Sugar 'n' Spice
They’re not your regular run-of-the-mill girls next door, although they may certainly look it. These ladies have a secret: they can sing! Not only that, but they can do it pretty darn well. To anyone who has an avid interest in the Pakistani music industry, Zeb and Haniya are no strangers: they’re the voices behind the radio and Internet hit, Chup.
Having just recorded their much-anticipated debut album, produced by music maestro Mekaal Hasan, recorded in Digital Fidelity Studio in Lahore and featuring the musical skills of popular drummer Gumby and guitarist Shallum (of Fuzon fame), Zeb and Haniya seem ready to take the music industry by storm. Considering that they have just the right ammunition — they ooze talent and have the support of some of the best in the industry — one can’t wait for this storm to arrive.
What comes as a welcome surprise is that Zeb and Haniya are refreshingly natural: they do not have any false airs about them and neither do they overdose on confidence. Zeb is the primary vocalist with Haniya also on vocals and the guitar. My first impression of Zeb was that she seemed shy, but as the interview progressed she displayed her more outgoing side. On the other hand Haniya, from the first moment onwards, seemed to want to make sure that everyone around her was comfortable enough.
Finding two very good female musicians — itself a rarity in this country — working together, I couldn’t help but wonder how far back do they go together and how did the band form? “I think I met her when I was three months old,” says Haniya seriously with a twinkle in her eyes. “Actually our mothers are sisters, so we are first cousins. And we were born exactly a month and three weeks apart.”
As one of the most popular songs downloaded on the Internet and having gotten generous airplay, the song Chup is one of Zeb and Haniya’s most popular songs. Written and composed during a break when they were in college, Haniya was visiting Zeb at college during one of their breaks and “we went down to the basement and we found an abandoned bookstore there. And over there Haniya got her guitar and started playing. That is the place where we made Chup for the first time,” said Zeb.
“We started writing songs and I had not written any before that. But by the time we finished college we had around four songs,” adds Haniya.
When did you guys decide to get into music professionally? “Mekaal (Hasan) was my friend’s friend. I met him randomly and was pleasantly surprised at how accessible and what a nice guy he is,” says Zeb. “He was kind enough to get us into the studio and record us two songs. I remember on our way back he handed us a CD and after listening to it we were really excited. It sounded like a real song! He really pushed us actually, always telling us that we should take our music further.
“The recordings that we got from Mekaal, we put them on the Internet to give it to our friends,” says Haniya. “About a year after that someone said that it is being played on the radio. I don’t know who put it there but someone heard it on the Internet, pulled it off and started airing it.”
About how they would describe their overall sound now, especially the one in their upcoming album, Zeb says, “It is more arranged as it has been six years now. And we really had a lot of time to think about where we wanted to go. Not to mention the fact that we had the country’s leading musician arranging and helping us shape up the songs. I think for a good three or four weeks we just jammed with them.”
“It is bluesy, in that the bass is there in most of the songs,” adds Haniya. “All the instruments are live. Gumby is great, he is not doing the straight four-by-four beat in any of the songs. Each song has come out very different.”
“And there is also a lot of folk touch to it along with a lot of jazz and blues,” says Zeb about the album. “We have at least two songs that are about women’s liberation and there are some romantic numbers too, a few naughty numbers and some playful ones. We also have kind of a fusion thing going on and a bit of classical in the album.”
With the kind of music that you have, have you considered performing live? “The kind of music we have isn’t a large crowd kind of a thing, very high-energy rock music usually does the trick,” says Haniya, adding, “our music is slightly more mellow, more intimate and so a medium-sized crowd would find it more suitable.”
“I don’t think that bigger crowds will be the problem. I think basically it would be the kind of crowd. I mean it is not bhangra,” says Zeb. “I know that we are probably not Atif Aslam for sure.” At this point I disagree with them as I am of the opinion that they do have what it takes to deliver a performance to a large crowd — all they need is a good set of back-up musicians and a decent sound system.
As women vocalists are extremely few and far between in the Pakistani pop industry, what do Zeb and Haniya have to say about it? “I think the whole scene for women musicians is so limited that sometimes I get thrown off by comparisons of this one and that one,” says Zeb quite seriously. “I think our categorical thing is that we are very excited about women and whether you are Arooj (Aftab) or not and whatever you are doing, it is so great to see so many people come up because it is part of the industry that has just not developed.”
“The more women come up, it will be easier for other girls to take to the field”, continues Haniya. “There are going to be more players, more role models.”
