Written By: Insu Anita Lobo

Writing is the one thing that can stay as lively and imaginative as it was when it was first conceived and put into words by the author, the books are always better than the movies, why is that so? Because nothing can beat our own imaginations, the colours, the vividness of the stories which can be created in one’s head are much more brilliant than any on screen marvel. Writers combine thoughts; knowledge and imagination to create beautiful masterpieces that can be understood, no matter who you are, where you come from or what language you speak. We all have a human connection, and it is this, mystical bond which makes us all different and thus similar in the struggle of the Human Struggle. Thus, the worst of times can eventually become the best of times for a Pakistani writer and poet. So even if Pakistan may face hard times, the world’s eyes are constantly trained not just on it but on the tales emerging from the country. For the writers of Pakistan trying times can be used to inspire great writing that can describe the triumphs out of struggle for it is these times in which inspiration can be found, and shine hope in the darkness. A new wave of Pakistani writers in the English genre is now winning literary acclaim as they seamlessly move between London, Karachi, New York and Lahore. Dealing with a heady mix of social and political themes, the writers are flirting with stories of war, loss, love and, of course, conflict. Pakistan may be in the spotlight of some of the world’s problems but it has allowed writers and artists to explain their views and the world now takes notice. The Pakistani Author Nadeem Aslam’s novel, The Wasted Vigil, explores the complexities and fallout of war and how not just countries but their people suffer. Set in modern Afghanistan, Aslam says he wanted to create a portrait of the conflicts that shape our world and relate the identities of characters and situations in the book to how the current struggles take place.

We see this when we look at Mohsin Hamid’s first novel, Moth Smoke published in 2000, which was set against the backdrop of the Indian-Pakistani arms race. And his second and highly acclaimed The Reluctant Fundamentalist published in 2007 explored the aftermath of 9/11 and the international unease it unleashed. Hamid chose the monologue to narrate his story and his Pakistani protagonist tells his tale to a nameless American who sits across from him in a Lahore cafe.

In 2008 came the first real English language political parody in Pakistan. The author Mohammad Hanif’s first novel, A Case of Exploding Mangoes, is an open deride of Islamic fundament-alism and the plots and counter-plots taking place during General Zia ul Haq’s rule in the 1980s. But Pakistani writers have many more subjects to deliberate on than just politics. Pakistani writing is very diverse now. Mohammad Hanif mentions in one of his interviews with Gupshup that ‘There’s a lot of ambition in the [Pakistani] writing and no subject is taboo.’

Another author Moni Mohsin says that ‘Pakistani fiction is changing as writers are experim-enting with new genres and new subjects,’ Moni believes that since Pakistanis have been exposed to and witnessed a fair amount of political and social upheaval, that it is bound to find a route to expression in Pakistani fiction. But that is not to say that Pakistani writers are restricting themselves to such a view, rather in her own book, The Diary of a Social Butterfly, which is a light-hearted comedy and one that mocks a privileged strata of Pakistani society. The Diary of a Social Butterfly began as a column in Pakistan’s Friday Times and its central character is Butterfly, a silly socialite, the column was then compiled into a book which speaks a kind of Lahori English.

We see more of diversity in the topic of discussion amongst new authors which have come into the Literary Scene. It is clear from two eagerly awaited works that have reached bookstores: Kamila Shamsie’s fifth and reportedly finest novel, Burnt Shadows, and a collection of short stories by Daniyal Muee-nuddin. Kamila Shamsie’s story is a saga that does not focus on politics but rather it intertwines the lives of two families over a period of 50 years. Her narrative goes through the devastation of Nagasaki in WW II through the conflict-ridden formation of Pakistan in the late 1940s to post-9/11 Manhattan and war-torn Afghanistan.

We see Mueenuddin revive the short story genre which discusses the topics of farm managers, servants, landlords and political fixers which are similar to Pakistani culture.

Mohsin Hamid is one author to take notice, his book The Reluctant Fundamentalist was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2007, he is notably the first Pakistani writer to make a debut on the list which lead to the spark for other Pakistani writers in the international literary arena, He says to The Telegraph Calcutta: ‘There’s something very powerful and fresh happening in Pakistani letters at the moment.’ He strongly believes that there is exciting development brought by the writing of Mohammed Hanif and Daniyal Mueenuddin in the space of year whe n their books debuted. He says that ‘Neither Pakistan nor India has produced anything like them before.’

Nadeem Aslam who is reported earlier says that compared to Indian writing, Pakistani writing is still in its infancy and needs time to grow and to take command. And that while Indian writers have been around for 25 years or so, Pakistani authors are only just beginning derive attention especially in the international arena.

