Mehreen Jabbar’s Ramchand Pakistani

An enthusiastic applause followed soon after Mehreen Jabbar’s ‘Ramchand Pakistani’ ended in a in a packed downtown cinema in Ney York last night!

The movie had recently been nominated for the competition section of the Tribeca Film Festival 2008, New York.

The film portrays the story of a family torn apart as a father follows his son who had accidentally strayed across the border into India, and both get captured by the Indian authorities. Nandita Das from the acclaimed hits of the 1990s like Fire (1996) and Earth (199 plays the Pakistani mother stuggling for their freedom, and mourning their long absence. This story is said to be based on true events.

The film features many prominent Pakistani actors such as Rashid Farooqi, Noman Ijaz, Maria Wasti, Shahood Alvi, Tipu, Adarsh Ayaz, Saleem Mairaj, and of course the our little star, Syed Fazal Hussain who plays Ramchand.

Ramchand Pakistani might not invoke the same level of thought-provokation and enthusiasm as last year’s ‘Khuda Ke Liye’ did but it is set to lay bare a lot about the fact that several innocent people are detained by either of the two countries and tagged as ’spies’. Watch out for this one!

Title picture courtesy of  http://tribecacinemas.com

Mehreen’s image courtesy of http://word.world-citizenship.org

R e l a t e d     L i n k s

[ Ramchand Pakistani Official Site ]

[ Mehreen Jabbar Official Site ]

[ Tribeca Film Festival: Ramchand Pakistani ]

[ Minority Report: Ramchand Pakistani by Madeeha Syed ]

‘Umm… I’m Sorry?’

So it has come down to this. The seemingly not-so sensible and hot-headed speedster, Shoaib Akthar, has been advised to try a new angle with respect to his ongoing appeal over a 5-year ban that has been slapped on him by the PCB. He apologised! 

Adjudged by many is a ‘little too harsh’, Shoaib was banned from all forms of cricket not only within Pakistan but also from representing Pakistan in any tournament any where for 5 years. The reason cited for this severe punishment by the PCB was his consistent breach of the Cricket Board’s code of conduct.

Then, most recently, when he was not granted the central contract like many other high end national players, Shoaib lashed out at the PCB and threatened to take them to court over the ban. The PCB, led by Nasim Ashraf retaliated by saying the board itself will sue the player for 200 million rupees (£2.5 million).

Later on, Shoaib tried another approach be stating to the media that he will be happy to see a decrease in the ban.  

That was earlier this month but now it seems like Shoaib knows he has back against the wall. He has already missed out helplessly on the ongoing IPL where he was signed up to play for Shahrukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders. Due to the imposed ban, the sponsors of IPL had no choice but to keep him out.

‘Working’ vs ‘Sitting’ Late!

I got this from a friend (Omer Jan) a while ago in my gmail inbox. This happens to be a mail sent by Narayan Murthy, one of the seven founders of the renowned Infosys Tech to the entire Infosys staff. Worth a read as many of us might be able to relate to it *chuckles*

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author. WeCite does not necessarily agree or disagree with them and is solely responsible for putting it up on its blog as it is.
————————
It’s half past 8 in the office but the lights are still on…  
PCs still running, coffee machines still buzzing…  
And who’s at work? Most of them??? Take a closer look…  
 
All or most specimens are? Something male species of the human race…  
Look closer… again all or most of them are bachelors…  
 
And why are they sitting late? Working hard? No way!  
Any guesses?  
Let’s ask one of them…  
Here’s what he says:

What’s there to do after going home…Here we get to surf, AC, phone, food, coffee that is why I am working late…Importantly no bossssssss!  

This is the scene in most research centers and software companies and other off-shore offices.  
 
Bachelors ‘Time-passing’ during late hours in the office just becaise they say they’ve nothing else to do…  
Now what are the consequences…  
 
“Working” (for the record only) late hours soon becomes part of the institute or company culture. With bosses more than eager to provide support to those ‘working’ late in the form of taxi vouchers, food vouchers and of course good feedback, (oh, he’s a hard worker, goes home only to change!). They aren’t helping things too either!  
 