Having recently performed in both Islamabad and Karachi and wowed audiences in both cities, Zeb and Haniya are predicted to be the next big thing. Not only do they deliver a mesmerising live performance, but they have the right mix of talent and attitude to go. And more important, they also have the backing and the support of those who have been around in the industry for a long time.
-- Photography by Amean J.
First Published:
Images
August 26, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Ishq-e-Laila
Considered a classic in Pakistani cinema, Ishq-i-Laila (1950), directed by J.C. Anand, centers around the legendary love story of Laila Mujnoon. Incidentally Mr Anand’s son and his family were also present at the time of the screening. He related how around that time, another movie, Laila Mujnoon, was rumoured to be in the making, and since it dealt with a similar subject matter, the production and shoot of Ishq-i-Laila was also hastened. The movie was made in 30 days and also premiered on the same day as Laila Mujnoon.
When the screening of the movie began, the hall was only half full. But by the time it finished, it was packed. The entire experience was punctuated by applause from the audience at dialogues and scenes that were most dramatic and sensational. Several scenes in the movie also invited laughter, especially some in the beginning which depicted a budding junior school romance between Laila and Qais. It was somewhat funny having two pre-pubescent children deliver romantic couplets more suitable for adults and share ‘loving’ looks that was completely unbecoming on them.
Another scene which was a huge hit with the audience, inviting a lot of hoots as well, came towards the ending in which, after having married Laila, the Prince of Iraq suddenly realises his mistake and declares that from that moment onwards, Laila is his sister.
The movie gave us an insight into the movie-making style predominant in the 1950s, as well as the fashion present during that time. Perhaps the story line and the movie itself will not be relatable to people in the present age, but it isn’t entirely unwatchable. It did drag on for a tad too long.
First Published:
Images
August 19, 2007
Closer Home
Screened on the third day of the Festival, Mark Tulley’s Face of India centered around the lifestyle that the ordinary people in India live, with a focus on the social infrastructure provided by the government to provide them with services and how much of these services are they really benefitting from. It is a look at the intensely bureaucratic system that the government offices in India are a victim of even today and seeks to find answers from various individuals working within them or in organisations related to or affected by them.
Face of India opens with a view of the condition in which the government offices are kept and maintained today, including a clip of an entire room full of land deeds contested by different owners. The sheer magnitude of the task at hand is displayed and the officer who also serves as our guide informs us that there aren’t enough resources to convert these files into a digital format and/or sort through them. Admitting that such antiquated methods of dealing with social and legal issues gives birth to corruption — its very easy for anybody to destroy or tamper with documents that have been there since time immemorial — the officer adds that it can be limited. Also, at times, the salaries of government officials are so meager that they have to rely on bribes just to make ends meet.
We are also taken into the villages and shown how an ordinary Dalit (literal meaning: broken) — a lower caste Hindu — lives his life. Reflecting the sheer poverty and lack of support they expect from the government also because they are poor — they hold no illusions regarding their place in the country and are fully aware that rights and privileges can be bought — we also see that they have been given political importance and that they constitute a significant place in Indian politics because of their sheer number.
Going from extreme poverty we are taken to the residence of Maharaja Amarinder Singh, from the royal Sikh family when they used to rule over Amritsar. We are shown how, unlike other Indian princes, Amarinder has managed to adapt to the current socio-political system and has chosen to assume power via politics (he is popular candidate amongst the Sikh community). He gives us an insight on his life and how he grew up and he differences that were predominant between the ruling class and the majority of the Indian population and so on.
An interesting point of view was presented by Laboni Jane, a health-care individual in India working in an NGO which directs its services towards mothers and children. Despite being a first-class graduate in Economics from a prestigious Indian university, Laboni has chosen to work for the welfare of the people. We see her take a two-hour journey to work — she is lucky if she finds a seat to sit on — and deal with the scores of mothers and children who come to the NGO premises seeking refuge from whatever ailment afflicts them.
We see her go out into the villages and talk to the people there, stressing that it is just as important to listen to them as it is to educate them, since you learn both ways. At the end of it, when questioned about the Indian government’s lack of effectiveness in implementing adequate health care, she defends the government and says that she considers her NGO as an enhancement of what it is trying to do for the people.
Despite covering issues predominant in India, one of the reasons why the screening of these documentaries was important was because they, to a larger extent, reflect upon similar issues predominant at home, in Pakistan.
