Monday, July 8, 2013

Looking Back



I have been getting to a four years’ mark in Pakistan. So I just thought to share with my readers what I have been doing and how things have been going back here. I can’t say that the last four years have been anything but bland and dull. At times things were calm and sometimes like a King’s Dominion’s roller coaster. Fakiha is four now and progressed to nursery and her drawing skills are amazing. I think we are looking at a budding artist in the making. Not to mention how much she likes ‘Dora’ too.

Moving on, my experience here has given me the insight of the government machinery, working environment, general issues and overcoming them, our state of load demand and meeting it, and also our vision for the future. Even though I am based in Lahore, I have traveled up to Swat in the north, to the coasts of Arabian Sea in the south, and from the international border between India-Pakistan in the east to the boundaries of Peshawer in the west for the job. 

I have also had the opportunity of immersing myself in renewables like wind, solar and bagasse. I am part of the generation which, I believe, is truly placing the foundations of this country for the future. Renewables were unknown and their efficacies were unrecognized in this part of the world. But, now people here do believe that natural energies must be harnessed to put them into good use. Pakistan has been blessed with very strong wind gales, 16 out of 24 hours in over 300 out of 365 days get direct and uninterrupted sunlight, and huge amounts of agriculture wastes, which are enormous, their potential have just been realized. 

I must say that I can’t believe what I have seen in Pakistan these days: the transformation of the culture and the society and the independence of the society from the previous taboos and acceptance of the society to the new norms. The kids are equipped with laptops and smart mobiles, girls are no more hesitant to go own on their own and are performing brilliantly in national politics, finance, media etc. Education and healthcare are on the rise and more than anything people have understood the value of their time, money and self. 

It would go without saying that living here has also given me time to spend my little time with my family and has given meaning to having such wonderful and loving parents. As a parent myself, I now know the meaning of the phrase, “you would know about my love once you have had the kids of your own”, which my mother used to say in a reply to my stupid question that how much she loves me. 

I don’t think I can encompass all of the things I may have encountered in one blog. So maybe it would only provide a glimpse, but, all in all, things are looking up, not just for me, but for the country too. Finally, I would like to add a quote from Kung Fu Panda, that “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.”