To hell with bosses who don’t understand the difference between ’sitting’ late and ‘working’ late!!!  
 
Very soon, the boss start expecting all employees to put in extra working hours. So, my dear bachelors let me tell you, life changes when u get married and start having a family. Office is no longer a priority, family is. And  
that’s when the problem starts, because u start having commitments at home too.  
 
For your boss, the earlier ‘hardworking’ guy suddenly seems to become an ‘early leaver’ even if you leave an hour after regular time after doing the same amount of work.  
 
People leaving on time after doing their tasks for the day are labeled as work-shirkers.
 
Girls who thankfully always (its changing nowadays though) leave on time are labeled as ‘not up to it’. All the while, the bachelors pat their own backs and carry on ‘working’ not realizing that they are spoiling the work culture at their own place and never realize that they would have to regret at one point of time.  
 
So what’s the moral of the story??   
* Very clear, LEAVE ON TIME!!!  
* Never put in extra time ‘unless really needed’  
* Don’t stay back unnecessarily and spoil your company work culture which will in turn cause inconvenience to you and your colleagues.  
 
There are hundred other things to do in the evening:  
 
Learn music…  
Learn a foreign language…  
Try a sport… TT, cricket………  
Get a girl friend or boy friend, take him/her around town…  
And for heaven’s sake, net cafe rates have dropped to an all-time low (plus, no fire-walls) and try cooking for a change.  
Take a tip from the Smirnoff ad: “Life’s calling, where are you?”  
 
Please pass on this message to all those colleagues and please do it before leaving time, don’t stay back till midnight to forward this!!!  
 
IT’S A TYPICAL INDIAN/PAKISTANI MENTALITY THAT WORKING FOR LONG HOURS MEANS VERY HARD WORKING & 100% COMMITMENT ETC.  
 
PEOPLE WHO REGULARLY SIT LATE IN THE OFFICE DON’T KNOW TO MANAGE THEIR TIME. SIMPLE! 

Regards,  
NARAYAN MURTHY.    

Taliban Suspend Talks With Govt over Deadlock

Why am I not surprised to hear this? *chuckles*

So our democratic, non-barbaric, pious, and ‘civil’ government has had the door slammed on their face by the T-Boys. Ha. Were you really expecting them to do otherwise? How silly of you.

There were basically four demands put forward by the T-boys to our kind government:

- Withdrawl of Pakistan Army from South Waziristan tribal region and the Swat Valley

- Prisoner exchange. The Taliban claim to be holding over a hundred security forces members and want some 200 of their militants in jails to be released in exchange.

- Compensation to the affected people of Waziristan and Swat

- Free movement of Taliban activities in the country

So I ask our government, what is stopping you from accepting these demands that you had deemed so ‘justified’ while you were taking out protest rallies and crying over in support of the T-Boys when you were NOT in power? What are you really afraid of? Or is it that you are finally showing your true colors? *chuckles*

Disney’s Nightmare!

Disney is in a fix! It’s a debate however whether a 15 year old is to be called a girl or a child and whether the controversially suggestive photographs of one of their supposedly ‘wholesome’ young stars in the recent issue of Vanity Fair actually amount to child pornography or are they as ‘artsy‘ as the starlet, Miley Cyrus, claims them to be, or at least that is what she said earlier before the storm started brewing.

I am not going to post any of the images under scrutiny here (you can see them in the ‘Related Links’ below) but I would like to say that in my opinion, she does not look like a child. I see a young woman and that too in a country where she is bordering on the legal age anyways. Also I don’t find her ‘topless’ as many suggest her to be. She is wrapped in a bedsheet and looks very similar to a backless gown. What is actually troubling is perhaps not the images but the fact that her fan following majority includes young kids.