First Published:
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August 19, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Backstage Partition
In one of the documentaries being screened at the Shanaakht Festival, Beyond Partition was based on how South Asian film-makers view and have expressed what they think and felt about the division of India into two separate states. Film-makers such as Sabiha Sumar, Saeed Akhtar Mirza, M.S. Sathyu, Shyam Benegal, Chandra Prakash, Dwivedi and Indian film historians and archivists such as Prof Suresh Charia and P.K. Nair, spoke about different Indian moves where the Partition was talked about, albeit subtlety and on a handful of films that were made on the subject itself.
Notable movies mentioned in the documentary was M.S. Sathyu’s Garam Hawa (1971) which was considered a landmark film since it changed the way Muslims in the subcontinent were perceived in Indian cinema regarding Partition. Also, a movie titled Tamaas (1987) made by film-maker Govind, based the movie on the philosophy of the novel by the same name, showed the Sikh perception of Partition. Several clips from the movie were shown which included a particularly haunting scene in which an aged Sikh militant, standing in the middle of a burnt, deserted and completely destroyed street, looks around in shock and horror. With acting that was completely natural, the scene lacked the overdramatic acting predominant in most movies of that era. Another scene from the movie showed Sikh women walking towards a well behind their temple, intent on committing mass suicide with their children, while the men of their family fought on the other side — for them it was better to die than to have themselves compromised on the hands of the ‘enemies’. The sheer determination and single-mindedness with which we see the women first walk and then jump into the well is what both grabs and haunts the viewer (not to mention the background score which added to the intensity in the scene). Sabiha Sumar’s Khamosh Pani (2003) and the fact that it continues to remain under the scrutiny of the censor board in Pakistan, thereby not making it to theatres here, was a refreshing view on what the women went through both during and post-Partition. Saeed Akhtar Mirza’s Naseem (1995) was based on the Muslim viewpoint of the destruction of the Babri Mosque in India in 1992. According to the film-maker, he was never concerned with the mosque itself, he was more perturbed by “the sadness that surrounded it and the fact that it was allowed to happen.” According to Shyam Benegal, “The Babri Masjid destruction shook many beliefs of the Indians who believed that they were ‘naturally’ secular.”
Beyond Partition is one of those documentaries which one can see time and time again and still find something new to reflect upon. It’s an honest insight into the hearts and minds of those individuals who are responsible for communicating stories and their perception on Partition and the events that followed it, which some claim, haunt us to this day.
First Published:
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August 19, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
Veteran actors come together for Habib Mamoon
KARACHI Aug 16: Featuring a cast of seasoned actors who haven’t performed on stage for around 22 years, Habib Mamoon, an adaptation of Russian playwright Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, will open at the Arts Council here on August 24.A tragicomedy, the play is directed and produced by Zia Mohyeddin and the adaptation has been done by Zahida Zaidi.
It is being presented by The Citizens Foundation (TCF) in collaboration with the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa).
Habib Mamoon is set in pre-partition Lucknow, which the organisers and the cast of the play believe will make it more relevant to local audiences.
The cast includes Rahat Kazmi who will be playing the lead role, Arshad Mahmud as the ailing professor Kalimuddin, Talat Hussain, Zaheen Tahira, Jehanara Hai and will feature the theatre debut of Aymen Ali.
Rahat Kazmi said that he considers Chekhov’s plays as having a universal appeal, transcending cultural and time-specific boundaries. He also stressed upon the fact that the story-line was very complex and would require serious attention while it is being performed.
The cast, all of whom are well-known television personalities and renowned for their theatrical skills, will be coming together on stage after a 22-year gap.
About performing after such a long time Rahat Kazmi said he was concerned about not being equipped with the same energy and memory as he was during his younger days.
Arshad Mahmud simply commented that after having spent a considerable period critiquing other peoples’ performances, they shouldn’t rob themselves of the pleasure of receiving some criticism in return.
Opening at the Arts Council on Aug 24, the play will run for a full 10 days with the final performance on September 2.
The proceeds from the play will go to TCF.
First Published:
The Metropolitan
August 17, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Shanakht Festival concludes on a positive note
KARACHI, Aug 14: The fourth and final day of the Shanakht Festival on Tuesday was marked by the screening of a classic film, a storytelling session and a rock concert. The festival, organised by the Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP), was held at the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi.
The 1950s classic film Ishq-i-Laila provided an interesting insight into the cinematic style predominant in the early stages of our film industry. The storyline and antiquated, exaggerated acting style invited a lot of laughter from the audience, even though it was not meant to be humorous.
