In true colour

He is the gentle giant of the music industry. One third of one of the first bands to come out in the second pop industry boom, Fuzon, Shallum lacks the outgoing-on-all-occasions persona predominant in most well-known musicians in the industry, neither is he the kind to sit back and slip into the shadows. Perhaps the best way to describe him would be to say that he isn’t a ‘crowd’ person.

Shallum chose to expand his music in Norway when an opportunity presented itself some three odd years ago. A Norwegian telecommunications company brought Fryd, a popular Norwegian band, to Pakistan and together with Fuzon, they performed at the anniversary of the telecommunications company. Fuzon was then invited to perform in Norway later that same year and following that, Shallum and drummer Gumby went on to perform in a Norwegian music festival last year as well.“It was a great experience,” said Shallum talking about the festival, “I did a few recordings there as well.”

The Norwegians seem to have taken a liking to Shallum as he has been invited to perform with a symphony orchestra some time in September. He has also been asked to form and compose a 15-minute musical track and, according to him, “assemble a team of performers to represent Pakistan.”

Speaking about his team, he says, “I will be teaming up with Jawaid Bashir (the vocalist of the Meekal Hasan Band), Pappu (the flute player from the Meekal Hasan Band), Ammr Vandal, a Kathak dancer originally from Pakistan but currently studying in New York these days, Ingrid Kindem (the keyboardist from the Norwegian band Fryd) and Jai Shankar, a noted tabla player.” It is interesting to note that Jai Shankar has recently won an accolade from both Norway and India for his skills on the tabla.

Shallum has, for the longest time, been talking about recording his own solo instrumental album. Now that he has begun to work on music for it and with his Norwegian-related activities taking place around the corner, is Fryd going to be a part of his solo venture? “I’ll be collaborating with Ingrid Kindem the keyboard player from Fryd and the musicians just mentioned”, he replied, “but Fryd (on a whole) is not a part of this project”

Out of his individual work, one instrumental, My Guardian Angel, was released via the CD that the World Music Magazine (headed by Arshad Mahmood) gives out with every issue. Is it going to be a part of the upcoming album? “I’m not sure if that’s going to be the title track of the album. I am working on some tracks and ideas but I’m not sure whether I’ll be coming out with the album this year,” he said.

Not content with simply being just a musician, Shallum has decided to dip his hands into the production side of music as well. “I have been producing new upcoming artistes and I really enjoying the experience of working on each and every aspect of the process of making music,” he replies enthusiastically. “Some of these talented individuals will be releasing their music pretty soon.”

Notwithstanding the band he started out with, Shallum mentions that “Fuzon is releasing their first video from the second album, titled Suna Suna, in August. The video has been directed by Sohail Javed.” What about the launch of the album itself? “Fuzon’s second album is going to be out in August so there are quite a few things to look forward to. We have some concerts planned here in Pakistan and we have a tour of India in a few months as well,” he concludes.

Photography by Fayyaz Ahmed

First Published:
Images
July 29, 2007

Who to look up to?

There have always been certain individuals who have defined a ‘generation’. The ‘90s were marked by the arrival of the Spice Girls, other boy bands and, outside the pop industry, by Monica Lewinsky. In Pakistan, perhaps, we had the Vital Signs, Junoon and Hadiqa Kiani but virtually no one outside the entertainment sector. That period for the Pakistani youth was marked by political instability and there was a huge gap as far as the evolution of local pop culture is concerned. It was only in the next decade, with the increasing use of the Internet, the liberation of the media and the rapid rise of the café culture that the current generation (Generation Y) woke up and rubbed their eyes, and the realisation that now they had a chance of developing their own identity dawned on them.

After hours of searching and taking a good look around I was forced to conclude that we live in a world of GT (Good Times magazine). We aspire to be the people smiling back at us from the printed glossy paper: the ones with the perfect hair and makeup, those who seem to have a successful life, a lot of friends and a good time. Take a look at any random group in any popular café or joint: they sport almost the same hairstyle, co-ordination of outfits, behave and talk similarly and if frozen they’d look almost exactly like the younger version of the people we see printed in social pages. Someone who is hung about the Eighties will still sport the coiffed look that was popular then. An older person who was young and adventurous in the ‘50s or ‘60s will still style his hair after Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley or Shami Kapoor. People like to follow trendsetters and generally trendsetters are the icons for the masses.

You still come across the odd Amitabh Bachan, a Waheed Murad, an Imran Khan and a Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in a crowd. These people were overwhelmingly popular and powerful, with massive fan following due to their charismatic, magnetic personalities. Although Amitabh must still be an icon for many middle-aged men.

Bachchan's first major box office success came in the leading role for his film Zanjeer. The movie was a sharp contrast to the romantic-themed ones that had generally preceded it and established Amitabh as the ‘angry young man’ (action hero) of Bollywood. The next decade catapulted him to the pinnacle of Bollywood superstardom. He churned out at least one major hit every year. Although the above-mentioned films cemented his status as Bollywood's pre-eminent action hero, Amitabh displayed a flair for more than just action roles. His remarkable comic timing was on display in films that were box office hits in late ‘70s and early ‘80s. He also emerged successful as a romantic lead. Any tall, lanky man with big features, thick hair and some charm would still love to be called Amitabh, especially if he had a nice voice to go with it all.

Young men (and women) idol worshipped Z A Bhutto for his dynamism, for his hardline confrontational policies against India. Large crowds would gather to listen to his speeches. A tall, bald man with fair complexion, an aristocratic nose and an arrogant attitude and people start calling him Bhutto Sahib.

