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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Didi, I want to live

L
By Beena Sarwar

Kiran Soomro
spent her
seventeenth
birthday traveling
to meet a doctor in
Bangalore who
hopes to save
her life

ast Sunday, a day before Kiran

Soomros seventeenth birthday, there
was a small party at her home in Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Karachi. A few friends
gathered with her father Sikandar Ali
Soomro, mother Shamshad, and five siblings to wish her for her special day as
well as for her forthcoming heart operation in Bangalore.
Haresh Jiwnani took over a chocolate
cake and card on behalf of the members
of the Aman ki Asha Facebook group.
Early the next morning, he
and another wellwisher,
Jesrani Bimra, went to see
off Kiran Soomro and her
parents at the airport.
Kiran has been able to
hope, thanks to her Indian friend Nitu Jiwnanis appeal on the Aman ki Asha Facebook group a couple of weeks ago.
I am an Indian and I want to save this
Pakistani girl, wrote Nitu, a 26-year old
classical dancer.
Didi, Kiran would tell Nitu, I want to
live. I dont want to die.
The two had met in May 2013 when
Kiran was Delhi for the heart surgery.
However, doctors found her inoperable
due to a severe lung infection and put her
on medication for six months.
The money the family had raised then,
has since been spent. Soomro, a retired
government servant, who makes a living
selling potato chips at a roadside stall,
didnt have the means to schedule the operation again.
His adopted daughter Nitus appeal
elicited an outpouring of support from Indians and Pakistanis around the world.
She then contacted the famed heart surgeon Dr Devi Shetty, known for his compassionate approach, at his Naryana Hrudalya hospital in Bangalore. He examined
Kirans medical reports, and promised to
give her a massively discounted rate.

is a registered charitable organisation so

donors can also get receipts certifying
that their donations are tax-exempt.
Contributions, large and small,
came in from Indians and Pakistanis, including doctors, an art collector who auctioned off antique
manuscript pages, and expatriate
Indians moved by Kirans story.
Within a few days pledges had come in
for all the money

Mumbai airport: Nitu (left) with

Ammee Shamshad and Kiran.
Photo: Sikander Ali Soomro
A birthday cake and card
from Aman ki Asha.
Photos: Haresh Jiwnani

Initially the question was,

where to collect funds? Aman ki
Asha is not an NGO and has no
account for fund-collection. To
the rescue came Dr Geet
Chainani, a young medical doctor of Indian origin, who worked for nearly three
years in Sindh with flood survivors, before
returning recently to New Jersery, USA.

Dr Chainani offered to allow her nongovernment organisation LifeBridge

(which focuses on health in Sindh), to be
used as a depository for funds. LifeBridge

B R I E F S

Appeal to save Gurdwaras in Pakistan

ikh academics in Britain have written
to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif urging him to preserve gurdwaras in Pakistan, a gesture that will
contribute a great deal towards his
policy of cultivating good relations with India.
Gurdwara Guru Kotha in Wazirabad, Gujranwala District, named after Guru HarGobind, the
sixth of the Sikh gurus, merits special attention. It has been illegally occupied and the
building is being destroyed through incessant
encroachments.
The gurdwara enshrines the religious sentiments of the Sikh minority in Pakistan as well
as spread across the globe. It is also part of the
heritage of Punjab as a whole. Therefore, it is
of paramount importance that the gurdwara is
preserved, says the letter.
It should be a matter of pride for the Prime
Minister of Pakistan that the Muslim residents
of Wazirabad were the first to show their concern about the state of the gurdwara, it adds.
In the last ten years around 200 mosques

Celebrating Manto

Gurdwara Guru Kotha, Wazirabad: endangered

have been restored in Indian Punjab with the
help of Sikh and Hindu communities. Showing
such a measure of mutual respect for each
others religious sentiments could play a huge

