Art is something we all love but few have the eye to determine which artist might be the next big thing. On a popular Pakistani Lifestyle Instagram account called Bhindifries, an NCA graduate and miniature artist, Ayesha Jatoi lists her favourite artists for 2021. Jatoi decided to reflect on 2020 not by the grief it gave, but by the potential for 2021. Jatoi’s recommended top nine Pakistani artists to look out for are:
1. Fazal Rizwi:
Like Jatoi, Rizwi is also an NCA graduate. This Karachi based artist blames his love for art to lead him to explore the dimensions of the sea and internal turmoil. Rizwi believes that the two main reasons for mental conflict are your soul and your family. That’s primarily why he bases his artworks on conceptual minimalism.
2. Mahrukh Bajwa:
Since this list has quite a few candidates from NCA, Bajwa is another one of them. This lady’s large charcoal sketches convey the unbiased observations of the outside world from the perspective of the mind.
3. Alyssa Mumtaz:
Mumtaz is an American Muslim whose mixed media art highlights the importance of ordinary objects in a unique way as her tools can range from a mere string or colour pigment to gold or silver.
4. Faraz Aamer:
Another NCA candidate with an extraordinary mastery in artist books, he tries to use his artistic expertise to highlight human conditioning due to societal influences.
5. Lujane Pagganwala:
A graduate of Indus Valley, Pagganwala shifts her focus from paper to sculpture, to bring her thoughts to life.
6. Sahyr Sayed:
Another NCA graduate and sculptor who efficiently uses miniature sculpting to make sure that the viewer is not devoid of any details. Her work featuring woman empowerment was appreciated on forums like Dawn Newspaper.
7. Maryam Atiq:
She employs the use of collage paintings to grip the attentions of the admirer.
8. Ayesha Sultana:
A BNU graduate with a Bangladeshi origin, Sultana is a minimalist who uses her artwork to transcend international boundaries.
9. Kainat Jillani:
Last but not the least, Jillani is a mixed media painter who has everything in her toolbox to create magic.
There is no doubt that more books were read this year by people who love them. Finally having the ability to say that they’re going to stay in, for bookworms it was the year where they did what they love most. One of our favourite Pakistani accounts for the best book finds is The Writing Room run by Mariam Tareen. She lists her favourite books of the year, ones that should not be missed by book enthusiasts everywhere.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Between the World and Me is written as a letter by Ta-Nehisi Coates to his teenage son. Coates’s prose is charged with emotion, fear, honesty, and poise as he attempts to share with his son what he knows about being a black man in America. His love for his son jumps up from every page, but also fear on his behalf. Coates does not wish to protect or shield his young son from hard truths about the world they live in and the responsibilities that come with discovering them.
The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay
The Far Field – a sharp, nuanced, and engrossing novel – shows us the uncomfortable distance between the comfort of the privileged and the lives of the oppressed.
The Shapeless Unease by Samantha Harvey
A short, luminous and inventive examination of novelist Samantha Harvey’s year-long struggle with insomnia – the “blankness and blackness; the yawning expanse of a night awake.”
Daughters of the Sun by Ira Mukhoty
What a fantastic book! A parallel history of 200 years of Mughal rule that has been tragically absent from our history books: that of the women of the Empire.
We Need New Stories by Nesrine Malik
Award-winning Guardian journalist Nesrine Malik was born in Sudan and moved to the UK in 2013. The book reads less like journalism and more like a history/social science study, which I loved (but it’s also why it took me a while to read it). With the sharpness of a surgeon, she dissects each of the toxic myths of our time with clinical precision to expose the truth.
Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
It’s about loss and grief and “moving on”, about how a grief-stricken father and his two boys mourn the unbearable loss of their mother, and the crow who comes to help them. “I won’t leave you until you don’t need me any more.”
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
It tells the story of a man remembering events from when he was a 7 year old boy. It explores childhood and memory, the darkest moments from our childhoods, the ones that still feel warm and others that still hurt, the ones that left scars, both visible and invisible. But it’s very convincingly disguised as a children’s book.
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
If you consider yourself a feminist, read this book. It’s addressed to white feminists in America but is essential reading for all of us.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Graveyard Book rounds off my Neil Gaiman hat-trick this October. I loved this book. I found myself wishing I had read it sooner. I think if I had read it as a kid, it would have made my childhood better in some way, and I would have remembered it in a way you can only remember things you read as a child.
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
The novel centres on a family of Ghanian immigrants in America. It’s a novel about Big Themes like addiction, faith, family, science, immigration, and racism, but it doesn’t feel like Gyasi set down a checklist of themes to write about (as it sometimes does in many “novels of our time”.)
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett
I’ve loved Ann Patchett’s writing for a long time and really enjoyed reading this essay collection about writing and life, especially the essay “The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir about Writing and Life”, where she writes about the distance between having an idea for a novel in your head a and trying to get it onto the page.
99 Nights in Logar by Jamil Jan Kochai
“99 Nights in Logar” is Jamil Jan Kochai’s debut novel, and it is a unique book. I’ve never read a book in English where non-English words were not italicized. Toshaks, pakols, dusmals. Sadaqah. Rakah. Astaghfirullah. They’re written without hinting at foreignness. Pashto, Arabic and English are not foreign in the mind of the narrator, and that’s all that matters. There is an entire chapter towards the end of the novel in untranslated Pashto.
