fataha ansu

..family Rao belonged to  middle class strata community,  he had too many hopes from his son , who emerged as a hero to the  roaming useless youngsters,  all hopes of fazil Rao  were shattered,  both father and son remained  to each other completely strangers,  mukhtyar was the heartthrob of mother,  her name was rajya , family correctly believed  mukhtyar was  completely spoiled  only because of her wrong training 

You always blame me  one fine morning  rajya  erupted at the breakfast table  ,  why ever did you not  help him  understand  better 

He never was present  to communicate with me explained  family helplessly  now he has overgrown  that stage  he is twenty  not ready to listen,  he us just an educated fool 

khwab dareechey aur umeed

....reaching the hospital corridor she sat the little girl on the floor,  , the  piece of paper  held in her left hand slid into her other hand,  then she pulled the  wide shawl from over her head to reset it neatly back  , her swollen jaw and  bruises entirely forgotten 

This is exactly what happens,  mother always forgets herself  her own predicament  to protect her progeny,  she had even forgotten that  uncovering her head would  reveal her invisible  bluish bruises  running across her face from her temple to the jaw  openly to others , before sge could  properly  cover herself  a cutting renark  stabbed her, she winced

She was  lost in a whirlpool of worries  , someone  well dressed  and in polished pair of shoes came to stand before her  from nowhere 

You??

First confirm it , it's you,  what's this marking on your face,  the intensity in his eyes was remarkable  not  moving  transfixed  strongly on her, then the color of his eyes and his face unexpectedly changed many shades 

Does your husband abuse you,  his controlled tone carried  hushed rage 

Without answering she lowered herself to pick up her girl 

page 111

....the mobile   that was used in their  development of friendship was never mentioned again,  in fact she had completely forgotten about it,  all that she remembered was  Balaji loved her adored her sincerely 

She  would go back home Kate,  making excuses she was kept late in the lab , her abbu  fully  believed her and never checked her timetable 

Phuphu was quite annoyed with abbu,  she  chose the other phuphu  s daughter fir marriage,  on the other hand  tai  began  picking up meaningless  quarrels  with ammi  because she didn't want  her son to marry zainab  but all her efforts were made futile  when Taya gave green signal to go forward  declaring zahani  alliance  between  zainab and asud

from previous

....how can you say that hasn , aren't you afraid  to get inside  the lion's den and  poke him , watching the whole   thing on television screen  manim shuddered before turning to ask  her husband   nadir busy on his laptop  in the  nearby sofa,  coincidentally  he was the same  anchor person who actively  exposed  police personnels character 

Scared  man will never  get to do all this in this specific field,  he explained casually without  taking his eyes off from the screen 

But it is so risky, something wrong could have happened to you,  she muted the television,  the screen was absolutely  silent  but mute pictures were  still there,  her attention was on the screen but her mind was worried 

I didn't jump into this field of action blindly,  someone's supportive hand was on my back  , it was easy for me to take that stride  his voice was reassuring 

I don't believe you,  before this also you have put yourself into danger  , I still remember the merchant who was  corrupt  and selling  adulterated    groceries,  when he was caught he hit  you on the head 

Khun e wafa

...right here , just stop it right away  I have some work here 

Here, in this place 

On the request of the back seat passenger the driver stopped the vehicle  but sheer surprise escaped from his gaping mouth  at looking at the spot

Of course here, isn't it meant for people  her question was so straight and simple that the driver  could only nod in silence 

Yes, , people can go there anytime but a single woman alone  is surprising,  finally  expressing his inner doubts 

Whether men or women  this place holds no gender bars everyone comes alone,  no matter how many  people in number accompany him tgey leave him alone and return 

That is another thing,  you are philosophical 

Opening the left side door to get out   she heard  the  argument of the driver but ignored it completely 

Crossing  the door to her destination  determined opened tge door to get inside  and lifted her head towards the shy,  the sky was lit up by the moon but the light of ber life was gone

Akhari qatl

....he was a professional killer  interested only in monetary profit , he  always took hundred percent  advance and killed the target  before the deadline,  that day he was again  going out to finish his project unaware completely  it was a turning point and his whole life would change forever, he simply stood there by the roadside waiting for his target  his eyes fixed on the office of  main door  opposite,   despite the no smoking   board he pulled out his cigarette  from his coat pocket and lit it up , took a long  puff releasing long smoke from his mouth,  suddenly someone  patted a hand on his shoulder,  startled he turned to see  in sheer shock the man whom he was to  shoot down stood looking at him smiling 

ibadat

....we are born to pray,  we must  learn to  worship all our deeds, prayer isn't just  chanting  and fasting   but your own  thoughts are what go into  making something pure and worthwhile 

.

