Evening walk and the play ground

Yoga And The Maintenance Of White Womanhood

Fantastic read: "Yoga And The Maintenance Of White Womanhood" - a very good personal account of yoga and, analysis of how yoga has been commercialised/appropriated by upper class white women. I completely agree with 2 points:

1) " .... redefining of racism, a mechanism by which White people can claim they are free of prejudice by performing progressive, multicultural politics in public, while continuing to harbor and even voice deeply disturbing prejudices and resentments in private." Too often you will have people whisper something inappropriate to you, confide in you comments/observations which are clearly racist. Racism is also deeply embedded within class inequality. So, all privileged folks have something shitty to say about poor people in their own country or abroad.

2) "What these definitions miss entirely is that “culture” is not something material that exists separate from actual human beings. " When I first started working in the 'international space', a professional space where co-habited with folks from everywhere, I would often think: why are 'progressive seemingly-woke' Westerners so obsessed with the outer aspects of different culture? They love the food and clothing but do they actually have friends from different cultures, countries? Of course, this can be applied the other way round, too. How far did I have to walk to be able to make friends with someone from Europe or the US? How much do I have to accommodate that friend and their ignorance? I have always enjoying wearing shalwar kameez and cooking desi food for parties. These aspects were appreciated but it also felt like these were consumed but not much more was understood about where this culture/identity comes from.

Phool

At the flower market in F-10 MARKAZ. Bought some tuberose flowers for the house. The fragrance of these flowers fills the whole house. And since smell is so closely connected to memory, one feels nostalgic for this moment already before its over. #Islamabad 💐 💮

Evening walk

Evening walk in our F-11 neighbourhood

I love our evening walks in our neighbourhood in Islamabad. Even though its the height of summer, we have adjusted to the heat. 

That there are small parks and green belts, wide sidewalks, paths for walking within those green belts is what I really enjoy. 

The greenery is lush. 

Kavita picked up several pine cones and, a fallen branch for a walking stick. 

I wonder which trees should be planted more to create more shade and reduce the heat. 

The blue outline of the Margalla Hills too creates a beautiful effect. 

I often wonder who lives in all these beautiful houses. Most of them have manicured and immaculate front gardens. Some of the gardens are full of overgrown weeds. 

We see house servants walking dogs or sometimes the owners themselves. 

In the park, one can see families spending the evening together, walking, minding their children on the swings, and chatting. One sees women together. Sometimes, one also sees young boys who clearly do not live in the kothis of the neighbourhood and, are playing in the swings and slides even though they are not of that age. 

Parents and older kids though of the privileged classes are - seemingly - busy in overusing the park. I get astounded when parents themselves are climbing up the slides or, older gets don't seem to care if they would damage anything. The parks and paths are sometimes strewn with trash. 

Kavita loves the chance to play in the swings or the monkey bars or the slides. She's sometimes a little scared but with some gentle and firm scolding, she gets encouraged to have fun. 

I have told her to say Aasalamoalaikum to anyone she meets so she is often greetings security guards, the mochi close to our house and other kids. 

On almost all my evening walks, now, I have seen Chinese families walking and enjoying the parks. 

I even met the daughter of a Kenyan diplomat during one of my walks.