‘Between Clay and Dust’ launched

Musharraf Ali Farooqi – Photo by Arif Mahmood

KARACHI, May 20: Having lost the popularity it once enjoyed, the culture associated with Kushti (wrestling) is revived in Musharraf Ali Farooqi’s latest novel, Between Clay and Dust, launched in the city on Sunday evening.

The event featured an interactive session with the author and reading of excerpts from the book by Urdu poet Afzal Ahmed Syed and classical dancer Sheema Kirmani.

Between Clay and Dust focuses on the lives of two characters central to the Subcontinent: a celebrated Pahalwan, who has dedicated his life to his profession with an almost sacred zeal, and a courtesan famed for her beauty and skills in the forms of art.

The book follows the characters as their lives become intertwined amidst a backdrop of the Partition and the resulting socio-political change. “I don’t think this story is of Pakistan or India. It is about a common cultural experience that we share,” said the author.

In response to a question as to what was the essence of the book, the author responded that it began with an attempt to communicate “a man’s ignorance of the world around him. He becomes cloaked in his own world in a very selfish manner. He wants everything but doesn’t want to give anything back.”

Ms Kirmani then read out passages from a chapter titled, Ustad Ramzi, whereas Mr Syed treated the audience with an Urdu translation of a chapter, Gohar Jan, in the novel.

At the end of reading of the translated passage, however, Ms Kirmani insisted on reading a section from Gohar Jan as she was of the opinion that the feelings of the protagonist were communicated better in English.

Between Clay and Dust was first published in India. Describing the experience of working in India, Mr Farooqi said: “The publishing industry is well established in India. A lot of Pakistanis are looking towards India to launch their books and artwork. There is a sense of stability there, while there is no proper culture of publishing in Pakistan though it will change in due time as competition increases.” His previous books include The Story of a Widow and books for children such as The Amazing Moustaches of Moochanddar the Iron Man, The Cobbler’s Holiday Or Why Ants Don’t Wear Shoes.

He has also translated Urdu classics such as Hoshruba, The Adventures of Amir Hamza, and Rococo and Other Worlds — a selection of Urdu poet, Afzal Ahmed Syed’s poetry.

The author is currently working on two books and one of them is set to be released soon.

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History of Baloch nationalism discussed

KARACHI, May 19: With increasing reports of people going missing, bodies being discovered and relatives of missing persons camping outside press clubs in major cities across Pakistan in an effort to get the media to highlight their plight is a testament to the fact that things are going from bad to worse in Balochistan.

In an effort to create awareness and understanding of the current situation in that province, The Second Floor (T2F) held a talk on the first of its four part series on Balochistan titled A brief history of Baloch nationalism (1920s to 2004).

The featured guests of the evening were journalist Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, who has spent much of his life reporting on Balochistan and Afghanistan, and a former political adviser to the Balochistan governor, Biyyathil Mohyuddin Kutty.

Instead of getting an overview of the history of the insurgent movements in Balochistan, the guests spoke in minute detail of certain events that had taken place at various points in the history of Balochistan.

Some of the issues that were discussed included the declaration of Kalat as an independent state on August 11, 1947 and its subsequent succession to Pakistan — which was according to the speakers done under pressure.

They spoke of the situation of Balochistan after the One Unit scheme was suspended. There was a special focus on the military operation that took place in Balochistan after the abrupt dismissal of Sardar Attaullah Mengal’s government in February 1973. Mr Talpur is of the opinion that the insurgent movement that took place around that time was a reaction to the military operation.

“Every effort has been made to destabilize Balochistan and that includes efforts by the Shah of Iran. Balochistan has never been treated equally,” said B.M. Kutty.

Mr Talpur stressed that in order to understand any event one must suspend biases and frame of reference.

He said the Baloch had been struggling for self-determination since the 1920s. “The movement slackened several times, but it never halted. It has gained momentum recently because of the treatment of the federal government.” The difference, in his opinion, of the previous Baloch insurgencies compared to the current one was the demand for a separate state.

Mr Talpur also read out a brief section from the speech made by former Balochistan Governor Mir Ghaus Baksh Bizenjo on Dec 12, 1947 when the state of Kalat in Balochistan had announced its independence. The section of the speech which he read stated: “We have a distinct civilisation, we have a distinct culture like that of Afghanistan and Iran, we are Muslims but it is not necessary that by virtue of being Muslims we should lose our freedom and merge with others if that mere fact Muslims requires us to join Pakistan then Afghanistan and Iran both Muslim countries should also amalgamate with Pakistan, this merger is subjugation of Baloch homeland.”

