The Express Tribune Magazine - October 9

OCTOBER 9-15 2011

Home is Where the School is In a society where the educational rat race is so intense that parents begin registering their kids in the best primary schools before they’re even born, some trailblazing parents have taken the road less travelled

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OCTOBER 9-15 2011

Cover Story 18 Home is Where the School is High fees, apathetic teachers and a punishing routine are making more and more parents turn to homeschooling their children

Comment 26 Student, Know Thyself Are our schools really preparing students for the outside world?

Features 30 Age is nothing but a number Mothers in TCF’s Agahi program prove that you’re never too old to learn 34 98 years and counting Despite bans and lawsuits, one of the oldest newspapers in the country is still going strong

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Positive Pakistani

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36 Out of the Box Spreading joy, one box at a time

Regulars 6 People & Parties: Out and about with Pakistan’s beautiful people 38 Advice: Mr Know-it-all solves your problems 40 Reviews: What’s new in books and films 42 Ten Things I Hate About: Award shows

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Magazine Editor: Zarrar Khuhro, Senior Sub-Editor: Batool Zehra, Sub-Editors: Ameer Hamza and Dilaira Mondegarian.

Creative Team: Amna Iqbal, Jamal Khurshid, Essa Malik, Anam Haleem, Tariq W Alvi, S Asif Ali, Samad Siddiqui, Mohsin Alam, Sukayna Sadik.

Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Executive Editor: Muhammad Ziauddin. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi.

For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk 4

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Aik Hunar Aik Nagar (AHAN) launches its first outlet in Lahore

Amna Babar

Nickie with Huma Amir Shah

Nael Ahmed

Saeera Hassan and Ayesha

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Natasha Hussain and Noor OCTOBER 9-15 2011

Zoona Saeed, Hina Butt and Areesha

PHOTOS COURTESY VOILA PR

Madiha Ibrar and Annie

OCTOBER 9-15 2011

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Saim Ali and Amna Kardar

Shabaz and Talala

Raazia Adil, Mehreen and a friend

Nina

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Shahzad

Malaika Khan, Shireen Warraich, Masooma Adnan and a friend OCTOBER 9-15 2011

Aden

and

Sadi

a Fai

sal

Qaisera Sheikh and Kaukab Parveen with friends

OCTOBER 9-15 2011

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Saba Ansari and Frieha Altaf threw a party after the Lux Style Awards at Marina Club

Sanam Agha and Noore Bhatti

Kamiar and Deepak

Saba Ansari and Raheel Rao Farah Karim, Uzma and Nashmia

Mathira

10 OCTOBER 9-15 2011

Ali Fateh

Benazir and Anoushey

PHOTOS COURTESY CATALYST PR & MARKETING

Fayezah Ansari and Kiran Aman

OCTOBER 9-15 2011

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Fatima and Usman Nadia Hussain Neha and Saima Azhar

Aisam with his sister and brother

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Munizeh with a friend OCTOBER 9-15 2011

Mrs Intesar, Frieha Altaf and Mrs Ahad Kashif

Manoj and Sheila

Saqib Malik with Sara Gillani

OCTOBER 9-15 2011

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Capri launches its pink variant in Karachi

Shoaib Qureshy with Mubashir Ansari and Mujahid Hamid

Guests

Tooba Khan

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Abeera with a friend OCTOBER 9-15 2011

Guests

Sara Pang and Warda

OCTOBER 9-15 2011

OCTOBER 9-15 2011

OCTOBER 9-15 2011

Cover Story COVER STORY

HOME IS WHERE THE SCHOOL IS

BY NAUREEN AQUEEL

In a society where the educational rat race is so intense that parents begin registering their kids in the best primary schools before they’re even born, some trailblazing parents have taken the road less travelled

While harried moms in her neighbourhood rush to pack off their kids to school every morning, Sadaf Farooqi’s day starts on a relaxed note. Her six-year-old daughter A’isha Irfan rises early, makes her own breakfast and starts the day by unleashing her creativity using pencils, colours, water colours, scissors and paper. A’isha later switches to reading

out the day.

mother for questions whenever she feels the need. Her

lum with books for Maths, English, Urdu, Social Stud-

scribbles with colour pencils, experiments with Lego and

lessons, but prefers to let her children choose what they

one of the books from her curriculum set, going to her four-year-old brother Abdullah Irfan soon joins her; he peppers his mother with numerous questions through-

6 SEPTEMBER 18-24 2011

A’isha and Abdullah do not go to school, for them their

home is their school — a place where they are free to learn in a natural setting. But that’s not because they have spe-

cial needs or couldn’t get into a ‘normal’ school. Sadaf, a freelance writer and blogger, has been homeschooling

her kids for over a year now and says she prefers this unconventional approach to schooling.

She follows the official Oxford University Press curricu-

ies, General Science and Islamiat along with daily Quran

want to study. She says this approach hones the chil-

dren’s natural inclination to learn.

where kids play with each other and moms discuss

of the system. The Irfans are part of a community of

is held weekly and consists of story-telling followed

Aisha’s not the only one who has decided to opt out

like-minded parents who are choosing to homeschool their children. The concept, though relatively new in

problems and solutions, and Bookworm’s Book Club by craft activities and snacks.

Laila Brence, a Latvian convert to Islam and a for-

Pakistan, is gaining popularity among families who

mer teacher herself, was the pioneer of the Pakistan

and prefer being more involved in their children’s

trol of what is going on in the lives of my kids than

are dissatisfied with the traditional schooling system education. Parents like the Irfans got together and

formed the Pakistan Home Education group which

consists of an online community with approximately 150 members comprising homeschooling parents and those interested in home education. They also launched a quarterly magazine focusing on their ac-

tivities and various issues related to home education.

The group, comprising of roughly 20 homeschool-

ing families, also holds regular social events where moms and children get together for combined social

activities and support. Such meetings are held every second Monday of the month at someone’s home

Home Education group. “I feel that I am more in conI would be by sending them to school,” says Laila,

who is currently in her seventh year of homeschool-

ing two kids with a third baby in line. “The schooling

experience has greatly changed since I myself went to school. These days, kids don’t have the time to be kids any more. Society puts so much pressure on them to

become high-achievers that their own life gets lost somewhere in the rat race.” Laila says that she is glad her kids are getting plenty of time to do the things they want to do and enjoy doing. “Even boredom is

a great opportunity for creativity and spontaneity —

they always invent new games to play and come up

Homeschooling is not a new concept. Traditionally, before the advent of compulsory schooling systems, children were educated at home or within the community. In modern parlance, however, homeschooling has come to refer to the method of alternative education that is practiced across the world outside mainstream schools.

