GHULAMI-E-RASOOL MEIN MAOT BHI KABOOL HY!

The government, under pressure from the growing and increasingly violent protests against the film insulting the Prophet (PBUH) has decided that today will be a national holiday and declared it Yaum-e-Ishq-e-Rasool (Day of Love for the Prophet (PBUH)). The federal cabinet also decided to hold Shan-e-Rasool (Dignity and Respect of the Prophet (PBUH)) conferences at the federal and provincial levels. Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told the media that the cabinet had suggested to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) that it should sign an agreement with YouTube for blocking sacrilegious material. It may be recalled that when the furore over the film broke, the government requested YouTube to take the offending footage off its server and help bloc access to the film through all other Internet conduits. 


However, despite the fact that YouTube has blocked the film in a number of Muslim countries, and is adding countries to that list every day, it told the Pakistan government that it could not comply with the request since it had no such agreement with Pakistan. As a consequence, the government shut down YouTube in Pakistan altogether, much to the chagrin of its users. But that was apparently not the end of the story, as the Lahore High Court has issued notices to the government regarding inadequate blocking of, and therefore presumed access to, the offending film. Welcome to the age of the Internet, which makes blocking anything a highly precarious and difficult enterprise. 

The federal cabinet wants the culprits responsible for the film brought to book and to be shown no leniency. Mr Kaira argued that a holiday was the only way the government could show its seriousness about the ruction caused throughout the Muslim world because of the film. Mr Kaira appealed to the protesters to remain peaceful. He revealed a proposal to hold an emergency meeting of Pakistani ambassadors to discuss the fallout of the film and subsequent blasphemies. The cabinet also asked President Asif Ali Zardari to raise the issue in his address to the UN General Assembly and summon a summit of the OIC to tackle the provocation and forge a consensus on the response of the Muslim world.

Critics of the government’s decision to declare a holiday today express reservations that the move would encourage people to participate in the protests, which may turn violent. If the past few days’ events are anything to go by, the apprehension is not without weight. Increasingly violent attacks are being mounted against the US Embassy in Islamabad and the Consulates in Lahore and Karachi. Even the supposedly foolproof arrangements to keep protestors away from the diplomatic enclave in Islamabad failed in the face of the determined mob, and the army had to be called in to bolster a hard-pressed police force. 

The government’s intention may have been unexceptionable, i.e. to answer its critics that its response to the issue had been far too mild. However, if it has misread the mood on the streets, the decision could backfire in the form of countrywide violent protests, which would obviously stretch the already stretched law enforcement and security forces.

While Pakistan attempts to cope with the explosive situation emerging at home, the ‘freedom of expression’ champions in the west continue on their reckless and provocative path. French magazine Charlie Hebdo, which gained notoriety in 2006 by reproducing the Prophet’s (PBUH) caricatures first published in the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten, has in the middle of the growing protest in the Muslim world decided to publish more blasphemous cartoons of the Prophet (PBUH). France as a result is bracing itself for a backlash, while protests sweep Afghanistan, Indonesia, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and elsewhere. 

More than 30 people have already been killed in the protests, including 12 in an attack by a female suicide bomber in Afghanistan. Al-Azhar has condemned the publication of the cartoons, and even the Vatican has expressed its unease at the emerging crisis by describing the publication of the satirical images as throwing “fuel on the fire”.

What the proponents of unbridled freedom of expression in the west either do not realise or do not give a fig about is the dialectical relationship between freedom and responsibility. In their clinging to notions of freedom of expression (without any responsibility as to the consequences), what these modern day fundamentalists of western values fail to see is how their adventurism is bringing grist to the mill of the extremists throughout the Muslim world, and in the process dooming the liberal, democratic and progressive community in these societies to hell. 

RUET-E-HALAL, SHAHADATEIN & MOON SIGHTING

There is something surreal and vaudevillian about this whole high drama that we go through every year. As surreal as the water car episode that we went through recently. Those otherwise pathologically concerned with Pakistan’s “image” abroad as a modern state should really be on an overdrive here.

What we have, every year, in the 21st century, is a national debate over the sighting of the moon. It would take several attempts at explaining this annual national discourse to an outsider for the latter to take it seriously. And this is not to be attributed to the condescending superiority complex of those using the Gregorian calendar towards those using lunar. No, religious injunctions in other faiths, even other Abrahamic faiths, can be far more eccentric than the mere use of the lunar calendar. What will be questioned would be the reluctance to actually use the lunar calendar to get out of the messy, inexact business of sighting the moon.

Adding a layer of complexity to the whole issue is the forging of new ties across sectarian divides and the burning of old ones. One prism of understanding the issue used to be in the pro-Saudi Arabian versus pro-local terms. How, then, would that explain the functionally anti-Saudi Arabian influence government of KP, celebrating Eid a day earlier and the Saudi Arabia-fixated Punjab government celebrating it a day later?

Also evident is the irony of the central Ruet-e-Hillal committee calling the other camp obscurantists while maintaining an intransigently literalist stance on sighting the moon. But Peshawar’s Mufti Popalzai also based his declaration, not on any calculation or throwing his lot with Eid in other countries, but, yes, on reports of sightings. With this, the debate mutates from the theological into a my-word-against-yours, spawning off arguments about light pollution in cities, the visibility of the moon and whether the faith is sullied by using telescopes to begin with.

