Not long ago, a friend came by for a visit and saw the book shown above sitting on my kitchen table. The colors caught her eye, and she paused after reading the title before looking up at me and asking, “Are you going to Pakistan?” I burst out laughing at her inquiry, not because she presumed this was a tour book for Pakistan, but because it was totally within the realm of possibility for her that I would be planning a trip to Pakistan. Pakistan!
Pakistan is one of those countries I’ve always known very little about aside from headlines in the newspaper that discuss things like nuclear threats and tensions with India. There is no doubt in my mind I will one day travel through India, but Pakistan? The thought has never crossed my mind. Pakistan has always felt like a vague mystery ~ a place that I know exists and is paid close attention to by various governments and entities, including the United States ~ but that I have never felt a connection to.
The above book cover is actually the cover of a literary journal called Granta, and when I found it in the magazine rack of Barnes & Noble, I thought, “I don’t know anything about Pakistan, so this should be interesting.” It took me a few months to plow through the short stories, essays, poetry, and artwork that fill the 288 pages of this volume, mainly because I did not want to rush through it. I wanted time between each story to sit with what I learned before I plunged into the next one. Now that I have read the entire journal, I can’t claim to be any kind of expert about Pakistan, but I did learn at least a wee bit, and was reminded once again of all the complexities that exist between humans on all parts of the planet ~ that no matter how war-torn, complicated, corrupt, disheartened, or brutal some parts of the world can be, these are still places a lot of people call home, and there are still people who are doing whatever they can do to make it a better place.
My grandpa took the above photo, probably around the late forties or early fifties. Here is a detail of the two signs on the left:
The modern state of Pakistan was established in 1947 (resource: Wikipedia), so there is a good chance my grandpa went there after this. He was a chemical engineer for Phillips Petroleum, and could have been doing something like help them build a pipeline. Regardless of his specific job task while there, what I find fascinating is that he was likely there during a transformative time in Pakistan’s history. What would he think of the stories now being written about Pakistan? Was there any sense of this in those early days of independence, or was it an atmosphere filled with hope and possibility?
I consider myself a student of the world when I travel, always eager to not simply see sights and tour the highlights, but learn about a country’s history, people, art, attitudes, and longings. It is unlikely I will ever visit Pakistan, but I can still take a different kind of journey there thanks to stories like the ones I read in this journal. I usually prefer to pack my bags, board the plane, and stand on the soil of different countries, but when I can’t, I can always take a quieter journey ~ through a book, a literary journal, or my grandpa’s old photographs. I can be a student of the world in countless ways, as long as I let my curiosity lead me, and keep my passion for exploring alive.
Christine Mason Miller
Christine is a writer and artist who loves to travel and explore the world. Her next trip is to Tokyo, Japan later this month.
www.christinemasonmiller.com
Interesting and thoughtful post. I just finished reading Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen about his efforts to build schools in Pakistan, and eventually, Afghanistan, and that was my first exposure to any information about Pakistan. I doubt I’ll ever visit Pakistan either, but feel “the quieter journey” was worthwhile. Every bit we can learn about our fellow humans wherever they may be is worthwhile.
Im reading a great book, Life During The Dust Bowl, and the first page title says, Discovering The Humanity In Us All, has a paragraph that says. To Really understand any culture, it is necessary to strip the mind of the common notions we hold about groups of people. These stereostypes are the archenemies of learning.
Beautiful – I think it’s a wonderful reminder that we really can learn a lot about a place through words and images from thoughtful, attentive observers of the place.
Thanks for sharing what you’ve learned! A beautifully written post.
I love my quiet journeys into books.
- Lauren
Ladaisi Blog
Hi Christine! I see someone else commented about Three Cups of Tea too! I’m currently reading it and learning a “wee” bit (as you said..I love that word!) about a country I only have knowledge of through the news. The book tells the story of real people living within Pakistan and they are so far from what we know of their government. Thanks for this post and sharing the beautiful journal cover.
Best,
Quinn
Pakistan is not a place that I would like to visit although I do find it’s culture quite interesting. My grandpa was there during WWII where he would stop during flights (he was a navigator). I believe that it was still part of India back then! I love looking at the photographs he took while he was there.
I’m a bit of an armchair traveler myself and my favorite way to travel is through cook books! :)