Like the subject of his book, Mr. Arif Hussaini, abhors idleness. After years of service and earning a retirement he came to the United States and deserved a break. But spurning a life of somnolenice he plunged into the world of reading and column - writing. The present book includes some of the sketches written by him and a thoughtful overview.
Mr. Hussaini has an eye for seeing things, a memory which soaks up information and a sense of humour that enlivens his observations. His portrayal of the superb panorama of life in America, with its strengths, odditites and contradictions, is informative and pleasing.
Mr. Hussaini has an open mind and admires the qualities which made America so powerful, rich and vibrant. He is full of praise for the freedoms which are enshrined in the American constitution and are guarded by an independent judiciary. He applauds American inventiveness, mobility, respects for human dignity and friendliness He says, "You do not call a spade a spade in this country as it would be too unfriendly. Even a lavatory is called a rest room....A traffic policement would give you a big American smile and then hand you a traffic violation ticket.....A jail is a correctional facility...A queer man is gay....Americans bend over backwards to be nice and friendly among themselves as well as with foreigners." Then comes the punch line. "The nice guys of this country", he says, "were the last to set the slaves free and the first to drop the atomic bomb." He also accepts that "since becomings the sole super power its conduct in world affairs has been in some instances less than rational." The chapters dealing with Palesting and Iraq offer a critique of the U.S. policy in the region. The author may have an open mind but he has a mind of his own.
Mr. Hussaini also deals, in a balanced manner, with the dilemmas and perplexities of the South Asians living in a new milieu. He admits that the Americans practice what we preach. On the other hand, he frankly says, our market place is replete with shady deals, corruption, dishonesty, but many practitioners of such msideeds in public life would be found meticulously observing religious rituals in their private lives! His brief advice on this complex issue is more illuminating than the lengthy effusions of many preachers. He want that the immigrants should embrace the American vulues of honesty, truthfulness and hard work, and reject their aberration in gender relations and family structures..A teen-age daughter of Pakistani-American parents had described herself as A.B.C.D. - American Born Confused Desi. Mr. Hussaini disdains such defeatism. He admires the immigrants who combine the market place ethics of America and the family values of Pakistan. Such people, he says, are the right kind of A.B.C.D. - American Born, Clear-headed Desis.
The writer is a retired civil servant of Pakistan living with his sons in California since 1993. He held Information posts in Pakistan's Missions in Ottawa, Jakarta, and Bangkok and has served as an international civil servant in Ankara and Colombo.
His last foreign posting was as Principal Information Officer of Colombo Plan. He was awarded Tamgha-e-Quaid-i-Azam (TQA) in 1970 for meritorious services. He was born in Hyderabad State and educated at Osmania University and at the University of Ottawa, Canada. His last publication was "Profiles of National Development in South-East Asia" dealing with the social and economic developments in ten countries of that region. The articles included in this book were published by Pakistan Link, an ethnic weekly published from California.
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