Ten years after the “Islamic Attack” on 9/11, some of the saner Americans have overcome the trauma to reflect on the reality that is Islam’s historic legacy. I had the privilege of viewing many pieces of art from various muslim countries made of the period of centuries at the Metropolitan museum in New York. The pain taken in exquisitely presenting these incredible pieces is worth every praise.  The curators took the time and effort to dig into the history of each and every piece and present it to the visitor in both written and aural form. The respect shown to the work of muslim artists is in sharp contrast to the negative narrative still in mainstream media. But healthy signs are now manifesting them in different forms where some of the americans are having the guts to standing up to the mainstream media.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I took the opportunity to take some photos of the exhibits that I have shared in the album below. To enjoy it fully go to maximizing the screen after clicking on the image below.

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Fig. 1

The need for affordable building technologies is obvious to most of us who come from countries that are poor and are often victims of natural calamities. Housing for the poor receives only limited funding and takes a backseat to other economic priorities. What the poor often do not realize is that there are no affordable technologies that can meet their need. The only way to meet their housing needs is to be an active part of the building process.

Professionals cannot afford to help them. Most technology experts such Architects and Engineers (AE) have to work for a paying client. The poor are not a paying client. Besides AE’s fee is tied to the cost of a building so the cheaper a structure the lesser the fee. The conflict of interest does not help. Funding by Government agencies for affordable housing is marginal or focused on services and utilities mostly realized as infrastructure development or so called “ site and services” project. So what ends up being passed as affordable building technology in the marketplace is a scaled down version of a handful of building systems albeit with modest finishes and compromised structure. In a nut shell when the technology morphs to affordable the walls do not get plastered, no plumbing or electricity is incorporated as a first exercise, and the reinforced concrete slab is replaced by corrugated metal roofing sheets which get unbearably hot in summer and cold in winter. More alarmingly very often the price has been reduced for the poor by removing critical structural and foundation specifications and details critical for seismic zones, flood zones, and zones which have poor soil conditions. Hence the disaster in Kashmir , AJK in 2005 when eighty (80%) percent of the housing stock was destroyed in a single earthquake.

Fig. 2

So what is this new technology Membrane Assisted Seismic-Resistant Structures (MASS) that the author has developed and believes can make a difference. MASS in a nut shell is a non-combustible, insulated, light-weight soil-cement reinforced concrete wall and floor slab building system. It replaces wood, brick and concrete masonry unit (CMU) – currently the primary building block for walls.

Fig. 3

How does it achieve the cost reduction and differentials that the buildings cost 50% less and by only using local resources. In a way it is not new. It is the old adobe (mud/clay) technology but a with new execution process. Which is why the technology can now compete with masonry and brick wall construction. There is no firing or baking, as in clay blocks to make brick, so MASS is environmentally less damaging and buildings have a much smaller carbon footprint. No wood is utilized so no further depletion of forests and timber stock. MASS and in a way adobe technology finally makes it possible to build much faster than brick or masonry – when it used to take twice as long previously. Adobe had its high poiint in multi-storied adobe structures in Yemen, Mali, Indian Pueblos of North America and other drier climate areas. But in the end it could not compete with masonry and brick structures in cost, time to execute, and maintenance issues.
The cost differential between MASS and masonry and brick structures is significant. MASS offers some 50% reduction in cost of building the walls and some 30% less in cost of the roof slab. Buildings get built in less than half the time. The new technology can also be utilized to build in all climate zones. The new technology also reduces operating cost as the structures are highly insulated and do not require supplemental cooling or heating for temperatures in the range of 40 degrees Fahrenheit to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. An example of such a building is a house made with “MASS” and commissioned by Aga Khan Foundation, see Fig. 1, which was built by the author in Kashmir, AJK some five years ago after a major earthquake hit the region. The structure has by now experienced several seismic (earthquakes) events of Richter 5.5 and higher. The quantity of cement utilized is eighty (80%) less than what would be utilized in masonry block walls for a house the same size. Yet its seismic response is better as it has a lower mass inertia and better energy dissipation and dampening characteristics. The interior can be modest see Fig 2 or high end, see Fig 3 & 4 completed in Mangla, Pakistan in 2011. The author has built all these structures in his presence using unskilled labor, materials bought in the local village markets, in Northern and Southern Pakistan.