The moderator, Nazish Brohi, said the nationalist movement in Balochistan took birth in various student organisations and that political debate was still very strong in Balochistan.

In response to the moderator’s question about a strong reaction by the federal government to the movements in Balochistan, one speaker said: “There is too much at stake in Balochistan. There are huge mineral reserves and Balochistan has a huge coastline. When there is too much at stake and you feel there exists even a small threat, you react strongly to it.”

Mr Talpur also mentioned that non-Baloch settlers in Balochistan in the previous Baloch insurgencies had never been attacked, as is the case in the current insurgent movement. “That is a new extreme. We need to understand why,” he said.

Adding a disclaimer that he could not predict and did not represent the groups, Mr Talpur said in response to a question: “The Baloch are not ready to give up. I don’t think they’ll give up. Despite finding over 500 bodies and with thousands going missing, they haven’t given up yet.

“Another thing that should be mentioned is that for the first time, the women of Balochistan have stepped out as well. That never happened before. The point of no return came in Balochistan in 1947.”

Newspaper view: [click for larger image]

The next three instalments in the talks on Balochistan are: Understanding the current insurgency (2004 – present), Women in the Balochistan conflict and The impact of the conflict on non-Baloch citizens in Balochistan. The dates and the speakers for these sessions have yet to be announced.

Music, magic, madness

Sufi, soul, rock ‘n’ roll and rap –the first episode of Coke Studio glides over various musical genres bringing together a diversity that is, simply put, food for the soul. And the stories behind some of the songs

 

Paisay Da Nasha by Bohemia

International award-winning Pakstani-Amerian rap artiste, Bohemia, is featured in this season of Coke Studio. His contribution, Paisay Da Nasha, carries his signature – both lyrically and in terms of its flow. The Viccaji sisters (Racheal and Zoe) join Bohemia on stage as they return this season as backing vocalists.

“Behind every rap song, its poetry, is a message,” says Bohemia in the behind-the-scene clip of Paisa Da Nasha. Unsurprisingly he’s talking about the intoxication that the pursuit of money can bring and being in love with it. “I’m asking a question in the song,” says Bohemia, “and perhaps I’m asking myself: did you get any real happiness from doing that?”

Coke Studio has experimented with Bohemia’s song by infusing and brining to the forefront a variety of instruments that provide a whole new groove to the song. It works well except for one tiny little thing – the music often pushes Bohemia’s singing into the background. And with a force such as Bohemia, he deserves to be front and centre – all the way through.

Tum Kaho by Symt

Hassan Omar, the guitarist for Symt, composed and arranged the music for the song and played it for Haroon who later penned the lyrics for it. Perhaps the most surprising revelation about the making of the Tum Kaho is that Hassan’s main inspiration when composing music comes from the theme music played in video games!

Tum Kaho is an expression of the one human emotion that can bring about both war and peace – love – in its most absolute form. That expression of complete devotion and submission is evident in the main chorus translated here: “I will bring down the stars at your command. I will steal the moonlight to shine just for you.”

Tum Kaho is not a new song for the most ardent of Symt fans as they have performed numerous times in their previous concerts. The Coke Studio version, however, changes but doesn’t eliminate, the funky nature of the song and adds an almost jazzy element to it. Easy to listen to and hummable, the Coke Studio version of Tum Kaho has a subtle richness to it that extends throughout the song.

Kamlee by Hadiqa Kiani

Kamlee is a qalam penned by perhaps the most popular Punjabi Sufi poet in Pakistan, Baba Bulleh Shah. It has been covered by numerous artistes in the past and deals with a recurring theme in Baba Bulleh Shah’s poetry: introspection that would result in a greater awareness of the self. And in that process, coming closer to God.

Ever the fashionista, Hadiqa certainly looked the part of a mast malang person –her hair has grown long and she kept it crimped and open, and she wore a beautiful long black kurta with minor detailing around the neck. Her overall look was sombre yet sophisticated.

But Hadiqa’s performance wasn’t limited to the visual image alone. She rendered Kamlee with such feeling that she seemed to emote the song from her very soul. Gone was the cute, loveable singer who sang popular love ditties that Pakistan fell in love with (and continues to love) some 20-odd years ago. In her place emerged a mature woman that sang a qalam deeply rooted in the very fabric of Punjabi society. She sang with angst and a darkness never seen before. “Kamlee has my heart and soul in it,” said Hadiqa. Kamlee is a powerful song, and so was Hadiqa’s performance of it.

