Page 10 - Pakistan Link - December 31, 2021

P10 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 31, 2021 OPINION
n By Dr Syed Amir How Green Was My Town ly remember going around with him to greet
Bethesda, MD them on festive occasions such as Diwali. I es-
pecially looked forward to a choice of scrump-
t was a small, peaceful town with a pop- tious sweets that were invariably offered. In
ulation of less than 22,000 that had not turn, we received father’s friends and visitors
Ichanged much over many, many years. on Eid, following the end of Ramadan. Sadly,
The nearest railway station was in another some conservative Hindus, even on festive oc-
town, some fifteen miles casions, could not accept food prepared by a
away, accessible via unreli- Muslim host. This practice did circumscribe
able rickety buses that often easy interactions on a social level between the
broke down. Even when two communities. But on weddings and simi-
they moved, it took them lar celebratory occasions, the problem was
two or more hours to cover circumvented by hiring Hindu cooks who pre-
the short distance to the rail- pared separate food for non-Muslim guests.
way station. Sahaswan, within the district The unhurried pace of town life sig-
of Badaun in Utter Pradesh, was the town nificantly quickened during the hot summer
where my family had lived continuously for months, when a host of students and those
five centuries. No one knew its history, but employed outside returned home on break.
it was believed to have served once as the The town was surrounded by a belt of mangoes
capital of an ancient Hindu kingdom. orchards and guava trees and twilight hours
When I was growing up, it had no elec- often resonated with the melodious calls of fe-
tricity, running water, or telephone services male Indian koel that heralded the arrival of
and the news from the outside world filtered blossom. In the evenings, soft fragrance of Rat
in through a few battery-operated radios. And ki Rani (Jessamine) wafted through the gentle
even this link was unreliable. Bulky batteries there were no major crimes apart from rare the constellations. When the moon was full, breeze. For me, following a stressful few weeks
needed to operate radios did not last for long cases of family disputes which occasionally got one could virtually read a newspaper at night. during the annual examination at Aligarh
and had to be frequently recharged. To save the violent. Murders, robberies, rapes or mugging My earliest memories of the winter mornings Muslim University, the home town provided
battery power, radios were turned on only on were unheard of, although pick-pocketing in- are associated with the sounds of geese flying a place of refuge, offering security in famil-
special occasions, such as an important speech cidents were more frequent. A few ill-trained high, in military-like formations, having spent iar faces and places. Sahaswan had a sizeable
by national leaders, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maula- and ill-equipped policemen, lorded over by a the night by the nearby lake. It was commonly population of highly literate people, schooled
na Azad, or intrusion of traumatic events, such sub-inspector, usually seen whiling away the believed that they flew all the way from Cen- in traditional scholarship, Eastern languages,
as the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. time at the lone police station, were sufficient tral Asia to escape harsh winters and were religion, philosophy and poetry. The summer
In the section of the town where my fam- to keep the peace. Most town folks preferred heading towards the warm southern climes. evenings saw a proliferation of literary activi-
ily lived, almost everyone was related, closely not to have any contacts with them. They would undertake a return trip in early ties, Mushairas and Bait Bazi competitions
or distantly, as marriages were strictly within Commercial activities centered on a small spring, following a routine they had instinc- that were popular and well attended.
the clan. Few strangers had any reason to visit marketplace that came alive in the late after- tively pursued over the ages. More than five decades have passed since
Sahaswan, and virtually everyone knew ev- noon. However, life in both the town and the Sahaswan had no industry or business I last visited Sahaswan following my return
eryone else in the town. Rarely, when an un- bazaar came to a virtual halt as darkness fell, and many residents were dependent on ances- from England on completion of my education,
familiar face was spotted, the person instantly and the town was progressively suffused in a tral lands for which they collected annual rent before my parents came to join me in Pakistan.
became the object of curiosity, which was not serene and quaint tranquility. The streets were from peasants who ploughed the fields and Most people I knew there, family and friends,
satisfied until the antecedents of the stranger dimly lit at night by paraffin lamps mounted harvested the crops. Consequently, it never at- have already gone. I have no doubt the town
were ascertained. The close family connec- on poles at street corners. They brightened tracted a significant number of outsiders. The has changed in many ways and its new features
tions brought both rewards and problems. the area for a few feet underneath them, while zamindari system that had discouraged people and contours may no longer be readily recog-
As a child, I knew that some adult was always casting eerie shadows farther along. In winter, from acquiring any saleable skills or education nizable to me.
