http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\01\11\story_11-1-2013_pg3_6
Friday, January 11, 2013
VIEW : To say or not to say, Merry Christmas — Syed Kamran Hashmi
This part of the city insists on remaining dark and desolate, with its
dwellers asking themselves: is Christmas even permissible?
Christmas is no longer an exclusive religious event in the United States of
America anymore. There is no doubt about its theological origin but nowadays it
is mostly a social and cultural celebration referred to as ‘holidays’. During
this time, Americans travel long distances to reunite with their families,
specially their parents, host big parties, enjoy lavish dinners, and spend
generously to exchange gifts with each other. These are some of the warmest
moments of their lives, something they look forward to every year. However, in
these special moments there are only two things that remain cold and detached
from the rest of the US: the weather and the local Pakistani community.
Traditionally, the holiday season sets in motion after Thanksgiving, the fourth
Thursday of November every year, when the President of the US pardons a white
breasted turkey. While most Americans enjoy Turkey dinners with their families
on that evening, most Pakistanis get ready to spend money in malls on the
following morning — Black Friday. Way before dawn, millions of people hit the
stores to snatch the best deals on the discounted merchandise. Shops are packed
with people, who wait in lines for hours excitedly to buy the top of the line
stuff on sale.
During this time, if you also visited a superstore and zoomed in on its
farthest corner, a deserted, dark spot usually reserved for the clearance
section only, you will find a quiet, confused and aloof man, scavenging for the
lowest priced merchandise, in the lowest price section. Looking at his droopy
brown eyes surrounded by black halos, reflective of his sleepless night, his
ears covered by a scarf, you could easily identify his South Asian origin. If
you paid a little more attention to his curved mustache, his ill-fitted jeans
folded at the bottom, his loose polo shirt irregularly tucked in his pants, his
dull grey jacket, and of course, the aroma of sautéed onions around him, all of
them would only confirm your suspicion about his nationality.
When this aromatic man waits for his turn in the line, the queue suddenly gets
shorter, usually one-fourth of its original size. People ask him
‘spontaneously’ to check out first, which helps him to make his purchase in
less than 30 minutes, beating the odds of waiting in line for at least three
hours just by his cooking and dressing preferences. Being an observant and
sensitive man, after this experience, I am sure you would wear extra cologne
every time you went outside.
While he is in the queue, his hands are full of ‘gifts’ too. Nonetheless, these
discontinued and out of fashion items that he has bought after hours of deep
pondering, are not for the people around him in the US. Instead, they are
designated for the ‘loved’ ones back in Pakistan. After the purchase has been
made, they are going to be stashed away for another year to ‘mature’ before
handed over to their ‘rightful’ owner in the summers. Interestingly, with easy
web access, people living in Pakistan now, as opposed to a few years ago, are
more up to date about the latest trends in electronics and fashion. They
immediately evaluate the open market worth of the imported goods and decide to
either sell the product, upgrade it with their own investment, or pass it on to
their ‘inner circle’ of friends to keep up the good work of ‘altruism’.
In the next few days, the whole country lights up with indoor/outdoor Christmas
decorations. Homes, offices, and shops, even hospitals, are embellished with
colourful ornaments. Everyone wishes each other happy holidays or Merry
Christmas except the Pakistanis (in general). In our desi neighbourhoods, the
holiday season does not step in after Black Friday, and Christmas is not
welcome at all. This part of the city insists on remaining dark and desolate,
with its dwellers asking themselves: is Christmas even permissible?
Don’t get me wrong; even though they do not exchange gifts, and behave
religiously perplexed on this occasion, it does not mean they have no plans for
the post-Christmas sales. They in fact have ‘big’ plans for those days. The
whole family intends to fill their wardrobes for the next
year (or many years to come). For their six-year-old, they need to buy clothes
that are at least two sizes larger. It means he will get a ‘Large’ when he
needs ‘Small’ in shirts; size three in shoes will automatically become size
five; jeans would be size 10 for eight and jackets would be big enough to
replace a small blanket. If they don’t fit, they will be piled too as gifts for
the loved ones in Pakistan.
Had you not witnessed our ‘participation’ during Christmas time yourself, and
observed our eternal hunt for real deals as the only sign of solidarity with
Americans, you, like most Pakistanis, might also have blamed Caucasians for not
letting us assimilate in society. But now you know, it is not true. To a large
extent, it is our responsibility to take the initiative by actively
participating in the local festivities while maintaining our separate identity.
The writer is a US-based freelance columnist. He tweets at @KaamranHashmi and
can be reached at [email protected]
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