Victimization of landlords

It’s a common sight to see or hear landlords being criticized in our society. Allegations are put up against them that they are cruel, illiterate, violent, rich, etc. Everyone so easily goes about saying it without much thought as to if actually the scenario is like that too anymore or not. People who have never known a landlord or their family or been to the rural areas without any thought, but with all the audacity go about saying everything they possibly can about them. All the wrongs of the world exist for them in the rural areas and all the problems are rooted with landlords and a feudal society. These urban fellows reading textbooks and seeing the media have finalized their mindset hearing one side of the story and are strong defendants over their beliefs, so much that they won’t spare any room for criticisms if given any chance to speak over it. It amazes me how people still think that peasants are oppressed and how can they generally assume all landlords are powerful and cruel. It’s about time these people get a reality check.

Anything assumed generally cannot me true for each individual. Some surely may be of this sort but it’s completely wrong to generalize the assumption for everyone without even thinking about or looking at the other aspect of the story. Belonging to rural Sindh and from a landlord family myself, let me try and put the true picture together for all of such people I have come across and so often. Lands nowadays are so expensive that no one usually buys them anymore and the land holdings people have are finishing in terms of the divisions due to inheritance and in turn become so small holdings therefore big landlords are diminishing and small holdings being sold off and influence these lands brought to the landlords ending.

Nowhere in the world would it be like this that the output of the lands is divided on 50:50 basis among the peasants and the landlord. The relationship is the most favorable for peasants. They do not have a high standard of living that demands of them a lot of outflow expenses. They live on the lands of the landlords all their lives in simple homes that do not require a lot of maintenance cost, they do not have to pay for education as their children do not go to schools, even if they are acquiring they do not have to pay huge amounts for it, they eat from the output of the land that comes in their share, they have dairy animals that too support their food requirements, surpluses of crop and output from animals are sold, the animals too are fed on the lands they are living on and the landlord also provides them security and supports them in all times of need. And in any time of need for money they can easily sell an animal of theirs or surpluses of their crops or the landlord too does give it to them.

The pesticides and fertilizers cost is shared among the peasants and the landlords. Providing the water to the lands, the water tax and the land tax is on the landlord. The seeds and 2 ploughs on the land for each crop is on the peasants but paid initially by the landlord and deducted from the share of output of the peasants when the crop is harvested. One other plough and leveling on the land is also on the landlord. The de-silting of the water cannels to the lands each year is also a cost for the landlord.

The landlords have a higher standard of living to maintain as compared to the peasants. They have high education costs to pay for their children, houses rents, house maintenance, utility bills, petrol for home vehicles, travelling costs to and fro to the lands, etc to maintain in these times of high inflation. The output or investment for crops is a 100% risk. Any problems like weather, too cold or hot even for a day can ruin the crop completely, slight rain or dew is another huge risk, stealing of crop, being attacked very often by different sorts of insects, pesticides and even rats is quite possible, water shortages or delay in water supply can also add to not being able to harvest the crop on time or getting less produce and after the all the struggle it’s a common problem to get a proper price for it. The output is food for the whole country, but it isn’t insured. Being a perishable item it cannot be kept in store for too long but our beloved country does not have a fixed price mechanism for it. The prices keep fluctuating due to monopoly of the mill owners and there is no back-up support from the government. In other countries, government fixes a rate and buys it at that price and itself sells it to the mill owners. The landlords in Pakistan however aren’t even sure of their expected income. And whatever they earn they have to survive on for 3-4 months till the next crop is harvested.

The landlord usually does not have enough money to buy the seeds, fertilizers and pesticides for their lands and have to take it on credit from the grain merchants. The landlord pays an interest on these goods borrowed as the grain merchant seeing the landlord’s plight quotes a price higher than the prevailing market price. And then, the landlord is also bound to sell his crop through that same grain merchant who charges him 5-6% commission on sale of his crop for getting it sold. A landlord surely has lands but the bank does not accept it as a guarantee for any amount of loan. The only loans a landlord gets on the basis on his lands are agricultural loans that go only for agricultural purposes and with a loss all the time with the output has difficulties to pay.

