With reference to the articles The scent of my Prophet (March **) and Farewell Medina (March 14), I thoroughly enjoyed the both the articles.
While reading the article I felt as if I was also part of the visit. With each sentence, I could imagine being there with the writer.
NOOR-E-HIRA
Hyderabad
I appologize for the rudeness
With reference to the article, I apologize for the rudeness (March 14), I agree with the writer.
In this day and age, most of the people do not own up to or like to own up when they wrong. If a person makes a mistake, he or she never appologize for their mistake, thinking the such a behaviour will undermine the individuals personality. This is far from the truth.
A person who always says sorry, displays a respect for others and will be liked by all and sundry.
SUMAIYA MUNIR GICHKI
Malikabad, Kech, Turbat
The role of education
With reference to the articles, The lingo power and Striking a balance is what we need to do (March 21), it is really painful to see that our intellectuals and educationists are still intellectually retarded.
It is pathetic to see that the authors are still far behind the global thought. They advised that English and Urdu should be encouraged at the expense of the regional languages (which they called ‘necessary only for identity’). I do not agree with them as I follow the concept that vernacular are the best way to educate children of the young age.
I think that instead of encouraging Urdu with English, the option of Urdu should be dropped. Urdu in not the mother tongue of the 80 per cent Pakistanis and now it is time that for the betterment of the country’s poor masses, the vernaculars should be second choice as medium of education after English. For half a century, the high-ups in Pakistan forced Urdu upon us as the sacred cow and we tried hard to learn it. When we finally completed our education, we learn the terrible fact that we are been fooled. You cant even apply for a government job with an application in Urdu!
English is the only language they appreciated while our mother tongue was our only identity ... Urdu was not even in the picture. Furthermore, the literature and books available in Urdu didn’t satisfy our needs, it is all about the omnipresent mehboob and his cruelty. The books on politics and the articles in Urdu newspapers are so parochial and biased that one feels like vomiting.
Finally we turned to English and being embittered by Urdu, everything that came our way seemed sublime and fantastic. We also learned that Iqbal was but a compiler ... someone who just turned the philosophies of West and the Shaheen of Khushal Khan Khattak into his pan-Islamic mould. While other poets (with a few exceptions) were just churning out the ordinary sorrow tales of their imaginary love affairs.
I would request the intelligentsia of Pakistan, please grow up and wake up to the realities of modern age. Regional languages are here to stay, if we discard them it would mean discarding our past. We are nothing without our mother tongues. They are our identities while Urdu is something that we must respect, but should be respected only.
SCHARAFAT ESUFZAY
Swat
To ‘sir’, with love
With reference to the article, To ‘sir’, with love (March 28), I think the author presented things in a personal way. Actually each society has some norms and values. So words have different meanings for every society.
If in London ‘sir’ is not used as in our country, there is no need to worry. Inferiority complex lies within the mind of any person, not in the word ‘sir’. We use in Urdu, Ustad sahib to give respect to someone just in the same way we use ‘sir’ and nothing else. I think it does not make any difference to say ‘sir’ or ustad sahib to your teachers or boss, both have the same objective. You can use it without feeling any sort of complex.
