Fall is one of my favorite times of the year.  I like to sit on the grass at FJ Park in the afternoon to enjoy the perfect weather. But this year is different, and, I’m afraid, things will never be the same. At the back of my head, is the nervousness about the recent terror that has been created in the capital. I avoid going out as much as possible, and when I do, I eventually get stuck in some queue at the police checkpoints, and wonder how many cars ahead of me an ‘incident’ would take out if it were to happen now. And when it’s my turn to be ‘checked’, I see a fear in their eyes too and feel a slight sympathy for them. We can curse the terrorists all we want, but thinking about it now, it was us that chose this enemy when the 9/11 tragedy happened.

So I’ve been curious about the different types of beggars around the city. It seems they all attend beggar academy and belong to one or another school of thought. This is evident from their begging style.

First, and most annoying, is the loudspeaker pitched, dark colored, short bearded (may be white), blind (not really) man accompanied by a young girl or boy. You can hear their very strange chants from the other end of the street. They can be found roaming the streets everywhere.

The second frequent one to run into are the boys with the shoulder bags. They are fairly well dressed, and all seem to have gelled hair. They all have the same sales pitch, which starts with ‘asalam alaykum aik baat kehni hae’, and can even instantly start weeping if you ignore them. They are mostly found in the 7th Avenue store parking area and whereabouts. I wonder what they carry in those shoulder bags.

And then there is the couple with the shopping bag full of clothes. They have come from some distant village and have somehow run out of money. So, in order to help them get back home, I gave them some money. An hour later, I saw them begging again in another market and I had to ask why they didn’t leave for home already. “O ji un paeson sae tu ham nae samosay shamosay kha liyay” was the smirking reply.

Another type is the one that asks for a lift in your car. He’ll soften you up with his crutches, and as you approach the destination, he’ll tell you the story that destroyed his life and about his children starving at home. I remember I used to see the same person everyday using the same technique.

Lets not forget the old short men around the Gourmet bakery area. I’ve been seeing these same faces for decades, as have my parents before me. These are the true masters of the weeping face.

And there are many many more (the pathans with the tools in Blue Area), but I’ll just mention a relatively new one. These are found in the F-11/G-11 areas. A couple, with their kids, on a donkey cart. The last one even deliberately parked in front of my car to make sure I glance at his begging gesture.

I suppose this practice seeps down from above, and for what its worth, at least these people are not stealing.

Oh and the sight of the ‘couples’ made me uncomfortable using my camera so no pictures for now.

Location: Hassan Arcade , F-11 Markaz

Daman-e-koh with little moon

Look closely at the magnificent brush strokes!

Where was Rawal Dam when this shot was being taken!

No photograph or words can express the magnificence of this sunset (FJ Park)

What a treat we had yesterday. Those of us that went out and looked towards the skies, at least. First, there were the beautiful variations of color and form in the skies. Next came an awesome sunset. And then came night, and along with it, bolts of lightning everywhere. Forgive the blasphemy (for that is not an intention here), but somebody up there celebrated earth day with us ;)