The Metropolitan Online - March 2005 - Student Spotlight: Muhammad Raja

There is a famous saying in Pakistan, “Whoever hasn’t seen Lahore hasn’t been born yet.” Muhammad Raja is from Lahore, Pakistan and he’s being “reborn” in Minnesota.

While Raja spent February in Minnesota, people from all over Pakistan were traveling to his home town to celebrate spring with the annual Basant Festival. During the weekend festival, people wear yellow, orange and white—the colors that symbolize spring in their country. Lahore families will bring visiting relatives and friends to the rooftops of their home, where they will fly kites and engage neighbors in kite “battles.” The sky fills with hundreds of thousands of colorful kites. And in the spirit of good fun, the winner of a “kite battle” might turn up their music and perform a victory dance.

Muhammad Raja

Celebrating spring in February is only one of many differences between Minnesota and Pakistan. Another difference is the fast-food restaurants. They do have Pizza Hut and McDonald’s in Pakistan, but the selections are far spicier than what is served in the United States.

Lahore has an area called Food Street, comparable to Eat Street in Minneapolis on Nicollet Avenue. Raja explains that Food Street used to be a run-down area, but it has been remodeled and painted in bright colors. Since the remodel, the historic area is well lit and stays open all night long. People take their families out to have fun on Food Street where the most authentic food of Lahore can be found.

Pakistan doesn’t have a drinking culture like the United States does, and there are no dance clubs. Family events are a priority. In Pakistan, sons and daughters live with their parents because housing is so expensive that it is out of the reach of most young people just starting out.

Raja explains that about 80 percent of marriages are still arranged in Pakistan. Young people are raised to trust and respect their parents. But it isn’t like they have no choice in the matter of picking a spouse—the parents might have several candidates for them to consider for possible match. Children just have faith that their parents will choose good people, explains Raja. He says he is not ready to get married now, but when the time comes he’s not averse to his parents arranging a marriage for him.

Of course, there are less subtle differences between Pakistan and the United States. Raja points out that the U.S. is much more developed and people here have far more material possessions. Pakistan is a mix of Muslims, Christians and Hindus. But while there have been some difficulties between various religious groups, disputes don’t seem to last long.

Raja moved to the United States after his sister and brother-in-law—already at home in Minnesota—encouraged him to join them. Raja had completed a one-year college diploma and an advanced diploma in Pakistan, and they suggested he apply to school in Minnesota. A degree from a university in the United States is considered a superior education in many parts of the world, so Raja was easily convinced to make the move.

While Raja tends to be soft spoken, he is passionate about the game of cricket, which he has played since he was a boy. Last summer, he started playing on the Northstar team of the Minnesota Cricket Association. Since then, he has been honored with three awards for his contributions to the team, and the team won their division championship. Raja has every intention of playing on the team again this summer. Most of the players are from India, the West Indies, Bangladesh and Pakistan, so at the end of the season they play the “Country Games,” and players form teams based on their countries of origin.

Cricket is like baseball, but the playing field doesn’t look anything like a baseball diamond. Whenever his team is playing, curious onlookers often ask questions about the game. Raja, who would like to see the popularity of the game grow in America , encourages more spectators to attend cricket games, to ask questions and learn more.

Between 2001 and 2003, disagreements brewed between Pakistan and India. Issues escalated to nuclear proportions. Fortunately, both countries came to their senses and made peace. “Our countries are competing in cricket tournaments now, and relations between the two countries keep improving,” Raja said, his excitement for the matches evident. Or is it the peace?

Cricket season runs from May to September. Learn about this game that’s played all over the world and utilize a great opportunity to connect with people on an “international” level. Raja suggests visiting http://www.lords.org/ to learn the rules of cricket.

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