Ramblings

Internet Activism in Pakistan: A Brief Analysis

2011-12-30T12:24:00.001+05:00

Preamble:

Everysphere of human life and communication is undergoing alteration, transformationand modernization with the advent of the Information and CommunicationTechnologies (ICTs), commonly defined as a tool used in creation, processing,transferring and sharing of information. The ICTs have proven to beindispensible tools for not just the human development but also fightingagainst the poverty, injustice and transforming the economic, social andpolitical spheres alike. They have changed the course of human developmentproviding unprecedented opportunity by penetrating into activities outside the‘production’; reshaping the markets, leisure time, access of information andservices etc while developing a strong sense of democracy.

ModernICTs include World Wide Web, Internet, E-mail, software applications, cellphone, video conferencing etc. (Bergh & McKenna, 2004). However, thediffusion and spread of the ICT worldwide has been receiving a mixed response,creating a digital divide. Digital divide in simple words would be theinequality of ICT utilization (Evers & Greke, 2004). The term Digital Divide is a new name givento the information haves and have-nots used for the preceding generation. It isgap assumed to exist between people having access to the modern informationtechnology and those to whom it is not accessible, between developed anddeveloping or under-developed countries, males and females, rural and urbanetc.

TheCivil Society is denied the effective utilizing of ICT due to lack of requiredinfrastructure, lack of open source tools, dearth of trained IT professionals,inaccessibility of ICT to general population, and the effects of onlineinitiatives in reality etc... This paper is attempting to investigate the utilizationof ICT with a perspective of an alternative option for disseminatinginformation and mobilizing the civil society in Pakistan.

Theuse of the ICT’s World Wide Web, in particular the social media; twitter andfacebook, cell phones and SMS have demonstrated an interdependence andinter-relation with digital technology and new media at an international level,and have also resulted in enhancement of interest in the social movementtheory. The ways in which ICTs are utilized and understood are being changed byemerging social movements. According to Goodwin and Jasper (2003, p.7),“research on social movements will undoubtedly continue to evolve as socialmovements themselves evolve.”

For the purpose of definition, wemay refer to social change as a process that brings about a transformation insocial, political, and economic power structure in a society. It may not be forpoor, or positive for that matter, and depends on individual politicalperceptions. However, the pro-poor process of social transformation will be theone that results in a more even power & resource distribution in thesociety ensuring basic civil rights for the people and enabling the stateinstitutions to provide protection to those fundamental rights.

The followingdiscussion is a preliminary effort at framing the debate around the need ofresearching the use of ICTs by the civil society in Pakistan; a generalunderstanding of the situation concerning a digital divide that may, or may notexists as a result of the utilization of ICT as an alternative landscape. Anattempt shall also be made to answer the questions like how ICTs are being usedby Pakistan's civil society for mobilizing the masses, and the effectiveness ofthe mobilization of masses through internet in the Pakistani political andcultural arena. Also how can the utilization of ICT’s help increase thetransformative nature of their work that can trigger long-term social change inthe country.

Social Movementsa Historical View:

Before,delving into the discussion of the power the present day ICT’s enjoys and itsorganization of social movements a historical summary of social movements willhelp us understand the subject at hand better.

Itis a tough task even difficult to achieve with the help of documentation takingplace over a century to define social movements in terms of what they are, howthey play a part in organizing for mobilization of people and resources, and inwhat ways social movements culminate. However, taking up Goodwin and Jasper(2003, p. 4), definition for social movements can bring us closer to achievethe task; social movements are a “complex sets of groups, organizations, andactions that may have different goals as well as different strategies forreaching their aims... [and can help] comprehend human diversity.” Also, socialmovements “are a main source of political conflict and change” (Giugni, 1999,p. xx).

“Untilthe 1960s, most scholars who studied social movements were frightened of them.They saw them as dangerous mobs who acted irrationally [...]” (Goodwin &Jasper 2003, p. 5). The economic turnaround of 1965 resulted in a change inthis perception when the elite and the powerful themselves startedparticipating in social movements. During the decade of seventies, noteworthytheories were proposed and were termed as the resource mobilization (RM)theory. (Goodwin & Jasper, 2003, p. 6) According to Buechler (1993, p.193), RM has been “[...] the dominant theoretical framework for analyzingsocial movements and collective action within the discipline of sociology.” (p.200) also comments that this theory ignores the macro-level social structure aswell as individual motivation, and focuses only on the organizational analysisat meso-level, which is its major short-coming. The social movements startedshowing political glimpses and involvement of state-actors, giving shape to thepolitical process (PP) model, proposing that elites belonging toinstitutionalized organizations and opportunities provided by the state giverise to the social movements. It is influenced by Marxist theory in some ways.As McAdam (1997, p. 172) comments, they are political phenomena and must beevaluated as a “continuous process from generation to decline.” Munson (2001),while discussing the opportunities concept states that the PP “[...] modelsuggests that mobilization can take place only under favourable politicalconditions and focuses on the relationship between social movements andpolitical institutions to understand movement mobilization.”

The social movement theory wentthrough a cultural shift during the 1980s, and challenges were thrown at PP andRM theories on the pretext that these while taking into account organizationand resources, do not consider the role that culture plays in collectiveaction. This resulted in a reaction from the social movement academicians which in every sense was an indicator of the paradigmshift to cultural from structural analysis of collective action (Tarrow,1998).

Constructivistand post-modern theories made an impact on models like the new social movementtheory, proposed by Jamison and Eyerman (1997) mainly focusing on interactionand communication amongst individuals and in the society, while approaching theissues of transformation and development. Jamison and Eyerman (1997, p. 251)consider social movements as producers of knowledge. The idea of collectiveaction as proposed by the new social movement theory, suggests that it may“fill gaps in resource mobilization and political process accounts of theemergence, trajectories, and impacts of social movements.” (Polletta &Jasper, 2001).

Ina postmodern world, social change theories are needed to grasp and understandthe subtext and analyse the other side of the story not presented by themainstream corporate media, as it is marred by the capitalist ideologypresenting only the story of a global capitalism, an economic system andhegemonic triumph. These social change theories help us answer pertinentquestion related to why individuals organize in groups and follow a certaingoal or objective which can alter the society. It is important to ask thesequestions, but, posing questions in a systematicmanner is extremely critical. The social change theories serve as guides toboth the policy creators and professionals.

Social change theories are a progressiontowards the transformation of the power relations, appearing either naturallyor through a collective effort developed in resistance to oppression. It wasduring the eighteenth century when many a social movements raised their headscreating ripples through history by changing the course of individualinteraction with power. This interaction has impacted the modern world and hadengaged individual in a political process to carve a meaningful and effectiveway to resist oppression. The concept of political economy was not directlyassociated to the field of communications initially until Harold Innis, Adornoand Horkheimer’s work elaborated and put forth the concepts of ‘monopolies ofknowledge’ and ‘culture industry’ respectively; producing mass deception andcontrol of certain social groups over the means of communication.

The factorsinvolved in the societal change are generally identified as politicalinfluences: associated with the state; cultural influences: changing ourattitudes and behaviour affecting the value systems and social structures(Giddens and Duneier, 2000); and the economic influences; based on the Marxiananalysis of the dialectical relation of the economic base and superstructure.However, at an individual level Becker (2001) points out, that a behavioural change may occur through a positiveintention and commitment only. Although to practice this positive change inbehaviour the environmental constraints have to be at bare minimum, personalstandard and self image to be maintained and the advantages of the outcomeshould outweigh the disadvantages (Backer, 2001).

What conditionsfoster social movements and social change has been a point at debate for yearsnow. Although one thing is certain, groups play an important role in eitherencouraging or discouraging the social change and the social movements. Marxalleged that social movements or revolution are a result of opposition andinexplicable economic and other social tensions in a society. Revolutions didnot happen in all advanced industrial society as Marx predicted. On thecontrary, theories suggest that social uproar has more chances of occurring insocieties with improving living conditions leading to higher individualexpectations, and not in those which are poverty-ridden. In other words,relative deprivation results in social movements (Davies, 1962).

When people donot have any institutionalized means of raising their voice, or when governmentoppression is present curbing the public opinion, collective action and ofsocial mobilization are the by-products. The operation of social controldetermines the way in which a social movement develops. Tourine (1977, 1981)suggests that social movements may not necessarily be the responses tosituations, but may result as an abrupt or spontaneous effort to bring aboutthe social change. Thus he suggests that promoting the idea of social activismand its interaction with social movement is more important.

Thesocial movement theories were traditionally viewed with a Marxian perspectiveof a class bias, however, during recent times, a paradigm shift triggered thiscollective action from a cultural standpoint. Before addressing the genesis andanalyzing the paradigm shift of the social movement theory from a structural toa cultural perspective, it is apt to define the term globalization here.

Theterm Globalisation has become an all encompassing paradigm for the socialsciences; however the available literature on globalisation suggests that theterm has to have acquired certain imperialistic characteristics. Scholars andacademics alike for years have added their own perspectives to define the term,however here we will flesh out only those which serves our topic the most. Beckdefined globalization as a “processes through which sovereign national statesare criss-crossed and undermined by transnational actors with varying prospectsof power, orientations, identities and networks” (2003, p. 11). Smith (2000)added the political, societal, and economic relation perspectives to theprocess of globalization. However the understanding of globalization aspresented by Appadurai’s (1996) is the most relevant here. It considers theprocess to be an inter-societal relationship facilitated by the electronicmedia and the global mobility, which “transforms pre-existing worlds ofcommunication and conduct”, creating “diasporic public spheres, a phenomenathat confound theories that depend on the continued salience of thenation-state as the key arbiter of important social changes” (p. 4).

Tarrow(1998) points out that it’s also the facilitation of globalization of protestand not only the globalization of capital, providing a subsequent boost to thetransnational collective action. Although there is no denying that globalizationis both dominating and exploitative and has served the interests of the anelite minority, yet the “new information technologies [...] appear not just asinstruments for the circulation of commodities, but simultaneously as channelsfor the circulation of struggles” (Dyer Witheford, 1999, p. 128).

The New Social Movement Theory:

The research on social movements increased its scope during the 21^stcentury to include the analysis of collective activism at a global level. Atthat point in time, the frameworks of social networks were included in theresearch to help explain the development of social movements. As argued byLangman (2005), the emergence of ICT has resulted in rise of different and newkinds of social movements. The rapid emergence and magnitude of “virtual publicspheres” and “internet-oriented social movements” has given rise to new querieswarranting a revisit of the social movement theory.

Ithas been seen over years that the key to success for the social movement liesin the process of mobilization of the masses. Although, informationdissemination and communication are the two integral parts of the process tobring about the change, organization, mobilization of resources, commoninterests, and opportunity are the rest of the integral ingredients needed tomobilize groups for collective action. Tilly (1978). However, unlessfacilitated by leadership, uninterrupted communication, availability of fundsand material resources, even these four essential conditions may not guaranteea social movement.

The development of socialmovement theory travelled a trajectory from the structural to cultural analysiswhere the concept of culture is utilized as an analytical and theoretical tool.Activist used this tool to investigate the collective action of the societymediated through culture made the activist turn to “identity politics.” Scholars increasingly amongst the activists, concernedwith identity got involved with all facets of culture. This shiftdenotes two distinctive standpoints, the political activism which seeks tobring about a change at the structural level and activism with the subjectiveexperience of an individual in the world as its prime focus. Although focusingon identity primarily has raised question from scholars in class and powerstructures context.

As discussed above in the paper,to bring about a social change human agency either in an individual orcollective form is the key. In the modern era, or the network society socialidentity and identity based movements are the new mantra. Identity is both ahistorical and cultural phenomenon which rises to the centre stage in a networksociety for the development of social change. Castells’ sees the identity’srole in development of the society instead of considering it just as a form ofa consequential tradition in a Marxist world. Castells’ proposed that identitybuilding is a dynamic process and proposed that "who[ever] constructs collectiveidentity, and for what, largely determines the symbolic content of thisidentity, and its meaning for those identifying with it or placing themselvesoutside of it" (Castells’, 1997, p. 7).