Practically the whole generation of young men in the ‘80s aspired to be Imran Khan with looks and sex appeal, if not with cricketing abilities. Imran is seen as one of the finest all-rounders the game has ever produced. He was one of the fastest bowlers of the world during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and in the latter half of his career one of the best batsmen in the Pakistan team. Perhaps more significantly, as a captain, he transformed the Pakistan team, previously known for its exceptional talent but lack of coherence, into a well-moulded unit. And perhaps a whole generation of young women were fatally and frantically in love with him, so much so that one could say that to this day, Imran remains a phenomenon that happened in the ‘80s. No Shoaib Akhtar, Humayun Saeed, Shaan, Abrarul Haq or Shahzad Roy has at all the clout nor the substance that Imran Khan was made of. He was probably the equivalent of Elvis Presely in the West.

These days, the world over Generation Y is becoming increasingly defined by socialites like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie or by young divas like Lindsay Lohan. The days of the strong, graceful beauty personified by Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Jacky Kennedy are over.

The real question is: who defines Generation Y in Pakistan, especially when desi influences might be concerned? We don’t have hugely popular socialites (they would probably get bombed especially if they were anything like Hilton) and our fashion and music industry, although not highly developed, is evolving. Only a small section of Generation Y is concerned with the societal, ecological and political environment – constituting an extremely small percentage of them – and none so far have managed to stand out in their efforts.

Bringing us back to the entertainment sector, ask any random young individual walking down the street as to who their favourite celebrity is, from any place in the city, and you’ll almost always be confronted with ‘Atif Aslam’ as the answer. A media-shy but gifted vocalist Atif Aslam (previously part of the band Jal) personifies the rags-to-riches story that has a somewhat universal appeal. Becoming an almost instantaneous hit, when the band Jal released the Umar Anwar-directed video of Aadat, they found themselves catapulted from near obscurity to extreme stardom. Aadat was everywhere – it voiced the frustration felt by most of the youth.

Just when they were learning to grapple with the implications of their new-found popularity, Atif Aslam left the band. What followed was a court case and a premature album launch by Atif Aslam in a bid to cash in on the media hype following the breakup of the band – all of which worked. Today, two albums later with a third one on the way and after having performed numerous international tours, Atif Aslam is one of the most popular and highly paid entertainers of the music industry.

His mass appeal can perhaps be credited to the fact that he is one of the very few individuals in the industry who really can sing, his songs are in Urdu, are lyrically simple and easy to relate to. Most important, he doesn’t belong to or tries to embody the characteristics that define the country’s social elite: he talks, dresses and behaves the way an ordinary youth from the masses does. He is one of them and they see themselves every time his music plays or his face flashes on TV.

On the flip side we also have Fasi Zaka – the corpulent, humorous, Rhodes Scholar who rose to fame via the show On the fringe directed by his cousin and musician/producer, Zeeshan Parwez. Recorded with a home camera and jabbing humour at the ‘serious’ artistes predominant in the entertainment industry, On the fringe and with it, its host Fasi Zaka, was a huge hit and managed to amass a strong cult following. Several newspaper columns, massively popular radio shows and an additional show dealing with socio-political affairs later, Fasi Zaka is everywhere.

At first glance, nothing about Fasi Zaka except for his intelligence and wit is cool. He is the class clown – the one who makes everyone laugh but isn’t somehow part of any particular ‘group’. His appeal may be attributed to the fact that other than his innate ability to make us laugh, he represents the misfits predominant in all of us. He doesn’t conform to a social ‘type’: he doesn’t look perfect and he doesn’t act it either. Fasi Zaka defines new kind of ‘cool’-- the kind that allows you to look, behave and be what you are, as long as you can enjoy a couple of laughs in the process.

Try as I might, I haven’t come across a single female icon for today’s youth, whether in the entertainment sector or outside, there isn’t a single woman big enough. Mohtarma, Mukhtaran Mai, Sherry Rahman? This is baffling in itself, how long will it take for a woman to match the appeal that Nazia Hasan had in the ‘80s or Hadiqa Kiyani had in the nineties? And considering that breaking into the industry was much more difficult for women back then as opposed to now.

Do the divas today have the clout. Is the upcoming generation in the 21st century at all affected by Meera, Reema, Amina Haq or Annie the mahiya girl? Do people in the limelight have no substance that shines anymore? Do young men aspire to be Shaan?

Keeping all of the above in mind, it would be safe to say that we don’t have a highly developed youth culture – although compared to the rest of the age brackets, it is by far the strongest. With the increasing globalisation of the media both conventional and new media (blogs, podcasts, ezines etc), influences are also becoming global and it is becoming difficult to separate desi youth icons and/or role models from the international ones. What can be said without a doubt that these role models are important in the sense that they provide the already confused youth with a sense of identity and belonging – your parent’s heros aren’t yours. Unless we have individuals who are willing to break from the GT-inspired mold that has taken over us and promote their individuality, we might not have an ‘icon’ to define Generation Z.

First Published:
The Magazine
July 29, 2007

My kind and other animals

Madeeha Syed continues her musings about her no-longer-secret addiction

Like most addicts, we have learnt to recognise our kind. In some cases it’s painfully apparent: the other person will often talk about so-and-so book that they read or they will appear to be slightly removed from the ‘crowd’, as if not belonging to it entirely. There are some bookaholics, however, who don’t reveal their secret so easily. They look like everyone else, they talk like everyone else,
and they don’t necessarily ‘talk’ about books that they have read or want to read. It’s only when they innocently reveal in passing their love for collecting books that they are ever found out.

Talking of types of bookaholics, I have to mention my bookstore observations. I spend a at least two hours a week in a bookstore; sitting in one of their sofas pouring over books or simply taking a break and sorting my thoughts out while devouring the titles on the bookstores, I’ve noticed almost all kinds of people come into bookstores to buy books. Most of them seem to belong to the 45 and above age bracket — the self actualised individuals (or close to it). Sadly enough, I don’t see many people my age (the early 20’s age bracket) spend time in bookstores. They are almost always found hanging out cafés and/or at clothing outlets.

