Green and white

Last weekend I was invited to an event hosted by Young Pakistan. Young Pakistan is an organization founded by a handful of individuals as an attempt to do something for their country. This is actually a very cool thing to do as they have their professional lives alongside and thus mostly have to work weekends for this project.

The best thing about this project is that there are no sky-rocketing aims like total elimination of poverty, corruption, illiteracy, unemployment or pollution. There are no long-term plans or deadlines. For now they’re taking it slow, aiming to portray a softer image of Pakistan. It all works on self-financing and meager donations. Here are a bunch of people willing to give whatever they can for the greater good. They started off with a “Flag Movement”. It was pretty simple; get miniature flag stickers made and get people to paste them on the back of their cars.

I went to see a movie a couple of months back and they all start with the national anthem. It ended up being really emotional; the anthem blaring out, a series of pictures of the flag and monuments of Pakistan staring at my face reminding me what a blessing it is to live in an independent country, even if it is a bit screwed up currently. That green and white simplistic piece of cloth has this strange humbling power. So being the aim of the “Flag Movement”; getting to see that flag every time we check our rearview mirror might somehow remind us where we come from and on what principles the country was created in the first place.

Anyway, back to last weekend. The target area was Capital Park, one of my favourite places in the world. (Last time a gathering was held at Civil Junction so it was a bit difficult to restrain youngsters when they were surrounded by sheesha, waffles, ice cream and well ‘scenery’. This time was quite better as more controlled individuals were involved). We were to roam the parking lot and “flag” as much cars as possible; WITH permission of course. We came across all sorts of people; most of them I’m happy to say were quite cool but there were many ignorant ones too. I was aware that people can be a bit emotional about sticking stuff on their cars so we gave them a choice; the glass or the body!

My favourite was this gentleman who got out of his car, saw what was going on and highly appreciated us for our efforts. There was also a young couple who asked their kid to help “aunty” do her job. (I was taken a back with the “aunty” but then again the kid WAS 17 years younger and well, anything for the country). There was also a bet of who’d bag a certain Mercedes roaming the parking lot. A few families even asked for some extra stickers for their family and friends.

We approached these two chain-smoking early 20’s and related our story. They said they couldn’t as it was their dad’s car and he might not like it. I wanted to blurt out why ‘dad’ didn’t have a problem with his kid smoking his lungs out as well as being responsible for the probable etching of nicotine (or whatever residue) on the insides of the same car. I had to restrain myself with great difficulty of course.

Another incident that got my blood boiling was when a man declared that he already had a sticker and showed us this lame triangular thing with something about the parliament on it; also declaring that it was the true flag as it controlled the country. Well, not that he was wrong but it still couldn’t stop me for wishing to make his bald head balder! We also emotionally blackmailed this teenager who had Manchester United’s sticker on the back of his car. It was an easy win J

Why of all things awareness for the Flag you may ask? The bitter reality is that we, the people are so severely divided and low on tolerance these days. If one person throws a rock, the other responds with a bigger one. It’s as if the only thing common amongst us is our flag, the only thing we can’t disagree upon (hopefully); it is not part of religion or the country’s different cultures prevailing the four provinces. We just don’t realise its significance. If all of us can at least accept that we are under ONE flag and one flag alone then that’s a start right? If we can’t even do that then maybe there really is no hope.

The whole activity was quite exhausting but I’m glad I did it. Somehow, deep inside I felt I was making a difference; be it an almost non-existent surge of patriotic emotion in someone’s heart. My unsurpassed social skills were on roll of course. But jokes apart, almost every time we explained what we were doing to someone I saw this light in their eyes, the kind we have when we know there’s still hope; as if some people out there still care and want to make a difference. I think I’ve finally got why our national poet, Allama Iqbal always put so much emphasis on the nation’s youth.

It was the “grownups” mess to make and it’s ours to clean up. And cleanup we shall. One step at a time.