6 19 SEPTEMBER OCTOBER18-24 9-15 2011

Cover Story COVER STORY

with endless art projects of their own.”

For Saima, one of the big motivations of opting for home-

schooling was the whole school routine, which involves, “iron-

children, reducing confidence levels and limiting their interaction to only like-minded people and groups.

“Homeschooling does not set them apart from the real world

ing the uniforms and laying them out along with shoes and socks

— schools do,” rebuts Laila. “In schools, kids are grouped into

child to finish her homework; making and packing the lunch in

the real world. Homeschooled kids experience the reality of this

at night; packing the bag according to the timetable; forcing the

the mornings, forcing a few mouthfuls down a reluctant mouth, then sending off a sometimes mildly sick, or screaming toddler

with a tear-ridden face, to school with a heavy heart and a shackled mind that never ‘dared’ to question the necessity of this socalled ‘must-have’ system of education”.

Despite these misgivings (which other parents might share

as well), she didn’t seriously consider homeschooling until she met a few mothers who were educating their children at home in Karachi.

Homeschooling does not come without its fair share of critics.

From the incredulous stares that these parents get every time

they say their children are being educated at home to the reason-

able arguments in favour of formal schooling, homeschooling families do get a lot of flak. Critics fault the system for isolating

unnatural age-wise segregated situations, which never occur in

world — they deal with their family members, household issues, relatives and friends of different ages. And, of course, as kids

grow older, we will look for opportunities for them to do more things outside of home — sports activities, workshops, etc.”

Laila finds that homeschooling gives her children an advantage

as she can choose the people they interact with. “In the formative years, it is of utmost importance to have good role models

around, which would help to strengthen their core values. When

they get older, I don’t mind that they face difficult situations and people on their own — I hope by that time their own internal values will be developed enough to withstand peer-pressure, bullying and other negatives of our society,” she explains.

Atefa Jamal, a homeschooling mother of seven, says her kids

get a fair share of interaction with the outside world. The four

The approach has been around in the UK and USA for several decades taking the shape of a complete movement that propelled reforms in the laws that once held the practice of not sending children to school to be illegal. Prestigious universities in the West like Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Stanford and MIT are now granting admissions and scholarships to homeschooled candidates.

6 8 SEPTEMBER 18-24 2011

boys are attending Taekwondo classes thrice a week, the elder

says Atefa. “There are so many books available and it’s not like

summers, the kids get to choose from a wide variety of summer

the parents are more actively involved in their children’s edu-

two also participate in scrabble competitions and during the camp activities. This summer, they chose to take Arabic classes and swimming classes. “I also send my older kids out to buy groceries,” says Atefa. “They meet a lot of different people and learn

to deal with bakers, butchers, the driver or the man down the

tuitions are not an option. Homeschooling merely means that cation. If you feel you can’t do something you can always try to learn it yourself and search on the internet or you can get tuitions for your child for a particular subject.”

Every few days, Atefa sits down and draws up a plan of what

street who comes for groceries at the same time they do. It’s a

she and her husband want to achieve with the children. Atefa is

their friends. That doesn’t happen; you can’t control your chil-

fixed schedule. “The learning is more need and situation-based,”

misconception that you are isolating them, that you will choose dren’s lives. My kids go out to bike and play in the park; they

are attending swimming, Quran and Taekwondo classes. I think they actually end up meeting more real people in everyday roles and interact more realistically.”

But what about the absence of a formal curriculum? Do in-

quick to say that the learning is flexible and that there isn’t any

she says. “For example, when we got a kitten, we researched how to take care of it. When the kitten died, which was a traumatic

experience for the kids, we discussed death, souls and the hereafter.”

As the children grow older, some parents prefer making the

stitutes not know what they are doing when they invest great

routine more structured with fixed slots for studying different

parents skilled in all subjects that are required to be taught?

private candidates to get the required certifications of O and A

amounts of money and time in designing a curriculum? And are

“There is a misconception that homeschooling means you

have to do it all by yourself and that you have to do it all at home,”

subjects as in school. Many homeschooled children appear as levels or matriculation after which they choose a college for formal degrees. Zahra Omer, who is currently in the second year of

The philosophy behind the concept is rooted in the works of educationist and social scientist John Holt who coined the term “unschooling” or “deschooling” and pioneered the early homeschooling movement with his works ‘How children learn’ and ‘How children fail’. His books advocating the approach of removing children from school and educating them at home through a method of natural learning based on learning-on-demand, provoked a national controversy in the 1960s and 1970s.

6 21 SEPTEMBER OCTOBER18-24 9-15 2011

Cover Story

6 SEPTEMBER 18-24 2011

6 SEPTEMBER 18-24 2011

Cover Story COVER STORY her textile design degree at Indus Valley, has passed successfully

home and I do not live in a joint family, so I have no problem in ‘con-

through a homeschooling experience and is in no way behind

trolling’ the amount of television viewing or other distractions. Our

schooled till Class 6 after which she was enrolled in a main-

children get to unleash their creativity without restraint.”

her peers. Zahra, along her with her two brothers, was homestream school. During her homeschooling years, Zahra devel-

home is crawling with children’s books, materials and toys, so my

Anila Omer, Zahra Omer’s mother, however, says she never

oped a reading habit that kept her well ahead of her peers. She

had a problem maintaining discipline at home despite having a

As in her A levels. Asked if she had any problem adjusting with

my children and we would watch those,” she says. “Since they

ended up with seven As and three Bs in her O levels and straight

conventional schooling when she joined in Class 7, Zahra says

“I didn’t have a problem adjusting. Everyone was very nice and cooperative. In fact, when I went to school it was a step back from

television. “I would choose which movies or cartoons to show to

were homeschooled from the beginning, there was no outside influence that would make them disobedient or naughty.”

