Remembering the day I saw Moin Akhtar
When I was eight years old, I had the chance to be part of a scene in a show with Moin Akhtar. The shooting of the show took place at my father’s friends place at night. I remember standing in a corner while my sister got to film next to the legendary actor. Jealous beyond measure, I finally convinced my parents and joined the scene just to sit next to him. My sister and I played guests who had come over to dine with him. He was delivering his dialogues along with his co-actors and I was eating oranges. I remember being amused that the elders ...
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Meet Umair, Pakistan’s very own child prodigy
Child prodigies are an eclectic bunch; being on the fast-track in the lane of life at such a tender age makes them so. Although, some go on to commit suicide, turn to crime and develop drink and drug problems, we remain irrevocably fascinated by them. We are overcome by their childhood achievements and allured by the fame and recognition they bring to the family. Secretly we wish in the depths of our hearts that our children would also do the same. However, what we fail to realise is the immense pressure that these kids are put under, the long hours that they spend ...
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The great brain waste
In May last year an Australian embassy press release stated that more than 5,000 Pakistani students have chosen Australia as their destination to study. How many of these people actually go abroad to study? The answer is nil. Living in Australia, I can say that 99% of these so-called students are actually professionals and underachievers of society who go abroad to seek a better life. Let’s face it: who would want to live in a country where there is daily load shedding, nepotism, corruption, government ineptitude and terrorism, right? Although this Pakistani talent is moving out in search of greener pastures, the truth is that ...
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Black and white democracy
I see so many young boys and girls around who are just dying to do something for this country. Interestingly though, the idea of doing something for most of them revolves around starting a political, semi-political or quasi-political movement, bringing about a revolution, replacing the government with angels etc. I am not against any of this, in fact it is refreshing to see such great ideas and plans in our youth. But it is also depressing that there is such a dearth of other ideas. In my humble opinion, nations are not built by governments, governments are built by nations. ...
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Open Mic Night in Isloo: Just so-so
Open mic nights have fast been gathering immense popularity amongst performers, whether they are singers, dancers, poets or comedians – these nights provide them with a platform to present their act in front of a proper audience. Origami Entertainment in association with Nandos Islamabad organized one such event. I was one of many amateurs that decided to avail this opportunity to play my six string. Registrations were sent, acceptance calls were received and sound checks were made. Unfortunately, the venue was not very big so the inherent limitations of good sound were pretty visible from the get go. Lahore open mic nights ...
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10 terrific traits of the average Pakistani
This piece is not based on empirical data. Not even on a wide array of anecdotal data. This is just one person remarking on her observations over the course of her relatively short life. And, of course, the term “average” is employed pretty loosely here since the true “average” Pakistani is busy making ends meet and incapable of reading such self-indulgent articles. So of course, I mean the average person among the English-newspaper reading segment of society. I hope this serves as a sufficiently verbose disclaimer. 1. Our warmth: I was halfway through the journey on a PIA flight back ...
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Dubai: Something for everyone
Contrary to popular opinion, a visit to Dubai is not just about endless sales options, the occasional desert safari and a visit to the top of the Burj Khalifa. There is a lot to do for everyone. My favourites remain the musicals and plays which are organised by English, Indian and Pakistani entertainers. Multicultural audiences draw in entertainers from all over the world, and Dubai is no exception. The question is: which of these makes Dubai interesting for you? Rocker: Recently, Bryan Adams and Guns ‘n’ Roses rocked the UAE music scene. This was followed by a jazz festival that would regale any ...
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Singing through patriarchy with a bit of desi jazz
So, three years too late I have discovered Zeb and Haniya. I discovered them thanks to a friend’s enthusiasm for ‘waii waii’, a term used in their Coke Studio rendition of Paimona Bitte. The ‘waii waii’ women have brought a ‘girls just wanna have fun’ element into Pakistani music. While Paimona was the song that got me hooked, it is their song Chup (Hush) that makes me smile whenever I listen to it. It was different. Pakistani and Indian love songs are usually all about the sacrificing, shy, scared and most importantly, submissive female. Sure, there was Nazia Hassan’s Aap jaisa koi (Someone like ...
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Ahmed Shahzad: Rising in the ranks
Ahead of the cricket World Cup this month, the timely arrival of Ahmad Shahzad into the Pakistan cricket team has made me very hopeful . The teenager’s century inspired Pakistan to a 41-run win over New Zealand and wrapped up the six-match series with a game to spare. The Lahore-born opener who attended Cathedral High School began his cricketing journey at the age of seven and has never looked back, representing Pakistan at the under-13, under-16 and under-19 level. He is a true example of someone who has risen in the ranks based solely on merit, and is fast becoming the solution to ...
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Generation ‘Yes, we can’: What are they doing not wasting time?
Will someone tell these twenty-something Pakistani men and women to go out and play cricket or go party with friends or something? What are they doing, writing books, learning classical singing and–you won’t believe this – fixing simulators on Naval submarines! The new crop of young professionals and fresh graduates is all about pushing their limits. They take action, here and now. Here’s how they do it: Starting early This “yes, we can” generation starts shooting for the stars earlier and earlier, barely out of their teens, they put on their thinking caps and put their genius to work. Khadijah Khan started to ...
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