Today, yet another meaningless day passed away

Is our life meaningless? Well for the ordinaries, life is full of challenges and there is hardly any time to ponder over the meaning of the true life or whether it is meaningless or not. For some who are depressed for some reasons, be economic, social, spiritual or family disturbances, at some point in time their depression makes their life meaningless. Under such circumstances, negativity surrounds him and living becomes difficult.

Poets are normally people who live in utter poverty or their circumstances builds an aura of melancholy around them which results in poetic works full of sadness and expression of one's difficult times. In such distress, they do not feel like doing anything except writing some superb poetry as famous Punjabi-Urdu language poet of Pakistan Munir Niazi wrote.

Herein under is a piece of his Punjabi poetry in which he laments of a wasteful day. I have tried to translate each worse in English. Though this translation cannot match the rhythmic tone of his poetry, yet it may give an idea what he is trying to say:

Scroll down for video of this poetic work by Munir Niazi himself 

Aj da din vi aenwein langya

yet another meaningless day passed away

koi vi kam na hoya

no worthwhile work could be done

purab valon charya suraj

The sun rose from the east

pascham vang khaloya

Came to set at the west

na milya mai khalqat nu

Neither did I meet any people

na mai yaad khuda nu kita

Nor did I remember God

na mai parhi namaz

Neither did I offer my prayers

na mai jaam sharab da pita

Nor did I drink a peg of wine

khushi na gham koi kol na aya

Happiness or sadness, nothing came near me

na hasya na roya

Neither did I laugh nor did I cry

Aj da din vi aenwei langya

yet another meaningless day passed away

Now listen to Munir Niazi in his very own style reading his above shared poetry:

About the poet: Munir Ahmed Niazi, (Punjabi: منیر نیازی ) (9 April 1923– 26 December 2006) was an Urdu and Punjabi language poet from Pakistan. He also wrote for newspapers, magazines and radio. Originally of Pashtun descent, Munir Ahmed used to call himself Punjabi as Punjabi definition is cultural and geographical and most of his poetic expression was done in the Punjabi language. He was awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) Award in 2005 and Pride of Performance Award in 1992 for his notable services in Urdu and Punjabi poetry.

Photo | Reference | 1 | 2 |

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20 things about Me

Whenever you meet someone for the first time, you would certainly want to know more about him/her. Though I have been here on this platform for almost a decade, I never talked about myself. So today I thought of sharing something about me so that people around start to know me and my likes.

Here are 20 things about me:

• I am a proud Leo and the lions always fascinate me.
• My country Pakistan is the best country in the world and am proud of being its citizen.
• l love nature in its every form and love to be as close to it as possible.
• For some unknown reasons, I always wanted to see Switzerland since my childhood - and suddenly unplanned I did manage to be there and loved being there.
• My favourite band is The Beatles - something of the past though, but since I grew up listening to them, I still enjoy listening to the old songs. But for singles, Annie's Song is my favourite.
• I always wanted to play guitar - as was inspired by The Ventures.
• Paul Mauriat’s Love is Blue is my favourite instrumental.
• I am very selective in choosing friends.
• Looking down from a high rising building is ….
• I love everything that my wife cooks - though I like to eat every type of vending junk that is sold by the roadsides.

Continuing with the list, the remaining 10 things about me are:

• If someone confides with me, rest assured he has confided it with the right person.
• “How things are made” on Discovery channel is my favourite TV programme.
• I love watching sea surfing, though tennis is my favourite sport.
• I really cannot understand poetry, so I prefer listening to a song with good music.
• Thorn Bird and El Chemist have been my favourite readings.
• My favourite film? Well can’t name one, but Heaven can wait, After the promise and To kill a mocking bird are some of my favourite.
• Photography, philately and blogging are my favourite pastimes, while playing Scrabble on line keeps me busy when am not doing anything else.
• I had a terrible handwriting in my childhood, till grilled by my mother (may she rests in heavens – Amen) and I corrected it (people now admire it :).
• My late father continues to be my power of strength (may he rests in peace in heavens – Amen).
• Must have been a good feeling. You know what? I recently went all the way to Holland to meet a friend after 43 years. Boy what a great moment it was.
• Needless to mention, I love my wife and two great sons.

