In Retrospect: From Gurgaon to Bedian
Retrospection can be a good thing, as good as introspection – and sometimes even as bad! Everyone looks back into the past to learn; sometimes to avoid mistakes and sometimes to repeat beneficial deeds.
Some people also like looking into the past and question, ‘What if A did not happen, or B happened instead of A?’ I know one such person. He’s my father. Quite frequently he looks back, usually when he notices a mistake or something going wrong there (in retrospect of course), and propounds that if the mistake hadn’t been made things would have been so much better.
I personally never get this reasoning, especially when the (new) consequences are altered. Mind you, I have no issues with the idea that consequences can definitely be affected by changing even the slightest of historical facts. But knowing exactly what the consequences would be; that I surely have a problem with! The simple reason being that one fact doesn’t exist in isolation, it’s a complex of innumerable facts, most of which are unknown, that determine the progress of history, and, in fact, are part of history itself.
I learn this much clearly today. Especially when I see the world change so fast; even more so when majority of the paradigms (developed by so many humans) that chalk out a path of ‘progress’, are falling flat on their face – like frog rain!
Nicholas Nassim Taleb gives an interesting insight into the reasons behind this flawed reasoning. Do check out his work.
… …
A few days back me and my dad went to Bedian to get our land measured and demarcated properly. We are thinking of building our last and final abode there (there is a very interesting story to all this, but I will share some other day; the topic of today is a bit different).
For this task we had to utilize the services of the local Patwari.
First of all it was interesting to see how the Patwari pulled out this huge map, made on a piece of cloth, which had property demarcations of the entire village (Mauzaa). It seemed as if we were out on a treasure hunt!
But more significant, for this piece, is the fact that he, along with an entire family of near relatives, had migrated from India at the time of partition. They come from this place called Gurgaon, which, just like Bedian, is a suburb of Delhi.
Now I have visited Delhi, and I have (almost) visited Gurgaon. The suburb is blooming like anything: huge malls, Cineplex’s, beautiful apartment and residential complexes with state of the art infrastructure – a truly modern place (I am afraid I have nothing to compare it with inside Pakistan).
When I mentioned this fact to the Patwari, he was amazed, and the very next thing he said was that ‘had we not migrated, we would have been billionaires by now’, as they owned hundreds of acres in that locality. While in reality, he earns max Rs. 10,000/- a month, and then some ‘additional’ income (he is a very important person nonetheless) with which he has been able to purchase a Suzuki Mehran.
It is this statement of his which got me thinking about what I wrote earlier. ‘Maybe he is right, maybe things would have been different, but I can’t be so sure if he would have been a billionaire, or even very well off. I really wish he would have, but there are just too many factors involved here.’
History is always a chain of cause and effects. A change in one single cause/effect in the chain can alter the entire course of subsequent causes and effects. And then add to that a complex of causes and effects interacting simultaneously at a certain point in time. One just can’t figure out the changes which would have taken place instead (of what actually happened), unless, of course, we can account for each an every detail of the process, which, for any sane individual, is almost near impossible.
I sometimes ask myself: ‘What if this partition hadn’t taken place?’ ‘What if Jinnah had lived another 5 years?’ ‘What if laziness combined with evil opportunism, were not the foundations of Pakistani culture?’ ‘What if the industrial revolution and the renaissance had come in South Asia?’ … and so on and so forth!
There are just too many trajectories to come out from a single alteration in historical facts. But then I ask myself… Why the hell do I need to figure all this out in the first place? This kind of retrospection seems to be nothing but a waste of time, and mental energy!
… …
So what was the point of all this?
I guess it makes me accept present reality as a consequence of the past. It makes me understand that what’s done is done and that no one can change that. But most importantly, it further strengthens my urge to work for the future, learning from the past but not indulging in it just for the sake of an intellectual joyride.
Let those who can relate to the finer aspects of what I say, utilize this realization and avoid wasting time in the future … this is a personally learnt lesson, if you get what I am saying 
January 5th, 2009 at 10:05 am
some famous french author once said (the name completely eludes me) “We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection.’
It’s human nature really…we’re eternally unsatisfied. maybe it’s because we seek a certain level of perfection in everything we do.
i feel restless thinking of what I could have done/ what could have been had I not done XYZ. I shall abstain from now onwards … strictly!
Oh that can be my new years resolution.
January 5th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
I guess it’s safe to assume you’ve seen ‘Magnolia’?
January 7th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Two words can summarize all that you have written in this entry “Butterfly Effect”.
(Butterfly Effect – is a phrase that encapsulates the more technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory. Small variations of the initial condition of a dynamical system may produce large variations in the long term behavior of the system).
Hence once more Mathematics has helped us understand ‘LIFE’.
And the famous question that has haunted people countless times in their lives.
“What If?”
January 7th, 2009 at 8:49 am
There is a famous saying here in Australia -
“Go with your fate, but not beyond.
Beyond leads to dark places.”
Tell the Patwari Uncle about this quote, don’t let him haunt himself with the question ” What If ? ”
(PS. When is the album coming out, I am tired of waiting Hamza Sahab)
January 9th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Good job! You have mentioned that this makes you make most of your future. I agree , but it also makes us think more. For example, you mentioned what if Quaid-e-Azam lived longer? He would have made a better Pakistan and we should try to do that !
