CLIFTON BEACH .............. calmness, serenity ,tranquility

Karachi is largest city of Pakistan . A hustling , bustling metropolis of the 1960s , 70s and 80s .........with its financial district across Saddar and MA Jinnah Rd , Karachi University campus around the western tip and beautiful Arabian Sea coastal strip situated at the southern part of town . Clifton Beach is a beautiful serene place with gray waves , shiny sandy beach  located in one of the most upscale neighborhood of the city . Clifton is a word derived from English language which means " city by the cliff" .One can see colorfully decorated camels and camel walas , teenagers dressed up in denims enjoying an evening walk , kids collecting sea shells and also burqa clad ladies enjoying the beautiful sunset at sea. City of Karachi has been badly affected by secretarial violence in the last two decades but still today Clifton Beach and other beaches in town are the place for relaxation for the people especially on weekends . They arrive in suzuki vans , shiny cars or rickshaws to spend few hours of walk on the beach or eat the spicy corn and cotton candy sold by " thela walas" .
In the last decade many new restaurants like the Village have been constructed serving delicious Pakistani cuisine . In one corner lies the fast food chain Macdonalds . Dolmen Mall a high rise mall has been constructed few years back near the beach .  Across from the beach some new car dealerships , designer stores and restaurants are located. The new Cineplex movie theatre near the Clifton Beach is always filled with people showing Hollywood and Bollywood blockbusters . Sea view and Darakhahah Apartments are located across from the beach . The prestigious Karachi Grammar School opened its new campus in this area  few years back . Many upscale country clubs like Golf Club, Marina Club are also located in this area.

POINTS TO PONDER

POINTS TO PONDER
( open letter to Ms Umaira Ahmed )

Madam I have watched a wonderful Urdu Dramas based on your novels (  SHEHER e ZAAT) which were excellent I am currently watching Zindagi Gulzar Hey which again is superb I wait for the new episode every Friday . I have two points I want to discuss in response to your story lines :

1. I have noticed ......All female characters dressed up in western clothes are quite arrogant or rather " full of themselves " , they live in their own world just simply don't care about others around them . As a matter of fact they are " quite spoiled"
Madam it is true that our culture and our world has such people but according to my humble opinion not every girl dressed up in pants and shirt is a " brat " and every girl wrapped in a chaddar is a " neak parveen"( extremely nice ). Madam there are many ladies who dress up in western clothes drive expensive cars but have a heart of gold are nice and respectful to not only those around them but they also help others in need . Also some girls who wear shalwar Kameez all the time are very conniving and jealous . Please try not to label some one .

2. I have also noticed that mothers who are " rich " are too busy in their lives don't care about their husbands and kids ....,.are just busy partying ! Madam I have seen thousands of moms in Pakistan and also abroad who are very involved in their kids lives , are good wives , also take care of the house and yes they also belong to the " upper middle class"
Kindly consider that point too " it is true" that moms who work day and night to make ends meet are simply " great " but the ones who are financialy stable yet taking care of kids and family 24/7 are not at all " worthless "!!
Everyone has different circumstances in life and it is one" s duty to live the best in his or her circumstances .

SCIENTIFIC ROMANCE

People have heard many love stories from Romeo and Juliet to Antony and Cleopatra but few know
 about the turn of the century " love story" of Marie and Pierre Curie . How two people from different worlds came together  and produced some extraordinary discoveries in the fields of Physics and Chemistry .  They spent much of their careers studying radioactivity .They established ; the heavy element thorium which was radioactive and discovered two new elements namely polonium and radium. Polonium was named after Marie " s native country Poland .

In 1891, 24 year old Marie Sklodowska, moved from Warsaw to Paris, where she found work in the laboratory of Pierre Curie, a scientist engaged in research on heat,crystals and magnetism. She was daughter of two teachers when her mom died Marie gave up her education to support her older sister . She had to travel to France in pursuit of higher education as in her native country women were not allowed to attend Universities during that time . She worked day and night at the Laboratory in Paris which   caught the eye of the Laboratory in charge and scientist Pierre Curie .Their interest in science brought them close to each other. They fell in love and later married . They took their honeymoon on bicycles. They expanded the periodic table, discovered two new elements . The Currie's  recognized radioactivity as an atomic property, marking the start  of a new scientific era. They won the Nobel Prize making Marie Curie the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize . They opened up a new lab with the prize money.  In 1906, Pierre was killed in a accident. Marie continued their work alone. She took his job at Sorbonne 's dept of Physics. She became the first female professor at Sorbonne. She  won a second Nobel Prize in 1911 in Chemistry , she was the first person to receive two Noble Prizes.
Marie Curie laid the foundation of Radium Institute in Warsaw ,Poland in 1925 . She created the International Commission of Intellectual Cooperation of the League of Nations . She also wrote an autobiography of her husband named "Pierre Curie" . She died in 1934 from aplastic anemia contracted by her long term exposure to radiation . Marie and Pierre Curie's daughter and son -in -law also received Nobel Prize for their work in the field of Chemistry. 

