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Fashion for a vision
Fashion and philanthropy go hand in hand and this was established like never before in India when a group of 30 beautiful, blind models walked down the runway. The fashion show was part of the Miss Gujarat finale, held on the outskirts of Ahmedabad and it was the first fashion show of its kind in India, staged to try to combat stereotypes attached to disabled people. "I cannot see how I am looking in the new clothes but I am having a good time," said 23-year-old participant, Ekta. "Blind people are not considered as a part of society, they are given boring and menial jobs to isolate them from the glamorous
and exciting world," said Mukta Dagli from the NGO Pragya Chakshu Sanstha, a local charity for the visually impaired who organized the event. "We want to bring the blind out of a dull dark life. Now let the world see them. This is the first time that a fashion show of this nature is being organized in India wherein the models and their groomers are all visually impaired. Only the choreographer is sighted and she guides the models," she added. The young women, who applied their own make up and dressed themselves, were given a week-long training course on how to walk down the catwalk by choreographers and on self-grooming. "We are young, beautiful and hope to do more shows to gain confidence to fight the darkness of our lives," said 25-year-old Shweta Kothari. Indeed, it was a great cause, one that hopefully inspired others to follow.
It's Carnival time again!
While on the word of fashion for charity, Karachi too is preparing to host the fourth annual Lux Carnival de Couture – an evening easily branded as Pakistani fashion's most exclusive yet. Not only does it generate funds for the Teachers Resource Centre (TRC) but it also gives fashion in Pakistan a world class stage. Scheduled to be held on the December 9, the fashion carnival will feature new couture collections by Tarun Tahiliani and Bollywood sweetheart, Manish Malhotra from India and a carnival collection by Rizwan Beyg from Pakistan. As last year, Aparna Behl has been roped in to choreograph the event and
Frieha Altaf will coordinate it. As always, the hype will be pumped up by the presence of Indian and Pakistani stars, more so this time as it's Manish Malhotra showing. He is famous for bringing star power to his catwalks. But other than the stars (whose names cannot be revealed due to security reasons), Pakistani and Indian models including the current Miss India will walk the runways. The magic will be created around a glass and water theme. The biggest change in this year's event, however, is that Mubashir Khan will be replacing Tariq Amin as stylist. While it's good to give others a chance, one wished it were done in congeniality.
Dubai International Fashion Week on way
Good news for Pakistani designers who wish and plan to expand to the Middle Eastern market - it has been announced that the first biannual Dubai International Fashion Week shall be held in the emirate between 11th and 17th March. It will host designers from all over the world as well as locals. Organized by a Dubai based event management firm, Concept Events, DIFW will be overseen by an advisory board comprising industry professionals, designers, buyers, fashion editors and opinion leaders and will unfold through four events: trade, retail, exhibition and seminars, which have been planned to ensure that the very best of fashion is represented over the week. Former Indian model and choreographer Marc Robinson has been roped in to direct the show. "Till date the focus had been on Lebanon Fashion Week," Robinson commented in a press conference, "and since that has been discontinued, DIFW will give designers from Dubai, India, Pakistan and Lebanon a chance to display their collections for local and international buyers. Retail brands are popular in Dubai and shows will be organized in malls to showcase international trends." If nothing else, DIFW will actually be a beneficial warm up for Pakistani designers who are hoping to show at Pakistan Fashion Week later next year.
Hajra Hayat's wedding wear
Lahore based designer Hajra Hayat recently held a fashion show in the city in which she presented her latest bridal collection called 'Wedding Gold'. Ambience for the evening was created by QYT and the event was managed by Frieha Altaf. Following the theme, everything from the marquee to the runway was coloured a glossy shade of gold. As a collection for Winter 2006, one wondered why the show came so late in the year as surely it was too late to place orders for this season's weddings. If it was meant for next year, it was a tad bit early. With fashion in Pakistan opening up to international horizons, it is now advisable for local designers to create and show collections in sync with the world: that is winter/couture collections should be shown in summer and spring/holiday collections in winter, allowing maximum time for orders and delivery.