Today if eyes have noticed Pakistani authors, it is because the few authors who have released their books have made very interesting contri-butions to the Literary scene during the last couple of years and are expecting more in future. We see international exposure to our writers with the Karachi Literature Festival which is the first of its kind, organised and hosted by the British Council Pakistan in association with Oxford University Press in March of this year. The Festival was also affluently discussed and celebrated by Dawn and on the international media front, the festival was discussed in detail by UK’s The Inde-pendent, India’s Hindustan Times and Times of India, and New Zealand’s Herald. BBC Radio’s Urdu Service also covered the event, showing that our literary exposure is finally kicking off, and may lead us into major international events before long.

A host of new names have also joined the Pakistani literary circle. Penguin books is excited about, Harvard-educated Ali Sethi’s debut novel The Wish Maker, which is a family saga and Fatima Bhutto’s book on the history of the Bhutto family.

Uzma Aslam Khan’s third novel, The Geometry of God, has been published in the US, Italy, and France and has been released in Spain. She has also written an essay-style piece called Flagging Multi-culturalism: How American Insularity Morally Justifies Itself, which has been pu blished by Atlas Books USA in their anthology How They See Us later this year.

The Authors feel that many factors have come together to create the right conditions for the emergence of Pakistani literary fiction. Also, today, Western publishers are constantly seeking the next ‘new’ thing and they have suddenly turned their attention to Pakistan. In addition, a growing number of young Pakistanis are receiving degrees in creative writing from well-regarded Western universities and there’s an explosion in home grown newspapers, magazines and periodicals creating a new generation of writers and readers.

In the days when Hanif went in search of a Pakistani publisher for A Case of Exploding Mangoes and couldn’t find one the newer writers have found it much easier than before. He remembers when most thought the book wouldn’t have any readership and one publisher even told Hanif that they could probably sell three copies. But now with the release of his book Hanif says more authors have debuted in the literary exchange with more of them getting attention from T.V. and Websites, it has opened routes to help them publish their books.

We cannot assume that it the country’s current crisis that is exposing Pakistani authors to the international market in the works of Pakistani writers Uzma Aslam Khan says ‘That it’s very dangerous to expect writers from anywhere, including Pakistan, to speak in the same voice as news anchors. I think that this expectation is being put on us, at times very overtly,’ as reported by Pak Tea House.

It could be seen that Pakistan may be in the headlines for all the wrong reasons but authors like Rakshanda Jalil say firmly that Pakistani writers are not playing to the gallery. ‘Though political unrest usually spawns good literature, Pakistani authors are not performing with one eye trained on the pantheon of Western critics and the other on agents who will get them lucrative deals.’ Rather, they are finding their own individual voice. We must remember it is one honest word which is louder than a crowd. The Literary prospects for Pakistani writers is ever growing and full of vast potential, the writers of our past have infused in the culture of today and allowed new and fresh views to establish the ground routes of how life is now. We can only hope that the individual voice is strong enough to brave the test of time and steer hands with the future.

Written by: Tooba Latif

Have you ever visited those little shops full of shawls and ajrak and tiny wooden and marble replicas of our traditional elephants and camels and so on? Ever been fascinated by the detailed intricate designs carved on them?

It’s amazing how such a large variety of ornaments can successfully represent one very crucial part of a country – Culture. If you want to understand what Pakistani culture is all about then go visit Saddar or the Sunday Bazaar and look at those shops on which colorful and beautifully designed shawls and rallis and ajrak are hanging or where you find carved brass vases or marble and onyx sculptures and the fascinating handwork on them. All of these depict the beauty of our culture.

Pakistani handicrafts are an integral asset for us Pakistani citizens. Just the very look of them immediately reminds you of our country and what it is all about. Handicrafts are not just little ornaments you can use to decorate your drawing rooms. They are a souvenir, a reminder of your country. Pakistani handicrafts do the same for us. It’s really amazing how people literally give these handicraft pieces as gifts to people as a memento of their motherland.

The variety in Pakistani handicrafts is enormous. We have shawls with handmade traditional beaded and sequined embroidery. We have rallis (quilts) with colorful patchwork and the ajrak that literally represents an entire province of Pakistan. We have miniature wooden and marble sculptures of traditionally adorned elephants and camels and very unique beaded jewelry. We have candle holders and ash trays and lamps and jewelry boxes cut out from blocks of marble or onyx, some of them even further decorated with sheen of mother pearl. We have carved wooden figures of our traditional musical instruments like the tabla and the sitar. We have vases made out of brass and carved with delicate Mughal style flower patterns, Quranic verses carved on to wooden plates, woven carpets and bed sheets and mirror work on cushion covers, table runners and pillows. We have tiny replicas of rickshaws and trucks all complete with the truck art details. We now even have traditional designs made on mobile phone covers. Seems like our kaarigars are quite up to date with the latest technology.

