Thali politics: The tireless baingan moves from side to side

Has time also become a four-letter word, screwing the political ambitions of many? Looks like it, seeing how every player is trying to outdo the latest quickie of its rivals. 

Islamabad has now become the akhaara of thoo-thoo, mean-mean, blame-shame as we find ourselves in the throes of the electoral dice. While we recover from the “enormous surprise” of the not so “prem patar” received by Brother Imran, the opposition slugfest is ongoing. The onslaught of messages is such a Haleem, that you can’t tell the meat from the masala!

And then Will Smith gave a tight one to Chris Rock, and all of us are thinking wish we had a Will for the comedians on our political stages. Ubb tau rona bhi nahee aata. 

Winter is not coming, Summer is boiling hot! So please the soap opera Zee TV drama and play it like an action movie…do what you have, honestly doesn’t matter what the puppet looks like anymore. 

Loves Me, Loves Me Not

Re:Boot – Divorce Rate Increasing Due to “Fahashi”

I don’t know why everyone has been criticising Brother Imran on his speech in the OIC. Bhai, Phuppo hai hamari, genuinely concerned about the increasing “fahashi” of the “baighairati” of brother’s olaad. Ubb phuppo nahee soochay gee tau aur kaun sochay ga khandaan ki izzat ka. (Side note: please forgive the stereotyping of phuppos, said one phuppo to another.)

Waisey between you and I, Brother Imran wasn’t talking about divorce between men and women. No Madams, you and I have been worrying over gali gali mein fahash hai and whether love handles are easier to hide than thunder thighs, but actually Brother Imran was worried about the increasing divorce rate between the uniform and the shalwar kameez. 

Not that he has been doing fahashi, no no no, he was reminding them of the old divorces and why they happened. Aur bhai, how many divorces will happen till uniform settles down. Kitnee shaadiyan hon gee. Kahein tau settle karna parey gaa. Compromise is the key to a happy marriage. Ubb jitni fahashi wo kartay hain, utni tau chalti hai! 

Haey haey, Brother Imran, kitna zulm howa, while you were planting dates for riyasat e madina, separated couples have been slowly inching closer and almost holding hands. We take our eye off them for one second and they look ready to remarry! Haey Haey, kiya “fahashi” hai, kiya “dhoka”!

 Socha thaa this time it will be ‘Till death do us party’, yeh tau lagta hai its time to throw a divorce party! 

As it is zamana is changing and divorcees are BFFs, after all, co-parenting becomes easier, bachon ka maamla hai bhai. Ubb if old flames re-ignite what can we do. Whether it is pre-loved clothes or things, or pre-loved spouses it is the in thing these days. 

Let’s see if “dukhi” Brother Imran’s emo works or old love will win the heart. What do you think?

Dark Soul Torment by EsK

I lie awake at night, body broken, mind tired
Alert, every cell awake, aching, not relenting
My mind wanting to wander, not finding the path
Not finding the answer to what it seeks
Redemption, absolution, incarceration
All equally viable, available but unreachable
What form would I accept, what form would accept me
All options terrible, and all afraid of me
As my darkness poisons the essence, life is dimmed
I feel elated, that my suffering is spreading
I am spreading, pouring myself into the world
With a smile and accepting love and adoration as payment
From people I never cared for, nor ever will
Unable to push them away, their stench of love infecting me
And our tussle continues, which path to take
Which hell to embrace

Exhale by EsK

I light a cigarette,
I do not need the crutch
It is but my sense of adventure
Of pushing the limits
That attracts me
To do what i must not
To explore the depths
How far can I go
How far can I push and survive
Stay hidden from the standard
To hide my true self
And yet be free, in thought, in mind
To unleash myself
Not for the world, but for myself
To be able to breath
And exhale freedom
To taint from the rigidity
Of this superfluous world
I want to live, and like a cliche
Want to let live
And I light a cigarette
In hopes that I will be blown away
In the puff of smoke that I exhale

Eyes Open by EsK

My eyes open, I feel calm, but not a natural one
Not a feeling in sight, in mind
I rack my brain, what do I want to feel
My mind hums back, inaudible, illegible
I close my eyes to form words from thoughts
Nothing, darkness was never so bright, so blinding
I am content, comfortable with the cold
But I touch myself to see what warmth feels like
Arousal shortens my breath, warming the ice inside
My eyes open, and I am alive
It is a temporary life, and I am exhausted
Only to slink down the staircase, into darkness
Each atom, following the other
As if destined to find depths that have yet to be reached
Away from the black days, into the blinding darkness
Where I can sleep, until awoken again

40 is the new 20….or is it?

I thought we were celebrating no shave November! #PaenDiSiri

Why Digital is the new Children’s TV

Children from 2 and above are generating millions of video views but what are they viewing? From Minecraft builds to YouTube videos – not to mention YouTube videos of Minecraft builds – children in 2017 have plenty of options for digital entertainment.