Once while searching for a book to buy for my mother, I asked a woman standing beside me at the book store for a recommendation. She looked like what most moms look like; everything about her spelled ‘comfort’ from her clothes to her shoes. She asked what my mother did and I replied that she was a ‘home maker’. Based on that information she thought that I was better off buying mum a ‘thriller novel’ — the likes of Danielle Steel. In response to the inquiring look I gave her, she said that women like her who took care of ‘everything’ didn’t have time or the energy to devote their already stressed minds to ‘serious’ books. A thriller would engage and provide a welcome escape from an otherwise stressful, mundane line. While I found her advice interesting, I was surprised to discover that she was an avid book reader.

On another occasion, while waiting for our respective rides, the marketing head of a successful international clothing line confessed to me that books depressed him. He explained that his working schedule left him with virtually no time to read and going into or even near a book store was a painful reminder of how, even if he bought them, he couldn’t read the books he’d like. His bookaholic side didn’t surprise me — he fit the self-actualised bookaholic profile. His confession led me to think what if at some point in my life I am also too busy? Too busy for books?! That idea is the closest to blasphemy I have dared to venture.

There aren’t many libraries in Karachi to begin with and virtually no public libraries where people can go to. What we do have is a library somewhere in Defense Housing Society which offers free admission to all senior citizens. Surprised? It’s true. Several years ago, while studying for an exam, I looked up to see a charming couple, both easily 75 or above, going over some old books. They were obviously retired but instead of spending their time nodding off to sleep in a rocking chair, they had decided to read. What I found especially heartwarming was the way the gentleman would often take the hand of the lady and help her go from one bookcase to the other. Not only that, they even consulted each other on their choice of books and eventually settled down together in a comfortable corner to read. That is exactly how I want to spend my retirement. When I’m not travelling, that is.

I belong to the school of thought that considers buying an original book, no matter how expensive, the right way to read and collect. One of my closest friends, who is also a bookaholic, prefers to buy pirated editions only. And if she can, she’ll download e-books instead! She explained once that she was more concerned with the overall content of the book instead of how it was ‘packaged’ and that original copies were too expensive. I, on the other hand, would starve in order to save money rather than buy a pirated edition. What’s more is that this friend (gasp) underlines sentences that she finds interesting in the books. All of the above is a major ‘No no’ in the sacred unspoken bookaholic creed. The said friend belongs to a breed I haven’t come across much but her variety of bookaholics are definitely intriguing.

What is it about books that enthralls us so? Perhaps it has to do with our innate love for a good story — whether in novel form or as a biography — and the desire to have it repeated to us. Or maybe we hold precious those elements that manage to enchant us and make us drift momentarily into another world. Interacting with those who carry this love a step further has always been interesting. It sheds light on our uniqueness and diversity; yet is a reminder that whatever shape or size we come in, we love books.

First Published:
Books and Authors
July 29, 2007

Louder than ever before

There are hardly any ticketed concerts taking place in the metropolitan to begin with and experience has taught that these things never start on time. Keeping that in mind, I arrived at the venue an hour late and was somewhat disappointed to find out that despite the measure taken, the event was far from starting.

Mizraab was engaged in a somewhat lengthy sound check, directed by Faraz Anwar himself, with band-members of the Aunty Disco Project (ADP) and Mauj sitting at one corner of the stage. A closer look revealed Hamza Jafri, the rhythm guitarist for Mauj and the lead vocalist for Co-VEN, taking a nap on stage near his mates as well. He later confessed that he hadn’t been feeling quite well.

Another full hour and drum kit later — another drum kit had to be arranged since the Mizraab drummer was unwilling to share his — the concert showed signs of starting as two underground bands took to the stage. What was interesting to note was that the venue was chock full of pubescent wannabe rockers: teenage boys with long hair, dark clothes and a rock star attitude. Needless to say that even though the featured underground bands showed promise, they were far from being considered a good live act and were desperately in need of practice; both musically and vocally.

ADP kicked off with their original track, Sultanat, and announced that its video and audio has been released and will be making rounds on the tube and radio — a move they announced as “selfish self-promotion”. True to their form, they performed with zest and seemed to have fun while doing so. Imran Lodhi (bass, lead and vocals) swung the guitar and swished his hair as did Yasir on darbuka. Imran Lodhi could also be found posing for photos during his performance as well. Omar Akhtar in turn sashayed in his own way and ended almost every song they performed, one of them also included another popular single, Shehr Ke Ansoo, with a little guitar solo. Perhaps his most notable move came in the form of swinging his hand over his guitar ala early ’70s rock style, producing Jimi Hendrix-inspired guitar sounds.

What caught ones attention was the sheer number of people singing along to ADP’s chorus lines of some of their songs. Having performed quite a few number of times in Karachi, the band is well-known to audiences which include both media and non-media professionals, and have managed to amass a somewhat loyal fan following. Definitely leaving the crowd worked up, they made their way for Mauj. On the other hand, Mauj probably had no idea what lay in store for them.

The band is jinxed, or so it seems. The moment they came on stage it began to rain. Whereas during ADP’s performance it had drizzled lightly, with Mauj on stage, the rain became heavier. Having turned off the lights, attendees rushed to cover the equipment on stage and around 10 minutes later, in the midst of the wannabe rocker crowd yelling “Mizraab”, Mauj launched into an original track titled Mona. One has to mention here that in their full form, Mauj comes across as a formidable live act — with the best bassist (Sameer Ahmed), drummer (Sikandar Mufti), rhythm guitarist (Hamza Jafri) and fast-establishing himself as a gifted guitarist, Omran Shafique, a regular Mauj performance has just the right level of skill coupled with good composition to make it for concert goers, more than just worth their time.
Mauj launched into the Zoheb Hasan cover of Pyar Ka Jadoo. What’s truly magical about Zoheb’s songs is that even if you didn’t belong to the generation that grew up listening to them, as was with the case of most of the audience, they’re simple and catchy enough in their composition for anyone to sing along. This was the case here. Having customised it enough to sound like a Mauj song, the band members had the crowd crooning to the chorus with them. They slowed down to accommodate the audience, but one doesn’t think they got it since most of them quieted down instead. Mauj had the crowd participating again in an upbeat version of the chorus that immediately followed. Mauj had officially converted the audience.

