Mountain to Mountain - Book review

The moment, I started reading it. It felt as if someone is writing my heart out. The familiar feelings of belonging to the bikerider, not only through courage and perseverance infact the similarity of analysing the treatment a woman gets being different or similar in a different way - in a monotonous culture. Men shaking hands with a foreigner but dislike the same for their women. Does handshake makes a woman less grateful or respectful?

The difference of treatment to a foreigner woman by local men in Afghanistan is based on their acknowledgement that foreigner are trained, nurtured and honoured while local/native women are portrayed as incapable based on sharing the life or more appropriately ghaerat of a man that he holds over his woman.

The mention of offending the rural through different outfit catch ones admiration for culture but at the same time establishes for how far a woman can challenge the status-quo.

A woman without a man to own her is welcomed for she doesn't hold an armour against her titled man. It is the entitlement of man towards his woman at home that often stands block to the freedom of the woman.

The condition of traffic verily makes it thinkable that at one part of the world people innovate for their people accordingly while the same technology turns into a nuisance where the state lacks mechanism for infrastructure development and public awareness or licentiousness.

"WE CALLED THEM BLUEBIRDS _ AS IF THEY WERE FREE TO FLY ABOUT IF WE THOUGHT OFTHEM THAT WAY, MAKING THE BURQA A THING OF BEAUTY"

"Commonsense practices surrounding family planning weren't common sense."

There were women negotiating over freedom for them over equal participation and recognition tothe taliban. Those were politicians in a country where women is named khaza meaning property.

"I am sure the world remembers how South African women went around the country uniting every South African in favour oftheir new constitution at the end of apartheid. It was actually the South African women who prevented a bloodbath by giving everyone a voice during the Constitution - making process."

Citizen diplomats are there to develop people to people relationship and trust thus diluting the turfs of state boundaries and governments. "Citizen diplomats are needed across theglobe, connecting communities and cultures, looking at individuals as agents of change."

The careless behaviours of Afghans towards life - wars are a play for them. Trained through decades of violence.

...'Hamid told me that wearing your hair in bun under a burqa was a potential sign of a prostitute. ' Establishing women don't find liberty to live on choice but given identities for the service of men in a society burqa is a code of chastity.

While women adorn themselves embellishly under the protection of their men at home. For them is their freedom defined by them.

An important part of tradition of pashtoons or afghans is "...if one had the means to buy something like a motorcycle, then that person should share the wealth."

Women going against odds are appreciated by locals by they need be foreigners only.

The steretypical behaviour towards women with a bit of diversion is well in detail in the middle part of this book. "I hope she understands that you cannot sit on the sidelines of life and wish things were different. It is your responsibility to be involved whether it's in some far-flung corner of the Earth, or in your own backyard: for animals, the environment, human rights - whatever inspires you to take action and enter the fight and contribute in some small, or huge, way."

About superstitious habits: there is a compass that supposedly always pointed to Mecca instead of North.

A woman raped in Afghanistan is stoned and criminally executed as adulterous or morally corrupt while rape is rampant in western countries too. But the victim gets family and state's support thus encouraging her for her safeguard. While marital rape is a common practice in the region.

The women in prison are safe from family wraths but put on open assault to the men guarding the prison. Thus men lose their pashtoonwali being around the women not belonging to them.

The engineered difference between persian and pashto speaking people is apparent. Even the colours of burqa are contesting figure.

The attitude of feeling naked without scarf is accustomed the tradition and the author feels it too.

Those not observing purdah per se, are prostitutes and the household men their pimps, the mindset in general. Khaza being property or honour is deprived of the safeguard to decide for herself - purdah or no purdah while in the same culture they allow any foreigner or non pashtoon to follow their own openness and freedoms. Women local or foreigner have to follow saudian dress code while here it verily establishes that the household khaza is my property and i draw her boundaries. It's strange and shocking how a brother who makes his sister wear chador/burka, marries a non-pashtoon and then let her roam around in dupatta or scarf.

The cruel face of few undeserving men is same in all parts of the world just as writer writes about her incident of rape and being called a whore.

....small minded bigot with some media attention could do to rock an already unstable boat. The religious tolerance leading from different parts of the world causes a ripple effect of violence in a downtrodden society. As protesting against blasphemous content on media etc.

Kuchi or nomads are a versatile and most vibrant reality among the war trodden dulled region.

The development of bicycle races by girls in Afghanistan is a beautiful reality that establishes that if the people unite to work towards freeing the clutches put around a woman's existence, they can let her find a voice and light among darkness.

Some thoughts while reading Shannon Galpin - M2M. Based on practical experience.