Two sides of a coin

by Sadia Subhan (Pakistan)

A leap into the unknown Pakistan

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My first day of University was accompanied by a thoughtful journey that changed my perspective towards life. Apprehensive about what university life would be for me, I set out of my home, earliest in the morning, towards the bus stop to catch my bus that would take me from my small, much safer town Wah Cantt to Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. At the stop, I saw many people but was unable to make a communicative connection with them as the bus arrived and we had to board for two hours long ride towards University located in the heart of Islamabad. The first thing I noticed was a rather funky dressed driver in front of the opened door and conductor ushering me inwards with a gruff noise that was supposed to be friendly but could not serve its purpose. I saw people leaving the first seat and going towards the back of the Bus. I immediately settled for that seat mindful about not touching anything as if the things could burn on my touching them. The driver started the bus and I almost instantly realized my folly, the harsh winter winds blew into the bus from the open door as if on a mission to freeze every living being existing in its way. The driver used a hand to fasten a muffler around his neck and covered his lower face up to the nose. It would have been better if I had taken a seat in the last row or better took some good safety measures for winds as the driver had. A loud raunchy sound followed by hand movement of the driver broke me out of my train of thoughts. The speaker over my head started screaming a recent Bollywood item number to my elevated chagrin. The bus kept stopping for other students until the barrier of the town arrived. The conductor took the security clearance and we were good to go. I looked out of the window to catch something intriguing on the way. The cold and silence of the road made things gloomier. The song switched towards a romantic number and bus stated taking turns and ups and downs with a steady pro speed. The dawn began to emerge at the lining of earth and sky. The sight was magnificent. It was as if we were having a race with the sun. We kept going towards the sun to catch it and it kept rising above the horizon. With time as we reached Rawalpindi, people started appearing on both banks of the road, opening their roadside stalls and going towards their workplaces. Beggars also started materializing out of nowhere. I saw a child of seven to eight years with no shirt on and a shalwar (bottoms) torn at multiple places. I instantly felt the chill of cold and unfairness of life at the same time bite me in places unknown. It was a unique sight to watch a child in such a vulnerable situation. Abundant dust, broken roads, polluted streets with garbage were the main highlighting features of the city. We were now in the suburbs of Islamabad and the beauty of greenery outside was breathtaking. We crossed Shakkar Parian (a picnic point), Margalla hills and Faisal mosque. I remembered my childhood trips to those places with family. Islamabad is a beauty with broader roads, rich greenery, clean environment, and almost nonexistent beggars, in contrast to Rawalpindi that is considered its twin and we crossed earlier. High buildings, embassies, and government official buildings are other perks of the city that adds to its charm. the climate of the city is friendly and standards of living are comparatively higher. The whole travel experience opened a new door for me. I started joining organizations to work against social inequalities. I made it part of my life goals to work for welfare of less privileged people along with my other life goals. I work to make the lives of people as easier as I can whenever possible.