Pakistan is going through emergency times, whether its social, economical or international front the country is scrutinized for every action (and its reaction) that takes place for whatever reason. At this crucial time when the main stream media is earning some big bucks by selling the downbeat image of the country; Pakistani blogosphere (or the new social media) has somewhat succeeded to signify the true picture including the optimism that still remains in this nation.

And behind this effort are some serious bloggers/writers who blog with a sense of responsibility and add some hope & positivity each time they scribble their quill. Teabreak Network is proud to have such a blogger in our network.

Name: Faisal Kapadia (not from strings)

Blog: Deadpan Thoughts

Claim to Fame: ‘The Dude’ of Pakistani blogosphere

1. Tell us about yourself and how did you indulge in the habit of blogging?

I have had a passion for writing since I was 16 years old, I had given up on it when I came back to Pakistan after college till Nov 2007, but a friend (Wajahat Rauf) made me restart again, and sooner than I could imagine I was writing for “Aagahi” which is a print supplement for “The news”. It was at this moment that I thought about saving my published work online and that is how Deadpan Thoughts came into being. It was supposed to be an online repository but when the feedback started coming in I was tempted to write more and more on it and (Awab) gave me a big push in since then I have never looked back.

   2. What is the theme of Deadpan Thoughts?

I write from my heart and don’t make any ifs and buts about what I feel and I think it comes out in my writing, which is why I named the blog “Deadpan thoughts” as it basically means “In your face” “Straight forward” type of thought. That is the theme for this blog, it is about what I feel is the truth and my opinion of things from socio cultural to economic to politics to cricket to music.

3. You contribute to Karachi Metro Blogs, the Saturday Post, the Hoot, Chowk & the Green Kaleidoscope. What excites you to come and write on your own blog?

Well each of the web spots you have mentioned in this question have their own flavor, for instance “The Hoot” is a sub continental media watch webzine, The Chowk, TGK & The Saturday post are all online magazines where I do opinion based write-ups and KMB is the citizen journalist side of me. Still after all of this I have to have a place which is totally about me and my personal idea of what is what and that is what Deadpan represents, thus the motivation to tell the truth will always be there and that’s what I do at Deadpan.

4. Pakistani blogosphere is in the limelight as the country is in a state of war and emergency. What is the responsibility of Pakistani bloggers in terms of activism and as citizen journalists?

This is something I feel very strongly about. Pakistan at this moment is and has been under constant bombardment by a huge propaganda machine working against us in the international media. We have to realize that we cannot live in today’s world without a favorable international perception of us as a nation and right now the perception of Pakistan is very bleak. We as bloggers have a responsibility to make a dent in this negative propaganda and although we are doing it on a daily basis whenever we blog about anything Pakistani be it food, culture music or art or even politics we need to get unified on this agenda. The mainstream media is too worried about ratings to concentrate on what is the need of the hour. We are the voice of this nation, the voice on the street and it is up to us to take a stand for our country. It was shameful to see hanging heads when after the Mumbai incident the Indian blogosphere accused Pakistan without so much as a shred of proof, while the action was still going on and they were not answered because we were too busy feeling guilty. I hate making political statements but the words of BB still haunt me when she stood behind that barricade near the then deposed Chief justice’s house and said “The mother land is calling you, who will defend its flag?”  It is up to us I feel to defend our flag, blogging is great, and blogging for Pakistan is awesome.

5. Some bloggers have political affiliation and standing with local political parties. How do see this trend?

I do not see any problems with it. Every blogger is a person and as such has to have an opinion and affiliation with things around him. So obviously the blogger will have both religious and political leanings and that is part of the whole package, that’s what gives everyone their own individual flavor as far as I am concerned. However the fact that we keep hunting for negatives even when something positive is happening no matter who is doing it is a bit frustrating at times. We should realize that whatever our politics are we are all Pakistani’s first and on that there should be no compromise.

   6. Twitter (Micro Blog) or Old School blogging? Which one of the two you find more effective?

To me micro blogging is a good tool for information decimation but 140 characters or less is not enough to make a point most of the time, so I would still prefer the old school form of blogging but then I’m a writer first and blogger second.

   7. It’s an observation that when it comes to emergency situations twitter facilitates to spread awareness and news. But sometimes we all go a little overboard and twitter time line resembles an evening News paper. Your views?

This is not just the problem with twitter, unfortunately what most bloggers fail to realize is that the result i.e. traffic is attracted by content and content only. Ok the appearance of a site or the professionalism of a micro blog reporting in journo style may be important but if you are just going to retweet or copy paste in your blogs then there is no point. As it is most of the media houses have their own twitter feeds and blogs so what is the point of rehashing that? Twitter is even creepier in this sense because people will not verify information before they post it. I would advise people to post a “not sure” or “un verified” even if they have to post a rumor. I think currently a cyber crime ordinance is under formulation and people from Pasha and other bloggers are trying to make it relevant to the blogging needs of today, once that is passed I doubt if people will indulge in propaganda or slander as easily as they do today. Integrity is as important as content too.

   8. Your favorite blogs and why?

When I need to laugh I go to Five Rupees or Tazeen’s or Batty’s blog when I need hot political info I go to Teeth maestro, when I need current affairs I go to Chup, when I want to be inspired I go to Raza Rumis and when I need a little bit of everything I come here.

9. Your message to fellow bloggers and youth of the country? How well we can represent Pakistan to world?

No matter how bad the system is no matter how messed up things seem we are a nation of seriously talented individuals, we are not a country of beards and bombs, we are the country of Iqbal, of Sir syed, of Gulgee, of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Of Jahangir Khan of Alan Fakir of Abida Parveen of Sadequien and that is our legacy, It is now up to us to take this legacy forward. Stop blaming the system rise and change it for your tomorrow.

  10. Your opinion about Tebreak.pk and its team?

The idea and the dedication both kick serious digital ass.