However, the idea of homeschooling is still unfathomable to a

the level I was at. Even when I gave the entrance test I faced no

majority of parents. Kamila, mother of four-year-old Orhan and

Urdu which we weren’t taught at home regularly. But I was given

opting to educate their children at home in Pakistan. “I wouldn’t

problem. I never felt my base was weak in any subject except for extra attention at school for Urdu and I caught up by the next

grade. The only difference I encountered at school was the competition among students. At home, there was no competition.”

Homeschoolers say home education nurtures the natural ge-

nius and focuses on passion over requirement as children aren’t forced to study subjects they have no interest in, nor are they made to feel dumb if they can’t achieve certain targets.

Maintaining discipline may be a challenge at times, but parents

like Sadaf view the naughty “pranks” as disguised learning through “experimentation” with different materials. “I do not have a TV at

a teacher herself, expressed surprise when told that families were

choose to homeschool my child, not in this country,” she says.

“Schools offer children a routine and exposure that they don’t get

at home. You can’t keep your kids in a bubble. I want my kid to

Homeschooling families can be categorised into several different types based on the factors that drove them towards home education. Many parents are dissatisfied with the standard of education in local schools, the exorbitant fees and the social environment that schools have to offer (objections like bullying, misbehaviour and negative peer pressure are prime among them).

24 6 SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 9-15 18-24 20112011

get the kind of exposure that school gives because life isn’t easy.

memberships for clubs allowing better access to sports facilities

different teachers. When you are studying from only one person

greater than sitting in a classroom and listening to a teacher who

When you are at school, you get different perspectives through your mind is stuck in a rut. I don’t want that for my child.”

Although mothers are more involved in the homeschooling

process (with many moms having given up full-time jobs to homeschool their children), support from fathers is considered a necessity. Atefa’s husband Azeem Pirani says his focus is to give

time to his children whom he calls his “team”. His time is utilised

etc. “The educational value of visiting new places is many times

is there just because she needs a job and not due to any desire to impart knowledge to our children,” he says.

Azeem feels the decision to homeschool his seven children has

been a very positive one. “We have been able to interact more as

a family. The children are able to have their lives revolve around their family rather than around their schools. This in and of it-

in discussions about current affairs at meal times, regular visits

self means a strong and close-knit unit.”

ing to vacations, events etc, guidance and coaching in academic

“Schools are very much necessary for families that for various

or judges for any presentations they may be working on.

take this step, unless they are sure they are ready for it. Excite-

to the swimming pool with them, involvement in matters relatmatters requiring further support and being part of the audience Azeem feels the fact that homeschooling is less expensive al-

lows the family to spend on more beneficial things like family vacations, getting books or materials from abroad and getting

However, homeschooling is not for everyone, warns Laila.

reasons cannot homeschool. I always advise new families not to ment over the advantages of homeschooling may push families

to go for it when they are not ready — this way, they may end up

disappointed. Researching about home education and evaluating the situation of your family is necessary before taking this step.

It is also important that both spouses agree on this mission — if only one is for it, the tasks may prove to be very difficult.”

Some families have religious objections to the moral framework of what is taught and what generally defines school life, others have ideological

If all parents homeschooling their kids in the country possess

the same spirit and vision as these families, we might just be witnessing the beginnings of a new movement in education in Pakistan. a

objections to the teaching methodologies used and Mostly all who opt for homeschooling believe they can provide a better education to their kids by educating them at home.

DESIGN: SHEHREZAD MAHER

the psychological effects they have on children.

6 25 SEPTEMBER OCTOBER18-24 9-15 2011

COMMENT

Student, Know Thyself

BY AHMAD ABDUL-KARIM

Is our cookie cutter educational system capable of producing someone who can break the mould?

An acquaintance of mine recently asked everyone on her Facebook friend-list what career they thought was appropriate for her. The person in question is around 30 years old and has a graduate degree from Harvard. But such uncertainty about

for the outside world. Schools need to be imparting a skill-set

tually ends up doing is not restricted to this one friend — she at

ble. “You don’t need to worry about what you want to study and

what one wants to do, what one enjoys doing and what one ac-

least, was searching for an answer. Visit LUMS, my alma mater, a little before graduation time when the career office invites big

organisations to interview students and you will hear conversations that go something like this: “Hey man, where to?”

“Hey. Just got done with the P&G interview. Got the Maersk

interview next. Need to line something up with SCB and Ufone soon.”

Twenty-something years old. 16 or so years of schooling.

And applying for every job available. From FMCGs to shipping to banking and telecom. These young people are far from sure

about what they want to do in life. And in the absence of this knowledge, most end up making ‘careers’ in whatever field they get offered their first job in. I have friends who are bankers not because they want to be bankers but because the first organisation that offered them a job was a bank. Others end up in tele-

with new situations in a rapidly changing world. Instead, our schools are doing just the opposite by minimising a student’s exposure to uncertainty as much as possible. “This is what your

day looks like,” they say to students, handing them a timetawhat you don’t want to study. We’ll make that decision for you, regardless of whether it interests you or not and whether you have a talent for it or not. And we will teach all 40 of you in this

class the same thing at the same time and at the same rate…

irrespective of interest levels and natural talent. And we’ll do it in an atmosphere of fear. Fear, obedience and restraint on physical movement. Those are characteristics of a prison, you say?

Why don’t you go stand in the corner for a while so you know to respect your elders henceforth? No, you are not old enough to decide for yourself what you should learn or think about what

you want to be. Oh, now you wish to go to the washroom? No, you may not. Yes, I think it is reasonable that another human

should have to ask me for permission before they are able to perform a regular bodily function. Fear, obedience and restraint on physical movement.”

This intimidating environment is designed to produce stan-

com for exactly the same reason. After a couple of years in the

dardised drones — a “batch” of students who are all taught the

be wasting all the effort one has put into that career; never mind

educational system never gives students the freedom to ask

industry, it is ‘illogical’ to switch fields because then one would that one comes back home every evening a Gremlin, ready to bite everyone’s head off.

This is not to say that everyone in these organisations is un-

happy. But if you are one of the lucky few who does not hate his/

her job, then you were either smart enough to know who you were early enough or you just got lucky with the job you found.

Most people I come across aren’t either. They will interview with

every organisation they can find.....spurred on by demanding parents, ambitious peers and financial need into a career that leads to nine or so hours of unhappiness every day, five days a week for the rest of their working lives.

