Blue Gold – World Water Wars is a 2008 documentary based on the book Blue Gold, The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World’s Water written by Maude Barlow & Tony Clarke. Following is the summary of the film as given on the website of the project http://www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com/

‘In every corner of the globe, we are polluting, diverting, pumping, and wasting our limited supply of fresh water at an expediential level as population and technology grows. The rampant overdevelopment of agriculture, housing and industry increase the demands for fresh water well beyond the finite supply, resulting in the desertification of the earth.

Corporate giants force developing countries to privatize their water supply for profit. Wall Street investors target desalination and mass bulk water export schemes. Corrupt governments use water for economic and political gain. Military control of water emerges and a new geo-political map and power structure forms, setting the stage for world water wars.

We follow numerous worldwide examples of people fighting for their basic right to water, from court cases to violent revolutions to U.N. conventions to revised constitutions to local protests at grade schools. As Maude Barlow proclaims, “This is our revolution, this is our war”. A line is crossed as water becomes a commodity. Will we survive?’

It is said that the future world wars will be for water, just like the current wars (no matter what superficial cover they are given) are for oil, as it is a limited resource. Water too is getting scarce. The film and the issues highlighted in it are still quite important and the way forward suggested in the last section of the film needs to be picked up and planned on, if the crisis needs to be dealt with.

Water is our source of life and its availability & its quality is capable of determining the existence of life. This is a finite resource that we have & it needs to be used in a sustainable manner so that the future generations don’t have one more thing on their list to curse us. What has made things worse, like in a number of other cases as well is turning this resource into a profit commodity. There are multinational giants and politicians who use this label for water and this further complicates the problem. The long term planning is non-existent and for the sake of profits even short term planning is in jeopardy. Some of the solutions that are being presented are not exactly solutions but sources of other problems that have not yet surfaced. Large dams are just one of these. The water that is stored there loses its nutrients and using it for other purposes might get harmful. Ninety-seven percent of the world’s water is salinated water & only three percent is fresh water. The idea of de-salinating this 97% of the water seems like a probable solution, but the fact that the energy required to run the plants where this will happen is not available. Using the nuclear energy for this purpose will cause massive nuclear waste issue, which has still to be looked in depth.

These & a number of related problems are discussed in the documentary and should be seen so that one is aware of the problem that we are facing and as said in the film, you don’t have to do much, just start asking the questions. The example of some of the common people who stood up for their communities, to get back the ownership of their area’s water is sure to inspire & show what people’s power is capable of doing. As Margaret Mead said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

All is not bad news, as the Earth is quite elastic & if the right & sustainable measures are taken from here on, it will start to heal. This elasticity has been abused enough without thinking that there is a limit in which this elasticity is going to work & not outside it.

Every month, people who are interested and work in the environmental field meet up at informal sessions known as Green Drinks. The idea is to bring them together once a month and enable them to start sharing perspectives on some of the most pressing issues of the day. But Green Drinks is not just an event for knowledge sharing; it’s an opportunity to engage with people and make contacts, it’s a community to get inspiration and enthusiasm from, and it’s a collaborative effort that aspire change.

If you are interested or simply have a curiosity about environmental issues (energy, climate change, sustainability, green economy), then please come to our monthly Green Drinks gathering in Karachi at T2F.  

Details about the next Green Drinks session:

Date & Time: March 21, 2012 at 06:30 PM onwards

Venue: T2F (The Second Floor), 10-C, Sunset Lane 5, Phase 2 Extension, DHA

Why: To learn, network, make contacts, and have fun.

Join: Sign up to our mailing list Green Drinks Karachi. We do not share any contact info with third parties. This list is solely to send reminders about Green Drinks gatherings and to RSVP.

More Info: For more information, please contact us at @gmail.com">greendrinkskarachi@gmail.com

In our part of the world, I’m not aware of many people who consciously look after what they eat. Almost every day I come across a new bakery or café opening up. It has also sprouted up as one of the most popular home based businesses (after perhaps running a boutique?).

Anyway! Unable to keep away from temptations I began my journey to explore healthy alternates. I couldn’t completely give up on food, can you? One day I was browsing through misc. pages created by enthusiastic foodies when I came across a tray of the most spectacular coloured cupcakes I had ever seen. Half-heartedly, I browsed through the entire album telling myself I shouldn’t even be looking at it assuming the brilliant crimson colour must have been given by adding harmful food colour. A big no no for me! No matter how much the bright colours may tempt me; I had promised myself I’m not going to expose my family or myself to chemicals or artificial food. I’m so glad I took this decision. My firm resolve has allowed me to experiment and explore further.

