What can and can’t they do?

 Every child who comes into this world is born into the religion of Nature irrelevant to the religion of his/her parent. But “Can” & “Can’t” “Do’s” & don’ts” chase him from the cradle to the grave.

In his infancy he tries to understand the movement of his mother’s finger moving right and left showing “don’t” or “can’t”.  Since a child should be inquisitive about any particular action which he can’t understand himself and must have to do something to know,  but  ‘No, you “can’t do” is there before him. 

When the child gets older and starts to understand, he hears the words “don’t do that” or “No you can’t do this, you are too little”.  Up to the age of eighteen these don’t and can’t are the recitation of his parent.

After eighteen years now the great problem starts. Heavenly instructions start to bombard.

 “No it can’t be allowed in our religion.!”

  “Why can’t I marry mom!  I love her!’

“No you can’t marry her she belongs to another religion.”

 “if it’s so I’ll  adopt her religion”

“NO, YOU MUSTN'T, YOU CAN’T, YOU SHOULDN'T!”  

“Mother,  yes I can, what’s the big deal in it, this or that,” 

“I HAVE SAID ONCE AND FOR ALL YOU CAN’T marry her - IF YOU DO YOU WILL BE OUT OF THIS HOUSE”. 

Then the boy gets married, and sometime later he with his wife starts the same lesson with their own children. So this “Can” & “Can’t” is such a lesson with which every child opens his eyes into this world not only has to face  himself or herself but will have to recite for their own children.

Life is "DOES AND DON’T" AND "CAN AND CAN’T", and nothing else.

My Eponym = mistory

Meaning: Plot of a story suddenly comes, which you immediately write and wish to share with your readers.

For example:

1. I let my friends know the plot of ‘mistory’ via social media, the immediate response I received, “publish it at once ‘dude!”

2. The best ‘mistories’  come to me when my heart feels gloom and miss something/someone.

Origin: mishaikh (mi sheikh) is a Pakistani, student (in the sense of a learner) and an humble blogger on EC  who always tries to pick the knowledge from where he finds it, like a  plucker of buds and flowers to make a bouquet.  He tries to express the emotions of romance, certain human feelings which commonly people shy down and conceal.  The ‘mistory’ is named after him.

Quick Quiz 

Which of the following is an example of a mistory? 

a. an unknown person.

b. a blogger

c. a no body.

Didn’t you know my love for you was beyond time and space?  It was, is and will always be here in my heart till I die, save your strength to behold, save it on the disc of your memory for sure that there was one who loved, loves and will always do out of bound.  All the time saved and all the saved space is short to span a love, which itself an energy consumed or saved,  if saved then have a heart with a saved space.

CATEGORY – THE MOST INTELLIGENT CHARACTER

Character  - Margiana

Story – Ali Baba and 40 thieves from Arabian Nights (Alf – Laila)

Ah! Thanks for this! This is very much to me and my teachers; I played the part of Margiana. I thank  the Academy, the Jury for seeing in me the actress and intelligence, which I think I don’t have and I thank all those who did their untiring efforts to make my character successful.  Especially Miss Unjli, who taught me how to dance, yes I had to dance during the climax of the story.  I also thank my teacher Uzma who designed my dancing dress.  OH, no, and can’t dance here.  Okay, okay I just move my hands because I am not wearing dancing dress.  Here I am.  Thank you, thank you.  

I am doing my best to make her happy, but she doesn’t respond the way I do.  I do the work she leaves incomplete.  I do the laundry, I do the dishes, but I daily do the dishes, even if she is at home doing nothing.  I do write articles, research work, which she forwards with her name as she did all of them.  I’m good at hair dressing, so she always asks me to do her hair, which I do with pleasure.  What she does for me, she doesn’t do anything for me, oh, yes she doesn’t let me go loose, and she even doesn’t let me talk to any girl.  Yesterday she asked me to do the gardening in the yard. She did watch me doing the work, whether I wasn’t doing eyeing  my neighbor.  I asked her if she could do me a favour  and bring the fertilizer bag.  Do you know, what she did, she literally ran to the store and brought the bag immediately, and said “didn’t your raise your head?”. I raised my head and said looking at the window where our neighbor was watching us and smiling “Like this?”  I did give a smile to the neighbor, too and then….. It took  me the entire day to convince her that I do love her. Yes, she is my sweet wife. 

