An encounter with Peshawari Borkha (veil)
January 14, 2012
Peshawar is a city that lacks diverse cultures. It has only one and that is of Pathans. Recently, while paying a visit to Peshawar’s famous shopping center, I had an encounter with a lady who was wearing the local and traditional Topi Burkha which is the local veil for women here. But before I mention more about that encounter, I would like to mention few basic and important cultural principals of the society.
Here in Peshawar, women go to shopping a lot and most of them are Pathans. Infact the Pathans themselves have two vast divisions. One is the modern and upper class of Pathan families and trust e you will find all the style and grace in them and on the other hand we have the Topi Burkha Pathan women who mostly belong to the working and Labour class. The following encounter was certainly with the second kind of Pathan woman. I am also sharing photos to Topi Burkha for those who have not seen it. 
Anyway, I was in Shafi Market of Saddar Bazar which is the most famous shopping center for ladies clothes in Peshawar. While coming out of a shop this Topi Burkha woman, due to her get up (as she could not see in her three directions because the Topi Burkha has a small net in front of the eyes and is cover the body from all other sides making it impossible to see around and therefore many women also face accidents on roads while crossing roads wearing this veil) she crashed with me. Her mother suddenly said in Pashto, “Do not touch with this woman as they often have bombs”. The statement made me smile and while I was trying to figure out how to respond, my fellow who was accompany me said, “We are wearing Dupattas and we cannot hide anything, it is you people who hide bombs under your Burkhas”.
Certainly, my fellows answer was logical but this made me think about the conspiracy and mindset of our people. Peshawar that has been famous for its hospitality for guests today is making people look at each other with suspicions. We are suspicious on everyone that acts in a bit different way or looks different than us. The modern class is told that it is the lower class, who is given money to conduct the bomb blast and the lower class is told their versions that the upper class kills so they can have all the money.
Posted by Angelia Kates · Filed Under World news
What should we change in Peshawar? The get-up of people or international mindset???
January 13, 2012
It’s been a while that I had stopped writing for my blog. The reasons vary and one of them is that I was not actually getting something that would and should have an impact. Anyway, now that I am back, I do have found a reason — a reason that certainly has a meaning and purpose to serve.
Is Peshawar the most Dangerous Place on Earth to Visit?
Since sometime we have been hearing a lot about Peshawar as one of the most dangerous places in the world to visit. If that is so, how actually the city is a capital of a province? How is it having a campus like that of University of Peshawar? How students go to schools and colleges every day? How is there so much of business going on?
May be many of you would think and believe that it is not having any of it. But trust me, being a local resident of the city (Peshawar) I can assure you that it has it all. And above all this, it is a city that has a culture that many do not have. No doubt every place has some issues so is Peshawar having some.
But today, I am not about to talk about the issues here. I am going to mention how people of Peshawar in general and students in particular handle the issues which most of you cannot believe.
Is it the security situation of Peshawar making it dangerous or is it the local’s dress?
First, and foremost is the security of Peshawar. Most of us see Peshawar as a place where you will see Taliban everywhere. But it is not that. The international media has pictured Pathan’s getup as that of Taliban, so whenever we see someone in local dress of Pathan’s we start thinking that the guy is a Talib. This is one reason you see Taliban in Peshawar everywhere. Moreover, it is important to mention here that the location of Peshawar is such that it has many tribal areas attached to its surroundings, which means more of people that are less educated come to Peshawar on daily basis that too look more closely like Taliban because of their traditional make overs.
So for me it is the dress and make over of people that gives an international impression that Peshawar is a place where terrorists are roaming around open. What makes the fact funny is that Peshawar is one of those cities and places on earth that is having the most number of check posts in the city so there are least chances of Terrorists moving so openly. Moreover, you cannot ignore the fact the Peshawar is having the least number of road crimes that include car and mobile thefts.
If you visit Peshawar early in the morning you will be amazed to see a tremendous number of students going to schools and colleges everyday. I will be posting photos of students going to schools and colleges in Peshawar shortly as well. So do these pictures give any reason to call it ugly and dangerous place?
Again I want to mention here that problems and issues are everywhere but trust me people in Peshawar are having beautiful family systems which Western world has lost because of various reasons.
Posted by Angelia Kates · Filed Under World news
New Year also begins with universal darkness –New Year Fact!
January 1, 2012
Happy New Year! This is the most common message people will be sending and receiving since a couple of days. The message certainly is a good wish and has turned out to be a universal tradition and greeting on the last eve of every year. Many parts of the world including United States and United Kingdom celebrate it as part of their holidays that begin with Christmas and despite all the lights and fireworks to welcome the new year at 12:00 am it remains an unprecedented fact that each new year begins with darkness.
Yes, it is night hour when each day turns into another day. So is it a message? According to one school of thought universe has its own signs to make people understand nature which is later proved and accepted by scientific evidence. Using this school of thought one may think reasons for why each day is a new day at dark hour of the night?
Here are some interesting and controversial answers to this question. Why does the day change at 12:00 AM? The answer to this question takes us back to the invention of time and clock and you can easily find it on Wikipedia so I am not going to discuss that here but rather some other reasons will be stated by me here.
One reason that date changes at 12:00 is that it is the time when sun and moon are at the most opposite extremes of their reality and positions, which means that you may not see sun or moon at this time for most part of the year because sun is at its extreme at some part of the world ringing 12 pm on clocks while the lunar cycle because of its different stages may not be visible for most part of the year. So what it has to do with changing the date? Well, the source I used to get this info had this only there and I too was a bit puzzled and confused finding this as an incomplete or illogical answer to the initial question.
The second reason is rather a theory and not a fact. It says that it is a sign from God (creator) that all things begin with darkness and as the world itself was dark and was created by it, each date changes with the darkest part of the night.
Posted by Angelia Kates · Filed Under Entertainment news