Fig. 4

The second technology developed by the author, patent pending, Versa-Slab (VS) slab, is a “Green” and sustainable alternative to the conventional reinforced concrete (RCC) slab. VS slab does not require any decking or scaffolding during the curing process. Hence finally countries that do not have wood, or cannot afford to destroy their timber forest, can build multi-story structures with concrete floor slabs that could not afford to do earlier. Floor slabs are fabricated at site using manual labor and with almost no mechanical equipment. As a footnote all the MASS built homes in AJK and elsewhere have experienced significant tremors and seismic events since their construction and do not exhibit any structural distress (i.e. cracks and failures).

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One of OPEN’s goals has all along been to support businesses in Pakistan in a manner consistent with our core principles of staying “Hungry and Foolish” with respect to entrepreneurism. OPEN chapters have historically gone out of their way to assist Pakistani businesses efforts to gain traction in the US and global markets.  We started off by assisting those Pakistani businessmen visiting the US, as we were busy establishing ourselves. We, then with the assistance of MIT Enterprise Forum, started the MITEFP-OPEN Business Acceleration Plan competition in Karachi Pakistan. This allowed us to gain traction with the young and budding entrepreneurs their. There were some hesitancy within OPEN about opening a chapter in Pakistan as some other similar organizations did not do as well due to lack of right kind of leadership needed. The winners of BAP competition showed us that there is a new breed of Pakistani businessmen who have the credentials and zest who could be worked with.

The writeup below was written by one of the member of the OPEN Karachi Chapter that was recently inaugurated.

Rabia Garib

It was the Worst of Times, ’twas the Best of Times

Such are often the words often used by businesses operating in Pakistan. Amidst the geopolitical crisis that has plagued Pakistan since forever, the past 3 years or so have seen a constant rise of buzzwords such as “entrepreneurship”, “Start-ups”, “Business Plans” and “Angel Investment”. Despite the turbulent times, companies that have been driven by IT have continued to thrive.

On the other side of the world, Pakistanis working through OPEN’s 7 chapters across the US, have been working through associations and individuals through one connection or another, trying to figure out what the temperament and potential on the ground really is. An increase in the amount of information being sent out of Pakistan through websites and blogs has helped to raise the profiles of many companies, but there really was a growing need to have a more “intimate” presence.

That’s why the turnout to the launch event of OPEN Karachi, OPEN’s first presence outside North America, was attended with such fervor. Getting some of Pakistan’s major IT players to sync their calendars isn’t an easy task, but here’s the thing: if the cause matters, Pakistan’s best make it happen.

The decision to set up OPEN’s first international chapter in Karachi couldn’t have been an easy one, but considering Karachi contributes almost 70% of the total GDP, is the financial capital of country and houses the bulk of the gateways to the region and rest of the world, it makes sense. There are more corporate gatherings in Karachi as compared to the rest of the country and the number of IT-run businesses are probably larger in number here, than elsewhere.

Having a chapter in Karachi helps the associations across North America to fill in another puzzle on a map of opportunity. That’s why one of the mandates OPEN Karachi has is to raise the awareness of local organizations and opportunities to the other Chapters. Raise the profile of the Pakistani companies who have achieved their peak, so to speak, in the local ‘ecosystem’ and allow them to collectively benefit being part of OPEN.

Packaging more intelligent messages about actual work being done in Pakistan, mentoring students and businesses and establishing collaborative projects between organizations and institutions in Pakistan and those in North America. There is a lot that has to be done, and a combination of experienced professionals with young and vibrant members of OPEN Karachi will hopefully get the ball rolling quickly.

But starting up an Chapter with the track record and profile of OPEN is also not an easy task. There is a great deal of work to be done and a lot many activities and opportunities for interaction to add onto what is usually a really heavy national event calendar. Only once the groundwork has been done from our side, will we be able to allow local companies to really benefit what OPEN Global has to offer.