He goes on to identify identitiesto be of three types; legitimizing, resistance, and project identity. However,for the purpose of this paper we will briefly discuss the resistance identityonly, but later elaborate on it with the help of an example.

ResistanceIdentity:

Resistance identity is a grassroot level collective identity formation extended by those social actors whoare being excluded by the civil society and other dominant institutions of thesociety. These communes bring together the excluded and the denounced to gain acollective experience as a survival strategy amidst otherwise intolerablecondition of oppression. The communities formed as a result of the resistanceidentity do not mobilize within the parameters of the civil society, but remainmarginalized and pronounced ‘the others’ (Castells’, 1997, p. 10-12). Thesecommunities are formed around a common meaning and are probably the mostdominant identities of our times which provide an opportunity toindividuals who shares social experience to process their thoughts towards newsocial utopias and strategies.

These communities originatingfrom grass root level do not just stop here as fragments of the society but,they become a force that transform the society. However, what conditionsaggravate these transformations is a question which Castells’ tries to answer.Castells’ observes that these resistance based communities cannot mobilizeunless they create a network of their own and then become a network themselves.This serves not only as a precondition to survive and cooperate within thecommunities serving towards achieving the same goal, but also as a necessity tooperate in a virtual media. As Castells’ points out that power in the networkedsociety is due to its diffused hierarchical architecture is not something whichthe social actors have to struggle for as rigorously as in the traditionalsetups.

Social development cannot comeabout without the support of a sound technological infrastructure, thus bothbeing inseparable. Castells’ (1996) in support of the social changes andtechnological changes argue: "since technology is society and societycannot be understood or represented without its technological tools" (p.5).

Entering Networks:

The network society emerges when theglobal information capitalism met the new technological revolution to becomesocially organized and a flow and transaction of information, wealth andculture takes place in real time between nation states superseding theirsovereignty.

McAdam(1997, p. 179) observes, “the ability of insurgents to generate a socialmovement is ultimately dependent on the presence of an indigenous’infrastructure’ that can be used to link members of the aggrieved populationinto an organized campaign of mass political action.” Nonetheless, we would notbe under-stating the facts by saying that the social networks are theinfrastructure, which act as the foundation for a new political agency(Marchetti & Pianta, 2006).

Aredefinition of the social movements from a network perspective would be:“[S]ocial movements are represented by campaigns run by civil societyorganizations, and a social movement could be defined as ‘a network of informalinteractions between a plurality of individuals, groups and/or organizations,engaged in a political or cultural conflict, on the basis of a sharedcollective identity.”’ (Steve Wright as cited in Saeed, Rohde & Wulf 2008).

Passyand Giugni (2001) found that networks accomplish three tasks for socialmovements. First they connect prospective participants structurally to anopportunity to take part. The participants are socialized to an issue forprotest. And in the end, a participant finally decides to participate.According to Tilly (2003, p. 8) suggests that, “compared [to] the 20th century,internationally organized networks of activists, international non-governmentalorganizations, and internationally visible targets such as multinationalcorporations and international financial institutions all figure moreprominently in recent social movements”.

Networksare an essential part of how the global justice movements and contemporaryactivism organize and unfolds themselves. An important part of the globaljustice movements are transnational advocacy networks, which albeit workinternationally on common projects and issues yet share common values anddiscourse (Keck & Sekkink, 1998). The purpose of these networks is toprovide an alternative channel for communication and “mobilize informationstrategically to help create new issues and categories and to persuade, pressure,and gain leverage over much more powerful organizations and governments” (p.2).

Social Movementsand ICT’s:

Technology hasplayed a vital role in the mobilization process (Donk et al, 2004) with printmedia used as a main tool for the dissemination of information in theeighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and radio and television broadcasting isassociated with the twentieth century (Langman, 2005). ICTs brought with it newforms of communication such as SMS, Emails, online advocacy and petitioncampaigns which not just helped further the mobilization process (Surman &Reilly, 2003) but also helped with themagnitude and speed (Diani, 2000). However, the actual impact of these virtualactivities prescribed through in a virtual sphere may not hold much credencedue of lack of achieving the intended purpose (Diani, 2000).

The socialmovements are computer mediated communication dependent on huge networksinstrumental in bringing about the social change. The sparks of virtualresistance were first recorded in 1998 as a conflict between an internet basedcompany and Multilateral Agreement in Investment (MAI) which although turnedout as a failure then, due to various political reasons, but scholarsconcluded, social groups armed with internet technology can carry outsuccessful protests (Aelstand et al, 2004). Later in the early 1990s, theZapatista movement were amongst the initial social movements utilizing theinternet. These were followed by protests against WTO in Seattle and Genoataking place in 1999, which was hugely supported by ICTs like short messageservice (SMS) and emails, resulting in mobilization of a successful protestthrough internet for the first time (Langman, 2005). Today, internet has ahistory of almost 7 years of successful mass mobilization and informationdisbursement.

Thesedevelopments, led the scholars to look into how and in what ways the ICT’s areused, how cyber activism plays a role in this movement for peace, and howtechnology and mass communication are being utilized as a tool for mobilizationby modern-day social movements.

Internet isalthough considered as an informal, unstructured and decentralized organizationyet has resulted in a significant power-relations restructuring sometimes by(McAdam, 1997, p. 178) reversing those power relations. Internet apparentlybrings up a new type of public sphere making the chances of restricting accessand resources comparatively less. As argued by McAdam (1997, p. 180), thestrength and breadth of a communication network broadly decides the pace,pattern, and scope of expansion of a movement. The emergence of socialnetworking sites like Facebook and spread of instant messaging etc has seendevelopment and spread of resources that meet those requirements. According toSaeed, Rohde, and Wulf (2008), "ICTs have tremendous potential to serve astools for information dissemination and organizing protest along withtraditional mobilization methodologies for social movements." Civilsocieties in developing countries have clearly started to be transformedthrough the impact of ICTs and effects show the much needed transformationthrough radical changes are taking place creating new opportunities.

Civil Society inPakistan:

The progress of Pakistani governmentfalls short of its own policy targets when it comes to progressing in humandevelopment and providing sufficiently for the basic survival indicators. Thishas resulted in emergence of a conscious and active civil society disappointedwith the state and taking charge of uplifting and transforming the situation intheir country. In generic terms, the civil society refers to formal or informalcitizen groups, networks and initiatives appearing in the context of social, cultural,and economic arenas. The limited utilization of information technology by thecivil society in Pakistan can be gauged by the fact that most of theorganizations are yet to have an active websites. The campaigns started by thecivil society usually represent initiation of a social movement, which can bedefined as “a network of informal interactions between a plurality ofindividuals, groups and/or organizations, engaged in a political or culturalconflict, on the basis of a shared collective identity.” (Wright, 2004). A hostof problems including social, economic, political and those related to theissues of governance pose threat to the country, indicating an immediate needof an effective advocacy movement by the civil society for promoting economic &social justice in Pakistan. Considering the increasing incidences of terrorismlimiting the possibility of ground-level activism, the ICTs can become a viableand effective alternative.

ICT Infrastructure in Pakistan:

Understandingfacts such as literacy rates and elements of infrastructure before we make anattempt at determining the impact of cyber-culture in the country is pertinent.Pakistan is a country which is home to around 170 million people. The literacyrate is 69% for men and 45% for women and is continuously growing according toPakistan Economic Survey of 2009-2010. The penetration of cellular phones now stands at a staggering 97.2million in 2010, which is much more than 50% of population according toPakistan Telecommunication Authority. With the commencement of a project in 1993 called SDNPK (SustainableDevelopment Networking Program) in Islamabad, funded by UNDP witnessed thebeginning of internet in the country. The primary objective of such aninitiation was to extend email services to the people providing support toprojects related to sustainable development, NGOs and others. The birth ofinternet industry in Pakistan was marked by the launch of online internetservice by DIGICOM in Karachi in 1994-95. In 2008, PTA reported 22 millioninternet users in Pakistan, out of which 14 million are connected to broadbandconnections. Ninety percent of people who use internet in Pakistan live in themajor towns, though it is rapidly penetrating to smaller towns as well. Thereare now 128 active ISPs (Internet Service Providers) in Pakistan.

Digital Dividein Pakistani Civil Society:

The emergence ofinformation technology has revolutionized the life in Pakistan like the rest ofthe world. Having said that, a deeper analysis reveals an important issue whichprevents the benefits of IT from reaching large strata of population, and thatissue is what we call a digital divide. Although the internet connections inPakistan have increased from 133,000 in the year 2000 to 18,500,000 in the year2010 representing 10% penetration, but is that growth evenly diffused acrosspopulation? This is something which would provide a solid ground to assess thepossible impact especially in terms of social development and social movementsin the country. On the face of it, we come across Pakistani commercialorganization boasting state-of-the-art websites, corporate blogs, Facebookgroups/pages, and personalized emails for employees indicating a major role ITis playing in the functioning of those outfits. However, there are many moreorganizations which are lagging far behind in utilizing the fascinatingbenefits IT offers. This again represents the digital divide we would like tounderstand.

This issue wastaken up in a ground-breaking study (Saeed, Rohde, Wolf University of Siegen,Germany), which analyzed the use of IT in Pakistani civil society. Theresearcher chose to work on the civil society in view of the important partinformation technology plays in their functioning. To make their analysisobjective and empirical, they selected 15 NGOs from less developed areas in allthe four provinces of Pakistan. A survey was conducted to gain insights, andthe findings this study revealed shed light on the issue we are discussing.

Let us firsthave a look at the key findings before we can get to a position of drawingconclusions:

· Eightout of fifteen sample organizations did not employ an IT professional.

· Eightorganizations had zero or negligible budget for IT.

· Noneof the organizations had a formal mailing list, which is so crucial consideringthe importance of people mobilization in operations of an NGO.

· Nineorganizations did not have their own website and out of those who had, only onewas updated regularly.

· Onlyone organization was doing online campaigning.

· Oneorganization was utilizing social media.

· Oneorganization was maintaining online volunteers’ database.

· Oneorganization was using options like video conferencing etc. to connect to donoragencies while the rest at the best were using emails to communicate to them.

· Sixout of fifteen organizations utilized emails to communicate to governmentfunctionaries, which also reflect the state of government departments in termsof IT usage.

The above factsclearly indicate that with all the IT explosion we witness at the surface, deepdown there is a large segment of the society, which is nowhere in sight ofmaking use of the information technology like it is meant to be.

The main reasonsfor this digital divide as described by the study are dearth of trainedprofessionals, and lack of financial resources. It must also have something towith willingness of the decision-makers but we cannot undermine the importanceof the two responsible factors identified by the researchers.

If we attempt totake leads from this insightful study, there seems to be a clear need ofgovernment intervention at the policy level. Actions are required to make thediffusion of technology more uniform, initiate projects leading to lower costof hardware and software, public/private partnerships on educational front, andincentives for small to medium size organizations, both commercial andnon-profit sector to bridge the digital divide and spread the benefits of IT tothe general population uniformly.

ICTand Social Movement in Pakistan an example:

Herewe will look into a recent anti-government movement taking place in Pakistan toget a basic impression of the utilization of ICT by the civil society inPakistan. The movement known as the Lawyers movement received participationfrom activists, students, lawyers, politicians, and general public alike. Thisresulted in the declaration of a state of emergency and suspension ofPakistan’s constitution by General Pervez Musharraf, the Chief of Army Staff onNovember 03, 2007. This was followed by initiation of major changes injudiciary and extreme censorship of private news media. The situation pushedthe civil society towards virtual battlefield and the first major movement,which can be termed cyber-activism emerging in Pakistan. The TV channels defiedcensorship by using websites to disseminate information and also to broadcastnews and video footage. Social networking websites like Facebook and Orkut werewidely utilized to mobilize public. The footage of organized protests anddiscussions was widely uploaded at YouTube and Google Videos. Bulk emails,online petitions, tweets, SMS, and blogs were widely used as well forcoordination and disseminating information. Government attempted to block thewebsites but the public resorted to the use of free online anonymizer tools tokeep accessing the sites. (Yusuf, 2007).