One of the primary reasons people end up like this is because

they do not know who they are, and consequently, what they

26

that allows students to deal with uncertainty and creatively deal

like and dislike. The purpose of schooling is to prepare students OCTOBER 9-15 2011

same things but are profoundly unaware of who they are. Our

questions. Instead, they are told: this is who you are (all of you

are more or less the same) and this is what you should do (good students go into science, average ones into commerce and the

bad ones into art). As a culture, we are authoritarian. We like

telling people not just what to do but who they are. Parents push their children to grow up in their image; teachers insist on tell-

ing students what they should do with their lives. The idea of letting people choose what is best for themselves is foreign to us.

And that is exactly what alternate schools do: let students fig-

ure out who they are and what they are interested in. That’s what student-centred means — it’s not a catchphrase that the next

standardised school system can put up on their standardised

website and prospectus. We aren’t ready to let our schools be student-centred because that would mean relinquishing power

and opening the classroom up to uncertainty. Teachers, prin-

for their own unique context, put together a musical score and

so forth. Teachers exist as mediators, coordinators and guides in a process of self-discovery, not authoritarian rulers who dictate what students should learn and when they should learn it.

Our educational system has devolved into a state where we

have the highest degree of disregard for the curiosity of the young. But curiosity and play is how we learn. Do you have to

force your little ones to explore the world around them? Of course not — they are wildly curious, touching and poking everything

around them, bumping into things, putting their fingers into sockets. But put that child in a classroom in our schooling sys-

tem and you are sure to suck all creativity right out of him. Our educational system is failing because we are too controlling, too hidebound, and too traditional.

Howard Thurman, the American philosopher and educator

said: “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself cipals and even parents would need to let go of the regimented

lives they create for students and cede the ground to the chaos of

student curiosity and interest. In such a learning environment — decidedly not an environment of fear, obedience and restraint

on physical movement — students of all ages who are interested

what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.” Schools need to be places where students can ask themselves what makes

them come alive and find out who they are, not places where their elders can tell them who they must be. a

in a certain area come together and develop their own projects.

Such projects are invariably interdisciplinary because the students interested in putting together that re-imagined play of

The writer is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

the math involved in such construction, deal with team dynam-

alive is photography. And he’s doing that now. He can be contacted at

Shakespeare will read up on the history, build a set, figure out

It has taken him 32 years to figure out that what makes him come

ics and politics, acquire props, memorise lines, interpret them

ahmad@darveshstudios.com

27 OCTOBER 9-15 2011

FEATURE

age is nothing but a number

BY SUMAIYA LAKHANI

Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another. — GK Chesterson

She pauses at the threshold and asks, “Miss, may I come in?” before entering the classroom and racing to her seat. Once seated among her classmates, Mukhtiar’s green eyes grow bright at the sight of her ‘Jugnu’ workbook.

gramme, its purpose is to promote ‘Taleem-e-Balighaan’ (adult

Though the word exercises that she is grappling with are

and do basic math. The kind that comes in handy while buying

those that a student of class three generally tackles, Mukhtiar

is a 40-year-old woman studying at the Cowasjee Campus under

learn basic skills that would help them in running their household and improve their lives. After three months of classes, stu-

dents are expected to be able to read a newspaper, write a letter groceries.

The class is a lively one; a chorus of “pay tay pat, tay alif

the auspices of The Citizens Foundation. This specific class fo-

ta — patta!” resonates in the room. Pencils in hand, eyebrows

especially the mothers and elder sisters of children who attend

dents trying to finish an assignment on time. Mukhtiar, whose

cuses on functional adult literacy and is geared towards women,

30

education) and it offers a chance for mothers like Mukhtiar to

the morning classes at the campus. Known as the ‘Aagahi’ proOCTOBER 9-15 2011

furrowed in concentration, the women look like typical stumother tongue is Seraiki, is learning how to read and write in

Urdu and says that while she does not have much time to study at home, in class she can focus completely. “My husband has no

problems with me studying, as long as I get all my housework

done,” she says candidly. Mukhtiar’s six-year-old son Rashid is so enthusiastic about her studies that he constantly tries to teach her at home and does not let any of her other children teach her.

Noor Jehan, another woman in the class, smilingly confides,

“I haven’t told my husband about this yet because he will laugh at me. But I will tell him soon because I share everything with

him.” When asked if she would like to enrol in another course, she says “If the classes are free, then I’ll keep coming for sure.”

Like Mukhtiar’s children, Noor Jehan’s daughter Kiran is also proud that her mother is trying to educate herself and constantly tries to help her with her studies.

The women themselves are enthusiastic about their studies,

anticipating the changes in their lives when they learn to read

Mukhtiar’s six-year-old son Rashid is so enthusiastic about her studies that he constantly tries to teach her at home and does not let any of her other children teach her

and write fluently. Many here were not just encouraged by their families to take this class — they were actually pressurised by their children to attend.

Asha, another woman in the class, remarks: “My kids wanted

me to learn to write. My daughter, Filza, is in class four in this

school and she wants to be a teacher which is why she’s always teaching me.” Asha explains that she was always embarrassed that she wasn’t literate, “Coming to this class is more produc-

tive than sitting at home, because otherwise I’d just be sleeping

or doing gup shup.” Since Kachhi is the main language spoken at home, Asha has to put in quite a bit of effort to learn Urdu

but she is determined and, more importantly, interested. When asked about how supportive her husband is, she says, “He has done his matriculation so he encourages me to attend and as long

as there is garam khana ready for him when he comes home, he has no problems.”

Amna Khalid, executive adviser of Grants and Alliances at the

TCF explains that the programme has been running for the past five years now and the pass out rate is excellent. With setups

across the country, TCF plans to target 4,000 women this year.

Along with basic reading and writing, women are also taught

parenting skills to enable them to become better mothers. Pres-

ently the syllabus covers four textbooks but since a lot of the younger women are keen to learn basic English, TCF is planning to incorporate it in the curriculum. Right now the focus is to keep

the attendance high because if students attend the classes regularly, they generally manage to do well in their exams.

Meanwhile the classes continue, with children keeping a close

eye on their parents’ progress. Kashif, a student of class five, hangs around his mother as she goes over the Urdu textbook,

then playfully taps her on the head for getting an answer wrong.