Please watch this space for more updates from the OPEN Karachi team.

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I heard the real sad news of Amy’s death. I really liked her songs that tended to be raw and touched the soul. Like Jim Morrison of Doors who I also liked died of drug related complications.

This is a good example of Amy at her best.

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In the history of nations, there comes a time, when the chasm between what its people deserve and what they are getting is so huge, that revolutionary changes are needed to restore the balance. I believe that time is now for the people of Pakistan. It does not take much to look around at statistics and news from nearly any perspective to see that the State and the existing mind set amongst the Pakistanis has moved astray from the vision of the founding fathers. I have received countless e-mails, calls and tweets from concerned Pakistanis who all want to see a fundamental change in the dangerous trajectory that Pakistan is on.The time for idle drawing room wistful talk is long gone. Nor do we have the luxury of time available to us. As individuals we have a choice to make.
Do we let the forces that are at play act themselves out to the detriment and possible destruction of the country? Or do we in our own small, individual little way do something… anything positive to stem the slide and define a path towards a New Pakistan.
We have reached this state not because of a single cataclysmic event, but because of a long series of wrong policies, wrong decisions, wrong attitudes, lack of action when it was sorely needed and wrong values. Pakistan is bleeding from a million cuts ranging from suicide bombers, drones firing missiles into people’s homes, schools being blown up, corruption amongst the leaders and power holders, Arabization of our value system to name a few.

The journey out of this deep hole is going to be equally arduous and long. But it is a journey that MUST be undertaken. This journey is not to go back to some point in our history, but to chart out a new and shared vision for a New Pakistan, in the spirit that was first formulated by the founding fathers. It is a vision in which ALL PAKISTANIs irrespective of their ethnicity, religion or social status have

Security and Access to Timely Justice.

Access to Quality Basic Education.

Access to Basic Health Care.

Access to Gainful Employment.

I’m starting an ART (AMAN,ROZI & TALEEM) social awareness campaign across Pakistan. Everyone from across the spectrum can agree on the slogan of Aman (Peace and regional harmony), Rozi (economic security) and Taleem (Education). This is a non political, non partisan and non violent movement which Pakistani women and men of all ages and inclinations can agree upon.
The first phase will require social media (twitter, facebook and skype ,TV & radio) to reach out with a new message of hope and change. Once people from all sides of the spectrum can agree on these three basic needs (Aman, Rozi and Taleem), we can initiate the second phase.

In the Second phase we will conduct town hall type events with Pakistani intellectuals, entrepreneurs, artists and humanitarians who will echo the need for pluralism and unity to counter the extremism and lack of hope that is spreading like wildfire.
Our goal is to bring about a fundamental change in the contract between the individual and the state as it is being currently practiced. It is to recalibrate the implementation of the existing Constitution and the obligations of both the State and the individual.
Our vision is for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Pakistan engaged positively with the world community.
Nelson Mandela once said “It always seems impossible, until its done”

I encourage  you all to come together in unity and take the First Step on this journey.

Salman’s Message to you

Thanks for your interest in this Urgent Pak initiative. Our first step is galvanizing a social network of Pakistanis and friends of Pakistan to agree on these three imperatives (Aman,Rozi & Taleem) for all Pakistanis. We’re working on a documentary film which will highlight through arts and culture the power and resilience of Pakistan. Friends like you can help us in many ways,

• Help amplify the message of A.R.T. Campaign throughout your social media networks.
• Help us identify organizations who would like to amplify this movement across Pakistan.
• Expand your imagination on the three words (Aman,Rozi & Taleem) and what they mean to you as a Pakistani, and write an op-ed /blog in the media
• Help support our media out reach and town hall events with resources.
• Think of a better way than above to help spread ART across Pakistan.

