A Note by the Anchor & Producer, Meher Bokhari

How does one make sense of how their lives are progressing? Some of us, the smart ones, have a mental chart laid out and carefully follow it, others, the lucky ones, have a destination in mind and the avenues to get there keep unfolding one way or another, the rest including myself… have neither the mental chart nor the final destination in mind.  I am the first to admit the same, for sooner or later you’d figure it out for yourselves… an athlete going onto major in mathematics and landing herself in front of the camera discussing the country’s most burning social issues. Trust me, it was not planned!

For as long as I can remember, I don’t think I ever had a plan to begin with. Mind you, as thrilling as the spontaneity can be, the occasional restlessness that accompanies it can be quite overwhelming.  I am, however, the first to endorse the ‘go with the flow’ policy.  However, more often than not, the flow seems to be doing everything but ‘flowing’.  Taking time out to see the larger picture, or what you would call the grand scheme of things in such situations, I find, is seeing and understanding the beauty of life.

I was bought up and raised in Pakistan, went abroad in pursuit of higher education, and inevitably returned. This macro, eagle’s vision view of my life, proves that life, although fortunate, has been nothing extraordinary.  However, as we all know, beauty lies in the finer details of life, and mine is no exception. The most recent, ironical and beautiful being, my return home in search of my ‘nai rahain’

I remember the anxiety bubbling inside of me, the many questions with no answers, the all-consuming fear of the unknown, all this which marked my final days in North America.  I didn’t know what I was returning for, or to, for that matter.  I knew it was what needed to be done though…maybe the only thing I’ve ever truly known to be honest.  My double stamped visa: love and need, possibly the strongest, most misunderstood emotions of the human nature. Love for the indomitable mother, unconditionally loving father, selfless uncle; need for their parental guidance and warmth, made the final decision to return, not I.

Like everyone else, I too have one of those relatives, who seem to have seen the ‘light’, who radiate clarity so effortlessly that either one gets inspired into action, or in more unfortunate cases, inaction and mockery.  I was lucky, for I was told not to doubt Him and His inexplicable ways of rewarding ‘saaf neeyat’(apparently this for me were those two strong, mostly misunderstood emotions I spoke of earlier), and doubt I did not.

Now this is where the lovely bit of my life comes! Upon returning, rest assured, for a good couple of months I frowned, twitched, scratched, yelped - did it all. The transition they say, and rightfully so, is never easy. I gave serious thought to whether it should be banking, consultancy, teaching or consultancy, teaching, banking? The answer was simple, Journalism. Meri ‘nai rahain’ i.e. newer avenues of my life, unfolded and presented themselves to me and I finally realized: this journey was always meant to be travelled together, you and I… and for that I thank Him and you.

Throughout the past twelve months, I’ve been fortunate to have been able to directly investigate and seek answers to some of Pakistan’s biggest development questions.  In the process, I’ve learned a great deal about the stake that we Pakistanis have in our own progress and future sustainability.  Perhaps the most important lesson I’ve learned is the need for better leaders, more passion, greater determination, and for those of us in positions of power or platform, to take inspiration from those thousands of Pakistanis who continuously offer stories of resilience, courage, and heroism.  In the end, the message I want to convey through Nai Rahain is that our most urgent need is to push for more as citizens, engage our government to work with our civil society and implement the laws we know that we need, and have in many cases already passed- that is to say, to take that second, crucial step to make real the changes we owe to ourselves, our fellow citizens and our future. This alas, cannot be achieved without mutual cooperation and commitment from all sections and sectors of society. First, however, we must make reforms at home for we cannot demand accountability from others until we demand it from ourselves. Every day in Pakistan, I realize one thing over and over again, the brilliance of our people is blinding, their compassion unparalleled, the need of the hour is only to channel this brilliance and compassion positively, in the right direction - and then be steadfast.

This is it Pakistan, let us travel the road not taken, in search of breathtaking sunrises, unexplored pastures and eternal horizons, with nothing less than unbounded hope in our hearts let us map these avenues hand in hand. I dedicate this to you:

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

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