They then launched into an instrumental that seemed to pick up as it progressed. An audience member called for Faraz Anwar, to which Omran replied “I’m bigger, better and faster”. Having seen him perform several times before, one doesn’t doubt that he just might be. Mauj closed their performance with an extended version of Khush Fehmi, which had also been getting a lot of requests from the crowd.

All hell seemed to break lose when Mizraab took the stage however. All of a sudden, it seemed as though the women in the audience had moved towards the back with the boys crowding the front and either side of the stage. Incidentally it was also Faraz Anwar’s birthday that day and a fan brought a cake along which he promptly cut and then began performing. Knowing what the audience expected of him, he launched into a guitar solo which had his fingers flying over the fret board while his most ardent fans stood in rapt attention.

It would be an understatement to say that for the rocker wannabes in the crowd, Faraz Anwar is nothing short of a god: they kept a respectful distance, head banged even when they had their hands on the stage and followed every movement he made, as if entranced. Mizraab was by far the loudest of the lot and their performance lasted roughly around 20 minutes. They closed with a number that has also lately been made into a music video, Ujala, concluding the evening on a much softer note.

credits: photos by Fayyaz Ahmed

First Published:

Images

July 22, 2007

Beauty beyond borders

The Pakistan Council of Fashion design has taken a step forward in having their fashion designers go global. Negotiating with Beth Sobol, the woman responsible for the formation of Miami Fashion Week, one of the major fashion festivals in the United States, the PCFD has entered into agreement with the Fashion Council of America enabling their local Pakistani designers to showcase their collections abroad. Speaking on the occasion, Maheen Khan, designer and chairperson of PCFD said that such associations are integral not only for the growth but for the international exposure of our design talent – which greatly contributes to the knowledge and expertise of a designer.

With the agreement intact, Pakistani designers now get to display their collection in The Miami Fashion Week, early next year.

First Published:

Images

July 22, 2007

A reader's response to my article titled Confessions of a Bookaholic (published July 8, 2007):

Madeeha Syed’s article “Confessions of a bookaholic” (Books and Authors, July 8) made me smile. I am not as addicted to books as Madeeha clearly is — but I do have a lot of similar confessions to make. Yes, the first thing that comes to my mind when deciding on a gift for a wedding or birthday is invariably a book. Whether or not the person in question is a book lover is always a second thought. When in urgent need of a present, I even borrow one or more books from my treasury and then buy another copy of the same book as soon as possible. Of the best books, I always buy more than one copy (after having read the book, of course) — just in case I need to give it away in emergency.

In contrast to Madeeha’s inability to stop herself from buying more books before reading all those she already owns, I am a woman with great self-restrain. I simply limit my shopping trips to only once every couple of months (!!!). But I admit I really cannot help myself if I happen to chance upon a book fair in. Once, after he had packed my purchases, the man at the stall offered to deliver all the books to my office in the evening. I had just stopped by to “have a look” and didn’t bring my car!

I have never seen people who enjoy reading get bored. Books are the most reliable friends on earth, and the best part is there are many kinds of books. All you have to do is find one that suits you the best. For me, fiction is a big no, no. Biographies and autobiographies of men and women of substance work best in times of distress and history works only when I am in the mood.

I salute Madeeha for giving vent to her guilt. I wonder how many readers are laughing at us, but luckily, this world is full of millions of kinds of books — and as many kinds of humans.

Madiha Saeed Rizvi (Karachi)

Feeback First Published:

Books & Authors

July 22, 2007

Caught in the Net(work)
They say the world is growing smaller day by day. Before the internet revolution, getting in touch with your loved ones and business associates across the Mediterranean was almost an impossible task that required hours and hours of waiting and depending on the PTCL phone operator at an exorbitant rate – leaving that luxury only for the elite. Getting a letter was a big deal and its arrival was announced to every other member of the household, to those whom the letter was meant for – also for those who it wasn’t meant for. Most people actually ended up saving these specimens of antiquated means of communication. And most of us lived happily in our near-predictable, slow lives – the bubble was bigger and more difficult to pop: you’re friends were your friends who you met and bonded with at school – meeting for the occasional coffee later, you’re work stayed at work and you spent hours catching up with your cousin who visited after what seemed like, gazillions of years. That is, till the internet came to town and made itself available to all and sundry.

There were several reasons why parents were initially against their children using the internet or using it in the privacy of their rooms – far away from chaperoning eyes. Where previously they could control what their children were exposed to via screening their books, movies, television programs and social outings – now, they couldn’t. If their child chose to visit a website with harmful content containing for example, steps on how to get back on people who hurt you via physical violence, parents remained powerless in limiting that exposure and ensuring that their child grew up mentally healthy as well.

Reason number two was that they had no control over who you talked to, when you talked to him/her and what you talked about. Pre-internet age, or rather in the modern-day stone age, friends would come home and pass through the scrutiny of your parents or you’d call from the phone in the living room, baring the content of your side of the conversation to all. What you said to your friends outside of school, remained between you and your friends, you could talk to millions of random people from all around the world and quench that thirst of ‘communicating’ with like-minded people. In short, the internet-world became your playground where there more choices and more opportunities to meet and stay-in-touch with people you may/may not know. It allowed people to embody personas and feel ‘liberated’. All of a sudden your family and mohalla walas weren’t crowding round the phone, hanging on to every single word the aunt settled in some godforsaken country had to say – they just hit her with an email.

All hell breaks lose

Just when things couldn’t get better, Friendster, the first-of-its-kind social networking website was launched sometime in [insert date]. Revolutionizing communication methods, your friends could remain all in one place; instead of emails you dropped short messages that were visible to all. You knew who your friends were friends with and it became easier to established “you’re related to her too?!” connection than ever before. Then came FaceBook, Orkut, MySpace, Hookah, Zorphia… and the list goes on.

