From India with Love: See Pakistan!

From India with Love: See Pakistan!

by Rama Goswami

For all of us here in Pakistan, a blogger Rama Goswami has sent us a message from West Bengal in India.

So says R.G..

It is vital, particularly so in the present context of "war on terrorism" and for the unfortunate association of terrorists with that country – that the people across the world need to know and see themselves the country and its people. They would then realise that everything they read, heard and conjectured about Pakistan – was a wrong – was a distorted image, an image much different from what they otherwise see through the tainted lenses of media and the state sponsored propaganda machines milling around the western world. The real Pakistan is much different. It's a land of amazing human warmth and cultural / spiritual wealth that has the power to captivate anyone – of sensibility. After a visit to Pakistan, says Rama Swami, every sensible visitor would return as an ambassador of the country.

While reading posts from Pakistan, continues the writer, it struck me that someone like the Pakistani bloggers should be organizing conducted tours of discerning people / groups from across the world. I remember the advertisements for cultural tours in magazines like New Yorker and Harper's (or CAM, the Cambridge Alumni Magazine). The posts I see from Pakistan, establish that Pakistan is a prime candidate for similar tours.

Yesterday evening I was talking to Mick Douglas, a friend from Melbourne, who had organized an inter-cultural project in Karachi and Melbourne, highlighting the fabulous "mini-bus art" of Karachi. Mick agreed with me that aesthetics and art is impregnated in the daily lives and activities of the common people over there.

One comes across Visit Thailand Year, Visit Malaysia year, even Visit India Year. I don't recall a Visit Pakistan Year. India organized several Festivals of India in different countries in the 1980s. I don't know whether Festivals of Pakistan have taken place anywhere. It's high time …

I would like to see a 'Come and See Pakistan' movement, taken up by the people of Pakistan: civil society organizations, business and professional groups, artists, performers, sportspersons etc.

Pakistan is a very special country, a precious treasure in the world community. The world needs to start discovering this now, and thus be uplifted towards building a better world, a real Pakistan would then emerge out of the dark clouds that have overshadowed this beautiful land for a long time.

At the end of his post, R. G. has inserted a poem which with some minor additions, is being reproduced so that readers have an opportunity to meet people with such beautiful minds like Rama Goswamy who think so sweet about our dear homeland.

The Fairyland Pakistan

Where the high mountains are …

Come and see that fairyland
A beautiful country of

Alice in the wonderland

Where people on the Indus soil

In the Cradle-of-Civilisation

Nestled in its delta, toil

And where the high mountains

Are like a fairyland,

A beautiful country

Of Alice

In the wonderland….

Where treasures of antique abound …

Where mystics, saints, poets the ordinary minds confound

Minds that simply go around …

but to people with the spirit,

The soul

To them offer they everything

To their goal.

The land of the Vedas and puranas

Where every one got Nirvanas

And where the high mountains

Are like a fairyland,
of Alice

In the wonderland

Where songs make

The ecstasy – resound …
where Sufis dance to make

The joys abound

And where the high mountains

Are like a fairyland,
of Alice in the wonderland

Come and see that country

A beautiful country

Called the fairyland

of Alice in the wonderland

Where textiles bedazzle and sway …

Where the friendliest people

So near

But so away …
Come and see that country

With the high mountains

Like a fairyland,
for Alice in the wonderland

Where feasts give you treat

Like emperors invite …
and offer you seat

Near to the heart

So come and see Pakistan,
A beautiful country.

Come and see Pakistan,

Come and see that country

With the high mountains

Like a fairyland,
for Alice in the wonderland

A beautiful country

Come and see Pakistan.