Many years ago, this journalist worked in a monthly magazine in Lahore, but in plain words, in a digest. Small magazines are understaffed; sub-editors have to do a lot of work, from translating to proofreading and copying to editing the whole paper. The advantage is that man learns very much.
The habit of proofreading is still there today. Young people in my magazine section ask how your eyes can immediately find the error while looking at the full-page color edition. I wonder what to answer. Perhaps in the scorching summer afternoons, and shivering in the cold winter days, with trembling hands, reading every single line of a two and a half hundred-page digest and marking with a pencil sharpened my gaze.
When there is a fear that the readers of the magazine will write a complaint letter for an error, workers there have to be alert and diligent at all times. Some of our magazines and newspapers have been such that even their senior readers read the advertisements with gusto and when they catch any spelling mistake, they write a proud compliant letter.
In the same pamphlet, I once translated an article from the well-known English magazine Reader’s Digest. In today’s sense, this was a motivational article, written by a white motivational speaker like Arif Anis Malik. He wrote the story of a newly married woman who used to cut off a piece whenever she cook chicken-related items.
One day the husband noticed it. At first, he stood firm so that the Home Ministry would not be offended by the interruption. Then, just as some men have a passion for being brave, he dared to ask why. The woman was unhappy at first as to why this man is interfering in my work today. Well then her love came back, she smiled like kind wives and said, Mom used to do that.
The husband was puzzled to hear why Mom (mother-in-law) used to do this, what scientific formula is hidden in it. He continued his questions. The wife got angry and started shouting. But the talk did not end and they finally called the Mom. She heard this problem and immediately replied, very simple because my mother used to do that. Now the matter went to Naniji’s (Grandmother) court.
The young couple decided to resolve the issue. When this problem was mentioned to grandmother, she thought for a minute and then said: At that time, I had a small pot and it was difficult to cook whole chicken in it, so I would cut off the top piece so that the lid could be closed.
In his story, the Motivational Speaker of Reader’s Digest first advised the readers that there is nothing wrong with finding out the truth (especially if it is a matter of intelligence agencies and missing persons etc.). See how this husband raised the question and then the research corrected a mistake made in that family for three generations.
Then it was suggested that you change the spectacle of life, you do not have to do the same thing that your mother, grandmother did. You have your own life, your own mood, your own age, spend it on your own. Look at things from a different angle and enjoy the new, and so on.
I remembered reading a friend’s column. There is no need to mention his name, now his fame has become his beard. Who is the lucky one on Facebook who is not familiar with the bearded man? The book with the same name was released, the second edition is also about to end. Beloved writer has a very good habit of changing his spectacles.
His beauty is that he keeps changing the lens of seeing the world. One tries to see and show everything from a completely different angle. Ideas are unique and untouched. Some ideas may follow, many may seem impractical, but all touch the heart.
After reading his various blogs, I came up with the idea that instead of really enjoying our new things, we save them and spoil the taste. After reading, I thought that I have done all these things too. Why? Probably our elders have been taking such precautions, we also imitate it without thinking.
The next day I read an old blog of Hasnain and was shocked. He drew a map of a house under construction and explained how we build a house in the old fashioned way. They don’t pay attention to the things that should be given importance and the whole focus is on creating a typical drawing room.
After reading this, the thought came that do we really build a house for ourselves or for a formal guest who comes once in six months? There are many things that we do not even think about. I read these ideas, enjoy them, and then I wish I could put them into practice.
Maybe it’s the man’s own temperament. Life is not just about thoughts and ideas, something emanates from within you too. Everyone has their own attitude, their own reaction to particular music, movies, books, tourism, etc. However, a lot can be groomed in it. Like driving, typing and other professional skills, I believe that new ways of living and new tastes can be learned.
We are two brothers. My mood is to try new things, to experience them. New food, new dishes, new movies, books on new topics, a new way of going to a particular place attracts me. My brother, of course, only looks at mutton, Karahi, etc and wants the regular things.
I have no problem with all of them. Everyone has their own right to enjoy, I respect that. My insistence is that there is nothing wrong with living, eating, thinking and doing something. We should also try what has not been done to date. Maybe you don’t like it, maybe you like it a lot.