She had such an enchanted personality that stuck to my memory, and still haunt me.  Whenever I sit alone, she comes before me from behind the curtain of my subconscious.  I met her by stroke of luck in a very peculiar situation.

This was happened when I was loitering in the heavily neon signed bizarrely illuminated streets of Las Vegas.   Vegas, where almost all moral sins are licensed, gambling, drugs, prostitutions whatever comes in your mind all available easily.  I was deeply shocked when I saw young kids all wearing a yellow light jacket, 12 or 13 years of age working as pimps, calling on the footpaths, “pretty girls,,,, beautiful girls!” In their hands, there were stacks of playing card size photographs of nude and semi nude girls.  They were very expertly shuffling the photo cards before each passerby and hand a card to the one who stretch his hand. I also saw an old lady doing the same business, but she was sitting in a corner of a building, (a hotel) offering card photos to the passerby.   

 “Hey handsome! Ho the beautiful!” 

My attention was attracted towards the caller, she was extremely beautiful dressed in black shorts and blouse or rather it was a small jacket.  The thing attracted me towards her that she was not looking pro from her appearance, the first impressions I got that she must be a college or university student.  Seeing me staring at her, she smiled, “100 bucks an hour, it won’t be a waste of your dollars, you will enjoy!”   I was still staring at her, she held my arm and moved me away from the crowd. 

 “Aa, I!

 I stammered and couldn’t speak.

“Ok, let’s first have dinner, ok?”  I just nodded.

My steps were automatically turned to MGM hotel where I was staying.  By then I got settled on a table in the corner, and asked her to order whatever she wanted to have in dinner. 

 “This was your call to get the attention over there for customer, I know I am not handsome or, ……”

She smiled, “every trade has its slogan and it’s mine,  so what?“  Her smile was very beautiful, and there was innocence rather than profession.

“You know, I think you are new in this and you are not a pro at all, so why are you doing all this, why don’t you go back to your family and settle down?” 

She was looking at me and this time the light in her eyes was faded, the blossom was decaying. 

“It shouldn’t be your concern, you just take the yield of your money you are expensing, and that’s all.”

“I didn’t intend to, I hear your call and turn to see……..”

“That wasn’t specifically for you.”

“I know but I saw you and got curious, you seem from the world other than this which I am seeing you in.  I’m just curious, I am not interested in what you are selling; just want to know how and why the circumstances compelled you to sell yourself like this.  I am rather attracted to your inner personality, which I can feel; it’s just touched me, because…”

“Hey!” She interrupted, “Aren’t you going to fall in love with me like all the others, the difference is this that you are showing your emotion before sleeping while other used to show after awaking.”

I just smiled and said, “Ok take this way, I will sure pay you for your time you spend telling me about yourself.”

“You know this is first time I am feeling relaxed, no tension of being sold.  You do have some charm of your own.  Ok I tell you.”  She finished her dinner and I ordered a drink of her choice for her.

‘My story is not very long.  I had a boyfriend, I felt that I loved him, and his passion towards me was not hidden to me.  He planned to spend vacation here in Vegas. It was in summer two years back.  We came here stayed in a hotel, and enjoying, roaming, gambling, drinking.  I found that he was a habitual gambler.  I tried to stop him.  One day we found that we had no money at all even to pay the hotel bill.  Next morning I found myself alone.  My boyfriend, whom I thought was in love with me, abandoned me fleeing even without letting me know.  I was alone, without money and there was hotel bill.  I was in trouble, then someone from the hotel showed me the way how to earn the money to pay the hotel bill.  He arranged some initial customers for me.  Then I made the payment and get myself out from one trouble to get into another.  I could not go back to my mother.  I didn’t want her to know what I have become.  Since then I am here and earning my living.  It is easy here, no hitch.  I grab one or two clients earn money, give share to my protector.  Play on the slots in the hope that may be one day I hit the jackpot, grab the money and go back.”