Larsha Pekhawar Ta by Humayoon Khan

A demand made by a woman to her lover to bring her a black tunic and four flowers from Peshawar is what forms the base of this classic Pashto folk song. The origins of Larsha Pekhawar Ta are unknown but it is a song that is stamped deep into Pashtun culture. Many artistes have covered this song – it has an Urdu version by the name of Tujh Ko Qasam Hai Meri – but this season, popular Pashto singer, Humayoon Khan, covered Larsha Pekhawar Ta for Coke Studio.

“Performing this song on Coke Studio has been an enchanting experience for me,” said Humayoon, “some of the folk tunes are in our blood. Larsha Pekhawar Ta has a very high value for us Pashtuns. I’m proud of being the first Pashto singer representing Pashto music and culture on Coke Studio. I decided to sing our signature folk tunes as a tribute to our Pashtun culture. Perhaps next time, if I am called, I’ll present some of my own original songs.”  He was very grateful towards Rohail Hyatt, the producer of Coke Studio, for bringing him on the show and that he has “great love for every member of the House Band. I feel proud of being a Pashtun and Pakistani.”

Humayoon Khan teamed up with rabab player and Coke Studio regular, Sadiq Sameer. They have collaborated and performed before and were reunited on the Coke Studio stage. Humayoon Khan sings the song to perfection – so much so that anyone listening to it would want to simply get up and dance in the manner of Coke Studio percussionist, Sikandar Mufti, in the behind-the-scenes clip who gave into the song and could be seen dancing in the corner!

Charkha Nolakha by Atif Aslam and Qayaas

At Qayaas band member and guitarist for Atif Aslam’s backing band, Sarmad Ghafoor’s suggestion, Atif and Qayaas decided to collaborate together. Intent on helping out some of the newer talent emerging in the Pakistani music industry Atif said that “We initially wanted to perform Sun Charkha Di Mithi Mithi by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (NFAK) so we worked on it and shared our version of the song with Rohail Hyatt.” The Producer however felt thatCharkha Nolakha (also by NFAK) would be a better option. “I feel Umair did a good job in the song,” added Atif.

According to the lead singer of Qayaas, Umair Jaswal, “Working with Atif Aslam was a fantastic experience, there is more to his voice than one can imagine. He is a master of improvisation and has the ability to reproduce musical pieces that sound pleasing to the ears.”

“Charkha Nolakha for me is an epic song,” he added, “It’s a musical journey that takes you away and I believe the haunting and the raging sounds in the song show a lot of who we are and what me make musically.”

With the idea of paying tribute to some of the biggest names in Sufi and rock music, the idea of fusing the music of NFAK with one of rock music’s most recognized bands, Led Zeppelin, came into existence.

“Initially I was supposed to sing the verses of Kashmir (by Led Zeppelin) at the climax of the song. We believed it would’ve been a great treat for the rock listeners but later on the idea was changed.” Instead, Umair sang the opening lines of a qalam by Baba Bulleh Shah on the guitar riff of Kashmir.  He added that all of the credit for the song goes to “the musical genius Mr Rohail Hyatt” and that “I believe it has touched the hearts of the subcontinent and has done its job.”

East meets west in Charkha Nolakha in a symphony that is both raw and haunting at the same time. It presents itself like an intimate ballad and flows like a whispered conversation between two very powerful entities coming together with a common purpose. Umair Jaswal holds his ground in Charkha Nolakha as Atif Aslam’s contemporary – his equal – while as a seasoned performer, Atif instinctively knows how to steer the mood of the song in a way that suits it best. It was a befitting end to a fantastic start to the fifth season of Coke Studio.

Newspaper view: [click for larger image]

Shah Jehan mosque: A mesmerising symbol of gratitude

Shah Jehan mosque – Photography: Madeeha Syed

Thatta was once a centre of learning and commerce. It was the capital of Sindh for almost 95 years when the mighty Indus River flowed next to the city. The ancient banks of the Indus River, before it changed its course, can still be seen from near the Makli hill. The Makli hill is home to one of the two things Thatta is most famous for: the Makli necropolis (one of the largest in the world). The other monument that Thatta is famous for is the Shah Jehan Mosque.

