Banning concerts is not a solution
Tracing back the history of Pakistani pop music is tricky. Wikipedia describes Runa Laila as a veteran among pop sensations; Nazia Hassan and Zohaib Hassan are ranked after her. Today, Pakistani pop music is one of the most popular genres in South Asia and also with the South Asian diaspora around the world.This fact has been accepted with much grace and enthusiasm by the majority, but there are always hindrances posed by certain hard-liner groups, changing governments and Islamic fundamentalists, who frequently have issues with Pakistan’s vibrant and thriving mainstream and underground music factory. Following Ziaul Haq’s military coup, ...
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Eating the Internet: Why foodies need to log in
The difference between an industry and random entrepreneurs with small businesses is connections. Being involved in the fashion world, I have witnessed this evolution. Say what you will about the numerous fashion weeks we have every year, it has provided a platform for members of said industry (designers, journalists, store owners, makeup artists, photographers, stylists, models etcetera) to meet and collaborate, understand each other and grow. The ultimate winner in such an endeavor is the consumer who now has more choices than ever. It is surprising that a nation obsessed with food and dining has a relatively underdeveloped food industry. The link ...
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Buffoon bankers
I have been working in a well reputed bank in Pakistan (whose name I will not mention) for the last five years. I have learnt a lot about banking, from credit modules to debt ratio analysis to greeting customers. What I have not as yet been able to understand is how our banking industry’s middle management is filled with buffoons wearing ill fitted suits with qualifications of no more than Bachelors in Commerce (BCom) and brains the size of a bird’s. Why is this so? The reason I feel the current state of the banking industry is depressing, is not only because ...
Read Full PostHow I ended up on Coke Studio
4:00am: Sheraton Hotel, Karachi. I walked out of the hotel lobby with my guitar case and suitcase in hand. I was thinking about the past and an image (comic above) came to mind. In 2008, I was a moody, disillusioned LUMS student who was spending an unhealthy amount of time indoors mostly penning comics and writing song lyrics just as moody and disillusioned as me. Now I was in a hotel bus going towards the airport where I’d catch a flight back to Lahore. I stare out at the dark, empty Karachi roads barely registering the sounds emanating from my headphones. I ...
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Piracy: What stands between Pakistani music, and greatness
Pakistani music is recognised around the world for its distinct and creative style. The diversities in Pakistani music are there for everyone to hear, with artists coming up with everything from hip hop and rock, all the way to classical eastern music, with some musicians even putting them together. The fact that we don’t have a prestigious film industry helps rather than hurts. Since artists don’t look towards movies to be their main form of advertisement or the medium for people to be exposed to their music, they don’t need to make specific types of tracks to please producers and ...
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Will Shiney Ahuja know life behind bars?
Bollywood and crime have always had a strange connection, not only in reel life but also real life. Recently, Shiney Ahuja was sentenced to seven year imprisonment for raping his maid. The incident made many celebrities cry foul stating that they are soft targets. Meanwhile, many rejoice the fact that maybe, finally it is the end of celebrity feudalism. To be quite honest, for many celebrities being famous doesn’t go in their favour. When people file frivolous PILs (public interest litigations) over unimportant issues the paparazzi goes overboard highlighting the scandals to win more eyeballs, celebrity viewpoints are justified. In the case of ...
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It’s time for Junoon to make a comeback
There I was one lonely night back in 1999, watching the Zee Cine Awards by myself. Among the Indian celebrities there were a few familiar faces. That night Junoon performed Sayeein to a packed concert hall and I remember dancing in an empty living room with sheer rock and roll joy. Since then, the band has broken up and splintered in to Sufi analyst, confused solo musician and missing-in-action gora. They went from being a small time English language band to the biggest musical phenomenon in the country. Lead singer Ali Azmat has said: “In our first live concert. There were just seven ...
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Hum Dekhenge: Jawad Ahmed massacres Faiz
This year, it seems almost every institution in Pakistan is commemorating the late Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s 100th birthday - even the Sindh Assembly. The latest to jump on the bandwagon is bhangra cum do-gooder Jawad Ahmed. The singer has recently released a music video covering Faiz’ classic Hum Dekhenge. While the video may have started out as an attempt to pay tribute to one of the country’s greatest poets, it turns out to be little more than a half-hearted attempt to cash in on the “cool” poet that everyone is talking about this year. The music video opens with an ambiguous, and rather ...
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Shopping festival: Dubai’s crowning glory!
Yes, it’s almost that time of the year. There is a nip in the air, the winter rains are here and kids wear sweaters in the evening. Every day the Jumeirah Beach Residence Walk is full of people warming themselves over a cup of coffee. When friends start e-mailing to coordinate plans with me, their ‘Dubai friend’ I know the season has changed from winter to shopping. I have played host to many friends for the three years that I have lived in Dubai, and have finalised plans with yet another friend for the upcoming shopping season. This is perhaps the most ...
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The day I got fired from Dunya News
According to a BBC Urdu report, nearly 300 journalists have lost their jobs in 2010. Yesterday, my husband and I became a part of this statistic. Our contracts were terminated without warning and without notice and the reason given to us was that the company was being “restructured” and according to the new model our posts had been dissolved. While the financial crisis has led to constant downsizing, money is not the only reason for heartlessly firing trusted old employees. In most cases, simple structural changes spell disasters for middle tier staff. Of course, no one expects something like this to happen. ...
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