Category: Uncategorized

  • Indian farmers’ protest

    Indian farmers’ protest

    Farmers across India are protesting against the new agricultural laws. Three laws pertaining to agriculture and farming have been passed in India, which the farmers say will affect their livelihood. It has been around 10 weeks since the farmers have been protesting. On India’s Republic Day, farmers marched on the Indian capital, New Delhi, in tractors and on foot. They stormed the Red Fort and also clashed with the police.

    These protests have evoked a strong reaction from across the world, which has kept the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) quite busy. From responding to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s supporting remarks for the farmers to even responding to pop star Rihanna’s tweet, the MEA statements have exposed India’s insecurities.

    A country that is very conscious of its international image and that takes pains to glamourise its culture and heritage across the globe, the Indian MEA referred to Trudeau by criticising “some ill-informed comments by Canadian leaders relating to farmers in India”. As if that was not enough of a diplomatic faux pas, Rihanna’s tweet led to a meltdown across India. Modi bhakts even lauded Rihanna’s ex for assaulting her.

    Kangana Ranaut called her a “porn singer”. Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg and Meena Harris, an American lawyer and the niece of US vice president Kamala Harris, also faced the brunt of Indian Twitterati as well as the Indian public. Their posters were set on fire and the Delhi Police registered sedition and conspiracy FIR on Thunberg’s Protest ”Toolkit” that she shared and tweeted in support of the farmers.

    What was even more disappointing but not surprising was how Indian celebrities and sports star like Sachin Tendulkar reacted to these tweets. It was an organised ”damage control” campaign launched at the behest of the Modi government but it backfired. Meena Harris and Greta have said that they will not be intimidated.

    Indians also accused them of taking money to push farmers’ demands. If it wasn’t so toxic, it would have been hilarious. Indian trolls and pro-Modi media (also called Godi media) have relentlessly tried to delegitimise the genuine grievances and demands of the farmers.

    In a capitalist world, farmers across the world are facing a lot of problems. The Indian Farm Laws will leave the farmers at the mercy of corporates. The farmers want them repealed. The Modi government is unmoved, which is expected of a fascist ruler who only believes in the mantra of profit and pushing the greater Hindutva agenda.

    The farmers are giving Modi a hard time that not even the opposition parties have been able to do in India. We hope that the farmers’ demands are eventually met. It will be a victory for labour rights and the marginalised. We stand in solidarity with the farmers.

  • HBCW21: More stars than fashion

    HBCW21: More stars than fashion

    If there is one thing that we love about Hum TV’s annual Bridal Couture Week (HBCW) it has to be the number of stars at the event. From Imran Ashraf to Sarah Khan to Resham, all the ‘it’ stars of the season were spotted setting the ramp on fire or in the front row or just hanging out backstage. While all this makes the HCBW an exciting affair, I wish I could say the same about the fashion and the outfits on the ramp because my biggest takeaway from the three-day extravaganza was the celebrity showstoppers and the acts they put up.

    Imran Ashraf & Yumna Zaidi walk for Umsha by Uzma Babar

    Held at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Lahore, this year’s HBCW was a grand affair despite COVID limitations. I have to add here that the organisers did a fantastic job ensuring all SOPs were followed and all attendees were wearing masks (and covering their nose and mouth) at all times.

    “I spent the entire Day 1 ensuring that everyone was wearing their masks properly,” remarked Moiz Kazmi of MK Digital while talking to me. He shared that the organising team present on site was under strict instructions to ensure that everyone was following the necessary SOPs and if anyone was found violating them, they were immediately escorted out of the hall. All chairs were also placed at a distance to ensure social distancing.

    Moreso, in an official announcement, Hum TV said that all models and those participating were required to undergo COVID-19 tests. The announcement also added that fittings will not be done during the event to ensure minimum contact. This explains why several models and showstoppers were seen wearing ill-fitted garments.