Where there are minor differences, there are some similarities that must be mentioned here: they all require you to add friends when you sign up and fill out a form which includes more than just your name and date of birth: it’s comprehensive enough to include all of the schools you have ever been to, your hobbies, what you’re looking for in the special someone and the latest, what you’re ‘thinking’ at the moment. They all had features to add a photos to your profile, your friends were visible to all and so were their messages, you could browse through your friend’s friend list or via specifications you’d outline when you’d hit the search bar. It was modern, fast, exciting, gave you more crappy-useful information. In short, it was crazy and nobody could do anything about it.

The new-age jungle

It wouldn’t be entirely incorrect to say that in the online social networking domain, there is a whole jungle out there. If you thought the age of cliques was over, think again. Now you’re cool-meter is rated on how many messages you have, anything less than ten thousand and you’re considered a loser: a social outcast, a misfit, somebody who mistakes their acquaintances for their friends. In short, you deserve nothing better and should kill yourself by deleting your profile and bidding adieu to online social networking… forever.

Online social networking has also given birth to: The Stalker. If you thought they were a miserable breed who spent all of their time obsessing over the object of their unwelcome scrutiny in a room full of photos and mementos of them, think again. This is new breed, the members of which include you and me, spends countless hours poring over the message books of our friends, friends of friends, exes, boyfriends, favorite celebrity and so on. And we know that people might be going through ours as well. And for those of us who spend most of our time on social networking websites, this will also be our primary subject of conversation between our friends later in our ‘offline’ lives.

If this wasn’t enough, websites such as FaceBook have upped the ante where the potential for gossip is concerned. Now, when you log in, you have a whole home page which summarises for you, which friend said what to whom and who sent someone a virtual present and who is whose favorite purple-cherry-on-top friend and who… you get the drift. It’s like having your own news-spread where you pick the juiciest story and ‘investigate’ further.

What’s more is that social networking doesn’t end at sending messages alone. Now when you log in, you’ll see that five friends have ‘poked’ you, seven have sent fuzzy bunnies your way (now you have to add the fuzzy bunny application), nine have sent cupcakes (note to self: add cupcakes application. you want that cupcake, even if you can’t really eat it), four have written on the super wall (add super wall application, this is getting ridiculous: really, what’s the difference?) and thirteen have drawn on your graffiti wall (you’re one step ahead, you’ve already added this application). Phew. And this is on top of the ‘add new friends’ requests you have piling up in your inbox. Modern social networking websites require you to be (blows on the tips on fingers to warm them up) a super fast typer, communicater, articulate phrase-er, digital artiste and develop an appetite for those coveted digital cupcakes on top of hours and hours of your time that you want to willingly waste.

What’s in it for them?

With most digital networking websites making their services available for free, what’s in it for them? Why is it so important that you add new friends and communicate with them? sure some of them do it to generate revenue from online advertisements but there are some which don’t even have those, so what do they get out of it? more importantly when you sign up, giving away valuable personal information and encouraging your friends and acquaintances to do the same, do you even read the ‘terms of agreement’ that you agree to? Who does?

Most agreement contracts have a statement stating that whatever information you are giving them will be available to serve purposes within the organization but will not be released to ‘external’ parties. First of all, with conglomerates forming every other day in the internet world and with more and more online firms merging together, what constitutes as an ‘external’ party?

The sheer amount of social data contained in social networking websites which includes not just what you’ve willingly typed away in those lengthy forms you were required to fill when signing up, but also in the number and type of friends that you have, the kind of subjects you like to talk about, in short, you’re entire social pattern depicted online is information enough to transport any marketing person into utopia. The statistics generated from how you communicate with your friends aren’t from a random questionnaire that you may have willingly/unwillingly answered, knowing fully that you were doing it as a part of a research programme, this is real-world information, in real-time we’re talking about here. And with the fuzzy lines that exist between an ‘internal purposes only’ and ‘external party’, this information can be sold to any organization wishing to make use of it.

Take the giant gorilla of the internet for example: Google. They provide you with a web-search service application; they also have Gmail, BlogSpot and Orkut. Via your social networking on Orkut, they glean information about you and your friends from your entire social networking pattern online and they use that information to customize the responses you get when you first all, search for something and secondly, the kind of ads that pop up when you search. Looking closely in your Gmail inbox will make you see little text-based ads that appear right on top of the emails in your folder. Don’t be surprised if you see an ad for ‘purple turtle neck sweater with pocket for fuzzy cupcake’ there a short while after you scrapped your friend about it on Orkut. I hate to burst your bubble but your data/information is not ‘private’ on the internet, at least to those working in these organizations and those related to them. Nothing in this world is for free and you pay by signing away your privacy when you sign up on these social networking websites. You have also allowed yourself to become digital a lab rat whose behavior is closely monitored in a ‘controlled’ environment.

The threats

The dangers where open, online social networking websites is concerned isn’t limited to private information not truly remaining private. Not all stalkers mentioned above are harmless. For those who think separately from the norm albeit in a negative, dangerous manner have access to and information of all of your activities and friends, more than enough to hatch a plan to harm you should he/she chose to.

It doesn’t end here. Social networking websites are a popular haunt of pedophiles and sexual predators as well. Say for example, a predator might have an affinity for individuals who match the following characteristics: female, medium-toned skin, short-brown hair, average looks, aged between 12 and 14, living in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi. It takes one click of the search bar for the predator to have an entire list of people who match this description and just another click to come in contact with them (whether the person contacted chooses to reciprocate is another issue). Networking websites are a place where they roam free, mostly under an alias, have no restrictions or boundaries on how they project themselves and come in all shapes and sizes. There isn’t anything much that you can do to prevent them cornering you online or in real-life (depending on how available your information is) should he chose to pursue you no matter what.

