Beyond Average

Beyond Average, originally uploaded by !ShT!aQ aHmEd.

Life is tough and even those who wish to “look on the bright side” still get rained upon. And even when it appears that you are doing all that you know to receive the desired outcome and it still doesn’t come, what are we to think? Is it us? Are we expecting too much? Too little? Lazy? Working too hard at it? God doesn’t like me anymore?

Look again at the possibilities…..All my thoughts about my particular problem are negative. Amazing isn’t it? We naturally think this way and I could give you my well thought out reason for this but that is not the point.

I think we like that too. So, whatever we are facing or have been facing, the very best way to succeed through it is believe now, believe today that the friction rubbing against you is exactly what you need and have asked for if you want a goal to go beyond “average”.

Taken: Way to Manna Meadows when we have to clear up all the landslide to get through, Kaghan Valley, Pakistan

Dexterity

Dexterity, originally uploaded by !ShT!aQ aHmEd.

It all depends on what the person wants to associate to the art. We are going to view something with whatever we want to view it as. Therefore, I believe art is not perfection; art is something that continues to develop as it is seen, meaning to open all human capacities, thoughts and emotions.

Art is an expression of life, which means it expresses emotions. This craftsman has its spirit from his ancient roots in the Ghandhara civilization. Heritage has taught him the art of stone carving. And he does it so well that not even the sharpest of the eye can tell the difference between the real and the copy, except that the latter has a fresh look. Although, if required, he can make his work look 3,000 years old.

Taken: Stone Carver Hands at Lok Virsa, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Tranquility

Tranquility, originally uploaded by !ShT!aQ aHmEd.

We usually find that in a very quiet environment where nothing much happens, we are easily distracted and readily follow the direction of desires that arise within us.

We regard serenity in our lives as being dependent on the environment. We seem to think that tranquility comes to us when we place ourselves in a tranquil situation, but actually the reverse is true. It is the state of the heart and mind which determines how tranquil our surroundings can be. It is said that, “A calm heart makes a shaky hut stable”.

Inner tranquility does not come easily and a person whose heart is filled with craving may stand by a deep, still pool and still feel his heart churning with desires. He may be in a lonely forest but unable to sense the stillness; while those who have relinquished all desires from their hearts may feel refreshed under the burning summer sun. They may live in the middle of the busiest city and not hear its noise.

These kind of thought leave me with other question in mind… What thoughts tend to block our awareness of serenity and tranquility?

Taken: Early morning hitch hiking in the jungles of Sharan, Kaghan Valley, Pakistan

Blink of an Eye

Blink of an Eye, originally uploaded by !ShT!aQ aHmEd.

On the time scale of the history of the Earth an individual human lifetime is a mere blink of an eye. We’re born, we live, and we die–and then we are “heard no more.”

But… There are people who still are alive even thou they are long gone from this ever changing world. Hazrat Data Ganj Baksh is one of them. Around the royal pavilion of the great saint of Lahore, lies the real essence of the Lahori Culture. Selling things for both dead and alive these shopkeepers stun the visitors with vibrant colors around them mixed with the touch of heritage and belief.

Data Durbar is the tomb of Hazrat Syed Abul Hassan Bin Usman Bin Ali Al-Hajweri, the famous Sufi saint of South Asia, where hundreds of thousands of people come each year to pay their respects and to say their prayers. The large complex also includes Jamia Hajveria, or Hajveri Mosque.

Taken: Hitching around Data Darbar, Hear of Pakistan (Lahore)

Weaving

Weaving, originally uploaded by !ShT!aQ aHmEd.

The world’s earliest known woven cotton cloth was found at 5000 year old moenjodaro site in Sindh, where cotton cultivation is still a major farming practice. Evidence of cotton cultivation, sheep breeding, spindies and other tools indicate that cotton and wool were spun and woven not only in Moenjodaro but also in Harappa. The expert of cotton cloth to Mespopotamia shows that the cloth making was a thriving industry as far back as pre-Vedic times.

Old methods of production following ancient traditions passed on from generation to generation are still alive in the work and skill of the hand loom craftsmen. Most of the cloth is woven on pit looms which are partly inside pits dug in the ground. The wider range of cotton and silk fabrics woven in Pakistan belong to some of the finest examples of this work in world.

The Baltit Fort

The Baltit Fort, originally uploaded by !ShT!aQ aHmEd.

Hung on the crest of an old glacial moraine for six centuries or so, Baltit Fort is still transmitting a precious testimony of the history of this exceptionally located area – The Hunza Valley. In the heart of Karakorum range at the foot steps of Rakaposhi, Ultar, and Ladyfinger peaks, the fort is the guardian of the village below.

The sitting of the fort is an act of architectural genius. Baltit village (now known as Karimabad) nestling directly at the foot of the fortress is undergoing dramatic changes due to the proximity of Karakorum Highway, one of the engineering feats of 20th century crossing the whole Himalayan range between Pakistan & China.