    This year’s HCBW saw many favourites including Ali Xeeshan and Khadijah Shah return to fashion weeks and one has to say that the two are game-changers. While Xeeshan’s collection Numaish wasn’t as strong as his previous ones, the message he intended to give out through his show was brilliant. Trust Ali Xeeshan to bring his signature drama to the ramp while creating social awareness. On the other hand, Shah presented a gorgeous collection of bridal dresses which are bound to be bestsellers in the upcoming wedding season.

    Despite being a hard year on several fronts, it was heartening to see many new designers debut. For instance, Nisa Hussain made a strong debut with theatrics and fashion. Arif Lohar opened her show with his Jugni Jee, grooving on the ramp like there is no tomorrow. Her showstopper Resham brought in some old-school glam, while Hareem Farooq was the chirpy, modern bride who likes to enjoy her wedding day.

    I have to admit that like any other person, I love to watch my favourite stars on the ramp but at the same time their casual attitude really puts me off. For example, Hira Mani and Affan Waheed who walked for Alishba and Nabeel on Day 1 chatted as they walked down the ramp. Similarly, Saboor Aly could barely manage her dress and stumbled several times. Usman Mukhtar and Salman Saeed appeared as if they were forced to walk. But not all was bad. Ayesha Omar and Maya Ali glided down the ramp as did Imran Ashraf and Yumna Zaidi. Sarah Khan and Falak Shabir brought their romance to the stage which made our hearts flutter.

    Interestingly, the fashion was not the only thing that was unoriginal. Nabila’s makeup team also presented looks which we have seen several times before and it felt that not much effort was made to bring in fresh trends as far as makeup is concerned.

    President of Hum Network Sultana Siddiqui, in a press release, said that the show was being presented “to bring normalcy to everyday life” and the show was successful in that as it offered a nice break from the monotony of COVID-times.

  • PSL 6 anthem ‘Groove Mera’ has everyone buzzing

    The much-awaited anthem of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season six featuring Aima Baig, Naseebo Lal and Young Stunners has finally released.

    Titled Groove Mera, the track starts with Naseebo Lal’s strong vocals and as she takes charge, the audience is guaranteed to start buzzing to the track. We go on to see Aima Baig who, in her quintessential style, delivers powerful vocals. Then we see Young Stunners making an entrance as they rap their way into the song. The rap has been written by the artists themselves. 

    “Continuing the rich tradition of entertaining PSL fans with a new anthem for each season, Groove Mera refers to the swing and feel of the movements of cricketers. It refers to moments of finesse that one finds in the heart of every cricket match,” read the official statement by the league.

    “This year’s anthem also reflects the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the majority of the fans will be watching Pakistan’s biggest sporting event remotely, this anthem cheers both players on the field and their fans at home as they celebrate their groove,” continued the statement, adding: “Most importantly, the best part of this year’s anthem is that, it is featuring female vocalists as the leads.”

    Last year’s anthem Tayyar Hain featuring Asim Azhar, Ali Azmat and Haroon had disappointed fans. The star-studded collaboration had failed to impress cricket aficionados, who retaliated by poking fun at the song.

    Read more – ‘I’m sorry’: Asim Azhar responds to backlash on PSL anthem

    Groove Mera has been composed by Xulfi while the music video has been directed by Fida Moin.

  • Shibli, Fawad meet Shaan to condole Neelo Begum’s demise

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz and Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry met Shaan Shahid on Saturday to condole over his mother, Neelo Begum’s demise.

    The ministers offered condolences on the death of actress and offered prayers for her.

    https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1357995312766410752?s=19

    Taking to Twitter, Shaan thanked Faraz and Chaudhry for visiting him and offering their prayers.

    “Thank you for being a part of us,” wrote Shaan on Twitter. “The connection of the people and their representatives grows stronger when we share each other’s sorrows and joy.”