The Shah Jehan Mosque was built during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan in 1647 and has been on the tentative UNESCO World Heritage Site list since 1993.

After Emperor Jehangir, Shah Jehan’s father, banished him from Delhi, Shah Jehan sought refuge in Thatta. The construction of this mosque represents Shah Jehan’s gratitude towards the people of Thatta for giving him shelter during that difficult time.

It is barely a two-minute drive from the Makli necropolis. The road leading to it, which was intact last year, is now in a state of disrepair.

Outside and inside the main courtyard of the mosque, there are several streetside vendors that have set up shop, selling everything from small souvenirs, colourful bangles and what not. The fountains of the mosque are dry.

The mosque was built in a similar manner to that of a Mughal courtyard (which lies right outside the main mosque’s premises). What separates it from traditional Mughal architecture is that instead of three large domes, there is only one main dome in the prayer hall as well as the fact that the glazed tile mosaic design belongs to the Timurid School of architecture — as is the employment of a large number of pishtaqs (a high arch set within a rectangular frame). Also red bricks have been used in the construction of the mosque rather than pink sandstone from Jaipur, which was a more common ingredient in Mughal architecture.

The mosque represents an era in Thatta where tile decoration was at its peak. The ceilings bear testament to that as beautiful mosaics adorn the inner side of the two main domes. The tile work is predominantly in blue with several other colours, such as green, red and violet, added in sporadically to offset it. The colours provide a somewhat soothing effect from Thatta’s unforgiving summer sun. What is interesting about the mosaic is that there are very distinct star motifs, which, when arranged together form a vision of a starry sky arranged around a sun — day and night coming together as one.

The Shah Jehan Mosque is known for the sheer number of its domes — over 100 — the largest number of domes in a mosque in the world.

Architecturally the mosque has been built keeping in mind the acoustics of the area — a person speaking at one end of the mosque can be heard at the other end without the use of a loudspeaker.

This beautiful 17th century structure is one of the best-restored and well-maintained heritage sites in Pakistan. If the Makli necropolis is the crown of Thatta, the Shah Jehan Mosque is its most precious jewel.

Newspaper view: [click for larger image]

North’s dark horse of music

Rahim Saranjam

He is the dark horse of the Peshawar music scene and the featured artiste in the last episode of Ufone Uth Records. Rahim Saranjam is a self-taught musician who took up vocal training from Ustad Mehfooz Khokar. Although he keeps a low profile, he has a reputation as a somewhat moody but incredibly gifted musician. He is a founding member of the band Jum, a vocalist for the band Above and continues to collaborate with various other musicians in Peshawar. Rahim is also a business graduate and introduces some of his old classmates from his alma mater later on in the episode.

As a featured artiste in the second season of Coke Studio, Rakae Jamil is a sitar maestro who learned under the tutelage of Ashraf Sahreef Khan, Ikhlaq Hussain and Shujaat Hussain from Delhi. He’s been playing the sitar from the age of 12 and is a graduate of the National College of Arts. “Rakae is one person I was very excited about working with,” said Rahim, “because I had wanted to fuse eastern and western music and I could really communicate with him.”

Although Rahim had rehearsed quite a few tracks, in the end, his original song, Afsos, ends up being selected as the one that would be featured in the episode. “Nobody wants to live their life in regret and that’s the main theme of the song,” said Rahim about Afsos. “But whatever they do they somehow end up in regret—he (the protagonist of the song) tries to avoid regret, but he can’t seem to.”

“Initially, when I heard this track I wasn’t sure which direction it was going in. But it is a track that will grow on you,” said music producer Gumby.

Afsos heads off to a beautiful start with Rakae displaying his musical dexterity on the sitar throughout the song adding a whole new dimension to it. “I think his choice of notes and his attitude really clicked with Rahim, and I think they became really good friends,” said the music producer.

“I think Rahim initially had a great song but then Rakae came and really shone on the song,” audio engineer Mohammad Agha said before he was interrupted by a loud pistol-shot sound—only to look up and find a member of the crew laughing at him.

At least in this song, it appears that more than his vocals, Rahim Saranjam’s main strength lies in his musicianship and compositional skills. Another musician who shows off his virtuosity is young Bradley who is a very talented bass player. He is the son of another musician from Karachi, Russell, who has had a longstanding relationship in working with LJP studios. “He’s way better than his father. I know Russell is going to kill me for this. But he is way better than any bass player out there right now in Pakistan,” said Gumby.