Having to survive these realities our present society still advocates a strong dedicated criticisms towards them sadly with not much knowledge. The society remains a feudal one, not just because of landlords but because of industrialists. These modern bourgeous aren’t ever subjected to the kind of talk landlords/agriculturists face. Even though they are the ones who are the actual earners who buy cheap raw materials and with little finishing added, sell them at a higher price being the actual earners of someone else’s hard work. Storing and hiding of goods to create a short supply and earn higher, inflation has great attributes to their greed that has made survival for the common made quite difficult to cope with. Why then isn’t industrial feudalism challenged??

While industrialists are the actual bad guys around, all criticisms towards them is fine and forgotten as if hard work to earn is just put in by them. Lands of landlords are assumed as ‘kabzas’ without any proper proof and knowledge although for many it’s out of hard earned money. But taking for granted everyone boldly goes saying their heart. Easy to criticize? How about experimenting growing and selling output on a piece of land yourself? Then perhaps it would be worth listening to these trended criticisms and theoretical debate. For all the landlords families, educated your children don’t return to the occupation, why put unvalued efforts for the country’s food to face continuous harsh criticism? Let adopt the modern feudalist trend instead concealed good in our society’s mind.

2nd Sindh Youth Summit (SYS): An amazing experience

2^nd Sindh Youth Summit (SYS) 2010 was a 3-day conference on the theme of ‘Re-Living Youth Voices’. It was organized by PYDN, a youth network operating in all four provinces of Pakistan and as it was held in Karachi, I was the Team Lead for the event being PYDN's Karachi Coordinator. 

It was my first experience for organizing a mega event like that of a 3-day conference and the organizing was an amazing, learning experience as I got acquainted with all the tasks of organizing and being a part of so many activities with such energetic youth was a highly motivating experience. It also came in as a huge challenge in many ways especially to do it in Ramadan and with little time left after the flood relief efforts. Hence, the victory tasted sweeter and the efforts turned out to be highly fruitful.

This youth activity-based interactive conference attracted 70 participants from all over Sindh within the age bracket of 17-25 years old. The event was sponsored by Getz Pharma and the official media partners for the event were DAWN News, City FM 89 and Zab FM 106.6.

The Chief guests for the opening and closing ceremony were Mr. Badr-ud-din Khan, Chairman Rozgar Microfinance Bank, Mr. Zahoor Khan Afghan, Marketing and Management consultant Mehran Tv and Mrs. Aliya Soomro, Senior Social worker and former banker. The conference was focused on leadership building and skill development among youth. Trainers who gave sessions at the conference were from School of Leadership (SoL), Nawabshah Youth Organization (NYO), Initiator Human Development Forum, Blitz Bureau and SZABIST graduate/students/faculty. Topics covered ranged from emerging young leadership from marginalized areas, youth-led entrepreneurship, effective social networking usages, branding Pakistan, role of youth and nation-building among Pakistani youth through group activities, presentations and performances.

The three-day summit was concluded leaving the participants with inspiring thoughts to think about themselves and their country, play their part and pursue their goals with a lot more passion and devotion.

The most awesome part is the feedback which actually reward all your efforts. When a participant says they learnt and had an amazing time, the feeling is priceless and kills away all the sleepless nights and tiresome days in an instant.

Conferences surely do magic, bring about youth from diverse backgrounds together, who may never come across each other otherwise and help practical learn so much in such a less time with fun activities and interaction. They are hence promoted and done worldwide. We can witness the increase in their number and frequency in Pakistan in terms of occurrence and participation which is a very positive sign.

Thank you PYDN Team, each participant and trainer of 2nd SYS 2010 for precious, priceless memories!

Visit to Flood relief camp at Sachal Goth, Karachi : An eye witness account

I got the chance to visit the flood victims at Sachal Goth, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi today.