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
The book, written in crisp, vivid, screenplay-prose, is about running away from your problems.
2020 has pretty much been all about COVID-19 and the pandemic. The year has perhaps been one of the most challenging ones in recent times and has been difficult for everyone. As the year nears its end, The Current decided to look back and reflect upon some happy moments which brought a smile to our faces.
Kaavan’s Relocation to Cambodia
After spending years chained in Islamabad Zoo, the world’s former ‘loneliest elephant’ Kaavan was relocated to a local sanctuary in Cambodia where he will spend the rest of his days in the open and among his own. Kaavan’s freedom was assisted by American singer Cher, who came to Pakistan to personally see Kaavan off. She also welcomed the elephant in Cambodia with a very cute nameplate.
As per the latest details, Kaavan has found new friends in Cambodia and has been spotted enjoying himself at his new home.
Kavaan’s case and relocation also paved the way for other animals to be relieved of their plight. A few weeks after he left, two brown Himalayan bears at the Islamabad Zoo Suzie and Babloo were sent to a sanctuary in Jordan where they will be rehabilitated and nursed to health. Following their departure, the Islamabad Zoo was shut down.
Tough anti-rape law
The federal cabinet approved tough new anti-rape law under which special courts will be established to speed up rape trials and convicted rapists and perpetrators will be chemically castrated. It also prohibits the disclosure of the identity of rape victims and will create a national sex offenders’ register.
Increased exports
Pakistan’s exports for the month of November passed the $2 billionmark amid a resurgence of economic activity after the coronavirus lockdown. As per reports, Pakistan’s move to loosen pandemic restrictions early has helped the nation’s exports emerge stronger than its South Asian peers including India and Bangladesh.
Construction of Hindu Temple
The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) approved the construction of a new temple for minority Hindus, ruling that Islamic law allows minorities a place of worship. The CII also allowed the government to hand over the temple site as well as its adjoining Dharamshala (community centre) in Saidpur village of Islamabad to the Hindu community “so that it can offer religious rites as per their beliefs”. Many people including celebrities like Hamza Ali Abbasi lauded the initiative.
Mahira Khan, Dr Sania Nishtar among BBC’s ‘100 women of 2020’
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr Sania Nishtar and Mahira Khan were listed among BBC’s ‘100 women of 2020‘. According to the publication, the list included “100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2020”.
“This year 100 Women is highlighting those who are leading change and making a difference during these turbulent times,” said the publication.
While Mahira was lauded for her outspoken views against sexual violence, refusal to endorse skin-lightening creams and supporting the fight against racism, Dr Nishtar was honoured for “spearheading the transformative Ehsaas Poverty Alleviation programme, which has improved the livelihoods of millions of Pakistanis by providing mobile banking and savings accounts, and other basic resources.”
It is pertinent to add here that Mahira was also part of the inaugural Forbes Asia’s 100 Digital Stars list, along with Aiman Khan and Atif Aslam. The list highlighted celebrities from across the Asia Pacific region who have taken the digital world by storm.
Have more good news to share? Let us know in the comments.
Legendary French fashion designer Pierre Cardin passed away at the age of 98 on Tuesday at a hospital in Neuilly in western Paris.
Confirming the news, his family in a statement said: “It is a day of great sadness for all our family. Pierre Cardin is no more. Italian by birth, Pierre Cardin never forgot his origins while bringing unconditional love to France.”
Despite coming from a lower middle-class background, Cardin managed to make big name for himself in the fashion industry, particularly in the 1960s and ’70s, when he upended traditional fashion with his futuristic, avant-garde looks. He became known for his visionary creations, shaking up fashion with bubble dresses and geometrical designs.
During that time, Cardin also made contributions to the Pakistani fashion industry and designed uniforms for Pakistan International Airline’s (PIA) staff. According to the website history of PIA, uniforms designed by Cardin were the official uniform of PIA’s staff from 1966 to 1975.
“In 1966, Pierre Cardin, the renowned French fashion designer, came up with the legendary fawn colour uniform for summer and moss green uniform for winter,” reads a post on the website. “The uniform consisted of a short, easy fitting “A” line tunic, slim-line trousers and imaginatively moulded dupatta that not only covered heads but also turned heads.”
“The uniform became an instant hit and the slim-line trousers were dubbed as ‘PIA Pajamas’. Fashion-conscious young ladies, all across Pakistan, copied Cardin’s design eagerly,” it adds.
#100MostHandsomeFacesOf2020 is trending on Twitter and people are tweeting pictures of their favourite celebrities, politicians and stars. Here are a few faces that have been nominated by social media users for the title.
Some Twitter users think that Prime Minister Imran Khan is one of the most handsome faces of 2020.
South Korean music band BTS member V aka Kim Taehyung was also among the people’s choice for most handsome faces of 2020.