Several years ago, Mufti Muneeb (who is now in his 14th year at the committee), in his protest against Mufti Popalzai, equated the matter with the then recent Swat crisis. He explained the necessity of an “operation” the way one was started in Swat to restore the “writ of state.” Heavy words, these. The loss of the state’s monopoly on violence to militant extremists is to be put in the same slot as the trivial issue of gazetted holidays?

To segue that into an appeal: it would do us all a lot of good to drop the hyperbole. The heavens won’t fall if we have two Eids. And national unity wouldn’t have been cemented even if we did. There are other, bigger monsters to slay for that.

TIME TO INTROSPECT

On this Independence Day, as Pakistan turned 65, we find as many views on democracy, secularism and Islam as there are people living in the country. Confusion is one word the youth that comprises 65 percent of this country uses often to describe their understanding of the situation in Pakistan. There is complete disorientation as to the purpose of creating Pakistan in the first place, and then the direction it should have, and still needs to take. If the idea was to create a nation with multiple cultural dimensions, with human values at its core, then the way we have dealt with our citizens by depriving them of a decent living goes against that grain. There is a need to reinterpret, redefine and shed the dust covering the original concept of Pakistan envisioned by Jinnah and Iqbal. They certainly did not talk of a Pakistan enslaved by the current dominant and self-defeating narrow interpretation of Islam.

So-called Islamisation, starting from Zia’s era, has reduced the state and society to being entrapped by religious intolerance and lack of direction. The phenomenon of extremism, with a handful of people hiding in the mountains of northern Pakistan demanding Shariah to be the leitmotif of state and society is an indicator of things getting out of hand. The country is fast moving toward a debacle woven into a pattern of hatred, religious intolerance and crude understanding of Islam. Did Muhammad Ali Jinnah dream of this kind of Pakistan? The oft-repeated speech of Jinnah that he delivered at the first session of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947, clearly suggests the role of religion in the state that he envisaged. He delineated the position of minorities in Pakistan by granting them complete freedom of religion so that they could practice their faith in whatever manner they thought fit. This was the spirit that became the cause for the creation of Pakistan.

Today it is a different country we are living in, where minorities are harassed and are forced to either convert to Islam or leave the country for safer havens in India or elsewhere. The domination of right wing groups and opinion in the political, social and economic spheres has affected our relations with the world. We are not at peace with our neighbours. An air of hostility swirls across Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. The India-Pakistan animosity paradigm that saw trillions of dollars lining the pockets of political elites and arms dealers from the western countries in the name of defence and security, brought nothing but economic deprivation for our general public. The case of US enmity sown in the hearts of Islamists played out as an expedient way to exploit public sentiment rather than establishing Pakistan as a country free of political, military and economic dependence. Pakistan is surviving on the periphery of the world’s mainstream, where the purpose, cause and reason for Pakistan’s creation is lost in a welter of noisy and contradictory voices, adding more heat and fury rather than reason and wisdom to the country’s striving for direction, stability and prosperity. We are unfortunately directionless even today after 65 years and the freedom that we so lovingly guard in the name of sovereignty has itself become a redundant formula of false claims of national success and pride. We are in need of deep introspection. And what could be a better time for this than Independence Day?

LONG LIVE THE KING

Teri Mefil Mein Leikin …….

MAHTAB BASHIR

mahtabbashir@gmail.com

03335363248

Gulon mein rang bhare, baad-e-nau bahaar chale/ Chale bhi aao ke gulshan ka karobaar chale. Legendary classical singer Mehdi Hassan (July 18, 1927 – June 13, 2012), who captivated the hearts of millions of music fans across South Asia, died on Wednesday (June 13, 2012) after a decade-long illness. He was 84.

Mehdi Hassan, known as Shahenshah-e-Ghazal, or the king of classical singing among Urdu speakers across the world, died at Agha Khan Hospital on Wednesday afternoon.

His son Asif told reporters outside the hospital that his father had been suffering from multiple lung, chest and urinary tract infections. Hundreds of fans gathered at the hospital on learning of his death, while condolences poured in from across the world, including India, where the ghazal maestro had a huge fan following.

Mehdi Hassan was bestowed with several awards, including Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Presidential Pride of Performance, Hilal-e-Imtiaz and the Nigar Film and Graduate Awards from Pakistan, while India and Nepal awarded him with the Saigol Award and Gorkha Dakshina Bahu Award, respectively, in recognition of his services to music. He has left behind nine sons and five daughters. He married twice, outliving both his wives. He will be buried in Karachi on Friday.

He was born in Rajhistan, India and migrated to Pakistan during the partition. Hassan struggled for a long time to establish himself as a singer, which included a one-off performance on Radio Pakistan in 1957. The year 1959 was his breakthrough year when he was introduced to a group of people at the Art Council in Lahore by legendary poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz. And then, no musical score was complete without Mehdi Hassan’s enchanting vibratos.