I was sitting quietly, even not looking at her.

“So this is my entire story.  Satisfied?”  I was still spellbound, failing to find the words to sooth her. 

‘Ok I gotta go now, find some other client, you are a wrong one.  Anyway thanks for the dinner.”

She stood up, “Wait, I can pay you for your time.”

“No, no service no money, you know, you are handsome in here.”  Saying this she stroke her index finger on her temple.”

“Hey, what I would with this money, this is yours.”

She walked back to me. 

“Ok just try your luck on one of those machines play for me.”

“And if I hit the jackpot?” I laughed.  ”This is your money after all”.

She smiled and took a paper out of her purse, jotted something.  “This is my mother’s address send the money to her.”

She left laughing and throwing a kiss towards me.

I was sitting there for a while then went up to my room to get some rest. 

When I woke up after three hours, I went down.  I want to take another walk before checking out.

I went to see the aqua dance (water dance) at the Caesar Hotel fountain.  I saw crowd on the side of the road, people were speaking in whispers.  I asked one of the guys standing near me what was happening.  He told me that a girl was hit by the car when she was crossing.  She was badly drunk, and tried to cross the road while it was red light.  I tried to get in front through the crowd.  I was shocked; something heavy fell inside me.  It was the same girl whom I met earlier.  She was lying there mutilated.  Blood was spread all around her.  I hid my face with my both hands and rushed back to my hotel.  I was feeling sick, sad and broken. 

I didn’t know how long I sit there quiet; tears were rolling down my face. 

I gathered my things packed, took my bag and went down to the reception to check out.  I was going out of hotel passing through all those slots. 

‘“And if I hit the jackpot, this is your money after all”.

 My words echoed in my mind.  I stopped and asked an attendant standing near a slot how to play.   I gave him the money and asked to put for me. I hit the button, the machine clanked for a while then there was a shout of the people who were standing near.  I hit the jackpot.  There were tears in my eyes.  I took the jackpot money and went to the airport, took the plane to Los Angles.  Her mother lived in LA.

At the airport I took the taxi for the address she gave to me in a joke.  I rang the bell; an old lady opened the door.

“I am a friend of Lara, your daughter.”

Her eyes lit up with delight.

“Where is she? How is she?  Come on in!”  

“How is Lara? No hear from her since long!”

“She sent you this.” I gave the envelope of money to the lady.

“Where is Lara?“  She asked again.

“Your Lara is now in peace.” 

Saying this I turned back to hide my tears and not to see hers while she was falling in her chair.

When I got a call from you on EC for chat I didn’t miss the opportunity to gain access to you.  When we got chatted for a while you generally accepted me as your friend whereas I was already got ready and wishing you to get ready for the same.  I liked you very much and I was thinking to get a chance to get together with you in real.  You got a shock when I told you about this.  I was afraid of your getting angry with me.  And you stopped seeing me on EC. I was not used to get ignored by you so I got upset.  I then sent you message and requested to get back together and I promised not to get any wish which made you getting doubtful about me.  I really had a guilty conscience.  I didn’t think that my pleading would be good enough for us to get back together.  But with stroke of luck I got permission from you to come to your place in person.  My pleading would have given rise for you to get rid of your thinking about me that was not getting serious about our relationship.  It will get better, and I promise, I would never get changed as you afraid of.  

I was standing in a burning desert; the darkness was all around me. The heat of some unseen fire was increasing. It seemed as I was being taken somewhere, may be towards the fire, the heat was burning me even I was far away, it was suffocating me. Even in the darkness I saw far away there was a place, cool, full of greenery, trees covered with blossomed flowers, amongst them she was sitting.  She was looking sad.  Near her was flowing a fountain of cool clear water.  That was a beautiful place.  I wanted to call her, but no voice was coming out of my parching throat. 

