"Musalmano Q Mobile chahiye??"

Browsing through TV channels post iftar yesterday, I came across an array of the so called “Ramzan transmission” on various channels. Though this has been going on a regular basis since past few years, this year it seems to have a multiplied effect. Previously as I remember the programs involved a scholar discussing issues or answering related questions from the audience in accordance with religious teachings; then maybe some naat would be recited and it was over after iftar time.

Ok I know these shows lacked the drama, excitement and emotional factor but at least they were decent and were more suitable for Ramzan. These days Ramzan shows are purely entertainment based with very little knowledge for viewers. They lack any form of inspiration or feel good factor. The flashy over the top comments, humour and dialogue remind me of a third class movie or theatre show. Pinpointing people on their clothes, making fun of appearances and also trying to create a class divide (the same old posh areas vs downtown areas debate) is not inspirational or spiritual by any means! Are they trying to imply that only people from posh areas behave decently and talk politely whearas downtowners can get away with any kind of lewd remarks, obnoxious behaviour and below the belt jokes. 

Most of these programs have similar stage sets, similar format, similar sponsors and amazingly similar looking anchors!!! (makes me wonder how is that possible? Maybe plastic surgery!)

The programs usually start with a discussion among the hosts and a bunch of molvis clad in colorful intricately embroidered kurtas, followed by a recitation/naat session. After iftari starts the quiz show (ala Neelam Ghar) with gifts for everyone. People go crazy to get a chance to participate in the mindless quiz session in pursuit of getting either a mobile phone, a lawn ka jora or a bottle of sharbat! so much so that often they sound like beggars! Sometimes they are also required to perform some utterly insane tasks like gobbling up mangoes, standing on one leg and hanging from monkey bars. 

Keeping in mind the spirit of Ramzan, what is the point of giving gifts to people from well off backgrounds over totally nonsense Q/A ? Isn’t Ramazan all about sharing with those who cannot afford? Why can't all the sponsors and channels donate gifts or money to orphanages and hospitals or NGOs instead and also have live shows with them? TRPs and advertisement is important for brands but why can't they think of other creative and sensible ways to make their brands standout? I as an individual would never think of buying a Q Mobile for the distorted image of the brand these programs have created in my mind. 

Some would argue that our people are deprived of entertainment and this is the most appropriate form of good family fun. I agree that there are very limited entertainment avenues for middle class in particular but then again there could be other ways to make TV shows more appealing and tasteful. I do not blame the audience since they don’t have much choice. It is the responsibility of TV channels and brands to put together their efforts and money in coming up with creative quality content and most importantly educate their audience.

Well thought out CSR campaigns have proven to be very effective for goodwill of a company as well as making it a compassionate brand. Why cant we make TV shows like The Oprah Winfery Show or the Aamir Khan Show(Satyamev Jayate) from across the border. Another very good effort was by one of our very own FMCG brands giving tribute to mothers all over through the brilliant Ariel Maa show. All of these shows have worked wonders for their sponsors along with generating very high viewer ship, TRPs and credibility. Moreover they have made a difference in people's lives and have changed or rather challenged mindsets. 

In a society like ours media is a big influencer and has great power to change mindsets. It’s not only dramas and live shows but also commercials which affect our choices and decisions. Instead of producing mediocre run off the mill TV shows our media industry should now evolve into an effective medium for both entertainment and education of society. After almost ten years of free independent media we certainly expect some change. 


Published in Express Tribune on 20, July 2014
Losing our religion one Ramazan transmission at a time 

The Bling in Prints!

Eid is just around the corner and like everyone else the window shopping bug also bit me! Went on quick after iftar "malling trip" to DMC (malling: finally coined the term after endless trips to the malls :p)  

A hard to miss observation were the jewelry inspired prints at most fashion retailers. Among other prints like folksy ethnic prints, geometrical vibes, vintage coin prints and paisleys, jewelry prints have already made a strong statement internationally in the spring/ summer 2014 trends. And they are finally in our part of the world with a good variety to choose from. 

Nishat

Nishat has introduced some very bold jewelry prints to catch on with the trend. Prints comprise of enlarged pendants, necklaces and jewels on the neckline and all over the shirt. While they are very eye catching with a rich color palette, the prints are for the dramatic modern woman who dare to be different. 

So Kamal

Another shop tucked in the corner of DMC is the So Kamal store. Their jewelry prints are subtle and sort of have a classy touch to them. The imagery of subcontinental jewelry also ads a traditional touch to the prints. Fresh colors and traditional print elements make the jewles shine.    

Gulabo

Gulabo has already taken digital prints to a new level with their love for Pakistan and all things Pakistani. They came up with their Jhumar shirt way back in April 14 and are trend setters for print inspirations.  

