Adil Najam
This Father’s Day brings a mixed bunch of feeling for me. I am traveling for work and literally thousands of miles away from my three kids. Missing them, and missing them especially on Father’s Day. There is nothing in the world that compares to parenthood – the greatest of joys, and the greatest of responsibilities!
On the other hand, since I am in Pakistan, I am with my own father on this day; and a time and an age comes when you start cherishing those moments more than you ever did before.
I thought I might put my kids photograph up today. But, actually, those photographs have been up on ATP since Day 1 – if you look at my ‘hum daikhain gay‘ video, the three kids ‘jo daikhain gay‘ who appear right at the beginning, are my own!
So I went back and re-opened the post I had done last Father’s Day. It was not about my kids. It was about the millions of father’s in Pakistan. What I wrote then, I think, is still valid and worth repeating. So, here is the post in full.
I know we are supposed to put cute and cuddly type of stuff on Father’s Day. But being a father is serious business. All the more serious in developing countries like Pakistan.
This picture was taken soon after [the 2005] earthquake, but you can see a scene like this — a desperate father frantically trying to get urgent medical attention for his child — ever day in hospital wards across Pakistan.
Happy Father’s Day, Everyday!
Happy Father’s day Adil. Do you think Mushrraf will fall before you leave Islamabad? Could you do one last interview with him for posterity?
Indeed this Fathers/Mothers/Grand parents day is a new phenomenon for Pakistan as is Valentine, Haloween etc. Personelly i dont find anything wrong with celebrations if only to take my mind off from the daily chores of a busy life as long as it does not effect the basic simple beliefs of my faith (valentine day i cannot relate to !)
But from my meagre understanding , i believe Fathers day would be for a nation or society that does not keep the fathers in mind all year round, being too busy in thier daily lives, and need a specific day to profess thier love for dads.
For all the faults our society may be facing these days, the love and respect for parents makes a paramount pillar of our values and beliefs still. And no i am not talking of the yuppy/up class/ metropolitan minority of Karachi/Lahore/Islamabad. I am talking of 70% of this pure land where parents have the last word and fathers rule the lives of thier children with or without love and affection.
How appropriate is it then to celebrate some thing mindlessly just because its done everywhere else ?
If its a commercial gimmick where cards, flowers and gifts are sold and some poor shop keepers make money then I am fine with it.
If its celebrated just to take our minds off the CJ/Jamia Hafsa/Army dictator issues then its fine.
If Fathers day evokes special feelings for our dads, which are not there the rest of the year round , then its ok.
For me personelly , i dont need a specific day to tell my dad that i love him and thanks for all the things he has done for me.
I have it in my heart every second of every day and yes if not daily , i do let him know what a great man he is from time to time. That day comes often and they are all Fathers day for me !
I know many won’t agree but these ocassions were developed with a commercial point of view.
In Britain, every major store take advantage of these special ocassions & earn huge money.
Very nice to remember father’s day…..but I have to point out mother’s day was last month and I did not see any ATP posts on that!
I agree that Fathers Day is not a Pakistani tradition. But as post says we must celebrate Pakistani fathers, and mothers.
Both pictures are really nice and bring out important aspects of fatherhood.