Aishwarya Rai with her annoyingly plastic and butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-my-mouth (although bigger and more solid things would) smile blowing at us. Abhishek Bachchan with a cat-who-just-licked-the-cream satisfied smile lying seductively in a big circle. No, no, this is not about the wedding or their post-marital relationship, which has been discussed and printed ad nauseum. Because we also have the retarded he-man Hrithik Roshan kicking in the air. I am talking about the giant billboards that have raided Pakistani cityscapes. And there is no escape from them. Open any magazine, newspaper in addition to editorial content, they are hogging the advertising space, too. What is happening? The Indianisation of our media.

Please don’t get me wrong. I am not a hypocrite. Yes, I like India — the cinema, the music, the civil society, the literature, the people’s movements, the democracy and much more. I am deeply impressed by these aspects of Indian society. But I certainly don’t like these film stars morphing into our role models. That is not on. I will protest. I am all for creating our very own role models, or for that matter simply models. Indianisation of our advertising is a serious menace to Pakistani society on many levels. Superficially, it sends out signals that we have no celebrities to endorse our products (basically I am opposed to this very idea, however, that’s a trend internationally so one has to live with it). Agreed that Indian film stars are far bigger, but that does not mean we don’t have anyone powerful enough to endorse. Babra Sharif negates this notion in a beautiful and effective manner when she smiles at us from huge billboards. She still reigns supreme on our collective conscience and our popular culture canvas. Similarly, Shaan, ZQ, Vinnie, Waseem Akram, Iman Ali, Moammar Rana and Strings all successfully paint the town with half-rainbow colors and lend credibility to this endorsement game. And recently, Reema simply looks gorgeous and convincing enough to lead us to buy a brand of soap. Read more »

While the bigger questions such as our raison d’etre and existence make thinkers around the planet engage in discussion that brings history and culture to life, there is a more important question that intrigues me.

Our identities are our visual and sensory barcode amongst the array of humanity. Traits specific to our upbringing and cultures have found themselves evolving who we are. However, what is our identity? What defines who we are? Is it the tangible artifacts such as a flag or a national anthem or is it the common belief in a supreme being and links to a type of lifestyle? In the creation and acknowledgment of a national identity, the idea that there be more commonalities than differences amongst the people, seems to play an important and natural component.

It can be argued that while there exist so many diverse cultures across the earth’s massive landmass, the fact that their histories have evolved from the same point of origin, defies the struggle for self-determination. Looking at the real estate around the world, will give the onlooker a good idea as to whose efforts have been initiated by which individual. When names such as “John Hancock” and “Trump” and “Sears” become avid descriptions for landmarks, man’s overwhelming desire to make his “claim to fame” be known publicly screams painful desperation for self preservation.

In considering the possibility that the amount of philanthropic work that is initiated around the world, one cannot overlook the strong link individuals maintain with the desire to be remembered. The entire concept of “Corporate Social Responsibility” is all about giving back to a society when it will make an indirect impact to the stock value of a company.

People fight for freedom of a group of people from oppression, leaders that sit far from the frontline, strategizing policy and diplomacy, also do so in the name of preservation.

Where does this desperate need for individual identity come from and how come we aren’t more human and global in our approach? One can’t recall where the Dutch Nun who found her calling in the slums of Calcutta, splashed her name around the walls and parks of the city in exchange for her services.

Back in early 1940’s, when Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the eventual founder of Pakistan, was struggling to realize his dream of a land for the Muslim population in India, the thought that he would be one of the first and few to be the leader who negotiated a land for his people, must have crossed his mind. But the fact that the ideology of the country is based on religion and the cultural heritage that we share with India is so far from the ideology, provides the basis of an extremely confused identity that has evolved over time. Read more »

Back in November of 2005, The News published a series of articles on the good things about Pakistan that we tend to forget in the midst of our everyday lives. What I have done is reproduced each of the articles so that we can start looking at the reasons to be Proud Pakistanis.

The many good things
There is too much negativity that the public discourse to which we are all contributors. This negativity is not always warranted, and there is something to be said for the inherent value of a positive attitude
By Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

For virtually all Pakistanis, on this Eid holiday, the one unequivocally ‘good’ thing that stands out about Pakistan is the overwhelming response of ordinary people to the catastrophe of October 8. Many have suggested that the large-heartedness and dedication that has been on show after the earthquake are unprecedented, that never before have Pakistanis displayed such unity of purpose and a collective ideal. This is even more significant given that in recent years the notion of the collective good has been conspicuous by its absence from our public sphere. Maybe, just maybe, the adversity of millions could trigger a turnaround in our public ethos.

The relief effort has not just been about giving, it has also been about questioning one’s own indulgences and excesses. In years past, Ramzan has been marked by shopping sprees and food hoarding. This time, this unbecoming feature of public life has been substantially curtailed, again because of a conscious and collective decision of ordinary people to cut back and not because it has been demanded by any central authority that claims the moral high ground.

Perhaps it would have been more appropriate to start off this piece by mentioning the tremendous spirit with which survivors of the earthquake have confronted the tragedy. The world has recognised that the earthquake truly did hurt the most vulnerable communities in the entire country, and that the chances that many of them will simply not receive the aid and assistance they need and deserve are high. That so many of those whose lives have been shattered are able to continue trying, and even smiling from time to time, is a testament to all that is good about the human condition.

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Back in November of 2005, The News published a series of articles on the good things about Pakistan that we tend to forget in the midst of our everyday lives. What I have done is reproduced each of the articles so that we can start looking at the reasons to be Proud Pakistanis.

Proud to be here
Optimism and defiance and roots are three important words that bind Pakistanis to Pakistan
By Adnan Rehmat

There are many things about Pakistan that make it my home, where my heart is. And — warts and all — the love of my life. No amount of compensation or temptation — and over the years I have had many — will tear me away from it. There are many reasons that make me proud of Pakistan.

Here are only ten.

The conscientious voter

Four spells of military dictatorships of virtually every kind — from the brutal to the benign — have failed to brainwash millions of voters who refuse to be fooled or to surrender their conscience when it came to choosing the political manifesto that appeals to them. They exercised their maiden right of adult franchise with gusto in 1970 — 23 years after the country’s founding — and elected a left-of-centre party despite the facade of a religious identity. Ever since, they have repeatedly defied the military-controlled establishment’s versions of manufactured democracy by voting always for parties that are forward looking. Electoral rigging and manipulation may give another picture — the first past the pole system, which does not always put parties with most votes in power — but count the votes and you see the conscientious voter has always pitched for a hopeful tomorrow, not an obscurantist yesterday. The Pakistan People’s Party may not have been allowed to form a government but they certainly got the largest number of votes in the last election. And coupled with the Pakistan Muslim League-N, they were given a public mandate to govern the country by voters who know what they wanted.

The indomitable woman

The average Pakistani woman is born with the potential to suffer indignities that no one should — from child marriage to gang-rape and from being given away as settlement of disputes between men to being killed in the name of the honour of their men. She cooks for the household but more often than not gets the smallest portions and is usually the last to eat. She is likely to not being guaranteed a decent education and is taught since birth to be submissive, unquestioning and repentant. And yet she dares to defy. The likes of Mukhtaran Mai, Dr Shazia Khalid and Sonia Naz not only decide to fight against a system stacked against them, they fight a willing battle that puts the men to shame for they fight a just cause.

The optimistic youth

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