Talking about the business of handicrafts, it can be rightly said that it is a small industry within itself. The way these shopkeepers do business is quite remarkable Majority of the more popular handicrafts are made in the interior parts of the country. Most of the shawls, bed sheets, mirror work, ajrak and rallis are made in Tharparkar, an interior region of Sindh. The woodwork and the sophisticated detailed carvings on the brass vases are done in Chiniot and Mirpurkhas. Big blocks of marble and onyx are brought in from Balochistan to Karachi where they are cut, shaped and carved in Orangi Town and Golimar in Karachi and then sold at Zainab Market or Sunday Bazaar. Some of the wooden and mirror work is also done in Lahore and Multan. The woven carpets and rugs are imported at very cheap prices from Kabul. As told by the vendors at Zainab Market, none of these products are sold to the direct consumers in the markets of Tharparkar or Chiniot or Mirpurkhas. They just have small scale karkhanas (factories) where an average of sixty to seventy workers, males as well as females, work per karkhana. They are paid daily or monthly wages and all the produce is sold on wholesale basis to vendors. These vendors simply add in a profit of up to 200% on each item and sell it in the ‘big city’ markets, like the famous Zainab Market. It’s a classic example of intelligent outsourcing!

For instance, a pashmina shawl with handmade embroidery done on it is sold at Zainab Market usually for Rs. 300 to Rs. 600 depending on the customer profile and the bargaining margin. Whereas the cost on that very same shawl would actually be less than half of this price! The quality of these products is also pretty decent and the handwork on them is quite admirable.

Places like Tharparkar and Mirpurkhas and Chiniot are not very expensive to buy goods on wholesale if you have good knowledge of your business. And these vendors most definitely have that knowledge. It’s quite hard to imagine but a good majority of these illiterate vendors are actually better businessmen than a lot of our educated ones. They know what is in demand, they know how to make an ordinary item look extraordinary, they know how to attract and make customers and they very cleverly understand what price to quote to what kind of customer. A number of foreigners go to Zainab Market; it’s really incredible the way these vendors wouldn’t know the language but they would still be able to somehow communicate with those foreigners and persuade them to buy their products! It’s a business worth appreciating.

On the other hand, selling handcrafts is not just a business; for some vendors it gives them a sense of pride and purpose. As said by Tariq, a handicraft vendor at Zainab Market, ‘ye humari saqafat hai, in cheezon ko bechne se humari sirf kamayi he nahe hoti balkay humain buhat khushi bhe hoti hai ke hum apni saqafat ko barqarar rakh rahe hain’ (this is our culture, selling these things is not just our way of earning, but it also gives us happiness that we are maintaining our culture).

Pakistan is a country with a diverse culture that is an amalgamation of a lot of different ethnic groups and binds them together. Our handicrafts are not just a way to do business; they are tiny tributes to our history, our ancestors, our traditions and every other thing that makes up our culture. They remind us of what we used to be and who we are now. It is never too late to respect and appreciate those unknown, extremely talented hands somewhere in the interior areas of our country that create these products, brilliantly reflecting the beauty of our country. It is never too late to remind ourselves of our motherland and be proud Pakistanis.

Written By: Hiba Abdul Aziz

Television is the biggest medium of entertainment. In Pakistan, Pakistan Television (PTV) entertained millions of viewers, independently, from 1964 to 1990. It was PTV that created the classic dramas which have mesmerized us for decades. In the early days of PTV, drama serials were mostly commended for being richly diverse in their plots and direction. From historical to classic, from fictional to non-fictional, from serious to comedy, those old dramas still remind us that that was real art.

Written By: Mohammed Rizwan Memon

Waheed Murad (October 2, 1938 - November 23, 1983) was a legendary Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer. Born to a successful film distributor and producer Nisar Murad in Karachi, Waheed Murad got his early education from the Marie Calaco School. He graduated in arts from S.M. Arts College in Karachi and then obtained a Master’s degree in English Literature from the Karachi University later. He was the only son of the famous Pakistani film distributor Mr. Nisar Murad and Mrs. Shireen Murad.

