one of the better written articles about Bulleh Shah that i have read in a while.

http://www.thefridaytimes.com/beta2/tft/article.php?issue=20110930&page=16

“Ghata Chhaayi Thi Saawan Khul Ke Barsa” from the album “Aathwan Sur — The Other Side of Naushad’

amazing poetry, beautifully rendered. enjoy

There is a famous Punjabi saying that says, “Potter faced the anger when lord fell from the donkey”.  Our politics seems to be the same lord that drops all his anger and frustration on poor potter when the real culprit is donkey. There are many issues need urgent solution but authorities are busy in moulding non issues to be issue, ultimately potter like nation suffers. This Afternoon, Punjab Assembly passed a resolution to seek ban on the concerts causing ‘problem’.

Apparently, the donkey in this case is the stampede that caused some major loss recently at a concert. Again name of religion been used to support the argument, re-pledging the aim to be the guardian of the “culture” is core of this resolution, or calling it sugar coating might be the better word. However, is this a Wiseman’s way to put ban in order to deal with the problem, if there is any?

In case the musical concerts are creating “evil” and have no “positive contribution” to the society, than what about the fuss on the theatre in the name of “poetry of body parts” and “culture of Punjab”. The bigger evil should be controlled first in order to redirect all the affairs. The kind of culture of theatres in Punjab showing is beyond wisdom, as a Punjabi (honestly I am not trying to sound nationalist or something)  and culture of Punjab cannot be as shameless as the theatre has been showing since past many years. If a ban was required to save the “Islamic” and cultural values of the country than the ban should have been imposed on the “culture” that stage dramas are showing.

In a society that is in deep bog of gloom and frustration there are hardly any real modes of recreation and entertainment left that people can enjoy coming up with such legislation is pure folly.

I am not in favour of freedom that can cross limits anytime, but still banning something just with one flick of a pen is not the solution. Youth is considered to be rebel; there are many under the hood options that youth can follow, when they are pushed to the wall.

It has been said many times that real issue of Pakistan is education, and realisation that help in setting the priority. If there is something bad than there should proper education and information be given to streamline the issues, imposing ban is nothing but counter-productive. Sanity should be prevailed and right to access the entertainment must not be violated. Gone are the days when there used to be lords and donkey was a common ride, but still today poor potter faces the infuriation.

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High-spirited rapper Adil Omar, perhaps known best for his song “Paki Rambo,” dreams big for his debut album in 2012.

“I am a proud Lahori in love with Mumbai and I have no qualms about saying this aloud. Secularism and peace for me are not theoretical concepts. ”

So I have been checking out some of the neat free apps on the app store and found some pretty delightful stuff, and along that journey of app-discovery I also stumbled upon some general iPhone usage tricks for multitasking and ease of use. Before I give details of the apps, here’s a snapshot of the orientation lock button which can be accessed by pressing the home button twice.

This is particularly useful when you’re lying down on one side and don’t want to tilt your phone in an awkward position to use it. By the way, all these snapshots can be taken by pressing the home and lock buttons simultaneously (forgive me if I sound like a noob).

And as for the multitasking part, I never knew that the iPhone was capable of something like it till I felt a slowing down in overall usage. Googling my problem I found out that just pressing the home button doesn’t close an app, but the double tap home button shows which apps are running at the moment, which you can close off properly by doing a press hold over any app till the red minus sign comes up, at which point you can kill the unwanted apps by just pressing the minus sign.

Some of the apps that I had been running before making the aforementioned discovery include some interested music composing apps, a few of them a pure visual and auditory treat. Soundprism is one app which lets you play (and record in the pro version) synthesised sounds on a kind of keyboard the keys for which you can press as a group by selecting the shape of the area that you need to use to press them. Sounds a bit confusing, and I haven’t got the hand of it yet, but just pressing those keys and listening to the soothing sounds is enough to keep you entertained on a lazy Sunday night.

Another interesting app among many is the PatternMusic app which is exactly like the Koan X Platinum software I used on the PC a long time ago. Panning “instrument” icons over the space allows you to adjust their volume and panning, and you can configure each instruments tune and melody in a a separate interface. Again, you need to pay money to be able to save anything, and I am not sure if anyone would do so much work in this just to have their creations not saved.

TurboViewer allows me to view wireframes of DWG files of almost any size with ease. Standard punch zoom and orbit operations can be done to review the wireframe models. I don’t see too much utility for this app, but with superior markup options thus would definitely be a must have for CAD managers and designers on the move.

And then I tried out the WordFued app, which had me hooked for quite some time. Apart from the mildly annoying ads after every move you make, this is a neat app for casual multiplayer play, and definitely gives you a chance to exercise those neurone while you’re lounging on your couch.

Finally, a snapshot from another cute app which serves a noble purpose; to put the sleepless ones to sleep. The monotonous snore of this little red guy floating on a cloud will definitely send anyone to where he is. A little nudge to his cloud moves him around the screen, and a more violent shake can disturb him, but he never wakes up!

Should be enough app review for now. Just realised that my right thumbs aching after writing such a long post on a teeny weeny screen. Until next time.

DISCLAIMER: This is a response to a recent post by our guest writer on her recent experience at a planned concert for MAD School featuring a band called “Ashes of Lucifer”. The bands’ front man has professionally contacted us and asked to voice his side of the story. As much as we felt the need [...]

Essam Rashid of Ashes Responds is a post from: PakMediaBlog All Rights Reserved.

After months of begging and pleading, a heavily despised local band named Ashes of Lucifer were granted permission to perform ONE test gig at the prestigious MAD (Music Art Dance) School here in Karachi, a gig that had allegedly been set to start at 9pm. The band, staying true to the leader, decided to uphold [...]