For Diep, with admiration

By Samir Gupta

A proud Indian
finds a
wonderful friend
and a great
human being
across the
border

met Saeeda Diep for the

first time in July 2013
when she visited Delhi to invite guests for celebrations
for Shaheed Bhagat Singhs
birthday. She was not in good
health but her passion for her
work was palpable. Pakistanis
visiting India face many problems including finding a
hotel, a mobile phone SIM
card and Internet connectivity but Diep seemed undeterred
The one memory from that
trip that stands out for me was
watching her pick up a broken
sandal lying in the middle of a
Delhi Metro platform. Hundreds
of Indians walking past the broken sandal did not care enough to
even kick it to one side, and here
was a Pakistani visitor who, despite her medical problems, had
the ownership to pick it up and
dispose of it. I wish I had a camera at the time or the presence of
mind to take a photo but I was
completely taken aback by her
gesture.
On the day before she left, she
addressed journalists at the Press
Club in Delhi. I was really
touched by her request to her Indian friends to not report any of
the problems she faced when visiting India because for her the
cause was much more important
than the little inconveniences
Diep disappeared off social
media for a while as she recovered her health and continued her fight for IndiaPakistan peace, and the
rights of minorities in
both countries.
The next time I was
in touch with her was
when she visited Mumbai to receive the Mother
Teresa award in October 2013.
She wanted to know what she
should buy for Diwali celebra-

part in producing sustainable peace and coexistence between two nations.

The Evacuee Trust of Pakistan with the consultation of concerned residents of Wazirabad
listed in the letter, should get the gurdwara
evacuated and start the conservation work
without any delay, suggest signatories.
They include Lord Inderjit Singh, Member of
House of Lords, Prof. Ajit Singh, University of
Cambridge, Dr. Virinder Kalra, University of
Manchester, Prof. Swaran Singh, University of
Warwick, Dr. Pritam Singh, Oxford Brookes
University, Nadir Cheema, SOAS, University of
London, and local residents of Wazirabad.
If we are successful in this endeavour we
might be able to revive the committee to look
after gurdwaras in the rest of Pakistan, hopes
Nadir Cheema.
The previous government had eased visa restrictions for Sikh yatrees and pilgrims to other
shrines of religious denominations in Pakistan,
and refurbished and repaired basic housing
near the shrines to facilitate these pilgrims.

tions in Lahore that she had organized. More than a hundred

guests from all faiths attended the
Lahore Diwali party
I wish the Governments of
India and Pakistan would amend
their visa policies to facilitate
travel across the border for ordinary people. It makes sense to secure the country against terrorists but the solution for that is a
well thought-out visa regime and
proper screening of visitors, not
a total clampdown. Loss of contact hardens attitudes and dehumanizes people across the border
Hoping for sanity to return to
India Pakistan relationship in
2014. #MilneDo!
The author is an IT professional and a
peace activist based in Ghaziabad, India.
Email: samir.gupta@cklear.com

The writer is Editor, Aman ki Asha.

Email: beenasarwar@amankiasha.com

he South Asian Writers and

Artists Network (SAWAN) organised a special evening on
January 18, 2014, to mark the
fifty-ninth death anniversary
of Saadat Hasan Manto, acclaimed as the
subcontinents greatest short story
writer.
The event, held at the HRCP in Lahore, was marked by the launch of Abdal
Ahmed Jafris newly published book
Saadat Hasan aur Manto, a compilation
of writings by prominent Urdu writers
like Ali Sardar Jafri, Faiz Ahmed Faiz,
Mumtaz Mufti and Mumtaz Shireen, besides poetic tributes by Gulzar, Majeed
Amjad and Habib Jalib.
Also screened was Mantos Toba Tek
Singh, directed by distinguished poet
and playwright Sarmad Sehbai. Well
known intellectuals and writers including
I.A. Rehman, Intezar Hussain, Dr Saadat
Saeed and Mirza Hamid Baig paid tribute
to Manto.

There is no love during

India-Pakistan matches

S
By Laaleen Khan

Saeeda Diep: a caring human being

required for the airfare and expenses in

India.
The Indian High Commission processed the visas in record time, on the
condition that Aman ki Asha would take