At the end of it all…

This isn’t to say that online social networking websites are the work of the devil or that one should steer clearly away from them. The object of this piece was to acquaint readers with the idea that online social networking sites aren’t the happy digital sunshine-filled places that they appear to be. Social networking websites are useful in tracing or contacting someone you haven’t met in the longest time or in coordinating projects and activities that otherwise require constant contact. But all of the above comes at a cost and it’s always better to remain fully-informed about the information you’re choosing to release and what will it be used for it. It’s important to understand the social patterns that are being developed and it’s important to be aware of the risks and dangers that such interactions may result in, only so you can protect yourself in the future.

First Published:

Sci-Tech World

July 21, 2007

Dark days for Potter

You have to either be living in cave or on Mars if you don’t know who Harry Potter is or what The Midnight Hour means to the team that brings you everything that is Harry Potter – from the books to the movies to the video games to the… everything. Perhaps no book or movie in history has undergone such scrutinizing security as the seventh Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows or the release of its fifth movie to date: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The one thing that makes this summer especially special is that both the seventh book and the fifth movie are being launched within a gap of just a couple of weeks of each other.

With the official launch date of July 13, 2007, the Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, has already managed to break the previous records that were held and has managed to generate around 375 million dollars in just three days from its launch. Amazingly enough, the team records the highest number of bookings for The Midnight Hour showings ever.

The director of the film is David Yates, although the film had also been offered to Mike Newell and Mira Nair – both turned it down. The screenwriter (the person who adapts the book version for screen) for all of the previous Potter films (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) had “other commitments” hence did not write the screenplay for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The screenplay was instead written by Michael Goldenberg.

An interesting fact about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is that it was the largest of all Harry Potter books but the movie itself is the shortest of all Harry Potter movies.

I must warn you here, the movie is much darker and more exciting than the previous Potter films. So much so that it has managed to generate a PG 13 rating in America. The film opens to reveal Harry saving his detestable cousin from a dementor and in turn, getting in trouble with the Ministry of Magic with a risk of getting expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, only because he had used magic outside of the school – even if it was to save his cousin’s life.

With the return of Lord Voldemort becoming more and more of an unmistakable, unavoidable reality every single day and with Harry having seen him as well, the world of wizardry is in grave peril. No one seems to realize that however, with the Ministry of Magic living in denial by constantly refusing to admit his presence. Harry on the other hand is quietly shunned by school mates except for Hermione and Ron since nobody wants to be told that the Dark Lord who had been driven away from 14 odd years ago will be returning. What’s more is that he will be assembling an army of people. Keeping that in mind, Harry has a mind to assemble his own, calling it ‘Dumbledore’s Army’.

With everything being all dark and grey in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, there is one little shade of pink that one manages to see: in the shape of Dolores Umbridge (played by acclaimed actress Imelda Staunton). Finally, this is a character all of us can relate to. She is our worst nightmare when it comes to a teacher and no doubt, many of us may have encountered teachers like her in real life too. She looks like a sweet, harmless lady on the outside, has a somewhat sweet and pleasant disposition complete with the voice full of mirth. Sound harmless so far? With all that Umbridge also does not listen to any questions that a student may have to say, prefers to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts theoretically and without magic since ‘you don’t need magic to defend yourself nowadays’ and worst of all, slaps down decree after decree without a single consideration as to its consequences or even looking into the matter that may have caused an outbreak amongst students. Creating a completely repressed environment for the children and crippling little freedoms that they might have, she is only encouraging them to rebel more. And Imelda Staunton more than just brings her to life.

With impending doom right around the corner and with no one helping the students out or equipping them to deal with danger in case it arrives, Harry, Ron and Hermione decide to take matters into their own hands and begin to organize clandestine meetings in which Harry teaches a group of 27 trusted individuals all of the defensive magic he knows, including how to summon a Patronus. Calling themselves Dumbledore’s Army, they work day after day in refining their magic skills.

During this time we see a definite change taking place in Harry. Voldemort’s return is taking a toll on him and he suffers from nightmares day in and day out. Snape on the other hand tries to teach him to cloak his mind incase the Dark Lord might be trying to read or influence it via his dreams. Harry goes through side effects as strong as ones in which he feels bits of Voldemort’s character coming into him and reports feeling ‘angry all the time’ and so on. This is by the far the most mature Harry Potter movie plot to date and the entire cast must be credited for rendering it realistically accurate. But then again, what is ‘real’ in the magic world.

At the end of it all, the movie is definitely darker and will keep all Harry Potter fans and non-fans glued to the movie throughout. Although at the end of it all, it doesn’t really tell us anything new: we already know that Lord Voldemort has come. But this movie is important in the sense that it bridges the stories that have been told and the ones which have to unfold. Most importantly, it gives us an insight into the terrible complexities of the magic world and what these elements are capable of doing.

First Published:

Young World

July 21, 2007

The rainmaker


“If I have done anything good in photography, it’s because I have really learned it. I didn’t feel like I was a born Picasso and that all I had to do was pick up a camera and I was good to go. I worked my backside in trying to learn and I made sure that I was getting enough exposure to see what was happening around the world”, says Amean J.

There are three things that become apparent when interacting with Amean J. — he has an almost uncanny knack for observing details, and not just visually. Even when it appears unlikely, a part of him will be aware of the minutest detail around him. It’s only when he makes a reference to it later on that you realise he was paying attention. Secondly, he has a tendency of including a bit of humor in his everyday conversation. It’s subtle enough not to make the joke starkly apparent, it’s like pulling someone’s leg with the other person realising it five minutes later.

Lastly, in a world where punctuality is two hours late, Amean exists to put it to shame: he is almost always on time. And he has no qualms about leaving on the designated event-ending time mentioned on the itinerary as well, whether or not the event itself has concluded.

One of the rare ones to attain a formal education in his chosen art form, Amean has come a long way in the nine years he’s been a professional photographer, and has managed to make himself accessible in a way most media industry individuals haven’t: via the Internet. His web site, which showcases some of his work in the past year as well as a generous collection of portraits shot by him, is a favorite haunt of various writers, directors, art students and advertising professionals. It is also the place where Amean hosts the e-exhibition of his travelogue series.

