Right to Marry

Recently, I came across an article about three girls who were buried alive by their tribal heads in order to punish them because they wanted to choose their own husbands and not marry the men whom their parents had chosen for them. The orders for their brutal murder were given out by their tribe heads who made a point to murder the girls themselves as they found their deed extremely dishonorable. According to the United Nations Organization, these girls had absolute right to choose their spouses and certainly were not supposed to be brutally murdered.

In rural areas of our country, Pakistan, decisions regarding many matters are not taken to the courts. They are solved by groups of people within the areas who are the heads of the tribes. They are the respected lot of the community whose decisions are taken to be the final ones. They are usually the powerful people who give the final verdict to one’s punishment by deciding with each other and observing the matters carefully.

As the news reached the masses, politicians from their area defended the killings by calling it legal in their area. They stressed over the rules of their tribal system that did not allow women to choose their own husbands instead such decisions were taken by the families or tribal heads. They highlighted the displeasing fact that such was a tradition of their culture that has been carried forward and will be continued.  No arrests have been taken place and the government itself is hesitant as the ministers from Baluchistan favor the event themselves. For them speaking regarding the decisions that they make is talking against their culture which for them is highly offending. They are proud of the decisions that they make regarding the treatment of women in such cases. For them it’s the matter of their respect and ‘honor’ which they avenge by sentencing the ‘culprits’ to shameful and agonized deaths.

The girls were human beings and had the right to all the human right articles set by the United Nations. Though such traditions do exist in our society, it is the government who needs to take action against such happenings. Burying humans just because they willed to live a life of their own choice does not mean they should be killed. And instead of condemning the event, the tribesmen and politicians from the province were proud of the practice and were ready to fight for it. The government here should have taken action in order to stop future such practices but of course hesitated as the powerful ministers of Baluchistan found the incident satisfactory.

Every day we hear or read about many such practices in a country like ours and even some remote areas of India. Women being shamefully stoned to death, black polishes rubbed onto their faces in public, their hair being shaved off, burned in front of everyone and so on are all common practices in such areas. They all exist because the right to freely marry and choose one’s own spouse has still not been accepted in such cultures and thus anyone who dares to go against the rule is punished. The rule here is that no marriage decision shall be taken by any individual and instead such matters will be handled by their families or tribal heads who will decide for them.

Bol-an eye opener

The film, directed by Sohaib Mansoor, revolves around a family with an arrogant Mula father, a helpless mother and their four daughters who suffer torture and abuse under their father every day just because they are daughters and not sons. The basic theme of the film focuses around households which are anti female offspring and reject them out right. Such is the story of every Pakistani household and we as a nation not only suffer through such an ordeal but we are the ones who have encouraged it either directly or indirectly. We as a part of this society have followed such trends obeying to them and thus promoting them.

This is just not the case of people belonging to rural areas but of most people living in urban areas as well. A common example to this is that at the time when a woman conceives the first ultra sound makes the hearts beat in hope for a son. It is just not the grandparents, whom we consider old fashioned, but the parents as well who wish for a male heir. People in a country like ours wish couples the birth of a son every time they want to truly bless them. Why does this happen in every other family? Because we believe in such traditions where the birth of a son means prestige and high esteem.  

A family with daughters is regarded as weak and their father is looked at with pitiful eyes though facts prove that it is a daughter that turns out to be more faithful than a son. Individuals realize this fact but still pray for the birth of as many sons as possible. If we compare other nations and societies within them such a concept has been erased in many while it still strongly persists in Pakistan.

Other factors that persist in our society and that we tend to adapt in our lives is the dominance of one person whether he/she is right or wrong. Freedom of speech is what we lack in along with many other rights especially in the case of women. Even in the film we see a reflection of our country where the sisters have to obey to their father even though they disagree on all the things he has to say. The older daughter, who is divorced, manages to speak herself out but is beaten up with great violence every time she does. However it is her spirit that we all relate to since every human being wants to retaliate against the norms of the society but is forced not to. We see the older sister struggling throughout the film trying to bring justices to her family members and saving them from the tyrant father but is only successful till she sacrifices herself. Their mother who has been subjected to constant violence and sex since she is unable to produce a male child is helpless in front of her husband and has absolutely no right to speak in the matters of her daughters.

Though the film does have elements of exaggeration but at the same time one must accept that it is the reality and this is exactly who we are turning against our own people and fighting them as enemies. Is this how we are building ourselves? Dominating the lives of other individuals with wrong decisions just to satisfy ourselves is the start of destruction of a strong society and when most of us agree to those wrong decisions we further the damage. The film proves to be an eye opener for our society from which we should learn in order to give ourselves a better standing that what we have today. 

Billboard Clutter

Every day when we step out we see hundreds of billboards everywhere we look with the same format but only different products and designs. Yes a change has been seen in the recent billboards in Pakistan where 3D advertisements were put up but they too nonetheless were displayed on the same billboards that previously some other campaign used for its products.

What I mean to say here is that if we consider ourselves and actually think about it there comes a point when we say at the back of the mind because there are so many billboards dressed the same way which one to look and which one should be left out. Certainly we cannot see all of them as after a time they all seem to grow unanimous. The fault here is not with the billboards themselves but the way advertisers have taken them while advertising.

Whenever a product is launched it is a necessity to flood the city with billboards along with other advertising elements. This is when I realized that billboards and pole signs are becoming a problem because there is too much of it out there. I feel that so many advertisements on the typical sizes of billboards makes them look like one, and not making every campaign stand out from another. I do not, however, say that outdoor advertising does not have its magic. Though TVCs are more cluttered yet they do not loose their appeal because they are living pictures with jingles, delivering messages personally while a person sits back and relaxes at home with all the time in the world, which is not the case of billboards as those we view on our way.