Another interesting aspect of the day was the interactive ‘Meri Kahani Meri Zabani,’ event where speakers shared their stories about partition and where the audience asked them questions at the end of the session. The guests for Independence Day were Admiral (retd) Hasnain, one of founding fathers of the Pakistan Navy, and Nabi Ahmed Khan, police officer in pre-partition Delhi. They kept the audience captivated in a session which lasted roughly over an hour, as the audience was given a firsthand account of incidents revolving around partition and a personal insight to people responsible for giving us Pakistan, such as Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
The Shanakht Festival concluded with a concert titled ‘Rock Your Shanaakht,’ which saw performances by bands such as Taal Charisma and the Aunty Disco Project as well as Ali Alam and Islamabad-based Zeb and Haniya to a packed auditorium.
Meanwhile, the third day of the festival on Monday featured the screening of two documentaries: Mark Tully’s Face of India, in which he showed the remnants of the British colonial Raj in India, and Stones of the Raj, narrated by noted historian William Dalrymple. Tully’s film focused on India’s bureaucratic system while the second documentary was more focused on the monuments and the railroad system constructed during the Raj.
However the event that most marked the third day was the Anwar Maqsood and Moin Akhtar stage performance of Loose Talk, their popular television show. Using Pakistan and the diverse kind of individuals that inhabit it as a theme, the show was a huge hit, inviting laughter and applause from the audience in the fully-packed auditorium. On popular demand, Moin Akhtar was asked to do an encore performance, which he did, embodying the character of a Bengali man. They both received a standing ovation at the end of the performance.
They CAP team plan to make the Shanakht Festival an annual event around Independence Day.
First Published:
The Metropolitan
August 15, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Festival seeks to discover identity
KARACHI, Aug 12: A play titled Jinnay Lahore Nahin Vakhya kicked off the four-day Shanaakht Festival at the Arts Council here on Saturday. The festival will conclude on Independence Day.
Organised by the Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP), the festival features photo and art exhibitions, documentaries, plays and talks centred on the theme of identity.
Jinnay Lahore Nahin Vakhya, performed by Sheema Kirmani and the Tehreek-i-Niswan group, played to a packed auditorium. The story centres on a real-life incident in post-partition Lahore of a family who migrates from Lucknow.
After having spent several months in refugee camps they are allotted a house, which they later discover is occupied by the matriarch of the previous Hindu family that lived there. She refuses to leave and while she is there, the ownership of the house cannot be transferred to the new occupants.
The play sees them adapting to an amicable life together, but they are confronted with trouble from the neighbourhood thugs who object to the old woman’s presence on the basis of her being a non-Muslim.
The play was well-received and the cast and crew were given a rather long standing ovation.
On Sunday, the second day of the festival, documentaries such as The Last Days of the Raj and Beyond Partition were screened in the auditorium. A storytelling session by Hameed Aliani (grandson of the Jam of Lasbela) and Haji Isa was also held in the courtyard.
But the event that marked the second day was a talk held by Ayesha Tammy Haq, in which she invited six other guests, out of which five showed up.
What was heartening, other than the personal accounts of the guests themselves, was the participation of the audience towards the discussion where some asked questions and others shared their opinions on partition as well as other aspects related to it.
During the remainder of the festival documentaries such as Mark Tully’s Face of India and Stones of the Raj will be aired, while a storytelling session by Anwar Maqsood and Moin Akhtar will also feature.
Founded by documentary film-maker and journalist Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, CAP consists of Sarah Taher Khan, Omar Rahim, Amean Jan Mohammad, Durriya Kazi, Minal Rahimtoola, Sabeen Mahmud and Altaf Qureshi.
First Published:
The Metropolitan
August 13, 2007
'I am Pakistani'
With her Mac on one side and a host of notebooks and papers on the table in front of her, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, journalist and independent film-maker (Reinventing the Taliban and the upcoming The Promise — A journey through Afghanistan) invites me to sit on her ‘see-saw’ sofa in the house she grew up in. She is energetic, loud, open and most importantly, she’s on a mission. Teaming up with a group of individuals, she’s formed the Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP) and they’re on a mission to do exactly that — archive the history of Pakistan in whatever way or form possible. And communicate it as well. Sharmeen’s baby, CAP’s first project is the Shanakht Festival which has already gone underway from August 11 and will continue till August 14 — Pakistan’s Independence Day. The first of its kind, Shanakht aims to explore our identity as a nation collectively and individually as citizens of this country through a series of readings, photography and painting exhibitions, plays, interactive discussions, documentaries and performances. Some of the paintings on display include six life-sized murals based on every decade in Pakistan’s history; the photography is predominantly a contemporary look by prominent photographer on Pakistan itself. The documentaries includes those based on the last days of Lord Mountbatten as the viceroy of pre-Partition India, how different film-makers view Partition and also a documentary examining the social and political issues predominant such as poverty and inflation as well as the remnants of the British rule over South Asia: the bureaucracy.