.the hazrat was asked by his followers if he permits a grand  prayer hall will be  built 

The hazrat agreed and ordered them to build one over the sea

How is that possible  he was asked  to build anything on the sea

How else can  the worldly    things  be deposited and grow

Eternal alone is eternal 

hath ki safai

....snow was falling since last night,  Arnold  having his breakfast watched outside  at the falling snow,  it was easy to watch through the window  clearly,  the  overcast sky  predicted strongly  bad weather ahead,  Arnold couldn't go to the office fir two days because of this weather,  his wife Emilia sat beside him watching his activities  with great interest 

You seem to be enjoying the snowfall 

Not really 

For a long while I noticed your entire  focus is only on the snowfall  though I am sitting right beside you 

Aww come on darling  you reside in my heart 

But wives like it when husband's show interest in them 

And every man likes it when he is approached by the wife  lovingly 

Don't you  trust me that I love you 

Of course I believe you that's why you  reside in my heart 

I am your heartbeat yet you are so sad 

There is another reason for being sad 

And what is that 

You already know it

Me,,me how can I know 

My  main worry is my business 

painting

....a man passing by an old bookshop  in the market liked a vintage painting of a soldier  , the shop owner  was ready to sell it for fifty,  the man was short of two rupees,  he went home  to return the best day , but the  painting was sold out 

On the weekend he visits his friend and there the vintage painting of the soldier was   hanging on the wall, the friend explained it was his grandfather's,  the disappointed man thought it could be his grandfather's  if he wasn't short of two rupees 

akhri sham se pehle

... as the day of celebrating birthday was nearing   sigh was getting  tense,  the post arrived usually  late afternoon  when he would be in the ground   where he spent time  unsuccessfully  playing badminton or football,  wise Akhtar  took round of the ground  at that time,  sagh  would  questioningly  look up at him  , Akhtar  wordlessly would  tell him there was no letter  yet

Sigh celebrated his birthday  in a different manner  altogether,  special  feast was prepared,  two goats were  slaughtered,  baba shah Nawaz didn't  like the concept of cake cutting  but finally everyone convinced him to agree on  letting just one small cake  be placed as a formality on the table  , slices of it were distributed amongst the staff 

from previous

.... in the morning  unexpectedly  the sky was covered with  clouds,  it was a holiday today,  she had spent  whole night making reports , she had to  submit weekly lab sheets to his mean supervisor,  perhaps   because she remained  extremely reserved  she was actively disliked by the supervisor,  he always found fault  in her reports  but she was naturally  aloof and hardworking 

Hearing the door knocking  nanu moved towards the door,  she quickly  came out of the kitchen,  let ne  open tge door you stay where you are  it must be zoha,  covering her head with a very wide  dupatta she moved forward,  there stood  Zoya with  vibrant 

Sorry  aslam alekum I am disturbing you  she was insisting to see you her friend 

It's  okay  nothing like disturbing,  I have already  asked you to send Zoya to our place,  she bent to pinch Zoya s cheeks

prince charming

....her mood was completely off , her irritable  manner  tye way she was  working  

Barpar and  tipu were ready to jump out of the window  when she saw it, she whimpered and poured out all her lava of temper on them,  she held them by ears

What were you both up to,  can't you behave yourself,  God forbid  what if you had crashed down,  breaking your  bones into several pieces  , I had only asked you to open the window  not to fall out of the window 

from previous

....at that very moment the door  opened  , an old man emerged,  he looked ordinary,   his under eyes  were swollen,  Levi thought  in this phase of age there are several  health problems  and  sleep disorders 

Hello, I am Jonathan  Levi,  you know me son of Hillary

He straightened up, his shoulders  straight , his eyes  turned to stare Levi as if he was surreal,  what do you want 