on more such cases. The Rotary-Aman ki

Asha Heart to Heart programme has already enabled life-saving surgeries for
some 200 minor children.
Then Hilton Pharma agreed to
sponsor the cost. Rotary International, India and Pakistan, said
they would take care of medical
expenses and hospitality in India.
And Pakistan International Airlines
waived the Karachi-Mumbai airfare. (Incidentally, PIA is the only airline that
flies to all the capitals in the South
Asian region). All the donors have
generously requested the leftover
money to be used for another deserving case rather than being returned to
them.
Its fantastic to see the collaborative efforts of Indians and Pakistanis
achieve something so beautiful as a
chance at life. Kiran's got a ways to go
but the warmth in her heart from all the
love and support shes received will
help to ease her journey, commented
Dr Chainani. She hopes that Kiran will
set a trend and a path for peacemongers.
The journey began with an unfortunate five-hour flight delay from Karachi
(operational difficulties). PIA has apologized and promised to make it up. Nitu
got the connecting flight to Bangalore
changed to a late night one. She was at
the airport to meet the Soomros when
they finally landed in Mumbai.
A skinny, exhausted, red-eyed Kiran
clung to Nitu and wept. She didnt want to
get on another flight. But after a breather
and some refreshments, she was ready to
tackle the onward journey. A journey towards health and happiness, pray her
many well-wishers.

Cultural
differences fall
by the wayside
when you know
you are meant
to be together

harmine and Mutaqeens romance

sparked at college in
Toronto, where they currently live. After a threeyear romance, they got
married in Islamabad
followed by a walima
in Pune. That was
four years ago. The
couple recently welcomed their first
child, a baby boy.
Sharmine, passionate
about children, grew up in
Islamabad in a Pathan family. After graduating from the
University of Toronto she
taught in Pakistan before undergoing Montessori training in Canada. She volunteers at a school for autistic
children and sponsors a
young Nepali girl.
Mutaqeen was born in
Pune to a Bohri family and
grew up in Jeddah. He studied at the United World College, Singapore, and then at
the University of Toronto. He
launched a food commodities company in line with his
familys business, followed
by an award-winning plastics
recycling factory, Plastica Industries. He hopes to open
similar recycling plants in
Pakistan and India.
How they met
Sharmine: We first met
at university. To be honest,
I wasnt looking for anyone
to marry. It was a thought I
had put on hold until I returned to my country. Plus I
always thought I would
marry a Pakistani Pathan
boy. However, God had
other things planned for
me. Mutaqeens belief in us

Dubai, 2012
broadened all horizons.
Mutaqeen: I was enamoured by Sharmine when I
met her and the rest is history. There was really no
courtship. Honestly, I just
saw her and I knew that she
was the one, and that she
was perfect for me. It was
like everything suddenly fell
into place.
Challenges
Sharmine: I thought my
grandfather, a renowned
politician, would have an
issue. But he was obviously
more forward thinking than
Id assumed and gave his
blessings immediately. Mutaqeen felt right at home on
the very first day. During
our wedding, I didnt get
my Indian visa till the last
week. My mother-in-law
was so stressed out. She
kept saying, "All the cards
have gone out, everything is
booked, and the bride still
doesnt have her visa!" It

was a cliffhanger situation!

Misconceptions
Sharmine: Whe the agent
who does background
checks for Indians entering
Pakistan came over for a
routine check up, he was extremely perturbed. He asked
my mother why she was giving my hand in marriage to
an Indian and if she had
found no suitable Pakistanis.
Mutaqeen: Anyone who
met Sharmine knew that I
would be a fool to give her
up for something as trivial
as cultural differences. So
no one asked me any questions.
Lingo
Sharmine: Ive picked up
a lot of words, especially the
word only since Indians
tend to use this word a lot.
Despite my denial, I am
pretty sure I say it just as
much now!
Mutaqeen: I use a lot of
Urdu and Pashto words now.

Cricket loyalties
Sharmine: Heres where
the fairytale ends! There is
no love during an India-Pakistan match. When Pakistan
lost to India during the
World Cup finals, I went
into mournful silence for the
next few days.
Mutaqeen: India all the
way! Its great when both
teams play against each
other, as Sharmine supports
Pakistan very patriotically,
and its always a lot of fun.
During the game, I must say
the atmosphere is tense, but
at the end no matter who
wins or loses, we are happy
for the winning team.
Laaleen is an Islamabad
based media specialist and
international correspondent.
She tweets @laaleen.
Email: laaleen@gmail.com.
This article has been adapted from
her series When Hari Met Saleeha
in Libas International, 2013

THE FIRST STEP

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contributing to genuine and durable peace with honour between our countries.