I again tried to call her; she turned towards me and stood up.

“Please get me out of here…. I am suffocating!” I was so weak that my voice hardly coming out.

 She blossomed seeing me. There was great pleasure on her beautiful face and her eyes were glittering.  She came to me and extended her hand to hold mine.

 I held her hand strongly. “Please forgive me, I humiliated you, I was wrong, I was wrong all the way, I must not ignore you, I must not hide from you, I must not hurt you.”

 I didn’t know what I was talking; I just wanted her to forgive me, so that I would get out of that hell. I kept pleading, and she was just smiling saying nothing. 

Suddenly my eyes opened, and I found her bending over me.

 “What happened? Was it a nightmare?”  Her eyes were blood red, it seemed as she had being crying for long.

 “Yes it was!  But now it’s okay, I am with you, I missed you.  You will not go away from me” I said, her hand was still in my sweating hand.

 “This was what I wanted to say.” She inclined over my shoulder and closed her eyes.

Following is a scene from a story called “The thin Thread” by an Egyptian writer called Ehsan Ebd Elqudoos.

In this scene the two lovers who do live with each other (without marriage) quarrel with each other, as "she" dislikes and blames him that "he" danced in that night with another female who is his boss’s daughter for the sake of etiquette without taking her feelings in consideration;

 (Sent to me by a friend of mine in Egypt).

He: Yes, I danced with her,,,for the sake of etiquette!
She: you take the "etiquette" in your consideration while you do not take my feelings in your consideration?!
He: You have to know that there are traditions and ethics which we must take in our consideration.
She: you now talk about "traditions and ethics"?! where were such traditions earlier?!
He: it was always there.
She: and what made your eyes to open now and to see it?!
He: the society we live in.
She: So, it's my sin that I supported you in this society.
He: the society never adopted our relationship.
She: And this society does adopt you only?!,,,it's a coward society, anyone can make it adopts thier will only if\when they are strong.
He: I can't make people adopt my sins!
She: people are also full of sins.
He: yes, but they do hide thier sins.
She: only the weak person who does hide their sins.
He: You want to say that I'm a weak person?!
She: Oh, then am I your sin?!
He: Our love is our sin.
She: then, we correct this sin,,,we just do marry, then.
(He keeps silent and confused for a second,,,putting his eyes down and says: but............
(Here she feels hurt by his silence,,,and says with tears: do not say a word, I who will refuse to marry you, I refuse to marry a weak person like you,,,even if you stand on your knee before me!
He: Please darling,,,do not destroy everything,,,I love you,,,I want to do marry you,,,but I fear that this marriage might not be good for us.
She: you mean "not good for YOU"!
He: No darling, for both of us, what is the difference if we carry on our life as it is?!,,,what difference does it make if our love keeps in secret?!,,,just think in the success I achieved.
She: I'm your partner in every success you have achieved...now you deny me to share you the fruit of it?!
He: No dear, you who have built me,,,you who made me,,,you who created from me this succeeded person...So, for the sake of your creature do safegaurd him.
She: And me?! what\where then is my share?!
He: the creator does give, he never takes!
She: the creator does ask his creature to do worship him overtly, but you do worship me secretly!
He: the secret worship is the most devoted sorts of worshipping!
She: worshipping is not a sin, but you consider your love to me is as a sin!
He: it's not me who consider this, it's the society, an unbeliever society,,,in which no one believes in you except me!
She: well, be an a messenger and do spread your message!
He: I'm too little to be a messenger,,,I can't be a messenger!

(here she shouts saying: AND WHO TOLD YOU THAT I CAN BE A GOD ?!!!

>Hi, how are you?

<I am fine thanks.

>How is the weather back there in Karachi?

<It was not cold during December, some of the people using their ACs, but was turned up cool, cooler and then cold by the approaching of January.