Supporters of A.R.T

Dr. Tahir Ul Qadri, Maulana Ghamidi, Pervez Hoodboy, Akbar Ahmad, Syed Babar Ali, Amin Hashwani,Beena Sarwar, Dr.Samina Ahmad, Reza Aslan (author of How to win a cosmic war) Amy Tan (author), Stanley Wolpert (author of Jinnah) Dr.Azra Raza, DR.Tasnim Raza, Abid Shaban, Mehmal Sarfraz, Taimur Rahman (professor LUMS / Laal) Pakistani students Lums, Harvard, Columbia,Princeton, AIESEC, Dr. Mahjabeen Islam, Imraan Ghazali, Rashid rahman, Nosheen Rahman, Suhail Shaikh, plus hundreds of others.

“It’s time we understood that the Arts are huge drivers for change. Whilst many policy-makers consider the Arts to be a fluffy luxury in times of crisis, it is up to us – the creatives – not to simply produce good work, but to evaluate the success of it and to present it in a meaningful way. No where in the world is the potential for using the Arts to develop peace, jobs and education greater than in Pakistan”
- Caroline Jaine – artist, film-maker with a background in diplomacy and communication

“The 21st century is an era of connectivity and communication. The global community wants to see a strong and stable Pakistan become a vital place for A.R.T. ( peace,economic security and education).”
- Deepak Chopra

“Art transcends human frailty and weaknesses and elevates human emotions to levels that bring the best out in us. The Pakistan ART campaign promises to stir the soul of Pakistanis in these challenging times and elevate thought and action to a level that brings out the best in every human being. Most importantly, I am sure this campaign will kindle a strong desire in the hearts of Pakistanis to work towards peace with its neighbours and foster brotherly love between all those who are blessed to live in South Asia.”
-R K Pachauri, (Nobel Prize Winner)

“In my visits to Pakistan, I found a country facing tremendous difficulties with poverty, access to healthcare and education. But everywhere I went, I found a vibrant, optimistic people with a deep sense of culture and the arts. The ART campaign could not be better timed, especially for the youth of Pakistan. There can be no better effort to lift the spirits of all Pakistanis than to know that their culture and arts are gifts to be shared, not only with each other, but also with the whole world.”

-Jeff Skoll (Chairman of Skoll Foundation, co-founder and ex-President of E-bay,Chairman of Participant Production film company)

“Art enables us to look directly into the heart of the artist and appreciate his or her unique vision of the world, sense of beauty, nobility, compassion and empathy. The Pakistan Art Campaign will enable Pakistanis to appreciate the soul of their nation. And it will enable the rest of the world to look into the unique soul of Pakistan and – at a time of international tension – learn about the reality of Pakistan, which lies beneath the headlines, and come to a new understanding of the beauty, generosity, compassion and courage of the Pakistani spirit’. ‘I have come to love Pakistan and would like the world to see the country and the people as I do.”

- Karen Armstrong (Author and creator of the Charter for compassion)

“When I listen to people talk about peace efforts and concerns about Pakistan, I worry that much of the focus is short-sighted.  The future also depends on addressing the heart, soul, and mind of the younger generation–the children, youth, and young adults, those under 29, who constitute half of the world’s population.  Sooner than we think, they will decide what happens in an expanding world.  How can we prepare them to address the issues of peace that relate so much to poverty, disease, inequality, and lack of education?  One answer is obvious: By creating more gateways through the social media they are adept at using daily–Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, and other connection points.  That is where they create communities and have real-time dialogue about both shared interests and their uniqueness.
.
ART creates the new important portals for bridging communities.  Pakistanis are individuals with their own ways of thinking about their lives and their attitudes about the rest of the world.  ART emphasizes the daily, ongoing concerns of youth–jobs, education, and opportunities, what they need to take care of for themselves as  they look outward.  ART can go beyond the limitations of  world politics and diplomacy by going directly to the ongoing source for daily positive change:  children and youth.

I am grateful they have come on the scene. ”

–Amy Tan (Author & Activist)

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President of the Islamabad chapter and the past Seminar Chairperson WAFA, Farhana Azim  represented Pakistan. She was assisted by Asma Ansari (advisor Islamabad chapter.) The International Honorary Exhibit representing Pakistan was designed and and  exhibited by Anjum Rehman (past president Lahore Club) and assisted by Samia Sikander.

Three Floral Design artists had been invited to judge at the show in Boston. They were Amtul Rauf Khan, Shahimah Sayeed,  Zareena Asghar Khan and Tanvir Khwaja, all past presidents, Karachi Club.

