‘Have some paan, Bhai jaan’
Bhai jaan! Yahaan sub milta hai: meetha paan, tambaaku wala paan, khushboo wala paan aur aap kay liye khaas, special paan. (Brother, you will find everything here; sweet paan, tobacco paan, scented paan, and just for you, a very special paan.) Aslam, a 15-year-old boy, dressed in filthy clothes and oiled hair, which diffuse a pungent smell, usually utters the same statement to every man or woman strolling in front of the tobacco shop in a market in Defence, Lahore. The young salesman never fails to grab the attention of passers-by. It’s impossible to ignore the boy because he delivers the sales ...
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It’s true, trash TV sells
I entered the world of television in Pakistan aiming to inform and educate people through this powerful medium of expression. I took immense pride in my job but the comfort bubble burst soon enough. Not so long ago, I realised that everyone on TV is like a salesman, trying hard to sell a product. Sometimes the salesman goes to any length to make a living out of the product being sold. When you go to buy a product, every salesman tries to get your attention and aims to convince you that his product is the best (even if that product can ...
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The cheeky little roseboys!
A majority of us have experienced children on the streets of Karachi, pestering us to buy things from them. They seem to attack us in herds from the moment we step out of a shop or a restaurant. You say you are not interested, but they try their luck over and over again. My visit to Pakistan a few summers ago was an eye-opener. Instead of the usual ‘Baji ek lay lo’ approach, they were using English to target locals and foreigners. While shopping in Defence, I was approached by a boy who tried to sell me a rose. I tried ...
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