“His voice added so many colors to ghazal that at one of the concerts, Faiz [Ahmed Faiz] sahab stood up and raised his hands in the air and said that this ghazal belonged to Mehdi Hassan, that he had nothing to do with it. Such was the impact of the man’s singing,” said Sufi singer Abida Parveen. Poet Nida Fazli, a close friend of Hassan who penned most of late Jagjit Singh’s ghazals, said Mehdi Hassan had been an institution for those in India and Pakistan.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he had “brought the sub-continental Sufi sensibilities to life through his songs”.

Iconic Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar also tweeted about King of Ghazal Mehdi Hasan’s passing away. She said she had been “deeply grieved because today, Mehdi Hassan, a very big Ghazal Singer, is no longer with us. He brought a major transformation in Ghazal singing” and it was highly unlikely that such a singer would be born again.

“He was a great classical singer as well and his singing had a fragrance of Rajasthan’s music. I pray to Ishwar to rest Mehdi Hassan’s soul in peace,” she added.

Famous ghazal singer Ghulam Ali said: “I m completely shocked to hear about his demise.”

He said it was as if he had lost his elder brother.

Indian singer Hariharan tweeted: “Nobody can replace Mehdi Saab. He was a genius. He was a great thinker”.

Condolences also poured in from former president Pervez Musharraf PTI chief Imran Khan and Indian singer Pankaj Udhas among several others.

AMANULLAH BUTT MAKES HIS WAY TOWARDS HEAVEN!

MAHTAB BASHIR

ISLAMABAD

mahtabbashir@gmail.com

The earth is round, that’s why perhaps when two persons met and left for good, on a particular day come across each other again and that is for eternal relationship.

First time I met him at National Press Club (NPC) office in Federal Capital, couple of years ago at a time when I was working as a reporter for English newspaper ‘Daily Times’ to cover an art exhibition.

This healthy man greeted me with open arms and huge smile to follow. With exchange of quick words and an informal attitude wrapped with spontaneous humour, he won my heart in no time.

Before I planned to leave NPC for my office, he with his trademark Punjabi accent said, “O janab, pehli mulakaat ay, koi roti shoti te khaa k jao’. (It’s our first meeting and you should have a meal with me). I was in hurry and with an excuse I replied, “Butt sab- mein kuj jaldi which aan- Insha Allah, fair bohat jald mulakaat hoi gi.” (I’m in hurry and will see you pretty soon)”.

For mid and begin level Journalists in Pakistan, life is tough as he has to do all the hard work compiling stories braving scorching heat or chilly winter, to compose, and file it in a day’s stipulated time and often he has to skip his daily meals.

Days went by and it became my routine after finishing off my official work, I along with my young fellow Ali Hassan started our search for good restaurants in twin cities to have dinner together. We tasted almost every restaurants of sister cities but failed to find out a particular restaurant with a combination of taste and low price.

Ali at that time was residing Shamsabad (Murree Road) and I have to drop him there at night before moving to my own place at I-10. Mid way through, at double Road (Stadium Road), we tried all the restaurants and got fed up soon.

On a night, Ali desired to look around a restaurant he was told by his friend that restaurant offers a taste to devour. We didn’t know the exact location but all we knew it was situated in a small street over the road. And finally we got it. “Lahore Khaba” was the name of that small restaurant with a big portrait of comedian Sohail Ahmed eating a chicken piece erected in and outside the eatery.

As soon as I reached near, I saw Amanullah Butt (a senior journalist and owner of that restaurant) for the second time- sitting on a reception chair of ‘Lahori Khaba’. Drawing a long puff of ‘Gold Leaf’, he instantly recognized me and started uttering ‘Bismillah’, ‘Bismillah’ for a fair distance. Later I found, ‘Bismillah’, ‘Welcome’ and ‘Thank you’ as his pet (repeated) words.

On my first day, inside the ‘Lahori Khaba’, I noticed a number of photographs of Butt sab with prominent political, social and cultural personalities hanging over the walls. Afzal Butt’s solo photograph was also seen on the wall of restaurant. Upon asking why Butt sahib’s photo is here? Is it because he is the president of National Press Club? Butt sab first smiled and than replied, “o janab (Afzal Butt sab) … meray wadday pai jan nay ay. And I said masha allah. Later, Butt sab told me he writes column/ article in Urdu and Punjabi newspapers and I said pointing towards a wall--- yes, it is quite visible butt sab as one of your article is also pasted on the wall. He smiled again.

I distinctly remember, on that day I enjoyed Egg dipped in ‘Channay’ in dinner and it was the first time I tasted Chanay the way it is cooked. Before leaving the restaurant, I spoke highly about the taste of Chanay and told Butt sab we were in search of delicious food and your restaurant is the one we are looking for. Butt sab smiled again and shared a joke in response.

‘Lahori Khabay’ offered traditional foods including Chanay, Sri Paay, Khadd, etc I’m oblivion with.

Now, visiting that restaurant became my staple diet. Everyday I went there along Ali at ‘Lahori Khabay’. Later, we started debating on political issues rather just having a dinner. I’ve also visited his restaurant at Sehri time during last Ramadan.   