    The actor also tagged Prime Minister Imran Khan, referring to him as a “true leader”, implying that PM Khan had also sent his condolences via the ministers. Earlier, PM Imran had expressed his condolences on social media.

    Neelo Begum passed away at the age of 80 on January 31. She was suffering from cancer.

    Meanwhile, earlier Shaan also penned a heartfelt note for his late mother and wished that his mother has reunited with his father Riaz Shahid in heaven.

  • Should cricket give Nickelodeonesque broadcast a go?

    Should cricket give Nickelodeonesque broadcast a go?

    Apart from the usual coverage on CBS Sports, NFL collaborated with Nickelodeon for a kid-friendly coverage of the Wild Card round of the playoffs game between the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints on January 10, 2021. Very soon after the broadcast started, umpteen fans of different sports like hockey, baseball and basketball took to social media to point out how the governing bodies of the sports mentioned thereof need a kid-friendly broadcast to attract young generation towards sports. Barring a few exceptions, I didn’t see many people discuss whether or not the International Cricket Council (ICC) should follow suit. So, in what follows, I expound on the idea of Nickelodeonesque broadcast of cricket. First, I will look at whether the NFL’s move was a success or not. Second, I will outline how the Nickelodeon broadcast worked by breaking down how it differed from the usual broadcast. Third, I will deconstruct if this type of broadcast can materialise for cricket in the same way it did for NFL.

    In terms of viewership, the Nickelodeon broadcast of Bears-Saints game was a gargantuan success. Per CBS, as many as 2 million viewers watched the Nickelodeon’s simulcast thus becoming the most-watched program on Nickelodeon in almost a demi-decade. Zoomph, a social media analytics tool, noted that the Nickelodeon stream of the Bears-Saints game generated almost $6 million in social media value. According to them, there were 73,323 tweets related to the topic on the weekend of the broadcast that garnered 402 million impressions and 2.2 million engagements.

    More important, however, was the manner in which this broadcast took the world’s leading sports journalists by storm. American sportswriter Richard Deitsch, in his column for The Athletic, wrote that the Nickelodeon broadcast of Bears-Saints “was enormously different and challenging and chaotic and fun”. Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr wrote that the broadcast was a revelation for him and stripping the game of all its self-importance and hubris was an absolute delight.

    For those who don’t follow NFL or missed the game, let’s take a look at how the Nickelodeon broadcast was different from the usual one. There were slime cannons sprayed at the player whenever any touchdown was scored, match scores and statistics emblazoned on the field were done in eye-catching colours like bright orange, lime green and purple supplemented with players having googly eyes, hamburger hats and characters like SpongeBob and Patrick Star also popped up on the screen to capture the viewers’ attention. On top of all these, Iain Armitage, who starred as Sheldon Cooper in the CBS sitcom Young Sheldon, was at the helm to explain penalties and other rules of the game in an easy-to-understand manner. Kids, for whom the simulcast was designed for, admired the fun-themed broadcast. Keith Smith, writer at Yahoo Sports, RealGM and CelticsBlog, tweeted that when he asked his daughter about what she likes about the Nickelodeon broadcast, she replied: “They’re explaining it. Like, in a way I can understand it as a kid. And these graphics are cool!”. Former American football quarterback Kurt Warner heaped praise on Nick for the playoff’s simulcast.

    “My son loves @Nickelodeon but has never sat and watched a football game with me UNTIL today… I appreciate Nick introducing our kids to the game in a fun & entertaining way!”, he tweeted.

    Much to the delight of those who found the simulcast appealing, Sean McManus, CBS Sports chairman, said that they’ll be looking to do similar broadcasts in the future with other Viacom platforms such as MTV, VH1 and BET.

    It might seem churlish to say so but when it comes to innovation and being at par with other top sports of the world, the game of cricket is an also-ran. As we saw when the idea of reducing Test matches to four days in order to increase the viewership numbers of Test cricket was tossed around, it invited criticism from a large number of traditionalists notorious for clinging to the age-old archaic rules. For a similar reason, ICC has attempted time and again to get cricket inducted into the Olympics to be at par with the other sports and solve its viewership conundrum but all of its attempts have been in vain.