DR MANZOORUDDIN AHMED ........learned professor and family patriarch

Dr Manzooruddin Ahmed was a famous Pakistani scholar and  former Vice Chancellor of Karachi University the largest University of Pakistan.He was born in Sultanpur India did Masters in Diplomacy from Allahabad University , India . He was among the first few Pakistanis who obtained a  PhD degree in Political Science from Columbia University, NY in 1969 . Dr Ahmed also served as the professor of Pakistan Studies/Political Science through the prestigious Quaid E Azam Chair at Columbia University ."Quaid E Azam Chair" was awarded to him by then Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. He later on served as professor at University of Alberta. Dr Ahmed served as Dean of Arts and later Vice Chancellor of Karachi University . He along with few other notable personalities established the Fatima Jinnah Dental College in Karachi , Pakistan in the year 1992. He wrote many books about Pakistan it's history and it's political destiny. His last book was published few years back . Dr Manzooruddin Ahmed passed away  on 27th Dec 2012 in Syracuse, NY.

He was not only a highly qualified scholar but he was also a great family man who loved his children, brothers,sisters,nieces and nephews dearly. Dr Ahmed was the first one in his family who acquired a Doctorate degree from a highly recognized international institute. He was a family patriarch who was a beacon of inspiration and source of encouragement for everyone around him.

MOHAMMED ALI JINNAH ..........women in his life

Mohammed Ali Jinnah is perhaps one of the greatest Muslim leaders of the 20 th century.  

In the words of John Biggs-Davison, " Although without Ghandi, Hindustan would still have gained independence and without Lenin and Mao, Russia and China would still have endured Communist revolution, without Jinnah there would have been no Pakistan in 1947."

Mohammed Ali Jinnah ........leader was intelligent and determined , many articles and many books have been written about this great leader . I would like to discuss the role of few women in his life who did somewhat define this extraordinary man.

His parents Jinnah Bhai Ponja and Mithibai were of Kutchi Gujrati origin who moved to Karachi in 1875 , he was born a year later in 1876. They belong to a family of weavers , at that time Karachi was enjoying an economic boom which helped Jinnah" s family establish their business. His mom encouraged him to read books . He was one of the brightest student at Karachi" s Sindh Madrasa tul Islam. Jinnah was sent to England at a young age of 16 for higher studies .He married a lady named Emirbai who was two years younger than him before he left for London. Jinnah's mother and young bride died of Cholera while he was studying law at Lincoln's Inn , London. 

Rattanbai Petit or "Ruttie" as she was affectionately called was a bright and very talented young girl.She was 16 when she met Jinnah who was her father Sir Dinshaw Petit's friend.She was a lady with diverse interests . Ruttie was interested in poetry and fiction on one hand ,while on the other hand she was very much interested in politics. It is believed that the first meeting between the two took place in Darjeeling. Jinnah asked her father for her hand in marriage when she was 16 years old .Sir Dinshaw Petit was extremly angry at this proposal and forbade Ruttie to meet Jinnah, as she was a minor at that time. She converted to Islam shortly after her eighteenth birthday and married Jinnah. The wedding ceremony was attended by very few friends ,the couple went to Nainital for their honeymoon. The early years of their marraige could not have been happier.The two made a "head turning couple".........Ruttie was like a beautiful flower. Jinnah was tall and dashing who was always dressed in fine tailored suits. They both enjoyed the theatre in Bombay. She was a revolutionary like her husband , she was with him when he led a demonstration against Lord Willingdon , the Governor of Bombay. In 1919 their daughter Dina was born. By the mid 1922 Jinnah was facing political problems he spent long hours at his office and also campaigning for various issues. Ruttie  packed her bags and left for London with her daughter. She did deeply cared for her husband but could not tolerate the late hours. 

Jinnah was appointed to a subcommittee to establish a military academy like Sandhurst in India for which he had to travel to Europe and North America, he took Ruttie with her. Even the trip overseas could help the couple to resolve their differences. Ruttie separated from him in 1927. She withdrew into a world of mysticism. She kept in touch with only few close friends and few pets . She got sick and stayed in the Taj Hotel in Bombay . She wrote many letters to Jinnah in which she expressed her love for him. She finally died in 1929 on the day of her 29th birthday , she was buried according to Muslim traditions. Jinnah sat quietly during her funeral , he was an extremly private man who never showed his emotions in public but that day he cried openly. Letters written by Ruttie to Jinnah have been made public but the letters written by Jinnah were never made public. It is believed that he tried his best to care of her but she wanted to live alone in the last few years of her life. Jinnah went to Ruttie's grave before leaving for Pakistan in 1947 , he cried openly there. Jinnah's assistant said he  cried only on two occasion in his life and both times for Ruttie :once at her funeral and other at her grave. 

