Education

Today I had the opportunity to visit Government Secondary School (Lines Area, Saddar) with my friend. This opportunity came as a blessing in disguise as I had to wait for three hours for my car to get ready. In the meantime, I with my friend decided to visit the school nearby... 

As far as I can remember this is my first visit to govt. school in Karachi in the past five years and my visit apprised me with a mixed opinion...

The school situated at a very heart of the residential area having a very large covered area. The class rooms had benches for students (not in very good condition). In one of the class, the attendance (as marked in the black board) was:

Total: 46

Present: 22

Absent: 24

that typically narrates less than 50% attendance...

Other Features of the school include:

Couple of extra rooms were dumped with garbage, no play-ground..

We cannot visit library as it was locked...

There was a mosque inside the school compound for all nearby ppl (as indicated from the outside of the school).. 

I had a chance to meet couple of students from the school they were acting as a ambassador since they told me that they had a class today and have regular studies. When I told them that the attendance should be low as I noticed in one of the Black Board, the student declined and told me that the attendance in their class was normal.

100 Days and Counting...

My dear friend it was mid of 2007 and we were discussing that whether 'they will come back or not'. Every TV program on Current Affair being aired discuss the same issue and definitely the opinion leaders, political gurus are telling that they will come and world will see them coming back...

Moreover when they will come back their will be a revolution and things will change dramatically.. no food crises, no energy crises, no unemployment problems... These guys running the show today (now for the past around a decade) have no idea how to run the country, are least sensitive to the masses, they are just ripping off the country...

Good enough.. the story goes on.. and with reconciliation... we witness the homecoming of the leaders -'they came back'. Celebrations were all around us and it propagated as an harbinger of 'Good Days and Good Times'...

We see some tragic incident..but life moves on and then comes my friend Februray 18, 2K8. A breakthrough happened and the election results turned out to be a shock and awe... Those who come back Won... Good Enough, As they told they knew how to run the show...

They are the people who promised no food shortage, no energy crises, no inflation, no unemployment.. they are the Wizards...

Today it's been 100 Days after the people have shown their confidence and given them mandate. But we see no functional and operational government... Still the coalition partners cannot form the working government... the basic issue of judiciary... food-shortage, energy-crises, unemployment, stale economic growth... President Issue.. and literally parliament has not come up win any major legislation...

The people are waiting... It has been long time we had been patiently waiting... Or the only conclusion formed is that "We are not fit for Democracy!"

Governor's Interview

Yesterday, the newly nominated Governor of Punjab Mr. Salman Taseer was giving interview to State-run channel. Being a supporter of PPP and him due to his success as a business tycoon. It was disappointing for me since Mr. Taseer during his interview admitted that he during his tenure will lean towards PPP since he is a supporter of the party and owes this position to the party. He told stories of all the the hardship that he had to go through during the opponent political party's reign.

This sends a negative message and is a very gesture as being in a neutral and symbolic position as a Governor. He should not have discussed those things rather have been talking about harmony and his future role.

This further speaks tons about the neutrality of the media businesses under his holding.

Bollywood Blockbuster

I recently had a chance to watch film Guru and then by choice I watch it again. Guru is an excellent film which tells us the importance, problems, issues of Press (media) and Corporation. This main-stream film articulates the relation between the profit-seeking Corporation and free media and how they both are important to the well-being and to maintain a balance in the society. This film-maker has done a great job in highlighting the issue it also implicitly deals with numerous issues associated to the former participants.

I would really want that film like ‘Guru’ should be watched by everyone but most-importantly the main-stream media who worked under the guidance of establishment and always tell the story through one perspective only. Please be sincere with your job and in media the sincerity lies in truth, transparency and honesty.

The recent films like Guru, Rang De Basanti, Black, Swades which are all awesome and must-watched film tends to be a foundation-stone to become reformers in the society. These are films which have something to say and after watching the film you tend to articulate it with your own society and their problem.
I would like to congratulate the filmmakers of these films and hope that films like these keep coming in the main cinema.