Then the album description caught my eye, and I learnt that the crimson colour was not there by adding any artificial colour or dye, but real food was added to it. I was overjoyed!

Later, I contacted the page owner Nisreen Diab – Hawley to ask if I could get the recipe. She was most helpful to me. She led me to her notes where the recipe was shared.

I wouldn’t lie here because honestly I was a bit skeptical about how it’s going to taste. My motivation was reading the testimonial (if it can be called that) of Nisreen’s 3 year old son. Children are finicky eaters, and if he enjoyed eating them as much as he took pleasure in baking them, then what could stop me? The verdict was out! I had to try it.

Then finally one Sunday morning when I had all ingredients at home, I tried her recipe. Tasting the batter at every stage, to make sure we are really going to eat and not throw it out or give it to the birds. Must I remind I was still slightly doubtful?

Once I poured the batter in the cupcake moulds, and placed the muffin tray in the oven, I was anxiously waiting for them to be ready.

When the time was up, I instantly took them out and left them on the wire track to cool down so I could try. Picked up the first (yes, I must mention FIRST because I didn’t stop there, I couldn’t resist) cupcake and the first bite that I took surprised me. Nobody could ever guess these tiny delicacies have been made with a veggie! The brightly coloured beetroot cupcakes were unbelievably moist in texture and delicious in taste; beating their traditional unhealthy rivals far behind. Half a cup of cocoa used in this recipe completely masks the mysterious taste of beetroot.

Woah! I had discovered an indulgence which doesn’t have to be infrequent unlike countless other goodies and desserts that give heartache to the calorie conscious eater.  

I am thankful to Nisreen who shared this recipe and allowed me to share it with you all on the blog. You can find her recipe at GreenCuisineList.com . I followed the recipe exactly as it is, however, the only change I made was reducing sugar to ¾ Cup instead of 1. And I didn’t served it with Ganache either, just wanted it to be super-healthy on its own!

If you live in U.S. or Canada you can also order Organic Baked items from Nisreen’s shop. Her commitment to using hormone free, quality products and living a sustainable life is admirable. Little birdie tells me her delicacies are excellent!

Try out the recipe and indulge in the guilt-free indulgence.  

Pakistan is one of the richest countries in terms of natural resources. We are blessed with vast agricultural land, natural fuel reserves, copper, gold and salt mines, forests, lakes and sea and many other resources which are yet to be unearthed.  However, we have expressed our gratitude, by exploiting the potential that these natural wonders bring. Agricultural runoff, industrial waste, carbon emissions, insecticides have muted the songs of the chirping birds, stilled the fish swimming and splattering in the water, resulted in deforestation, degraded the air quality, and polluted our environment. Result? A mess that we have tried to escape in the first place!

Mother Earth has a lot to give; all she is crying for is some proper natural resource management. A thick cloud of smog covers the industrial cities of the country. Karachi and Lahore, the major urban centres of Pakistan are estimated to be 20 times higher than WHO’s standards of air pollution level. And what is more alarming is that the level continues to rise. As the toxics and exhausts are released in the air through vehicle and industrial emissions they bring an increase in respiratory diseases such as, allergies, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and even lung cancer. The agricultural runoff and industrial waste released in water resources is limiting everyone’s access to clean drinking water and at the same time contaminating our soil. In other words, we have willingly offered our lives to make some more money.

Though I don’t wish to remind anyone of last two years’ flooding one of the reasons why the disaster occurred was deforestation. The loggers and timber mafia are brutally treating the trees that provide us shade from sun’s scorching heat and lock up atmospheric carbon. In order to increase the agricultural land, forests are being burned down. They are not only stripping off the hillsides of their cover, but also releasing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Remember your science lessons? Through the process of photosynthesis, plant use sunlight to synthesise food from carbon dioxide and water, generating oxygen as a by-product. So by deforestation not only are we depriving earth of its natural beauty, but also blocking our own oxygen.

Moreover, by skinning the land and emitting gases we have given Sun more room to be absorbed and trapped by the atmosphere. This has altered Earth’s radiative balance resulting in global warming. While we cannot put a complete ban on cutting trees as they produce some of the essential ingredients of herbal medicines, oil, construction material, furniture, gum, handicrafts, etc. we can definitely do some zoning. And strictly mark some protected and restricted areas. Same needs to be done in rivers and seas. The fishery industry knows no boundaries. In order to fill their pockets, numerous fishing fleets are roaming in the seas taking more catches than required destroying our marine life. This action is putting seas and oceans under stress and resulting in losing species which are critical for the entire ecosystem.