It may take a village to raise a child, but here it seems the children are quite capable of keeping the village in line as well. a

31 OCTOBER 9-15 2011

OCTOBER 9-15 2011

OCTOBER 9-15 2011

FEATURE

98 One of Pakistan’s oldest newspapers is thriving despite bans and lawsuits

years and counting

BY SABA IMTIAZ

It is only at mid-afternoon that most bleary-eyed sub-editors start thinking about heading to their respective newsrooms. But for the 15-member editorial team at the Daily Alfazl, that’s usually when the paper is being sent to the press.

It is far from a conventional broadsheet. The Jamaat Ahmadiyya’s

Daily Alfazl newspaper started off as a weekly in 1913. Almost a cen-

tury later, the paper is still in circulation, despite the bans, threats and legal issues that followed the introduction of Ahmadi-specific laws.

At the newspaper’s office in Rabwah, in Chiniot District, the im-

pact of those laws is tangible.

While proofers at other publications look for factual and gram-

matical errors, staffers at the Daily Alfazl have a different set of tasks.

In 1984, a sign was placed in the proofers’ room, featuring a list of words the Daily Alfazl cannot use in line with the ‘Anti-Islamic Activi-

ties of the Qadiani Group, Lahori Group and Ahmadis (Prohibition and Punishment) Ordinance’, which was promulgated that year.

Intriguingly, editors replace the words they cannot use with dots, leaving readers to figure out what was redacted from the original text. The prohibited words include ‘Muslim’, ‘Azaan’ and ‘Tabligh’.

At one point, according to editor Abdul Sami Khan, there were

over a hundred lawsuits against the paper’s printer and publisher.

And even though the Daily Alfazl is only circulated within the Ah-

madiyya community, ‘objections’ have been raised by people incensed at the mere sight of its masthead. It has been banned several

times, and its printing press was sealed for a year in 1953, during The list of words that the Daily Alfazl cannot use. Editors replace the words with dots, leaving readers to figure out what was redacted from

34

the original text.

OCTOBER 9-15 2011

riots against the Ahmadi community. Shipments of the paper are often delayed at the post office.

This isn’t the only publication people have been ‘offended’ by.

“People have had issues with the children’s magazine as well,” says

Khan. According to the Ahmadi watchdog website, www.thepersecution.org, cases have been instituted against five monthly magazines and the newspaper itself, as well as books published by the

community. The Daily Alfazl also receives no government advertisements, a key source of revenue for most publications.

“We used to get advertisements before 1974 [the year amend-

ments declaring Ahmadis non-Muslims were introduced in the constitution],” says Khan. “Not anymore.” Instead, the newspaper

runs ads from local advertisers or large businesses run by members of the community.

The slim newspaper — which publishes 9,000 copies daily — is

primarily a journal for the community, featuring sermons and local news. A weekly edition is published in the UK.

But were Daily Alfazl tasked with refuting the allegations made

against the Ahmadiyya community in the local press, it would have

to produce at least a 40-page edition daily. Coverage of the commu-

nity in the mainstream Urdu press mostly ranges from vitriolic

diatribes to headlines that can only be described as bizarre — and at least one such headline is recycled every year without fail. According to an official at the Jamaat Ahmadiyya press section, a story al-

leging that Ahmadis had enlisted in the Israeli army has been doing the rounds for several years. “When the story was first published,

the government of Pakistan issued a clarification to say that no Pakistanis were serving in the Israeli army,” he said. “But that story is reprinted every year regardless.”

The Jamaat Ahmadiyya also maintains a record of anti-Ahmadi

stories published in newspapers printed from Lahore. In 2010, it re-

corded 1,468 news stories against the community, the majority of which were in seven of the most popular Urdu newspapers in the

According to an official at the Jamaat Ahmadiyya press section, a story alleging that Ahmadis had enlisted in the Israeli army has been doing the rounds for several years. “When the story was first published, the government of Pakistan issued a clarification to say that no Pakistanis were serving in the Israeli army,” he said. “But that story is reprinted every year regardless.”

country.

That’s not all. Pakistani newspapers also refused to run a paid-for

advertisement by the Jamaat which detailed its reasons for boycotting the 2008 general elections.

Ironically, the Pakistani media has unwittingly promoted the

Ahmadiyya community’s places of worship, which cannot be called mosques for legal reasons. In 2009, as furore built up over a referendum in Switzerland to ban minarets, images of a mosque in the

European country were published throughout Pakistan. Editors

would be shocked to realise that the Swiss mosque being defended in the Pakistani press actually belongs to the same community they prefer to vilify.

Before leaving Rabwah, my copies of the Daily Alfazl and books are

wrapped up in brown paper to evade scrutiny. Or, as a Jamaat representative wryly remarks, blasphemy charges. While I only have

to hide the publications for a few hours, for the editors and readers of the Daily Alfazl, this is a daily battle — one that shows no signs of

ending anytime soon. a

35 OCTOBER 9-15 2011

POSITIVE PAKISTANIS PEOPLE

out of the box Whoever said that it is better to give than to receive had it right!

BY ZUHA MARYAM SHAIKH

Hugging the orange box tightly to his chest, the child tagged after the strangers carrying the marvellous boxes — so many, so colourful and so unique. Eid had never before been so bright. Aasiya Faris Sachwani turned and gently reminded him, “I have given you your box, beta.”

“I don’t want more,” protested the child innocently. “I am just

getting happy watching others get them.”

It all started six years ago when her maid’s sick granddaughter

was spending Eid day in Karachi’s Civil Hospital. Aasiya and Ma-

Next year, Aasiya’s daughter discussed the idea with her

friends in the kindergarten section of Karachi Grammar School

(KGS). Mothers became interested and the principal decided to pitch in, turning it into a school volunteer project. With everyone rolling up their sleeves and pitching in, they managed to deliver an astounding 400 Eidi boxes that year.

Seeing the children fight for their lives and seeing parents

ham, her 4-year-old daughter, were upset about the hospitalised

struggle to purchase medicine made Aasiya feel that these small

enjoying the Eid celebrations, the other Maham would be lying

these young patients.

4-year-old, who was also named Maham. While they would be in a dreary hospital ward, far from the festivities. Perhaps, they

gift boxes were insignificant compared to the adversities faced by “I was walking towards a hospital bed to hand a box out to a

thought, they could still share the excitement with the sick girl

sick child when the nurse saw me and shook her head from a dis-

fair to the other children in the same ward? All children deserve

those moments when I wondered what I was doing there. Then I

by giving her Eidi? But if only Maham got Eidi, wouldn’t it be unEidi, after all.