January 18th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
a truly interesting post. very thought provoking. iam a big fan of noori
i just discovered the most amazing pakistani song and want to share it with u. since u know everything abt pakistan’s underground scene when it started, u must be knowing about Mind Riot’s vocalist, Salman Yasin. he is the vocalist of it although there are 3 more artists on it including lead guitarist of Atif Aslam & Rungg i.e Sarmad Ghafoor who is one of the best players in pakistan.
put in your expert feedback on song as well as lyrics (which i think are simply 2 gud)
download link http://w19.easy-share.com/1903113998.html
Song Name: Fades Away
Artists: Aadil Farook,Hasnain Akram,Salman Yasin,Sarmad Ghafoor
Composition: Aadil & Hasnain
Poetry:Aadil
Vocals:Salman Yasin
Lead Guitars:Sarmad Ghafoor
Production,Mixing,Mastering:Sarmad Ghafoor
Ideas (Musical&Production):Aadil
LYRICS
seen a warrior’s burst of rage
seen a martyr’s life outgrow his age
seen vile in great men
seen beauty in false women
seen rivals of a genius
seen tyrants hailed among us
seen the envy of a friend
seen love draw its own end
Seen a rainbow fade when it should stay
seen a summer wait for the next may
seen a leave wither from its youth
seen weathers play with our moods
seen a victim plead for his right
seen a culprit with his last lie
seen guilty hands turn to pray
seen aggression overwhelmed by grace
But the world just doesn’t run on grace
In the crowd, you’re just another face
when you’re gone, you dont ever leave a trace
seen faith take hold of our reason
seen wisdom go out of season
seen hatred for a chosen prophet
seen sacrifices with regret
seen ironies turn to the truth
seen lies bearing the fruits
seen impact of just a thought
seen actions ending with naught
But the world just doesn’t run on grace
In the crowd, you’re just another face
when you’re gone, you dont ever leave a trace
seen voices live longer than singers
seen a maestro play with bleeding fingers
seen life in a dead man’s painting
seen victors go down fainting
But the world just doesn’t run on grace
In the crowd, you’re just another face
when you’re gone, you dont ever leave a trace
Like a whistle it fades away (Chorus repeat)
January 26th, 2009 at 12:02 am
Awesome Conclusion Hamza!
I really liked the comparison of Bedian and Gurgaon.
However, Bedian is developing whereas Gurgaon, Noida, Dwarka are all developed areas.My paternal and maternal families also migrated from India and they keep on telling the tales.
Delhi somewhat felt like Lahore except that vegetarian food part
and i had to kept looking for the Muslim Areas and Kashmiri Hotels to get those Chicken Karahis 
.However, it closes down by 9-10 p.m. like Islamabad.
When i was called to India to receive a Special Commendation Award in Leadership, it was like a feeling of achievement that at least i am getting acknowledged at the land from where my dad and forefathers have spent a memorable time.
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:45 pm
new post pending?????
July 28th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Interesting. I guess there are always things you can look back on and wonder if things would have been different, would I/we have been better off? But thats ingratitude to some extent don’t you think? Its overlooking and taking for granted all the things that are in your life, things that are right and that make you happy.
To some extent there is always someone who looks at another person and thinks they are better off than themselves. ‘Grass being greener on the other side’ really plays its part in our lives. The servant looks at the master thinking he’s better off, the master looks at a college student whose young and full of life and think he’s getting a better deal, the college student looks enviously at his best friend who has the big car and techy cell phone, and the best friend looks at the guitarist and vocalist in the band Noori and wishes he was them!
Lol, its an endless cycle.
In the end, noone is really better off or worse off. Life is all about perception. You can take the best out of the worst thing that happened in your life and can completely screw up the best thing you had. The point is rather than looking back, looking at others, the best thing might be to look around and look within one’s ownself and try to make the best of what we have and not what we wish we had or did.
August 19th, 2009 at 4:00 am
’seekh hum beetey yugon se , naye yug ka karein swagat’
like you said let us learn from the past and welcoem the future..
lovely conclusion
September 2nd, 2009 at 4:36 pm
ok..i am stuck to your blog…and now i am crying…kya yaar..too much..you give me goosebumps and then you make me cry..
my family came to india from pakistan during the partition..we are from rohri, in sindh..my dad was 10 years old when this happened..
and though you are talking about living life in retrospect..i am stuck between bedian and gurgaon..(no, i dont live there..i was born in mumbai and now live in bangalore)..and i think most of us are..stuck that is…there are just too many ‘what if’s’ and too many regrets..i know that all of us put together just botched it up..we could have been seperate and yet been together..two parts of a whole..your music says that to me..zubaan ek hai, lafz ek hain, jasbaat ek hain…phir dil alag kaise aur kyun??
Now my only prayer is that we leave this a little bit better for our children..and i pray for more music and more thoughts like yours and mine..that will hopefully allow your patwari to come here see his gurgaon and allow me to come and see the rohri that i have only dreamt of..
Sameera