Economy and environment go hand in hand. By depleting the Earth of its natural resources, we are at a risk of collapsing the entire system on which our lives depend.

While ‘going green’ has never been one of the priorities of mankind, it’s about time we become conscious of our actions. Challenges, constraints and opportunities have been identified. Policies have been drafted, but they have always existed on paper. Mother Earth is now calling for some practical efforts for conservation, sustainable development, energy efficiency improvement, pollution reduction, urban waste management and adequate administration.

Doing Your Part:

Simple steps like the ones mentioned below can cut down pollution and effects of climate change by a considerable level:

• Share your car. Walk or cycle instead of driving when your destination is only a few steps away. Not only will you cut down on your fuel expense, but that will keep you fit as well.
• Go green at school and work, use paper wisely. Every paper that you take prints on or waste to doodle has actually been produced by killing a tree.
• Turn off extra lights and fans. Sit in your garden or balcony when it’s a pleasant day outside.
• Stop wasting food. Thousands of people in the world are dying because they don’t even have a morsel to eat.
• Reduce, reuse and recycle. The landfills are overflowing and taking up too much space.
• Team up with small groups which are working on renewable energy. Take part in community initiatives.

Where would you place your huge mansion furnished with all the luxuries, or drive your gas guzzler when there’s no planet to live on?

An edited version of the same article was published at Gawaahi.com as part of PSN’s contribution on World Environment Day ’11.

Studies show that today, the level of carbon dioxide found in the sea is the highest in several million years. Not only has the amount of carbon increased, but the sea levels are also rising at an alarming rate.

Sea food which makes our platter delectable and healthy is not getting the treatment that it deserves. We displayed our gratitude to the Gifts of the Sea by draining our untreated waste and sewage into the sea. People love sharing their joys and sorrows with the sea water, but when they return to their abodes they leave behind a good amount of litter. And if that is not enough, an oil spill or leakage may occur somewhere followed by an apologetic statement from the oil company as condolence.

If things remain the way they are, it is feared that the corals and sea weeds which provide food and habitat to several sea creatures may not survive for long. Mangrove forests maintaining the ecological balance are being harmed by polluted waters as well. They provide shelter to invertebrates, reptiles, birds and crabs and at the same time prevent sea erosion. Our irresponsible actions are affecting the breeding of several species of the marine life. Loss of habitat or overfishing is a knock-out punch for creatures living close to the coasts. This is a particular concern for those whose living depends on the sea.

Karachi, whose coastline stretches over 135 kilometres, has contaminated its marine life with toxic substances such as lead. This means while you may love to savour the sea delicacies, at the same time you are making yourself vulnerable to kidney failure, brain damage, etc.

What’s Brewing up in the Sea?

Our seas and oceans are under multiple pressures. Below is a brief snapshot of how climate change is rapidly destroying our marine life:

1. Increasing water temperatures: Fish and coral reefs live in water at a certain temperature, but climate change is making our oceans and seas warmer. This is not only killing fish and coral reefs, but other beings such as polar bears, walruses, seals, penguins, etc. are also disappearing.
2. Rising sea level: Melting glaciers are flooding the coastal habitats harming the mangrove forests which require a certain sea level for survival.
3. Coral bleaching: As the seas become warmer, the corals are gradually getting bleached which is affecting their growth and reproduction. Unable to survive under warm temperatures, the corals are losing their ability to provide shelter or food to the creatures that depend on them.
4. Severity of storms and cyclones: Yes, it is due to the disruption in our ecosystem due to which we are witnessing a sudden rise in storms, cyclones and tsunamis. Coral reefs and mangrove forests do not only add beauty, but they protect our coastal lines as well.
5. Ocean acidification: As already mentioned above, seas and oceans directly absorb carbon which mixes up with the water contaminating it with toxic substances. Not getting enough oxygen to breathe, the sea creatures will eventually die.
6. Saying farewell: The rising temperatures are causing several fishes to move up North or deep in the sea. Polar bears and penguins are also looking for a new habitat. Not able to find a suitable place to live these beings will eventually die.

Doing Our Bit!

There’s no denying the fact that if even now we do not introduce the concept of waste recycling, treatment and disposal the repercussions can be really devastating not only for the marine life, but for us humans as well. And introduction doesn’t just mean outlining it on paper, but implementing the idea and making it operational.