Competitors from Islamabad Chapter include Farhat Zaman, Anver Jehan Ansari, Farhana Azim, Asma Ansari, Waqar Boolani, Yasmin Sohail, Nasreen Cheema, Anjum Mudassar, Zeenat Afridi, Ayesha Zahid, Humaira Baber, Tahira Saleem, Shandana Bangash and Asifa Azhar. Fourteen competitors from Lahore chapter and twenty Competitors from Karachi also participated.

It goes to the credit that they came to Boston in pursuit of their passion on their own dime. They have been conducting such events in Pakistan for quite some time. Farhana Azim put a post on this blog of their event in Islamabad titled “Unity and Peace Through the Language of Flowers“.

The Pakistani exhibits to the show have been captured in the album below. It can be viewed in high resolution by clicking on the full screen icon.

Pakistani Exhibits (click to See Album)

The international exhibits can be viewed in the album below. I was impressed by the floral artists from New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and Japan.

International Exhibits (Click to view Album)

Pakistan had the honor of presenting a demo with four other countries. Farhana Azim did the demo titled “Pakistan .. the land of the beautiful”.

Farhana Azim's Demo

The demo had the following video playing in the background showing scenes and people of Pakistan.

Pakistan Association of Greater Boston held a reception for the visiting Pakistani delegation at the Seaport Hotel next to the venue of the event. It gave the participants the opportunity to meet some of the local Pakistani Americans. Events like these are an ideal way to promote a better understanding of the real Pakistan around the world. The event would have had a bigger impact had the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington informed the PAGB ahead of time.

Pakistani Contingent at the PAGB Reception

Pakistan: A Country of Artists

The fact that these artists did so well in a world wide competition is a testimonial to the depth and breadth of the different forms of art that are pervasive in Pakistan. The Pakistani artistic sensibilities manifests them in music, painting, clothing, jewelry and  architecture. Some of examples can be seen below.

Floral Art

Fashion

Calligraphy

Viewed through the prism of her artists, Pakistan is a far cry from how it is depicted in the US media. There was no Af-Pak to be seen in the visiting delegation. These women wore whatever dress that they were proud to wear. They did not need foreign aid to fund their activities.  Events like this and Olympics bring out the best in all countries and help us all understand the diversity of world’s culture. I would like to thank WAFA for holding such a show in Boston with a very appropriate title for our times.

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The recent US mission to get Osama without the knowledge of Pakistan Air Force was a success because of PAF’s lack of investment in sensors that can detect low flying aircraft in undulating and hilly terrain. This is not the first time that PAF has been caught in this embarrassing situation. Indian Air Force was able to penetrate deep into Pakistani territory in 1971, knowing that PAF did not have low level radar coverage in many areas.  At that time PAF depended on mobile observer units (MOUs) for human visual and aural detection of planes.  This man power intensive brute force effort only worked in limited areas and only during war. Despite investing in limited low altitude radars and airborne radars it is obvious that there are gaping holes in the air defense system as exemplified by the unscathed operation of multiple large rotor helicopters for hours in Pakistani airspace deep into its territory.

This story is specially poignant because way back in 1977 when I graduated from College of Aeronautical Engineering in Korangi Karachi, I had won the best project award for designing a device for acoustic detection of low to medium altitude flying aircraft. The Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Zulfiqar Ali Khan was the chief guest at the graduation and, knowing the vulnerabilities that PAF had experienced during the 1971 war, instructed that PAF should productize and widely deploy and advanced version of the device that I had designed. I was posted to a squadron that was dedicated to developing electronic warfare equipment with this goal in mind. Unfortunately ACM Zulfiqar retired and ACM Anwar Shamin became the new Chief of PAF. He and some of his coterie of highly corrupt senior officers were  unfortunately more interested in getting commissions from buying radars and other equipment from foreign countries. Not only was my project canceled but I was also not allowed to design or develop other electronic warfare equipment locally.

