The Express Tribune hi five - July 27

Ms JULY 27, 2014

ISSUE NO. 110

Fusion Fashion

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Superstitions: Just A Cultural Phenomenon?

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inside society —

Give back this Eid

domestic goddess —

Traditional Indian pancakes

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Section In-Charge: Sarah Munir Sub-Editor: Amna Hashmi

The enigmatic Tahia Noon

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the buzz

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JULY 27, 2014

Superstitions— An Attempt to Control Fate?

by Muhammad Ahmed Saigol

Why people need to hold on to old wives’ tales The annular solar eclipse of May 20th, 2012 was a rare chance for the world to experience a fascinating astronomical spectacle. Herein the orbits of the moon and Earth aligned to form a straight line around the sun.

But while journalists, photographers and enthusiastic youngsters from across the globe travelled far and wide to catch a glimpse of the celestial phenomenon, many families in Karachi rushed to the local beach for an entirely different agenda: curing their loved ones of their disabilities. Children as young as six were buried neck-deep in sand with the belief that energies released from the eclipse would heal their physical and mental impairments and they would walk out good as new.

In contrast, there are many schools of thought which consider an eclipse to be a bad omen of sorts — an occurrence of the evil kind which can adversely affect the health and well-being of expecting mothers and newborns. Women in India are discouraged from consuming food or leaving their homes during an eclipse. In fact, oftentimes they aren’t allowed to step out of bed until the eclipse has subsided, lest it affect the unborn child. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary, misconceptions and superstitions regarding the illeffects of eclipses remain prevalent across the subcontinent and it is difficult to understand why.

“Superstitions exist in all cultures, whether they are regarding eclipses, shattered glasses or black cats,” explains Fateeha Beg, a Masters in Psychology from Simmons University, Boston. “It is an expression of belief and fear of the unknown. Superstitions are but a psychological coping mechanism to counter what the unforeseen future entails.” There may not be any physical process or plausible explanation but within the Pakistani cultural ethos, superstitions are common and things like magic, omens, nazar-e-bud (evil eye) and witchcraft have inculcated themselves into our belief systems and daily lives. We often hear how avoiding scissors or ladders at night can safeguard us from evil or placing money-plants inside our homes can thwart financial instability. A good example of how deeply superstitions are instilled in our

minds could be that of 30-year-old Mohammad Hassan who doesn’t allow his children to play outdoors post sundown for fear that supernatural evils will get attracted to them. “I also don’t like it when they trim their nails at night,” he adds. Similarly, 29-year-old domestic worker Rakshanda Nawab insists black cats not only follow her but also make her nervous and unusually sleepy. “I don’t feel safe afterwards,” says Rakshanda. “I can’t rest until I have paid my pir a visit and he has blessed me.”

Rakshanda’s predicament highlights yet another superstition common to Pakistani culture: the dependence on pirs, shamans and faith-healers. This is particularly rampant amongst the uneducated, lower-income brackets which believe local pirs to have mystical powers that can ward off any problem, be it medical, financial or personal. “My mother-in-law has been seeking guidance from a pir for over 20 years and took me along one day. Since then, he has opened my eyes to a whole new world,” says 42-year-old homemaker Nasreen Jamal. “All we have to do is pay him a lump sum annually and he counsels us through our lives, including what we should eat and drink.

I feel much happier and safer thanks to pir sahab.”

Be it minor bodily aches, marital problems or unfulfilled desires, these pirs can allegedly rectify any and everything, despite no actual proof. This is the ultimate mindset which forms the nucleus of superstitious beliefs - despite obvious irrationality and lack of evidence, people still entertain false beliefs, either out of cultural transmission or simply a need for something to believe in. Finding a good pir becomes a necessity for people like Nasreen. Superstitions are so deeply ingrained into their belief systems that it requires counsel, much like how one goes to a doctor for medical help.

It is important to note that many a superstitions can be attributed to psychological factors like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) etc. This is the most likely explanation in situations where superstitions take a turn for the worse, bordering on odd and obsessive. There are many like

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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JULY 27, 2014

akistani P e h t in With ral ethos, on cultu e comm r a s n io superstit ings like magic, d and th zar-e-bud an a d omens, nt have inculcate f f e witchcra es into our beli themselvs and daily lives system

24-year-old Hajra Habib who complicate trivial everyday tasks unintentionally due to their superstitious ideas. “I realise it makes no sense whatsoever but I have to drink water in five sips only,” admits Hajra. “If I don’t, it feel like I have been tainted by some sort of supernatural force and must drink another glass to brush it off.” And Hajra isn’t the only one who suffers from such obsessive tendencies.