Although, the above scenario indicates an optimumuse of ICT during this movement, but there is still a need for extensiveresearch on the civil society in Pakistan to correctly assess the extent ofparticipation in the virtual domain. Preliminary analysis however indicatesthat the bulk of online resources utilized during this movement was initiatedand managed by Pakistanis living abroad.

Through this example we have seen how the citizenjournalists and advocates of democracy have utilized the new media options anddigital technologies for hyper-local reports and organizing community. Alongwith the developed, the developing and the third world too are not a passiveconsumer market anymore as new media platforms are becoming popular and thecommunication tools are being reinvented to make consumers, the media producersand participants interact online and discuss prevailing issues.

The popularity of new media in Pakistan can howeverbe attributed for a need to have access to information rather than an urge toparticipate. The new media was actually cultivated to bridge the informationgap and keep the news and information flowing when the traditional media facedobstructions. In a way, the survival of old media in Pakistan was helped by thenew media. This process gave rise to a phenomenon through which the informationreaches the audience through conventional, as well as the new media platformwith the use of digital technology so it cannot be censored or tampered by thegovernment. Today with active amateurs and activists, any news items can findit ways to SMS, twitter, YouTube and blogs from mainstream media almostinstantly. However, we would be making a mistake to conclude that digitaltechnology and new media alternatives are confined in their use to onlyinformation dissemination and organizing community by high-profile activistsand educated citizen journalists. In fact, some of the best examples of usingnew media and digital platform are for addressing local issues, and are ad-hoc,adaptive and specific to cultural realities. For example, people now are seenutilizing such options very effectively to either navigate traffic duringmonsoon, informing people in wake of terrorist activities, and otherincidences.

This demonstrates how common men with commitment andwillingness to serve their community can be extremely effective in addressinglocal problems once they lay their hands on the powerful new media and digitaltechnology. The new media and digital technology is becoming so relevant in thesituation prevailing in Pakistan that the digital divide and participation gapis being bridged in unfamiliar and unpredictable, but sustainable ways due tosheer pervasiveness. We can confidently anticipate that this rapid emergence ofnew media and digital technology in developing countries like Pakistan willsoon lead to development of new tools and interfaces in local languages andwith greater relevance in local culture, which will in turn, surely increasethe participation from general public, and will result in networking, communitymobilization, and activism in virtual sphere like never before. Although theneed for further research about the extent of public participation by peoplebased in Pakistan and the underlying patterns should not be ignored. Anotherfactors requiring investigation is that whether the emergence of cyber activismis actually strengthening the civil society, or is leaving out a major part ofpopulation that resides in rural areas and is largely not a part of thecyber-world. The socio-economic background and dimensions of a region cannot beignored while evaluating the impact on the real life by the movements takingplace online. And most importantly, how the structure of social movements is affectedby the emergence of digital media is worth researching.

Conclusion:

Keeping the above discussed example in mind, we needto make sure that there is spread of information technology at an affordablecost to the general public. The benefits of which would spread in many ways;for example people can have access to services which improve their productivityand reduce the cost of what they produce, keep themselves aware of thepossibilities emerging in their field of activity, take advantage of online educationaland training possibilities, make their voice reach to a greater audienceregardless of the purpose, make informed decisions, andon the whole be more profitable and gain more return on their investment andefforts.

As discussed above, one of the major determinant ofemergence and success of ICT is rapid diffusion of technology across thepopulation. However certain work needs to be done in this area and can beachieved by reducing the cost of hardware and connectivity, and developingsoftware in Urdu, which is the National language of Pakistan so as to bridgethe gap that the use of a foreign language creates, special for the populationwhose medium of education hasn’t been English even though they may not beilliterate as such.

Although it is perfectly understandable that if acountry has to buy proprietary software for initialization of IT projects, theprogress will always remain limited. Pakistan now has a large number of privateuniversities offering quality education in computer science and softwaredevelopment, and a campaign at national level, preferably initiated by theMinistry of Communication in line with the national IT objectives can surelygenerate new software and those too in local languages to spread the use ofinternet based technology, which is actually the future of IT. Unless a seriousunderstanding of this issue and determined steps are taken in the rightdirection, we may keep lagging behind in spreading the benefits of IT to ourpeople. However, the unfortunate fact that Pakistan is largely dependent onimported hardware is a major hindrance in the spread of use of personalcomputers. The most useful machine remains unaffordable for the majority ofpopulation, and even the government educational institutions cannot buy enoughdue to limited resources. The sooner Pakistan goes into local manufacturing ofcomputers and software development, the better for the future of utilization ofinformation technology in the country.

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McAdam, D. (1997). The Political ProcessModel. In Steven M. Buechler &Kurt F. Cylke (Eds.), Social movements: Perspectives and issues,(pp. 172–192) Mayfield Publishing.

Passy, Florence & Giugni, M. (2001).Social networks and individual perceptions: Explaining differentialparticipation in social movements. SociologicalForum 16(1), 123–153.

Saeed, S., Rohde, M. and Wulf, V. (2008)ICTs, An alternative sphere for Social Movements in Pakistan: A ResearchFramework. Paper Presented at IADISinternational conference on ESociety. April 9-12, 2008. Algarve, Portugal.

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http://civic.mit.edu/?p=38 [Accessed 30 January 2008]

Apple is truly our DNA. Then it was Adam and now Steve.

2011-10-06T08:38:00.004+05:00

"The world rarely sees someone who has had the profoundimpact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations tocome. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been aninsanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely."— Bill Gates

"I am very, very sad to hear the news about Steve. Hewas a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance. He alwaysseemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have beenthinking before you thought it. His focus on the user experience above all elsehas always been an inspiration to me. He was very kind to reach out to me as Ibecame CEO of Google and spend time offering his advice and knowledge eventhough he was not at all well. My thoughts are with his family and the wholeApple family."— Larry Page

"No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve'sdeath or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor hismemory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much."—Tim Cook, CEO of Apple

"Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend.Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will missyou."— Mark Zuckerberg

"He seems to have squeezed every nuance of his lifeexperience into Apple's creations and his life is a testament to the power ofthe human spirit to create here on this earth. We must all take direction fromthe lessons of his life, to live fearlessly and to create withoutconstraint." — Caroline Sexton, Wired reader

"I got one of the first Macs, and my relationship withcomputers fundamentally changed. In both of his incarnations at Apple, he was avisionary. He provided tools. His victories were based on imagination andcourage." — Roger Ebert, Pulitzer-prize winning film critic

"The world has lost a visionary. And there may be nogreater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learnedof his passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts andprayers to Steve's wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him."—President Barack Obama

Steve Jobs was an extraordinary visionary, our very dearfriend and the guiding light of the Pixar family. He saw the potential of whatPixar could be before the rest of us, and beyond what anyone ever imagined.Steve took a chance on us and believed in our crazy dream of making computeranimated films; the one thing he always said was to simply 'make it great.' Heis why Pixar turned out the way we did and his strength, integrity and love oflife has made us all better people. He will forever be a part of Pixar's DNA.Our hearts go out to his wife Laurene and their children during this incrediblydifficult time."— John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer, and Ed Catmull,President, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios

"I want to express my deepest condolences at thepassing of Steve Jobs, one of the founders of our industry and a truevisionary. My heart goes out to his family, everyone at Apple and everyone whohas been touched by his work."— Steve Ballmer

"Steve Jobs was an iconic entrepreneur and businessmanwhose impact on technology was felt beyond Silicon Valley. He will beremembered for the innovation he brought to market and the inspiration hebrought to the world."— Meg Whitman, President and CEO, HP

"Steve was my hero growing up. He not only gave me alot of personal advice and encouragement, he showed all of us how innovationcan change lives.I will miss him dearly, as will the world."— Jerry Yang

"Steve was such an 'original,' with a thoroughlycreative, imaginative mind that defined an era. Despite all he accomplished, itfeels like he was just getting started. With his passing the world has lost arare original, Disney has lost a member of our family, and I have lost a greatfriend." — Bob Iger, CEO of Disney

"Heaven got a major upgrade today. God blessed us withyou and we are so thankful for your vision and your passion. You really didchange the world. We miss you already."— Chris Calloway, Wired reader

Becoming a Designer

2011-10-05T08:10:00.002+05:00

Fire flies are the most exciting creatures on the face ofthis earth! I believed it then and I believe it now. The only differencebetween now and then would be my loss of belief in their magicalcapabilities. The flashing, flickeringand fading hellos they would send to each other would dazzle me. I would striveto reach for them and capture that light in my hands; instead I came back emptyhanded and a captive myself. These magical lights were my first thoughts ondesign.

I remember devising and designing ideas for naturally lit uplamps using fire flies. Naivety would make me ponder on ways to inject colorsin those little shiny bodies. Even as a child I was a step ahead of being amere designer. I tried selling those sketches to my dad and ended up with abrand new oil pastel set to boast off as a bargain.

Years later I was introduced to concepts such as ideology,discourse, creative culture and visual design etc. I drifted from the creativepractices the light bugs introduced me to and found written narrative as a moreengaging way of making understanding the world and the process. Therefore myjourney to design was not a natural one, but rather a conscious detour. My belief in knowledge of arts being the mostprofound way of cultural expression and an indispensable foundation forenlightened citizenship in our increasingly complicated society set sail to myexploration and ended me in an arts college where I got my degree in Fine Arts.

I was introduced to the power of design at my work place.Although I have not been formally taught the design subjects but my educationand my aesthetics helped me get around it. I enjoyed wearing the many hats adesigner has to wear while designing a product or communicating that particularproduct to the audience. Suddenly after my introduction to the design world, myideas would not fit into words and I needed a form to express my idea. Adesigner thinks about the functionality, the usefulness and the aestheticradiance a product might yield. Most importantly the value and identityattached to a design excites me. It was a fascinating experience to see thetransformation of ideas into branding/promotional elements and leading to thedesired perceptions formed in the consumers' mind. The time I spent whileworking with marketing communication team made my desire to explore the worldof design in a greater detail and at an academic as well as professional level.

However, it is not only about personal preferences andcareer prospects. In my opinion, the power of design is being experienced inmore areas than ever before. It has now extended its boundaries far beyond thecorridors of marketing companies, advertising agencies and publishing houses.These days, the effectiveness of message no matter where it originates and whois the target audience relies upon the design as much as the copy. In fact evenmore in some cases. This has also drawn the attention of technology experts,and new designing software are being created, new industries which aredependent on the power of design are growing rapidly, and new interactive andmultimedia is gaining ground like never before. It is surely evident that the"design culture" is here to stay and there will be no dearth ofopportunities, achievements, and excitement for anyone who is associated withthe designing function.

What my destiny conspires for me is yet to be disclosed. Butmy preparation includes a post graduate certificate in design management. It is my job to prepare for the world Ienvision to encounter during the days to come and then hope for the best.

Autobiography in 5 short chapters

2009-06-30T15:23:00.003+06:00

I
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost ... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.

II

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place
but, it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

III

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in ... it's a habit.
my eyes are open
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

IV

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

V

I walk down another street.

Portia Nelson

Cups of Sorrow

2009-05-14T15:59:00.002+06:00

For more than half a century now, we have been waiting patiently observing our cups of sorrow to be filled at last. But everyday we realize that there is much more to come. So we sit back again and wait more, wait till our sorrows are brimming to the edge. We do nothing but wait.

It has been ages now that we have been hearing phrases like “this is the way system works” which make us curl back into our cocoons, never wanting to face the reality and pretending that one day the golden bird would come and visit our skies and then everything would come to order itself. Realizing this we sit back again and try enjoying our lives, waiting for the arrival of the golden bird, for the good news it will bring and for the prosperity and success it is a symbol of. So we do nothing but wait and let our cup of sorrows fill.