Levi watched this man who appeared  harder than he had imagined,  he doubted himself  for coming  here

He stammered  I want a favor from you 

Analysis smiled  what kind of favor  , your father and I haven't spoken to each other in years 

Levi felt his throat drying up  and  began speaking swiftly  I want you to teach me how to kill someone 

ehsaan

....Jonathan  Levi  pushed the pistol  on the the baldy s head

I am going to shoot you,  you will beg for your life,  you can't imagine  hiw wonderful the scene will be , you made the mistake of your life by providing tge evidence against me , this is your end you are a dead man 

The face if bald man remained  blank,  thank you  now you may leave 

But my lines aren't over

That's enough  , replied  the baldy man  Henry William , quickly  scribbling something on his pad before standing up 

Levi didn't move 

There are more people 

Levi looked around the empty  audition hall  then at henry bending over

So what's your decision 

It's too early to decide 

If you want I could do it some other way,   in  a manner you like  full of innocence,  hardness or negative 

Henry  puffed cigarette smoke,  go home now  and wait for your agent to call you 

mushghala

....each and every person  makes his own life  interesting  with  hobbies and interests 

The  ultimate matter with him was  that everyone believed he gad no interests in life , that he was boring  and uninteresting,  that  it was difficult to lead a life with such h a person  who has no spare time engaging activities  because  such a man is a drag

The real   problem was that  he couldn't tell anyone about his interests 

I have spent  the best phase of my life though  I am  suffering from  health problems,  every person  has to go through setbacks in life and yet sometimes he must pause to reflect  about his past life,  this is exactly what I am doing right now 

I should be saying  I  was the most loving husband and perfect father  but unfortunately  my loved dear ones were  cruelly snatched away from me 

Other aspects of my personality  are  kept secret and hidden even from my  dearest Stella,  these are the memories always haunting me 

page 134

....the journey was  pleasant and  moving on , there was soft music playing in the  background  , sometimes  manal would  hum along to the melodies,  during  that period  zeb s phone buzed  , he activated  his ear pad with a gentle touch 

So how are you doing   asked  Zaman in a serious tone  on the phone 

We are reaching you  in a short while  he smiled 

Fine  Zaman also spoke cheerfully 

Just be ready  he helpfully  reminded Zaman 

Don't  worry about it  just be here  Zaman replied 

The call ended  and zeb turned to manal with a smile 

Time to go live 

Manal brightened up enthusiastically  she turned her mobile on and in her personal style  began  speaking,  aslam allekum my dear followers  how are you all  , swagatam, ji Ayan nu, welcome  khushamdid

So today we bring you  many surprises 

page 125

.... Zaman  was an online taxi driver  , thirty five years old  watching video   engrossed entirely  in it , , while waiting fir passengers  he spent time watching  mobile videos,  initially all the videos  there was one common thing,  he was the  main character  in all

Zaman was addicted to tik tok  , passionate about making  videos of himself  in them , his followers list was growing  yet he was not quite happy  with his own performance 

He was suddenly   startled  by an unexpected phone call,  gukrez his old  longtime friend was on the other end 

What's going on  asked he  heavily 

Are you free  enquired gulrez

Yes of course  but are you fine  his voice was surprised 

I have to go to the  in-laws   to get my family  but the vehicle   failed ne , he was upset  if you are free  come over 

Zaman became thoughtful,  it had been  a  slow day , he would have to drive longer routes  because of political  activities  and road blocks 

page 89

....if you want  to study I will register it otherwise simply  pass by without ever reading it 

..I even  touched the fragrance  to feel it

I caught sunshine in my clenched fists

I kissed the moonlight 

I saw dark shadows in the sun 

I spoke  conversationally  with winds

 I  witness all aspects of sounds

I hear melodies  of thoughts 

I spun faces from  melodies 

I saw reflection of color 

I saw color of  reflections I saw lakes in drops

But couldn't find a drop in the lake 

What to find  what to see what to think 

Thoughts are seen

Images  are thoughts 

I appreciate  nature in wonder 

The poet in me silenced in surprise 

Thoughts of you   are blinding

Image of you    completely  stilling

khalish dil aur diya

...I don't like it dear son Khabarovsk, you are leaving without eating 

Mami ji, some other time please,  let me go now  , I have a prior appointment with someone,  I am already late  , couldn't meet ammi,  and halima khala,  I will call them up later  so you must understand how urgent  it's for me to go I am extremely busy 