This history of the fort is complex and not precisely known. If we rely on local folk then the fort was build some 600 years ago when a princess of Baltistan married the reigning Prince of Hunza. Hunza at that time consisted of three villages after its division from Nagar. Altit and Ganesh on the river cliffs and Baltit high above. The Princess’s father is reputed to have sent with the bride an army of Balti masons, carpenters and craftsmen who build the two forts of Altit and Baltit as part of the royal dowry.

Life inside the fort was organized according to the well-ordered room arrangement and new rooms were added for new functions. On the ground floor the oldest room such as queen’s apartment, the storage rooms, prison and kitchen show a very traditional way of life, and were used in winter as they were warmer.. and the larger size rooms at the first floor were normally being used in summer which provide more comfortable living with better lighting.

Right in front of you is the main junction point of all the rooms at the ground floor and the stairs to go to first floor.

Taken: Central Area of Baltit Fort, Baltit (Karimabad), Hunza, Northern Areas of Pakistan.

Peace Officers

Peace Officers, originally uploaded by !ShT!aQ aHmEd.

Police is here since long times… The first well known civilization Egypt was a police state. Group was often put to work as marketplace guards, Praetorian guards, or in other mercenary-like positions. As a police force, their different color, stature, and manner of dress made them quite visible.

The history continue up till now as Punjab Police pass out its 37th Recruitment from Lahore at 15th November 2008. Trained with the new spirit, technology, weapons, and attitude to bring safety to people, honor and respect to the department.

The existence of a police force, by its very nature, raises several related political issues. The oldest is summed up by the Latin question, Who guards the guardians?

Taken: Punjab Police 37th Recruitment Passing out event.

Inspirations Behind Technology

Inspirations Behind Technology, originally uploaded by !ShT!aQ aHmEd.

What do weaving and computers have in common? A lot more than you might think…

Did you know that the computer on your desktop, in your palm-top, in your mobile phone or in any one of numerous domestic appliances in your home is the descendant of a loom invented in 1804…. Nope… Nor did I, until back in 1999 when I studies the Inspirations Behind Technology whitepaper…

In 1836, two years after Jacquard (Inventor of Loom) died, the English scientist and mathematician Charles Babbage – who was trying to build a cogwheel computer to solve the problem that so many mathematical calculations undertaken in his day were dangerously inaccurate – had the idea of using loom’s punched-card principle to ‘program’ his computer. He didn’t use the word program; that only came into use about a century later; but certainly he invented the idea of programming a computer.

Even though Babbage died a disappointed man, his ideas continued to inspire computer pioneers in the twentieth century. Today, he is very justly regarded as the father of the computer.

Taken: Tana Bana Festival, Lok Virsa, Islamabad.

Simly Lake Panorama

Simly Lake Panorama, originally uploaded by !ShT!aQ aHmEd.

Panoramic view of Simly Lake from the road to Karoor and then Ban & Patriata..

The Simly Dam is the largest reservoir of drinking water to people living in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. The water stored in this dam is fed by the melting snow & natural springs of Murree hills. Simly Dam is located around 30 kilometer north of Islamabad. After 10 – 15 mins drive toward murree coms Barakahu, road is branching off to the right which is marked Simly Dam Road. Usually, it takes around 30 minutes to reach Simly Dam from there. The road is not very smooth and has bumps but the surroundings are beautiful. I prefer you take Lethrar Road, which takes you to Nilor Factory on the way to Kotli Sattian.. Turn left after you cross Nilor.

About 100 meters before the Simly Dam, a road goes directly to Gulahrrda Gali, Patriata. Beside this road, there are small cities like Karor and Bun operated by MKDA (Murre Kahuta Development Authority). Afterwards reach to Gulharra Gali, Patriata.

I use to be in these places when the anxiety of the daily life is beyond my threshold values…

Stitched four pictures for this..

Taken: From the road to Karoor and Ban, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan.

Nature is Spritual Guide II

Nature is Spritual Guide II, originally uploaded by !ShT!aQ aHmEd.

That wisdom comes with time, and has been reached at a huge cost. As the world evolves toward a new era of self awareness and personal responsibility, We are witnessing the birth of a new era. A more enlightened one. Terrorism, whether it be in the form of physical harm to others, or in the form of righteousness against the self, is no path to the future.

So, how do we find guidance through the maze of life’s challenges? How do we add value and contribute in a world filled with old models of this is right and that is wrong. The simple answer, and therefore the best answer, is to go back to nature.

As the world rushes into the technological future, and we celebrate all that it brings us, as we struggle to let go the past and adapt to this new technology, we must be careful and kind to ourselves. We must treasure the great gift of nature. All that we value that can’t be bought or possessed is nature. This is not our emotion, or solution seeking intellect, it is our authentic human self that can only be known, when we are without stress, alone and stopped.

Let nature guide you in your life toward a bright future by reconnecting with the wonder and beauty of it. Walk, sit, stroll, enjoy, observe, feel, smell all that nature has to offer is the deepest and most precious meditation of any enlightenment. In this stillness, fully detached you will be guided by something far greater than your intellect, emotion or desire can ever imagine.

Taken: URDP Park, Ban.