Folks, I will be in Lahore for the next couple of weeks. You can follow my adventures through immigration portals here. And look forward to lots of new fotos upon the return.
Re: Gaza, today is the National Call In Day for Gaza. Time for a bit of grassroots activism ourselves! I am cutting and pasting some suggestions I received via e-mail, and do give the Obama transition team a phone call. I did so, and the dude was nice enough to say he will "forward my message of concern." I know this is a standard, non-committal response, but hey, I tried.
National Call-In Day for Gaza! January 16, 2009 We designate Friday, January 16th as National Call-In Day for Gaza. Calling is quick, easy, and effective, and will take about 5-10 minutes. We need to keep the phones ringing non-stop for the duration of the day so that our message CAN NO LONGER BE IGNORED. Contact in order of importance: 1) Call President-Elect Obama's Transition Team at 202-540-3000. Ask that President-Elect Obama and his team call for: 1) An immediate cease-fire. 2) An end to the blockade and siege of Gaza. 3) An immediate withdrawal from Gaza. Be firm and polite and stress the fact that over a thousand people have died and thousands have been injured in Gaza, mainly civilians. This follows months of suffering under a severe blockade that has resulted in shortages of food, fuel and basic medical supplies. When calling, mention (UN Security Council Resolution 1860 that was adopted last week which calls for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access. 2) Call your Representative at 202-224-3121. Ask how they voted on House Resolution 34 which passed overwhelmingly in the House last Friday, with 390 Representatives voting yes, 5 no, and 22 present. The resolution "recognizes Israel's right to defend itself" and "reaffirms the United States' strong support for Israel." If your Representative voted "no" or "present" on H.Res. 34, thank them and ask that they cosponsor Rep. Kucinich's upcoming resolution. (See: http://endtheoccupation.org/downloads/KUCINI_001_xml.pdf) If your representative voted "yes" on H.Res. 34 state your disagreement with their vote and ask them to co-sponsor the Kucinich resolution. 3) Call your Senators at 202-224-3121 and assert your disagreement with their unanimous vote on Senate Resolution 10 and ask that they introduce a resolution in the Senate that is similar to Rep. Kucinich's resolution in the House. Please forward this to all your lists and personally contact 10 friends and urge them to make these calls to save lives in Gaza.
Give me a call when you are in Lahore Cell: 0323 273-8873 Home: 540-9425
I am still cranky about missing you by little more than a week. Please give my thanks again to your fam, and my fond regards to the juice stall at the corner of Anarkali bazaar & Mall Road.
"The state of Urdu literary studies seems dark." uh oh...but just exactly how dark is it sepoy? please explain before I get myself into a tizzy over the (predicted) loss of a lovely language/literary culture :S
Ha. Well, I just meant that in the ye old bookstores there aren't very many Urdu studies books - whether critics, poetics or literary studies. Dunno if those PhDs are not being written or not being published. Will report specifics if I can unearth any.
Have you read S. Zameer Hasan Dehlavi's book "Dehlavi Urdu"? It's written in Urdu and was published by "Urdu Academy, Delhi" in 2000. From what I hear, it is a wonderful history of the birth of Urdu in Delhi and it explores some of the literary trends of that time. I've tried to read it, but I do not yet have the linguistic skill to absorb the *truly exquisite* Dehlavi Urdu that the author writes in. You may enjoy it however.