India Pakistan Friendship Club is one of the most active and big communities on Orkut social network. Over the years, this orkut community became one of the most favorite online hang out for hundreds and thousands of people from India and Pakistan.
Aminur Rashid is not merely a member of this community but has also successfully won many hearts and is known as one of the key figure of IPFC. Members of IPFC both from India and Pakistan love him and respect him. Aminur is known to be a friendly, mature and a trusted person in IPFC circle. He is also a co-owner of this community; I got a chance to talk with Aminur about his views on India and Pakistan, and his life.
Let me share this interesting interview with you all.
Aminur, please introduce yourself. Your location, profession, birth place etc.
I was born, in Purnia, a small town in Bihar where my dad was posted. I hail from Bhagalpur Bihar, from where I completed my high school, from St Andrew’s school. I then moved to Aligarh where I completed my higher secondary and engineering from Aligarh Muslim University. It was a great stay and learning experience at AMU. I always wonder, why we stopped at just one AMU, which is indeed doing great work providing exemplary healthy environment to students from different parts of India, especially Muslims.
Currently I am working in our Software industry, and at present located in Munich, Germany.
India and Pakistan are known more as a rivals than as friends, what captured your interest in joining a community like IPFC (India Pakistan Friendship Club)?
You said it all. India and Pakistan are indeed rivals. For a number of people from both sides, our patriotism starts and ends with bashing Pakistan (if we are Indians) or bashing India if we are Pakistani. I will be frank here, to say, when I saw this community created by Rahul, a friend of mine, I joined as an inquisitive member, as a member to know how our Indian counterparts has taken this idea of friendship, what is the reaction of Pakistani members. But once I joined, it was never a coming back.
Your journey in IPFC is quiet successful as a moderator, member, mentor and friends of many community members, how do you think personally about it? Is IPFC successful to its mission?
Like I said, I joined the community as an inquisitive member, but then what community provided me was a platform to know people. To interact with them, heated or normal, does not matter. What was more important was we were interacting, and in turn, got a chance to know each other, what the people at other side of the border feels, which normally never happens. We always see people from different field crossing borders and saying good/bad about each other, but interaction between common people of both side and knowing their views, uncensored was a great step ahead. In turn, I met lots of reasonable people from both side of the borders and I feel happy about it.
I would call IPFC moving ahead towards success, albeit slowly. People often complain that the community looks more than a fight club instead of a friendship club, where members keep on fighting. What I say to them is, it’s always the new members who keep on coming back to heated arguments. In IPFC what I have observed is, people join at times with intention to hit back at members from outside, they start with blaming each other, and in span of time, start believing in message of friendship. And then we get new set of people, joining in, starting the same again. So looking from this point of view, you see, with each cycle the community is changing hearts of few, if not many.
What I regret is that IPFC has not done much outside web world, which many feel is just a virtual world. We have come up with an excellent web-site [self praise ]http://ipfc.info to reach out the people outside orkut world and are trying hard to see how we can spread the message in real world as well. In fact you can also help us in the mission; any idea from your side, to help us will always be appreciated.
After 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai, India, both Indians and Pakistani citizens find a big gap between themselves, both politically and socially. Was IPFC affected with it too?
Yes, IPFC was affected as well. There was surge of emotions from both sides. While members, both Pakistani and Indians condemned the horrendous, inhuman attacks in equal terms, but their approach in who were the perpetrators of the crime, was different. And then there were, like always, heated arguments.
But then what was satisfying in the end that members from both side agreed that its common people from both side who are suffering at the hands of this monster, Terrorism.
Aminur, what are your political views on India and Pakistan? Nowadays, the least relation with Pakistan i.e. “cricket” has also disappeared. In all this, your community IPFC looks like a challenge or a dream. Politically and diplomatically what could be the best solution of this unsolved rivalry of more than 50 years?
My Political views on India and Pakistan is totally different. I don’t see the two nations to be friends politically in near future. Even if the current government decides to go the friendship way, you never know with change in governments and in turn the policies, the same can continue.
I would like to see politicians leaving the friendship for the common people of the country and instead taking care of building an environment of trust, an environment where both the nation could look into their internal problems first, without poking the nose in each other’s affairs. Let politicians of both countries forget what is happening on the other side of the border, and contribute towards the internal problem of their nation (which ironically is similar for both the countries, for e.g. terrorism, illiteracy, malnutrition, women exploitation, child exploitation)
The only solution what I have felt is via more of people to people interaction. Free border is a distant possibility in near future, but once we achieve that then it can shed many of the myths about people from both sides. Ask any of the cricket fans, who have crossed the border from either side to cheer up their team; they will always talk highly of the treatment they would have got from the local people. So when these small flows of people have produced positive result, why not let the larger chunk of people to move from one side to other. Yes, there will be security concerns and other concerns as well, but then we all need to sort those concerns, instead of just curtailing the relationship itself.
Then there is not to be talked about Kashmir problem, where both the nations seem to be reluctant to decide about it. This problem must also be solved, (although it’s not as easy as said) taking the interests of Kashmiris in account.
Regarding disappearing of cricket, I feel it was a blessing in disguise. Imagine what happened to Srilankan cricketers, if it would have happened with Indian cricketers. The relationship would have taken a further dip.
What was the toughest phase of your life and how did you came out of it? Please share.
Alhamdullilah, life has treated me very well so far. And even if I try to recall from pages of past, I am not able to find any thing, which really was tough or unusually unfortunate for me. I hope, Lord treats me the same he has been treating so far.
What is your ultimate goal in life?
To excel technically and to be at the level of whom I consider as my role models. Apart from the career related goal, I do wish to be a better human, each passing day.
Besides, I also wish to see an EU like union, in our south Asia, at least in my life time. I am not sure if it is realistic or not, but then nothing wrong in dreaming.
Do you have any role model? Please describe.
Yes, I do have role models. In my professional life, I find professionalism in Sathish Kumar, Steve Muench, and Thomas kurian – all the three from previous company. Sathish Kumar was my manager having excellent managerial skills, along with exemplary technical skills. He has contributed a lot in shaping up my career in positive way.
Steve Muench is one person; you would like to have knowledge like.
Thomas Kurian is the most apt person to lead any organization. These are the guys who motivate you to go the extra miles at your workplace.
There are many people apart from my professional life, who inspire me a lot.
How is the life in Germany? Do you miss India?
Life in Germany is good. There’s lot of things to learn from German colleagues. But yes, I do miss India at times. Specially during festive time. Although to make it up, we tried celebrating festivals together, e.g There was a celebrations and get together on Diwali and Eid as well but then, I feel nothing can beat being at home during festive time.
I will also miss the elections hungama this time as well. Unfortunately, I was out of India, even last time we had elections at center in India. That is a big loss to miss all the fun and action.
Aminur what are your favorite pass time, any hobbies?
Well my favorite stress buster was sharing tea with my friends on our regular Tea stall in the evening when I was in India. I am missing the fun. Apart from that, I enjoy playing badminton a lot.
I do have this unusual habit of flying kite, whenever I get a chance.
Any memorable moment from IPFC community you would like to share?
Definitely I have one. One of our IPFC member’s neighbor was coming to Bangalore, to get their kid operated at Narayana Hridiyala Bangalore. He was skeptical about how the city may treat them, and he asked us, since we were in Bangalore to take care of them. It was a memorable period to meet them. Unfortunately the doctors were not able to save the kid, but the couple did went back with a positive feedback for my country – that was indeed satisfying moment.
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