“When I enter a classroom, I must put my right foot in first,” shares 18-year-old student Sakina Iftikhar. “If I forget, something or the other keeps bothering me throughout the lesson and I can’t concentrate. Therefore, I make a conscious effort to enter with my right foot every time.”

In order to rationalise such behaviour, any possible psychological or physical explanations are disregarded completely and people tend to take the ‘religiospiritiual’ route for treatment. Rather than focusing on cognitive therapy, cultural pressures push people towards atypical treatment options such as exorcism.

“I have witnessed many exorcisms in my life,” says 60-year-old domestic worker Kaleema Agha. “All the children needed it. They behaved very strangely and we knew there was a saaya on them. Once, a girl’s voice changed completely; she fell very sick and had to undergo an exorcism.” For Kaleema and her family, medical reasoning bares little or no validity and resorting to faith-healers becomes the chief way out, ignoring the fact that many of them are charlatans, heretics and unlicensed to conduct such activities.

The important question to ask, however, is whether superstitions actually have underlying psychological connotations or are they simply a by-product of old wives’ tales and a primarily uneducated society?

Considering Fateeha’s assertion that superstitions are but a defence mechanisms against the unknown, one can argue that they arise from our upbringing, surroundings and position in life. “I grew up visiting pirs with my parents so it is very normal to me,”

confesses Hajra. “I am generally a timid person and my pir really helps me through.” Everyday habits and level of education acquired also determine the strength of one’s superstitious beliefs. Generally, the more educated a person is, the more sceptical they are of anything without proof, including superstitions.

But for Don Saucier, associate professor of psychology at the Kansas State University, superstitions are merely things people do in an attempt to control their future. Indulging in superstitious activity serves as a mental safety net of sorts which makes one think they can affect their fate by performing certain tasks in a certain way. “Being in the blind about anything is unsettling, especially when it comes to one’s life,” suggests medical resident Maleeha Waqar. “Superstitious ideas help us cope with this anxiety. They make us feel like we have done something that could improve our chances of achieving what we desire.” Perhaps this is the reason why many athletes invest in ‘lucky charms’ or wear the same outfits without washing to maintain their winning streaks.

Superstitions have been a constant presence throughout time. Many historians believe animal sacrifices in ancient civilisations were performed solely to attract good luck. Today, we offer animals in sadqa to ward off negativity and potential problems. Every day, we subconsciously engage in activities that could fall the umbrella of superstition with amulets and totems said to attract positive energy, the Turkish evil eye being one of our favourites. If one’s superstitious beliefs and the desired outcome are shown to be unassosciated repeatedly, the superstition could eventually fade out.

However, considering that they have been instilled in us by generations and generations of superstitious activity, even the slightest bit of association can make them come back.

Ms

en vogue

East meets West

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Maheen Karim’s latest Eid collecion is a fusion of classy and contemporary

Hair & Makeup: Natasha’s Salon Photography: Adeela Badshah Model: Isra Shafi

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JULY 27, 2014

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JULY 27, 2014

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society

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JULY 27, 2014

This Eid, Give Back!

“There are as many paths to God as there are souls on the Earth.” – Sufi proverb.

As the official number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) post operation Zarb-e Azb crosses a jarring one million mark and the death toll in Gaza looks ready to touch a thousand, Eid celebrations are laced by an underlying guilt and helplessness. Fortunately, people from across the world are coming up with ways to make it more meaningful for those in the straits of war.

While the world looks on in horror at the genocide in Palestine, each one of us is processing it in our own way. We, in Pakistan, protest on streets in small numbers and purge on social media in large numbers but only a committed few attempt to boycott products that directly benefit the perpetrators. Some creative youngsters like Saad Shahid and Hassan Iqbal are doing their part by selling T-shirts.There’s is a charity with a refreshing twist. Saad, founder of 9Lines, is the entrepreneur while Hassan is the creative genius. The two partners could not sit and watch what was happening and came up with a collection of six T-shirts with catchy phrases, highlighting the Gaza cause. “The project has done extremely well. We get orders in large numbers, never single orders. People buy them to gift to others,” Saad says.

They have sold more than 850 shirts already. “All the proceeds go to our brothers and sisters in Palestine who deserve monetary and emotional help. This is our small contribution towards people who should be remembered, loved and cared for.”

While 9Lines is a commercial set-up, focused primarily on selling fashion and lifestyle products, the dynamic duo have gravitated towards including charitable causes apart from helping Palestine as well. For instance, they have recently conducted a similar venture for the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust wherein they had a stall and sold notebooks of Imran Khan for Rs600. The proceedings went back to the hospital. “Our future plan also includes a school to educate and place eunuchs at respectable jobs. They shouldn’t be mocked; instead they should be acknowledged as a respectable minority of Pakistan,” Saad says.