PAF has bought radars for the detection of low flying aircraft called MPDR as well as airborne radar planes called AWACs. The MPDR radars have limited ranges of a maximum of 90 km. So a large number of them have to be deployed to cover any reasonable area. They tend to get deployed to cover critical areas during wartime.

PAF also has three Swedish made and one Chinese made AWAC. They are relatively slow propeller driven planes that are expensive to maintain in the air at all times. The number of AWACs is also limited so they are used with care.

Since no PAF spokesman or anyone else has tried to explain the failure to detect to Pakistanis, I will try to shed some light in simplified terms. Pakistani media has further confused the issue by focusing on the wrong aspects that PAF was trying to conserve the life of its long range radars. First of all there is not much money to be saved by keeping these long range radars off and secondly even if they had been on and they were most probably were, they would not have been able to detect low flying helicopters in the northern hills as they cannot provide that kind of coverage.

No matter how much stealth technology you apply to a helicopter the large rotor makes it highly detectable to radars.  It has recently been disclosed that large non stealth twin rotor Chinook helicopters had also been used. Had the AWACS been in the air and on location they would have easily detected the helicopters. But this is not being considered war time, they were not flying. The slow speed of propeller driven AWACs meant that they could not have been sent over the area in response to the scramble after hearing the news from Abbottabad. MPDRs could have detected the copters, but Pakistan has only a limited numbers and are deployed on the eastern fronts or close to high value areas like airfields.  This leaves vast areas in the northern mountains essentially uncovered by any sensor. This is actually quite tragic given that it is quite easy to deploy the kinds of sensor that I had developed way back in 1977.  Cheap solar powered version of those sensors can easily be linked using low power communications to instrument the whole northern areas.

The two F-16s that were scrambled in response were essentially flying blind at night trying to figure out where to look in a very wide area.  PAF chief recently made a statement that with the induction of three more Chinese AWACS PAF will be able to provide radar coverage for all of Pakistan.  If you take into account war time attrition, jamming, turn around time etc. the effective force of AWACs that can be relied upon to be available at any one time is at the most two to three at any one time. With a radius of only couple of hundred miles, this would only protect Sargodha and Karachi vicinities at best. They will also need to be effectively protected with fighters which would make the cost of operations quite high and not easily sustainable over a long time. What PAF really needs are more AWACs on a jet driven fast platform that can accompany the fighters to provide cost effective deterrence.  The PAF chief needs to get realistic and ask for what is needed for the effective protection rather than making tall claims.

The pilots in PAF occupy such a glorified position that their leadership results in the acquisition of sexy fighters like F-16s at the cost of smart combination of tools that deliver cost effective and efficient defense solutions.  PAF is still buying expensive US made fighter planes when there are multiple opportunities of partnering with other friendly countries to produce planes for her needs.  The much touted JF-17 was nearly cancelled as many pilots thought it would be a threat to more F-16 procurement. Again a change in leadership saved it. PAF is the only air force in the world that runs an aircraft manufacturing institution.  The reason no other country’s air force does that is because they leave it to the efficiency of the civil sector to deliver planes and focus on their primary and constitutionally approved task of the air defense of the country.

In 1965 USA gifted the nation of Pakistan with one of greatest gifts that can be given to a nation. America helped create College of Aeronautical Engineering at Korangi that was modeled along the lines of US Air Force Institute of Technology. A wide variety of advanced tools ranging from super sonic and subsonic tunnels along with expensive electronics equipment was provided to PAF. The academic standard was maintained by sending American instructors and some inducted from the civilian sector. Despite these investments Pakistan has not designed a single locally designed aircraft as the engineers coming out of this institutions were primarily used for maintenance duties that does not even scratch the education imparted at this college. The graduates actually do very well when they go to the civil sectors and are found to be leading most of the companies and academia in engineering.  The PAF further eroded quality teachers when the college got moved to Risalpur for the sake of being close to pilot training institute. This is a lesson for US policy planners to learn before they give sophisticated assistance to the military sector. Had the college been given to the civil sector with the understanding that it would also allow limited military cadets to also participate, chances are that real aerospace engineering might have occurred and  the quality of education might have been maintained.

