Death of an Ordinary - Baba Mehr Din

The life and death of the celebrities is always exceptional - preferential treatment when alive amid flashlights and headlines on tabloids and ceremonial burials with death and even birth anniversaries still remembered for many many years.

But what about the ordinary? And those of the ordinary who spend their lives with no prize, acclaim or name for their self but still contribute which no one else does or even thinks to undertake for the love of his country. These out of the ordinary live and make their presence felt, but when they fade, the fade away forever.

Baba Mehr Din at Wagha Border, Lahore [Photo Jalal Hameed Bhatti]

Baba (an old man is called baba in Urdu) Mehr Din was one such person. I had not known anything about him, for the obvious reason that he was an ordinary man. But when I visited Wagha Border retreat ceremony in 2008, I saw and met him. Rather he was the first 'ordinary man' doing something which was not ordinary for the love of his country. Dressed in green shirt and white loose pant (Dhoti), that is the colour of the national flag of Pakistan, with star and crescent stitched over his shirt and inscribed with Pakistan Zindabad (long live Pakistan) in Urdu, he moved about the passage way between the visitors' stands, waving the Pakistani flag and shouting 'Pakistan Zindabad'

Baba Mehr Din being introduced to a delegation from CARs [Photo Jalal Hameed Bhatti]

Baba Mehr Din would continue waving the Pakistani flag till the ceremony of retreat started. He has been doing this for decades and become a mascot of Wagha Border, symbolizing the extreme of love one can have for one's country. He would even go to the extent of waving the Pakistani flag for the spectators sitting across the two steel gates in India. 

Baba Mehr Din waving the Pakistani flag to the spectators on the other side of the border [Photo Jalal Hameed Bhatti]

After the ceremony, I walked up to Baba Mehr Din and shook hands with him - and I still feel the warmth and strong handshake I had on that day. I looked into eyes while talking to him - these were beaming with love and pride. He told me that he would do anything for the love of his country and I readily agreed as no one would take time and come to Wagha Border for every retreat ceremony and walk to and fro the Bab-e-Azadi gate and the Pakistan side of the Indo-Pak border.

I am told that he spent almost 60 years at Wahga Border and his services were well lauded specially by the Pakistan Rangers for his lively presence that charged the Pakistani crowd. For his devotion and selfless service, he was awarded with certificates by Pakistan Rangers. Former President, General Parvez Musharraf sent him to perform Umra on political quota.

I carried his love since then and always wanted to see him again until it was just yesterday that I heard the lamenting news of Baba mehr Din's death, aged 90, from Facebook yesterday إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ. I felt as if a part of me has been taken away from me.

I hurriedly switched on the TV and scanned through all channels to listen to the news. But What? To my utter horror, there were news of the death of celebrity from across the border on every channel - but no news of the death of an ordinary - Baba Mehr Din.

It was only then I realised that the lives and deaths of the ordinary do not matter. Ordinary like most of us and I come, play our part in the wordly affairs and fade away quietly. While the celebrity that died yesterday would be rememebered in many a TV shows not only now, but on every death anniversary, no one would even remember that there ever existed one Baba Mehr Din.........

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The deathly bridges of Northern Area

Pakistan is a God gifted country - a country that abounds in natural beauty, treasures and uniqueness. But it is a pity that people living in the remote areas of Pakistan are subjected to such hard living conditions that only a few can see and comprehend. The poor state of communication infrastructure obscures many areas which otherwise tourists from around the world would like to visit and appreciate the virgin natural beauty of Pakistan, specially its northern areas.

The roads in the interior of the country, specially the Northern Areas, now called the Gilgit-Baltistan,  are almost non existent and so are bridges over numerous water channels and roaring rivers that crisscross the country. If one happens to be visiting the Northern Areas, many a hanging bridges are seen erected over rivers, mostly courtesy of the Japanese government. The efforts of our own government seem utterly deficient and a high state of apathy and negligence on the part of the related government organizations is clearly visible from the dilapidated conditions of the communication infrastructure, specially the hanging bridges.

While surfing through YouTube, I came across one such bridge, which if referred to as "Pull-e-Sirat" will not be incorrect. Despite its very poor state of maintenance, the poor people of the area are forced to use it to keep the lifeline of their families intact, at the very cost of their own lives. I wonder what these people do when someone falls sick and is to be carried across the river over these badly maintained bridges. Even seeing the video one is awe stricken and one really has to cross the bridge with roaring and gushing water underneath - where even a wrong stepping can lead to sure death. I really commend these people to gather courage everyday to cross over such deathly bridges to maintain and sustain their lives.

Watch the video below:

This is one of the many such bridges which are in this precarious state of maintenance and require urgent attention of the concerned departments and the politicians who make promises with these people for a better life to get their votes and then forget about them till next elections.

I wish someday someone comes to address the plight these poor people and provide them with well maintained ridges or even erect trolley systems so that the poor people of the area are connected to the road-head to maintain and sustain their lives.

Video courtesy: YouTube / popcatepetl2
Related: Gilgit Baltistan (the erstwhile Northern Areas of Pakistan) - Pakistanpaedia

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are you broken-hearted on valentine Day today? Go to destinations that are specially for you

Valentine Day is celebrated throughout the world on 14 February each year to express love specially for  the lovers and spouses. Lovers exchange roses, chocolates, cards and gifts to shower one's love and try one's best to express the fathomless love to make the loved feel happier, and hearty.

But what about the broken hearted? What should they do? Should they lock themselves in their bedrooms and cry in solo while the lovers out in the streets honk loudly, date, exchange gifts and make future commitments? That would be killing, really and more depressing.

But now there are good news too and there is light at the end of the dark tunnel. There are places around the world that are specially for the people with a broken heart and those who feel lonely with no one to hold their hand. In fact some destinations are 'tailor made' for the broken hearted.....

Read details: Jaho Jalal

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