I believe that there can be numerous solutions to this problem that at least I feel exists. For instance the recent introduction of mobile vans has gotten a lot of attention as it was something different and totally new that did catch many people’s attention. I myself can recall Omore, Dalda Olive oil, Javed Sheikh’s film, Wi tribe and lots more. However when it comes to me recalling the exact billboards I cannot maybe with a few exceptions of the Cadbury ad that was put up at Boat basin and only because it looked as if it had real men standing on it! Mobile vans do come with a solution in the way as they managed to divert and also capture the attention of the people by giving them something new and exciting to look at.

Iqbal Hussain

In Pakistan, not men but a woman needs to posses qualities of a modest person in order to be acceptable in the society. The term ‘prostitute’ and ‘pleasure’ are known to be associated with women who lack the characteristics of an acceptable modest women. Few days back when I was sitting on a couch with a cup of tea I was thinking about the norms and values of our society. My thinking led me to the point where I thought about the prostitutes who go against the cultural and Islamic values taught in our country. Numerous questions came in my mind of why would one pop their bubble and step into a completely different world of dirt and disrespect. I questioned myself that when every individual has the right to live their life according to their will then why were they always pointed fingers at even if they chose it as their profession? Were they ever seen with respect or did anyone ever try to understand them before accusing them to be a curse to the nation?

With these uncountable questions flipping through of my mind I tried to find out about the famous ‘Diamond Market’ (Heera Mandi), which is the infamous ‘Red light district’ in the city Lahore, Pakistan. This is the place where women are seen dressed up seductively; they are nothing else but objects for men. These women give signals to the men by their gestures in exchange of notes after which pleasure is promised on the entrance of the curtain. A kind of Pakistani belly-dance called the ‘Mujra’ is performed by these women followed by satisfying the filthy clients. My point of the research was to see if someone ever tried to know what these women felt while going through this turmoil.

This was a pretty controversial topic to be talked upon in a Muslim based country as the people of this country want to avoid topics which are intolerable. However, one bold famous artist of Pakistan, Iqbal Hussain, son of a prostitute himself, was the one who took up the challenge. Most of his paintings depicted women of the red light area where he lived with these prostitutes and felt their sorrows buried deep inside their souls. Through his paintings he decided to give recognition to the real life of these women and portray it in front of the selfish self centered society who failed to believe in realism. His paintings reflect his thoughts of the models that he used for the portraits.

When I read about the background of the artist in search of the history of his paintings of women, I found out some very interesting facts. He, since his childhood faced situations which a normal child wouldn’t go through. I was inclined to know why he had such sympathy with the women of this socially unacceptable community. I couldn’t find any other solid reason except for his family background and environment. He grew up seeing his sister and mother dance and sing which was the mean for their earning. Due to his background he faced problems in school and in his normal life because nobody wanted to be friends with him. He spent a lot of his time wandering in the streets and sleeping on the road at nights. He knew exactly the reasons for his difficulties in life but he felt helpless when he thought of changing the mind sets of the hypocrites of the society who disrespected him and his family. He therefore thought of painting his heart out instead of trying to change the fixed thoughts of the society.

Psychological responses could be the reason for Iqbal to be termed as a controversial artist because the women he painted did not depict the perceived image of the audience. The society and audience doesn’t want to be seen or known to have such a class existing in our country. Iqbal Hussain was a victim to many attacks because of his controversial art but he managed to stand beside the women of the red light district as a protector to the women of that area. He tried to serve them as much as he could because he could relate to that community.  

The Godfather

One of the best films ever made in history, The Godfather is the finest work of Francis Ford Coppola. It has been ranked as the second greatest film in American cinematic history- behind Citizen Kane- by the American Film Institute.  Previous gangster movies had looked at the gangs from the perspective of an infuriated outsider. In disparity, The Godfather presents the gangster's perception of the Mafia as a retort to corrupt society. Although the Corleone family is presented as incalculably rich and powerful, there is no hint of where its money comes from, no scenes depicting prostitution, gambling, loan sharking or other forms of racketeering. The setting of a criminal counterculture allows for unapologetic gender stereotyping, considered an important part of the film's allure.

Although many films about gangsters had been made before The Godfather, Coppola’s compassionate treatment of the Corleone family and their associates, and his interpretation of mobsters as characters of substantial psychological profundity and intricacy was hardly usual in the genre. The Godfather had a strong impact on the public at large.

The film starts with the wedding reception of Don Vito Corleone's daughter Connie and Carlo Rizzi. Vito, the head of the Corleone Mafia family who is known to friends and associates as "Godfather" and Tom Hagen, the Corleone family lawyer and consigliore, are investigating requests for favors because "no Sicilian can refuse a request on his daughter's wedding day". Meanwhile, the Don's youngest son Michael, an adorned Marine war hero returning from World War II service, tells his girlfriend Kay Adams anecdotes about his family, attempting to enlighten her about his father's criminal life; he reassures her that he is different from his family. Among depicting the marriage of Connie and Carlo, the wedding scene also serves as a significant elucidation scene for the remainder of the film, as Michael metaphorically introduces the main characters to Kay.

The Godfather is a drama/ gangster film which is based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Mario Puzo. The scene in which a delivery is made of a pair of pants and bullet proof vest wrapped around a fish is explained to be an old Sicilian message, "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes". This expression has made it into widespread American dialect.