Every day the moment we step out of our homes we switch on to our defensive modes; our society having the extra ordinary ability for turning the moderates into extremist, has given rise to an embittered culture of resistance. We walk out on the street clutching to our mere belongings and dear lives, in anticipation and fear. Everyday we try to familiarize ourselves to a new shade of fear, fear with its millions of shades, reluctant to leave, follow us to our death bed. So we sit back and wait, wait for the time fear needs to internalize and eventually desensitize our systems. We do nothing but wait and let our cup of sorrows fill.

The memory of the glorious days we have once enjoyed as children playing on the streets curd like milk in the face of ugly details today, as we stagger, bleary eyed and exhausted through the deep trenches full of sewage. Moving around in the city is like a momentous task now encountering odd islands of human wastes congealed across the roads, the parking lots, the foot paths and everywhere one can think of, amongst the sea of traffic one stumbles on to go to the peace and security of their homes. But now even at homes the constant hide and seek played by the electricity makes it impossible to attain the required level of sanity and keep the brain cells from melting due to the unbearable heat.

Our subconscious mind constructs the dam necessary for stress free day-to-day survival here which we don’t mean to, we cannot, after all we love this place. It is our home. Many of us even refuse to the opportunities to leave proclaiming our love to the country and relishing upon the fact of the first citizenship. And judge those who have left the country and scoff at their lack of vision and pity their sense of alienation. But what do we do to stop those who are leaving? Provide them with a society abiding by laws instead of a lawless society? Or thinking that by asserting phrases like “brain drain” would bring them back? Or waiting for national songs to affect them and help in bring them back? But we do nothing and wait in anticipation, looking at our cup of sorrows fill.

Indeed it is time for my cup of sorrow to be filled. But once is it filled what do I do? Should I flee before bitterness and animosity becomes a second to me? Should I flee from the country I love, ultimately making me flee from the debris this country is in, from the unpleasant sights of the garbage mountains engulfing the entire city, from the needless deaths by electrocution that occur during monsoon season, from the poor healthcare conditions, from the prevalent danger lurking in nooks and corners of every street which has gone up to an insanely high level, from the eardrum piercing honking of cars hemmed in by increasingly frequent traffic jams? It is time for us to think, what do we really love about our country, and does is make sense to continuously invest belief into an enterprise which pays no dividends? Should we continue to remain hopeful amid all chaos and still believe that something great will happen show how? Should be listen to our heart that advocates loyalty to our motherland come what may, or should we agree to the arguments our mind comes up with?

My answer is clear and simple. If we feel that we have had enough and we can’t take it any more, we should withdraw and take refuge in the comfort and safety of a foreign land, no matter if we have to pay the price with our self-esteem. However, if we believe that something good can happen, then we have to be a part of the force that will bring about the change we are waiting for. Instead of cursing darkness, we should light a candle, however small and insignificant it might be. We have to make a beginning…a beginning towards change, towards happiness, and towards becoming a proud nation one day!

Love’s not Time’s fool?!?

2009-05-05T16:06:00.002+06:00

Is it possible not to be in love anymore? To remember every little detail, the hollow and planes of a face, the tender touch and the warm breath, and yet not be in love?

Is it the daily grind which is making me look away from life? Forget my soul? Or is it the weird maturity I have reached which constantly reminds me to wake from my dream which I thought was love.

Transience

2009-04-09T10:40:00.004+05:00

Thou art yet region-bound, Transcend the limits of space,

Transcend the narrow climes of the East and the West. Translation of Iqbal's work.

Art is an idiosyncratic prism which translates the unspeakable and the sublime, reflecting the human complicity within nature. Our acts embody nature and art commemorates nature. It helps us in recounting our emotional ideas fabricated from sorrows rooted in decay and joys springing from growth.

Our over-scheduled daily lives are often little reflected upon. Activities are quickly endured so that the next endeavor can take its place. Initially, the objects that engage our passions may be carefully chosen but the senses are soon desensitized and life becomes more of a sporadic punctuation, instigated by transitional births or deaths.

Sadia Salim a ceramicist feels that although objects are mere commodities, yet are bound in rituals and relationships, ideas and emotion. The physically usable objects have the potential to re-energize our senses and our behaviors. These objects are compelling enough to inspire imaginative use, succeeding in transforming mundane materials and behaviors into celebratory experiences which she creatively transforms into pottery.

Koel art Gallery on the 19^th of March opened its doors to an exciting art exhibition showcasing some of the intriguing forms in ceramic derived right out of disposable by Sadia Salim.

Her exhibition titled ‘transience’ focuses on how sometimes objects function too easily. They merely comfort us and thus fall away from our attention no longer noticing their presence or use. She decided to make use of those occasional cracked bowls, tins and cups to differ our normal assumptions.

One of the instillation made in 2008 investigates the same impermanence of life through everyday disposable objects. “These objects were used by me in one way or another mostly for food and were to be thrown away after a brief and intimate contact. However, I retained them for further usage and then decided to make moulds out of these for my work. The casts were resembled to make contemplative 3-D forms and installations.”

A huge instillation titled “the city… its chaos influencing mind, body and soul desire to find peace wishing away reality” engulfs almost the entire front portion of the gallery. It was done in 2005 based on the symmetry of Mughal Gardens of the subcontinent known as the “Chahar Bagh”, symbolizing pleasure, peace, quite and calm place/state of mind to get away from the chaotic city life. The titled bowls in different directions and changing colours further enhance the garden symmetry.

Some of Salim’s works deliberately left untitled in an attempt to remove the nature and objects from their traditional role, vessels used as metaphor for humans, the inner surfaces of the pots contrasting the outer surfaces commenting on the duality in character of people makes the viewer respond more critically.

Other works of her included vessels glazed by the anagama technique learned at a residency in Japan and ‘crowd’ where she has bottles cut is halves and put together resembling a crowd.

Although art is usually a foray into museums and institutions rather than being an integral facet of daily lives, there is now more awareness, availability and practice of studio ceramics which is also becoming an integral decorating element for either limited domestic spaces or architectural purposes.

I wish I was a punk rocker…

2009-03-16T16:09:00.004+05:00

Arrival of a new dawn and a new beginning, or gathering of a new storm? The nation walked hand in hand hopes held high to witness the making of history. Payers and hopes of a marching nation answered after two years at the dawn of 16^th of March 2009 with the restoration of the judges. The euphoria of a revolution fills the air (not to forget the cyber space) of our country! Although the road to a "free" democracy was beset with volatility, dissension and violence, the long march defiantly moved forward. I am not a political analyst, but even a normal pakistani girl who catch the news on TV now and then (mind it not glued to TV) is thinking "Now What? And since morning I could not help thinking of the song "I wish I was a punk rocker"

Arrival of a new dawn and a new beginning, or gathering of a new storm? The nation walked hand in hand hopes held high to witness the making of history. Payers and hopes of a marching nation answered after two years at the dawn of 16^th of March 2009 with the restoration of the judges. The euphoria of a revolution fills the air (not to forget the cyber space) of our country! Although the road to a “free” democracy was beset with volatility, dissension and violence, the long march defiantly moved forward. I am not a political analyst, but even a normal pakistani girl who catch the news on TV now and then (mind it not glued to TV) is thinking “Now What? And since morning I could not help thinking of the song “I wish I was a punk rocker”

Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
In seventy-seven and sixty-nine revolution was in the air
I was born too late into a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

When the head of state didn't play guitar
Not everybody drove a car
When music really mattered and when radio was king
When accountants didn't have control
And the media couldn't buy your soul
And computers were still scary and we didn't know everything

Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
In seventy-seven and sixty-nine revolution was in the air
I was born too late into a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

When pop stars still remained a myth
And ignorance could still be bliss
And when god saved the queen she turned a whiter shade of pale
My mom and dad were in their teens
And anarchy was still a dream
And the only way to stay in touch was a letter in the mail

Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
In seventy-seven and sixty-nine revolution was in the air
I was born too late into a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

When record shops were still on top
And vinyl was all that they stocked
And the super info highway was still drifting out in space
Kids were wearing hand me downs
And playing games meant kick arounds
And footballers still had long hair and dirt across their face

Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
In seventy-seven and sixty-nine revolution was in the air
I was born too late into a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
I was born too late into a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

Three Cups of Life

2009-03-05T18:22:00.005+05:00

Stivya-Sweetness of Nature!

2009-02-24T18:31:00.003+05:00

2009-02-22T01:53:00.002+05:00

"Why is the sky blue? Why is fire yellow? What causes the vivid colors in sapphires or emeralds? What do diamonds and rainbowshave in common? Is there a connection between fall colors and flamingos?

It has been proposed that all the colors in the universe originate from a mere fifteen fundamental physical causes. These causes appear over and over, lending color to the world around us. Some common causes seem logical - for example, both light bulbs and candles are colored by incandescence - and others are surprising - did you know that the colors of peacock feathers and bubbles are both caused by interference? Very small additions of an impurity can transform transparent corundum into a gorgeous red ruby. The same mechanism makes emeralds green and produces the color in some glazes and enamels."

Coffee ground and creative mind go hand in hand!

2008-07-29T11:01:00.004+06:00

I'm uninspired. Completely. I know what I need to write, and how I need to write it, and where I need to go with it. I just don't want to. *Cue temper tantrum here* Except it's not temper. It's just...nothing. No drive. No emotion. No motivation. Just emptiness.

Chocolates and coffee are the two things which can put me back into my mainstream thought line instantly! But what a pity we don’t have Starbucks here! I truly think that it is a magic bean which has been celebrated from the time of the first brewing experiments with wild coffee beans in ancient Arabia. If we ever happen to know the journey of coffee, as it travels from the tree in its country of origin to the cup in our hands, it affects our tastes, characteristics, and ultimately, our coffee experience. The brewing methods and roasting techniques have changed over time, but our love of coffee for its invigorating effects and satisfying flavor has continued to grow.

Jawab- A story of many!

2008-07-27T01:04:00.003+06:00

Jawab is a short film which was made as a school project (by me and Dania-a friend of mine A yaer back) but has proved to be close to hearts of many.. I hope you guys like it.
http://www.shahidzaidi.com/ (go to the link Zaidis films and click on the film -JAWAB)

Travelogue: India

2008-07-01T13:44:00.007+06:00

I have wanted to go to India since ever but could never actually get go. Four years ago I had a chance to go with my college/colleagues but my thesis came in between and I had to stay back and work on my paintings. Numerous times I had the opportunity but somehow nothing could materialize. I have read books and watched movies and have seen friends going on trips together. I never thought I’d go through the experience myself; but this time I was so determined that when my mom told me she is planning a trip to India to attend an Inner Wheel (a sister organization of Rotary International) conference, without having a second thought, I tagged along to visit the magical land of staggering topographical variations of cultural diversity, the result of coexistence of a number of religions as well as local traditions. The towering temples of India, easily identifiable by their ornately sculptured surface give my nerves a tingling of surrealism.

On my insistence we decided to board a bus from Lahore to cross the border. 6:30am 31st March 2008 reached the bus terminal nervous/ excited and smiling tentatively. Despite of my mom’s strong reaction to my exuberant behavior, I took our pre-departure picture (everything has to be documented). But it was still too soon to get officially excited. (You can’t get officially excited till you actually cross the border). After a 10 hour ride with 4 stops in the middle for breakfast/lunch/tea (all included in the bus fare which was Rs: 4000 return) we reached Delhi. Am I glad I went to India? Yes, I think so. India is wonderful. And India is terrible. It is spectacular and at times disgusting. Before entering India keeping in view my anticipation my mom told me to expect nothing the sort I see on TV (she had been fortunate enough to visit most of the South Asian countries at least twice) As I was expecting Delhi did seem to have a very different culture, and for someone like me who enjoys having her cultural assumptions challenged, I found India very stimulating.

From the time we entered India via Atari gates I was on the ninth sky as I was stopped at various occasions only to be blatantly told that I am very ‘sunder’ (what a self confidence booster lol) But in India your life is made miserable by being swarmed wherever you go by people trying to sell you things, by cab drivers sneaking commissions from the places they take you, by beggars, by children wanting gifts of pens and rupees (we were clearly identified as foreigners either cause of our features of our clothes).