Countdown to V-9
With lawn exhibitions happening left, right and centre these days, women face the risk of budget burnout but are advised to recharge themselves as Vaneeza's V9 goes on sale from March 20th and will travel the country for those who tasted the trend last year and are eager for more. As Vaneeza says, the prints she creates are what she can personally identify with and being a beautiful, successful and talented model-turned-entrepreneur, she is someone every woman wants to identify with. That is the secret of V9's success. This year's prints are youthful, invigorating and fresh; and being manufactured at Mohammad Farooq Textiles, they come with years of credibility as far as fabric quality is concerned. Along with her own interpretation of florals, psychedelia, paisleys et al, Vinnie will also be introducing yarn dyed fabrics, self embroidered solids, doria and chilman - the textile equivalent of spot lamination. To kick off the exhibition, she has rounded up five of her favourite designers - Sonya Battla, Nomi Ansari, HSY, Umar Sayeed, and Deepak Perwani - to translate this year's
collection in fashionable casual wear for men and women and she will be showing their take on V9 in an exclusive fashion show for the media, buyers and important clients only. Had the Mausummery girls or Yahsir Waheed ventured into this direction when they began manufacturing 'designer lawn' years ago, fashion would be seen in a different climate today. But if what Vinnie is doing (and Bareeze have already stepped into with B-HSY) is what it'll take to wean the women in Pakistan off fabric and onto ready-to-wear, then so be it, because the path Vinnie's on shall surely lead to prt and ultimately, Pakistan Fashion Week

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

A communion of prodigies




By Halima Mansoor

The advantage of doing an underground in Lahore is the opportunity it provides to fraternise with those who strum, tap, pluck, drum out a beat, melody or a raag. The city has one useful facet: it makes music.

If one rummages hard enough through the comparatively large number of singers and guitarists in Lahore, one hits pay dirt. The talented sitar players who played at a caf last weekend are the definitive talent that most record label companies abroad woo and fight over. Unfortunately for Pakistan, such talent is mostly never discovered by anyone beyond such an artiste's immediate family and/or friends.

Rakae Jamil, 23, and Dhumita Gunawardana, 24, both on sitars, performed at Caf Malangi accompanied by Raza Shaukat on the tabla. Rakae and Dhumita each pay homage to a different yet equally brilliant sitar-playing style. Rakae plays the Gayaki Aang patronised by Ustad Vilayat Khan and Dhumita the Kattan Kar style popularised by Ustad Ravi Shankar.



It is a hard feat to put down in words the sound a 'sitar' produces, especially in the hands of a musician whose fingers aim to produce music that communicates with the audience on an emotional and spiritual level. The cozy, colorful confines of the caf did indeed create an ambience that made the audience feel as if each piece was an intimate conversation


The night began with Rakae performing Raag Raageshri, a request from his father who was celebrating his birthday that night. It is a hard feat to put down in words the sound a sitar produces, especially in the hands of a musician whose fingers aim to produce music that communicates with the audience on an emotional and spiritual level. The cozy, colorful confines of the caf did indeed create an ambience that made the audience feel as if each piece was an intimate conversation.

Dhumita followed with Raag Hunsdhun — a mesmerising piece that took the audience to a higher level of sheer bliss. Watching his fingers become a blur while creating such incredible sound was almost as hypnotic as the music itself. Later, he explained that Hunsdhun is a night raag essentially about love.

Listening to these performers follow the previous piece with another was akin to finishing a gourmet entre to find out it is followed by exotic dessert — a truly mouthwatering experience for the soul.

Next was Rakae again playing Raag Peelu which is also a night raag. When two such prodigies perform back-to-back, it goes beyond competition, beyond description. It becomes and introspective phenomena that cannot be defined or categorised.

Both Rakae and Dhumitra then came together on Raag Bhopali, infusing the playing styles of the two acclaimed maestros — Ustad Vilayat Khan and Ustad Ravi Shankar. The raag is symbolic of victory and is again associated to night-time. Though this last performance cast each artiste as a brilliant, expressive musician on the rise, the string duet was not as cohesive as the individual performances promised. It was the making of a conversation that had yet to reach the climax of intimacy.

Throughout each performance, Raza Shaukat displayed the trademark of a true artiste — in the face of his experience he knew how to showcase the two younger artistes without downplaying his own skills or talent. A recognized and respected tabla player for the last 15 years, Raza Shaukat learnt under the tutelage of his father, Ustad Shaukat Hussain. Taking his art a level further, he has been teaching at the National College of Arts and at the Alhamra for the last six years.

While conversing with him at the end of the show, Raza mentioned that the classical arts need to be promoted on a large scale. "Deserving artistes should be showcased by patrons and the government. The lack of institutes that teach the arts is a prime reason why such few people, especially the younger generation, take an interest in classical music or singing," he said.

Au contraire to the curriculum in Pakistan, Sri Lanka where Dhumita hails from has classical music or dance as a mandatory part of the free education that everyone in Sri Lanka receives till their graduation. He started playing the sitar in the ninth grade in his school. Originally, he wanted to play the esraj, a mix between a sarangi and a sitar. However, on his mother's behest, he switched to the sitar. The sound of the esraj is believed by some in Sri Lanka to be a bad omen. However, Dhumita has no intention of taking up sitar-playing as a hobby. He has been in Lahore for the past three years studying to be a civil engineer from the University of Engineering Technology.

