American Graffiti — Vanity Fair

After National Geographic, Vanity Fair has turned its attention on India at 50. Not the full treatment that NG gave, but a six-pager by Chr...

After National Geographic, Vanity Fair has turned its attention on India at 50. Not the full treatment that NG gave, but a six-pager by Christopher Hitchens, he of the Missionary Position fame. for those who miss the verbal calisthenics, Hitchens did a hatchet job on Mother Teresa with a book of the same title. His job on India is superficial to say the least, but you could blame it on the magazine’s commissioning editor. Hitchens himself lives up to the name of the magazine: vain, yet fair. Those who don’t like to be reminded of our warts shouldn’t even try reading it. But then trying to squeeze 50 years into 3,000 words while appealing to the American reader has its hazards.

Meanwhile, the poor Pakistanis are having a rough time dealing with the fact that nobody remembers their Golden Jubilee celebration — if they are having any, that is. At least, India is celebrating 50 years of its Independence, but 50 years of Pakistan’s creation is going unsung. Only National Geographic has promised to come out with a special issue, possibly in October. The Pakistanis feel so bereft that its Embassy in Washington recently called the Smithsonian to request that its ambassador be invited for an event relating to the subcontinent to which only the Indian ambassador had been invited.

Of course, it can always be argued — as some Pakistanis do — that neither India nor Pakistan have much to celebrate. The Pakis have been busy trying to set their house in order, particularly where finances are concerned, now that it is perilously close to being declared a basket case. The Nawaz Sharif government has closed down the posts of some 15 media officers in its missions abroad, including the post in Washington, putting the good Rifaat Hussain out of commission. Several offices of the Pakistan International Airlines, including the one in New York, are also being downsized. Perhaps the Indians could take a lesson from this.

Story continues below this ad

Indian doctors in the US can certainly take a leaf out of their Pakistani counterparts’ books. More than 1,000 Pakistani doctors attended the 19th annual convention of the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America (APPNA) held at the New York Hilton Hotel on the 4th of July weekend. The organisers claimed the convention was the largest gathering of Pakistani professionals under one roof.

Compared to APPNA’s strength of 5,000, the Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) has a membership of 26,000. But going by last week’s proceedings, APPNA seems far more purposeful. Paki doctors heard former finance minister and human development pioneer Mahbub ul Haq deliver a grave diagnosis on not just Pakistan but also india. The world’s poorest, most illiterate region had no business to be spending so much money on arms, he told doctors. Chastened doctors raised more than $300,000 for a human development program in Pakistan. Millions more were pledged, but many influential doctors first wanted a guarantee for a fight against corruption in Pakistan and assurances about accountability. In any case, the Paki doctors seemded to have more heart than many of their Indian counterparts who seem more intent on preserving their wealth and influence within the confines of American society.

Elsewhere in New York, a Pakistan cab driver brought further cheer to the community by returning $2,859 to a 71-year-old Manhattan woman who had left her life savings behind in his cab. More than 60 per cent of New York cab drivers are now Indians or Pakistanis and they are routinely the butt of jokes. But Qurbe Tirmizi, a 20-year-old gemology student, salvaged some respect with his gracious act. Tirmizi later turned down the woman’s offer of a reward, saying: “I just need your blessings to get through this course and succeed in life, I guess.” With both Ramzi Yousef and Mir Aimal Kansi going on trial shortly, the Pakistanis need all the luck, sympathy and good wishes they can get.