    Although every aspect of this simulcast was amazing but one thing that stood out for me and must be there in cricket is that Young Sheldon part. If you scour through the Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC) website, it is tough for a common man to wrap his head around the plethora of rules listed there. Many argue that in the Subcontinent, cricket runs in their blood. However, that is simply watching the game, not completely understanding it. Understanding the game, and I cannot emphasize this enough, is different from simply watching it just like studying a book is different from reading it. To trigger interest in those who do not watch cricket or to ensure that those who watch, their interest does not fade out, ICC needs to inject fun in the game because today’s generation needs fun in everything to escape the worldly chaos and sports is no exception. Also, who (apart from traditionalists) wouldn’t like batsmen or bowlers getting slimed after scoring a hundred or taking a fifer or animated characters popping to explain the situation of the game?

  • ‘Stop killing dogs,’ says Hania Aamir after authorities allegedly shoot puppy

    A resident of Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Karachi Mehak Taherani has accused security officials of the private housing society of shooting dead her pet dog outside her house.

    “My puppy was shot dead by DHA outside my house,” said Mehak on Instagram. “Her name was Kobe.”

    Sharing details of the incident, Mehak, in a video, said: “My six-month-old dog was shot dead by DHA [police]. She was out doing her business in the morning [when she was shot] even though the guards of my street told the police that this is a house pet. Yet they shot her. Not once, but three times.”

    “I don’t understand why this happened or what she did to deserve such a thing,” said a visibly distressed Mehak in the video.

    Mehak further said that she will be filling a case against the police of the private housing authority, adding that she does not know how far this case will go.

    “The whole street knew her,” shared Mehak. “She slept right outside our house in a dog bed and was extremely friendly with everyone who came by.”

    “It is not okay that any agency of anywhere gets to get away with this,” remarked the resident. “I am shocked at the inhumanity in our country and its people. They [dogs] are scared of you, you do not need to feel threatened.”

    “What if he was a German Shepherd? Would it have been shot?,” questioned Mehak. “Probably not.”

    Soon after the video started doing the rounds on social media, several celebrities including Hania Aamir and Yasir Hussain condemned the brutal killing of the dog.

    Sharing Mehak’s video, Hania said: “She’s right. If it was a pure bred dog this would have never happened.”

    “Stop killing stray dogs,” she asserted.

    Meanwhile, several journalists and social media users also condemned the incident and urged authorities to take notice.

    Last week, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) imposed a complete ban on shooting stray dogs in the city.

  • European travel vlogger Christian Betzmann accepts Islam

    European travel vlogger Christian Betzmann accepts Islam

    European travel vlogger and YouTuber Christian Betzmann has accepted Islam after staying in Pakistan for around a year.

    Betzmann announced the news on social media, sharing a picture of himself holding a certificate from the Islamic School of Miami.

    “I have accepted Islam,” wrote Betzmann in the caption. “I started this channel last December and spend almost one year in Pakistan. During this time I met so many incredible people and learned a lot about the religion and the lifestyle.”

    “Growing up in Europe the word Islam was always connected with negativity, war, terrorism and to be completely honest I was never a religious person before so I didn’t really care what people thought back then. My best childhood friends were Muslims and deep inside we are all human beings in the same simulation we call life,” Betzmann added.

    Calling Islam a religion of peace he further said: “Islam is the religion of peace and I felt a deeper connection and something I want to experience and explore deeper for myself.”

    He also posted a vlog on his YouTube channel titled I ACCEPTED ISLAM | MY SHAHADA.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hxDOfNm-u0

    YouTubers Zaid Ali, Sham Idrees and people from entertainment industry including Zoya Nasir, Minal Khan and Zara Noor Abbas congratulated him on the big decision.