The listing above would give a fare idea about who I am to my readers. Have you ever tried listing yourself ever!!

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Pakistan: Your Travel Destination 2019 - Come and Listen to the Rich Folk Music of Pakistan

Pakistan is not only rich in its natural trove, but has an equally rich culture and folk music that mystifies the listeners and spellbound them for as long as there is music in the air. We have indigenous music instruments like dhol ( a two sided elongated drum) which have rich sound not only to move the folk artists and the audience, but also make the horses and camels dance with its heavy beat. 

The folklore are artistically converted into music which are often sung in villages when the sun has set and moonlight adds mystery to the music being played and the voices of folk singers adding to the mysticism. Each place and province has its own music, its own heroes to eulogize and love stories retold. Some of the famous folk songs include "Abeeti" (a love song sung by young women), "Allah Hoo" (a Muslim lullaby) and "Ashoor Jan" (a patriotic love song). Badala (or Sandara) is a historically significant form of Pashto folk music that focuses on local romance, epics, folktales, fables, local heroes and historical events. Badala also includes Pashto translations of epics and romance from Arabic and Persian. There are many talented names who are living this music genre.

Besides, Jugni, Sammi, Luddi are some of the tunes which make people move and dance on the rhythmic tunes. In fact it is the rhythm of music which unifies Pakistan and music spills away from the bounds of one province or a place to the other and everyone seems to be singing and laughing together.

Sometimes back, a beautiful musical composition was composed that very comprehensively combines music of all provinces of Pakistan - a composition which has since been my favourite. But this is just the bird's eye view of the otherwise very rich folk music of Pakistan, which must be listened live. Even if one doesn't understand the lyrics, the rich music played on indigenous instruments mesmerizes the listener. 

Watch the video below which is blend of rich drumbeat enriched by the musical instruments that compels the dancers to dance and dance on the rhythm of folk tunes - that is why this is my favourites!!

Do come to Pakistan and be part of our rich cultural heritage and folk music fro as long as you are with us. But once you go back, you will carry the nostalgia. Try it !!

Photo | References | 1 | 2 | 3 |

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Google celebrates 53d birthday of Legendary Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan

The world famous Google remembered famous Pakistani pop singer Nazia Hassan on her 53rd birthday that captivated her fans' hearts.

Nazia Hassan, who at the top of her singing career, left to be married and died of cancer shortly thereafter in 2000 at the age of 35. But her melidious voice and her songs are still listened to by a large number of her fans.

Some of her all time hits include ‘Ankhain Milanay Walay’, ‘Pyaar dia Gallan’, ‘Disco Deewane’, ‘Boom Boom’ and ‘Dosti’. Like The Carpenters, she and her brother Zohaib, sold over 65 million records worldwide and became the first Pakistani to top the British music charts in 1990’s.

In a statement, Google wrote, “When young Pakistani girls in the 1980s closed their eyes and clutched a pretend mic in their hands, swaying and singing, a major inspiration was Nazia Hassan. Hassan, sometimes referred to as the “Princess of Pop”, was a sensation the likes of which hadn’t been seen in the region in years. Young and graceful, with long flowing hair, she charmed the country by belting out favorite songs Disco Deewane and Boom Boom alongside her brother Zohaib.”

No brace up for one her very famous, melodious and musical song "Pyaar dia Gallan" beautifully depicting a typical village scene of Punjab provicen of Pakistan.

Reference

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The Birds

Alfred Hitchcock was a legendary filmmaker and director. All his movies were instant hit for mysteries hidden in each. "The Birds" was one such movie that I watched in my childhood in the 60s. The film was about an unexplained attack of violent birds on the people of Bodega Bay, California.

The attack by the birds and the scary effect it created on its viewers did not escape me and I still have a vivid memory of the birds swarming on the people of Bodega Bay and even breaking windows to get into their houses.

But that was just a movie.

Recently, I accompanied my wife into a store and while she was busy in selecting a suit for herself, I was looking at the hundreds of birds artfully decorating the ceiling of the store. 