Dina Jinnah was his only child , Jinnah and his sister took care of her after her mother's death . She was a pampered daughter who was raised as a Muslim by Jinnah. She was away at school came home during vacations .

Dina Jinnah wanted to marry a Parsi named Neville Wadia who succeeded  his father as the chairman of Bombay Dyeing one of India's largest textile companies. According to Jinnah's assistant Mr Chagla;  Jinnah in his usual imperious manner , told her that there were millions of Muslim boys in India  and she could have anyone she chose."Father there were millions of Muslim girls in India .Why did you not marry one of them?"..........he replaid "she became a Muslim".

Ironically Jinnah and Dina Jinnah's  father-daughter relationship became extremely formal after her marriage to Mr Wadia , somewhat like that of her mother Ruttie and her grandfather . He started addressing her as Mrs Wadia. She lived in Bombay had two children,it is believed that Jinnah visited his grandson and granddaughter once in Bombay. Dina Jinnah did not move to Pakistan the country created by her father .She came to Karachi in 1948 to attend his funeral. Her son Ness Wadia became the the chairman of Bombay Dyeing after her husband's death . It is also ironic that all  families ; Jinnah's , Dinshaw Pettit's and Neville Wadia 's are associated with textile business. Mrs Wadia visited  Pakistan in 2004 with her son and grandsons to watch a cricket match between India and Pakistan in the spirit of "Cricket Diplomacy" to improve relations between the two countries . She was given an official protocol by the government of Pakistan when she visited Jinnah's tomb in Karachi. ''"It is a very sad and wonderful for me. May his dream of Pakistan come true", she wrote in the visitors book.
Fatima Jinnah was Jinnah's youngest sister , she studied dentistry in Calcutta. Fatima Jinnah closed her clinic after Ruttie's death and moved in with Mr Jinnah to help him take care of the house and his daughter. She was  one of the founding and most influential members of the Pakistan Movement . She along with Mrs Rana Liaquat Ali Khan formed APWA in 1947 . She took care of her brother till the day he died. Ms Jinnah lost the 1965 elections to Ayub Khan and died in 1967 but the nation never forgot her undying support to their "Quaid" she was given the title of "Madre e Millat"(mother of the nation). Fatima Jinnah Medical College for women was established in Lahore and later on Fatima Jinnah Dental College was established in Karachi to honor Ms Jinnah.
Mohammed Ali Jinnah was a non-interfering and and an unimposing man who never confided his sister to stay home or never forced his wife and daughter to stay with him to gain political benefits. He respected and loved all four women in his life . People say he  loved "Pakistan" more than anything or anyone..............may his dream for Pakistan come true !

TWO SIDES OF THE STORY .........MY SIDE AND YOUR SIDE

Today I would like to share a true story with everyone........... A doctor/ surgeon came running to the operation theatre at the door he was met by the extremely upset, kind of angry father of the patient . "Doc you took such a long time to get here , what if something happened to my son ", said the father . " Sir I had to deal with something very important , I came as fast as I could " replied the doctor . He went in and did the 5 hr surgery . He was eventually able to save the life of the young guy. After the surgery he came out and said to the father " your son" s life is out of danger ; the surgery went very well! Now I have to go , the nurse will give you further details " . He left and the nurse came in the father was very happy for his son yet very angry at the doctor ; he complained to the nurse about the " attitude " of the doctor . " He is one of our finest surgeons , he was off today just came for your son" s surgery ; regarding the attitude his son died two days back he and his family is extremely disturbed " replied the nurse . The father started to cry after listening to the nurse" s reply . " Oh my God what have I done , why was I so rude to the poor guy, why ? why ?"
The motto of the story " there are always two sides to the story , never be judgmental , don't react immediately give the benefit of doubt to others ; most of the time we don't know what the other person is thinking"!!

A PAKISTANI PRINCESS IN JORDAN

Princess Sarvath of Jordan , wife of Prince Hassan bin Talal is a Pakistani by birth . She is the daughter of a famous Pakistani government official and diplomat  ;Mr Ikramullah and his wife Shaista Ikramullah who was a writer and later served as an ambassador .Princess Sarvath met Prince Hassan in London where both of them were studying . They were married in August 1968 in Karachi what was a grand wedding reception attended by dignitaries from around the world. Later on a reception was held in Amman , Jordan attended by many Royals and diplomats . The couple live " s in one of the oldest houses in Amman , Jordan and have 4 children .
Princess Sarvath is involved with various charitable organizations within Jordan she has helped many organizations which help kids with mental and learning disabilities .Princess Sarvath also donated a girls school in the Notheren area of Pakistan few years back .Princess Sarvath is fluent in English , Arabic , French and Urdu . She is the honorary President of Jordanian Badminton Federation . She also has a black belt in taekwondo .
Princess Sarvath is a grand mother now ,she is still engaged with her social and charitable causeses.