Page 22 - Pakistan Link - November 15, 2019

P22 – PAKISTAN LINK – NOVEMBER 15, 2019 COMMENTARY
n By Faiza Zia Khan tending this wedding I was intro-
Newport Beach, CA Navigating the Culture of “Rishtas” and Weddings duced to a new position of a “rishtay
walay uncle”. This retired gentleman
food, and colorful attire. The bride with salt and pepper hair and a dis-
eddings are an impor- and the groom’s families leave no tinguished moustache looked trust-
tant rite of passage in expense spared towards the event worthy as he delivered a well-re-
Wany habitat. It could be a and ensure hospitality is extended hearsed speech about what it is that
lavish affair lasting several days or to the fullest towards their guests. he does for the local Pakistani com-
just obtaining a marriage license - I recently returned from an munity. I praised him for his efforts
it is all considered out-of-town family wedding en- as finding a good match anywhere
a part of the getting compassing over a few days. I par- these days is hard. He talked to me
married process. ticipated in the tail-end of the fes- about the challenges he faced while
As a teenage tivities as I could not spare several trying to the bring the community
girl I remember days due to obligations and respon- together for a common good cause.
my grandmother sibilities, yet I fully experienced the His issues mostly circled around
proudly showing off euphoria and the excitement at- the prevalence of fraud and lies,
gold jewelry that had been handed tached to a wedding in our culture. incorrect or inadequate informa-
down generations from her grand- The bride looked ravishing and the tion, misrepresentation, and lack
mother to her mother and then to groom was smiling from ear-to- of response and interest from the
my mother and potentially to me ear. I found out through the family parties made his job difficult. He
on my wedding - when I get mar- grapevine that this match was made alluded to the fact that people were
ried! Looking back I smile at the possible by the relentless efforts of a not entirely honest about their sta-
way my grandmother very success- “rishtay walee auntie”. These rishtay nineties these rishtay walee aun- Surprisingly, the rishtay walee tus or background. “I am conscien-
fully smoothed over and incentiv- walee aunties” predominantly are ties had serious influence over the aunties gained notoriety with the tious and I cannot take this matter
ized the whole idea of marriage in senior housewives who make a mothers of young men and women advent of the digital age. I thought lightly. I want to be able to sleep at
my rebellious teenaged brain - Want lucrative career out of providing who were out there seeking po- in this era of “Artificial Intelligence” night thinking that I did the right
heirloom jewelry- Get married! match-making services to the local tential matches for their brood. I (AI) where the vibe is all about tak- thing. Beta, you are too young to
Weddings, brides, grooms, community. remember my friend came over to ing control, finding independence, understand the implications of how
rings, flowers are part of a univer- Two decades ago weddings my house one evening and broke being your own person, and hav- a bad match can damage lives, and
sal language that we are all social- used to be a hot spot for potential down in tears that she will not be ing limitless freedom of choice the have a negative impact that lasts
ized into. Weddings transcend geo- match-making. Rishtay walee aun- around much longer. I almost had rishtay walee aunties have finally generations,” he said with a sad look
graphical, political, or economical ties kept a close eye on the blossom- a massive cardiac thinking she has morphed into websites. Lo and be- in his eyes. I could not agree with
boundaries. Everyone understands ing young ladies and young men in been diagnosed with a terminal ill- hold, I discovered that in our com- him more.
weddings, puzzle solved. South- the family and friend circles with ness. Sobbing uncontrollably, she munities rishtay walee aunties still (Faiza Zia Khan holds a Mas-
Asian weddings in general have a the hopes of finding suitable mates. informed me that her mother had prevail. Not only were they in pop- ter’s in Journalism degree from the
reputation of putting on a display Weddings gave them a free pass to given her photo and bio-data (this ular demand, the Pakistani com- University of British Columbia,
of affluence, power, connections, interview these targets in person, was the term used by rishtay walee munity preferred and favored them Canada. She has collaborated with
and influence in the community. figure out their personality traits aunties for personal details) to find as their services were confidential news media outlets including Glob-
No matter what we say or do festive and find commonalities to make in- a suitable boy for her. Laugh all you and low-key. Pakistani parents to al National and actively volunteers
weddings are a part of our heritage. troductions. Rishtaay walee aunties want now, but it was an epic event this day are not comfortable with for several community investment
Although it may not be true for ev- fiercely navigated the social scene for us then in unassumingly inno- the idea of personal information projects for the Red Cross, United
eryone with our cultural group the with their treasured diary they had cent times. and photos of their prized brood Way and the Breast Cancer Founda-
popular trend is to have some fes- held close to them circa 1979. When These rishtay walee aunties floating around in cyber sphere in a tion)
tivities to celebrate the union of the prodded on why do they still keep have now evolved into interactive “single, ready to mingle” state. (Faiza Zia Khan holds a Mas-
betrothed. the diary from 1979 they responded websites asking for the most inti- Previously this role was taken ter’s in Journalism degree from the
Personally, I have attended it was hard to update it to the cur- mate details of your life fed into a on by female members of the com- University of British Columbia,
weddings from varying religious rent year as it had the phone num- data base and run by algorithms munity but I also found out that Canada. She has collaborated with
practices and cultures but have bers since the time they had just that promise to find you your “hap- this role has evolved with time. It news media outlets including Glob-
found Pakistani/ Indian weddings started their services. This diary pily ever after”. It is ironic we feel has broken the gender confines and al National and actively volunteers
to surpass all levels of extravagance was the golden key to all the single, safe in filling out an electronic pro- modified into a different category as for several community investment
and indulgence. It is not uncommon eligible bachelors and bachelorettes file but find a rishtay walee auntie’s now certain senior male members projects for the Red Cross, United
that the celebrations span over sev- in the community. most basic questions intrusive and of the community have also taken Way and the Breast Cancer Founda-
eral days filled with music, dancing, During late eighties and early nosy. upon this responsibility. While at- tion)
n By Sanya Mansoor Air Pollution Turns India’s Capital Authorities said the restriction will lead to a
Time reduction of almost 1.2 million registered ve-
hicles in New Delhi every day, according to
ir pollution levels in India’s capi- the Associated Press.
