Tag: Pakistan

So what makes Google Search–Reunion ad click ?

November 14, 2013 / / 0 Comments

The new ad by Google called “Google Search – Reunion” has almost gone viral in both India and Pakistan. It shows two friends, now in old age who were separated during partition meeting again due to the efforts by their grand children and use of Google search and other options in Google.

 

What I am wondering about is what really makes this ad click ? Given that these two countries have been in a bitter relationship since almost 1947, what exactly people are liking in this video ? Are there some deeply buried emotions or this is just an instant reaction to a nicely made video ? Not trying to be an idiotic critic but just an angle that must be given a thought, at least.

Here is the link to the same video on Vimeo as Youtube doesn’t work in Pakistan.

…badi lambi judai

November 5, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Like most of Indians my first interaction with Reshma ji’s songs was not via Hero movie’s lambi judai song. It was rather via Radio Pakistan, Lahore. The songs like haye o rabba nahio lagda dil mera and akhian nu rehan de akhian de kol kol were already very famous and used to play regularly on Lahore Radio.

 

But yes it was when lambi judai was recorded that she became a house hold name in India.

Because she mostly sung in Punjabi so she was already well known in Punjab. In those days most of the Punjabi newspapers used to carry articles about her and talking about the very very simple and humble life she used to live. Few of the incidents I still remember. Like:

When she wore saree for the first time and was asked to go on stage she was so scared that it might fall down.

While memorizing a Urdu song she had to put a lot of hard work as she had never attended a school.

Once she went to Russia for some concert. In the evening she went out of the hotel for a walk and while coming back lost the way. She didn’t know English so was confused whom to ask for help. She says that then she spotted a Sardar guy and directly went to him and told him in Punjabi that here is the key of my hotel room (it has the hotel address on the key ring) and I have lost the way to the hotel. Then he helped her reach the hotel. She used to joke that if something hasn’t changed at all it is attire of Sardars and Reshma. She always always wore a salwar suit and dupatta on her head.

She traveled across the world for concerts but her style didn’t change a bit. She remained the same Reshma born in Bikaner, Rajasthan.

I remember when I listened to Masooma Anwar for the first time hers was the voice that immediately reminded me of Reshma’s original husky voice. Of course there is no comparison but if you listen carefully Masooma’s voice is also husky one. Very few female voices fall in that category. For a sample see Masooma’s rendition of ve main chori chori

 

With her passing away two greatest voices from the Thar are not with us. First it was Mehdi Hasan saab and now her.

I am reminded of a post I did 4 years back when she attended Lux style awards and looked very weak. She wasn’t able to sing properly. Today she is not with us Sad smile .

May her soul rest in peace. Her voice through her songs will live forever !

tera Coke, mera Coke

October 21, 2013 / / 0 Comments

After the first video from Coke Studio season 6 was released I got a message from one of my friend

Fantastic ….
http://youtu.be/6StD5G12vjM

Par dukh di gal eh hai ki Pakistan te India waale coke studio baaki countries de singer te musicians lai rahe.  But not of each other.
It’s really painful for me..,
Both talk about shrinking boundaries. But not between themselves.
So sad !!!

That indeed is a bitter truth. In Indian version of the Coke Studio this year there were few non-Indian artists but none of them was from Pakistan. Similarly in this season of Coke Studio Pakistan there are many artists from other countries like Serbia, Turkey and many others but no-one from India. In the last reason one song by Rabbi Shergill was recorded but it never went on air. God knows the reasons.

Indian version anyways is garbage so lets not talk about it Smile. But there are many Indian artists who I would like to see feature in Coke Studio Pakistan. Some of them would be Wadali Brothers, Gurdas Maan, Hans Raj Hans, Sukhwinder, Sonu Nigam and Lakhwinder Wadali. There would be many others too. But given the present situation between two countries its doesn’t seem very likely to happen. Even after so much being similar the two countries have been enemy of each other since 1947.

Anyways with the hope that things take better shape in future enjoy Rohail Hyatt’s brilliance. Here is the first song from Coke Studio season 6. Bulle Shah’s main jaana jogi de naal sung by Fariha Pervez featuring Muazzam Ali Khan and Serbian artists.

Indian singers famous in Pakistan

December 8, 2012 / / 1 Comment

The popularity of Pakistani singers in India is a very well known thing. But the other thing I have always wanted to know is which Indian singers are heard in Pakistan.So thought of writing a blog post to know little more. Of course there is no hidden agenda Smile with tongue out. Just out of curiosity wanted to know this.

It will be great if you could write the name of the singer in the comments. It will be even more awesome if you could few lines as well.

Please note that Bollywood playback singers don’t qualify as an answer.

Hoping to hear from Pakistani friends !

The (sad) world around us

October 17, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Nothing specific to write. Just a random post.

Was watching TV and the corruption sagas getting unfolded. How common man is being looted by the corrupt politicians and he can’t do much. The so called democracy looks more like dictatorship.

Thoughts of the large fraction of people are shaped by the “biased” media. So a big number doesn’t even understand what is good and what is bad for them ?

Move outside the country and in the neighborhood a 14 year old girl was shot in head for promoting education for women. What ? EDUCATION !

Move little more and you see a country that has been at war since so many years. As many as i can remember i think.

Have a look at the world map and countries are fighting with each other. Reasons ? either one wants to become more powerful or wants to have access to some natural resource that other country have in plenty.

The financial imbalance is increasing like anything. There are people who don’t know how much wealth they have and on the other side there are millions who don’t know whether they will get a meal before sleeping or not ?

Newspapers are full of news about rapes, murders, killings, corruption.

People are fighting over religions. Or are being killed in the name of religions.

Such a sad world we live in !

I am not sure if there is some God watching all this. Did he want the earth to be like this ? If NO then why doesn’t he do something ? After all it is he who is running everything. No ?