Delhi was full of Indian Idol soundtracks, hindu mythology cartoons, dogs/cows/pigs at every corner, on making sure we are Pakistanis even the auto rickshaw guys out of the blue would get into heated debates about India Pakistan, the media hyped perception of Pakistani’s etc.

Since we had very little time for the sight seeing in Delhi (we had to catch a plane to Kolkatta the next day) we headed off to Jama Masjid and Red Fort in Old Delhi. Inside Jama Masjid it definitely felt much more like a tourist attraction than a holy place, although prayer services are held there daily, and while we were there people were praying and engaging in other rituals.

Jama Masjid was completed in 1656, having been commissioned by Shah Jahan, the Mughal Emperor. The mosque stands beautiful in its simplicity (due to the lack of elaborate ornamentation), the building’s large courtyard was constructed of striking red sandstone; the pervasive symmetry reflects the Mughal style. The views from the courtyard were interesting, but the views from the southern minaret, which rises high above the city, were phenomenal.

Just below us to the south was the bustling marketplace of Old Delhi where we would later go for some beautiful sari shopping. Below us to the northeast was the more peaceful courtyard of Jama Masjid, and beyond its walls the imposing barriers of the Red Fort, also a creation of Shah Jahan (It is said that at night the Red Fort is brightly lit up providing a glimpse of the grandeur of the Mughal era).

All the tourist places in India close down around 5 pm so we could not spend much time touring the Jain temple. (Jainism is a very interesting local religion, focusing on extreme nonviolence and vegetarianism, and one of its central tenants is the intrinsic value of all living things). We explored the nearby areas, and also observed a Sikh temple.

From there we rushed to the India Gate where we were approached constantly by a particularly persistent cycle-rickshaw driver (it was getting dark and we were clearly identified as foreigners). Neither of us really wanted to take a cycle-rickshaw, not just because it would be much slower, but because there’s something unsettling about exploiting someone else’s manual labor for personal transportation, especially when that person is obviously struggling and appears emaciated. Delhi stretches out in all directions, and it became apparent that in the few days we would spend here, we would barely be able to scratch the surface of this expansive and exciting city.

The next day we flew to Kolkatta by a local flight Indigo Airways which cost us Rs: 7000 for a return ticket. Ask most people what springs to mind when you mention the capital of West Bengal, and the images are of hand-pulled rickshaw, excessive pollution, slums, Mother Theresa, Tagore and human tragedy. Shaking the cobwebs of complacency away, I think it was the best introduction of a country which otherwise was so hyped up by the media.

Kolkatta is a calamity of humanity. From the minute you step off the plane, it's in your face, shocking and surprising at every turn. India strikes you hard: all your preconceptions are inadequate. I found there's a difference between imagination and reality, and however well prepared you are.

In 1803 Lord Valentia wrote, 'The town of Kolkatta is at present well worthy of being the seat of our Indian Government both from its size and from the magnificent buildings which decorate the part of it inhabited by Europeans. Yes, there's plenty of British splendour under the pollution. The Victoria Monument, a reminder of the pomposity of the British Raj, an imposing white marble monstrosity that sums up the decadence and pomp of the British Empire. Inside the Victoria Monument is a museum that tells the history of Kolkatta, from its founding in 1690 by Job Charnock to the present day. After attending the conference we then set off to see some more of India.

Our next stop via Delhi was Arga, the city which nests the famous Taj Mahal, which for centuries has inspired poets, painters and musicians to try and capture its elusive magic. It is one of the most flawless architectural creations of the world carrying the memorial of love built in the memory of the beautiful Arjumand Bano Begum, who won the heart of a Mughal prince. Work on the mausoleum began in 1633 and 20,000 workers labored for 17 years to build it.

Some 38km away from Agra lay the forgotten city which shows a clear embracing and respect for other religions. At Fatehpur Sikri, the red sandstone palace is uniquely honored through symbolic decorative motifs of the religions of the 3 wives of the king, Hindu, Muslim and Christian.

After a night stay at a local resort at Fatehpur Sikri the next day early morning we moved on to Rajasthan, the most visited part of India, with powerful past kingdoms punctuating a flat and dry landscape with megalomaniac palaces.

Each city in Rajasthan has a strong identity especially Jaipur, the pink city. Inside the walled city, all streets, meet at right angles. The use of rubble and plaster rather than stone made it possible to build this city in only 7 years and to simulate the much-admired red sandstone appearance of Mughal cities, all of Jaipur's monuments were painted a dusty pink. Before entering the gates of Jaipur we visited the famous Amber fort which was finished building in 700 years. This fort nests the legendary Sheesh Mahal where the song ‘jab payar kia to darna kia’ of mugle-e-azam was shot.

A 90 ft sundial dominates the astronomical Jantar Mantar. An odd collection of huge astronomical instruments built in stone by the founder of Jaipur, Maharaja Swai Jai Singh, from 1728 onwards. The tomb is the reminiscent of those wonderful paintings of the masters of early astronomy, with their huge sundials and large azimuth-measuring machines. Next to the Jantar Mantar was the City Palace and Museum. At this palace you could not the camera along with you, so there really aren’t any pictures to share. But the original miniatures kept there made me stay in the palace for quite awhile and I literally had to be dragged out.

We rounded off our wanderings with a visit to the Hawa Mahal, the Palace of the Winds, a classic piece of flamboyant Rajasthani architecture that looks over the main street of the old city. From here ladies of the court used to watch the world go by.

Jaipur is a shopper's paradise which has something to offer everyone. So I decided to get my saris from there. You find good silver jewellery from there too.

Our tour ended there for us. Sitting on the bus home, I was quite. But every few minutes I would crack a smile at some memory that had hit me. It is true what they say: India is a different world. From the sheer mass of humans to the frenetic pace of life – an almost contradictory combination of rushing around like headless chickens and sitting back and doing absolutely nothing, a mix that only the Indians seem to have perfected – it's like nothing you have ever seen before.

2008-06-25T21:56:00.005+06:00

O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell,
O SOLITUDE! if I must with thee dwell,
Let it not be among the jumbled heap
Of murky buildings; climb with me the steep,-
Nature’s observatory - whence the dell,
Its flowery slopes, its river’s crystal swell,
May seem a span; let me thy vigils keep
’Mongst boughs pavillion’d, where the deer’s swift leap
Startles the wild bee from the fox-glove bell.
But though I’ll gladly trace these scenes with thee,
Yet the sweet converse of an innocent mind,
Whose words are images of thoughts refin’d,
Is my soul’s pleasure; and it sure must be
Almost the highest bliss of human-kind,
When to thy haunts two kindred spirits flee.
A sonnet by:Keats, 5th of May, 1816

Launch of a brand: Cosméceutique

2008-06-24T18:29:00.003+06:00

I would have never known how it feels when you launch a brand. The association you develop to the brand is absolutely amazing. It feels like you are actually involved in the process of bringing a baby to life! When I used to read about the success stories of brands the most common things which happen to be there in every success story of a brand were: passion, vigor, commitment, late nights, strewn tea coffee (pack of Doritos/slims), printing deadlines, mental blocks (major ones at times), streaks of intelligence-at midnight bolting you like a thunder lightening-, hard work etc. which went into making a perfect recipe of the most sought after brand at the initial level. I was lucky enough to experience almost all of the above mentioned phases/trans/situations!

Finally after much frenzy/chaotic handling of stuff (at my own end) the support I had from the rest of the team members was amazing! I would here specially want to thank my bosses (S.I, M.A, and I.S) for showing patience and believing in me (I can actually write a poem praising them… lol).

So, on the 21^st of June 2008 Cosméceutique was unveiled at the Femina Expo 2008. Being a woman (and that too an aware one who knows how important it is to look pretty) it is very close to my heart. Specially the mantra ‘BEYOND COSMETICS’ touches me so deep! that it is 'BEYOND explanation! lol. Cosméceutique is a complete range of skin care products which brings the latest phenomenon of the ‘Cosmeceuticals’ to Pakistan keeping in view the huge potential and the market gap. Cosméceutique for me is a dream come true! I must say that I am lucky to be a part of the company which has recently launched the first ever range of Cosmeceuticals in Pakistan!

Frida Kahlo

2008-06-21T00:19:00.007+06:00

"They thought I was a Surrealist but I wasn't. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality" -Excerpt from her diary.

The artist work has been defined as a mania for self-portraits a sort of therapy to survive, an alienation of suffering and physical pain inflicted by external events on her body at such a tender age.

What I have seen and read makes me certain about one thing and that is that the her body for her was the center of all kinds of thought, both about her internal self as women and artist and about her external environment; cultural, political and social aspects of her time.

The way she depicts herself and her body in a way that it ceases to be an object fixed and identical in the subject's perception which is normally a determined shape, a sort of "thing" and on her canvas things/objects/her body acquires an "overflowing" abstract universality.

One of my favorite artist from the 20th century's time.

Chronology of my Blog

2008-06-05T22:38:00.005+06:00

September 2007: Nuzhat on our way out of the class convinced me how cool it is to have blogs these days। I went straight to the computer lab and made an account for my self.! There I have a blog too!

That night: Done with the ordeal of ‘defining’ my blog and writing an appropriate paragraph for ‘about me’, came the toughest part… naming the blog. To cut the long story short i dint do it right there and then. I took another fourteen days to do that! The rate of changing names along with the templates was 52 times to be precise. And if you divide this on the number of days the count would be thrice a day! Finally on the fifteenth day I was content! I like dthe name and the template both :)

October 2007: I am thinking of posting something to the blog. It has to be something way too intelligent and intellectual after all it would be my first post; it can’t be about just anything. It has to be perfect! So I waited for the streak of intelligence to hit me like thunder one day which would give me the power of jotting down my own prophecies and philosophies.

November 2007: Still waiting. The day never came!

December 2007: I am sick of thinking and I think it was a total waste to even sign up for the blog.

January: Ok I found the soft copy this old article I once wrote for social magazine and I posted it. Finally!

February, March and April 2008: I don’t remember details… but yeah I went online everyday initially, which later reduced to every week to check if I received a comment on the post.

May 2008: I met R. When I met her, I had no idea that there is another realization in store for me. Following are the things she made realize:
It’s the fear which makes people sit on their fat asses and do nothing about their blogs! (I already know that--but hey, I have no fear at all. et al.! )
She made me realize that if I want my blog to be read by people I need to admit that I am being a pseudo intellectual for no good reason (OUCH! That hurts). I am defying all laws of logic and scrutinizing the truth.
I ask why? The answer is plain ignorance.

June 2008, confession time: I have been holding myself back! The fear has to go away! The fear makes me pretend and does not let me define my theology which determines my anthropology, ultimately resolving the context of my sociology :D
So from now onwards this blog is going to be all about 'spur of the moment!'

How the social fabric is made

2008-06-04T13:38:00.003+06:00

Angst! Distress! Dissolute!

Perturbed to the extent of rattled breath!

I feel I am being clawed at! Cut into halves and then stitched to the malevolent fabric of the society.

I cry for help! But my lips are stitched, again to the same fabric!

I wonder how many have been stitched! Are the souls stitched too?

Can the souls be heard?

My soul tries to free me, but all it/she could free was merely a thread of the huge red bloodthirsty canvas!

Between the Idea and Reality Falls the Shadow: A Bunch of Homogeneous Hippies!

2008-05-13T11:43:00.000+05:00

Between the Idea and Reality Falls the Shadow: A Bunch of Homogeneous Hippies!

Behind the Tinkle of Bangles

2008-05-12T15:16:00.001+05:00

“For me these are just pieces of glass which I mold. I don’t find any beauty or colour in them.” Sehrish a fifteen year old beauty comments when asked how she feels to be surrounded by beautiful colours of the glass bangles all day long. Sehrish has taken her metric exams and wants to continue with her studies, but is confined to the four walls of her workshop where she works all day long on the glass bangles. Hunched over the flame, with a bunch of bangles known as tora in her one hand, while the other hand moving with pendulum swiftness and speed, presses the glass spring over the flame for alignment. She tells us about her skill and the problems she faces during the laborious work she is supposed to do to meet ends.