12 Angry Men

Sidney Lumet’s feature debut is a splendidly written, radically effective courtroom thriller that rightfully stands as a modern classic. 12 Angry Men is a spellbinding, incisive and engrossing assessment of a miscellaneous group of twelve male jurors who are unnervingly brought together after hearing the facts in an outwardly open-and-shut murder trial case. The film is a powerful denunciation, denigration and expose of the trial by jury system.

The undeniable, confrontational film examines the twelve men's deep-seated personal prejudices, perceptual biases and weaknesses, apathy, anger, personalities, defective judgments, cultural differences, unawareness and fears, that threaten to contaminate their decision-making abilities, cause them to disregard the real issues in the case, and potentially lead them to a miscarriage of justice.

The film has no flashbacks, narration, or subtitles. The camera is basically locked in the enclosed room with the deliberating jurors for 90 of the film's 95 minutes, and the film is fundamentally shot in real-time in an authentic jury room. The film opens with the camera looking up at the magnificent pillars of justice outside Manhattan's Court of General Sessions on a summer afternoon. The subjective camera strolls about inside the marbled interior rotunda and hallways, and on the second floor chaotically makes its way into a double-doored room marked 228. There, a bored-sounding, evasive judge jadedly instructs the twelve-man jury to begin their deliberations after listening to six days of a long and complex case of murder in the first degree.

The tense script presents each juror vibrantly using detailed soliloquies, all which are skillfully performed by the film's unblemished cast. Still, it's Lumet's claustrophobic direction, all perspiring close-ups and confined compositions within a one-room setting that really transforms this artificial story into an explosive and convincing nail-biter.

Genre-film

             A French word meaning ‘kind’, genre is a category for classifying films in terms of common patterns of form and content. It’s related to another word, genus, which is used in the biological sciences to classify groups of plants and animals. When we speak of film genre, we are indicating certain types of movies. The science-fiction film, the action picture, the drama film, the comedy, the romance, the musical, the Western- these are some genres of fictional storytelling cinema.

Filmmakers, industry decision makers, critics and viewers all contribute to the formation of a shared sense that certain films seem to resemble one another in momentous ways. Genres also change over time, as filmmakers invent new twists on old formulas. Thus defining the accurate boundary between genres can be complicated.

            For the immense exposure system that exists around filmmaking, genres are a simple way to exemplify film. In fact, reviewers are often central in gathering and crystallizing notions about genres. In television coverage of entertainment, reporters refer to genres, because they know that most members of the public will easily clutch what they mean.

For viewers, genre often provides a way of finding a film they want to see. Some filmgoers are fans of a specific genre and may seek out and exchange information via magazines, internet sites and conventions. At all levels of the filmmaking and film-viewing processes, then, genres help assure that most members of a society share at least some wide-ranging notions about the types of films that compete for our attention.

Because filmmakers habitually play with conventions and iconography, genres seldom remain unchanged for very long. The broader, blanket genres such as thrillers, romances and comedies may stay popular for decades, but a comedy from the 1920’s is likely to be very different from one in the 1960’s. Genres change over history. Their conventions get recast, and by mixing conventions from different genres, filmmakers create new possibilities every now and then.

Films are most commonly grouped into genres by virtue of similar plot patterns, similar thematic implications, characteristic filmic techniques, and recognizable iconography. Dramatic films are one of the largest genres in films because they include a broad spectrum of films and they are divided into sub-genres which include crime, thriller, gangster, romance, melodramas, epics, biopics.

Mise -en-scene

The mise-en-scene is a French term which means anything and everything within a frame. It could be the props, sets, lighting, actors, costumes, quality of acting and also sound. It is actually the cinematic space that a director gets to show what he actually wants his audience to see. It helps the viewers to understand that the elements present in a scene are realistic, dramatic, exaggerated or expressionistic. It also helps the viewers to understand the significance of the props and settings, the colors used and how they affect a particular scene. To explain this in more detail let us take the example of a movie, The Kite Runner.

The last scene of the movie in which Amir is flying a kite for Sohrab is also a good example to show the mise-en-scene. The kite is flying in the sky and the camera tilts downwards to show the river and the green fields. At the end when Amir runs to get the kite, the whole surrounding becomes so settled and the music is also very soothing. The camera angles in the entire movie are amazingly outstanding and the use of lighting is also commendable. The entire film has been shot using the Afghani stylistic elements.

Mise-en-scene is everything that we see in a scene or a single shot. The characters hand movement or even the way they walk or talk is also included in mise-en-scene. In a long shot, everything that comes within the shot, be it the background, foreground or midground, the props, the setting etc, is the mise-en-scene. All these visual elements help in taking the story forward or also in setting the storyline. Mise-en-scene is what completes a film!

Drug Addicts

             Being a student myself, I interact mostly with the youth of Karachi. Observing their current activities and interests brought many questions in my mind. The habits of a lot of students came rather as a shock than news to me which arouse the curiosity inside me to know about what was happening.

            These days, a lot of youngsters are involved in taking drugs. As a matter of fact, even girls are involved in it. The youth involved in these habits differ from the ones who are not. After conducting a research I got to know that the part of youngsters taking drugs couldn’t concentrate on other things without having it, had severe mood swings as a consequence and could go to any extent to have drugs. Trying to find some facts before knowing more I found out that usually these people do drugs more than twice a day.

            As I wanted to know why these people were willing to destroy their lives by being involved in such an activity, I decided to ask them about it. “I do it because it’s very hard for me to avoid my friends who are addicts”, one of the boys said. This made clear to me that to some extent peer pressure was one of the reasons for them to do it.