With a family that patronises the arts, Rakae has had unfailing support in following through his passion as a career. Even though in the midst he took a break from the sitar to pursue singing, he realised when he joined the NCA for a degree in musicology that he could express himself more completely with the sitar. He plays with different musicians like Zahir Ali on the bass guitar with the aim of composing music that is beyond the bounds of a specific style.

Looking for heavy metal in the Muslim world From an author, linguist (of seven languages including Arabic and Persian), historian, journalist, musician and professor (of Middle Eastern history/culture, and Islamic studies - at the University of California-Irvine), Mark LeVine visited Pakistan recently, this year. For research purposes regarding contemporary, Pakistani music and its significance on the general public (for his latest book, Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Religion and Resistance Among Islam's Generation Next), LeVine had extremely insightful views and observations concerning Pakistan's current music set-up. In an interview with Instep, Mark shared his experiences and candid sentiments about contemporary music and it precarious status in the Muslim world. By Sonya Rehman
Instep: Could you elaborate on what the basis for your research was on? ML: My main reason was to understand the development of popular music and its relationship to the rest of society in Pakistan, especially heavy metal and other forms of hard rock. One of my main areas of research is the conflicts that often occur between rock/metal musicians and conservative religious forces. In Pakistan this is a key issue, as conservatives (or radicals, as the case may be) have threatened to attack, and in some cases carried out attacks on stores that sell popular music, or venues that allow live music, etc. So I wanted to see how Pakistani musicians were coping with the situation and what could be done to help them.
Instep: What prompted you to get involved in a project such as this one? ML: For me, music, especially seemingly marginalized music in the Middle East/Muslim world like heavy-metal or rap is actually a great prism to understand the larger dynamics of oppression, censorship, authoritarianism, etc. in society. 'Metal-heads' to me are a canary in the coal mine for testing the level of democracy and a functioning public sphere more broadly. As goes heavy metal, so goes Pakistan, one could say. What I found, was extremely complex, confusing, paradoxical and ultimately hopeful. Yes, the Salafis are attacking artists and purveyors of popular culture/music - but at the same time, the vast majority of Pakistani's love popular culture and love their rock n' roll. I mean, in Pakistan there are almost a dozen music video channels and the music scene in terms of quality and originality is the best in the Muslim world, as far as I'm concerned.
Instep: Which Pakistani musicians did wind up meeting on your trip here, and what were their personal sentiments regarding this issue? ML: I met Mekaal Hasan, Haroon, Arieb Azhar, Ali Rooh, Mizraab, Aaroh, Karavan, Akash, a few underground metal bands, and of course Salman Ahmed, who was a big help. Basically, most of them don't want to be directly involved in politics these days because while they don't like the present government much, they feel it has at least allowed a flowering of popular music – which stands in sharp contrast to what the Salafis want to do.
Also, as many mentioned, it's not like the so-called democratically elected governments of Bhutto and Sharrif were any less corrupt or violent or oppressive than the present. In fact, from a musician's perspective, Musharraf is better. What this shows me is that Musharraf's strategy of giving artists more room to work has been quite smart because now they have a stake in the system. So now it seems the government is not a major issue. The main threat is the Salafis. Also important is that the music industry in Pakistan is so DYI. With the increasingly inexpensive recording technologies at peoples' disposal, any band can record a CD-quality demo, do a video for a couple of thousand dollars, send it to the local music channels, and if it clicks, they're famous. This really changes the environment regarding censorship-related issues.
Instep: That's true, in Pakistan the music scene is very DYI – what's it like for Western artistes abroad though? What do foreign musicians need to do to 'get famous'? ML: You know, I don't work with Western artistes anymore except through the world music artistes I work with. I think in terms of the recording technologies, yes, the same thing is happening - and it's amazing and represents a real democratization of the music industry. But the difference is with the videos. It still costs a lot more in terms of labour to shoot a video…and then the idea of just sending your video to a music channel unsolicited, and knowing it'll be aired - seems a bit far-fetched. But that's the way it works in Pakistan.
Instep: Okay so honestly, what did you think of our country's music scenario? ML: Well, there's certainly some cheesy pop music, but no worse than the Arab world or Iran. I think in terms of rock - not metal specifically, but rock and hard rock, Pakistan's is by far the best scene in the world right now to my ears, because it is so hybrid, it so effortlessly blends together the best of the rock tradition and of local Pakistani styles. From qawwali to classical Indian, and to tribal music. And bands in Pakistan even sing metal in Urdu, which is unheard of in the Arab world! Instep: From your travels for research purposes, have you ever happened to encounter any band/musician that is a 'worst case' example of oppression in the Muslim world? ML: I haven't met any musicians who've been killed or tortured in jail, although I'm certainly aware of people to whom this has happened. I guess Iran has been the worst, in that most every Metal-head I met (who had long hair) told me stories of being beaten, arrested and the like by police or Revolutionary Guards ('Basij') just for walking down the street with long hair. In Egypt and Morocco I know many musicians who were arrested, and perhaps roughed up a bit, and in Lebanon I've met musicians who were brought in for questioning by the police because they were into metal music. Instep: How can orthodox religion and heavy metal/rock reach a 'settlement' in your opinion? ML: Well, probably 'orthodox' religion can't come to terms with metal, just as it can't come to terms with anything else besides its own interpretation of its religious tradition. That's the same for Christianity or Judaism or Hinduism, as for Islam. But the reality is that all religions are very complex and diverse. That's why there is Christian metal, Islamic Hip-hop, etc. In terms of metal in the Middle East, the reality is that the Salafi types will never accept it unless they can use it as a tool for propaganda - in other words, if some metal kids wrote a death metal song supporting Al-Qaeda or something. But a whole new generation of Islamists has emerged that is much more culturally open and less concerned about policing people's musical habits than they are about fighting authoritarian regimes. Not to mention that many musicians are themselves religious, and, as one Egyptian Metal-head described it to me with a laugh, will "go to Juma prayers on Friday and then go play black metal for four hours", with his band. As one young leader of the Muslim Brotherhood said to me when I asked him if one could be a good Muslim and a good Metal-head, he said: "We want to confront the regime - not to impose Shariah or wage jihad against the West or Israel - but to bring real democracy and social justice to Egypt and the region as a whole." He then continued, "Here's the thing I know: If I fight just for myself and my rights, then I'll never get them. Only if and when I'm ready to fight for everyone's rights can I hope to have my full rights as a religious Muslim in Egypt." This is a radically different approach to politics than has traditionally existed among Islamists in the Muslim world, who haven't been too interested in the rights of other oppressed groups in their societies, particularly those that don't follow their conservative views on religion and morality. It's also an invitation to dialog which many secularists, especially artists, have been slow to accept. But that's a dangerous strategy because sooner or later authoritarian governments always go after artists, and they'll need all the allies they can get. "I think in terms of rock - not metal specifically, but rock and hard rock, Pakistan's is by far the best scene in the world right now to my ears, because it is so hybrid, it so effortlessly blends together the best of the rock tradition and of local Pakistani styles. From qawwali to classical Indian, and to tribal music. And bands in Pakistan even sing metal in Urdu, which is unheard of in the Arab world!" - Mark LeVine