Waheed was very inspired by the film and music industry since his childhood. In his

childhood, he used to wear a guitar around his neck and was famous as a good dancer among his friends. In his school life he played parts in several plays, which made him more popular. Since childhood he was being given an exposure to famous actors who used to visit his father regularly and inspired him to pursue an acting career. A strong educational background placed Waheed Murad at an advantage compared to other film producers and actors of his time

Waheed was the first Rock n' Roll dancing star in South Asia. He was distinctively known as the 'Chocolate Hero' and 'Lady Killer’ due to his attractive personality. He is well-known for his charming expressions, tender voice and unusual talent for acting in films. His romantic style of acting made him popular as well as controversial, as it was the very early stage of Pakistani cinema where such bold and romantic characters were not much-admired. His dressing style, the hair style, dialogues and songs used to be liked and followed by people of mostly teen and adult ages. Waheed's hair cut was very popular among the young and was called the 'Waheed Murad cut', which was the very first “trend” in haircuts in Pakistan.

During the 60’s era of Pakistan, films were dominated by middle-aged actors in lead roles. Waheed not only changed that but also turned around the style of dressing, acting and most importantly, the picturisation of songs. He enlivened the silver screen with his extraordinary talent in acting and picturisation especially in romantic songs. Some of the songs that still turn many nostalgic, are Tumhain kaisay bata doon, Kuch log rooth kar bhi, Dil tumko dey diya, Koko korina, Jhoom aye dil wo dera jaan-e-bahar aye ga, Beetay huway khuch din aisay hain tanhai jinhain duhrati hey, Mujhe tum nazar say gira to rahay ho, Yun kho gaiy teray pyar mein hum, Socha tha piyar na karan gain, Khamosh hein nazaray, Aye abre karam aaj itna baras and many more.

Waheed was a very prominent and successful actor in his times. Apart from doing his most famous romantic roles, he also played roles of an action hero in Jab Jab Phool Khilay, dual role in Hill Station, a suspicious husband role in Shabana and a villain in Sheeshay Ka Ghar. He played the romantic roles in films like Armaan, Doraha, Ehsaan, Devar Bhabi, Insaniyat, Andaleeb, Afsana, Bewafa, Anjuman, Mulaqat, Mohabbat Zindagi Hai, Apne Huay Paraye, Aawaz and Behan Bhai.

One of his block buster films is Armaan, which was his own production, made a pivotal impact on the sub-continental film industry such that the Pakistani film industry was considered as the rising sun after Indian film industry. Armaan made him a superstar overnight and as equal to the Indian film titans such as Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar and Prithviraj Kapoor. Another hit was Heera Aur Pathar which provided the ‘chocolate hero’, as he was affectionately called, the memorable big break as an actor. He produced and wrote the film himself and was instrumental in giving a break to his friends, namely director Pervez Malik, poet Masroor Anwar and musician Sohail Rana. The famous playback singer, Ahmed Rushdi, gave his voice to Waheed in the film and the two became inseparable since then, until his death in 1983. So he was not alone in his remarkable journey of cinema and film industry. His team included Pervez Malik, Masroor Anwar, Sohail Rana and Ahmed Rushdi, who gathered one hit after another like Armaan, Doraha, Ehsaan, Ussay Dekha Ussay Chaha and others.

He produced a couple of films as well like Insan Badalta Hai and Jab Se Dekha Hai Tumhain through his father’s production house called Film Arts and later ventured into acting as a young and promising actor. Under his own Film Company, Waheed produced nine outstanding and super hit films. Heera Aur Patther (1964), Armaan (1966), Ehsaan (1967), Samandar (1968), Ishara (1969), Naseeb Apna Apna (1970), Mastana Mahi (1971), Jaal (1972) and Hero (1983) were the films which provided an excellent base for Pakistani cinema to thrive upon.

Although Waheed paired successfully with Rani, Shamim Ara, Shabnam, Deeba, Babra Sharif, Nisho and Rozina, it was with Zeba that he enjoyed the most hits, including Heera Aur Pathar, Eid Mubarak, Kaneez, Armaan (Pakistan’s first Platinum Jubilee film), Insaanyat, Maa Baap, Ehsaan and Rishta Hai Pyar Ka (first film to be shot abroad).

Waheed was married to Salma, a daughter of Karachi based industrialist. Their marriage took place on Thursday, September 17, 1964. The wedding ceremony was arranged at Nisar Murad's house in Tariq Road, Karachi. They had two daughters Aaliya and Sadia (died in infancy) and one son Adil.

Waheed Murad acted in a total of 124 films (2 films were released after his death) of which 38 were black and white and 86 were in colour. He acted in 115 Urdu films, 8 Punjabi films and 1 Pushto film. As an actor, Waheed achieved 4 Nigar awards in the best actor's category for the films Heera aur pathar, Armaan, Andleeb and Mastana Mahi.