            While going deeper into the topic I found out more interesting things. One of the girls told me that nobody from her family understood her and her friends showed their backs to her which brought her to this point years ago. When asked if she plans to leave it at some point of time she replied “I can’t think of quitting it now, it’s a part of my life”. So I figured out that family issues can come under the banner of the reasons too.

            After going to more and more people I found out that some addicts thought they have it because it was easily available to them, according to few it made them happy when they were sad, while some said that they felt lonely and drug was their only friend.

            The reasons given by the addicts could not justify their habits to me. However, only one statement from an addict made some sense to me. He said “When I was in my teens I had migraine. I was prescribed by my doctor to have injections and now I can’t survive without it because I am addicted to it. Young age is the age of power and control and life is to be lived once. I didn’t have an option to choose from that’s why I ended up being in this situation, blaming life and surroundings can never justify an addict”. 

Domestic Violence to Maids

Few days ago I noticed that a lot of young girls from the lower class got married in an early age without getting the basic right of education. In a curiosity to know why do parents do that I got hold of the girls who got married before time and asked them several questions which led to their and their parents justification.

Shahzeen said “my first few months of marriage were the best time I have had spend in my life, but gradually every good in my life started to vanish and I became nothing more than a statue of sacrifices, in fact worse.” I know Shahzeen since 3 years when she started working at my place as a maid. The initial days of her working stage at my place started soon after her marriage which we all were aware of but never knew the reason why, until today.

            While I was stepping in the kitchen I bumped intp her by mistake and saw red bruises all over her neck while she was working. I was forced to ask her what was wrong but she kept refusing and saying that there was nothing wrong. Eventually, I dragged her to the point where she started crying like a little baby and told me that her husband beats her every night. Getting shocked at the fact, I was curious to know why he did so. She told me that she got married 3 years ago when she was only 16 years old. Her dream was to become a high class working women after acquiring proper education, which was thrown in the bin pushing her to stage of marriage. Poor Shahzeen, from that day till today is killing her dreams and herself gradually burning in this fire. She was forced to work by her in-laws because her husband Feroz, 34 years old, didn’t earn a living. He beats her every night because he is a drug addict, and Shahzeen failing to fulfill the want of more money for this purpose brings him to this point. Unfortunately, the only thing I could do after hearing her story was cry with her and let people know how some of the lower class girls are treated through this.

            After knowing what my maid had gone through I went up to my friends’ maids who were married. I found out that getting slapped by their husbands was as normal as drinking a glass of water. These maids named several other women facing the same issue. Some of them were so used to of this beating that they didn’t have a single tear in their eyes while delivering their sorrowful stories.

            Faiza (another maid) told me that one of the reasons for her husbands’ behavior was insecurity as she worked and earned a living whereas he didn’t. One of my friends’ maids, Zainab, told me that after several failed attempts to get saved from this torture by her own family, she tried to act brave once and went to the police station to launch a complaint against her husband. The looks and dirtiness in the eyes of the police man sickened her to run away back home and she made herself believe that the way she was living is the real life for her.

            God knows how many such girls are suffering from the same torture in this country. After going through all the research and investigation the thing I regretted the most was that there is no strict following of law in this country. At least, there should be some ‘dedicated’ group of human right activists especially for women to save them from this torture. Does being poor mean that all the rights of that person are snatched away anytime by superior people in the society? I hope one day the higher authorities think about them and make Pakistan a better place to live, not just for themselves BUT for these lower class people too. 

Minorities in Media

The minorities living in Pakistan have a right to profess, practice and propagate their religion by all means. But these minorities actually suffer extensive socioeconomic discrimination in Pakistan. Even the mainstream media ignores minorities. The issues and problems of minorities are not highlighted or debated in talk shows and limited coverage is given to them by news media.

In March 2012, a Sikh gurdwara was demolished in Mardan, Peshawar. The temple was over 150 years old and was built in the name of Baba Karam Singh in 1846. It was demolished overnight by the land mafia. The 35 feet tall national heritage was turned into debris in the native town of Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ameer Haider Hoti. A well and some old constructions around the temple were also demolished by the land grabbers, said the report.

The temple is considered one of the holy places for the people belonging to Sikh religion. Thousands of people travel from all over Pakistan and India to worship this temple.

Firstly the temple should have been protected by the government and they should have stopped the land mafia from demolishing it. Secondly, when the temple got demolished there was no coverage by the media. Many people don’t even know about any such demolition because it was shown only on Dawn news and that too in a report of barely one minute.

The temple was of great historical importance to Sikhs so it is obvious that the demolition must have enraged the Sikh community. The question here is that why wasn’t any of this shown in the news channels or the talk shows? When anything happens to the Muslims our media over exaggerates it and shows it again and again for many days. But when the minorities face any turmoil, they get completely ignored by the media.

Mr. Mohammad Ali Ahsan, regional distribution manager at SAMAA TV Lahore, stated that it is true that media sometimes overlooks the problems of minorities and it is unethical at some point but we do try our best to give them the required coverage on occasions such as Christmas, holi, baisakhi or Guru Nanak’s birthday celebrations. When I asked him that these are only the positive news that they are covering, what about the negative news such as the demolishment of the gurdwara or hindu temples? Mr. Ahsan answered that well we do cover the negative news also but only to some extent, we show the viewer what he wants to see.

The disregard of minorities by the media is unethical and there should be a law that gives equivalent coverage rights to minorities in the mainstream media. 

SZABIST Admin

 In the world today where people are seen running to earn as much money as they can, there are few people who want to earn and learn at the same time. Muharram Ali is a lab in-charge at Szabist of lab 7. He is 23 years old and has been working at Szabist for the past three months.