All right then, may God br with you,  hajra rubbed ger hands on her son in law  s head affectionately  holding Mayra  in a tight embrace  for very long,  the ice that had settled between mother daughter relationship at fajar was melting  but she still couldn't muster enough courage to ask Mayra anything  it was   their internal matter  after all 

How are you feeling now hopefully better,  is the  rasping gone

Khazar turned to the road and started driving  and glanced at Mayra   vaguely  , she looked  fragile  more pale after her week long fever

ishq e junoon

...how do I look,  asked manal looking into the mirror  at the reflection of zaib standing behind her

As usual  he responded  

Thus is not the right answer  sge rebuked 

He gave her a hearty look,  honey colored hair,  parting in the middle  , a loosened  tress playing uncontrollably  on her red flaming  cheek caressing her rosy lips,  how deliciously delightful  she looked 

Her eyes were  shaped beautifully  unsurpassed,  her skin flawless  pure and soft ,  black ear rings  sparkling with studded white pearls  glowing,  and of course her shapely neck  adding to her exotic appearance 

Now what are you staring at , she asked  him  rather taken aback 

Looking at you  his smile was genuine 

That's what  I am asking  she was irritated  

This was normal for him to admire her veauty and  nit find the right words to express himself 

aazaan

...fifty years ago he lived in Afghanistan  a different time  from  today,   it was more prosperous  and  rich,  every season was wholesome and fruitful,  hus story is about a place some distance away from Kabul set  in a  bungalow  full of happiness where he resided with his father aga dear a very well known  leather trader in Kabul  owner of several  footwear and leather bags  factories,  despite being a most wealthy merchant  he despised  city noise and that commotion,  therefore he avoided such a kind of life  and lived silently  outside Kabul surrounded with evergreens 

To reach the city he used his own private car ,  Zahir lala was given the responsibility to drive him to the city center 

charagar

....she was extremely happy that day  , she was to meet her old  college friend  rajya roughly after  eighteen years,   she was married to faizan nineteen years ago and they moved to Italy,  cutting off almost all her college Tues  one of them was rajya, a year ago  suddenly  sge remembered  rajya with an intensity,  she searched  Facebook   and there sge was her college friend rajya , she was living in Karachi  with her two children  a boy and a girl,  fagad her son was a college student  husband farid was a  writer  , he was a famous  published novelist,  he also  wrote for television serials,  even  rajya was infected by the germ of writing  she wrote  short stories,  

Both friends were now in their early forties  

page 43

...he continued,  he was stuck in that impossible situation,  he was sent to jail once prior to this,  in those days he was working with a builder,  on a construction site  some building material was stolen,  it was merely worth  less than four thousand  but the supervisor  accused him of stealing twenty thousand  worth of  building material,  the police was ready to free him fir five thousand but he was nit guilty,  he had nit stolen anything at all, he was basically a plumber,  he was sent to  two  years  jail 

One year ago he was freed  , to earn a living he reached  Tariq road  commercial market  as a free Lancer, a hardware  store  owner   started giving him projects as an electrician,  plumber,  all round  in the nearby colonies,  it was paying until  this recent  happening 

baitul ankiboot

...that year the monsoon  deceptively  escaped,  not letting anyone know of its arrival  and departure,  everyone was left dried up

In such a colorless  season one evening when he was still  sitting in his office one of his very old acquaintances  dropped by, he played a happy host  who cheerfully  invited his known inside  exclaiming  excitedly   even tge eud moon appears once a year , but you are showing up after ages, where have you been  shakil hadi

Shakil hadi was a trader, he gad threads business  he sold to textile  companies 

page 58

.... mehmood was the only  son of his parents,  , the light of their life,  his bad nature was notoriously  known,  , his father had died young , he had to lift tge whole  weight of his family burden,  supporting his mother,  during the   educational phase he was burdened  social responsibility,  , daytime schooling  , night time  hosiery factory,  he passed his graduation  with a flare and secured a decent government job,  but past bitter  experiences of deprivation   turned him  into  a   man with a wounded  ego 