Every night, Butt sab delivered an insight out analysis of an issue- and that too prolonging with few jokes. From allotment of plots to journalists, to Supreme Court of Pakistan, from Zardari to Gilani, every issue came under our discourse during the dinner.

One night, when I reached ‘Lahori Khabay’, Butt sab asked me, haan g- ki khabraan nay. I said Butt sab- I went to attend a memorial reference in memory of Mastana, and Babbu Baral and just came here after filing this story. Butt sab went in a trance of nostalgia and kept of sharing the history of both the late great comedians. “Main ainda dowan naal bohat time guzaraya ay- balkay bohat acha time guzarya ay. Bohat achay insaan san tay bethay bethay koi jughat te gal bana lainde san. Or banda hans hans k pagal ho janda si,” he shared changing his facial expression from smile to sadness.

“Par Babbu wi ajeeb banda si. PM ne 5 lakh ilaaj aaste ditta, te 2.5 lakh de LCD lay aya,” Butt said. Now I was confused whether I should laugh here or to show seriousness. Butt sab also shared about the expansion of his business saying he will maintain balance between his hotel business and journalism.

It is quite hard to round off my feelings about this great workaholic man who always said goodbye to me with his trade mark humour. I remember often while leaving ‘Lahori Khabay’, I requested Butt sab to share that incident about brother of Humaira Arshad. And Butt sab said… “haan… o ainj hoya, aik din aisi aik party arrange keeti, ohday te Humaira Arshad nu bula lia. 2 ghante ho gay, o na aai. Ohda bhai (ohda secretary wi si). Mein ohday kolo jado wi Humaira Arshad da puchaha, o kainda ay… ye jo ap meray galay mein Locket dekh rahay hain na, ye may Humaira k sath UK, gia tha, wahan se laya tha. Ye jo ap bracelet dekh rahay hain, ye mein HUmaira k sath UAE ki visit pet ha, jahan se lay k aya tha. Or ….. ye jeans maine USA se purchase kit hi. Butt sab said, he got furious upon this answer as everyone getting late. And…. Finally I said to him… “Aor tum apni behan ki kon kon si naimato ko jhutlao ge,” and everyone around us found laughing.

On June 2 (Saturday), I got an sms from Bilal Dar about Amanullah Butt suffering with brain hemorrhage and admitted to PIMS hospital. I started praying for his early recovery knowing well those who make other happy wont vanish too early. But later, I got the news of sad and untimely death of Butt sahib.

May Allah Almighty bless Butt sab’s soul in eternal peace and grant his family and relatives the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.

RIP Butt sab, I know, now the air of Heaven is filled with your jokes and you are making your presence felt there as well. 

END OF BAHOO(s)

VOICE OF SULTAN BAHU- IQBAL BAHU NO MORE AROUND

MAHTAB BASHIR
ISLAMABAD
mahtabbashir@gmail.com

Tasbih Phiri Tay Dil Na Phirya, Ki Laina Tasbi Pharr Kay Hoo
Ilm parhiya Tay Adab Na Sikkhiya, Ki Laina Ilm Nu Parh Kay Hoo

The resonated voice of Muhammad Iqbal pack

ed with trance and spiritual thoughts of great spiritual philosophers- finally sings swansong on March 24.

The accomplished Sufi singer Iqbal Bahu passed away after complaining of chest pains. He was 65. He was known for his singing of Arifana kalam (devotional songs).

The soft spoken benign character, Bahu (1944 – 2012) had mastered the Sufi tradition of well-known Sufi saints Sultan Bahu, Waris Shah, Mian Muhammad Bux, Bulle Shah, Baba Farid and Shah Hussain by rendering their kalam. He had great command over folk songs as well mystical and devotional poetry but the kalam of Waris Shah (Heer), Mian Muhammad Bux’s (saif-ul-Mulook) and in particular Sultan Bahu’s kalam gave him an eternal fame and his name was changed from Muhammad Iqbal to Iqbal Bahu as spiritual affiliation with Hazrat Sultan Bahu.

While having a good time to converse with Bahu at the back stage of PNCA Auditorium quite a time,

Bahu gave an annoyed expression of modern youth being aping western music and oblivion of Sufi music and Kalam- that has something to offer everyone.

Last year, while he was looking pale at the same venue, after a formal discussion I started drilling him to share something about sufi music in context of contemporary music scene and I found him dejected. “Bus yar, chalnay do jo chal raha hay, jaise chal raha hay. Hum to apna kam diyanat dari (with honesty) se kar hi rahein hein,” was his prompt reply. He said no matter what - the world goes on but the echo of Sufi music/ kalam will never be faded as it has the wisdom that could not be found anywhere and strong message of righteousness, piety, self, and devotion are the essence of this poetry.

Born in Gurdaspur, Indian Punjab‚ Bahu migrated to Pakistan after partition and settled in Lahore. After completing his education, he worked in National Bank of Pakistan.

To perfect his singing of the Sufi kalam, Iqbal Bahu is believed to have sought the help of language experts in order to pronounce the words accurately.

Bahu performed for the radio, on stage, and the television in Pakistan as well as in European countries. On March 14, this year, he travelled to India

to perform his Sufiana and Arifana kalam in Lucknow and returned to Lahore on March 20. Since his return, Bahu had been suffering from a severe cough.