“The work is not that hard anymore, as it has been several years now. However sitting in one position for hours tires me a lot and my eyes burn ‘cause of the flame” Sehrish with two of her cousins Ifra and Rahma have been working with bangles since she was ten. She has spent most of her childhood amongst the bangle which are merely pieces of glass carrying no symbolic or traditional value for her or her family, who have been under the economic crunch since she was born. Sehrish belongs to the lower strata of the society where educating females is still considered a taboo. However her parents having a liberal approach supported her and encouraged her to be ambitious. Realizing her dream to become a doctor could not be fulfilled with amount of money her fathers earns, she has now devoted all her time to the bangle making. She explains her work is tough as sitting in a room with high flames burning and the doors and windows closed gets suffocating. She hardly gets time for other activities and her social life has been confined the room she works in. The efforts of the young girl have already taken tolls of her youth.

Sehrish loves to jump rope which she does occasionally when she gets time off. She has two dolls which she abandoned when she was very young and took up this hectic routine which she was forced to make not only her work, but her hobby too. Sehrish has eight sisters and two brothers, six of the sisters are married. Now it’s her turn for which she is collecting money so that she can buy her self a beautiful bridal dress. “I don’t think I will be leaving this work even when I am married off. I have been trained to do this work when I was very young and now I am quite experienced. I don’t have any other skills I can count on”, she told when inquired if she is looking forward to quit this work once married.

Glass bangles have a history and tradition of its own. Traditionally a woman’s bangles are given to her by her in-laws on her wedding day. On several occasions she keeps on adding more bangles to them, sometimes for pleasure, others for obligation. Over the years her bangles which were first a source of pleasure for her acquires social baggage which can never be ridden off. It becomes the symbol of marriage, protection of husband, dependency and adornment of self. Later these symbols inexorably lead to the reality, bringing fear. For most marriages are considered desperation packaged as property which these glittery bangles binds. A woman is supposed to break her bangles when her husband dies. Islam however does not impose on widows the banishment that rural Hinduism does, but a woman without a protector the husband traditionally does not wear bangles.

Unless one is rich, self-deprivation links hands with social deprivation.

Poverty leaves a very few options, other than children and women lending hand in helping the family meet ends. Glass-bangle is one of the huge cottage industries of Pakistan flourishing in Hyderabad a small city of the province Sindh. Women and children there, work at least eight to nine hours a day to support their families in dire weather conditions, from hot sticky summers to beautiful rainy seasons, hardly ever stepping out of the work room. In a glass bangle-making factory in Hyderabad the women cuts the long, cylindrical glass spring with a cutting file into batches of 300, each called a 'tora'. The bangles which are then the form of a glass spring are taken for 'sadai' or aligning the cut in the bangle by placing it over a flame which is done at the homes of these women. 'Jorai' or welding the bangle together is the next step also done over the flame. Fuel for the flame is provided either by the natural gas or kerosene oil. The whole process of bangle making takes place in the closed, unventilated rooms. Women and girl children are the mainstays of this industry. The current wage for 'sadai' and 'jorai' is 3 to 1.5 rupees per tora of 300 respectively, which is a twelve year old rate. Many pleas have been made in vain as government and the authorities turn a deaf ear to these women. In a day, these girls complete around 25 and 35 batches.

Sitting in a crouched position for almost half of the day and exposed to open flame is not an easy job. The cuts in the bangles being small and the glare of the open flame causes eye strain, while the crouching position can cause chronic backache and pain in the joints. The process of bangle-making takes place in confined spaces which is an unhealthy environment with exposure to dangerous substances and involves working in difficult conditions for long hours and offers no form of preliminary safety training. Eradication of this labor is not a viable option unless new avenues and opportunities are created. Since there are few work alternatives with very low wages, the bangle-making amongst the women is considered as a respectable job for which they don’t have to go out on the streets. Bangle making demands both patience and skill. As for these young girls who have no option but to trade their childhood for long hours and backbreaking work, they don’t even get enough money each month to spend on themselves.

With the changing trends of the fashion industry, glass bangles are not included in making a fashion statement. Not just the changing trends but also the gigantic shift from glass to plastic in every field poses a threat to the glass bangle industry. Now, every thing that we knew earlier made in glass is coming in exact replica in plastic in all sizes, shapes and colours. It is not very rare that we see women preferring plastic bangle over the glass bangles.

When we talk of the women of Pakistan, the first thought that comes to the mind is that of the claustrophobic feeling which these suppressed women dwell in. There are many reasons shaping the lives of these women like colonialism, history, nationalism, economics, gender, culture, and patriarchal values influencing the psyche of a society Suppressing women for financial gains is nothing new to the Asian terrain which the westerners link only to the Muslim culture. Sri Lankan, Indian and Chinese women in particular go through the same fate. Children of these countries are no better. They are sexually molested, given into marriages and are exploited for labour. The common thread through the region is the economic crunch which is a result of the denial of the powerful lot to strengthen the middle class.

Watching television and sipping coffee in our comfortable armchairs deceiving ourselves and commenting on the stake holder’s role in reducing poverty would never help. Reading form our text book about the vices of a society hollowing its foundations, like poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition etc can never prepare. Making documentaries and winning prizes for it cannot desensitize us to death, poverty or disease. Developing a veneer just to get through the day does not qualify us as humans with moral values. Shedding off our cocoon can only reduce the distance between our world and the real world which is swarming with pain.

Restrictions on Expression Go Beyond Religious Issues

2008-05-12T11:37:00.000+05:00

A conscious mind and freedom to choose are the biggest differentiating factors between human race and other living beings. A human being has been made capable of distinguishing right from wrong and to select the course of action that he deems appropriate. This mental faculty and autonomous action however remain meaningless unless another prospect exists, the prospect to express. The freedom to form an opinion and express it with no fear of undue out comes. The modern history’s biggest social evil is probably curbing of this basic human right, the freedom of expression.

Freedom of expression is often regarded as an integral concept in modern liberal democracies, where it is understood to out-law censorship. Of late, the freedom of expression has moved up to the top on the agendas of all the nations governed by democratic ideals. The developed world’s societies alleged pride by enhancing and fostering the practice and the perception of freedom of expression, and consider themselves the guardians of the world media. These guardians have been entrusted with the profound yoke of responsibility to protect, promote and advance the cause of onerous issue of freedom of expression. At the international level having the liberty of action and thought, determines the extent of a human potential and the growth of a society. The developed nations distinguish themselves with the third world on the basis of free press and expression. They deem that the absence of free expression leads to the peril of institutional safeguards which holds societies together may drift into chaos and anarchy beyond control. For freedom of expression lay at the heart of democracy, nourishing its vital forces.

The myth haunting the world for centuries, is now regularly picked up by the west and splashed across the world media denoting the s as an under privileged nation taking refuge under the shadows of religion. The clerics denouncing “Shariat law” as the corner stone of all the judgments associated to the religion or otherwise have played a vital role in portraying as ‘Poignant ’, of which the extremist element is the basic unit. Besides other issues taken up by the western media, freedom of expression and its implications in the Islamic world is another area of interest.

Restrictions on expression go beyond religious affairs. The focal point of this paper is to reject the myth that freedom of expression in Islamic countries is curbed only in religious matters and it is very much present in all the Islamic countries. Countries in Africa already known for human rights violation have not been focused, and instead cases from so-called moderate countries like Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain and Oman have been considered besides some citations from Iran and Pakistan to give clear evidence that countries in judiciary and state-bodies in developing nations in Asia and Middle East are as oblivious of human rights and freedom of expression as under-developed African nations.

Internationally speaking the right to the freedom of expression is guaranteed through Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. However implementation remains lacking in many countries. The cases presented here must be seen in the light of the universal definition of freedom of expression which is perceived as the act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used. Article 19 of the ICCPR, states that everyone has the right to freedom of expression and recognizes that this right is not absolute and may be subject to certain restrictions, such as provided by law and are necessary and proportionate for certain specified purposes for example protection of the rights of others, national security or public order, health, morals and defamation.

Syria a country taking the plight of freedom of expression under the Islamic laws, in a case of Ali Nazeer Mustafa and Husam Ali Mulhim, university students have been held incommunicado without charge since they were arrested in the capital Damascus, on 26 January has nothing to do with religion, yet there is severe violation of freedom of expression. The students were reportedly participants in a peaceful pro-democracy discussion. They are at risk of torture and are considered as prisoners of conscience, held solely for their peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression and association.

Another case of SYRIA is of a civil society activist Riad Drar al-Hamood, who is facing trial before the Supreme State Security Court (SSSC) on charges of "inciting sectarian strife", belonging to a "secret organization" and "publishing false news". He was arrested after he made a speech at the funeral of the prominent Islamic scholar Sheikh Muhammad Ma’shuq al-Khiznawi, who was abducted in May and died apparently after being tortured. Riad Drar al-Hamood is an active member of the Committees for Revival of Civil Society, an unauthorized network of people engaging in human rights-related and political discussion. He considered being a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful expression of his views. Trials before the SSSC fall far below international fair trial standards. Defendants do not have the right of appeal, and have restricted access to their lawyers; and "confessions" allegedly extracted under torture are admissible as evidence.

An example from Pakistan is of Amanullah Khan, who is 77 year old and the Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front political party.
Amanullah Khan was detained with other protesters during a peaceful demonstration against the construction of the Basha Dam in the Gilgit region of the Northern Areas. He is being held under preventative detention legislation (the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance) that allows the authorities to detain people for up to three months without charge. He has not been permitted to receive visitors. Since his detention, his health has deteriorated, and he is thought to need specialist medical care outside the prison. His health may deteriorate further if he does not receive treatment for his condition. He may be a prisoner of conscience, detained only for the peaceful exercise of his right.
Elham Afroutan, a 20 year old journalist and up to six other journalists working for the provincial weekly newspaper Tammadon-e Hormozgan were arrested following the publication of a satirical article. They may be prisoners of conscience, detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression. The seven are held incommunicado and are at risk of torture and ill-treatment. If convicted, they may face the cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment of flogging. The article published by Tammadon-e Hormozgan compared the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran and the advent of Ayatollah Khomeini to AIDS and gave the current physical embodiment of the disease as President Ahmadinejad.
Elham Afroutan and those detained with her are not known to have been formally
charged, or to have had access to legal representation, their families or any
medical treatment. Under various articles of Iran's Penal Code which deal with
insults to Ayatollah Khomeini, the Office of the Supreme Leader or defamation of officials or individuals, in such cases the journalists could be sentenced or they could receive up to 74 lashes as an alternative. Further more many writers and journalists have had their right to freedom of expression severely restricted and have been victims of grave human rights violations. International law does not permit freedom of expression to be restricted simply on the grounds that others find a statement offensive.

In Lebanon a human rights lawyer Dr Muhammad Mugraby is charged with slandering the “military establishment and its officers”. The charge relates to a statement he made to the European Parliament in which he criticized the military court system in Lebanon including for the inadequate legal training of the courts’ judges, and of the torture suffered by suspects tried before military courts in order to force them to “confess”. Dr Muhammad Mugraby is only exercising his right to freedom of expression guaranteed in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Lebanon is a state party. This case against Dr Mugraby falls within a pattern of harassment against him that may be related to his legitimate work in defense of human rights.

An Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji was tortured and ill-treated by Iranian security officers. He is not given access to necessary medical care by an independent doctor of his choice. He is considered a prisoner of conscience detained solely for the peaceful expression of his beliefs. Akbar Ganji’s wife, Massoumeh Shafi, says it has been 51 days after she had last visited him in hospital. She states that her husband told her that two days after her last visit, a team of Iranian security officers visited him in hospital and asked him to apologize in writing for his book “Republican Manisfesto” and for the letters he had written to Ayatollah Montazeri, and to undertake not to give interviews if was to be granted prison leave. Akbar Ganji refused and was reportedly severely beaten by the same officers. Later he was reportedly told by the head of the of same security team that he was about to be released and that the officers who had beaten him would apologize for their actions. He was then driven to Evin prison and during the car journey he was reportedly ill-treated and suffered a dislocated shoulder as a result. His request to be taken back to hospital was denied and he was given physiotherapy by a prison doctor. He remains in Evin prison, serving the rest of his six-year sentence. Akbar Ganji had recently ended a two-month hunger strike, during which his health deteriorated. The detention and treatment of Akbar Ganji, imprisoned since April 2000, has raised widespread concern at the level of the international community. On 19 August, the United Nations (UN) Secretary General Kofi Annan called on President Ahmadinezhad to release Akbar Ganji. On 12 October the European Union (EU) also expressed concern at the matter regarding increased restrictions on freedom of expression in Iran.

Akbar Ganji began a hunger strike in protest at being denied the necessary medical care for chronic asthma, despite specialist recommendation that he be treated outside prison. He was eventually rushed to Milad hospital, as his condition deteriorated. He ended his hunger strike in mid-August, after nearly 70 days. He had reportedly lost over 30kg, and had been moved to an intensive care unit a week before he resumed eating. Akbar Ganji, now aged 46, was arrested in April 2000, together with 17 other Iranian journalists and intellectuals who had taken part in a cultural conference in Berlin. He was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, which was reduced on appeal to six months, for "taking part in an offence against national security" and "propaganda against the Islamic system" In July 2001 he was again brought to trial on charges of "collecting confidential state documents to jeopardize state security" and "spreading propaganda", and was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment. In 2000 he had written a series of articles, which were later published as a book, in which he implicated several high-ranking officials in the 1998 murders of several prominent writers and political activists, in what became known as the "serial murders" case. Among those implicated in the articles was the former President, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
In Bahrain there is excessive and unnecessary use of force by Bahraini security forces against people having peaceful demonstration. A group of 15 people, including five women, and two leading human rights activists, ‘Abdul Hadi al-Khawaja and Nabeel Rajab, of the dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, planned demonstration against unemployment. Before all demonstrators could gather, security forces charged at the 15, and others who had joined them, beating them. A total of 32 people were said to have been beaten and needed hospital treatment. During a similar demonstration in front of the Royal Court in Rifa’a, security forces violently dispersed 50 peaceful demonstrators and arrested 30 of them. The use of excessive force against peaceful demonstrators can never be justified and contravene Article 3 of the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials of 1979. Freedom of expression should be respected and guaranteed, and no unlawful limitations are allowed to be placed on it.

Moving our conclusion, let us touch upon something, which might very well be the underlying reason of all that has been happening in the Muslim World. There are 213 million s in Indonesia, 156 million in Pakistan, 144 million in India, 126 million in Bangladesh. All put together world population stands at 1.4 billion or 23 percent of the humanity. The recent cartoon controversy issue to which the community stood up and reacted to an extent of damaging its own economy, de-shelving the Danish products, avenging by denouncing a war on West vs. Islam, burning up embassies and flags, and killing other human beings thus emphasizing on its victim-hood. We have a very convenient nature of remembering only the things which we want to, and the matter is made worse with our lower literacy and being prone to exploitation by people with vested interests.

To see the flip-side of the coin, on March 4^th-8th 2001, Taliban soldiers using explosives blew up the ‘Standing Buddha’s’ of Bamiyan designated as the world heritage site by the UNESCO. Each world heritage site is considered to be of out standing value to the humanity. These ‘Buddha’s’ were built in 2^nd century AD measuring 180ft and 121ft tall. There are 390 million Buddhist in China, 90 million in Japan, 62 million in Thailand, 8 million in India, 2 Million in Indonesia, 3 million in United States, 700,000 in Bangladesh, 500,000 in France, 380,000 in Australia and 300,000 in Canada. All put together, world Buddhist population stands at 78o million or 11 percent of humanity. Interestingly, not a single Buddhist monk around the world issued a decree to the Buddhist population to take revenge against the s, nor did any Buddhist killed another human being or burnt embassies.

The problem with Muslims is that majority of them are illiterate. Out of 10 s 6 do not know how to read or write. Out of 1.4 billion population 800 million is illiterate. Muslims owning more than 60 percent of the world resource, produce less than 5 percent of the global GDP. Their basics start from extremism and ends at bigotry. The religion to which they adhere is understood only at a superficial level, the divine book considered as the code of life is taken literally and not understood as a symbolic guidance with secrets hidden between the lines.

It’s good to talk of modernity & enlightenment; but the fact remains that the journey towards greater harmony between s and other religious communities will not take the right direction unless the majority of s stop being exploited by religious clerics & political leaders, and this can not happen without increasing the maturity level of the masses where they can act in the interest of the community as a whole, and safeguard the Islamic faith through making the west understand through dialogues and mature media campaigns instead of violent actions, which not only die out with time but also brings more damage than protection to the faithful.

A Bunch of Homogeneous Hippies!

2008-05-12T11:21:00.001+05:00

Pakistan

, with its multitudinous cultures, a mini-world in itself, is fast shedding the mantle of its old identities and poised to wear new ones. At this junction it would be interesting to examine the soul within and from whence it springs. To ponder not only over the design, make and cut of the cloak that clothes the Pakistani society but examine the soul that hides within, in order to keep in touch with one self and not get lost among the changing landscapes of changing civilizations caused by the globalization and technology. This change in the technoscape has shrunk the world to the size of our chat window making histories and ages collide, bringing an irreversible synthesis come closer to us with each passing second.

The mediated form of culture is radically transforming notions of community worldwide particularly in the areas known as the cultural periphery. Hence seeing the media as both empowering and dangerous, many nation-states have devoted funds to promote official agendas through national media and impose quotas and censorship to minimize the perceived harmful effects of cultural globalization. However, with the growing exchange of technology the cultural landscape being rendered at every passing oscillation it is nearly impossible to stop the cultural influx. Thus formation of new identities in relation to shifting notions of community such as ethnicities, nations, classes, races, and the sense of belonging to a specific place has become a self mutated process.

The most widely discussed topic with reference to media and society is the Indianization of our society through the Indian satellite channels and its impact. However, right now all the discussions revolve around sweeping remarks about ‘soaps being responsible for shattering our social fabric’ and soaps not being reflective of our true culture. Though not being far from truth, such statements still lack objectivity and no groundwork to start from to stop the brutal hemorrhaging of our social fabric as one cannot act when what action is required remains unspecified. It’s about time we come down to what exactly is wrong with the soaps being aired these days, and how specifically it impacts our society, presumably in a negative way.

There are so many interesting aspects that I would like to address about the process of Indianization of Indian television but due to the word limit I would stick to the two major issue which have made our reality a contingent and contested social construction. The two trends -growing hybridization of media languages and the popularity of channel and programming formats which have been indigenized to a very limited extent has altered and affected the perceived sanctity of our relationships. Let’s pause here for a moment and contemplate over the utopian question ‘what we really are? What is our national identity? What binds us and makes us people of one nation despite myriad similarities and dissimilarities.

Having a collective conscious and sharing the connotations of something as basic as the color RED to the understanding of the mechanics of living within a society forms the framework of any traditional value system which eventually determines our unique sensibility defines who we really are.

With the advent of the satellite channels particularly Indian to our part of the world has rendered our minds impotent of producing anything original. We like a flock of sheep follow the Indian-ness with blind trust and end up corrupting our origins. The culture is now considered as a hegemonic ritual where each aspect does not boil down to point to the umbrella of same sentiments and value systems. The later has ended up as a burden where a lone individual is preferred than keeping each member of family as a part of a group. The sanctity of relationships has gone to dogs in our society. Broaching on a subject like ‘divorce’ was once regarded as a no-go zone for all. I have nothing against the right of women getting a divorce but the point is that the complex twists of relationships shown in the Indian sops where a girl has numerous affairs and marries several times and every time she would end up with prince charming is pushing our young maidens’ minds into oblivion. For these young minds a divorce is nothing more than a piece of paper.

Pakistan is heir to some of the most ancient civilizations of the world. Its indigenous languages with its vocabulary are multilingual facets made up of various culture of this region too have ancient roots. Without getting into a linguistic debate that may go into uneven terrain of post-structuralism and post-modernism, I would just confine to remind my readers that language has always been considered the most important pillar of any culture. A word as used with respect to a particular culture has its meaning way beyond the literal. It carries with it metaphorical dimensions that are specific to the cultural group it represent. There was a time when speaking Urdu with the wrong “tallafuz” was considered an unforgivable sin. Then came a time when being able to converse reasonably well in Urdu became a plus, no matter if there were English words used all along. Until that time, things were no as bad as we were moving towards a global cultural landscape while keeping our roots still in the ground, though not too deeply. Today, we have reached a point where Urdu is more Hindi the way we speak. Our kids use words they hear in Indian soaps fluently when they are presumably speaking Urdu. Many commonly used Urdu words have now been replaced by the Hindi counterpart. So what difference does it make? A huge difference! A word brings with it not only cultural background but has its root deeply embedded in history, religion, and the way a society perceive the object for which a word is being used. Can you relate Iqbal’s dream of a separate homeland for Muslims of the sub-continent when you use the word “sapna” instead of “khwaab”? I guess no. This is one basic example signifying the far reaching impact a shift in linguistic structure in a society makes. Words make-up not only conversations, but also the literature of a language. And as the saying goes, “The decline of literature is the first step towards decline of a nation.”

I am all for globalization and am a firm believer in its blessings. However, I am also for keeping a balance between our deep-rooted social and cultural value and assimilation of new ones so that we progress as a society with a distinct identity instead of becoming an insignificant part of a homogeneous crowd.

Different for Better

2008-01-11T10:22:00.000+05:00

“I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence, two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” - Robert frost

Distinct aroma, complex smells, many a dreams and inspirations rises from steamy mug of dark brown coffee, stays only a fraction of second in front of my eyes before vanishing into the thin air. Leaving behind swirls of white creamy froth which after a while also settle down at the bottom of the deserted mug! This abandoned mug reflects all those lives who fell for the common pull of settling down, of knowing that someone cares and will be there to listen, ultimately ensuring the three biggest draws of a permanent relationship; communication, intimacy and companionship.

Why marry and register with a state? Why marry and then years later discover that the weeds which have managed to grow and flourish in the cracks now stand sturdy like rugged spikes in the blossoms of spring. Why enlist in the legions of the so called respectable? Why risk the whole apparatus of roles and rules, of laws and liabilities? Why do people marry? What does marriage have to offer? How many of the things that marriage has to offer do we recognize and appreciate - especially if they are not part of our dream? Why marry and then let the illusion of love cloud your judgment and future goals? Become emotionally and financially dependent. Why is it that now in the modern times women in particular are reluctant to get married or keeps on delaying the whole process? What are the reasons which are making them choose a path?