His avid interest in technology shouldn’t come as a surprise considering that he holds a masters degree in media, culture and technology. “Imagine putting all three together,” he says talking about the programme, “Media, my interest in it has been there since forever. Culture, because you need to understand where you come from and where you are going to, and technology is all about tomorrow”. He goes on to explain that by exhibiting online, he surpasses geographical and time constraints which are predominant in physical exhibition of photographs in an art gallery. “Just by adding a couple of zeros, thousands of people can visit your site. They may or may not like your work, which is fine,” he pauses for a moment, “but when you go global not only do you end up getting very diverse feedback, but opportunities open up. If someone wants something from you, you’re just an email away.”

Having been a part of and/or hosted several exhibitions this year, Amean started off with +420 Berlin and then 15X4, followed quickly by Click Art. There was Articulating the Subtext where he exhibited a photograph on a 6ft by 6ft canvas, attempting to break boundaries in photography and crossing over to becoming a photographer painting. Depicting his photojournalism skills, he was also a part of an exhibition held by The Photographer’s Society of Pakistan, where he displayed his photographs of the Karachi Prison — all of which marked a very prolific year in the field for him. He is quick to point out, however, that it’s not over yet.

“I’m working in collaboration with Shamyl Khuhro (photographer) and Beena Khan (stylist) on something similar to what we did with 15X4 but very different. He’s photographing five people and I’m photographing the other five. Whenever I’m photographing, Shamyl’s documenting me, while he’s shooting, I’m documenting him. The whole project is Beena’s baby,” he says.

Not all of his projects have to do with photography, “I formed a society with a group of people called the Citizens Archive of Pakistan (Cap). On the 60th anniversary of Pakistan, we’re doing a four-day, large event in collaboration with Karachi Arts Council. There will be street theatre in the garden, formal performances in the auditorium, an art and photography exhibition and slide projections from old pictures from around the time of Partition.” Why call the group the Cap? “We brainstormed a lot as to what are we exactly trying to achieve. We’re told that a lot of PTV tapes have been lost, a lot of Radio Pakistan tapes have been lost or re-recorded on, we’re trying to archive everything from the time of Partition since the generation that was there at that time will not be around for too long — perhaps for another five to 10 years,” he explains.

Speaking of archiving, he had once toyed with the idea of working on a directory for media professionals. “I got together with a few photographers thinking that we need to put things in order. Everybody was busy and so I kind of took the initiative of naming it The Photographers’ Avenue.” Going on he says that it’s going to turn into a yellow pages of the industry. “If you are looking for a designer or a model, the contact will be there — there aren’t going to be any portfolios.”

Other than exhibitions, one recalls Amean working on a photo-book on cricketers. How far has that come along? “It’s called Man of the Match and 25 per cent of it is done already.” He goes on to reveal that there are other books in the pipeline. “We’re trying to get the 15X4 exhibition together in book form. Then there is Izdeyar Setna and myself who have been commissioned to document Mian Salahuddin’s work. He is a ceramist from Lahore who passed away several years ago and was the head of the department at the NCA. It’s scheduled for launch in August.”

With his online exhibitions centered round places he’s visited in the past and with his tendency to take time off to travel and explore yet another country, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Amean enjoys travelling. “I am planning to make a very adventurous train trip onboard the Siberian Express — starting from Moscow and ending in Beijing — with three other friends,” he says, excited about the journey. As expected, there will be an exhibition following it. “We are also debating on the idea of doing a little documentary on it called Kremlin to the Great Wall,” he adds.

Being an avid music listener and also having directed a music video in the past, is he planning to direct another one anytime soon? “I would love to do a music video again but I have not found an interesting piece of music that would have inspired me to do so. That is an avenue where I would like to bring my political satire. I can’t do so through photography and there is so much happening in the country right now.” Amean once confessed that had he not been a photographer, he would have liked to be a musician. What’s more is that his skills on the guitar are somewhat decent; perhaps he should try that on the side? “I cannot play professionally,” he protests. “I would have really enjoyed it if I could. I really enjoy western classical and opera. I like to learn things before I do them. I did take singing classes for a while, but I never thought of doing it seriously when I was a kid. I never did anything except to learn a few lessons on the piano and on the guitar.”

When he is not photographing, engaged in preserving the recorded heritage of Pakistan or trekking across the globe, Amean can be found coaching those who aspire to learn photography. Teaching part-time or being asked to conduct workshops, Amean describes his teaching methods as reflecting those of his mentors: “It’s not necessarily how you use the camera; it’s how you look and observe things around you. You pick up the camera, learn how to document and then you learn how to share. These are the four steps and as I’m not a fulltime teacher, I don’t end up going that far,” he says.

When it comes to photography, how does one learn to develop a truly unique style, different from what is predominantly used around you? “That has to do with two things: one is exposure and the other is education. If I have done anything good in photography, it’s because I have really learned it. I didn’t feel like I was a born Picasso and that all I had to do was pick up a camera and I was good to go. I worked my backside in trying to learn and I made sure that I was getting enough exposure to see what was happening around the world,” he says, adding, “and so when I pick these two things together, I am not copying anybody, I am trying to go into a different direction: inspired by other people’s work but knowing the technical side of it as well.”

It is clear that he feels strongly about the subject and suggests to aspiring photographers “save up some money and if you cannot go for degrees or short courses somewhere where they have a mature teaching process. And if you can’t do that, then practice because the more you do, the better you’ll be.” He finishes off by saying, “Photography is much easier now because it is easier to get exposure — it is just a click away. All you just have to do is browse.”

First Published:

Images

June 15, 2007

Celebrating Womanhood


Keeping in line with his travelogue series, Amean J’s third online exhibition, titled ‘Kopenhaven’ opened on his website recently. With the concept inspired by Garry Winogrand’s work on women, the photographer who inspired Amean to take up the art form, Kopenhaven (Copenhagen) provides a new insight into the photographic techniques of one of the industry’s most well-known photographers.