Oops... shocking

Yesterday sitting and discussing with my friends for hours regarding politics, religion and world affairs I came to knew things which were absolutely shocking to me. Being a person who wanted to live his life I am apprehensive in writing them. I came to know that there are towns in Spain which celebrates their independence from Muslim empire by being disrespectful to the Islam. Thanks a lot to my anonymous friend (I can always write your name if you want me to) who let me know all this matter.
Then he himself was discussing that he was saw an offensive image which is describing a hadit from Sahi- Bukhari. We then discuss the cartoon controversy and never to forget the Supreme Court statue which is their since decades.
I also received collection of websites from him today in the morning which has all these extremely offensive material.
Then I came to know one more thing that while discussing that how the ambiguity of Quran has played role in everyone being right. While saying that the Koran will remain in the correct form till the Last Day the Dawoodi Bohra sect take this as that there will always be at least one Quran in the entire world that will be in the correct form till the Day of Judgment. Furthermore they also believe that the Quran which is available off the shelf has many sentences that are not in the correct form and thus they (sect followers) recite their own sentences as a substitute to this sentence.
My next articulation with one of their community member concluded as why wouldn’t they correct into their form and published them and made them available in their Jamatkhanas. To this question the answer after apprehension was that if we ever did this then thing that happened to Qadiyani will happen to us again. So as a result if we ever get a chance then we would definitely do it. The mainstream Muslims claim of fame is that Quran is in perfect condition and an unchangeable word of Allah. But as above and simultaneously many Shiite believers believes that there were ten para which are missing from the current version of Quran.
This is just the example of dichotomy within the religion but remember it something new there is somewhat same level in almost all organized large religion. The only way to combat is to live with tolerance, patience, respecting others’ life & opinion, maintain secularism and with pluralism & diversity.

PTA Ban

For the past many days I wanted to consolidate my Blogspot account with Google account which I can’t do due to the ban of PTA on blogspot after the cartoon controversy. I have stopped blogging after those days when the ban of enacted because it is a longer process and you need to use the backdoor. The blogspot has only a fraction of blogs against the country and religion whereas many are for them and most of them are dairies. The advent of blogging has rejuvenated the habit of creative writing made many think and express them.
Thus with a ban there were only few bad things which went away with many good things. Rather the PTA should have only banned the specific blogs which were offensive to the religious and patriotic. But they did the whole domain because they didn’t care.
Today in the morning my friend send me numerous link which had so may disrespectful, extremely offensive material against the religion that I had never seen it in my whole life. The site were working very fast the PTA should ban them. If they would even ban them still there might be something left which had the same kind of material but was not banned.
The PTA has banned blogspot which has many good things but didn’t ban the sites which were absolutely offensive. What’s happening …please allow us to use Blogspot and banned which is to be banned.
I guess the PTA has employed blind people to ban things. But in my opinion you should allow everything that is allowing freedom to speech because with tolerance comes everything.
I you want to ban then please ban then do plan pornographic sites at least to the kids and remove millions of pornographic DVD’s & CD’s available in the market.

Media and the East

Few months back the Al-Jazeera have launched their 24/7 English news channel. It’s a Middle-East based channel which was the leading Arabic news channel since decade. Their popularity sprung after 9/11 when all the footages of terrorist attack was first received by them which they sole at premium prices to western media and earned very well. Their Arabic channel was very popular and everyone used to know about it. With their launched of the English news channel which was highly publicized in whom they have invested heavily and have their offices from Washington to their hometown Doha (if I am lucky enough that my memory is working well). Initially there was some problem in getting broadcasting license in US but is settled and now being watched everywhere.

I had been for the fast days had been watching Al Jazeera vigilantly and found it awesome. When I watched Al Jazeera there they are giving news which is absolutely not present in BBC or CNN (BBC and CNN usually have the same content). The Al-Jazeera is giving alternate news, it seem as it is showing a different opinion, absolutely different news. At one time being a Muslim or Pakistani or South Asian or a resident of the third world country one feels as if Al Jazeera is telling their views, their story, their views. I watched their program WITNESS which made me see the Gaza Strip as never before. Since I was child all the news channel always show Palestine and Israel in their news and even today CNN and BBC shows them but the way I have seen in Al Jazeera is tremendous. I felt as If I was standing jut next to Gaza Strip and watching the people spoke their views was mind blowing.

Al Jazeera has already become too successful too popular and it should be because they have given international voice to the East. Watching Al Jazeera I could think how different it would be if East has been dominant over media. It is truly different experience and Al Jazeera is just a glimpse of it.

There might be a time when East may dominate the media and the reason I am saying this might be of numerous factors. One of them is that recently I was reading an article that all the American channels international correspondents were around 350(didn’t remember exactly) two year back and now they were just employing around 150 (didn’t remember exact number) which shows that they are having lesser chance of capturing first hand knowledge of more then half of the world where most of the things happen themselves.
The other factor that had played part in influencing me a lot is the way Al Jazeera has been successful and one of the most reputed newspaper of Pakistan DAWN is also coming up with their English news channel. They are already planning for the last couple of years and they have the experience, money, repute and networking to be successful. On the other hand just I guess 6 years of deregulation o electronic media in Pakistan they have been turning factor.

With this which is the ultimate needed for any field is underway that is a huge amount of trained workforce. Many Pakistani institutes have started courses and degree programs on media and broadcasting. Lot of Pakistani students are pursuing degree programs in the developed world on media and broadcasting thus within years to come we could witness a trailer of the dominancy of the Eastern media.