And at that very instant, I went back into my memory lane recalling the Hitchcockian birds swarming the skies and the houses.

 

 

 

IF you have seen the film by Hitchcock, you will appreciate the post and the photos that I took that day in the store. But even if you have not seen the movies as it snow six decades old, you wont be able to resist and appreciate the aesthetic sense of the person who designed the store, even if you are not an art lover.

I am sharing a movie clip of the film to show you how many birds were there and how these haunted and hurt the people of the small village.

Pray these birds do not actually happen !!

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The Honour of Working with Sadequain - the legendary Muralist and Calligrapher

In one of my earlier posts on legendary artist, calligrapher and muralist Sadequain, I mentioned how one of my elder brothers Zaffar Hameed Bhatti got to know Sadequain and how a professional relationship between the two developed that lasted till the death of Sadequain.

Just to recap the first meeting between my brother Zaffar and Sadequain, this is how it happened. In early 70s, Sadequain was working in the Lahore Museum and Jinnag Garden on a number of life size murals for the Lahore Museum. As it happened one day that my brother who was then studying in the Government College was standing on the bus stop opposite Lahore Museum, when he spotting Sadequain strolling on the footpath and taking a dose of the fresh air after working for long hours inside the museum.

Seeing a golden opportunity, my brother rushed to the nearby paper market, bought an autograph book and a pen and rushed to Sadequain for an autograph. And from the a long association started between the two and my brother would spend endless hours with Sadequain and helping him finish his many paintings and calligraphies.

The initial days of association

Later my brother got a job in the Pakistan Ordnance Factories and moved to Wah. But the communication between him and Sadequain never broke. In those days, Sadequain was busy in his new project for murals for Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad and needed my brother to finish his huge work. For this, he requested the chairman POF to spare my brother for a month to help him in his project. The chairman duly obliged Sadequain and sent my brother to Lahore. In those days Sadequain had his abode in the Jinnah Gardens' Montgomery Hall.

Here the two worked day and night to complete the project. Here it may be mentioned that the help provided to Sadequain was purely voluntary and no monetary gains expected. The mere working with a legendary artist was more than any worldly gains.

One day while brother was standing on a raised pedestal working on a huge mural, his head hit the fans overhead. Sadequain who had just happened to saw the incident, immediately called my brother down and asked the administration to remove the blades of all fans lest a fatal incident may occur. Thereafter, my brother worked on the murals without any threat from overhead fans (as can be seen in the photo above).

Sadequain was down to earth a simple soul, that is why he always called him Faqir Sadequain, the humble Sadequain. Devoid of any pride and lust for appreciation, he would sit on floor and even entertained no matter who was visiting him on the same floor next to him. And there was no sumptuous hospitality except for a few biscuits and a cup of tea.

On my brother's request Sadequain also visited Wah, something very unusual as he never went out to a outstation place on someone's personal request. But for my brother, the relation of a mentor and  student was very dear to Sadequain and he willingly consented to accompany my brother to Wah. There a special evening was celebrated at the Officers Club and he dished out his hand written sketches and calligraphies to those present. Luckily, I was also there on that day on weekend from the Pakistan Military Academy where I was undergoing training as a cadet.

After the removal of fan blades, my brother could freely work while standing on high tables

 Tea time between work 

The one month leave soon expired but the work had not and my brother had to stay a few more days. In order to compensate him for the over stayed leave, Sadequain wrote a handwritten letter, something he seldom did, to the chairman POF, apologizing my brother over one month and appreciating his efforts in completion of his project. The letter in itself is a tribute by a great artist to my brother's hard work - something that is cherished by all of us a great treasure of all times.

There is yet a memorable gesture that Sadequain made for my brother. This is how Zaffar Hameed Bhatti explains it:

In 1974, I was working on his 'calligraphic painting project' for the Middle-east Traveling Exhibitions, he named it as the "Air Mail Edition", that included, "Asma-e-Hasana", 40-piece "Surah Rahman", 280 feet long "Surah Yaseen", and more. 

During that period,we celebrated Sadequain's 44th birthday on June 30,1974, and he very much liked the birthday card I made for him ... three days later, it was my birthday on July 3,1974, and besides a "Limited Edition Tea Party", Sadequain wished me as can be seen in the photo above.