While we cannot make everything right in one day, there’s a need to plan out our actions to face possible future challenges. We all need to play our part by:

• coming together and realising the consequences of what we have put ourselves into,
• identifying the challenges that our environment is battling with,
• creating awareness of the climate change and its impact on our ecosystem,
• being cautious of not exploiting our resources,
• conserving our marine environment and
• keeping our beaches and sea water clean.

If you wish to live a healthy life, treat Mother Earth with love and care!

An edited version of the same article was published on Gawaahi.com as PSN’s contribution on Earth Day ’11.

Asif Iqbal is a development professional and a voluntary presenter in Pakistan with Al Gores’ The Climate Reality Project, a group of individuals around the world dedicated to educate stakeholders on climate crisis and seek sustainable solutions. You can contact him at asifoghi@yahoo.com 

Living with nature is the most sustainable way in human lives. People who feel concerned about sustainability and threats to human lives, such as climate catastrophes, now believe to seek sustainable solutions for healthy protected life instead of continuing arguments with skeptics. It is a common understanding that “when you disturb nature, in reaction nature disturbs you”. However, unfortunately this natural disturbance now affects poor people more than those who live with more resources. With recent trends, we have witnessed disasters in every part of the world whether it is hunger driven continent of Africa, developed region of Europe or growing economies of Asia. The only difference is the ability of people and countries who have more resilience and resources to cope with disasters than those who become vulnerable in the aftermath of calamities as support from their government and prevailing poverty continue with their lives. The world, as it faces challenges of economic crisis, can however sustain well being of people by living with nature and seeking ways alternate to cost expensive and artificial luxuries.  

In the context of Pakistan, where our country contributes less than a percent in global carbon emission and faces extreme poverty, well being of our people remains at higher risk. Changing weather patterns (delayed rains/deeper droughts, heat waves, unexpected monsoon, rain/snow storms) are now going towards extremes as a result of global environmental pollution. Many developing countries like Pakistan although do not stand responsible for this change in the earth eco system. However, with due respect and realization of importance for global advocacy to control pollution, the situation also demands us as a nation to transform our lives which can be compatible with nature, cost effective and sustainable. Also realizing the facts that the world politics has remained less progressive in Kyoto, Copenhagen, Cancun and lastly in Durban than what they should actually be, the need of local level actions and strong environment friendly government policies has thus become more vital.

There are number of ways we can transform our lives personally, ask our government to go green and achieve sustainability. We can think about those things which we can do without much external support or which we can advocate with governments as well. Let’s take as an example the basic need of the like i.e water. We should never underestimate the future water crisis despite the phenomenon that this year winter received heavy snowfall in Pakistan. Scientists predict that in future, rain patterns will be different and number of regions will face deeper droughts. So the first important step for us is to save every drop of water. There are number of ways we can save water. For example, innovative water conservation technique such as roof water harvesting has a lot of potential in Pakistan to preserve rainwater and bring it under use rather than wastage. Constructing rainwater ponds is another easy option, particularly in rural areas to store rainwater and use it for agriculture and livestock need. Similarly, at homes by repairing water taps and leaked joints, we can save lots of water. 

Simple behavioral change among people matters a lot. People, who use washrooms, particularly in cities, can save good quantity of water with a little change in their life style. An example is to use water pans for bathing rather than taking showers. Bathing is a good habit however in fact not necessary on daily basis. Adjusting toilet flush with a simple flush water reducer can also help protect water from wastage. We should realize the fact that protecting water today will definitely protect our future.

Now let’s think about the importance of forest in a natural life. Forest is life and important part of a sustainable healthy environment. We really need to realize that people understand importance of forest and tree plantation with smart use of available space and land in and around homes, schools and our fields. Given the fact that we faced huge losses in shape of massive flooding during 2010 and 2011 flooding in Pakistan, deforestation was one of the contributing factors that triggered flash flooding and destroyed houses and infrastructure. Importantly, forests help us protect from floods and landslides and improve air quality. Research shows that trees also help improving underground water table.  Similarly, growing fruit plants and vegetables along with seasonal crops has multiple benefits. At least everyone get relaxed when there is chilling heat during summer and someone finds a big green tree as shade and survive from weather extremes.