These are just some of the questions which resound in my head which such hard hitting realities that I sometimes ponder on the profundity of the posted questions. Every other educated female asks these question to either her self or the society in general. But all she receives as an answer is her own voice echoing back to her! I am also one of those who are left on their own to find answers to quench their intrigued soul. I am a part of a society where anything and everything a woman (especially if she is a single woman) does can be labeled as a stigma to the society a matter of honor. So we decide to stay quite and accept the fact that no matter what we will wait for our knight in shining armor, the images may be sketchy and a little outdated, but you can still make out the silhouette of the bride and Prince Charming riding off into the sunset. We dare not show any speculations on his existence. For if he does not show up then the sleeping beauty has to accept the fact happily that she is going to stay in her glass coffin forever.
Before venturing any further into the topic I think that in order to fully answer this question one needs to define the term 'modern woman' and make it clear that we are talking about a Pakistani modern woman here who has very recently tasted the charms of freedom! From an academic point of view, I find it rather complicated and elusive. I assume by modern woman we generally are referring to an educated, probably professional women who aren’t dependent on someone financially and are able to satisfy their monetary needs (among other things). However from a feminist critique aspect this question tends to over shadow individual differences between 'modern women' and tends to generalize this conception. Thus, it is important to keep in view that a modern woman when given a choice might not always choose to live alone rather than in a permanent relationship (particularly in the Pakistani society).
The big question is that why is there such a change taking place and why do women now who are know as “career girls” (which sounds as more like a profession to be honest) are opting to lead a life as a single? Is there a dearth of men who can take up the challenge and live with women who outwit the male intelligence? Or are women playing safe and not taking chances with men whom they find lacking intellect, compassion & depth required to maintain a long-term quality relationship. The other reason could be to continue on the path of personal and professional progress she has chosen for herself and avoiding entering into an uncertain territory which would require her to sacrifice the life she has been able to settle into. The very thought of a new set of “relatives” and social connections that will be imposed upon her after marriage scares her. Plus knowing the fact and seeing examples of women living alone and choosing a life of freedom and success for themselves makes it a less “alien” phenomenon than it was earlier.
Zeenat at 29, a female leading a content bachelor life, working at a leading advertising firm say “Why I feel an independent working woman of today can completely lead a happy, sovereign single life, is because men no matter how educated, exposed and broad minded they are, will never come to terms with the fact that if a woman is working as hard as him, she should also be excused from domestic chores like he is. Her late sittings at work are always questioned, if she isn’t cooking and doing monthly groceries, she’s an inept wife! Moreover, if she has to compulsorily socialize to keep her work reputation breathing, she is swaying towards the “fast” category! Men, especially the Pakistani species are just not programmed to digest the fact that a professional woman has the same kind of commitments and responsibilities as any working man. She is no super woman that she will do everything in the world and more, since she is a wife too!! So why be bound in a permanent relationship that mostly creates a lot more tension than pleasure? And really, gone are those days when a woman ‘needed’ a husband financially, physically and emotionally to help her lead a so-called ‘complete’ life. She is confident, self sufficient, strong and financially sound to help herself in whatever way she likes, without the trepidation of being answerable to all those things the questioner has no reservations about, for himself. If a woman really is the strong, independent woman of today, even her parents nowadays let her be. They question her only up to a certain age, but not after that.”
Sheeba is another female who is 30 and is also working in an advertising firm answers this question in the following way: “That’s simple! The pros of living alone certainly far outweigh the cons. Thanks to women’s emancipation; today’s woman is educated and as a consequence financially independent. This renders man’s role as that of “bread-winner” void. Generally (and there are many exceptions to the rule), if a man is the sole earning member of the family, he tends to become a tyrant. If he is NOT earning, the woman ultimately ends up supporting the husband and the family. In both situations, the “permanency” of the relationship gives the man a level of comfort that regardless of his attitude or neglect of responsibilities towards his family, it would be difficult, at the least, for the wife to leave him. In situations where the wife is working as well, and given the norms of our society, it hardly ever translates to her being exempt from household chores and the bearing and rearing of children. The male chauvinistic attitude bred into our men ensures that they not lift a finger at home. So, if anything, such a situation only adds to the woman’s responsibilities. Socially speaking as the world evolves and our society moves towards moderation and modernism, it is no longer uncommon to see women that are single and not in a permanent relationship, blend easily into society. So here the usefulness of the “man” seems to decrease.
Zarsheen aged 28 is a banker. She feels that the modern woman lives in the illusion of being independent all her life, oblivious to the biggest fact that the entire structure of not only the society but the universe is patriarchal. As long as the illusion continues she's willing to believe that she can manage not to enter into the social obligation which we call marriage. Talking about the societal implications alone here and assuming the famous economic fallacy that "all things constant are here" and ignoring the religious aspect of various deities and the female association that has been into force since the beginning of the world, the main reason why a liberated woman will want to disassociate herself from marriage is to be herself. She would not want to lose her identity, not knowing that living in this illusion might pose the biggest risk to her identity itself. The mere act of changing name after marriage seems to be a threat to the modern woman's identity. And once the name is changed she sees herself involved in a chain reaction of such a relationship, where she is perpetually placed in a position to "give" and sacrifice and "receive" only in a few lucky instances. She always sees herself at the losing end. Although there are advocates who try to bring optimism in the female's life by pointing out teensy weensy advantages to her position and portraying them as the best thing that could have happened to the woman in her life time. The act of giving birth which raises the female onto a pedestal also does not do full justice to her. The moment a baby is born, the female is put aside for raising the baby and all in all, the baby is given the name of the father and is known by his name!

Dr. Hussain working in a well reputed pharmaceutical is of the view that the select few, who do make this conscious choice, would have the same reasons as modern men. For them it would be an opportunity to be themselves, be more independent and have all the time for themselves to do the things they fear they might have to say good bye to. “I wouldn’t worry about the implications though. There wouldn’t be too many of them around, much like there aren’t many men around who want to remain single. Things would balance out all in all. There has to be some variety in this world!”

But then there are also those women who do not see the situation in pure black and white terms. They being brought up in a Pakistani society genetically have to ability to see the grey areas in their lives as a constant. Emotional bonding! This is what breaks the camel’s back.

Nadia, 25 and a little idealistic says that “regardless of how great life may be living alone, with no one to interfere with your plans and the excitement of being entirely independent, and even being emotionally stronger than men, every woman has the need to feel being loved. Obviously, this is not the kind of void that can be filled with brotherly, sisterly or motherly affection. Most women would not want to grow old alone. For that matter most men wouldn’t want to either if they weren’t so high on themselves. We all need someone to love and that someone to love us back. A confidant, someone to fall back on, someone to appreciate us, someone to grow old with. A witness to our lives. It all really depends on your priorities.”

Amel (B.Sc (Hons) LUMS): It’s quite simple really, men are afraid of intelligent and independent women so who wants to get married to something that is afraid of them, contrary to what men do. On a serious note…. I really don’t think any woman modern or backward would ever want to be single however if she chooses it, it would be because of a dearth of men with whom they have a mental compatibility. At this point I would like to quote my Professor, Ejaz Akram: “Professional training for women is extremely important because……. all men are knuckleheads…..”

Research shows that many women also marry because they find that their relationship challenges them to better themselves. Living alone or in a relationship without commitment doesn’t offer the same challenge to better yourself.

Beenish thinks of two major reasons that can compel 'the modern woman' to prefer living alone rather than in a permanent relationship: to hold onto her individual freedom & lifestyle and her freedom to pursue her professional ambitions.

However there can be implication to it in the context of Pakistani society. Living in Pakistan, if a woman chooses to live alone and not get married would have to face a lot of pressures and difficulties. Social rejection! In our society females deciding to live alone are mostly considered to be doing so because they don’t want any restriction on their lifestyle. Family rejection! Since the family is answerable to the society, so the elders considered being humiliated because of this action. All these parties would fail to understand her reasons for not choosing to do so and would consider them rather trivial. Since she would be deviating from the social norm, people would also start questioning her sexual and intellectual inclinations. And if she does not fit into the 'pretty girl' category, some would also start sympathizing. Intense feeling of loneliness at times. A feeling of deprivation when coming across a happy family, with kids. An inner guilt of a natural question, “am I right?” All in all, a rare possibility of a happy life!

For the Women, by the Women

2007-10-01T14:14:00.000+05:00

Over a few inches of length and width, the indescribably opulent miniature paintings encompass the rich saturated colors, emphatically simplified architecture created on a shallow surface into a bewitching depth for the onlooker to indulge and comprehend, the grandeur of a kingdom, dazzling patterns of textile, wild exuberant beauties on terraces and gardens with flowering trees and lush foliage, lotuses and flowers which simply refuse to rest on the ground and levitate in the air, a strip of sky insisting on peeping from the corner of the painting and many of these elements rendering the paintings to the highest degree of aesthetics.

These paintings of extraordinary beauty and variety were made for the royal courts of India during the golden age that unfolded in the sixteenth century and has continued into the contemporary times carrying the splendor and extravaganza of the history. With their vibrant colors and dynamic compositions paintings created for the rulers then served the purpose of recording history which later trickled down merely documenting the splendor and glory of the kings and their activities.

Miniature paintings having a long tradition of varied subjects provides glimpses of the world of pomp and ceremony, historical and natural veracity, mundane life and achievements, portraits having a psychological perspective with realistic details, mythological and rhetoric themes, courtly pursuits and pastime of both men and women through romantic and idealized lenses. These painting normally showed males as the main figure with the predilection of portraying the ruler/ male as a resplendent, larger than life figure accentuating heroism, individuality, love for sport, elegance, cultivated nature, exhibiting piety etc. and often with a halo emphasizing on the his divine nature.

The sensual beauty and charm of a partially revealed female has remained a perennial theme amongst the artists and poets. By contrast, fewer paintings depict the activities of women. This gender inequality was inevitable in a society which kept women in seclusion and away from the prying eyes of men. Thus our inheritance that we relish upon today is of women shown as a decorative element adding colour and sprit to those intricately done pieces of history. Females were painted as ornamental objects and very seldom as protagonist. Those exceptionally rare paintings portraying women as the main subject had limited dimensions. Women were either illustrated as evocative of heart agonizing love and heart rendering longing, inhibiting enchanted spaces in courts, throbbing with delight in pleasure gardens, resonating in the ragas and ragnis, reverberating in the colours of the seasons and as sensuous and spiritual beauties bridging the gap between the secular and the sacred. They were painted doing things of less importance such as listening to music, enjoying a dance not as openly as men or worshiping which could be private and public both. The personification of the women status was depicted by painting women as courtesans, but never were they shown as women of substance competent enough to handle issues which involved rational thinking, coherent yet firm standing and abundance of knowledge. Rare were paintings done showing ladies indulging in sport or watching a lively elephant fight.
Until recently the traditional miniatures were practiced perceiving that bringing in a stroke of contemporary art into the long established, time honored and conventional paintings would take away the splendor and the magical captivating power from it. However a couple of decades ago the veneer apprehension was abolished to let the forbidden modernism enter the eastern art circle. The last two decades witnessed a vibrant revival of miniature paintings; artists revitalized the pictorial tradition, negotiating a fine balance between the historical practices and post modern conceptual concerns. The paintings done by the contemporary artist is now an act of artistic collaboration revealing improvisations, acts of creative destruction, semiotic play and dynamic adaptations. The young dynamic artists remind us that art can have moral and intellectual potency when one has something significant to communicate. This communication is made viable by juxtaposing the commercial and societal aggression and pressures with the sacred traditional rituals and imagined world.

There was time when girls dint pursue this subject. However a change has been bought by the induction of a full time bachelors’ degree program at National College of Arts Lahore. From here numerous artists have sprung who are striving hard to make their voice heard and create the much awaited difference. Shazia Sikander more than a decade ago graduated and overhauled the conventions of traditional miniature paintings. Following an example set by Shazia Sikander the young female artists like Nusra Latif, Aisha Khalid, are persuasive in giving an old form a new content with their imaginative breath.

Women artist today are creating a history of their own by making a comment through their paintings and creating a social debate. Their political art of protest has gained strength after the 1990 since 80% of the artists were women. These artists with their skill have investigated the contemporary art and have tackled sensitive issues like materialism, gun culture, nuclear materializations, fundamentalism and specific issues pertaining to women’s rights like honor killings, lack of access to education, marriages in early teens and so on and so forth.

Besides the subject matter and contents, the most interesting thing that one notices in the work of their female contemporary miniaturists is the way they have kept the basic ingredients of this unique artistic form intact, while expressing the most contemporary ideas. This can truly be considered an example of evolution of a medium. This in itself is a great contribution made by these people.

Miniature painting is all set to go through a process of major revival. It is true that the number of artists in this genre of expression will always be limited given the discipline required, but it is also a fact that the impact they can make is truly significant. This is one from, which is indigenous to our part of the world and hold immense potential to depict contemporary issues with a cultural backdrop that is eastern to its core. The new breed of trained artists coming out regularly from professional arts schools also makes the scenario very promising for the days to come.