#TDAWorldView *Afghanistan* First thing first, let’s begin with a Ripley’s believe it or not fact. Perhaps, the most celebrated villain of Indian mythological tales, Mamashri Shakuni was an Afghani by modern standards. Shakuni hailed from the princely state of Gandhar, which over the course of centuries has been altered to it nearest syllable Kandhaar, situated in southern Afghanistan. Dilapidated havens, rugged roads, people with almost extraterrestrial appearances roaming around, armed with assault rifles, women clad in black satraps and an ethereal stillness on the streets- The layman would articulate his evaluation of Afghanistan in more or less the same words. I don’t blame him. There’s got to be something about this nation and its people; something which has attracted invading power towards it midst since the late 1980’s. Afghanistan is a multi cultural and a multi ethnic society. The topography is a mix of central highlands and peripheral foothills and plains. The country has an arid continental climate. Summers are dry and hot, while the winters are intensely frosty, the stout snowfall cladding the whole ambience in white apparel. The prominent cities include Kabul, the capital city along with Mazar e sharif and Kandahar. The official languages are Persian (officially called Dari) and Pashto. However, you might find all these information’s at a click. What you won’t find, is the story of the Afghan people. The appalling tale of a common Afghan, rubbing his palms vigorously against each other, to beat the chill of the westward winds, his eyes narrating voluminous tales of his dreams and aspirations, fears and reservations, hopes and trepidations. When was the last time, the guy who sells mandarins on the corner forced you to drink tea and called over his ten year old son, who’d been taking English lessons, so you could meet him and be questioned repeatedly “Mister, What is your name?”. When was the last time, a barber refused to take payment for cutting your hair, on the grounds that “You are a guest “in his country? Hospitality is the indispensable facet of Afghan culture. No matter who you are, if you visit a home, you’ll be served the best the family has. If you are invited for tea, which you inevitably will be, you’ll be offered snacks and your tea glass will be constantly filled, until you cover the glass with your hand and say “bus” (enough). In 2003, the renowned Afghan born American novelist and author of three bestselling novels, Khaled Hosseini, visited Afghanistan. As he stood on the corner of a street, he saw a young boy, who was barely ten year old. His scrawny and half starved appearance suggested that he was a beggar. Hosseini instinctively reached for his pockets and offered the boy a penny. With an aura of diffidence visible on his face, the boy said “No, Uncle, I am not a beggar. I work”. Hosseini apologized for his misjudgment. The boy replied “But, if you wish, you can come over to my place for dinner and tea. We’d be honored to have you as our guest”. Saying so, the boy pointed towards an outlet in a dilapidated building. He, along with his whole family, used to live underneath that crumbling building, which was on its final edges. Hosseini did not accept his invitation, because if he did, whatever bite the family had kept for themselves, they would’ve gracefully, given it to him. Afghan conversations are preceded and concluded by certain formalities, which inevitably extend even the mot basic chats into a fairly lengthy exchange. The common Afghan is shrewd enough to gauge his benefits in a business deal, whilst he’s genuinely concerned about your well being. While meeting someone, the handshake is the most common form of greeting, succeeding which you might see people place their right hand over their heart and nod slightly. The etiquettes of Afghan conversation oblige a person to solicit a few customary questions, before moving on to the subject matter. A typical Afghan conversation is initiated by a flurry of questions, which might seem irrational to the modern world As Salam Alikum- Peace be upon you Che hel dared- How are you? Shoma khub hastid- Are you good? Jan-e-jur- Is your body good? Sahat-e-Shoma Khub- Is your health good? Haire Hairat- Is your/your family’s honor intact? Similarly, the conclusion of the conversation is adorned by the choicest of expletives Tashekor-Thank you Zindigi bashid-Live long Salamat bashid-Be healthy Khuda Hafiz- May God bless you/protect you Honor in Afghan culture defines the worth and reputation of an individual, as well as those they are associated with. The head male of the family is responsible for protecting the honor of the family. The issue of honor drives much of the behavior surrounding the protection of women, modes of dressing, social interaction and diverse sphere of affairs. One should be careful enough not to inquire a person about his wife or his female relatives. The resilience and resistance of the Afghans against invading giants is awe inspiring. They don’t like the Taliban. They don’t like the Americans too. The Afghans relish customs, but abhor rules. They are far too self conceited to beseech foreign powers to help them in rebuilding their nation, torn apart by three decades of constant internal strife and warfare. Taliban and the notorious Osama bin Laden proved to be America’s Frankenstein. The Soviet intervention in Afghanistan was a golden opportunity for the CIA to transform a tribal resistance into a holy war. The CIA and its allies recruited, supplied and trained almot 100,000 radical mujhahideen from forty Muslim countries. Among those who answered their call was Saudi born, millionaire right winger, Osama bin Laden and his cohorts. Following the departure of the Soviet Union, the Taliban unleashed their reign of terror taking over most of the country, luring many tribal chiefs into its fold with threats and bribes, thereby outlawing all music, theatre, libraries, literature, secular education and scientific research. Historical monument and artifact were reduced to rubble, at the whims of fanaticism. Post the September 11 attacks, Democracy made its way into Afghanistan. However, Democracy came with B-52 bomber jets, as the American’s let loose their bitter vendetta on the common en masse, bombing random targets, whilst hoping that most of the people killed would be terrorists. A Great War leaves the country with three armies; an army of cripples, an army of mourners and an army of thieves. Liberty and democracy become unholy, when their hands are dyed red with innocent blood. For once, we do have a glimmer of hope. At least the condition of women has started to improve drastically in Afghanistan, as more and more people seem willing to educate their daughters. To me, that is the indication of a positive change. A s far as democracy I concerned, it definitions are subtle If I ask some children “What Is democracy?”, they’d answer me “To follow the ball and kite and to play and build snowman in winter and to wait for the spring”. If I ask a woman she’d say “A Life without violence”. If I ask street children they’d say “Going to school, to be a doctor, engineer or manager”. If I ask some bird: “Soaring in the sky and not in a cage. “Fishes of sea-Clean seawater”. If I ask a patriot, he’d say “I love my beautiful country, and I want to fall in it and feel the roses and smell the plains and mountains, not the reek of war and blood. -Arbaz Fahad
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 14:30:44 +0000
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