On Friday (March 23), he was taken to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology where a report of his angiography was positive. On Saturday, he was shifted to the Services Hospital where he expired during the course of treatment reportedly with cardiac arrest. Bahu leaves behind his wife, three daughters and two sons. Iqbal Bahu was laid to rest at ancestral graveyard in Iqbal Town area of Lahore.

Tasbih Phiri Tay Dil Na Phirya Laina Tasbi Pharr Kay Hoo
(You have been counting your rosary beads, But your heart hasn’t taken a turn for the better. What can anyone gain from such a practice?)
Ilm parhiya Tay Adab Na Sikkhiya Laina Ilm Nu Parh Kay Hoo
(You acquired knowledge by reading scriptures, But you didn’t submit yourself to their mandate, What can anyone gain from such knowledge?)
Chillay Kattay Nay Kujh Na Kujh Na Khattiya Laina Chillian Varr Kay Hoo
(You secluded yourself for forty-day retreats, But that too did you no good)
Jaag Banaa Doodh Jamday Na Bahu Laal Hoovan Bhaaveen Karh Kay Hoo
(You may keep boiling milk forever, O Bahu, But unless it is cultured, it will not yield the essence).

INDONESIA: A LAND OF LIMITLESS BEAUTY

“It was my maiden foreign visit. My mother came closer to me, cuddled for a while and finally hugged me saying ……. But hey... ! Don’t speak to anyone there who doesn’t know you and don’t take edibles from whom you don’t know”:-)

MAHTAB BASHIR
mahtabbashir@gmail.com
ISLAMABAD

The two prized possessions people of the Republic of Indonesia elegantly show off are - Smile on their faces and Batik on their bodies while every individual can hum “Chaiyya Chaiyya” - a Hindi song from 1998 film ‘Dil Se’ directed by Mani Ratnam, the song composed by A.R. Rahman, written by Gulzar, and sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi, filmed on a moving train starring Shahrukh Khan.

Indonesia is indeed a place like ‘Heaven on Erath’ and a land of diverse culture. It has something to offer everyone. Indonesia’s cultural mosaic is marked by many different cultures and a trip to Indonesia can become a cultural carnival for a tourist. During the ‘Familiarization Trip of Tour Operators and Travel Writers from Countries in the South & Central Asian Region to South Sulawesi & Jakarta’ from April 24 to May 2, 2011, the invitees from Pakistan, India, Iran, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan were taken to astounding naturally and man-made beautified places with the core objective to explore the vision and vistas and promote tourism for the Province of South Sulawesi and Jakarta. The Fam Trip was an endearing effort of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Indonesia in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Provincial Government of South Sulawesi.

Indonesia - officially the Republic of Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. It is an archipelago comprising approximately 17,508 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an elected legislature and president. The nation's capital city is Jakarta. The country shares land borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Malaysia. Other neighboring countries include Singapore, Philippines, Australia, and the Indian territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Indonesia is a founding member of ASEAN and a member of the G-20 major economies.

The Indonesian economy is the world's eighteenth largest economy by nominal GDP and fifteenth largest by purchasing power parity. Comprising more than 300 ethnic groups speaking over 250 different languages, the Indonesia population exhibits marked diversity in its linguistic, cultural, and religious traditions.

On 23rd of April, 11:00 pm, I kicked off my air journey with Thai Airways via Bangkok to Jakarta. It was raining when the plane after 4:30 hours touched the runway of Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok) where I joined another Islamabadite Tehmas Durrani who was also a member of Fam trip as a tour operator and travel agent. He was a balled young man with a foreigner look and hardly shared his feelings … but in no time, being an extrovert, I compelled him to speak.


At Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok) we had a four hours stay and than we made our headway to (Soekarno Hatta Airport) Jakarta where we reached after 2:30 hours. It was a bright Sunday and we thought someone from Pakistani embassy or officials from host would be waiting for us but there was none. After repeatedly failed calls to Pakistani embassy and curiously waiting for any officials to meet us, we sit idle in perspiration.

Good times followed us as soon as I saw a walking young Indonesian lady- an official of Indonesian embassy working in Pakistan, who recognized me and took both of us to a nearby fast-food outlet and made quick calls to embassy officials who took us along them in a Hotel Borobudur situated in the down town Jakarta.

Steeped in a rich cultural history, Jakarta was the first destination for the tourists of Fam trip members. Jakarta has enough interesting architecture and cultural relics to keep visitors entertained and mesmerized. It offers all kinds of attractions from museums, art and antique markets, grand luxury shopping malls to accommodations, food and a wide variety of cultural activities.

On the very next day, we landed at Sultan Hassanuddin Airport, at the city of Makassar, (also spelled Macassar, Mangkasar) the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, and the largest city on Sulawesi Island.