            Muharram takes care of the lab for 25 people everyday from 2-10pm. He always wanted to earn and pay for his own education from a well known institute but his financial conditions didn’t allow him to. When asked, he told us that he is not passionate about his job. The reason he joined in as an employee was to get further education free from Szabist. Szabist is an institute which has made it easier for the poor people to work for a limited period of time at Szabist and then get educated from here for free.

Therefore, this was just a perfect offer for him.

            When asked about his experience as a lab in-charge he said, “It’s good; the best part is that you get to trade knowledge in and out with the students”. According to him, apart from the trade of knowledge, the good thing about this job was only the free education offer which persuaded him to join this field. He thinks that there are various disadvantages of this job. On being asked about it I felt awkwardness in his voice as he seemed to be hesitant to share more about it to me.

            He told me that taking care of 25 computers, 2 printers and students coming in and out every now and then is not as easy as it seems to be. “You need to have confidence and attitude to tackle the students, must be on your best behavior with them and should know every bit of handling the computers”, he said.

            On being asked about the difficulties that he faces as a lab in-charge he told me that there are some rules made by the institute for the students to follow and the lab-in-charge has to make sure they are followed in the lab. If any student is caught breaking the rule then the lab in-charge gets into trouble. “Once I asked one the boys sitting in the lab to not talk on the phone here as it’s not allowed, he got angry at me and started cursing me. I had a tough time dealing with that boy”, Muharram said. He also claimed that he had paid many times for the break down of the equipment of the lab by the students.

             The requirement of doing the job according to Muharram was to be a graduate, to have desktop knowledge, to know every bit about the hardware and should be able to speak in English. Apart from these, “70% hard work and interest is required to do this job” he said. On being asked if there was anything that he would want to change in this field he said that they should be given basic classes of the software that the students use in the lab so that they can help them properly when needed.

            With all the statements and answers he provided to me about the job, I felt the need of more of such people in our country who at times do small things, unwillingly and without interest, in order to get to the larger goal of life. 

Ali Pervez - A Pakistani Singer

             Pakistan’s music industry is far behind than music industries of India and other countries. The reason for especially mentioning India as comparison is because most of our talented singers prefer showcasing their talent in India. I heard someone in the morning show once say “our singers need to understand that our nation needs them, they should be proud Pakistanis’ and sing in Pakistan only”. But my question is that why shouldn’t they pursue their career in a country which appreciates and recognizes their talent and where they earn thrice more than here in our country?

            Pakistan industry’s slope went high years ago when few channels especially dedicated to music were aired. We saw a lot of singers spending lacks on their music videos and airing it, but the problem wasn’t solved. My curiosity about our own music industry forced me to interview a singer who knew this market in and out.

            “I’m passionate about singing, but I can’t take it as my permanent profession being in Pakistan” said Ali Pervez.

            Ali Pervez, 24 years old, is a singer who sang ‘dekho idher’ in the year 2010. He considers singing to be his past time whereas he is a C.E.O of an event management company. He has given live performances at various concerts, have made seven songs which are to be aired soon, have recently recorded a Qawali with pinch of pop (fusion) with the famous Qawal Amjad Sabri and fire records are soon to release his album in the market.

            When asked about his personal experience in this field of music and singing, he said, “Not so good. Indian content has more viewership than Pakistan; hence, new Pakistani singers are not promoted as much”. He told me that a lot of money is needed in order to make a video and air it; where as the economic condition of Pakistan is not stable. He said that people don’t have enough money to invest even if they are willing to take the risk. “It’s useless to spend so much money right now”, he said.

            I asked him about the good sight of being in this industry. He told me that some people like Bushra Ansari, Ayub Khawar (writer); Faizi (music composer) and many more were really helpful in guiding him. “Although they are seniors, they don’t make you feel you are new”, he said with a smiling face. He told me that he really appreciated the effort that LG made by hosting a talent show by the name of “Awaz Banaye Star”. He thinks there should be more of such shows to give a starting platform to new talent.

            He said that one needs to be passionate about singing which is the only source that can lead him/her to stay in this field. “I’m currently working on one of my songs video. It should be out soon”, Ali said. On asking about one thing that he would want to suggest in making the industry better he answered, “I want our government to support music industry”.

The Lawn Craze.

This year the city of lights was seen as the city of lawn exhibitions all over Karachi. Every road had a huge size banner of a lawn exhibition being held in the months. The marketing of each lawn went through several mediums starting from billboards, magazine, and brochures to online links. Last year’s lawn exhibitions were limited enough in numbers to be counted, whereas this year uncountable number of people went crazy launching their own prints and exhibiting it.

            In the previous years, lawn could be bought from any store in the malls and very few people knew about the prints of different textile companies. The most famous company which always led the market of lawn was Gul-Ahmed. Competition was never so tough before this year. Every company not just went through the stage of exhibition but also made the prints available to see to the customers before they could be bought. The hype of lawn which was already rising boosted after the prints could be seen before hand. Every customer wanted to get the best print after checking the prints of several different companies.

            Comparing the price of lawn from last year to this year makes a person think that less people must have been willing to buy lawn this year because the prices were being doubled. What adds more to the story is that we all are witnessing a downfall in our economy and nobody is said to be earning enough to survive or chase the growing prices of each necessity. So, the question arose was if people would be spending so much on lawn? Surprisingly, there has been an incredible increase in the sales of lawns this year especially in Karachi.