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Volkswagen Beetle - Painted in Truck art of Pakistan

Volkswagen Beetle - Painted in Truck art of Pakistan: Well many would say what a Beetle is painted in truck art of Pakistan. But when one sees what truck art in Pakistan is, one tends to fall in love with it.

The truck art, on which I have already written two detailed posts (links given at the end of the post),is very unique art applied on the buses and trucks in Pakistan and makes these buses and trucks moving art galleries on roads of Pakistan right from the port city of Karachi to the northern areas of Pakistan.

And what is peculiar about this art is that it is done by almost illiterate roadside painters who choose the theme and type to be painted on the clients' vehicles. And when done, it gives an adorable look to the smiling driver's vehicle who drives off gleefully and proud of his colorful  possession.

Coming back to the Volkswagen Beetle and the truck art. I came across this marvel of artwork outside a famous eatery in F11, Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan. Although the car is not in use anymore, it is parked in the parking lot lot to show off its vivid colours and various inscriptions written over it. So while my son went to buy something to eat, I took a number of snaps of the Beetle with my mobile phone camera.

The inscriptions are in Pakistan's national language Urdu and one really enjoys these as these are perfectly rhymed. I will translate these, but my friends who do not know Urdu may not enjoy the translation as translating these simple messages into English or any other language may not be possible to keep the charm.

 Even if there is no passenger, let the Prince go with speed 190

 Go with safety and under Allah's protection

 Prayer of a mother is like a breeze from Heavens

 

Continuing with the description, here is another one: Be Happy Always!!

 The number plate reads: Please come back while dispatching my request (to my lover perhaps)

 I go flying along with the blowing winds

 Japanese Doll!!

 Sweet heart of Gujjar ( a clan in Pakistan)

 Come someday to me heavily perfumed

 The vehicle is no less than a bomb, but the fare is very less (could not translate it any better) - but in Urdu it makes one smile as it is perfectly rhymed

 There is no price of one's hobby

Now this inscription is my favourite: Looks like Doli, but speeds like a bullet

Well yo may one day come to Pakistan and see for yourself its roads with moving truck art and enjoy the simple yet attractive colours, artwork and beautiful inscriptions. And by then you have learnt Urdu, your joy will be multiplied manifold.

The art has lovers internationally. In 2002, the Smithsonian Folk Festival had a truck brought from Karachi to Washington and got it decorated right there on the National Mall. As a talent scout for the festival’s Silk Road theme, truck aficionado Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, an anthropology professor at the University of Michigan and a top us scholar of Pakistani culture, chose the pair for their versatility in incorporating the country’s disparate styles of truck art. Their finished masterpiece, a 1976 Bedford, is now part of the Smithsonian’s permanent collection.

One bus was also decorated and plied on the roads of Melbourne Australia to participate in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006. Back in 2010,a Volkswagen Beetle was painted for a road journey to Germany. I wonder if this is the same vehicle!!

My previous posts on truck art:
Truck art - the ever rolling indigenous folk art
Amazing Truck Art of Pakistan

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Shoaib Hashmi - Suno Gup Shup

 

[Photo]

If any one person is to be given a credit for initiating programmes for children - meant for adults, he is just one man: Shoaib Hashmi. A man of many talents, educationist and dramatist, Recognizable by his typical curled mustaches, Shoaib Hashmi is a graduate of Government College (now University) in Economics. He did his masters in economics from Government College Lahore and then taught economics in the same college for many years. He also holds an MSC from London School of Economics (LSE), London.

When I was studying in the Government College, Shoaib Hashmi was teaching economics. Though he was not my teacher, sometimes I had the honour to have him lecture us when our teacher used to be away. He had a very different and unique style of teaching - something that no other professor of his time had. He often wore white Kurta Shalwar and was always flocked by students asking questions and clarifying their doubts. And he never had wrinkles on his face and answered back in his typical style behind puffs of smoke from his cigarettes.

