I think the draw of the Pak serial is more to observe the culture than the story for me. I am very curious to know how similar and how different they are. In search of Shiva in Pakistan was the book which made be really curious about the country and its past. How deeply etched the shared Sikh Muslim culture was to Pakisthan, such a pity partition happened. It made me realise that our assuption that countries keep getting more liberal with time and that urban areas are liberal than rural may not be universally true. Also made me realise how deeply etched history is in the present and how culture is accumulated history.
I have always been an advocate of throwing away old for the new, My new was mostly western, I now realise, Dont be hasty in throwing away, because We may be swayed by the wrong "new" like Pakistan's "new", for example is unfortunately Saudi Wahabi culture, where as their old is more tolerant mix of sufi, shia culture which imbibed/retained the Hindu/Sikh culture.
How people dont give away old traditions but just fit them under new religion was interesting,When you think about it Brazils carnival does not exactly fit in with Vatican Christianity, does it?
In Spite of trying to break away from India and Hindu past with a vengence, I was thrilled to hear references to Sita and Blessings like sada suhagan raho!! (of all the things) in the serial.
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