around, and mischievous conduct would bring the silence came early, and late at night one came to an end after independence, ushering When viewed through the fog of time,
swift admonition. could hear the howls of jackals in the distance in a period of hardship and painful adjust- recollections and memories tend to get dis-
While many amenities were either frag- who intermittently wandered in search of ment. However, the communities lived in har- torted, the mind over years selectively filtering
mentary or nonexistent, the postal system food. The occasional weddings brought a wel- mony. During the tragic and tumultuous pe- those that are less alluring. The advice against
functioned reliably, one of the legacies of the come break from the monotony, even though riod that the country underwent in the wake revisiting places to which one holds long, sen-
British colonial rule that had established an such festivities were much more modest affairs of partition and independence, Sahaswan did timental attachment may still be most judi-
honest and efficient postal system throughout compared to the lavish modern-day ceremo- experience some tensions, but happily it never cious, as we are likely to get disillusioned. “You
the subcontinent. Newspapers usually arrived nies common in the subcontinent. saw any communal riots or acts of violence. can never go home again.”
a few days late but were much cherished. Few Wintry nights offered special delights. Going back three generations, my ances- (Dr Syed Amir is a former Assistant Pro-
could afford to subscribe, but the papers were With little or no pollution and the absence of tors had been practitioners of the Unani sys- fessor, Harvard Medical School, and a health
shared and read cover to cover, before being ambient streetlights, one could have a spec- tem of medicines, or Hakims. My father had a science administrator, US National Institutes
discarded. Life moved at a leisurely pace, and tacular view of the star-studded night sky and number of Hindu friends and patients. I fond- of Health)
Why Is America So Sad? And Where Do We Find Joy?

n By Dr David Ayers 2021, compared to only 20% of those who go to
PA church only one to three times per month, and
15% of folk who never do so.
study by the Harvard Graduate I have ties to several pastors due to the
School of Education—based on an things I write and speak about. Across the
A October 2020 poll released in Feb- board, the churches that had the best atten-
ruary 2021—deserved widespread media dance and giving through the pandemic were
coverage. It got almost none. those that were highly intentional in going
Given what was going on above and beyond and staying connected with
this past February, that is not each member of their congregations. The vis-
surprising. But it is regret- ible differences between children in healthy
table, nonetheless. families, and adults in good marriages, has also
The study found that we never been more obvious. We are not meant
were in the midst of a growing to go through life solo, especially during hard
“epidemic of loneliness” that, already bad, has times. We need each other, not hard drugs nor
been made much worse by the pandemic. And escape by other means.
that was before this thing dragged on and on Ecclesiastes reminds us that “a three-fold
even after effective vaccines became universally cord is not quickly broken.” In times like these,
available to Americans. The report notes that the 2018 edition of the GSS is startling. It is by more than double, from 6% to 14%. Never it’s worth remembering some lyrics of James
the pandemic had “exposed wide holes in our clear that the problems Harvard uncovered did married? 20% to 35%. Divorced or separated? Taylor: “Shower the people you love with love.”
social fabric” that reminded us just how much not improve, given that lonely people tend to 22% to 30%. High school graduate? 15% to It goes without saying that there has never been
we depend on “the warmth and care of others.” be, well, less happy. Nor, given what the GSS 27%. College graduate or higher? 10% to 18%. a worse time to sever ties of friendship and
Which of course we have much less of, thanks tells us, should all these overdose deaths sur- Working class? 15% to 27%. Middle class? 12% family over temporal politics, as so many have
to the pandemic. But the relational gaps, in- prise us. to 18%. People who never attend religious ser- done.
cluding divisions and even hostility tearing at To describe the drop in happiness between vices? 18% to 28%. People who do so at least Beyond that, there is an Anchor much
our primary bonds, were already in place. 2018 and 2021 as “steep” is an understatement. weekly? 12% to 17%. more reliable and profound than our loved
As if that wasn’t bad enough, we got the The percentages reporting they were “very I could go on, but you get the idea. Steep ones, important as these are to us. This Anchor
bitter news about overdose deaths a few weeks happy” dropped by about a third, from 30% to declines in “very happy” were also evident has sustained men and women throughout
ago. As of April 2021, we hit 100,300 such 20%. Meanwhile, “not too happy” increased by across the board. history, even when everything else has failed
deaths, up 29% from last year. Opioid overdos- almost 40%, from 14% to 23%. That’s almost a That said, notice that those who enjoyed them. His name is Jesus Christ.
es alone were up 35%, killing 207 Americans quarter of the adult population saying they’re regular association with others do so much He is the ultimate source of joy, the pre-
every day. unhappy. better. In measured loneliness and happiness, mier fountain of happiness.
We can add to this the insights we gained This cuts across lines of sex, marital sta- married adults fare much better than every- (Dr David J. Ayers is the Fellow for Mar-
from the latest General Social Survey (GSS) tus, educational level, social class, and reli- one else. Those who attend religious services riage and Family with the Institute for Faith
conducted December 2020 to May 2021. Com- gious commitment. It is all of us. For example, regularly do better and changed less. In fact, & Freedom. His latest book is “Christian Mar-
paring measured overall happiness levels with among married folk, “not too happy” increased 29% described themselves as “very happy” in riage: A Comprehensive Introduction.”)
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