Jum'ah Journal--Recent Trip to Pakistan-II

I was feeling feverish while sitting with my friend and decided to come home (my sister's home) maybe it was around 8pm in Lahore. My ride dropped me off and I rang the bell----- no answer. Rang several times and then gave up. God! what am I going to do. I felt really sick and weak There was no light and one car was not there so I thought maybe they are out (My hearing is very bad so I did not hear anything inside). I felt I was going to collapse and started praying I dont fall down in the street. People were coming and going. I must have waited a good 15-20 minutes in that very miserable condition trembling all over when suddenly the lights came on. It had not occured to me that there may be load-shedding (Well, how could it be?) When I realized that, I rang the bell again and sure enough there were everybody inside. I just wanted to get into bed after I took a couple of tablets of Panadol (Tylenal).   

Woke up next day feeling much better. I was obviously not used to this load-shedding timings, but when you live in Pakistan you consider it to be OK and get used to it In addition, due to Benazir's death and 'riots' afterwards the load-shedding timings had increased so that the lights were more off than on. Yes it is very inconvenient in all weathers cold or hot. People like me going there for a visit experience this as strange and annoying, in fact clearly anger-inducing, but nobody can do anything. Year after year people live like that. I have been hearing about kalabagh dam or gorabagh dam or something (No insult intended for Nawab Kalabagh marhoom). Surely after 60 years one expects such basic necessities to be provided. The population has doubled and Politicians are still fighting for their chairs rather than working for the provision of basic necessities of common man. Gas was also being load-shedded, so people had to cook in time if they used gas stoves. Now, I should'nt be complaining, I grew up in the village with no electricity and I used coal-filled iron for my clothes and I was quite happy. America (or the West) has spoiled my habits, I guess.