>But here in Baltimore, its already cold when I reach, I was wearing a parachute jacket, but my son brought another heavy jacket at the airport, when I came out.

<OH that’s it.  But we are okay even in this cold. Just wear sweaters or simple coat.

>Here in Baltimore snow fall started very next day of my reaching. And later on temperature some time go negative, but not more than 11Celcius.

<We Karachities wear heavy warm jackets or other clothes when we have Quetta Wave, coming from Siberia through Quetta Baluchistan. Quetta is just over one hour drive away from Karachi.  So it is affected much.  Karachi itself does not have any weather.  It used to be mild, otherwise cold in case of Quetta Wave, and in summer when hot winds come from deserts of Irani Baluchistan (if I am not mistaken).

>Here in America we have series of snow storms, (Blizzard of 2015). Iola has passed, Sonja is expected next week.  Washington DC, New York, Boston and some other regions are worst affected.  Today I watched survivor of the storms.  One of the guy was badly wounded on his face maybe frostbite or hit by something.

<Yea, I heard too.  In Karachi few days ago we have windy weather.  Gush of winds were blowing.  We preferred to stay inside.

<Ok you just take care, and do not go out when it is snowing.  We are fine in this cold weather too.  It makes not much difference for us.

>Ok thanks for calling.

>Bye.

I didn't write this.  A friend of mine sent from Iran.  I am blogging it here with her permission.

“What goes through your mind as you sit there looking at me? Well, I can tell from your look that you think I’m so oppressed, but I don’t need  you to liberate me.  My head is not bare, and you can’t see my covered hair, so you sit there and you stare, and you judge me with your glare. You’re sure I’m in despair, but are you not aware, under this scarf that I wear I have feelings, and I do care how I feel. So don’t you see that I’m truly free?  This piece of scarf on my head, I wear so proudly, to preserve my dignity, my modesty, my integrity, so don’t judge me in your way. Open your eyes and see. Why can’t you just accept me? Why can’t I just be me?  Time and again you speak of democracy, yet you rob me of my liberty. All I want is equality.  Why can’t you just let me be free?”

The man reclining on the back of arm chair, seems to be in slumber, gets a slight jerk to open his eyes.  “Where is she? She was right here moments ago, what I am doing in her house, when she isn't here. 

He stands up and moves towards the door. He hears a soft voice behind his back, a baby's voice, the giggling voice, or may be the baby is about to cry. He rushes towards the baby without making any noise. The baby stares into his eyes, he picks up the baby, the baby touches his cheek with his small soft hand, and smiles, then closes his eyes, goes in sleep again.  He touches baby's cheek with his trembling lips and puts him down on bed very gently.  Then goes back to the arm chair, inclines on it, puts the blanket on his legs, closes his eyes and goes into slumber again..................... 

NIHARI

INGREDIENTS REQUIRED

Beef 1 Kg (preferably shank cuts)(We call it bong)

Bones (knuckle & marro) 2 kgs.

Onion 1 medium finely sliced

Flour 100 gms (dissolve in 2 cups water)

Cooking oil 175 ml

Spice:

Prepared pack available in market of different brand generally containing:

Red chili

Salt

Paprika,

Nigella Seed,

Garlic

Dehydrated onion

Cumin

Bay leaf

Aniseed

Green Cardamom

Black pepper

Ginger

Clove

Fennel

Total weight of all above spices not over 60 gms

Step of cooking

1. 1.          Heat half cup of oil, add meat with above mentioned spices.  Stir fry until oil separates from masala (spices).
2. 2.          Add 3 liter water and bones.  Stir and bring to boil.  Cover the cooking pot undisturbed on low heat for 3-4 hours till the beef soften.
3. 3.          Gradually add dissolved flour in the gravy. Stir and mix.  Bring to boil and cook for 15 minutes.  Stir occasionally.
4. 4.          Heat separately sliced onion. Stir fry until golden and pour into Nihari.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes on low heat.
5. 5.          Remove bones of big sizes and leave small one in Nihari.  Collect marro from the big bones and mix it in gravy. Stir slowly.
6. 6.          Remove excessive oil before serving.
7. 7.          Serving Suggestions: Garnish with sliced green chillies, fresh ginger (sliced) and lime. Serve hot with tandoori naan.

