Saturday, June 20, 2009

Brain drain

My friend was arguing with me about job opportunities offered in Pakistan. According to him, it is very much rational to leave Pakistan after receiving education. I was listening quietly and smiling. My imaginations led me to all the moments I've spent in Pakistan. The problems, reliefs, joy, sadness, people and my relations with them, all emerged in a complex form in my imaginations. Suddenly, I realised that he stopped talking and now it was my turn to say something. I said, "I love my country and I can't leave it permanently". He smiled and said, "You're a Kid"

I'm certainly a kid. A child who is still attached with his mother land. Or rather, a native who loves his nation. If loving is immaturity then I'm proudly immature. But my heart says that loving one's country and nation is a moral value which we all must acquire. Those educated people who leave the country instead of serving it, are like children who leave their parents alone when they get mature. But it's not that this always benefits them. Many of them face identity crisis in foreign countries.

I quote here a song sung by Mehdi hassan and written by Masroor Anwar. You might have listened to it, perhaps many times. But now, read it as if the spirit of our nation is complaining to the people who left it and settled abroad.

mujhe tum nazar se giraa to rahe ho
mujhe tum kabhi bhi bhulaa na sakoge
na jaane mujhe kyuN yaqin ho chalaa hai
mere pyaar ko tum miTaa na sakoge

meri yaad hogi jidhar jaaoge tum
kabhi nagmaa banke, kabhi banke aaNsoo
tadaptaa mujhe har taraf paaoge tum
shamaa jo jalaayee hai meri vafaa ne
bujhaana bhi chaaho bujhaa na sakoge

kabhi naam baanton mein aayaa jo meraa
to bechain ho ho ke dil thaam loge
nigaahon mein chhaayegaa gham kaa andhera
kisi ne jo poochhaa sabab aansuon kaa
bataanaa bhi chaaho bataa na sakoge

Click here for english translation of this song

5 comments:

ReeBz said...

Oh, really very touching.

But its the war of "logical thinking vs love for mother land"
i also love my country alot and i dont favor those who leave Pakistan after getting education from here for their better future.
You know when heart and brain are standing against each other,the apparent victory may be of heart sometimes but sometimes brain provides logic and wins.

when i ask this question from myself, i can only answer i wont leave my country cause i love it, but at the same time my mind keeps giving me logical reasons.

See So many problems in Pakistan terrorism,inflation,poverty,illiteracy and so on.. Who would like to live in such conditions if he has opportunity to live in nice & comfy surroundings??

i know many sentimental people will raise fingers on my comment, but dont you think its not the time of winning wars by heart but by logiC??

When you dont have food in your stomach then Only the person who is providing you with shelter,food and clothing is BEST for You!!whether it be your mother or your most cruel enemy!!

Its time not for us to take steps,cause we can't do anything,many efforts have been done on individual basis since after Pakistan's creation but has it brought any change?
Its the time for govt to do things, but govt is so busy in filling their pockets.

Rehan Damani said...

Thanks for your comments ReeBz, but I want to comment on what you said:

These justifications are almost irrelevent when you are in love. Majnu could bear hunger but could not leave love.

Here is a point where we should revise our definition of what is "logical" and what is "rational". Perhaps, rationality should include non-materialistic things like love.

ReeBz said...

I clearly mentioned that love is a different case.it is blind!

i tried to say same,(read my third para again)If you are staying here then you have only one reason to favor yourself and it is your love for Pakistan, but those who want to leave have so many Logical reasons!

Khurram Ali Shafique said...

ReeBz, one day it will begin to seem illogical to leave Pakistan. Maybe it has already, to Rehan.

By the way, Rehan, Masroor Anwar's songs are usually about a journey (as you know). The song quoted by you is the end of a journey, and an earlier moment was when the same voice said, "Bhooli hui hoon daastan, guzra hua khayal hoon." The journey was about understanding that this could not be the case, and hence "Mujhay tum kabhie bhi bhula nah sako gay."

ReeBz said...

ReeBz, one day it will begin to seem illogical to leave Pakistan

i really pray for it!