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Pakistan's First Independent Weekly Paper | September 18-24, 2009 | Vol. XXI, No. 31

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Archives September 18-24, 2009 | Vol. XXI, No. 31

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Arsalan Raja is alarmed by publications on sale at Lahores Urdu Bazaar t was one of the hot days in the summers of 1997. I had just returned home from Abbottabad, the nearest city to my native place. I was welcomed by a water shortage, not to mention my father's stern looks when he saw me carrying a pile of books with me. My father was keen to scan the 'immoral' reading material that I had bought; anxious to find out the reason why such things were now becoming a routine in his regularly breached fortress. I was a criminal and immediate prosecution was waiting just round the A street book stall in Lahore corner. I dared speaking up and announced that the three books in my bag dealt with sociology and history. My father advised me not to visit places called libraries because such ghettos could corrupt young minds. Why? I wondered. This image reappeared on my recent visit to the Urdu Bazaar, the main publishing hub of the country, to search for Bookshops provide self help reading material. As you enter the narrow streets of the Urdu books on topics ranging from Bazaar, hundreds of publishing houses attract your attention. gastronomy to matrimony Urdu Bazaar is an adequate reflection of our society. The first thing that I noticed was a large number of hubs devoted to books on religion. While most publishers print religion related books, what is surprising is that many publishers market books that are partisan and sectarian in their approach, often eulogising or inciting hatred against different sub-sects. There are books that teach us the benefits of Jihad along with providing information about 'Dreadful End of God's Disobedient', 'Islamic Perspective on Father's Respect', 'Lessons from Devastating Earthquake' and of course, 'Women's Place in an Islamic Society'. Books like these are mostly written in Urdu, thus catering to the demands of the

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mostly written in Urdu, thus catering to the demands of the general public. In a book titled 'Curing Bad Habits', the writer has listed many 'good' practices along with suggested remedies. He says that men have some natural instincts including sex and interaction with the opposite gender. It is not a sin. But falling in love with a person is an unpardonable act and leads to the path towards infidelity. Men should relinquish that which is inherent in their bodies and do what is prescribed in the Quran, as interpreted by 'religious leaders'. He is right, as there is no room for love and affection in this world. God created this planet for hatred and for killing all those who are not ready to subjugate themselves before militant and armed religious fanatics along with some other enlightened editions who are ever ready to impose their version in totality. He is right. Because might is always right. Or is it? There are also books that deal with the issues of black magic and witchcraft. There is an abundance of material on psychological cures and other temporal problems. These spiritual cures are called 'wazaif'. These wazaif cater to a whole range of issues like unemployment, marital problems and disobedient children. Many booksellers in the Urdu Bazaar were quick to state that the trend of consulting religious books was on the rise. Given the failure of the state to improve everyday issues of public life, more and more people are seeking refuge in the invisible yet powerful forces to salvage their lives. It is well known that a vast majority of people face depression, anxiety and other psychological ailments in our society. Religious answers appeal in these circumstances. According to a publisher-cum-seller, women are avid buyers of written materials on seeking a loving partner and a happily married life. But he cautioned against concluding that this phenomenon was limited to any particular class. His statement was proved when I visited one of the largest booksellers in the metropolis. There were several shelves reserved for 'wazaif' related books. I was told by a salesman that there was a great demand from a varied range of clients. "We are running our business in a posh locality and most of the visitors are well off. Women constitute a large part of our readership for such materials. Young men and women are regular purchasers of such books. Writers like Dale Carnegie and Stephan Cowie are among the best sellers", he said. The salesman was in fact seconding the viewpoint of publishers who are now focusing their attention on publishing books dealing with psychological issues. "Self-help books are in great demand. Although we are printing and importing such books in English, we are also publishing translated versions because of the emerging market trends." One can notice that self-help books include all such topics ranging from improving personality to enhancing confidence and speaking ability etc.

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The general inclination, gradually becoming deep rooted, is the declining interest in topics

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The general inclination, gradually becoming deep rooted, is the declining interest in topics related to arts and culture. Literature therefore remains a genre in little demand. One of the key factors responsible for this trend is the rising religious fanaticism and extremism. The Pakistani state has used every possible tool for controlling opportunities to express and enjoy freedom. This state sponsored extremism needed protgs, like militant outfits for launching Jihad against 'infidel powers' and also to crush organised popular political parties that were determined to challenge entrenched political and social structures. Since the 1980s, our education system and syllabi have been 'Islamised', undermining the abilities to think and research. Our younger generations are now immuned to rationality and learning. "It is a gift of Zia regime that has destroyed the entire social fabric. I am involved in the publishing business for the last few decades. No one had ever imagined that Urdu Bazaar would present such a look. We are producing rations for a mob, not a civilised nation. Many of my colleagues have started printing more books dealing with religion for financial benefits, but I have no such desire. It is not only for making profits, I have some social obligations too", said an angry publisher. His rage and dejection holds solid ground. When those who want to challenge the establishment are either silenced or sent to gallows, when journalists are ordered to apologise for something that contains unacceptable words, and most importantly when an education system is specifically designed to hush inner voices of innocent young minds, there is little hope for debate and dissent, but a lot of space for those who want obedience and subservience. I have also noted rather sadly that there is a general decline in the number of books published on topics such as general knowledge. This was confirmed by a publisher who started printing quiz books in mid 70s for the first time in the country's history. "Until the recent past, parents and teachers were encouraging children to study books. But situation has changed drastically. Of course children are more intelligent nowadays than their predecessors, but the knowledge has been confined to some particular topics and they don't have much know-how about their history, geography and society". What the publisher forgot to mention was that the state had decided some decades ago to deprive the people of their history and geography. No one should blame our youth for suggesting that Margalla Hills are located in the Northern Areas as most of their teachers cannot locate the Wakhan strip on a map. There is another example of a 'social reformer' who informed me in early 2004 that the Pakistan army had launched an operation in 'Vienna'. When children watch their parents offering Eid prayers with those living in Makkah, they correctly imagine themselves without any frontiers and borders. Another noticeable area missing is economics. Even a casual look at the catalogues of different publishers will show that there is a serious dearth of books related to economic problems, especially those that are faced by the country. A few publishing houses are printing such books but these represent a certain approach and reinforce what has already been cited as destructive development strategies. For example, failed rural development programmes have diverted resources towards ill-conceived projects. Few authors write to educate the Pakistani public about the policies which have divided people into rural and urban, keeping 70% of our population in ancient times. There is no talk of industrialisation. Modernising, diversifying and expanding the industrial base are no longer talked about. The clichd publications harp the tune of eliminating tribal and feudal traditions and not attacking the very economic forces and relations that sustain them. The general public, forced to vacillate between 'unwanted present' and the 'glorious past', seem to have accepted their collective destiny.

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is there anyone in the executive or the judiciary who can take action against

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Most importantly, is there anyone in the executive or the judiciary who can take action against the Jihadi literature on display, which has destroyed and rattled our society? Who will challenge the media houses that prescribe war against 'infidels' as the only remedy for every Pakistani Muslim? It is not clear if we will ever get out of this darkness of ignorance.

Arsalan Raja lives in Lahore

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