He and  afya were married  fourteen years  but they remained childless,  several  medical conditions   clutched him in his youth  , he became  frustrated and depressed  with disappointments,  relatives avoided him friends  stopped contacting him , festivals were the only occasions he socialized,  in the office  his colleagues and Co workers  spoke  only on very important matters,  only his wedded for life wife remained  constantly  by his side 

majazi khuda

...what kind of  ironing is done on my kurta, just look at sleeve  the crease is not neat at all ,  you are good for nothing woman 

Junaid and  zen  had come to stay with their  youngest  khala  afya  when suddenly  khalu appeared  meticulously dressed in stark white   outside and roared 

Thousands of times  I have told you not to touch my  clothes  , you can't do a thing properly,  rotis that you make are terribly  hard  and difficult to eat  , you don't know how to  set milk to curd

She faltered  sge had  pressed all her energy while  ironing his kurta  

  Husband s bad mood was frightening  her tongue  couldn't find  words to speak,  she turned pale  tge tea tray sge held trembled 

From where do you  get brains  get a pinch of it for yourself,  don't you have any sense 

Both  Junaid and zen  witnessed  their khala  s humiliation  in stunned silence 

from previous

.... she reached  dekni s house on time  , naturally her child accompanied her,  ornald was her responsibility  and always stayed by her side,  besides her and  dekni there were  eight more women present,  Brenda was mother of twins  a housewife she had brought  branded ice cream,  Latifah was dekni s school time friend,  she had  grilled prawns ,, Linda  worked from home running online business ,  she had brought vegetable soup,  falishia a yoga teacher  had roasted dry fruit,  dawn had just moved into this place from new Orleans,  she had prepared chicken cheese sandwiches at home  lashawn was a single mother of five  , pizza was her contribution,  Annie was a chef  good at butter puff milk biscuits,  Bella brought  chocolate cup cakes  and green tea, dekni being the hostess was providing  liquor 

This week the book on which they were to discuss was  an in timid state  ,,,Haiti a state in West indies 

Newton

... famous  wizard  scientist  Newton   had a hyperactive mind , once he dived into hypothetical  he would simply  drawn  into its depths as surroundings disappeared   into oblivion 

One time his closest friend  was  invited to join him to supper  in the evening  , Newton  had delved   into his reverie  , he forgot to tell the chef about his evening guest, in tge late afternoon Newton felt hunger pangs,  he ordered his meal be brought to his  table  and  when the meal was served  Newton was found  busy in his research  and theories,  the p.ate was kept there , the valet withdrew silently without disturbing the great   scientist 

. The guest arrived to have supper , saw Newton his friend engrossed in his own world of scientific  theories,  drew the plate before him  , finished his supper and left in silence 

When Newton  emerged from his  mind  saw tbe empty plate, thought he must have eaten  and didn't remember  , he quietly went to bed 

husn tadib

....she was a private detective  by profession  working  with number one state county detective  Arthur mills  as his assistant,  she learnt many new things from him  the most important point  is to manage time 

Her sister  dekni had come to see her  because  the lady detective was on maternity leave denied would spend time speaking with little Oswald and Orland before turning to her sister  saying she knew she would make  a good mother,  you are most  affectionate and won't  hurt my nephew 

The new mom 

Of course  she promised   , hiw do you get along in the new place denied had just recently moved into a brand new  town house  community 

Sge asked  reflectivity if she had narrated  stories of robberies 

Yes, no, uncertain the detective mom sister replied confused,  perhaps  there were some random incidents in your area  of chain snatching 

Detective sister was really  pondering why denied had left her previous  location and shifted  in the new colony, so crime rate was very high and rapidly increasing  

page 25

...when your parents  move forward into  the  last phase of their life weak with old age,  don't you ever  misuse your strength and destructive force on them but always stay close to them  under their  forgiving  and  loving   kind wing  or later you will regret and be remorseful for the rest of your life  for not getting another chance to be protective towards them 

purisrar

....his eyes flew open  when he felt a jolt,  startled he looked out of the train window  it was an isolated secluded area, he quickly gathered his things, tge train was suddenly  come to a halt after two days of constant  running,  he approached the conductor  to find out the reason  and how long will  be they  there 