Pakistan has many companies that produce UAVs but PAF still buys Italian UAVs and Pakistani President still looks to the US to providing them.

These recent events should be a wake up call to Pakistan and its leadership to start making the right choices for protecting the Pakistani citizens from external and internal threats. The shape and scope of Pakistan’s needs must be reviewed and appropriate changes made correctly engage the civil sector to fulfill them.

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I was recently invited to a dinner by a doctor friend where I had the opportunity to meet Ethan Casey and Todd Shea. Ethan has written a book called “Alive and Well in Pakistan” which captures his interactions with Pakistanis  in his stay there. Most of the people there were doctors of Pakistani descent living around the Boston area. They had organized a fund raiser a day earlier and the dinner was to get to meet these two gentlemen up close. I had met Todd Shea earlier a couple of years ago and was familiar with his work and admired how he had been able to connect with the people of Kashmir and had decided to settle amongst them. As we got talking it struck me that we in the US of Pakistani descent shared a lot in common the two guests. Todd mentioned that he deliberately travels in T shirt and western clothes without carrying any weapons and the people in Pakistan greatly appreciate it. A lady guest at the dinner,who works in a large retail store,  commented that ever since 9/11 she makes it a point to let people know that she is a Pakistani Muslim and that vast majority of people that she interacts with appreciate it. Ethan and Todd in their efforts are trying to convey to the Americans that Pakistanis are like regular people that have been wrongfully demonized in the US press to suit the narrative concocted by the US policy makers to further their goals of hegemony and power projection.

Unlike Gregg Mortenson and Todd Shea who got engaged in Pakistan in the areas of social engagement, Ethan has engaged America with Pakistan on an intellectual level. The journey that he weaves in his book through the discourse with various elements of the Pakistani society is like looking into a pond, where you find insights into the Pakistani thinking as well as a reflection of an American mind set. Gregg and Todd by and large engage with the poorer and remote parts of Pakistan. Ethan on the other hand interacts with more well to do city dwellers. When Ethan talks in front of American audiences they react to him very differently and get quite confused for what he has to say runs contrary to the carefully controlled narrative that Americans have been fed by the main stream new media. Todd mentioned an interesting story about completely changing the impression of an American in a short elevator ride. He asked the questioned that which is the only country that the USSR threatened with nuclear annihilation and for what. Todd also highlighted his frustration with the like of Anderson Cooper and Geraldo when he tried to make them cover the nearly 200 physicians of Pakistani descent assisting him in responding to the earthquake in Haiti. That story was not covered at all as it did not agree with the overall Pakistani narrative in the US media.

As the conversation went back and forth between their experiences in Pakistan and our experiences in the US, it became clear that the story of our experiences here is equally untold as the story of Westerners in Pakistan.  President of an Islamic Center outside Boston narrated the response by high school students to threats of protests by an extremist christian group that planned to protest outside the center.  These high school kids not only came out in larger numbers, without being asked by the center, but also raised and donated money to the center. He also narrated his experience in front of the town building committee when they were trying to upgrade the center, that a neighbor waited late into the night. And when the turn came he stood up and told the committee that the center had been a good neighbor to the community and that even if there is some deficiency in their proposal they should overlook it. Another gentleman in the gathering who had been the president of the center after 9/11 narrated his story, that when he opened the doors of the center the day after 9/11 he was horrified to see a large gathering of white folks outside, as the center’s membership is of mostly mixed ethnicities.  But then he realized that they were carrying flowers and had come over to make sure nothing untoward happened to the center and wanted to know how they could help.

Framingham Library did a month long activities around Gregg Mortenson’s book “Three Cups of Tea” which included talks about Pakistani history, cultural show of Pakistani dresses and cooking etc.. Local papers are getting into the act of lifting the veil of Muslim and Pakistani customs by writing articles about our faith and its practices. Last year Metro West carried an article called “Muslims celebrate Ramadan, battle misperceptions” about the fasting in Ramadan and how American Muslims go about practicing it. Part of it covered the breaking of the fast at our place.

Javed Jabbar who is conducting a book tour of his book “Pakistan-Unique Origins Unique Destiny?” paints a very different picture of Pakistan in the US. He was invited to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and his talk can be viewed here.