Aasiya first found out exactly how many other children were in

Maham’s ward. She and her daughter then took 10 shoe boxes,

tance,” she recalls sadly. “The child had just died. It was one of

met someone who told me that we can’t single-handedly solve all the problems in the world. But we must do what we can.”

The project had a life of its own, spreading to The Lyceum

decorated them, filled them with treats and wrapped them beau-

School, Indus Academy and Froebel’s Education Centre by the

Aasiya and her daughter headed off to Civil Hospital and gifted

year’s boxes and the children who received them and the parents

tifully. On Eid day, when most people were out visiting relatives, the boxes to the children in Maham’s ward.

36

The c hild who arou follow nd at ed A Civil asiya Hospi tal

“The children’s reaction motivated me,” says Aasiya. “They

were so happy that I thought: why not do this yearly?”

OCTOBER 9-15 2011

next year. Aasiya went to schools with pictures of the previous of each participating student put together a flyer with a list of things to buy. These included juice, snacks, stationery, toys, and personal care items like brushes and talcum powder. Children of-

“I was walking towards a hospital bed to give a box to a sick child when the nurse saw me and shook her head from a distance.

The child had just died.” rs! helpe e l t t i L

ten assisted in shopping for these items.

Ward, the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT),

young age,” says Aasiya. “Making the boxes could have been an

pital.

“My daughter has seen me active in these projects from a very

adult experience, but the more important thing is that every box

comes from one child who is thinking about it. It is important to

PNS Shifa, Indus Hospital, The Kidney Centre and Jamiyat HosAasiya did every delivery herself until 2010, when even the

“diehard patriot” as she calls herself, had to move to Canada be-

make our children a part of giving, something we don’t usually

cause of security concerns. The yearly gift-giving didn’t happen

Hence the name Humsay Apko (from me to you).”

bought 65 gift bags and took them to SIUT.

do. Yes, someone is getting this box. But someone is giving it.

Two weeks before Eid, older volunteers start collecting and sorting

in her absence, but one of Aasiya’s friends, on her own initiative, “SIUT contacted her saying that the excitement handmade

boxes. Making A-level students a part of the delivery process has its

boxes created among kids could be replaced by no other goody

one experience with them it will bring them back,” says Aasiya.

es.”

own benefits. “They go to universities abroad, but if they take this Aasiya herself spent nine years in Canada, before moving back

bags,” says Aasiya. “Children would often sleep with their boxThis year, when some of Aasiya’s friends found that she was

to Pakistan and opening a Montessori where she sought to de-

coming to Pakistan, they got excited about making their boxes. It

those with special needs.

she called a meeting so participants could get in touch with each

velop an inclusive environment for normally able students and

“Humsay Apko isn’t about any organisation,” explains Aasiya.

“It is just about doing what needs to be done. It wasn’t my school

or my trust doing the work. It was me and other mothers. It really is individual efforts that matter.”

worried Aasiya that the project might fizzle out in her absence so other even if she was not around. “Projects like this shouldn’t

stop because of one person,” she says. “If not me, then someone else should do it.”

This year, Bayview and Bahria School were added to the list of

In 2008, volunteers from Start Right Montessori, KGS, Frobels

participants and more than 2,000 boxes were distributed at vari-

School and Bulandi School distributed 1,600 boxes at National

gent on our mood or desire,” says Aasiya. “You should always give

Education Centre, The Lyceum, Indus Academy, Karachi High

Institute of Child Health (NICH), the Civil Hospital Paediatric

ous hospitals. “Giving back to society shouldn’t really be continback.” a

If you know of any people who have achieved something positive, either for themselves or for those around them, please mail us at magazine@

37

tribune.com.pk and help us share their story with the world.

OCTOBER 9-15 2011

ADVICE

mr know it all From relationship blues to money woes, Mr Know It All has the answers!

Q. Dear Mr Know it all,

My girlfriend and I have been going out for a couple of years now and I think she

might be IT! The problem is we’ve been fighting over the silliest of things lately and

it’s driving me nuts. I’m confused and irritated. I thought we had something special, but right now it seems everyone is in a perfect relationship except us. I really like this

girl but I have never been good at mushy make-ups and I know that’s exactly what she expects me to do. Any suggestions?

Boyfriend

A. Hollywood has led a lot of us to believe in perfect relationships that are free of

defects, silly arguments and screaming rows. Well, I hate to be the one to break it to

you, but that’s all a load of baloney. There’s no such thing as a perfect relationship, and any couple that tells you they’re like two peas in a pod are probably found apply-

ing chinlocks and camel clutches on each other in private. Relationships are easy to initiate, but if you want to maintain and nurture one, you need to occasionally exceed

expectations. Women are suckers for flowers, for instance, and men who know that

are usually found on the winning end. What I’m saying is, fight all you want, but if you’re really sure you want to hold on to your girlfriend, make sure you turn up on her

door for make-up eve with a bunch of reds... and well-rested ears… and lots and lots of patience.

Q. Dear Mr Know It All,

I’m a 17-year-old girl and I’ve got a bad case of a unibrow. My mom won’t let me

tweeze, wax or thread because she thinks the hair will grow out thicker and that I’m

too young to be exposing myself to such treatments. All my friends’ moms let them

use makeup and go to the parlour regularly to get all sorts of treatments done while I still have to fight with my mom to simply look presentable! It’s humiliating and I’ve

38

had enough! Can you please tell me what the real side effects of waxing or tweezing my OCTOBER 9-15 2011

eyebrows can be? How can I convince her it’s not that big a deal?

Unibrow

A. Why your own mother could be so mean to you is beyond

me. You’re at an age where looking and feeling good about your-

will test which procedure suits your skin type before taking the plunge. Generally however, tweezing and threading are consid-

ered better than waxing because the latter can result in inflamed

follicles, ingrown hair and prolonged irritation as opposed to the other two, which, although painful, are only so momentarily —

self is a major part of your physical and emotional development,

which is exactly what you want! And just so you know, Jennifer

quence — I mean, she wouldn’t want her daughter to grow up to

them from going places!

and taking that away from you can lead to some serious consebe another Helga Pataki, now would she? If I remember correctly,

that girl’s formidable personality could almost always be traced back to the amount of hair on her forehead.

