Between You, Me and the four walls by Moni Mohsin

Sweet, salty, quirky and witty, butterfly aka Moni Mohsin is my spirit sister. She is like this girl friend who I meet every few years to share the worldly gossip and have great laughs. 

Butterfly’s punglish and Punjabi-ness resonates with the Punjabi in me. The joyously wicked humor and an ability to call a spade as ‘chaped’. The queen of kitty parties and page 3 events, Butterfly has a bundle of frenemies plus a mother, and enough relatives to generate chitchat about the whole world. She has funny nick names and private jokes. She makes fun of right, left, centre, liberals, and everyone while being frivolous herself. Showing us that no one is better than another, just live your life with some humor and some style. 

She has opinions hazaar, and they are equally crazy and brutally selfish. She spares not a single politician, self proclaimed public leaders or celebrities. There is frequent name dropping from Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Malala, Modi, BoJo, and who nots. The Middle East crisis, American foreign strategy, Pakistani politics, Kashmir are interspersed with Dubai shopping and summers in London. 

Her love for good things and society gossip is like sucking on a good lemon pickle when only the base is left. It’s spicy, sour and sweet. Her unapologetic quirky version of a typical Punjabi aunty, makes me go in awe of women and what they are. An enigmatic bundle of contradictions, desires and sass. 

She is not a feminist nor a damsel in distress. She knows what she is and knows how to shut people up with her witty comebacks. She lives a life of an urban pushtaini rich landlord class of Pakistan who has never seen less. She blatantly describes the world with her rose tinted glasses and can’t see how anyone can be more troubled than her own little inconveniences. It’s truly a butterfly’s view of living in the crowded and chaotic Pakistan. Bringing live stories and conversations from the grand air conditioned drawing rooms in big mansions with foreign cars and staff serving imported stuff. 

I must end with great appreciation for Moni Mohsin, whose books have been my go to read for laughter and femininity. With her peculiar world view, she has been my personal sunshine on a rainy day, and a source of joie de vivre. The silvery, stylish and sassy protagonist is like a dear friend whose shenanigans and public commentary I love to hear. 

One doesn’t change the world with only seriousness, anger or tragedy. You can change it one laugh at a time. In today’s world of trolls, it’s a luxury to laugh at ourselves, our religions, our country and leaders. Moni does the tight rope walking like a pro with some wit and style.