I strongly believe that Mr. Jinnah (like Jesus Christ) was not born on December 25. So by claiming to be born on Christmas day, he ensured that the Christians of Pakistan get a holiday on that day. 

But that killjoy, the chief justice of this benighted country (who is to retire next month) objected to its being a holiday. There are times when I wonder how this man ever became a lawyer, as he doesn't seem to know much about the law. After he retires, and if I have the opportunity to talk to him, I'll tell him that he has done great damage to the country by interfering in matters which were not his concern.

Yesterday (December 25), I spent the day without unfettered access to the internet, as the cable had been chewed by mice. This meant there was no TV as well. So it was that I thanked God for creating the man who invented smart phones (I may be wrong, but I think it was the late Steve Jobs). My internet service provider (Mobilink) provides me with 4G wifi for five hundred rupees a month. Normally, I use only three to four GBs every month, but yesterday I consumed 1.5 GB watching the news and reading newspapers, besides watching video clips sent to me via Whattsapp. 

But what would I have done without the 4G connection? I suppose I'd have finished a book about the partition of India which I first read in 1980. I've read half of it, and at this pace it'll take me another fortnight to finish it. 

But this brings me to the main point: I don't read as much as I used to. Even though there are three English newspapers on my desk, I don't like holding them, I prefer to read them either on my computer or on my smartphone. Maybe that's not such a bad thing, because the future is digital, printing of books and newspapers will become obsolete in a few years.

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