Six Degrees of Separation

The story of my six degrees of separation started when I opened my eyes in this world. Survival being the biggest challenge I face every day.

The first degree of my sufferings was separation from my childhood. Being born in a rag hut meant a life of destitute and disability.

Second degree of separation is my deprivation and hunger. Every day the first and foremost challenge I wake up to is my starvation. I leave home in search of food to fill up my ever starved stomach and of my family’s. Sometimes I have to beg you just for food to satiate my starvation.

This leads on to the third degree of my sufferings, separation from my ego.

Though sometimes I wish, hiding my face away would make my reality disappear or transform.

Fourth degree of my sufferings, leads on to my separation from the society. I will never be termed as an honorable member of the society. So I feel liberated, and take pleasure in only pleasing my own self as and how I desire.

Fifth degree of my sufferings is my separation from a life of leisure and luxury. Hard work is the keyword in my survival challenge.

Sixth degree is my separation from a life of fulfillment and individuality. But this never stops me from sharing a laughter around with my friends and family.

All worn out and bare feet, I stand on the ground with my eyes full of dreams and my soul full of yearning. I’m yearning for a glimpse of compassion, a comforting pat of unselfishness, to bring me the hope of living another day, to SURVIVE this insane separation.

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Pakistan a country of hardworkers

We get a quiet bleak picture when it comes to the image of Pakistan. Apparently, censuring the media for such coercion would be just. Having faced such unfortunate events, be it natural or man-made, at such frequent intervals, it proves to be detrimental for the image of Pakistan time and again.

The motion after which we have loitered is “Re-branding Pakistan: A Country for hard workers”.

Pakistan is, contrary to the outside world’s view, not just mountainous, rugged landscape, poverty, religious intolerance, terrorism, war or target killing, but, a country with abundant resources, a nation with rich culture, a society with zeal, hard workers and a spirit of never giving up. Therefore, rebranding has become inevitably necessary.

Just to clarify Rebranding, the term itself, it does not mean presenting an ideal or a romantic rosy picture of the scenario, but, just changing the perception of the country as it should be. Hence, the true frame of Pakistan comprises of a blend of mixture of diverse cultures, different societies, various religions, disparity between socio-economic classes, and hurdles that all other normal countries face.

Photo of, a traffic warden on duty, a rickshaw diver, a female hawker, chef at service, engineers at work, a mechanic repairing, and busy road at night, shows the negligible contribution by all individuals to the country, the society and to the economy. Every photo, for sure, discloses diffusion of the new perception/image in its altruistically unique fashion.

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When love burns like a revolution

“Ivory contours
singed at every possible place
and he laid me bare for the world to see.
Dirtied the sanctity
Of the shrine that was I.
Sanctimonious, I became.
Now unchaste tears that slip down free,
Even they can’t kill the fire wrought.
Wrought by a love that broke all limits.
A love that burned me to ashes.
Leaving nothing
But sinuous smoke behind.”


He left her to die. No, he killed her. Murdered the innocence, massacred the morality, adulterated the purity that made her who she was.

She gave herself to him, truly and completely, to love, to cherish. He invaded her, tore her to pieces and threw her into the darkest corner.

She trusted him with her life, her heart, and her body. He violated her, ravaged her till there was nothing left, but scars that would never fade.

She loved him with all that she had, thought him to be the ‘only one’; thought herself to be the only one for him. And then she got a rude awakening, one that barely left her alive.

This is not the story of just one woman. Look around you, you’ll see countless others like her. Or maybe you won’t. Because they hide. They slink away into the darkness, in places where their pain wouldn’t be visible to the unassuming eye. They hide where their miseries wouldn’t be put up for the world to scorn and mock at. They hide so they won’t be put on a pedestal, on display for everyone to see, as the girl who was foolish enough to trust and to love.

What shows on the outside isn’t half of it. These victims at the hands of lechery lose their belief, in love, in the opposite sex, even in themselves. There’s anger, resentment, hurt, regret, just bubbling beneath the beautiful façade. The hurt and anger, at being violated and then thrown away, yet another example of the casualties of love. The resentment and regret at focused on that seemingly innocent mistake of putting her trust in a monster on the hunt for just one thing.

One thing, that means the end of a life.

Heart, soul and body, a man can ravage all three with a few actions. He can take away the only thing a woman has to hold on to. Dignity. Self-respect. Honor. Just a couple of words that are, in fact, the necessity of a life of integrity.

Men walk away with a clean slate. All a woman is left with is ash.

“You stand there
Smiling serenely
As if what you see
Gives you immense pleasure
And soothes you to the core.
You stand there
Smiling serenely
While I self-destruct
And remain nothing
But ash.”

Photography & Concept: Ubaid Ullah Ahmed

Assisted by: Maryam Malick

Literature: Maryam B Mirza & Ubaid Ullah Ahmed

Album link: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150276391302494.378670.121918127493

PAGE LINK: http://facebook.com/ubaid.ullah.ahmed

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Saada Haq

A photo essay which talks about the situation of Pakistan, the symbolic pictures tells the scene while using the song "Saada Haq - Rockstar"

HIGH QUALITY IMAGES


Concept and photography by: Ubaid Ullah Ahmed

Special thanks to:

Maryam Malick
Zara mirza
Amber Azmat
Tazeen Hamid
Schezene Bukhari
Ramish Mazhar
Fatima Masud

without them this would not be possible

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