Language is an essential part of life.  We use it to communicate, express and convey.  We utilise it in our written and verbal affairs. It plays a crucial part in strengthening ties between people.  What does one do when you have a small per centage of Pakistanis who can quote Chomsky while the rest of the masses consider Rambo and Bin laden to be real heroes?

If you take a look at several intelligent blogs churning out at a mile a minute from enthusiastic Pakistanis both within the country and abroad, there are several readers leaving confused comments under these passionate rants: “I do not understand anything you are saying.  Please write in Urdu.”  If it is our duty to educate the masses and bring change, as several of us liberal minded, educated and progressive Pakistanis are trying to do, how do we go about it in a manner that will be comprehensible for the general public?

Do we bring a shift in our education and cater to the Urdu speaking society we live in, or do we give them an opportunity to break through social and status oriented barriers, providing them with access to education and liberalism that is similar to the one we in the minority have experienced.

The ruling, educated masses: industrialists, politicians and businessmen, send their children to private schools with extensive British education systems, so while we’re learning about Alexander Pope and the “Rape of the Lock” we forget that we share this country with a public that is unable to feed itself. Education is not and will never be a priority when the stomach pangs with hunger.

How do you explain abstract art, political philosophies and the Baroque era to an average Pakistani? Our thoughts are completely opposite of the thoughts of the general populace. There seems to be a lack in communication and our ideologies of peace, tolerance, and multiculturalism are lost on them. It is their restricted thinking that led to the killing of the boys in Swat.  It is this close mindedness and unwillingness to change that enabled a member of the police force to raise his hands on a woman in an art gallery.

The majority of our public thinks art, literature and television is haraam, religion cannot be questioned; no matter how outdated a practice may seem and it is because of this unfortunate fundamentalism that many Muslim countries worldwide have been unable to evolve.

Or is this what the ruling classes want? Call me a conspiracy theorist but god forbid the plumber’s kid makes it to Harvard or your driver wants to be the CEO of a corporation.  What? Your maid is getting French manicures and her son attends LUMS? Salaries will increase, unions will form, and through education people will find a voice as literacy will free them from chains of suppression.

They won’t have to bow to the upper classes of society anymore and work ridiculous hours for less than minimum wage. If you are familiar with Pakistan you may have heard the term “The rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer.” The rich are only getting richer at the expense of the poor and the great divide that has engulfed Pakistan is here to stay until the influential break down their egos and allow other people in the society to progress.

Political positions should not be inherited and merit should be the only yardstick used to measure potential. We need to give people outside of our superficial and delusional circles a chance.

This blog itself will only reach the privileged few who can afford computers and read the language I am writing in, when in fact, it should be accessible by all Pakistanis, especially those people who need to change their traditional and conformed thinking.

Since Urdu is our mother tongue it would be interesting to see if the public can be given a platform where they can voice their thoughts in the language they’re comfortable in and create rapport amongst one another. The Citizen’s Archive of Pakistan is one such organisation that is compiling historical exhibitions catering to not one group of Pakistanis but the entire public.

Their recent exhibition “State of Being So Divided” is a great initiative to educate and bring awareness to Pakistanis in both English and Urdu, presenting the exhibits in a simple and approachable way so the people visiting are not intimidated. It is time to think about how we can make communication a more effective medium within Pakistani society.

Our youth is filled with inspiring words, which the masses cannot comprehend and due to this lack of linguistic connection, we are failing at spreading the message of tolerance and peace because we expect those at an educational disadvantage to fully comprehend what we want to convey.