get up at the crack of dawn for Eid prayers. Ofcourse once you're awake, then its not a problem. The hard part is getting up early specially when your better half is still asleep and you know that she will still be asleep when you get back.

Oh well. Such is life.

Starting Up

Starting up is always a problem. How does one start up without sounding pompous or inane or boring or all three. Ofcourse readers can easily come up with far worse adjectives. And I realise that this post is completely inane and not to mention boring. Infact it reminds me of a blog I encountered back in the dark ages which touted itself as the most boring blog in the world. As Christopher Judge's character Teal'c in Stargate SG1 would succinctly put it: "Indeed it was." His entries consisted of gems like "Today I moved my little toe" or something along those lines. I've been trying to find it so far unsuccessfully. While trying to google it, I did come across a game called The Desert Bus. The objective of this game is to drive a bus from Tucson, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada. The action takes place in real time. This translates into 8 hours of continuous play because the game cannot be paused. The Wikipedia entry on the game further states:

"The bus contains no passengers, and there is no scenery or other cars on the road. The bus veers to the right slightly; as a result, it is impossible to tape down a button to go do something else and have the game end properly. If the bus veers off the road it will stall and be towed back to Tucson, also in real time. If the player makes it to Las Vegas, they will score exactly one point. The player then gets the option to make the return trip to Tucson—for another point (a decision they must make in a few seconds or the game ends). Players may continue to make trips and score points as long as their endurance holds out. Some players who have completed the trip have also noted that, although the scenery never changes, a bug splats on the windscreen about five hours through the first trip, and on the return trip the light does fade, with differences at dusk, and later a pitch black road where the player is guided only with headlights."

Imagine the joy of playing this game. 8 hours of mind numbing driving. Probably makes one feel respect for the guys who do this for a living although they certainly have a slightly more exciting time in real life.