tal soared to hazardous levels last The current levels of air pollution in Del-
Aweek, leaving a toxic grey haze hi is particularly dangerous because of the
hanging over the city and causing poor presence of tiny particulate matter referred
visibility. The pollution has been so perva- to as PM 2.5. These particles are “many times
sive that national monuments were largely smaller than the diameter of a strand of hu-
obscured by thick smog. Many who ven- man hair,” Limaye says. They are “extraordi-
ture outside suffer teary eyes and troubling narily damaging because they can bypass our
coughs. natural defense mechanisms — coughing or
Delhi was already considered one of the sneezing or swallowing — to get deep into
world’s most polluted cities, and it’s only got- the respiratory tract and actually enter our
ten worse this month. Air quality deteriorat- lungs and bloodstream,” he explains.
ed so significantly that the local government The peak levels of pollution in Delhi
declared a public health emergency, schools early November far surpass the WHO’s stan-
were shut down, and flights were cancelled. dards for PM 2.5 levels. On Nov. 3, the level
By one estimate, breathing Delhi’s air for one of PM 2.5 was more than 23 times higher
day has the health impacts of smoking at than the corresponding WHO air quality
least 25 cigarettes. Although Delhi typically guidelines, according to data from the Indian
experiences marked increases in air pollu- Central Pollution Control Board.
tion around November, this year’s pollution freight vehicles, combined to create a “per- thorities of “passing the buck” on dealing Smog is not uncommon in India’s capi-
prompted Delhi’s Chief Minister, Arvind Ke- fect storm of pollution,” Limaye says. with the crisis. tal, where pollution levels reach such high
jriwal, to call the city a “gas chamber.” The weather — slowing winds and stag- The Supreme Court also ordered a ban levels that visibility is reduced and it is hard
nant air — also allowed for a build-up in on farmers burning crop stubble to clear their to make out the color of traffic signals. In-
A ‘perfect storm’ pollution. The grey skies also come less than fields in nearby states. The government’s en- dia has long exceeded the WHO’s standards
Delhi typically experiences “striking a week after Diwali, which is celebrated by vironmental monitoring agency found that for air pollution. A study in Lancet Planetary
spikes in air pollution” in the late-fall early- many with fireworks — even though the Su- satellite pictures showed more than 3,000 Health found that in 2017 the average pollu-
winter time period, although the deteriora- preme Court has banned most of them. incidents of such agricultural burning in tion PM 2.5 level across India was nine times
tion of air quality this year is particularly Eric Holthaus, a meteorologist, tweeted neighboring states, amounting to almost half the annual mean measure recommended
concerning, Vijay Limaye, climate change that New Delhi was facing a “climate emer- of the city’s pollution, Reuters reported. by the WHO and that these small particles
and health science fellow at the Natural gency.” “Delhi is choking every year and we are resulted in 670,000 outdoor deaths in 2017.
Resources Defense Council who has been unable to do anything,” said Supreme Court That’s a sizeable proportion of the total 2.94
studying air quality in India, tells TIME. Government intervention Justice Arun Mishra, according to the BBC. million global deaths from outdoor deaths
“We’re exceeding the measurement ca- As many Delhi residents stayed cooped The government also called for a two- related to PM 2.5 particles that same year,
pabilities” of some of these pollution particle up indoors, India’s government and courts week “odd-even” license plate program to according to the Institute for Health Metrics
sensors, Limaye says, explaining that the pol- ordered short-term measures aimed at curb- reduce the number of cars on the road; vehi- and Evaluation.
lution levels were “effectively off the charts.” ing pollution and keeping the public healthy. cles with an odd-number license plate would Twenty-two of the world’s 30 worst most
A combination of human and environmental At least five million masks were distributed, only be allowed to travel on odd dates, while polluted cities are in India, according to a
factors, including agricultural crop burning according to Kejriwal. The Supreme Court those with an even-number license plate 2018 study from AirVisual and Greenpeace.
to clear fields and fumes from passenger and weighed in on Monday, accusing state au- would only be allowed to travel on even days. POLLUTION, P24
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