While the challenges in educating Americans about Pakistan are huge, I am encouraged by the presence of people like Ethan, Todd , Gregg and the young American generations who can see the goodness in others and not be swayed by the messages in the mainstream media. The coming years are going to be very trying in the relations between the two countries, but I believe that the truth about Pakistan cannot remain hidden from the American public for too long. At some point the decent among the Americans are going to demand that an end be put to the criminal drone attacks on a country whose leaders have abrogated their responsibilities to protect them.  The destiny of the Planet Earth is intimately linked to the harmonious relationship between the people of these two great countries.

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Carolyn Evans is both an artist and a sculptor.  Her art appeals to both the child amongst us as well as the thinker.  To me her art has been an acquired taste.  When I first saw her painting of houses with fish floating in the air, I did not know what to make of it. But over time it is exactly those paintings that have stuck in my mind’s eye.  Many of her paintings have an ambiguity that keeps the viewer’s mind active considerably beyond the time the visual pleasures have subsided.

Many of her paintings of houses have stories behind them. The house or home in these paintings is a place surrounded by memories, filled with laughter, joy and sadness, with an overwhelming feel­ing of what it means to be alive. These “homes” are places we want to visit, to remember and reflect upon. Sometimes the houses take on a persona and speak more of an individual or of a couple and their relationship with each other. Often the house is a place to go to find shelter or sol­ace or make a political statement, or have a laugh. She blends her Southern sensibilities with those of New England where she ended up spending most of her life.

Carolyn Evans is a mature artist who has the ability to remind us of what is important in life. She disarms us with provocative and yet simple subject matter that is familiar. Her paintings are infused with levity and sophistication using color, form and images, telling stories that excite our senses. Evans’ paintings are filled with wonder and discov­ery in the many layers of paint and story.

“Evans” compositions are simple-looking, but far from simplistic, and the cockeyed geometry of both natural and man-made forms within them are carefully considered. She has the uncanny ability to suggest much and manipulate the viewer’s perceptions by adroitly refining nuances of shape, color and paint application.”‘

When all is said, it is the viewer who brings new interpretations to the stories of the work. Carolyn Evans leaves enough space to include in her paintings, our own past, our memories and our dreams.

As a former teacher, Carolyn Evans has long focused on symbolic shapes that recall childhood. Bronze landscapes display a simplified version of the flowers and trees that grew in her mother’s garden. Colorful and expressive paintings explore memories  of’ fishing the Louisiana Gulf coast with her father, or wandering the port of’ New Orleans to view the small boats and large container ships that filled the Mississippi.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist after he grows up.” Pablo Picasso

That Carolyn Evans has solved the problem to which Picasso refers is abundantly clear.  These whimsical vistas not only relate to the art of several 20th century masters but also clearly evoke the unselfcon­scious creations of a child’s mind. The paint­ings are, at once, both deceptively sophisti­cated and disarmingly simple. Moreover, they are not the work of a naive or untutored creator, but of one trained in a traditional course of fine arts instruction.

Sculptor

I have not come across many artists who are also sculptors. It is in many ways a very different medium and requires three dimensional thinking.  Like her paintings she leaves it to the viewer to interpret her work as there is sufficient ambiguity in them.

The farm bird sculpture evokes the fattened image of a Thanks Giving Turkey.

These sculptures evoke the same playfulness found in her paintings.

As it so happens, she is John Evan’s wife who has also been featured here.

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Museum of Fine Arts in Boston recently inaugurated a new wing which I had been wanting to see for a while. As it so happened that an exhibit called “Art of Americas” was being featured this President’s day weekend. With some respite from snow it turned out to be a perfect day to visit the museum.

This abstract silver sculpture greets you in the main cafeteria next to the new wing.

These European designer inspired chairs were made in the America in the 1800s.

This is a painting of the Hope family. They were a Dutch family into mercantile business.

I really liked this painting of a woman in a pensive mood. The frame is equally gorgeous. The period of American art was symbolized by paintings that were subdued.

Intricate FirePlace

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