Sir, some unknown  problem has occurred in the engine,  it will just take fifteen minutes 

He asked if it was alright for him to take a stroll , he will return within fifteen minutes,  he was finishing his statement and some boys had already jumped outside to straighten up their  stiffened backs and limbs

Alright  come back when the whistle is blown or your baggage will be dumped here and you will  be left behind 

insan

....man is a strange creature,  he us a spectacle himself and  yet goes out  looking for enjoyment,  man is himself a great entertainment  and  fun fair yet  seeks entertainment outside in fairs looking for fun , in a crowd each one is part of the crowd  yet everyone calls others a crowd and himself an individual different from the herd mentality,  ,  man has forgotten  integrity,   lots of single   burning lamps  are illuminations,  and when several  solitude get together collectively they become a festival of celebration 

page 6

....it was during the daytime,  sizzling heat   amidst which  traffic  was running,  wherever you go  just traffic  thick traffic was visible  in this  maddening crowd  a variety of people with different views and minds are found  , sunk in their own  personal problems of life,  mostly  well educated and well off are the prey of  unhappiness  , one of them was saira  who was constantly  consistently  Revolving round safes, mystics  shrines and tombs in the hope if being rescued from her mental  problems  her main purpose was her son was childless  , so she was  dragging her  daughter in law Shana along willfully  with her 

Both mother and daughter in law stood praying in the open yard of a shrine the hope of  getting  her prayers answered  , after a while both  were driven away in the  chauffeur driven car to see a gynecologist   , both were tired so saira suggested another lady doctor  her khala sgahida had given reference of , that she was a good doctor 

But she was already taking treatment   explained Shana   and  the gynecologist was also good 

But what's wrong in showing you to one more  lady doctor  argued saira 

page 15

....today there was peace and  a settled feeling at the breakfast table instead of regular  chaos,  dadi  had a changed behavior   not tasting  from everyone else  and this was surprising  zen was puzzled 

Come on all you three ladies  looking so nervous like amateurs   lost and   trembling 

She felt  like attending  a conference,   she cut away a portion of her paratha and placed it quietly and swiftly on dadi s plate  escaping  aksi s watching eyes, today  dadi was sighing  frequently 

Dadi please you have to come out of this shock  , this glowing moon face is not leaving the screen 

God forbid zen, dadi glared 

What is your program for the evening 

Aksi wasn't   careless while speaking  she noticed the piece of paratha and  fished  it out  from dadi  s plate 

The face  of  the owner of the plate   sharply drained out of the momentary joy of having a paratga piece 

I will not go anywhere with you two today,  yesterday entire day was wasted , he scowled  before someone could  rebuke him barman sahib made hus entry into the dining room 

Tham gya shor o junoo

....remember  that  niece of dadi  who then  remarried  our neighbor  rehber, uncle , a knot in the dusty mind slowly  opened up, elder sister  intently watched  the face of ajsi , Safina aunty wasn't  easy to forget,  her incredible incomplete story   containing several characters remarried  uncertain,  finding her  wilfully silent for so long  aksi was disappointed 

She who had  the  power to drag their lanky son  to all her favorite games,  she  tried to remind her changing  her tactics  the listener's  heart suddenly  fluttered  as a flash of memory  crossed her mind 

Just leave it ,,,the surprising part is this  the lanky boy aneb shayab was here today,  aksi  s voice was saturated with  sheer surprise 

The way you react to this situation,  the same  feeling  I experienced in my heart seeing him , basri  looked stunned and  shocked 

What did you say,  say it all again 

What are you  suggesting 

She really wanted to say it all in different ways  same statement  in various ways as if her elder sister was mocking  her

Aksi was saying much more  with ease  or with  seriousness 

When baba and anib ran into each other near the gate  ,  the argument that followed  destroyed all joyful mood of dadi jan the professor  disappeared somewhere suddenly 

She paused laughing,  then she lay down  in bed  and  turned over her side  shutting off the table lamp 

papita

....papaya  is not just a delightful  fruit but also  healthy,  it can be eaten unripe and ripe,  easily available all the year round,  nominal price and valuable  for digestion,  papaya  must be included in one's diet as a regular,   it contains  minerals and vitamins  ,it can be a starter  desert or side  dish