The Uplifting and the Heartbreaking – September 26, 2013

Life.  It can uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time, in the same place about the same people.

The uplifting.  Watch it for yourself at http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2013/09/18/pakistan-smartphone-app-success-mohsin-pkg.cnn.html.  It warms your heart, and makes your chest swell with pride. Eyedues Labs, a nascent Pakistani company comprising of young students who have developed an app that merges two pictures together to allow the photographer to be in the picture.  An ingenious idea, solving a real-life problem, and executed well enough to attract the attention of Google, which flew all members of the company to Northern California for a mentoring program.  As if this was not enough, another surprise! Plan 9, a program to foster innovation using the latest technologies is being funded and backed by the Pakistani government.  Amongst the torrent of news of government corruption and general lawlessness in Pakistan, it was like a breath of unexpected fresh air that the same government is actually beginning to take a few steps to leverage the intellect and industriousness of the Gen-Y of Pakistan.  I hope this effort continues, and brings more positive news from Pakistan.

The heartbreaking.  After reading the very short article at http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013/09/24/city/lahore/kidnapping-racket-busted-police-arrest-27-forcing-children-to-beg/, the only question that comes to mind is – how is this possible in this day and age?  But I realize worse things happen in the world every day.  As far as Pakistan is concerned, if you do go there, you will see beggars on the streets.  And they will usually be children.  You also read about the gangs who abduct these children and force them to beg.  It is all very real.  (Read the fictional account of this horrific reality in http://www.amazon.com/The-Rat-Boys-Karalabad-Zulfiqar-Rashid/dp/1928704484/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380259450&sr=8-1&keywords=zulfiqar+rashid)  But this kind of news still hits you like a sledgehammer.  This is not what you want to hear about your home country.  If there is any silver lining, it is that the news is about the capture of the gang, consisting of both men and women, which was kidnapping children and using them as beggars, even though the gang leader escaped.

I can only hope that this is the start of a change, one that was recognized by the editorial board of the NY Times in the September 10 issue at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/11/opinion/pakistans-peaceful-transition.html?smid=tw-share.  Who knows, maybe the change in the government will also make a change in the destiny of Pakistan.