Sheema Kirmani along with Tehreek-i-Niswan presented a play yesterday based on Lahore in 1947 on an immigrant family coming to stay at an allotted haveli, seemingly vacated, after Partition only to discover that the matriarch of the previous household continued to inhabit it. The dialogues had been taken from the poet, Nasir Kazmi’s original letters and writings and the story line itself was based on an actual incident that had taken place.
Talking about how the CAP formed, Sharmeen says, “Last year in the summers, I was having a discussion about Pakistan: its history, where we are and where we are headed. I realised that there was no place where you could absorb Pakistan’s history,” adding that there was a lack of national identity that the common Pakistani has, she mentioned that “we are lost as people.” Hence the idea of creating a platform through which one could know Pakistan, where it came from, who were the people who chose to support its formation along with the stages through which the country has progressed, both culturally and historically, took birth.
Realising that the project itself was too big for her to handle on her own, she brought together, in her own words, “a group of mad, creative but ambitious individuals.” These individuals happen to be Sarah Taher Khan (CEO Radio1 FM91), Omar Rahim, Amean Jan Muahmmad (photographer), Durriya Kazi (HoD Visual Arts, Karachi University), Minal Rahimtoola, Sabeen Mahmud (COO b.i.t.s.) and Altaf Qureshi (lawyer).
“We don’t give the general public any form of entertainment that requires them to use their brain cells,” says Sharmeen, talking about the content of the festival itself. “The partition of 1947 was a traumatic experience and remembering it gives a sense of how Pakistan came into existence. And who were the people who made it happen.” According to Sharmeen a lot of the photographs and material used in the festival had been donated to them by ‘like-minded indivduals’, also including some of the documentaries. “Looking at them you realise: we were civilised as a nation,” she says, observing thus after going through some of the photographs, “and now in some cases, it’s become so bad, it’s unrecognisable”. Talking about the murals exhibited in the festival, based on Pakistan’s history she say “that tidbit of history will be more alive than by just reading it in textbooks.”
An interesting aspect of the festival is that it is completely free of cost. From the exhibitions, plays, documentaries to the open discussions, street-theatre and musical performances, this is an event that costs the attendee nothing. At the minimum it requires that one simply to attend or as in the case of “closed events” pick their passes up early since they will be given out at a first-come, first-serve basis. It doesn’t end here, to ensure that people do not have a reason not to come, CAP has taken care of transporting interested individuals to the venue as well: “There will be free buses available on the 10th and the 14th — the two holidays — from 11am to 8pm, every two hours, back and forth from Nipa Chowrangi, Society Office near the Quaid’s Mausoleum and the Korangi Chowk,” says Sharmeen. “We don’t want to give people an excuse for not coming,” she adds.
Every person working for the festival has done so willingly and without expecting any monetary benefits in return. Perhaps a first in the history of the Karachi Arts Council, but they have provided the venue free-of-cost as well. Even the logo which had been designed by Khizra Munir from Interflow to the vocal booths provided by Radio1 FM91 has been done pro bono.
Speaking of the future of CAP and what it hopes to achieve, Sharmeen says: “A lot of this work will be electronically available on our websites. My hope is that next year we’ll be doing something different along those same lines. We’re hoping that old buildings in Karachi that we can either have donated to us or given to a trust so that we can build a museum. I imagine in 10 years’ time that this will be the place where people will give lectures and talks,” she adds about what they have currently collected so far that “everything that is being received is going to the museum. Till then we’ll look for a temporary place to house them.”
At the end of it all, more important than whatever goes on in the Shanakht Festival itself is what people will take home with them — a sense of renewed identity and a stronger sense of belonging and connection to the country they belong to as well as a desire to help bring it forward into the future. There aren’t many individuals willing to take time out and work for the enlightenment and betterment of the society itself, let alone doing it without expecting any materialistic benefit — CAP happen to be some of those ‘creative, mad but ambitious individuals’ who are doing precisely that. And it is important because: “We need to celebrate 60 years of Pakistan. I have walked across the border to Afghanistan and Iran and I have seen the other side,” says Sharmeen, adding that “while we have what we have, we need to learn to appreciate it and move forward.”
First Published:
Images
August 12, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
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
Sunday, July 22, 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
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
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
Thursday, July 19, 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