            These women are not concerned about the flying prices of these lawns. They come; they select prints from the brochures, get hold of the pile of their suits and head to the counter to pay for them. Not forgetting, the hassle that they have to go through to buy them is not an easy job. Not just this, a special management team was also hired to take care of the cat-fights that would occur over a piece of lawn that went out of stock.

            Further, the hype of lawn has gone so high that every print is stored in the heads of the people regardless if they are inspired by lawn, or buy them at all, or not. Women are seen spending in thousands over lawn suits and wasting all day getting squeezed and smashed by other women at the exhibition to get hold of their suits. Lawn was always considered to be comfortable clothing especially in summers till last year. Now, it’s more of a fashion statement. The funnier part is that the ones who don’t wear one of these lawns are considered to be old fashioned people. Lawn is as expensive now as an expensive semi-formal that you can wear to a wedding. Hence, recently people witnessed a lot of women flaunting their expensive lawn suits to weddings this year.

            If you want to make a woman happy by giving her something, then the confusion is erased now by the behavior of women running wild after the prints. Who said diamonds are girls’ best friend? In Karachi even lawn is. 

Education for Girls

Education is a tool that is used in every aspect of life, thus, everyone has the right to be educated and to live the life the way they want to. Similarly, every child has the right to enjoy his/her childhood and get proper education regardless of anything. Since the past couple of days I was observing that children, especially girls under the age of 18 are deprived of education and are working instead.

My thinking process started when I kept a new maid at my house. She used to bring her daughter ‘Sheema’, who was 14 years old, with her from 8 am in the morning till 6pm everyday. I wasn’t surprised to see the little one working as its common in Pakistan, but my curiosity made me ask her mother the reason why Sheema wasn’t given the right of education and childhood fun that she deserved. She replied, “I am not as rich as you are, we need money to survive and this is the only way out. I’m looking for a safe home for Sheema where I can send her as a permanent servant which would allow us to cope up with the increasing prices of everything in Karachi.” It didn’t make sense to me at first but then I asked her several more questions and I found out that her husband didn’t work at all and they had 6 kids at home (Sheema being the eldest). It wasn’t difficult for me to understand the reason then and I quiet agreed to the solution my maid had thought of.

             However, other reasons that I found out from my friends maids, who were working as baby sitters and full time servants at home, were hard to digest. According to them, their parents didn’t like the idea of educating their daughters and giving them liberty. Their parents thought that education is not necessary for them and that it would do nothing but spoil their children.

            Federal Minister for Social Welfare and Special Education Samina Khalid Ghurki in her keynote said that the survival, development and protection of children are the foundations of human kind. “Children deserve our attention and allocation of resources for their better and protected future.” Children are innocent; they need proper guidance and deserve their rights no matter how ever the conditions of their families are. If we can’t change the thinking and economy of Pakistan, we can at least try and do our best to provide the kids what we have by educating them. That’s the least we can do. 

Buying Vitamin Supplements Without Prescription.

            Vitamins and health supplements are increasingly being seen at the stores now days; in fact stores are opened in different localities dedicated to these supplements. People now avoid going to the doctor or consultant for guidance, they think it’s an easier way to go to the store, read what’s written on the packaging and buy if impressed.

            I visited a supplement store at super market behind ‘motas’ for the purpose of finding reasons for customers’ direct purchase. “I go to office each day, I don’t have time to go to gym or to a consultant, therefore, I find what I need from this store through the help of the shop keeper and satisfy my need of taking care of myself”, said Fayyaz, a customer.

            I saw many people going in and out of the store and I asked them all the same question that I asked Fayyaz. I got different answers which included the problems of lack of time, massive amount of work load, availability and the increasing fee of consultants and gyms. 

            The people who came to the location just to visit a super store nearby were asked if they prefer buying these vitamins and supplements or not. Majority said that they would never take the risk of buying them without proper recommendation. Few said that they only trust few brands like Omega, Ensure and Surbex; otherwise they don’t buy. Mehnaz, one of the shoppers, said “There was this time when I had immense hair fall problem which led me to the consumption of one of the supplements available off the shelf. It do nothing but make me almost bald, my clean and clear skin turned into a surface full of pimples and added more weigh on me. It was the last time I’d tried a supplement”

            Human body is designed to function in a particular way; hence the system of your body shouldn’t be played with your personal assumptions and decisions. Doctors are said to be doctors for a reason which all of us don’t have. They have a degree which they get after acquiring every bit of humans body and functionality.

            Doctors prescribe these supplements to a patient when they face deficiency of an element in their body. Now days, along with medicine, supplements are also sold direct off the counter without the need of a prescription. Many supplements have various side effects which are not written on the packaging which is the major drawback of buying it without consultation. The consumption of it should be strictly made by a doctor only and the retailers should follow the prescription for their customers’ safety and good health. 

Genealogy of Modern Racism - Synopsis

The author in this essay talks about racism in great detail while trying to figure out what started this and made the whites feel so superior. He believes that the whites have been forced to treat the blacks in such a way because that is what they have been learning all their lives. He mentions the workings and teachings of science, philosophy and the Classical revival which play a great part in creating and setting rules and norms for the people of a society. According to these rules and the culture that one survives in, Cornel West feels that science has forced man to compare human forms and other things according to their physical traits. The scientific revolution’s main ideas were ‘observation and evidence’, hence, looks are first observed and compared and this is the reason why blacks are differentiated by the whites. The power of science promotes the comparison between the whites and the blacks.

The author lays stress on how from the very start there were works on the concept of beauty in the forms of writings and art. All these works mentioned beauty that was exactly that of the whites, setting rules of how one’s beauty is to be measured. Therefore, the concept of perfection and beauty was allowed to only revolve around the white as they were the exact picture in the works of different artists, making the blacks seem not just ugly but low as well.