At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly eye-catching about the photographs on exhibit. However, on a second, more closer look, the subjects (all women) in the photographs begin to unfold — they acquire more depth and personality, which in some cases is relatable and in others interesting to observe.

“I broke many rules of photography while documenting the women in Copenhagen. I took many photographs without looking through the view finder. This ensured that I did not lose the moment and it also allowed me to look beyond the frame. I strongly feel that one cannot look at the real world through a frame, a lot happens beyond it. The images from Prague take you into Berlin and images from Berlin builds up the mood for Copenhagen which is the finale in the series. So for me, it is the most important show of the three”, he says about the exhibition.

Coming back to the subject of the exhibition — women, it may be fair to say that Amean finds them fascinating. His perception of them, however, is pleasantly refreshing: none of them seem objectified in a manner most feminists may find offensive.

He seems to accept them, young and old, conventionally beautiful and not, the way they are. Amean sees perfection in women who otherwise seem engaged in their everyday life. This is precisely what one sees when going through the photos in the exhibition; women being celebrated for being just that — no matter what role they play.

Considering that photographing women on the streets was a major part of Winogrand’s own photographic work, does he think people will draw comparisons between Winogrand’s work and his own? “I would surely hope so, though I don’t see people from this part of the world drawing comparisons because people are not familiar with serious real-world photographers like Winogrand”, Amean replies, “For me this was also an exercise to educate our audiences by showing them different styles. They don’t have to like it but I think it’s good to expose oneself to different styles of work being practiced around the globe.”

Why did he choose Copenhagen in which to photograph women? “It was not pre-planned at all. For some strange reason I was noticing the different body languages of women on this particular shopping street and spontaneously decided to document these moves — Winogrand was obviously at the back of my mind,” he concludes.

First Published:
Images
July 14, 2007

Confessions of a bookaholic

They say the first step towards getting better is acceptance. So here goes: I am a bookaholic. I am addicted to books. It doesn’t matter what kind or how much, as long as they have printed text and are reasonably bound together, they have to be mine – if they aren’t already. I like to buy, own, horde and read books. I have this innate fear that if I don’t buy the book I see on the shelf now, it won’t be there the next time and I will live the rest of my life in regret. Like most people with an addiction, I don’t mind sharing. In fact, chances are if I know you, I’d probably give you a book for your birthday… and then buy another copy of the same book as a replacement.

The sad part is that most people don’t take me seriously. I mean, how can being a bookaholic (if you will) be considered as a ‘serious’ condition? It is. It really is. Whenever I go to the mall, I let my bookaholic instinct lead me to the nearest bookstore. Once outside, I stare at the sheer number of (unread) books that lie there, like precious gems, rows upon rows, on the bookshelves. And I think to myself: ‘someday I’m going to have a room like that’. I stare at all of the hot best-sellers propped up at the display, trying hard not to puke – I hate best sellers, I think they are an insult to ‘serious’ book reading – but some of them end do end up looking interesting.

I try to reason with myself: I have books, lots of them, I don’t ‘need’ more, I’ve already spent a lot of money buying the last stack that I haven’t finished reading yet. The person inside me keeps repeating in a tiny voice ‘don’t do it. Don’t do it’. We both know that once inside, there is no going back to the old, pocket-filled-with-available-allowance to spend on ‘other’ things. Eventually, the little voice begins to fade away as my legs compulsively lead me towards the entrance of the bookstore, where the shopkeepers stand poised with perfect smiles and baited-breaths to greet me. They’re vultures, all of them. What’s worse is they know they have me trapped.

Once inside, I stop and take a deep breath. The air smells of books, freshly printed, completely dust-free books. The second my brain identifies their scent is when vulture no.1 makes a move. The others pretend to busy themselves behind other bookcases, peering at us now and then to see how successful vulture no.1 has been in securing a book sale. They’re hoping I’ll venture into their territory next.

Vulture no.1 will push a book near my face, either a best-seller or a new arrival. Sitting down on one of their comfortable sofa-chairs, I’ll scan the little summary at the back, storing information about the published date, comments, overall storyline, typeface used, illustration, color et cetera. Once done, I will ever so carefully flip the book open to the opening chapter and read the first couple of lines, if they’ve managed to hold my interest, I’ll flip to the middle of the book and read a couple of lines from there. As a rule, I never read the ending. That’s a big no-no where book buying in my world is concerned, what’s the point if you already know what’s going to happen? By this time, one of the many books lying on their table will have caught my attention and I’d have started storing information about it, much in the same way as with the first book.

Once done, and with the rest of the vultures hovering around, I’ll take a quick glance at the bookcase in front of me. If my eyes happen to rest on a particular book, it’s promptly bought to me by the nearest vulture who would also be giving me a summarized account of the book. If I seem interested in knowing about the author, four or five other books by that particular person will appear, as if out of thin air. It’s pure magic to my brain, which at that point, blurs the vultures out and seeks only to identify objects with a printed font on it.

If my attention is already caught by a book and if the side of my brain which is aware of what is going on around me, registers a possible intrusion by a vulture who may be brining a book which I have not commanded be brought in my presence, I will merely hold my hand up as a sign to show that I must not be disturbed. That vulture would eventually shrink into the shadows while the others would glare at his possible impudence. Most of them have learnt to leave me alone at this stage of my book buying spree. At this point, it is I who decides what books I shall be exposed to. I get up, examine every book, big and small that catches my fancy and bring it back to my table and devour appetizer-sized contents of it.

Eventually I will find myself at the counter, with the cash machine going beep with every book whose bar code is scanned. I hand them my book club card and I get my much-deserved discount and book club ‘points’. While I take with me, an expensive set of books that seem to weigh a little more than a ton, I walk with a sense of satisfaction: with my beloved books assuring me endless hours of company and awareness, I have found peace at last.

First Published:

Books & Authors

July 8, 2007