It was those days, that he joined Pakistan TV and started his series of serials - for children as I said. But these were actually meant for adults for their satirical themes and substance. His many serials included Akar Bakar (his first serial), Such Gup and Tal Matol. He also initiated another and the last serial Balila - but it was banned soon after it was aired. He also translated the famous children’s series Sesame Street as Gali Gali Sim Sim.

Besides writing and directing the TV serials mentioned above, he also actored in almost all and sang songs. No doubt He is a talented producer, director, playwright and a versatile actor. 

A scene from his famous TV programme Such Gup

For his many talents and contribution in the field of entertainment, he has been awarded the President's Pride of Performance and Tamgha-i-Imtiaz. His association with Pakistan TV spanned over some 25 years. He is married to Salima Hashmi, the daughter of noted Pakistani poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, and the couple have two children.

After living a lively and versatile life, Hashmi is a very sick man today. He is paralyses and cannot speak - though can listen and answer back in gestures.

Recently I came across his photo on Facebook (above) - and was appalled to know that once dynamic Shoaib Hashmi is ailing and paralyzed - a state not synonymous to Shoaib. But I am sure his mind would still not be at rest and there would have been many things bugging him and him wanting to be well again to share his experiences he is only sharing with himself in silence

That is why I have chosen the caption "Shoaib Hashmi - Suno Gup Shup" - the song he once sang for his programme has now become caption of his life - for he can listen to the gup shup, he cannot respond. How times change and old age becomes something very different from how someone spent his youth.

Obituary: While everyone prayed fro his good health, he finally bade us farewell on Monday 15 May at the age of 84. May Allah bless his soul for he brought smiles on faces of masses through his TV shows.

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Mona Lisa of Louvre

Updated 24 May 2015 with more photos

There are certain artwork that become immortal for their simplicity, display of innocence and the fact which artist they belonged to. Mona Lisa is one such painting that has been immortalized since it was displayed for public viewing and most of the art lovers visiting Paris' Louvre Museum make it a point to visit the painting galleries to have a glimpse of this masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci.  

We followed a long hallway studded with paintings of the lesser painters till we finally found the hall which displayed Mona Lisa. For the first timers, finding Mona Lisa hung on an huge empty wall (as can be seen in the photo below) does not leave much of an impression for the painting as one may have imagined is not big enough as other paintings in the hall.

Seeing Mona Lisa displayed as can be seen in the photo above for a time being took away all the enthusiasm I had for the painting since it looked isolated and much smaller than my imagination. But owing to its popularity the world over, it was swarmed by  a large number of tourists from around the world and art lovers. 

So we too moved closer to have a closer look at the masterpiece. And it did looked like a masterpiece. Due to rush of the people surrounding the painting, it was really difficult to shoot a clearer shot of the painting. I tried many angles and the best I could get are shared herein under:

Mona Lisa or La Gioconda, the laughing one, was painted somewhere between 1503–1507. The painting depicts the portrait of a woman, unknown to this day, with an elusive smile - which in fact is the secret behind the fame of this painting. No one knows the reason behind this strange smile, but it certainly made it immortal for times to come. Each year countless art lovers and tourists visit Louvre to see the 'real thing' as did we too.

 My wife posing with Mona Lisa

 While I smile for Mona Lisa 'behind' me, an older Mona Lisa stood just next to me

 Like many, my son also wanted a lot of shots with Mona Lisa - two are shared here

Mona Lisa is a 16th century portrait painted in oil on a poplar panel by da Vinci during the Italian Renaissance. Mona Lisa has been on display at the Louvre since 1797. There has been an effort by Italian campaigners in 2012 calling on the Louvre museum to return Mona Lisa to its home city - Florence, a claim that has been snubbed by Louvre administration. 

We continued to click till it was time to look at some of the other paintings in the hall.

 The Wedding at Cana - oil on canvas by Paolo Veronese

Posing with Virgin Enthroned with Angels by Cimabue completed in 1295 in the Byzantine style

So that was the end of the surprise - but an appetite to see the actual painting satisfied. We moved back but would always cherish the memories of the Louvre, its sculptures and statues, artifacts and of course Mona Lisa - something that cannot be forgotten - ever!!

Related:
To Louvre - to meet Mona Lisa
A day at Louvre

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