The flood affectees/IDPs from the province of Sindh were living in public schools buildings there. The area was pretty safe and reached there without any problem. Families were residing in different rooms of the 3-storey school and there were about 6 of them in a row. Each school had about 600 people residing in it.

Approximate figures I collected are that from the 600 people residing 60% were children, 25% women and 15% men. The 60% children, ranging from the age group of 10 days to 15 years old comprised of 55% girls and 45% boys. The ratio of men is less because many are trapped back in homes due to water and taking care of their homes while asked their families to move to safer places. Overall too each family has a lot of kids as the trend is in rural areas. These women went from one village to another in search for a safer place but everywhere water came and in trucks, wagons and coasters somehow reached Karachi. In urge to save lives of their children and themselves, they were unable to bring any possessions along and now are penniless and support less. They have a roof over them and get food but otherwise have no support. It’s Ramadan, and fasts are kept with a pre-dawn meal i.e. sehri for which there isn’t any arrangement. Food is donated by people and brought or made at lunch or dinner time. In between, they aren’t provided with anything to eat and the children cry a lot for food and milk. They can’t sleep without milk. And the families do not have money to buy and give it to them. Tea is needed severely too and is missing from the arrangements. In Pakistan, people have tea twice or thrice a day, it’s hard to live without it.

As no one has brought any luggage with them, they have no clothes. Either the dress they wearing the only one they got or have one more. They haven’t took a shower or changed clothes for almost 20 days now due to which they now stink and don’t feel fresh enough to sleep or pray. One woman said that the dress on her the only one she got and when ever felt the urge to shower to feel clean or cool would go and put some water over her with that dress on her Feeding mothers are unable to give food to their babies too as because of the smell their babies don’t drink their milk. They don’t have washing powder, washing pots, soaps, etc to take care of their personal hygiene or wash their clothes. The washrooms aren’t clean as well. 20-35 people having to share a room with few belongings crapped in corners around the room and no cleaning apparatus available, the conditions are ripe for spread of infection and diseases. A skin disease camp and a medical camp was put up in the entrance but the medicines being given were sub standard and perhaps wrong. I met a woman who said her son had fever and had three medicines bottles in her hand, when I checked them, I haven’t seen those medicines in my life and they did not have anything written on them for fever instead said they anti inflammatory, etc. So asked her to get Panadol for her son as she complained that when she gave him those medicines his stomach would start aching and he would cry. I met a woman who had a 13 days old daughter whom she gave birth to two days after she moved in this camp. The baby girl was unable to sleep in the towel she was covered in as it irritated her and there was no other cloth the woman possessed to offer to the baby. She hadn’t brought any clothes she had made for the baby to put on her and asked for clothes for the child. Likewise, saw a baby boy in the same situation too. The babies do not have any bed like all the people in the camps and have to sleep on the floor which isn’t any where easy for their sensitive bodies. Their mothers too are unable to give them enough to satisfy their hunger as they too do not get enough food all day to give milk to the baby. In fact a woman who has given birth to a baby has to restrain from eating pulses and certain other things, but pulses and naan (round baked soft floor bread) is all that is given to them in meals. Once a week they get vegetables or chicken. Hence, when they have it and give milk to their babies, their little ones get ill and have stomach aches for which no medicine is available and/or no money to get it either.

The windows of the rooms they were residing in had no curtain or cloth or anything else covering them, which added to the discomfort in the room as there was no prevention of sunlight, wind, dust and noise. All the kids I came across were bare foot and some even without shirts. As Eid is near they are really need clothes to wear on that big day for Muslims and badly need slippers. A girl came up to my mom and requested a lot for a slipper as she said her feet hurt walking without it and stone were bruising her feet. The same request was put up i.e. of clothes and slippers by everyone I met. The children had nothing to do all day and hence get irritated and bored due to which cried and fought. Seeing us their eyes filled with hope and each one surrounded us and started walking with us hearing what we talked and some putting their requests. An old lady sitting on the floor in a room there and other women later said that we should give whatever we want to them with our own hands as they had trust over no one, even if we gave them to a family member of theirs they might not get it at all.