New York, NY: Friends got together to welcome Ali Azmat at the Gibraltar Lounge in Soho. This event was arranged by Aasia.
Aasia	Feroza
Ali with Duree Aasia and Ramana	Ramana with a guest Aasia,Duree,Amna and Aiesha
Madiha and Aasia	Feroza and Bilal
Amna	Duree, Ali, Feroza and Bilal
Ali with a guest	Aasia, Ramana, Duree, Madiha,Amna and Ayesha
Durree, Mehar with a guest	Ayesha,Aasia and a Guest

Hayward, CA: Ali Azmat and three band members, Omran Shafique, Ken Schweighardt, and Jay Dittamo, performed in the San Francisco Bay Area. The concert was organized by CNY Desi and photographed by Asim Goheer. Photographs courtesy Ghani, Media Manager for Junoon.
Ali with his band members	Fans reaching out to Ali
A view of the band members	Ken Schweighardt
Ali performing	A view of the lights on stage
Another view of the stage	A shot of the stage
a view from the back	on stage

Boston, MA: Dure Shehwar, President of the New York Kinnaird College Association recently wed Mr. Yazdani.
The Bride and Groom	Dure
Dure and her friends	Neelam
Rabia and Zainab	Neelam with guests
Zainab and Neelam	Guests
The bride making an entrance	Dure and her friends at the Mehndi
Rabia with Dure

Lahore: Play TV, LUMS and Shezan Twist recently held a JOSH concert at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Some 1500 students showed up to enjoy the music.
Qurram Hussain	Rupinder and Qurram
Rupinder Magon	Qurram Hussain
The crowd	Another view of the crowd
The students enjoying Josh music