Speaking of V aka Kim Taehyung, the singer has the ability to make you coo over his appealing cuteness. BTS member V has now topped the list of 100 Most Handsome Faces of K pop Artist of 2020. The BTS Army includes-#100MostHandsomeFaces2020pic.twitter.com/dz00nyJtZp
A blind Bulgarian mystic Baba Vanga who allegedly foretold the event of 9/11 has predicted a cure for cancer and the attempt to murder Vladimir Putin in 2021.
She has also claimed that a “strong” dragon will overcome humanity next year.
The “Nostradamus of the Balkans”, Baba Vanga died in 2000 but is thought to own a mysterious skill to see the coming events.
Her history, as far as her followers tell, is that this shadowy woman was brought up on a farm known as Macedonia now and was blinded in a dust storm giving her the very “second sight”.
People say that she foretold the President Donald Trump’s coronavirus illness in October earlier this year and that the Russian submarine Kursk would sink in 1989.
Preceding her death at the age of 75 in 1996, the Bulgarian mystic told that 2021 would be the year when a cure for cancer would be known claiming that with the start of the 21st century, people will get rid of cancer. “The day will come when cancer will get tied with iron chains.”
One of her predictions included that the Russian President Vladimir Putin will be the target of an assassination attempt next year, also said that Islamic radicals will step to attack Europe and that the extremists will use an collection of chemical weapons on Europeans also that the world will go through a lot of calamities and excessive tragedies.
She claimed that the perception of people will have a transformation.
“Difficult times will come. People will be divided by their faith.”
The strangest of all her predictions yet is that a dragon will be overcoming humanity in 2021.
“A strong dragon will seize humanity,” she says. “The three giants will unite. Some people will have red money. I see the numbers 100, 5, and many zeros.”
Followers of the mystic like to point to her 85 percent accuracy in previous predictions, drawn from research by a former director of the Bulgarian Institute of Suggestology, Professor Georgi Lozanov.
However, a 2012 Washington Post investigation uncovered that many of the predictions attributed to the mystic have their origins in viral Russian social media posts.
No credible written version of the Baba‘s predictions is available to view, either.
According to one Bulgarian newspaper, her neighbours were quick to spike the idea that she predicted 9/11 or the sinking of the Kursk.
The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) announced on Monday that the highest COVID-19 occurrence has been recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s city of Abbottabad and the city of lights Karachi for the month of December.
The positivity rate is obtained by dividing the number of people who test positive for the coronavirus with the total number of tests conducted in 24 hours.
As per reports, Abbottabad’s positivity rate on Sunday was 25.5% and Karachi has been reporting positivity rate of above 12% in the last 10 days.
The NCOC said the national positivity rate, however, has decreased in the past few days. The month’s highest coronavirus ratio was recorded at 9.71% on December 6 while the number stood at 6.13% on Sunday.
The country has reported 1,974 cases in the past 24 hours while 55 people lost their lives and 1,760 recovered. Pakistan has reported 473,309 cases so far.
Four sisters in Germany invented a coronavirus-themed board game during the first lockdown in the country. Corona is the name of the board game that can be played by four players at one time.
The players compete to purchase all the groceries on a shopping list for an elderly neighbour who is shielding against the virus.
The players collect and swap game cards. The winner is the one who delivers all the items first. The obstacles along the way include bump into the virus that would send you into quarantine, or finding that hoarders have already snapped up all the pasta or toilet rolls.
“The basic principle is one of solidarity. But each of the players can decide to cooperate with the others or make thing harder for them by blocking their path with viruses,” Sarah told Reuters TV from their family home in the western city of Wiesbaden, Germany.
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has introduced online degree attestation. As per details, all students seeking degree attestation should apply on their website via http://eservices.hec.gov.pk.
In a statement, the HEC HEC informed that the attestation process would no longer function on the previous link, adding that the old applicants would use their formerly verified username and password to log-in to the ‘e-services’.
This online verification and attestation service is Pakistan’s first electronic verification service. Students can go to the website and upload the relevant documents to get their degrees attested.
Earlier in an interview with The Current, Federal Minister for Education, Shafqat Mahmood had said that HEC was working to facilitate students and make life easier for them.
City Police Officer Muhammad Ahsan Younas has set up a day care centre at Rawalpindi Police Station to facilitate women police officers.
A police spokesman said that the purpose of the centre is to provide a safe and secure environment to the children of police officers so that they have the peace of mind of knowing their children are safe while they work.
Another step by CPO @AhsanPSP to ensure welfare of force as envisioned by IGP Punjab; establishment of finely equipped Day Care Center for the children of female police officers to facilitate them and relieve from worries of their beloved little ones while on duty. pic.twitter.com/KxYjVSyc0o
According to details, the centre will be open from 8 am to 4 pm and will have amenities like kitchen, heaters, air conditioners, geysers, washroom, comfortable bedding, toys, LED television, toys and study material for children.
In a statement, CPO Muhammad Ahsan Younas said that all steps including setting up daycare centre are being taken under the vision of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab Inam Ghani.
“Welfare of force is our priority, day care centre has been established to provide better working atmosphere and facility for the women police officers and it will make them care-free during their duty hours which ultimately will enhance their working capabilities,” he said.