In this hour of trouble, women were certainly very worried thinking about the future and how they would start from the scratch and how their male family members were. Some said they had contact with them and they were trapped in their villages. Others were clueless of the identities of their loved ones and very worried about it. Mothers said that even if they go out without another dress they were okay with it but their kids should get one. It was great talking to them, asking about their trouble and giving them hope which a smile of their face showed but on the inside, in car and back home couldn’t hold the tears back. It was too hard to see them going through so many troubles. Many wanted to say prayers but did not have Quran or a Musla/Jainamaz. There was also a need of tea cups, plates, glasses and water coolers. They had only straw mats to sit and sleep on, and badly needed pillows and bed sheets to put on as a cover and suffered restless nights. We spent some time with them and the place they were living in and the facilities available. They were pretty disciplined and didn’t snatch aid coming in or food given like seen in videos as they were put under a solid roof and their stomachs taken pretty much care of. Those living in tents, on the roads or still trapped back in flood hit areas are in much worser condition.

These IDPs are being taken care of by Sindh Graduates Associations (SGA), an NGO and the management was very cooperative with us. SGA would also be adopting 200 more families from camps and shift to a school in Gadap area.

The list of the items needed by these people I visited were Pillows, Bed sheets, Milk (packet ones) Tea cups, Clothes, Slippers/foot wear, Cutlery, Sugar, Tea, Water coolers, Combs, Soaps, Washing Pots, Hair oil, Quran and Jainamaz, Washing powder/soaps, Biscuits/cups cakes/sweet, Toys/sports items, Cleaning apparatus, Towels, Dust bins,etc. In medicines, those for fever, flu, stomach ache, head ache, infections (especially skin ones) and gripe water were needed urgently.

I took advantage of the visit to talk to women at the camp and tell them the importance of hygiene and how to maintain it. Also, it was great talking to them, comforting them and giving them moral support.

May Allah Help our Dear Country bravely face this troublesome hour and come out of it soon InshaAllah!

Marium Akhter: A wonder girl. Hula Hoop Talent of Pakistan

Marium Akhter, aged 13, studying in class 9 at Ghazi Foundation School is truly an inspiration for what talents Pakistan hold. Marium has been Hula Hooping since she was 6 and has amazed and dazzled her audiences at all times.

Belonging to poor family, life hasn’t been easy for Marium from all along. Struggling with finances and having a father that suffers from being deaf, her parents have never let her spirits break. She has always been nurtured to believe in herself and do her best. Living up to the spirits Marium has never looked back.  She has bagged 55 internal awards performing in different cities at different occasions such as Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Larkana and Rawalpindi.

The best part about Marium is that even at this tender age, she’s pretty aware of societal issues and performs not for fame but for a social cause. Supporting them with her talents, she has high patriotic spirits for promoting talent and the potential youth of Pakistan has got. 

She has performed several times at several places including institutes, events, hotels, universities, etc. Although recognized and supported by renowned people like Mustafa Kamal Khan, Sharmila Farooqi, Chauddhry Shujaat Khan, etc Marium stills awaits the chance to make her nation proud through the unique talent by representing Pakistan and performing internationally.

I got the pleasure to come across this amazing girl through FaceBook when she added me up and shared videos of her channel on YouTube. After that she has performed for the organization I work with i.e. Participatory Youth Development Network (PYDN) - Pakistan and is now it's Brand Ambassador. Her never breaking patriotic spirit surely reflects the power and hope the Pakistani youth holds. Hulla Hooping is not well-recognized in Pakistan however doing it with such amazing grip surely makes Marium, a wonder girl and rightly she adheres to being called 'Wonder Marium'.

Good Luck Girl! Make the Nation Proud! :)

DR Congo: Rape Captial of the World

Thousands of Women are raped each year in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN says.

The United Nations is currently investigating claims that rebel fighters raped more than 150 women and baby boys over four days within miles of a UN base in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The country's eastern region is a volatile one as rebels take refuge there. Even after the end of the five year war in 2003, the country is plagued by army and militia violence. This is another grave example of the level of sexual violence and insecurity in Congo. More than 8,000 women were raped during the fighting in 2009.