Connelly and Kajol both have unibrows … and it never stopped

Q. Dear Mr Know it all,

I love trying on different styles of sideburns, and have grown al-

I’m guessing you don’t have an elder sister, so what you should

most every shape and size since I was 15. I also got married a year

some sense into your mom (who’s really not to blame…the poor

every other haircut is rather childish and self-indulgent. I think

do is go to one of your cool cousins or aunt and force them to talk

thing was probably overexposed to “Planet of the Apes” while growing up!)

Deciding on how much of the unibrow to get rid of, and how

to shape the two distinct eyebrows that emerge, is a very delicate

process. I recommend you give yourself up to a licensed beauti-

cian instead of taking matters into your own hands because they’re trained, can suggest different shapes and styles and

ago and my wife thinks coming home with new sideburns after she might be right when she says I should sober my look up a bit,

especially since I’m 29 now and working in a serious no-nonsense job where I’m expected to look and act more decent than I actually feel. What do you think is the right style and length for sideburns these days? Is it really that bad to experiment?

Wolverine

A. If by ‘everything’ you really mean everything, including the

notorious bellbottoms to pointy forks and classic mid-lengths to no sideburns at all, then you must have a pretty good idea of

what looks good on you and what doesn’t. Personally for me, the only guy who ever looked ‘cool’ with huge sideburns was Elvis and then Mohammed Ali back in the 60s. Nobody can ever

pull off the no-sideburn look like a Filipino, so let’s not even go there. The unusual shapes looked interesting on huge brothas on

American TV, but they too lost their appeal when every Ali, Omer

and Salman decided to show their mean side by growing unusual patterns on their faces.

Sideburns are a very personal thing, and should exude an indi-

vidual’s personality and style instead of the current street trend.

In my book, experimenting isn’t a bad thing. However, if you keep altering your look every 15 days, chances are people will

start associating the changes with indecisiveness and insecurity: the two little imperfections you really don’t want anything ILLUSTRATION: JAMAL KHURSHID

to do with if you want to make a name for yourself in this se-

rious no-nonsense job you talk about … I suggest you rummage through your old photo albums, pick a look you still like and stick with it for a few months. Incidentally, I think both you and your

wife are very lucky people. She’s doing you a favour by making positive suggestions about your look and you’re willing to listen.

What more could anyone ask for? a

Got a problem you just can’t solve? Mail us at magazine@tribune.com.pk and let

39

our very own whiz take a crack at it!

OCTOBER 9-15 2011

REVIEW

off the rails

BY NOMAN ANSARI

Shoaib Akhtar’s Controversially Yours can be entertaining, rousing and emotive, as well as fairly myopic and highly paradoxical, all at the same time. Not only is it characterised by the same crests and troughs as Akhtar’s sporting career but, also just like his career, this autobiography is regrettably short (takes barely an evening to finish), and doesn’t quite reach its full potential.

It is also a bit of a jarring read, replete with seemingly random sentences and paragraphs with little transition in between. There are editing issues as well, with new and sometimes unfamiliar characters often presented without introduction. Compared to sports biographies such as Imran Khan’s All Round View or Andre Agassi’s Open, Controversially Yours feels more like a fireside chat with the author, than a great athlete’s autobiography.

Aside from some views on Brian Lara, and sparse mentions of certain players from the Australian and Indian national teams, the book is shamefully lacking in detailed insight on the international cricketing scene. And while other cricketers’ autobiographies speak of personal and team performances, Shoaib Akhtar’s book speaks mostly of his own match performance, which seems to be a fair reflection of the self-centred spirit of the team he grew in as an international cricketer.

Wasim Akram, especially, is in the line of fire for what Akhtar sees as unprofessionally selfish behavior, and dirty politics. Shoaib clearly believes that Wasim tried to ruin Waqar Younis’s career, a sentiment Waqar shared with the media during his playing days as well. Akhtar also fires broadsides at a number of Pakistani cricketers and officials, settling scores with those whom he claims had been awful to him while he was still trying to break into the team.

The juiciest revelations are about how some cricketers, unable to handle the abnormal pressure of playing for Pakistan, develop behaviours that can only be termed, well…aberrant. Akhtar discloses that certain Pakistani cricketers write love letters in their blood, while others turn to alcohol and pills to ward off depression and a few even contemplate suicide. Anger management is apparently an issue with the team, and Akhtar informs us that fistfights often break out in the dressing room. In fact, he tells us that at one point, off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, who was rumored to be facing the axe, chased then coach Javed Miandad with a cricket bat in hand. With such madness behind the scenes, it is no wonder the team’s performance is so sporadic. Shoaib Akhtar himself admits to having suffered from instances of depression during his career, and feels that the Pakistan Cricket Board’s unprofessional, reactionary and uncaring attitude, and an inability to manage its players, is to blame.

A large part of Controversially Yours comes across as an attempt by Akhtar to set the record straight. He bemoans how the media falsely judges him on his reputation alone, and mentions how during one 40 of the darkest moments in his career, he was automatically labeled OCTOBER 9-15 2011

Controversially Yours feels like a fireside chat with the author.

a rapist, when the actual alleged culprit’s identity was kept hidden by the PCB. So paranoid is Akhtar about being labeled the bad guy that he says, “I thank Allah that I was not part of the World Cup team [when Bob Woolmer died], otherwise I am sure the media would have charged me with murder — charged, not accused.”

The biggest contradiction lies in how Akhtar presents himself as a man who refuses to “butter the toast” of those in power. Early on in the book, Akhtar writes a completely out of place tribute to the assassinated former leader of Pakistan’s People’s Party (PPP), Benazir Bhutto — the inclusion of which doesn’t make sense at that stage in the book. Later, when Akhtar speaks of being banned for substance abuse, he talks of how he sought the help of President Zardari and Rehman Malik to get back into the team, and the earlier tribute suddenly clicks into place. Also, uncharacteristically for him, he refers to both PPP leaders with the honorific ‘sahab’, and one realises that there indeed are toasts that Akhtar will not hesitate to butter.

With typical straightforwardness, he freely admits to ball tampering, and claims that it is a regular practice in international cricket, which has led to a lot of fire from critics. This book has been met with a lot of preconceived notions and the same censure that Akhtar complains about facing throughout his cricketing career. But, with a title like Controversially Yours, and released excerpts tailor-made to set tongues wagging, one wonders if he has any right to blame those who come at him with bouncers, when he himself prepared a fast bouncy pitch.

