[Some Random Thoughts While Returning From Pakistan]
Where Is Our Next Generation?
Since my childhood, I was always reminded at home that being a grand daughter of one of the pioneers of Pakistan Movement was not about any privileges or fame… rather it came with certain responsibilities.
I remember composing and proof-reading the texts of invitation cards of Hasrat Mohani Day (یوم حسرت موہانی ), typing and posting letters to newspapers and institutions during the pre-internet days.
It is almost fun to recall how was I asked to prepare on-the-spot announcements for the arrival of various dignitaries.
I often ended up reading Welcome Notes for the wrong people … needless to mention that the real guests laughed at my childish mistakes, while advising me to do better in the next year’s Hasrat Day.
I do know that they only did it for their devotion to the heroes of independence and their high hopes from the upcoming generations of Pakistan.
It is almost fun to recall how was I asked to prepare on-the-spot announcements for the arrival of various dignitaries.
I often ended up reading Welcome Notes for the wrong people … needless to mention that the real guests laughed at my childish mistakes, while advising me to do better in the next year’s Hasrat Day.
I do know that they only did it for their devotion to the heroes of independence and their high hopes from the upcoming generations of Pakistan.
As the time is flying, many of our learned and experienced people are growing either older or weaker. While we were informed about the inability of some of our guests to attend Hasrat Day Programme, due to these very reasons, my mind was looking for the answer to one question…WHERE IS OUR NEXT GENERATION?
Remembering Hasrat Mohani:
Thinking about all this background, I flew to Karachi to attend Hasrat Mohani Conference to be observed at Pakistan Arts Council on 13th May, 2010. By the grace of Allah, the program went off very well … Very insightghtful papers were read by scholars like Dr. Jafar Ahmed (Director, Pakistan Studies Centre, Karachi Uni), Prof. Sehar Ansari ( Head, Urdu Dept, Karachi Uni) , Dr. Anwar Ahmed Zai (Ex Director, Education, Sindh), a poem by Prof Hasan Akbar Kamal (eminent national songs writer, author and critic), Bari Mian Farangi Mahli ( President, Hasrat Mohani Trust) & Mr. Peerzada Qasim (Vice-chancellor, Karachi University). There were some thoughghtful speeches rendered by Mr. Raoof Siddiqui & Mr. Shoaib Bukahri (Federal & Provincial Ministers). The special messages from Mr. Asif Ali Zardari (President of Pakistan) and Mr. Altaf Hussain (Quaid, MQM) were also read out in the program.
Before the start of the program, two ghazals of Hasrat Mohani were sung by Mr. Rafiq Rana.
More details of this program can be had from Daily Dawn of 14th May, 2010.
Hasrat Mohani and Our Youth
Hasrat Mohani and Our Youth
Did I mention my own small speech? My topic was “Hasrat Mohani and Our Youth”, which I wrote while travelling to Pakistan, amidst all the previously mentioned random thoughts.
The jist of the speech was that the life of Hasrat Mohani is a model for our youth.
"Have we ever realized that Hasrat and his contemporaries were doing much more “multi-tasking” than present day fast moving youth?
Think about a life without satellite TV, internet, email, fax, etc. ..
Can someone without all these modern day facilities imagine being a journalist, poet, scholar, writer, analyst, critic, politician, public speaker, even a trader … all at one time?
Hasrat Mohani led a very fast paced life, without all modern day communication tools….
So why can’t we be able to set our goals higher and achieve them?"
"Have we ever realized that Hasrat and his contemporaries were doing much more “multi-tasking” than present day fast moving youth?
Think about a life without satellite TV, internet, email, fax, etc. ..
Can someone without all these modern day facilities imagine being a journalist, poet, scholar, writer, analyst, critic, politician, public speaker, even a trader … all at one time?
Hasrat Mohani led a very fast paced life, without all modern day communication tools….
So why can’t we be able to set our goals higher and achieve them?"
Pakistan Youth Revolution – A Hope for the Future? http://www.pyr.org.pk/
This is my firm belief that our youth, well equipped with such ever growing technology, are capable of facing much bigger challenges and succeed. They have the same passion and devotion in their hearts, only waiting to be discovered and utilized in the best possible way. This passion can be easily seen and felt through Social Media interaction. It was initiated with Pakistan Go Green Campaign by Farhan Masood and its numerous supporters. Later Pakistan Youth Revolution by Jahanzaib Khan came up and thousands of talented and highly qualified young professionals joined it. In a very short span of time, this organization has made us set our hopes high and aim for the best only.
It was indeed a great pleasure to see PYR Karachi Team led by Sarfaraz M Khan accompanied by Abdul Hameed Kath, Hameedullah, Sabir Khalid and others. It was like a breath of fresh air of such an enthusiastic group of people in this annual gathering of Hasrat Mohani Trust, Karachi. Also, it was nice talking to Beenish Qureshi who couldnot attend due to her work. I wish and hope that from now onwards, the message of Hasrat Mohani and other national heroes will be remembered and spread everywhere with great zeal and spirit through the platform of PYR.
Isn’t it the revival of a great task of working together towards a common goal…. i.e., spreading hope and light in the lives of all Pakistanis?
History will tell…. Lets wait and see…