Khaadi 

While Khaadi being the mass retailer that it is their jewelry print kurta is by far the most wearable and also affordable, nothing too fancy or bright just the right amount of color and print. It can worn casually or dressed up for occasions.  

The Fault in Our Stars - the movie

Among the list of books that have been successfully made into movies, the toppers for previous year were:  Twilight Saga, Hunger Games and Life of Pi. This year movie-book fans are looking forward to the movie version of the much acclaimed 2012 young adult novel "The Fault in Our Stars" by Printz award winner and famous vlogger, John Green. The book has gained immense popularity and a cult following within young readers all over the world, with exclusively designed merchandise and clothing by the fans.

Those who have read the book will agree that it is a brilliant piece of literature combining life's tragedies along with everyday humour.The title of the book comes from a famous line of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "the fault dear Brutus is not in our stars, but in ourselves that we are underling". The story is narrated by a 16 year old terminally ill girl, Hazel who falls in love with an amputated 17 year old cancer patient Augustus whom she met at a support group for cancer patients. Since both of them are facing the same disease it sort of makes the chemistry between them work wonders. With witty intelligent lines like "I am a grenade and at some point I'm going to blow up and I would like to minimise the causalities". The book is far from being just a teenage romance or a cancer book. The story dwells upon friendships, emotions, and family ties. Not only for teenagers but also for adults, the book provides a deep perspective into the lives of young cancer patients, their hopes, their fears and most importantly their drive to maintain sanity with doses of humour. For me the best part of the book was simplicity of the plot, characterisation of the main protagonists and how the author has woven the story around the biggest tragedy of life with humour.

The book had generally received positive reviews from The New York Times; the Time magazine declared it number one on their list of best fiction books of 2012.  Now the movie with Shirline Woodley as Hazel and Willem Dafoe as Peter Van Houten,  in pipeline is intended to be released sometime next year. Young fans from all over the world are excited for its release and hoping it would turn out to be equally fantastic as the book itself.

Yeh Hai Karachi Meri Jaan!

Came across this brilliant video by my friends at The Say Cheese Studio reviving memories of our beloved city of lights Karachi, its landmarks and its lovely people. Karachi is one city that never backs down no matter how precarious the circumstances are. What amazes me the most are the truly awesome people who get up after every set back and start going about their businesses with full zeal and passion!

Please click the below link:

Yeh Hai Karachi Meri Jaan!

Contact

For queries email me at: ticktickchic@gmail.com 

Princess Diana - the movie

The most anticipated film for Diana fans is finally set to release in mid September. The official trailers have been up and are shared endlessly on the internet. The biopic by German film director Oliver Hirschbiegel is about the last 2 years of Princess Diana's life and her relationship with Dr. Hasnat Khan and Dodi Fayed.

Dr. Hasnat & Princess Diana

Naomi Watts, playing the late princess looks convincing while Naveen Andrews (Lost fame) playing Dr. Hasnat Khan the Pakistani heart surgeon is a bit dubious. Although it is too soon to draw conclusions, the movie is surely going to cause controversy and a lot of questions will be raised on credibility of the plot. It was widely believed by Diana's close friends that Dr. Hasnat was her only true love and she wanted to get married and settle down with him in Pakistan. The doctor's family did not approve of his relationship with the Princess and as a result he walked out of it. Dodi Fayed came into Diana's life as a friend with whom she began a relationship to make Dr. Hasnat jealous and so the story continues.

Naomi Watts as Diana

Dr. Hasnat has already expressed his disapproval and says that he will not watch it since it is based on lies. The film is based on the 2001 book Diana: Her Last Love by Kate Snell. While the author and filmmakers have been struggling to get Dr. Hasnat's approval, he has proved to be what Diana always believed him to be. During the summer of 1997 before she died she told a friend, "everybody sells me out but Hasnat is the one person who will never sell me out."

Princess Diana is undoubtedly the most admired royal celebrities around the globe. The part of her life which has largely been a secret is now being made into a movie and the Pakistani connection in the story is surely going to make it a sizzler in our part of the world. No matter how controversial it turns out to be, we are in deep anticipation!

Taj Mahal - another side!

Red Fort

Just got back from an action packed trip to India all coupled with a wedding, family reunion and tourism. Now I don’t want to get into details of the dreaded visa process and thereafter our woes on reporting entry/exit at every single city we visited, since this is what both the countries have agreed to put their citizens through. And trust me it is the same story when Indians visit us.