Even though they are being receiving medical and psychological care, nothing can heal the devastating effect on the lives of these women. DR Congo has a shocking reputation for sexual violence and even though UN is putting in efforts to work for making life better in Congo, it's people are largely suffering. The International Medical Corps (IMC) knew that the rebels were present in those towns but couldn't enter till the rebels had left shows the helplessness portrayed to 'help' the people. Knowing mass violations are being conducted, stricter measures need to be taken seriously to bring about change and security in the lives of the people.

It's extremely tragic every time it is always the women suffering so much.

‘Cultural Backgrounds and popularizing a culture of non-violence’

Activity for International Year of Youth (IYY) on ‘Cultural Backgrounds and popularizing a culture of non-violence’

The International Year Of Youth (IYY) is being celebrated from 12 August 2010 to 11 August 2011 with the theme of ‘Dialogue and Mutual Understanding’.

On this occasion, I organized a short activity for it. It started off with a power point presentation telling about UNFPA, YAP and IYY.

It was followed by an activity and interactive discussion on cultural backgrounds to help accept others and popularize a culture of non-violence. The activity consisted of filling a short questionnaire asking questions such as:

• ·       Your cultural background
• ·       How do cultural backgrounds shape your personality?
• ·       Your views on the acceptance of different cultures in Pakistan
• ·       How do you think a culture of non-violence and acceptance of people of different cultural backgrounds can be promoted among young people?

This was followed by discussion over these questions and sharing ideas. A summary of which is below.

Most of people recognize their cultural background identity with their ethnic identity namely Sindhi, Gujrati, Punjabi, Urdu Speaking, etc. Some however do include their religious identity and national identity to be forming their cultural identity. As there is a debate of one first adapts culture or religion as studied by us as part of a course in the 1^st semester, so the controversy and difference of opinion of the issue is natural. Interestingly though the sectarian divide wasn’t mentioned by anyone, which shows how personal it is for everyone to keep aside.

The affect of a cultural background is ambiguous however, there is no denial that it has a huge impact on our personality and our attitude towards others. Cultural backgrounds have an impact in our thinking and shape the way we perceive others, usually creating in us a bias attitude towards others. They shape the way we view others especially if they are from the same culture as us thinking they would be having the same values as us and hence, we are like-minded. Same way when we come across people who belong to another cultural background, we have a self-perceived mindset that they are ‘different’ from us making us adhere to cultural stereo-types and generalizations over people belonging to a particular culture. The identification of a cultural identity however is a hard one to look up to as it is pretty subjective and a universally unclear phenomenon. We all are living several identities at the same time, some which we strongly feel for, others we may not feel for but do make up our identity.

The acceptance ratio and tolerance towards other cultures lacks progress in our society however, it is highly essential for a peaceful society. Respect for other cultures and their values and traditions are essential for acceptance of each others. Every person is sensitive about their roots. Cultural backgrounds surely have impact on your personality but it is not the only thing to have shaped your personality. The individual is largely forgotten for what he or she is in the larger picture of what might be his or her identity as formed by culture, mother tongue, nationality, family background, upbringing, religion, etc. Educated people in Pakistan do realize this and to quite some extent practice it too. However, the trend needs to be largely promoted throughout the country.

Flexible attitudes are not easy to implement and in a volatile society like Pakistan need to be implemented with care. The best way to teach about different cultures and promote tolerance for them is through introducing courses in universities around the country regarding them varying them in terms of activities and term projects most suitable to promote the idea according to the situation in different parts of the country (i.e. in different provinces). Youth is surely the best target to breed this value in to as it is a long-term investment that would surely change the general mindset in the long run. Seminars, debates and counseling sessions may help be a catalyst in the process too. However, the importance of upbringing cannot be ignored. Elders need to teach this precious value to their children as children are close to their families and adopt their teachings in to their personalities, especially if taught at a young age.

All sorts make the world, cherish each creation!