South Sulawesi is located at the narrow southwestern peninsula of the orchid shaped island of Sulawesi also know as Celebes. Makassar is its capital. You can reach by air from other Indonesian cities like Jakarta, Bali and Monado with 114 flights daily provided by most Indonesian airlines. "Land of the Heavenly kings" South Sulawesi famous for its tremendous scenery and the quality and talent of its silk and silver work industries. The diversity of its local cultures and spectacular landscapes is an endless source of new discoveries. Sulawesi is famous for its unique flora and funa which cannot be found in other areas lying closely outside Makassar is the stunning karts outcrops as attractive as stone forest which cover about 400 sq km of land.

The Maros Karts is also a potential candidate for UNESCO world heritage. South Sulawesi, the land of Makassar and Bugis brave sailors is one of the provinces found on the main island of Sulawesi. If the Makassar and Bugis Tribe are well known as excellent seaman and predominate the south side, people of Toraja are later recognized with their unique culture which is centralized in upstate of this province.

At the dinner, after a brief introductory session, the Fam trip members of the South and Central Asian region converted into family members and in particular with Indian people including Nozer Master, Santosh Patil, Kiran Bhatt, Sanjay Sondhi, Sandip Srivastava, and Pravda Rathor, I have had a great fun and learning experience because of sharing common Sub-Continental culture. It was not the two-week relationship but these happy chirpy memories are still haunting me whenever I interact each of Fam member, on a social interactive web- portal.

‘Trans Studio World Theme Park’, the first indoor theme park in Indonesia, was our first picking spot. Trans Studio was built of 12,7 hectares with investment of IDR 1 trillion more. Facilities built in the shopping center which includes the Trans Walk and Rodeo Drive, and Studio Trans, Trans Hotel, office of Bank Mega.

Trans Studio World Theme Park has adopted the concept of Universal Studios in the United States. Contain spaces simulation program several television station, Trans TV, or events in Indonesia. The concept of a theme park in the Trans Studio World will provide the experience itself. Some of them are the Tsunami and earthquake, Magic Corner, Lost City, Terror Twister, Water Coaster, Magic Museum and more.

From Makassar we had a full day drive towards Tana Toraja through Bugis Villages and into the misty Blue Ocean and mountain along the distance of 328 kilometers. Full of fascinating sights outside and lovely company inside the red bus, we hardly shown a sign of fatigue.

With the drops of rain gradually hitting the windows of bus, we reached to Bantimurung Waterfall and butterfly resort. Bantimurung Waterfall is located in Bantimurung District Territory, Maros, South Sulawesi Province.

Bantimurung means a place for getting rid of sadness. The spectacular waterfall is located at the valley of the steep limestone hill with its fertile tropical vegetation which makes this area an ideal habitat for the types of butterflies and birds that are famous for their small number.

Before entering the waterfall location, we saw a statue of a kind of monkey (lutung), about 6 cm tall. This kind of animal can only be found in Sulawesi and Kalimantan.

Besides beautiful waterfall, Bantimurung waterfall is tourist area which is a habitat for many species of rare butterflies, that's why the invaders in the period of Netherlands colonization, in Indonesia, dubbed this place the “Kingdom of Butterfly.” Even a naturalist from the UK, Alfred Russell, lived in this region for one year (1856-1857) to examine 150 rare species of butterflies.
 
Located about 20 km from Sultan Hasanuddin Makassar Airport, 15 km from the city of Maros and 50 KM from the city of Makassar, This Tour can be achieved by using the Own Car From Makassar City About 1 Hour, And The trip can be achieved If from Hasanuddin Airport, Approximately 30 - 45 Minutes By Tourism Bus or By Car Rent.

From the waterfall, visitors can go up to see the lake on top, but there are many sharp corals on the way there. The lake is so blue with many flying butterflies around it. The drizzling shortly transformed into heavy rain and the colorful tiny butterflies hidden wherever they wanted to but my inquisitive eyes found beauty of various species of butterflies that fluttered here and there among the flowers and bath area of Bantimurung Waterfall.


I have been hearing about Tana Toraja's beauty and mystical land and finally got the chance to visit it. The center of Tourism in Tana Toraja is Rantepao 328kms northeast of Makassar sitting 700 meters above sea level. Rantepao has cool; pleasant evening. Which is almost 14hrs drive by bus from Makassar. After reaching Toraja Heritage hotel, you will impressed by the ambiance of the hotel like traditional boat-shaped style marvelous scene will make your stay a pleasant and memorable one, which Fam Delegates experienced during the visit of Toraja. A number of traditional rituals, houses and also ornaments which are still can be met in Tana Toraja sub province which is recognized as "the land of heavenly king" made this sub province became an important tourism site that you must visit. It is home of several ethnic groups. The entry to Tana Toraja is marked by a gate built in traditional Boat-shaped style Tana Toraja that is famous for the amazing architectures of traditional houses and its vibrant funeral ceremonies live at the northern high lands.

At Toraja, I have chanced to meet my ambassador in Indonesia Sanaullah, who remained a part of excursion team till the very end. While standing along a roadside, a rickshaw stopped there with a fruit named ‘Durian’- a forbidden fruit in public places. The guide Udin told me despite being costly; the strange-looking durian enjoys a fanatical following. “Many of restaurants and places not allowed public to bring long this fruit with them. With my naughty feelings I asked is it the fruit Adam ate in the Heaven and faced the consequences? He smilingly nodded his head in negative and said Durian can be eaten with a spoon, much like a firm custard. The handful of large, stone-like seeds can be easily removed. The taste is reminiscent of the smell, but much sweeter. Some first-time durian eaters claim a strong aftertaste of alcohol or turpentine, he kept on saying.

