They Don’t Know I Took This Picture
This is one of the ten thousand blurry shots that I’d taken during my lifetime. This particular picture isn’t as blurry as it appears here. I think WordPress does something to the photographs we upload: compressing them, perhaps, to save whatever it is they save? Anyway, I did not delete this picture because it’s special.
These gentlemen look after and work in a huge date plantation in Sharjah. I wanted to see and photograph such a place – as if I didn’t have enough pictures of date-palm trees already – so Masood asked around. His friend knows a friend who knows a friend who knows another friend who knows one of the guys shown in the picture above. He came to pick us up one morning, and off we drove up and down several dunes, carefully watching out for sand storms and shifting sands, to reach this farm (there is slight exaggeration here. Ok, fine; a whole lot of exaggeration).
So this picture is special because it portrays India-Pakistan friendship; two of them are from Hyderabad, one from Rawalpindi. And they’re very good friends. And they are very nice people too. They showed us around, patiently waited while I took my time taking pictures, and offered us ice-cold cola and freshly-baked bread. They even asked us to stay for lunch! We didn’t stay, of course. Instead, we asked the gentleman who drove us back home to join us for lunch, which he politely declined since he had an appointment later that day.
To the nice gentlemen – who do not know I took this picture or that this blog even exists – thank you for your hospitality.
Pictures from the plantation coming up next!
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So that is how a date plantation looks like! It resembles the oil-palm plantation in Malaysia.
The only drawback is that we can’t eat the ripe oil-palm fruit just like we eat dates. lol. [which reminds me I still have not the chance to bake the dates and honey cake… 🙁 ]
Please correct me if I am wrong. I am not good in history. I know that long time ago Pakistan has some issues with India, but I thought that’s been settled nicely between the two government?
And oh! the dunes and sand storm….. they really sound like the story from 1001 Arabian Nights…! I like it! 🙂
Hi Ati!
“…we can’t eat the ripe oil-palm fruit just like we eat dates.” 😀
The ties between India and Pakistan are still, unfortunately, not friendly at all. Both countries seem to enjoy blaming each other for every single thing. It’s sad. Really.
And yes, we have dunes and sand storms here. I highly recommend desert safari on a 4×4 jeep to whoever visits this part of the world 🙂
It does look great. I find Indians and Pakistanis tend to be great friends in normal life (except during a Indo-Pak cricket match) but its the leaders who mess it up!
Indo-Pak cricket matches are a different thing altogether – no friendship there 😀 In my own household, both Masood and his brother favor the Indian team, while my mom-in-law cheers for Pakistan. Me? I take side of whoever’s winning.
And yeah, the leaders are the ones (mainly) who had been and are still messing up the relationship between these two countries.
There is this one hindi film featuring Abishek Bachan as the ‘transporter’ who helps Indians and Pakistanis (and even Bangladeshis) cross the border. I am sorry I can’t remember the name of the film, but I like it very much. Especially because it’s a beautiful love story where he falls in love with a girl from the neighbouring country and only gets the chance to meet her when he transports people who need his help crossing the dangerous border.
So, yes, it’s sad to know that both countries still have arguments with each other. But I’m glad some of them can really appreciate how precious life is to let it go wasted on fighting each other. The picture you posted proves that. Good work, sis!
I haven’t seen that film; sounds like an interesting one. Except that I really can’t stand Abishek Bachan. Perhaps when I’m in an exceptionally good mood I’ll see it 🙂
Movie: Refugee
Thanks, Indian Pundit!
hey nadia after long time i visited your blog
it’s being grt pleasure to comment over here
nice post i like the concept
Hey reedssss! I missed you!
“”So this picture is special because it portrays India-Pakistan friendship; two of them are from Hyderabad, one from Rawalpindi. And they’re very good friends.””
Nadia and Ati
Read the lovely story of One Pakistani Couple in a crowd of Indian Families….their beautiful experiences……truly beautiful
http://pakteahouse.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/aman-ki-asha/
Thanks for the link, Indian Pundit. It’s a very beautiful story indeed. I can relate to it since I work with both Indians and Pakistanis, andwe’re really like one big happy family.
Indian Pundit:
Yesss…. that’s it! The name of the movie is Refugee. Now I remember. Thanks!
Insya-Allah, I will read the story one day. I adore beautiful love stories. Thanks again 🙂
Now I want to watch that movie too!
“His friend knows a friend who knows a friend who knows another friend who knows one of the guys shown in the picture above” LOL 😀
I was wondering where that sentence was gonna end!
Great shot, Nadia, hope youre well!
Thank you, Smiley!
The sentence didn’t take long to end, did it? 😀
Love the palm-trees and their reflection on the floor! Amazing!
And like you,I don’t like Abishek Bachan either! 🙂 His time has run-out!
Haha. Lat, I agree!
Ahhh the famous India-Pakistan relationship, something dear and near to our hearts na? 😀
I swear my husband and me NEVER take sides except when we have a major quarrel which gets extremely childish Lolz
Nisa, very dear and near indeed 😀
I understand what you mean about quarrels that get childish … I find them fun 😀
lol.. Yes Nisa… India-Pakistan woes! Me and hubby have that all the time! 😛
hehe… strange thing is no matter how the politics seem to take it…the reality is.. nobody really cares!
A true love story one from my own family…
My late Grandfather, an Indian migrant married my then widowed pregnant Pakistani migrant grandmother who couldn’t speak a word of Tamil, the language was no barrier at all.. love really triumph all (could also say that my grandfather was really one hunk too bad then… lol) they actually conversed in Malay a language both picked up in Singapore 🙂
Mrs Umer, that is such a sweet story! I’m glad you shared it.