Available at Liberty Books for Rs995.

falling flat

BY HAMNA ZUBAIR

‘But women can be funny!’ beseeches Bridesmaids, a chick flick that claims to blow the lid on female friendships, romantic love, and the perils that modern day living thrusts on womankind. Written by women, purportedly for women, Bridesmaids focuses on a group of thirty-something females who are thrown together to celebrate their friend’s wedding. Somewhere between a bout of food poisoning in an elite atelier and lesbian jokes at a bridal shower, hilarity is supposed to ensue — but it doesn’t.

Annie (Kirsten Wiig) is a failed pastry chef whose life is slowly unraveling: she has just lost her business, is trapped in a relationship with a man who mistreats her and the friend who she has always relied on for emotional support has just announced she’s getting married. Lillian (Maya Rudolph), who wants Annie to be her bridesmaid, introduces her to a coterie of other females who are to share this special honour. The line-up includes a fat chick, a desperate housewife, a Martha Stewart wannabe, and a vestal virgin. It is the prettier, richer and more organised Helen (Rose Byrne), the Martha Stewart wannabe, who irks Annie the most. As Annie fails to perform her bridesmaid’s duties, Helen edges her out and ‘steals’ Lillian. Upstaged and ignored, Annie is sucked down a spiral of self-pity. Will she be able to get her life together and win Lillian back?

This simple story about the little jealousies that are part of any relationship could have been funny on its own. Unfortunately, the writers took a cue from The Hangover and smeared the film with every fart and poop related joke they could think of. It isn’t just the toilet humour that dumbs it down: typical insecurities that do deserve attention are explored poorly, through clichéd plot development and ho-hum dialogue.

A good performance by headliner Critics praising the film say Kirtsen Wiig can’t give Bridesmaids it is the first romantic-comedy the comedic kudos it so deeply longs for. that deals specifically with female friendship. You only need to go as far back as Mean Girls to see that isn’t true. Although Kirsten Wiig’s performance deserves praise, she isn’t the first ‘funny girl’ to make her presence felt on the big screen — Barbara Streisand did that some 40 years ago. In the end, you don’t need to watch Bridesmaids to realise that women can be funny, anyone who has ever had a good female friend already knows that.

delightfully daft

BY NOMAN ANSARI

The first reason why this James Bond spoof works well as a comedy is that it doesn’t resort to any of the gross out toilet humor, which plagues such kind of films. The second is that it is a perfect to showcase the talents of Rowan Atkinson, the star of the movie.

Atkinson, who is best known for his work in legendary British TV comedies, is a bona fide genius when it comes to tickling the funny bone. And in Johnny English Reborn, he has a fairly good platform to blast one laugh-out-loud gag, after another.

The movie opens with the spiritual rebirth of emotionally scarred British spy Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) amongst the Tibetan monks, who teach our hero one amusingly painful lesson after another. After his training is incomplete — you’ll have to watch the film to get that one — English flies back to MI7 in London, where he is put on a mission to uncover the conspiracy behind the attempt on the life of the Chinese premier, who is scheduled to visit the United Kingdom on a state visit. In between amusing martial arts bits in Hong Kong, and comical golfing shenanigans back in England, the spy goes on a mirthful adventure where he eventually saves the day, and his country’s government from humiliation.

The largest issue with the film is that most of the plot points feel a touch too foreseeable, and lack originality. Also, some of the

English will leave you shaken and stirred.

early gags do come across as a bit contrived. Having said that, the film does deliver hilarity with some consistency, and on five or six occasions I was wiping away tears of laughter. Thankfully, the film also avoids a genre cliché by not portraying its lead as a bumbling pushover, with him able to hold his own in difficult circumstances.

Something also worth mentioning is that Johnny English Reborn is unexpectedly finding cinematic release in Pakistan before many major markets, including North America, which is a welcome thing for our troubled nation. It is difficult to review a comedy, because humour is so subjective, but if the crowd was any indication, then this movie should find plenty of love at the box office. a OCTOBER 9-15 2011

41

THE HATER

10 things I hate about ... award shows

1 2 3 4 5

BY HAMNA ZUBAIR

Crowd management. If you’re a regular attendee,

ushers will bully you into your seat well before show time, depriving you of your chance to ogle celebrities.

If you’re an usher, you will struggle with the urge to

slap every noncompliant attendee into submission. If you’re a celebrity… well, the crowds will just part for you, won’t they?

Photographers. Even ordinary folks don’t escape the scrutiny of the lens, and by the time the flashbulb goes off, it’s too late to wipe that awkward grimace or open-

mouthed stare off your face — it’s already been immortalised.

Cameramen. As they pan across the crowd looking for

that perfect ‘reaction shot’ they’ll be sure to zoom in just as your face contorts into the most horrible of expressions.

Which brings us to the next pitfall of a televised award

show: you’ll soon realise you’ve unconsciously tempered your laughs, whispered comments and expres-

sions of mock horror so that you won’t look like a total idiot on camera… this realisation, of course, makes you feel like a total idiot.

The disappointment. Is Meera-jee really that short?

She looks like a giantess onscreen. Did that model re-

ally just apologise for bumping into me? I thought they were all mean girls.

42 OCTOBER 9-15 2011

6 7 8 9 10

The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it once over. Everybody minutely scrutinises everybody else’s hair, makeup and

clothes, but miraculously, these up-and-downs are timed so well that you only catch the tail-end of the ap-

praisal… at which point your appraiser will look away and you can begin your inspection of them at your leisure.

The lack of variety. Every year, whether you watch an

award show in person or catch the televised version days later, you see more or less the same faces. Our ce-

lebs (all 10 of them) may get older, fatter or thinner, but you can’t quibble about their longevity.

The acceptance speeches. They’re usually so diplomat-

ic. Why can’t somebody pull a Michael Moore, just to liven things up?

The hunger. If you haven’t stashed your purse with

some nibbles to last you through the night, you’ll soon

start wondering if that glitzy dance routine was just a hallucination brought on by your stomach’s attempts to digest itself.

That overwhelming urge to message/tweet all your friends about the outrageous off-camera celebrity antics you just witnessed — a desire that is totally at odds with the nonchalant vibe you’re trying to project. a