Heavenly Intervention Foils Local Satanic Cult Band Concert is a post from: PakMediaBlog All Rights Reserved.

This personal blog post is dedicated to an inspiring couple in Mumbai and to the editor who introduced us: May our tribe increase.

Enduring ties: Seema Sehgal at PIPFPD, Karachi, 2003, with me and my daughter Maha. Photo by Ved Bhasin.

I met Seema Sehgal in Karachi, in December 2003 at the 6th Joint Convention of the Pakistan India Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD). Ved Bhasin, the respected Editor of The Kashmir Times, Jammu, introduced us. “Seema,” he said, “is known as the Bulbul-e-Kashmir (Nightingale of Kashmir).”

Ved Bhasin: Shukriya

The petite and unassuming Mumbai-based ghazal singer from Jammu has none of the airs one might expect from a performer of her calibre. She is not only an amazing artist, but she also has a deep and abiding interest in Urdu poetry and in Indo-Pak peace. When relations plummeted between the two countries following the nuclear tests of May 1998, Seema dedicated her new album ‘Sarhad’ to peace between the India and Pakistan. Indian Prime Minister A. B. Vajpayee presented the album, a compilation of Seema Sehgal’s rendering of the poetry of Ali Sardar Jafri, as a national gift to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the historic Lahore summit of Feb 1999.

Seema Sehgal is the only singer in India – or Pakistan for that matter – to have composed and sung an entire concert on the poetry of Allama Iqbal, ‘Sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hain’ (2003), produced as the first solo album based on Iqbal’s poetry. She has also composed and sung concerts of renowned Urdu poets Mir Taqi Mir (1986) and Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1988).

Through email, I became acquainted with her husband Sqn Ldr Anil Sehgal. My initial wariness at communicating with a former Indian air force pilot quickly dissipated. Anil is as passionate about music and about peace with Pakistan as his wife.

Over the years, I’ve helped them connect with friends in Pakistan for various cross-border projects. When I was looking for music for ‘Milne Do’, my documentary film on Kashmir, I saw Anil on chat and asked him to send me something of Seema’s Within seconds, I had the audio of Seema’s rendition of Ali Sardar Jafri’s marvelous ‘Guftugu Bund Na ho’. That I used for the soundtrack and it adds tremendously to the film.

A rapt and full audience at the Faiz Centenary celebrations in Karachi, Nov 2011 (Zakia Sarwar in pink)

Seema and Anil were recently in Pakistan for a Faiz Centenary event organised by the Progressive Writers Association, where by all accounts Seema blew everyone away with her heartfelt renditions of Faiz Sahib’s poetry. I was sorry to have missed their visit to my hometown but happy they were able to connect and spend some time with my mother Zakia Sarwar, also a poetry and Faiz lover, who commented, “She was clearly in her element and so touched by the ovation that she got, and to be able to perform at Faiz Sahib’s centenary celebrations in Pakistan.”

Soon after returning to Mumbai, Seema and Anil headed to Allahabad (where my father is from) to participate in PIPFP’s 8th Joint Convention. The opening day “was a very subcontinental Baraat reception,” says Danish Husain (@danhusain) of Dastangoi. “Late train, delays, ecstatic reception, dhol, dance, and hugs!”

He wasn’t able to stay beyond the opening night, so I don’t yet have an update on Seema’s performance, one of the several cultural items at the three-day long event.

A couple of months ago, Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s younger daughter Moneeza Hashmi emailed Seema and Anil explaining that an event scheduled for December that she had invited them to had to be postponed due to financial constraints.

“We understand,” responded Anil. “But we wish you to understand that we have great respect for poetry of Faiz sahib, and for you and Salima Aapa (Faiz’s older daughter).

“Seema sings poetry of substance and does not sing for money. Money is just incidental, and so are the comforts it brings… We shall love to participate in any event that you plan with his (Faiz) poetry. If you are short of resources, we shall come through Wagah and will even travel on our own from Mumbai to Amritsar & back.”

Long live the spirit of the Bulbul-e-Kashmir and her retired Indian Air Force officer. Shukriya, Ved Bhasin sahib, for the introduction.

Winter has finally arrived. The end of the year is approaching; very soon we will enter into another year of this century with bundle of hopes.

As usual, I’m standing at balcony gazing at the clear sky, observing calm the sea, listening to heartwarming melodies that drive me crazy while, the mildness of breeze and the silence of night breed the madness of unity with my own realm- where the music knocks at the door of feelings and bring the purest memories of past which reposed deep. These memories are flapping like invisible wings around me, filling the depth of my heart with pain and joy that bring tears to my eyes.

Once again this heart sinks in pain; moments of life have gone too fast. O’ friends!! I’m dwelling in the region of thoughts and loosing the power of words. Tears roll down on my face, when I think of those moments, when I miss school days, when I miss the hug of mother, when I miss the songs of childhood, when I miss the moments I’ve spent thinking of you. O’ cold Chemistry come and see what you have done to me!

The silent tears establishing a connection with the world where  the days are filled with dreams night with burning ideas, where the nearness of understanding becomes easy and energy of solitariness transforms into an art of expression, where my heart grows twice larger and my vision of life becomes less dim,  where parched lips meet with the silent tears streaming down on my face…..!!!!

I believe love that is washed by tears will remain eternally pure and beautiful- [KG]. Perhaps, one need to be cleansed by tears once in a while so that one can see life with a clear view— so what if my healing comes through these tears that are trapping memories of happiness in them.

The memory of such night remains forever.

With love,

Nooru