Turkman gate near Delhi Stock Exchange

Once we landed in Delhi, the similarities struck us and it seemed as if we were in Lahore! The people, the roads, the buildings, the architecture and the food all remind you of things back home. The city is a twin version of Lahore. We were a bit skeptic about diclosing our nationality but every single person we met after getting to know that we were Pakistanis, looked at us in fascination and almost everyone had a story to tell. Some had their relatives there, some had shifted after partition and some were simply thrilled to know about Pakistan. Our driver being a Sikh had special feelings for Lahore and Hassan Abdal. He swored that it was only the politicians of both sides who wanted to create differences and kept on chanting “yeh sab neta log ke wajah se hai, ham log tu aik hain”. 

The highlight of our trip was the visit to Taj Mahal. After going through numerous accounts on how magnificent and mesmerizing the monument is, we just couldn’t wait for the encounter. A brief stay in Delhi with tours of the Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Humayun's tomb, Chandni Chowk and India Gate left us more desperate to see the wonder.

Yamuna Expressway

For our visit to the Taj we booked a car and took the new Yamuna Expressway from Delhi. The state of art 165 kms, 6 lane Expressway is built to reduce travel time between Delhi and Agra and it takes about 2 hours to reach Agra. It is one of the best and busiest highways in India. But once the Expressway finished and we entered Agra city we were in for a shock. The road narrowed down to a messy and chaotic traffic jam leading through areas littered with heaps of garbage and undisposed waste.

The slums of Agra represent a different world all together with urban poverty at its worst.  The inhuman living conditions in these areas are result of lack sanitation facilities, waste management and disposal. Most of the slum dwellers live in dire conditions without individual toilets. Though public toilets are provided but the lack of maintanance and regular cleaning have rendered them unusable. This totally unglamorous side of one of the most sought after tourist destinations in the world left us baffled and confused. 

Agra slums

A discussion with our driver cum guide lead us to the fact that they are no different than us! He was of the view that government was corrupt and the officials were filling their own pockets with all the revenue coming in. There are approx 50,000 tourists visiting the monumnet on daily basis with entry charges of about £10 per head and it seemed that none of the revenue was spent on developing infrastrucure and uplifting the slums.

By the time we finally reached it was already 6 pm so we decided to call it a day and headed to the hotel instead.  Next day we got up before sunrise and headed out straight to the Taj. There are no cars or buses allowed within the radius of 500 meters near the monument to curtail pollution levels which have become alarmingly high due to smoke emmission, discharges from factories and clogged drains around the building. It has directly affected the color of the monument which has taken a yellowish tinge. While walking past the handicraft stalls set up on both sides of the road we met the artisans who claim to be decedents of the laborers involved in construction of the Taj. They have been settled near the monumnet for generations and earn their living by crafting soviniers and other gift items. 

There was a long queue of tourists already outside the entrance with security checks. Once we entered the gates it was as if we were transported into a different era. The air was majestic with lush green gardens and the magnificent Moghul architecture. We hurridly made our way through the east gate, lo and behold the Taj was there with all its mystery and splendour. 

It is a breath taking sight and the building looks divine with its gleaming white marble against the clear blue sky. The beauty of the scenery left us speechless for few seconds and each one of us was engulfed in our own thoughts. As our eyes got accustomed to the constant white marvel in the background we began the ritual of clicking photographs. As we moved forward there was another queue; people were lined up to get their photos taken on the famous Princess Di bench. While it is next to impossible to have your picture taken without anyone else in the background, it was fun to try. Even at 6 am the place was flourishing with tourists from different countries and all sort of languages could be heard from Japanese to French to German and of course Punjabi!

Adjucent to Taj Mahal is the Mosque which is open only for Friday prayers. The mosque is made of red sand stone and has a similar design as the Jama Masjid in Delhi. Another building replicating the mosque was contructed on the east side to balance the overall symmetry. It is a guest house and is called the ‘jawab’ or response as its purpose is to harmonize the scenery.


As per Rudyard Kipling who called Taj Mahal ‘the embodiment of all things pure’ it would have been difficult to digest the impurity we saw on the other side only had we not seen it with our own eyes. The glowing monument, manicured gardens and clear water ponds were a direct contrast to the slums of Agra. The Taj which is considered to be the pride of India and a masterpiece of Moghul architecture deserves to be well taken care of and that can only happen if the people living near it are well cared for.  

  

All in all India is an amazing place to visit; secular to the core with masjid, mandir, churches, gurdwaras all in a row welcoming all. Azaan and bells ringing simultaneously! From metros to malls, to high street fashion and fast cars; poverty at its worst, beggars and homeless kids but the best part: felt just like home!

15 Aug celebrations at The Imperial, New Delhi

Published in Express Tribune on October, 12, 2013 
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/18680/my-visit-to-the-taj-mahal/