"Send Teachers, Not Soldiers"

Malala came to DC!!!!!!!!! AND I GOT TO HEAR HER!!!!!!!!!!!!! ok. breathe. deeeeeeep breath.

okay. I think I am calm now.

So here goes...Sanyu had told me about Malala Yousafzai coming to DC a few weeks back, but by then the tickets were already sold out! Luckily, the event was at Sidwell, so I knew I HAD to at least go there and try and see if there'd be last minute no shows etc.

I got home from work after at about 5:50 on an incredibly rainy day with no lunch. I was in a foul mood. I came home, shunned Saurabh, got some food, and then got ready to head to Sidwell with Saurabh, rain and all. We got there, I asked about tickets, they said they were oversold and that there was absolutely no chance. It was around 6:30 then, and the event began at 7:00. I decided that this was too important to just leave then, and to wait until 7 to see what might happen. I mean, it had been raining in DC for 2 days straight. Surely people might not want to show up. We stepped out, sat on a bench and watched the continuous stream of people coming for the next half an hour. I was quite annoyed at these people who dismissed the crappy weather and still came. Then, suddenly at 6:45, on the security personnel's walkie-talkie we heard " VIP is here". I was thrilled at just hearing that. Then, ANOTHER string of people in the distance. I was like, great, there is NO way we'll get a seat. And, as they neared, I realised "THAT IS MALALA!!! TAKE PHOTOS"!!!! And Saurabh did! :) We probably were the only non professional people to get photos of her, because photos and recording was strictly prohibited at the event.

Anyway, she went it, we sat on our lame bench, watched the clock tick away. Then, at 6:56, this guy came out and asked if we were waiting for extra tickets and said that he had just returned one extra one and that he could see if they hadn't given it away. We went inside with him, he asked for his ticket and just gave it to me! Even though I offered to pay. Saurabh let me have the ticket. This is what makes a happy marriage! :D :D

And in I went, with an overwhelmed heart and much happyness. The auditorium was full. I manage to find a seat, a wife saving it for her husband, who eventually never made it, so she offered it to me. A little after 7, Malala comes in with her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai and NPR's Michel Martin.

There are literally no words to describe this girl.She is just sooooo incredibly amazing! I wish I could express how I felt about her. But, I don't think I can. Her clarity of thought seems unparalleled, especially when you remember that she is only 16. Her articulation of her feelings, motivations, goals, and thoughts is excellent!!! She has her head on her shoulders and is not at all disillusioned by the fame and following that she's generated since her shooting last year, this week.

One memory of her that is stuck in my head is the naughty look in her eye and her half smile when talking about her fights with her brothers and her disobedience at home. She is, a regular 16 year old, although wise beyond her age. 

I will try and write about some parts of the interview that I really enjoyed. This doesn't meant the other parts were less enjoyable or struck me less. But, these were the ones I was able to record and remember while I am writing this out.

Martin asks Malala about her reasons and thoughts about speaking up not just for girls' education, but also that for boys, and the children of terrorists. Malala says (and I paraphrase), 'For centuries there has been discrimination by man. Now, women will speak up...they will fight for their rights, but, they won't be like man. They will believe in equality.'

As Malala talks more about boys being forced in child labour and being denied education as one of the many reasons children are denied education, Martin says, 'Not to make a joke about child labour, but you are worked very hard. You run pillar to post. Are you having any fun?' Malala pauses, and then responds, 'Outside the house, I look like a very obedient girl. No one knows what happens inside the walls of the house.' She then pauses as the audience erupts in laughter. Her eyes had such a NAUGHTY expression and a smirk on her face. She talks about how she fights with her brothers and then justifies it by saying, 'I fight with my younger brother because I am looking out for his future.' She talks about how she tries to stop him from spending all his time on the ipad. :) Her brother says to her, 'You can forgive the Talib. You can't forgive me?'

She talks more about her brothers, she said, 'My middle brother is good only for playing on my father's phone.' She gives a sly look to her father and continues, 'I don't think those games are for under 18, but...'. Then, she talks about her younger brother, 'He is like a...I hope there are no lawyers here...*laughter in the crowd*...a lawyer. He changes his voice and says things and makes me question myself. Did I really do something wrong?'

Also, her brothers don't know what she does when she is out of the house. She mentioned how they don't ask about her when she is away. She said she has been gone for 6 days and they haven't once asked about her. But, since they don't know what she does, they are confused by her fame. They ask, at the dining table at home, 'Why is everyone giving you an award? Everywhere you go, they say, "This is Malala." They give you award. Why?' 

About school, when she is asked what her favourite subject is, she says, 'It's the one I am weakest in. Physics. It explains everything about the world and puts the most difficult concepts in a few alphabets, F = ma..."

About the Nobel Peace Prize:

- When she was nominated, her doctor excitedly came to her and asked how she was feeling and if she was excited about possibly winning the prize. To this she says, "I want peace."

- She says, 'I have already won the Nobel prize. If you look at the nomination and the support of the people and just removed the jury. I have won it.'

Her only rule in life: "Be hopeful, but don't have great expectations."

Martin asks her about Islam and the Taliban. She talks about how Islam is religion of peace and brotherhood. How it says all people should be educated. Then, she says, 'Taliban only know jihad. I don't think they have read the Quran yet.'

I don't remember what the question was, but she is talking about some things she tells herself to ground her, and she says, 'Malala, you are under 18, people are supporting you. Tomorrow, when you join a party, half the people will be against you.' 

Such maturity and such awareness at such a young age!!! What an incredible girl. 

Until now, I have talked about Malala. But, her father is just as wonderful of a person. It is because of him that she is who she is. She loves and is extremely grateful for her dad. And, you can see why. To stand up against odds and champion women's rights in the Pashto culture, in the Swat valley takes an amazing and a brave person. He never let up...he did what he could. An incredible incredible person. 

Here are some of the things he said that I remember. 

Martin asked him if he thought the problem with the Taliban could be fixed and if they would be successful. He talks about how it is an extremely political issue...then he stops and asks, "Have you heard about the good taliban and the bad taliban?". Martin says no and jokes if it is like good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. He isn't much amused and goes on to explain. He talks about how the Taliban killing certain people in Afghanistan are "good". The Taliban killing some others in Pakistan are "good". He says, this categorization needs to stop. This political game for the benefit of countries needs to stop. He says, they have done enough of that. If the political leadership decide to tackle these issues for clean water etc etc, the problem of the Taliban can be resolved in a month. These political games need to stop. He said he didn't want to point fingers at any one country, there were many involved.

I feel, he was trying to say that American and the other powers need to stop using the people there for their benefit and disregarding the rights of Afghans and Pakistanis. He called out the media on how things are depicted and twisted. I don't know if the audience realised that he was saying that your country is the reason for this mess that is there. They created it for their benefit. But, that's what he said, in not so many words. 

Now, to talk about what he said about Malala. He spoke about how when she was in the hospital recovering, someone gave him a video clip that showed a thinker's forum ranking various people in the world and how Obama was at no. 7, and Malala was at number 6. This person asked him to show it to Malala, while he didn't think much of it, he wanted to do anything that would bring a smile on his daughter's face, so he excitedly showed it to her, waiting eagerly for a reaction and ask her how she feels. She watches it, and says, "Abba, okay, but I don't like such categorizations of humans."

He says, when it comes to purity of heart, when it comes to purity if intention, he learns from his daughter. 

And, towards the end, he says, I will quote my daughter, even though she should be quoting me, "Send pens, not guns. Send books, not tanks...and the most beautiful one....Send teachers, not soldiers."