The color of the skin tone is somewhat a universal platform to mark differences and thus in this case there is stark difference which causes blacks to look at themselves as inferior to the whites. The gaze has been mentioned with great emphasis in the essay and the author feels that this is what separates one human form from another and that the first thing that the gaze looks at is the color and the features, highlighting the point that physical characteristics are given most priority.

Also West argues that though every writer has mentioned the differences between the blacks and whites but most of them have been against the idea of the blacks being equal to the whites in any form. He says that it was thought to be irrational to even think of the blacks to become equal to the whites in beauty, culture and intelligence (as said in the essay). They feel that the blacks, apart from the physical differences, were also not intelligent enough and few have even challenged to name any black who has done a great deed in the world. And these were the reasons why the whites felt that only they were deserving of the high posts and elite positions of the society refusing to consider the blacks anywhere near them.

Long Takes - Unbroken, Unedited, Uninterrupted

In a movie, shots which are of greater duration than the average shots are called lengthy shots or long takes. In order to understand what a long take is, first we have to know the difference between a long take and a long shot. A long shot is the apparent distance between the camera and the object. It is a distanced framing. A long shot can also be known as a wide shot. On the other hand, a long take is an uninterrupted shot in a movie which lasts longer than the average shots. It is the boldest way of making a statement and also a very daring step that a filmmaker can take.

Long takes are actually dependent completely on the camera movements. A long take is a magic of how the camera works, it includes all the basic camera movements such as panning, tilting, zooming, tracking and craning. It is very important to show camera movement in long takes because this keeps the audience focused and attentive throughout the scene. A long take with no camera movement will make the audience jaded and it will make the scene worn out.

The earlier films didn’t have any editing techniques therefore the filmmakers had to use long takes in their films. Later, editing was introduced in films by D.W. Griffith and the use of long takes was limited to a comparatively less number of films. In Mexico, this technique of long takes is very popular among established filmmakers and is known as plano sequencia.

A long take can include a single shot in a scene, an entire scene or it can also be an entire movie. This can be seen in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rope”, which he shot in a series of long shots of 8 to 10 minutes which were put together by flawless cutting and were made to look like a single shot. The film worked out well and it was not a difficulty to shoot it because it was shot in only one room with little camera movement. It was an 80 minutes film with little lighting changes. It had seven cuts which were hidden very efficiently. The camera movements were planned and this film was known to be Hitchcock’s most experimental work ever.

A long take with camera movements is very difficult to achieve because when the camera moves the focus and lighting changes. Everything in a long shot is planned – the actor’s movements, dialogues are well rehearsed, props and background is well managed. If a small mistake takes place, the entire scene has to be shot again and this takes a lot of money, patience and also courage. It is a very challenging and time consuming process. The reason why filmmakers take this risk of filming their films in long takes is to take advantage of realtime.

Human Genetic Engineering

Human genetic engineering raises several ethical and legal questions. This field is growing and changing at a tremendous pace. These changes are accompanied with a number of benefits and risks which must be weighed in the light of moral, spiritual, legal and ethical perspectives. The potential power of human genetic engineering comes with great responsibility. Scientists all over the world are assertively researching the many different aspects of human genetic engineering. These enduring breakthroughs have allowed science to understand DNA and its role in all fields of science more effectively and deeply. A Princeton biologist, Lee Silver acknowledges that the costs of these genetic engineering technologies will limit their full use to only a small elite class which will later on be known as GenRich, and the normal people will be called the Naturals.

Human genetic engineering might play a role in changing the shape of family structure by complicating the role of parenting within a family of complex kinship relations. For instance, a female DNA donor would be the clone’s genetic twin, rather than mother, complicating the genetic and social relationships between mother and child as well as the relationships between other family members and the clone. Human genetic engineering has presented a tool to end the suffering associated with genetic diseases and because of this technology, everyone will have the reproductive rights to choose the characteristics of their child.

The principal benefit of the human genetic engineering technology is gene therapy, the medical treatment of a disease by replacing or repairing defective genes. On the other hand, humans will have difficulty in accepting the genetically engineered creatures amongst themselves. This will also change their lifestyles to a great extent. Also while treating one defect, it may cause another. The potential power of human genetic engineering comes with great responsibility.  Ironically, man will just become another man made thing.

News Channels and over dramatization

News channels mostly take extra efforts to over dramatize whatever the news or current scenario is. It portrays so much of negativity that people living abroad get a very bad impression of Pakistan. All you can see on the news channels is how many people have been killed, how expensive gas, petrol or sugar has become, if schools and businesses are going to be open the next day or not. If not such stories, the content would be revolving around trivial human stories like a celebrity getting married or a celebrity who has done a nude photoshoot. And these stories will be dragged so much that the viewer gets fed up of hearing the same thing again and again, which does not even interests him.

Breaking news are the most irritating specially when they make no sense at all and also the tickers that keeping running with statements like ‘Shoaib aur Sania ki shaddi, ab honeymoon kahan hoga’ are so annoying that you just want to switch off the tv. Does anybody really care where a certain celebrity is going for his honeymoon? Do any of us actually have the time to think about someone’s life whom we don’t even know personally? Another breaking news that I came across was ‘Bili ne kese maara shair ko, dikhiye 9 baje ki bulletin mien’. Seriously, the content of news channels should be sensible.