Afsos may talk about regret but the music accompanying the lyrics are too ‘happy’ to realise the gravity of the lyrics. It’s no Reidi Gul (the song by Yasir, Jawad and Wali, featured in the first season and which became one of the defining songs of 2011) but Afsos is definitely one of the better songs to come out from this season.

Rakae Jamil

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The colour of music

The band members of Orangenoise and the Uth Records team around the dinner table – Photo: Kohi Marri

“They look like they’ve been asked to sit in the principal’s office. All of them,” said photographer Kohi Marri when the band members of the Karachi underground act, Orangenoise were sitting in the main control room at LJP Studios. As the featured artistes in Ufone Uth Record’s second last episode, they were there to meet their music producer, Gumby.

Orangenoise consists of Daniel Panjwanee aka Danny P on vocals, Talha Asim Wynne on guitars, Daniyal Hyatt on drums and Faizan Reidinger on synths and keyboards. Daniyal Hyatt and Faizan Reidinger are also members of the underground band, Mole, which has garnered quite a bit of a cult audience.

Even prior to be being featured on the show, Orangenoise had been making waves in the underground music scene in Pakistan. The genre of music that they are involved in, Shoegazing, is signified by the heavy use of effects and vocals that blend into the creative noise created by the musical instruments that are being played. The term Shoegazing was coined by music publications that named the genre thus because (according to an online source) “the musicians in these bands stood relatively still during live performances in a detached, introspective, non-confrontational state, hence the idea that they were gazing at their shoes.” According to Gumby, “Shoegaze music is an evolving sound.”

Orangenoise had prepared five tracks and their preview took almost a whopping two hours. They seemed to know their way around the studio and didn’t appear in need of direction. Out of the five songs that they played, Chaser was selected as the featured song.

Unlike most acts, Orangenoise recorded the song together all at once. The band members did not play or record anything individually. “I haven’t seen any band that has recorded a song all in one go,” said a visibly impressed Gumby during the episode.

“Chaser is about the addiction to being something you are not,” said vocalist Daniel Panjwanee. “I think everyone says things in their songs – the kind that would be considered ridiculous in real life, too emotional, too personal…” Daniyal Hyatt elaborated further on the song.

The semi-animated video that accompanies the final version of Chaser with its projected visuals on the band members goes with the feel of the song and perfectly complements it. By itself Chaser introduces a new genre of music to mainstream audiences in Pakistan and is an addictive song that resonates well after it is over.

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Another nightingale?

Sara Haider - Photography: Shahrukh Khurshid

With only a couple of more episodes to go, Ufone Uth Records is nearing the end of its second season. The fifth episode this season began with the music producer Louis ‘Gumby’ Pinto introducing the main trio of artistes: Sara Haider (vocals), Ali Haider (rhythm guitars) and Imam Hamdani (lead guitars).

They hail from Karachi and both Sara and her brother are also a part of a ‘performing arts group’ called Nritaal. From the moment they enter the studio and meet Gumby and Sameer Ahmed (one of Pakistan’s well-known bass players) who will be collaborating with them on their song, they remain star struck.

Other than Sameer, Gumby had also asked Hildegunn Øiseth, from the Norwegian band Fryd, to play the trumpet on their song. They are shown communicating via Skype in which Sara gives her a live demo of her song. Hildegunn and Gumby have collaborated on numerous occasions in the past several years in performances both in Pakistan and in Oslo, Norway.

We’re told that the original version of the song (Tera Saath) had a considerably fast tempo, which Gumby changed as he felt that a slower tempo would suit Tera Saath better. Imam Hamdani shows off his virtuosity on the guitar during the recording sessions and the resident audio engineer, Mohammad Agha, tries to show Sara how to add a little more finesse to her singing.

Tera Saath has everything going for it: a great melody and music that adds layers and a richness needed to create the perfect environment for a singer to carry the song forward with—unfortunately that doesn’t actually happen.

Sara hums through the whole song—it may work here and there but not when done consistently throughout the song. The song is constantly struggling to break through but never does. Is Sara a terrible singer? No. Does she need to work on her vocals? Yes. Could the song have benefited had another vocalist been used? Definitely. For all the hype that was created prior to its video, Tera Saath was a let down. It was the disappointing anti-climax to an episode that could have otherwise been great.

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