]]> http://www.sustainablepakistan.org/2012/02/guest-blog-sustainable-living-by-asif-iqbal/feed/ 0 http://www.sustainablepakistan.org/2012/01/ecowarriors-natasha-paracha/ http://www.sustainablepakistan.org/2012/01/ecowarriors-natasha-paracha/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:31:24 +0000 Fatima Arif http://www.sustainablepakistan.org/?p=1348 Natasha Paracha graduated in 2005 from the University of California Berkeley with honors in Political Science. She was crowned Miss Pakistan World in 2008, which is sure to give the readers the first impression that Natasha is involved in promotion of products or just a lip service ambassador for some cause. This however, is not the case. She is actively working for the promotion of the use of clean technology & sustainable development in Pakistan. Thus, she is on our list of ecoWarriors. To sum up her work:

“She is leveraging her development experience and reputation as a leader in women’s rights to expand IREO’s (Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Organization) work to Pakistan through programs that promote the use of affordable and clean sources of renewable energy. As the founder of the non-profit Vision of Development Natasha has worked to raise awareness of the 51 million Pakistanis do not have access to medical care and to emphasize the role of women in sustainable economic development”. 

Her passion for sustainability is not a new found. To quote her:

“I have been concerned with sustainability and the environment since I can remember. The environment should be a concern for all human beings for the betterment of generations to come”.

Given her association with sustainability, the fact that her work not only impacts other people & their environment, but it will have a positive impact on the future generations as well. Working with local leaders & entrepreneurs on clean technology & other related sustainability projects, Natasha comes across challenges on a daily bases. Tackling these challenges & moving ahead towards her goals is what adds to her pleasures. 

]]> http://www.sustainablepakistan.org/2012/01/ecowarriors-natasha-paracha/feed/ 0 http://www.sustainablepakistan.org/2011/12/the-dying-indus-delta/ http://www.sustainablepakistan.org/2011/12/the-dying-indus-delta/#comments Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:35:51 +0000 Xari Jalil http://www.sustainablepakistan.org/?p=1308 KARACHI: Once upon a time, the Sindhu River, flowed triumphantly into the Arabian Sea, regal, majestic, bragging of the beauty of the alluvial lands it left on its pathway. Today, thanks to lack of rains, and the construction of barrages and dams from Punjab to Sindh, its appearance at the Thatta-Sajawal bridge, seems to be only a wide strip of left over rain water.

It is the several contributing factors at stake that have changed this river into a sorry sight.

Rains for instance are what Pakistan needs the most, especially being an agricultural state. The Indus River too, apart from being fed by glaciers, depends upon rains, so that the summer monsoons and the Western Depressions can give it back any water lost in the middle.

Even though the land of Punjab manages to survive because of high annual rainfall, the Indus in Punjab and its tributaries have become scantier than before.

But Sindh undoubtedly suffers more.

It does not have enough rainfall, as it once used to and the river does not have enough water. Specifically it is the delta lands that have suffered more than any other place in Sindh over time. Over the past decade, more changes have come in the delta area of Sindh, than any other place, because of the changes in the River Indus.

Indus, which divides into several small tributaries at the mouth of the Arabian Sea, after a journey of about 3000 km, has now visibly retreated. The delta which is the fifth largest in the world, with about 17 creeks, covers a fan shaped area of about three million hectares. Presently, however the active Indus delta occupies an area of approximately 600,000 hectares with its apex to the south of Thatta. In all, it extends from Karachi to the Rann of Kutch. The delta forms a consistent alluvial plain with large extensive mud flats intervened by narrow creeks, which are remnants of old Indus tributaries.

But the delta lands that used to be wealthy in fertile soil and where villagers thrived by catching fish, are now dying a slow and horrible death. It has been deprived of the freshwater that nurtured its rich mangrove forests, fisheries, paddy rice and orchards.

In the past, there has been a silt discharge of over 400 million tons per year. The silt brought by the river now has largely diminished because the force of the river has also reduced. Due to the construction of dams and barrages and extensive engineering works upstream, the quantity of water and silt reaching the delta has drastically reduced, causing rapid reworking and transgression of the Indus delta. Both the river and the delta are threatened by the myopic policies of successive rulers and the building of barrages and large dams upstream.

The delta has throughout time also been ideal for agriculture. It was considered as a major red rice, sugarcane and banana source.

“In the 1930s there was so much red rice being produced here, that land owners used to give half of their rice away to the peasants working on their land,” says a villager of Keti Bunder. “Keti Bunder was a very large port in those times.” 

Other crops that used to be produced in large amounts were wheat, barley, gram, oil seeds, rice, maize, millet, cotton, and jowar. Fruits included the date palm, coconut, mango, fig, pomegranate, apple, peach, melon, banana, guava and papaya. But villagers say that the land has become so dry and barren now, that only a few crops survive in the intense heat. Of course this has also led to migration of people, leaving only empty villages behind them.

