Lusting for heroin, living in excess
My friends always did seem to be perpetually waiting for something. They wanted an explosion of culture and expression and art to suddenly rip open their city, something that they could be a part of. The explosion never came and they got tired of waiting. The paradigm shifted from making music, writing poetry and actually being productive to watching Basketball Diaries and Trainspotting, listening to Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots. “They did heroin you know?” “We should do heroin.’’ “Why?” ‘’Because. What else can we do?’’ I saw it happen, this whole fascination with Americana and the people who made it – for ...
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Agneepath: Why remakes are worth it
They say you shouldn’t redo a role that Amitabh Bachchan has done before. And if the role is the character of Vijay Deenanath Chauhan in Agneepath, then the only thing you should be redoing is mulling over your decision to replay it. Hrithik Roshan went through that process of thinking and then rethinking some more, and as a Bollywood fan, I am grateful that he decided to take up the challenge. He did justice to the character of an angry young man whose sole purpose in life is to avenge the death of ...
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A lover, a teen militant, a human being
I had just taken my matriculation exams when I volunteered for a first aid camp. However, this wasn’t just any first aid camp – it was located in the war-torn area of the Kurram Agency. In 2007, the situation was much the same as today; the area was under siege and conflict was on the rise between the Taliban and the security forces. The nights were cold but the reality that I came face to face with there was even harsher. Some memories still make me shudder and cry. I witnessed a tremendous amount of blood and gore. The roaring of heavy ...
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World Cup 2011: Separating men from the boys
Is the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to reduce the next World Cup to 10 teams really the way forward? Is this really as far as the sport’s governing body is concerned about making it a truly global game? Are they dumping the associates and hoping that one day we would have 16-team tournaments with each one of them being the best in the business, representing a continent or region, like football? The ICC has been trying to increase the number of Test-playing nations for almost 20 years now. But the only additions have been Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, with the latter ...
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The banned trio and the unjust punishment
The troubled trio involved in the spot-fixing case has finally received a verdict that has ruined their cricketing careers – a severe but expected decision. Cricket fans had earlier speculated that Mohammad Amir would be cleared to play with a penalty or short ban but the five year ban has put a big question mark on his career and in the minds of cricket fans. The bans imposed on 26-year-old Salman Butt and 28-year-old Mohammed Asif have as good as finished their careers; 10 and 7 year bans mean that at this age, they have a rare chance of making a ...
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Economic policies: Think short term, stay happy
Weak governments cannot make strong policies. We saw an example of this when Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani gave in to political pressure and reversed the decision to increase petroleum prices – despite the fact that oil prices are soaring in the international market. The move received praise from both, political and business leaders. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) rejoined the government while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) also supported the decision – all without any consideration for the long term economic implications of the move. During the episode leaders made a volley of statements that I have done my best ...
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From UK, with love
Saeeda Warsi has been the big news since July 16. The chairperson of the Conservative party, who is Pakistani by origin, visited Pakistan, met some top people and visited many places including her father’s hometown. This trip was expected ever since she attained success in the recent British elections. She received a hero’s welcome wherever she visited, especially in her hometown. Pakistani people are very hospitable. We forget everything when it comes to treat and greet guests. At times we even forget rivalries and enmity just to keep the color of this quality alive. She deserved it, and I think every ...
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