  • Amna Ilyas highlights ‘show off charity culture’ in new video

    Amna Ilyas highlights ‘show off charity culture’ in new video

    Amna Ilyas has highlighted show off charity culture in a new video.

    Read more – ‘You don’t hit women’: Osman Khalid Butt reacts to Bilal Saeed’s video

    In the video posted on Instagram, the model turned actor threw light on the prevailing show off culture in the society.

    “They say do charity silently or else the charity is you,” wrote Amna in the caption. “Remember, you’re doing it to fill someone else’s void not yours.”

    “The next time you give, the camera doesn’t need to follow,” she added. “Sadqa aese do ke dayen hath se karo toh bayen hath ko pata bhi na chaley.”

    In the video, Amna can be seen giving money to the poor in front of the camera. When the cameras turns off, she stops pretending to be nice with the poor and pushes them away.

    Read more – Mani hits back at those labelling his charity efforts a ‘cheap publicity stunt’

    This is not the first time Ilyas has made such a video. Earlier, she shared a video in which she highlighted the culture of exercising ‘power’ to avoid taking responsibility and stressed the need for respecting the rule of law.

    Meanwhile, Shaniera Akram praised Ilyas for smashing this culture.

    “Unfortunately this exists! Well done Amna, smash this culture for six,” she wrote.

  • Two white tiger cubs die at Lahore Zoo ‘due to negligence’

    Two white tigers cubs aged 3 months have died in Lahore Zoo, Geo News has reported.

    According to Director Lahore Zoo Chaudhry Shafqat, the cubs died because the mother could not take proper care of them. The director said the tigress gave birth to three cubs and while one died during the birth, “the remaining two cubs were sick for the past two months”.

    On the other hand, another report has claimed that the caretakers of the tiger cubs were not able to take proper care of the animals due to shortage of funds resulting in their death.

    This is not the first incident of mistreatment of animals by zoo authorities.

    Two months ago Peshawar Zoo lost its fourth giraffe in 2020, just a few days after a black bear’s alleged death.

    Islamabad zoo shuts down after last animals moved

    Meanwhile, Islamabad’s Marghazar Zoo — which drew international condemnation for its treatment of lonely elephant Kaavan — shut down in December 2020 after its final occupants Babloo and Suzie were relocated to Jordan.

    The two Himalayan bears were the last to leave the Islamabad facility, almost three weeks after the country’s only Asian elephant was flown to a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia.

  • Designer spills details on Bakhtawar’s green reception jora

    Designer spills details on Bakhtawar’s green reception jora

    Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari and Mahmood Choudhry’s intimate nuptials is all social media can talk about – more because details and pictures from the event were limited. Now that the festivities have wrapped up, the newlyweds are sharing snippets from their wedding on social media.

    After Zara Shahjahan and Bakhtawar gave us a close up of her mehndi dress, designer Haris Ahmed has revealed the process that went behind making Bakhtawar’s reception jora, adding that it required “over 800 hours” to make.

    Read more – Bilawal shares unseen family photo from Bakhtawar’s wedding

    Sharing a lovely picture of the bride and groom, Ahmed said the outfit “harmoniously blends ace craftsmanship with the utmost design precision to create [a] look that [is] the epitome of elegance and truly timeless in appeal.”

    “Our team worked over 800 development hours to bring this precious masterpiece, defined by the finest quality of hand-woven couture produced by zardozi “the art of gold sewing”, layered with the sucha gota “real gota” and [an] intricate twist of glistening threads that accentuate the design and reflects creativity that reinvents the traditional aesthetic,” added the designer.

    Ahmed also shared a picture of the outfit as it was being prepared in the workshop.

    In a separate post, the designer revealed that the Brunswick green pure raw silk and chiffon ensemble was hand embellished with sucha (pure) heavy gota work.

    Meanwhile, Bakhtawar shared a video from her muun dikhayi and a colourful picture from her mehndi on social media.