Dulan Kuruppu from Sri Lanka while grasped one Durian and offered me to eat but I plainly refused because of unpleasant odor. He smilingly said “I love this fruit because it has the potency equivalence of ‘Viagra’. “I love it but my wife hates this fruit,” Dulan said. I promptly replied it’s not the stinky smell of Durian that makes your wife dislike this fruit- it’s the ‘vigor’ she hates most that you talked about…. & everyone had a roaring laugh.

Believing that their forefathers descended from heaven in a boat some twenty generations ago, the Torajas have a unique Christian animist culture. The majority of the people still follow an ancestral cult called "Aulk Todollo" which governs all traditional ceremonies. Their ancestor worship includes elaborate death and after life ceremonies, which are essentially great feasts. A strict social hierarchy is followed in the villages, and for an important figure wedding and burial ceremonies can take days to perform. Water buffalo and pigs are sacrificed in number appropriate to social ranks and the deceased's remains are placed in a coffin and interred in caves hollowed out in high cliffs. The mouth of the cave is guarded by life like statues called "Tau Tau". Two Villages with easily accessible cliff graves are Lemo and Londa.


Toraja area coffee is grown using traditional practices of coffee cultivation. Picking and sorting of the coffee cherries is done by hand making the coffee of very high quality as only the best cherries are picked. This type of growing and harvesting is utilized due to the very mountains terrain and the haphazard planting of the coffee trees resulting in a yield of only 300 kilo per hectare of coffee. 

Soon after breakfast on Wednesday (February 27), we left Toraja and drove directly to Polopo beautiful landscape and tropical forest. Upon arrival at the museum, the government officials greeted us with open arms and massive smiles. After watching a cultural performance, we headed towards Labomba Beach. At night we have had a scrumptious dinner hosted by Mayor of Parepare- a second capital city of South Sulawesi, located on the southwest coast of Sulawesi, about 155 km (96 mi) north of the provincial capital of Makassar. A port town, it is one of the major population centers of the Bugis people.

After participating in a seminar and business meeting, our next destination was Balla Lompoa. It is a reconstruction of the palace of Gowa Kingdom which was founded in the reign of King of Gowa-31, I-mangngi Mangngi Matutu Daeng, in 1936. The architecture of the museum is typical of the Bugis-shaped house, which houses on stilts, with a ladder as high as more than two feet to get into the room terrace. In the language of Makassar, Balla Lompoa means big house or a house of greatness. The entire building is made of ironwood or wooden iron. The building is located within a one-hectare complex bounded by high walls.

This museum serves as a place to store a collection of objects Kingdom of Gowa. In the main room there are three chambers, namely: the king’s chamber as private rooms, cubicles where the historic objects, and the royal chamber. All three chambers are each measuring 6 x 5 meters. At the front of the main hall of the building, an Indonesia map displayed on the right side wall. In the main room display a family tree starting from the King of Gowa Kingdom of Gowa I, Tomanurunga in the 13th century, until the last king of Gowa Aididdin Sultan Abdulkadir A. Moch Idjo Karaeng Lalongan (1947-1957). In the main room, there is a place on the throne in a special area in the middle of the room.


Then we moved towards the tomb of Sultan Hasanuddin(1629 - 1670) king of Gowa who spent his whole life fighting against the Dutch. His cemetery is in the graveyard of the kings of Gowa. Including in his cemetery is a stone that was utilized as a place for inaugurations of the Kings of Gowa, and an old mosque. The tombs of Gowa Kings are large stones scattered among the fragrant while "Kamboja" flowers and the splenderous flaming scarlet flamboyant flowers.

Outside the cemetery borders there is a stone from "Tomanurung", on which all kings of Gowa were crowned. According to the legent of South Sulawesi Kings, they are the descendants of “Tomanurung", who were sent from the sky to become Kings. The mosque near this place was built in 1930 and restored in 1978.

Gowa is a region in the province of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is a "level 2 district," with an area of 1,883 km² and a population of approximately 500,000 people. The capital is Sungguminasa and the famous hill resort of Malino is within the region.

The 5 days visiting various cities of South Sulawesi went by like a blink of eye and on 29th April we flew back to the capital city Jakarta.

The 30th April was a day of city tour, when the Fam members chanced to visit various spots including Monas, Sarinath, Kota Tau-Museum, Sejarah, Ancol (Pasar Seni Ancol, Pantai Ancol).

The only problem I have had during the trip was counting of currency notes but fortunately I had not sufficient amount to spend on shopping. Having along just 100$ on a fortnight visit to a foreign country is indeed a pleasant surprise for readers but for me even big surprise I got when I reached to a counter of an exchange company at a shopping mall in Jakarta, I came to know One US$ is equivalent to over 9100 Indonesian Rupiah (ID, IDN). And after exchange it took me hours to count over 910000 Rupiah. More surprisingly, 910000 Rupiah flew away in few minutes until I purchased few shirts, t-shirts, chocolates, and a couple of souvenirs.