So another year has left leaving behind more memories, more miseries, and more deprivations.  The desert of life is the same for me since you left me without giving any reason of such painful partition. People are talking about future goals, planning for the New Year.  Enough is enough!.  I tell you I am going to be myself, giving no heed any more to my miseries; I will live without you, without your memories. Remember, you came to me all by yourself claiming your love, and you laughed seeing me staring at you with my mouth opened in surprise. Then one day in the end of the last year, as for your future goal, you quit me, you left me, again staring at you with my mouth opened in shock.  This New Year as my future goal I will not be going to worry any more, but I am going to push myself to do what I don’t enjoy.  I am going to meet people, new friends, especially girls.  I will not get myself drowned in your love; rather I will swim out smiling leaving all your memories behind. I am going to try to stay organized.  If I stick to these goals, it’s going to be a great year.

OH MY LOVE, please don’t believe what I have written above. I know I am not going to do any of these things.  How could I be organized when you are gone?  How can I stick to these goals, and if not, it’s not going to be a great year, again.

No doubt love consummates those who are deep in love. It doesn't decay life rather it blossoms it. Without love who is happy? If you don't know the love, you don't live. You cannot exchange the love with money , nor yet with other material. If the love is in your soul, you must know that it is phenomenal. You cannot explain it.. It is a feeling most of the time seems illogical. You cannot avert it. After being in love all become different. If the love comes to you, you are happy, BUT BE CAREFUL, you have to know that the love can hurt ...

I was quite shocked to see that you have deleted my name from your friends list, whereas I was quite right to be quite sure to think that I was getting quite close to you. May be you decided to quit me because of my quiet nature. On the contrary I quietly started to love you, but now it is quite surprising for me that you couldn’t feel my quiet love. It is quite right that sometimes I failed to respond to you and kept quiet. I should have to quit my quiet nature and broke my silence quite in time when it was needed. I shouldn’t be quiet, but be quite frank to express that though my love was quiet, it was quite high in truth and reality.

Years come years go, you never respond to my mails, my greetings, Christmas, New Years’, Eid Days or the Independent Days. I never missed the chance to have a contact with you with any medium or occasion available. I am once again sending you my Christmas wishes. I am sure it will reach you before New Year's Eve, because of the vacations. I will also be sending you New Year’s greetings through electronic mail. And if you open your mail regularly you will find my best wishes for Christmas and a charming greeting Christmas card. As usual you may not respond to me. I am contended to have connected with you even with these happy occasions.

Thanks for your intimation; you will not be seeing me anymore, just because you saw me admiring the beauty of another girl. You aren’t doing well, because what you saw on the culture page happened years ago even well before I met you. I am not feeling well right now. It isn’t good of you that you judge me on the basis of action done well before in the past. I will not be able to cope well without you, try to understand me. It wasn’t love I showed to her. She was a good friend. I admired her because she always behaved well and she was well cultured. She had a good character. She was a good guitarist, and you know very well that I love music.
Well, I hope you have understood me, because you have a good sense of understanding. I’m sure that the good time will be back when I’ll have you back in my arms.

ALIEN IN THE ISLAND OF LOVE

His indifferent attitude towards her was torturing her.  His look, look of a stranger stabbed her heart like a knife of flash light and the world around her began to destroy. She was failing to understand why all of a sudden she has become an alien in the island of his love. For how long she was in the dark well of her thoughts, she didn’t know,  when  came into her senses, she found her tears rolling down from her cheeks to the toilet paper on which she was trying to write something desperately. 

In desperation, fearing to lose your lover, the routine of daily life disturbed.  You do not know when you are stopped in between your routine work (like changing the roll of toilet paper) falling in deep thought of misery and then found putting your pain in words even on the toilet paper.