Besides the content, another issue that news channels have is authenticity. If there’s a bomb blast and many people have lost their lives, one news channel will be reporting the death rate to be 20 whereas some other news channel, at the same time will be reporting 30 people dead. Which channel do we rely on?

There should be a set standard for all news channels. The information they share should be authentic and well researched instead of just trying to be the first channel to give out that particular news. The sole purpose of the channels should not be the ratings but the relevant content. There should be an authorized company like PEMRA whose responsibilities would include making sure all the content on news channels in authentic and there is relevant news instead of sensationalism and over dramatization.

They should have open forums where people can lodge their complaints about news channels and actions should be taken about them. Unlike PEMRA, where hundreds of complaints are lodged but no particular actions are taken to fix those issues. This authorized company should be a well-functioning body which helps to maintain a standard among the various news channels.  

Islamic Fundamentalism

Islamic fundamentalism is a movement that has gained momentum in recent decades in many Muslim nations and it is a reactionary, non scientific movement aimed at returning society to a centuries-old set up. In the past few years, it has acquired a militant and Jihadi form. The setting up of an Islamic state and Jihad are the two objectives of a fundamentalist movement. Pakistan is one such nation where fundamentalism has been posed as one of the most intimidating questions. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism began in Pakistan in 1980’s when General Zia started using the name of religion in order to justify his rule. In his foremost address to the people of Pakistan, he stated that Islamic laws would be imposed and serious consideration would be dedicated towards setting up the Islamic society for which Pakistan had been formed.

General Zia’s most malignant legacy is the Islamic extremism which has taken firm roots in our society. Islamization was used to increase the gap between rich and poor. General Zia implemented a number of steps to wipe out non-Islamic practices from Pakistan. Zia discriminated the non-muslims by introducing a system that non-Muslims could only vote for a candidate of their own religion.

Also, in Zia’s regime, a non-Muslim could be convicted on the evidence of a Muslim but a Muslim could not be convicted on the evidence of a non-Muslim. Non-Muslims were not given an equal right as the Muslims and as the Quaid had promised. In Zia’s rule, the converted Muslims were also downgraded and given no importance. General Zia wanted the nation to understand that there is only one true religion and one correct way of life. Women had to bear most of the burden of Zia’s Islamization. Zia put forward the theory of “Chadar Aur Chaar Deewari” which oppressed the rights of women to a great extent. Islam gave equal rights to women but Zia degraded the women and made separate laws for them.

Pakistan was created in the name of Islam, but it wasn’t created for Muslims only. The non-Muslims were to be given equal rights in Pakistan as stated by Quaid-e-Azam that,

“Islam and its idealism have taught us democracy. It has taught equality of man, justice and fairplay to everybody. We are the inheritors of these glorious traditions and are fully alive to our responsibilities and obligations as framers of the future constitution of Pakistan. In any case Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic State to be ruled by priests with a divine mission. We have many non-Muslims — Hindus, Christians, and Parsis — but they are all Pakistanis. They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any other citizens and will play their rightful part in the affairs of Pakistan.”

Silent Water

The rise of religious fundamentalism in Pakistan had a great influence on every individual living in this country. This impact has been shown by Sabiha Sumar in her film Khamosh Pani (Silent Water). Khamosh Pani is a film about the life of a middle aged woman, Ayesha, who lives with her son and gives Quran lessons to children. Ayesha was born in a Sikh family but has lived all her life in Pakistan, hiding her identity from everyone including her son. Throughout the film, she gets flashbacks of partition when she was asked by her father to commit suicide by jumping into the well in order to protect his family’s honor. But instead she ran away and was abducted and later on married her abductor and converted to Islam.

Ayesha’s son, Saleem gets misguided by two men who come to the village and recruit young boys for Jihadi activities by radical influential Islamic talks. General Zia’s Islamization transforms Saleem completely and he thinks he has got a new direction in his life and he now knows what he has to acieve from his life. This change in Saleems attitude affects his mother to a great extent and she repeatedly warns him to stay away from these extremists men. A Sikh group comes to that village for pilgrimage and within that group is Ayesha’s long lost brother who sets out to the village in search of his sister. When Saleem finds out that his mother is actually a Sikh, anger rushes through his blood and he along with his fundamentalist friends run a violent campaign to throw the Sikh pilgrims out of the village.

Ayesha commits suicide by jumping into the same well where her father asked her to jump years back. Saleem puts his mothers’ box into the river and it is carried away by the river currents. Three decades later, Saleem has now turned into a powerful, Jihadi leader. The rare glimpses of the atrocities of partition shown in this film are true incidents that happened with the Sikh and Muslim families. The film also shows the changes in the lives of Muslims living in all parts of Pakistan brought about by General Zia’s Islamization.

Through this film, Sabiha connected the contemporary violence of the 70’s with that of the 40’s. She wanted to show that the violence didn’t end during partition but it is still a continuing process. Sabiha showed that Saleem played flute in the first few scenes of the film but instead of making him a music artist, she made him an extremist because she wanted to show that under Zia’s dictatorship Pakistan was completely wiped out of the possibility of arts and culture.

The story of partition is told in bits and pieces throughout the film but in such a way that it brings out the pain and sufferings that the women faced during the partition days. Ayesha goes into a flashback again and again and makes us all feel the trauma that she, and many other women like her, went through. There is a dialogue in the film by Ayesha that, “Two countries were born, Men abducted women, Fathers killed daughters, Everyone said it was to save their honor, Some young girls died, Others survived, People moved like the sea leaving everything behind, Broken memories, half dreamt dreams, places of worship.” This dialogue brings back the painful memories of partition and the atrocities that many Muslims and non-Muslims went through.