Not many of Indonesians know English as a secondary language but somehow they managed to have a discourse with others to make them understand. However, if you are unable to comprehend their reply or they fail to make you satisfy, do not get hyper as the timely smile of Indonesians is enough to make your temperament down and to create that crooked line (smile) on your face too.

The culture and traditions of Jakarta, especially the heritage buildings are well preserved and worth visiting. As the capital city is a melting pot representative from each of these ethnic groups. Located on the northern coast of West Java, it is the centre of trade, commerce and industry and has an extensive communication network with the rest of the country and the outside world.

Jakarta is one of the Indonesia’s designated tourist areas. It is equipped with all the means of modern transportation by air, sea, rail, or by land. As Indonesia’s main gateway, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport serves as a growing number of International airlines and domestic flights.

People of Indonesia are known as friendliest people in the world and most tolerant in their manners. They consider the head as something sacred that must be respected. Calling someone by crooking the index finger is considered impolite and giving or receiving things with the left hand is not acceptable here. In recent years, Jakarta has expanded its facilities for visitors with luxury hotels, elegant restaurants, exciting night life and modern shopping centres. The National Monument is a 433 ft (132 metre) tower in the centre of Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta, symbolizing the fight for Indonesia's independence. Construction began in 1961 under the direction of President Sukarno and the monument was opened to the public in 1975.

Monument is topped by a flame covered with gold foil. The monument and the museum is open daily from 08.00 - 15.00 Western Indonesia Time (UTC+7), everyday throughout the week, except for the last Monday of each month, when the monument is closed. Situated in the old town of Batavia, the National Museum is probably one of the most poignant witnesses to Dutch colonisation in the city. Started by a group of Dutch collectors, the museum has various compellations; prehistoric artifacts, archeology, heraldics, historical relics, geography, ethnography, and ceramics. The museum displays more than 100,000 cultural objects. Metropolitan tourism activities are shopping, sightseeing in big cities, and enjoying modern amusement parks. Ancol Dreamland with Dunia Fantasi theme park and Atlantis Water Adventure is Jakarta's answer to Disneyland-style amusement park and water park. Several similar theme parks also developed in other cities, such as Trans Studio Makassar and Trans Studio Bandung. 


The nation's capital, Jakarta, offers many places for shopping. Mal Kelapa Gading, the biggest one with 130 square kilometres (50 sq mi), Plaza Senayan, Senayan City, Grand Indonesia, EX, and Plaza Indonesiaare some of the shopping malls in the city. Next to high-end shopping centers with branded products, Indonesia is also a popular destination for handicraft shopping in the region. Certain Indonesian traditional crafts such as batik, songket, ikat weaving, embroidery, wooden statue and fashion products are popular souvenirs for visitors. Indonesian textile and fashion products are known for its good value; good quality with relatively cheap and reasonable price. Bandung is a popular shopping destination for fashion products among Malaysians and Singaporeans. Another popular tourist activity is golfing, a favorite sport among the upper class Indonesians and foreigners. Some notable golf courses in Jakarta are the Cengkareng Golf Club, located in the airport complex, and Pondok Indah Golf and Country Club.

Temperatures in Jakarta tend to be fairly uniform through most of the year, but the rainy season can cause problems, especially as far as mobility is concerned. A lot of roads get clogged with mud and water, and the constant dripping and drizzling can get on your nerves, besides being a major inconvenience. The best time to visit Jakarta is therefore during the dry season (May to September). Be prepared, however, to be surrounded by tourists- this is peak season, and much of Indonesia, especially more popular destinations like Bali are literally flooded with visitors.

Much more can be said about these amazing places, but a visit there can only estimate its real value, which it well deserves, to be seen and appreciated, and to leave it with only good memories that lay in the mind forever.

With the lyrics ‘Oh let the sun beat down upon my face, stars to fill my dream/ I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been/ To sit with elders of the gentle race, this world has seldom seen/ They talk of days for which they sit and wait and all will be revealed, a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin o my lips I touched the surface of Benazir Bhutto International Airport (Islamabad) via Thai Airways, Flight No 349 on May 2nd.

It would be sheer injustice if I would not mention the names of all of my excursion colleagues especially the Indians include Nozer Master, Santosh Patil, Kiran Bhatt, Sanjay Sondhi, Sandip Srivastava, and Pravda Rathor, my country fellows Tehmas Durrani, Hamid Jinali, and ambassador Sanaullah, Sri Lankans Sonali Rodrigo, and Dulan Kuruppu, the lovely happy couple Mr and Mrs Aziz from Azerbaijan, all fellows of Central Asian States, the officials of Indonesian foreign affairs Rima, Sugiri, Haidi, Mr and Mrs Ishaq Latuconsina, the couple serving in Pakistan and Munir Akram an official of Indonesia embassy in Islamabad, for adding happy moments in my heart and brain. My massive thanks to all of you.

I am also indebted to all those to whom I met, forgot names but would remember them by faces to show me the striking face of Indonesia- where beauty intrigues!