Speaking of better times, Shahid Baloch, who lives in a nearby village, says that he learnt from his elders that bananas were first planted in this area in 1928, before they spread out to the rest of the sub continent. They were of the Mumbai variety, he says.

“Believe it or not there used to be a forest in Keti Bunder,” he says. “That too has been wiped out because of the retreating Sindhu River.”

As a result of land infertility, there are only two tehsils that are inhabited. The rest are dead. These two are Keti Bunder and Khaaro Chaan. And these too, survive with extreme difficulty, especially since there is little drinking water available.

A British born Pakistani; Naila moved to Pakistan after her GCSE & continued with her studies here. She has done her BBA & MBA from National College of Business Administration & Economics. On the professional front she has interned with Tetra Pack Lahore, & then worked with Dupont Pakistan Operations Pvt Ltd where she worked in Marketing & Sales for NOMEX & Kevlar. From here she went to Unilever Factory in Rahim Yar Khan after her marriage where she worked for three years. There her last assignment was as the Development Manager for Unilever sponsored Government School. In 2005 Naila joined the Head Office based in Karachi as an Assistant Manager Corporate Affairs.

Naila’s focus is not solely on environmental issues, she is of the opinion that we need to focus of the sustainability of our communities & our society in a more holistic manner. This approach is what is going to help a much needed sustainable growth. Her approach started to see her practical contribution when she got involved with the Unilever sponsored Government School around six & a half years back. This project is also the stepping stone for her entrance into the CSR sector, which she found more fulfilling than Marketing.

Being a Business graduate with a Marketing specialization myself & confronting at times the complex issue of maintaining a balance between marketing & CSR, I couldn’t help but ask her whether the two were compatible. Unlike, the most popular responses that range from a straight ‘No’ to ‘Depends’ & ‘Can be’, I got an assuring ‘definitely’ for a change. She supports her response with quite convincing logic of a need for a social economic integration. To put it in simpler words; in order for business to prosper, they need a strong community. In this series the business can & does work in creating awareness & helping in building the needed strong community through the CSR programs. As a result, when people of the community are better off economically & have a much better awareness level they will be purchasing more anyways; making this a win-win situation. 

]]> http://www.sustainablepakistan.org/2011/12/ecowariors-naila-ismail-mir/feed/ 0 http://www.sustainablepakistan.org/2011/12/guest-blog-being-a-vegetarian-in-pakistan-by-omar-farooq/ http://www.sustainablepakistan.org/2011/12/guest-blog-being-a-vegetarian-in-pakistan-by-omar-farooq/#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:32:21 +0000 Fatima Arif http://www.sustainablepakistan.org/?p=1315

Omar Farooq is a final year undergrad business student at Forman Christian College. You can find him on Twitter @Omarfarooq_

I, the mutant specimen, was born into a meat devouring, red blooded Punjabi family.  It would be disingenuous of me to say that I do not like the taste of meat. As a matter of fact, I still crave for a juicy steak or chicken barbeque, the common belief that the smell of meat makes a vegetarian nauseate does not hold true in my case, on the contrary it makes me feel weak at the knees. Now that you know little my background you can appreciate my family’s outrage and disappointment when I told them I had decided to be a vegetarian. I had a coming out moment with my mother when I first professed my love for vegetables; her nonplussed reaction after few moments was, ‘but why?’  The most interesting reaction came from an aunty at a wedding when I was trying to avoid everything chicken and meat on the table, she said to my mother, ‘mein tay phelay keya se munday nu Christian college na paij’ (I told you, not to send your boy to a Christian college) verbatim. It has been six months but I still enjoy the first expressions of dubiety and disbelief when I tell someone that I am a vegetarian.  The incredulity later meets skepticism, some suggest a brewing existential crisis, I entrainment myself with the notion that maybe a change of car can alter my eating habits, others think that I have converted to Hinduism? I love when everything in Pakistan is attributed to religion from your eating habits to how one sits in the lavatory, when it comes to religion nothing is off the table, not even meat. Truth be told, it is rather hard to be a vegetarian in a country like Pakistan, for starters there is not much on the menu, your options are very limited. You will find yourself in awkward situations, especially at weddings and parties where everything has to be something-chicken e.g. chicken brayani, chicken karahi, chicken korma, chicken this, chicken that ad infinitum and if your guests are a little creative you just might find chicken-mutton. At moments like this one realizes what motivated Alanis Morissette to write ‘It’s like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife’ ironic? I thought so.  

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