Digital media and YouTube, in particular, has emerged as an alternative to traditional children’s TV – although it’s probably more accurate to say that the two are merging: plenty of popular children’s TV shows are now on YouTube in some form, while to young viewers – many on tablets – it’s all just “video”.

So what videos are available for children in Pakistan? Unfortunately, the answer is 99% is content from outside Pakistan, with majority coming in from the US and UK. Japanese content is also becoming popular. What that means is that children of Pakistan are learning western cultures and values. While, there is a lot of good they can learn from them, they are unfortunately, not learning a lot of Pakistan.

Should parents use the web world as a ‘digital babysitter’?

The phrase “digital babysitter” crops up regularly in comments about children and the internet. It’s often framed as a criticism of parents: leaving their children in the corner of a room with an iPad doing the parenting.

In some ways, this argument doesn’t ring true. First, even an hour spent watching YouTube leaves plenty of hours in the day for reading books, riding bikes, drawing and generally getting the kind of face-to-face parental attention that’s so important for children.

Second, because digital viewing doesn’t have to be something a child does alone: co-viewing can be a fun activity for them to share with their parent. But like television, it needs boundaries.

Is Digital programming in the driving seat, or its young viewers?

For critics of digital content, it’s tempting to see company’s producing the content identifying children as the next group they want to target. In truth, the digital content is more about catching up to the behaviour and information and entertainment needs of the children who’ve flocked to its service.

Globally, the 20 top children’s channels had more than 5.2bn views in October alone, from Little Baby Bum’s 428.5m to Toys and Funny Kids Surprise Eggs’ 164.7m

Worldwide, digital media is reacting to the fact that billions of children are already watching. It is a necessary move to avoid children seeing inappropriate videos and ads, as well as being exposed to its frequently toxic comments section.

Children specific channels use algorithms to filter out inappropriate comments and uploads – with a flagging system for parents to warn it about any that slip through the net.

There is a dire need for a similar approach from Pakistan as well. Where, there is a dire dearth of children’s programming, on any media – TV, Radio, Print or Digital. The excuse producers and media houses give for not producing children’s programming is low rate of return on investment! Recently, a spark of hope is scene with the animated ad series of Life Boy, Safe Guard and the one and only children’s game show – Knorr Boriyat Busters. Let’s hope this translates to the digital media as well.

With the advent of more and more digital content from Pakistan, it will mean that children will absorb the language, traditions and cultures of Pakistan in a way that no teaching can impart. Pakistan produced children’s content will ensure that the next generation will be spoiled for choice on their screens. With a balance with other important activities, digital content will help build healthy minds.

To Vote or Not To Vote – Why is that even a Question for Pakistani?

Have we become so disillusioned with the voting process and politics in general, that we have just tuned out from society at large? I have friends that have told me that their votes don’t matter and that the problems are so big that nothing can make it better, but I disagree. They say that nobody “good” runs for office anymore because politics have become so negative. That it doesnt matter who the face is, they are basically all the same. While I agree that things have become very negative and some candidates talk more about their opponents’ weaknesses than sharing their own plans or solutions, not voting is not a solution. Even if we feel that parties in general have lost the vision, there have to be some good people still wanting to make a difference. There have to be some good people in politics who are there for the right reasons and who want to be effective leaders.

I think that it’s way too easy for us to disengage and say that we can’t make a difference. It’s too easy to say, “I don’t want to vote because things are such a mess and they will never change.” I also think that we have become a little lazy. We think that if we don’t vote that we are distancing ourselves from any responsibility. We also are too lazy to do a little homework and research to find accurate information about certain issues or certain people. How many of us have actually read the manifestos of the political parties to see what they project as our future? I hear people complaining about everything that is wrong, but none of us really make the effort to see how the various parties are looking at resolving it. We hear their speeches that highlight the important issues without having the time to go into detail, and assume that that is all there is to their party – their speeches! We should do our own research.

Media continues to show that people are disillusioned and angry at the state of affairs. Are we just so angry that we are going to blame whomever we can blame at the moment? I do
feel like we, Pakistanis, have become somewhat of a knee-jerk reaction society that reacts to the most recent headlines and scare tactics without digging deep and finding out the facts for ourselves. With all of the technology that we have at our fingertips today, it’s much easier to do our homework. We just have to take the time to do it. Take an interest. Engage.

At the minimum, take an interest in the things that directly affect our daily life. These things can change with where we are in our life and the lens that we look through on a daily basis.  I want inclusive leaders who value everyone’s rights and human dignity of all and I want to vote for someone who will ensure that. What is important to you? Who do you think will fulfill your dream society? What can you do about it? Are all things perfect? No. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely.

I have made it a goal of mine to be educated and informed as possible and to be engaged in the entire political process. Because I do believe that one vote can make a difference. I believe that we, as Pakistanis need to re-engage in the process and do our homework. It’s not that difficult.