When it comes to charity, there is hardly a dearth of outlets one can take if they wish to give back. There is a general perception that the IDPs of North Waziristan have not been able to garner the kind of wave of charity that we saw after the earthquake of 2005 or floods of 2010. But the ‘Directory of Organizations Providing Relief to IDPs of North Waziristan’, complied by the Pakistan Centre for Development Communication (PCDC), sets the record straight by enlisting more than 60 NGOs, UN agencies and volunteers. The directory also identifies where exactly the donations will be going and provides information about donors, NGOs, social groups and volunteers that are providing relief to the affected families.

Owais Sheikh’s name may not be listed in the directory but this banker-cum-businessman has used each moment of the holy month of Ramazan wisely. Thanks to him and the many volunteers that helped, some 500 families in Bannu will not go hungry on Eid. Shaikh is hardly a novice at giving back to society. He spearheaded a similar drive in the wake of the disastrous floods as well.

“We don’t wake up till something becomes real,” Sheikh says about the lack of help from Pakistanis this time. He believes that people are now coming around and want to help but don’t know how to go about it. Not to mention, if the organisation leading

by Farahnaz Zahidi

the drive is deemed trustworthy, people would not hesitate to give back as much. “We have to understand the seriousness of the IDP issue. There are no camps as such. The displaced people are all staying at homes of their relatives,” he says, confirming that while the open-hearted hosts have welcomed the displaced, most of them lack adequate resources for themselves. And if the host has no food to offer, both families go hungry.

“The tribals are a prouder race so they don’t want to beg. We have to help them out without their asking,” says Shaikh. The bags made by Shaikh and his team cost Rs 1,833 each, and are to last a family of five a week, with 12 items in each bag. Hailing from a military background, Shaikh is taking the help of rangers and using it to his advantage.

“If we do not look after the IDPs, the vicious cycle will continue and more extremists will be created. This is our final run as a country. If we don’t help them out, tomorrow they will be against us.” Unlike many who feel charity begins at home and should stay at home, Shaikh emphasises that the two concerns, that is the one for IDPs and the one for Gaza, are not mutually exclusive.

Disconnecting ourselves from what is going on around us is not an option this Eid. While our efforts maybe tiny drops in the ocean, taking a single step and being generous will help make Eid better for everyone around the world.

Food distribution at Rafah Camp in Gaza.

PHOTO: PCRF.NET

How You Can Help The number of registered families of IDPs is currently 49,857.

This is expected to rise to 60,000.

IDPs of North Waziristan: • Check out this directory at https://sites.google.com/site/ thecivilsocietyforumofpakistan/list-of-donors-ngos-providingrelief-to-idps-of-waziristan • Look out for individual drives and volunteers leading donation drives.

• Get in touch with people of the area and once you have found credible contacts, start a donation drive yourself with your friends. The IDPs will need our help for a long time to come.

Gaza: • Buy T-shirts for the Gaza cause from 9Lines at http://9lines. shop.web.pk/ • Get money across to the Palestine RED CRESCENT. One way of sending funds to them or other credible organisations is to get in touch with the Embassy of the state of Palestine in Pakistan at palestine.pk65@hotmail.com or palestineembassy.com.pk • Donations can be made online to The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) at http://www.pcrf.net/ • Be on the lookout for individuals and groups collecting funds for Gaza but make sure you have checked out credibility.

Relief bags for IDPs prepared by Owais Sheikh and his team.

A design by 9Lines.

PHOTO: 9LINES.SHOP.WEB.PK

domestic goddess 7

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JULY 27, 2014

Recipe

Malpuras If you love desi deserts, Malpuras are for you! These sweet pancakes are a staple Eid tradition in many parts of India and will leave you and your guests wanting more.

Gulnaz Mondegarian is an expert in Iranian cuisine who has cohosted Food Diaries alongside Zarnak Sidhwa to celebrate Community Food Week

Method • Boil the milk with sugar and set it aside to cool.

• Mix in beaten eggs and rosewater.

• Slowly, add the flour and roasted semolina to the milk and mix thoroughly, ensuring there are no lumps left. The mixture should be smooth in consistency.

• Set the mixture aside for about three to four hours.

Ingredient:

• Heat oil in a frying pan and pour 1 tbsp of the mixture in it. Do not let the mixture spread.

• Fry on both sides.

Milk 1/2 cup

Sugar 1/4 cup

Eggs 2

Rosewater 1 tbsp

Roasted semolina 1/2 cup

Flour 1/2 cup

Baking powder 1 tsp

Oil for frying

• Serve hot or cold. Your Malpuras area now ready!

woman of the week 8

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JULY 27, 2014

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