Famous US entertainment program, Entertainment Tonight had actually reported on April 25 about this photoshoot. The photo, and subsequently released behind-the-scenes photos, show Cyrus without a top, her bare back exposed but her front covered with a bedsheet. The photo shoot was taken by photographer Annie Leibovitz.

The NY Times jumped in and put up a story about her coupled with the full photograph. Parents across the United States were outraged at such irresponsible behavior from some one their kids adore and love to watch.

The very same day, Miley comes our with an apology that states:

I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be ‘artistic’ and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed. I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about.

[ source ]

The following day on April 28, Vanity Fair responded by publishing their full interview and photo shoot with Cyrus and her father Billy Ray Cyrus, as well as the behind-the-scenes photographs, on their website. According to the interview, Cyrus’ parents and/or minders were present during the entire duration of the photo shoot. The idea to pose topless was Annie Liebovitz’s suggestion. When asked if she were “anxious” about the pose, Cyrus stated to interviewer Bruce Handy:

No, I mean I had a big blanket on. And I thought, This looks pretty, and really natural. I think it’s really artsy. It wasn’t in a skanky way.… And you can’t say no to Annie. She’s so cute. She gets this puppy-dog look and you’re like, O.K.

[ source ]

R e l a t e d   L i n k s

[ Miley Cyrus Official Website ]

[ NY Times: A Topless Photo Threatens a Major Disney Franchise ]

[ Vanity Fair: Miley Knows Best ]

[ Vanity Fair: Behind The Scenes With Miley Cyrus ]

Fun Stuff: Break This Cypher!

The WeCite Blog is sending something your way in hope to work your idle brains in to a frenzy with this bizzare-looking (but in fact very simple) question in the form of a cypher.

Unfortunately there are no rewards for solving this cypher but hey, it’s worth sparking up those neurons

 TMRNOM  HOSDDB  EFTRDE  SFHENR UIUDUS 

This cypher is based on a very famous cypher technique that can be solved by putting the contents of the cypher (yes the ones in blue above) in a grid and then reading it with a given key (see below). Once the cypher is arranged with a little bit of creativity, the message beautifully unfolds on its own right in front of you. Go ahead. give it a shot. 

The key to this cypher is: spiral inwards, anti-clockwise, starting from the top left.

Just a hint, the answer to the riddle within is a five digit whole number

Do we have a smarty pants in the house?

Pakistan’s (New) Image?

Under the Islamic principle of Qisas on the charges of killing one of their comrades, Pakistani tribal Taliban execute an alleged kidnapper. image from Gulf-Times

With the evident news of roadblocks being lifted in the militant stronghold of South Waziristan, the local Taliban Commander, Baitullah Mehsud and his merry men, held responsible for various incidents of suicide bombings and attacks on civilians and armed forces since last year now have an open hand to run their operations.

What needs to be seen now is that whether, despite the ongoing controversial peace deal, the Taliban will remain content with where they are right now or would we be seeing such executions in Fatima Jinnah Park (Isl) or Race Course Park (Lahore) any time soon. 

Objection Please…

Very recently I had the dis-pleasure of reading a post by one of the authors of the Islamabad Metroblogs that really ruined my mood. Generally, the Islamabad Metroblogs have had a very smart and mature breed of writers in their band wagon that have stuck to a very balanced citizen journalism. So it was sad to see their author by the name of Fatima humoring about the hightened security protocals at the Serena hotel in the highly volatile capital of Islamabad.

It wasn’t her description or rather explanation of her friend with a niqab and the text-book labelled “International Politics of TERRORISM” that is objectionable. What leaves a bad taste in the mouth is her seemingly evident sarcasm of the efforts and the security measures being taken to protect the lives of thousands and how she found funny the confusion on the faces of the guards.

As she puts it herself:

So there we were, two strange pedestrians walking up to the main gate of Serena, one of us carrying a huge suspicious-looking backpack, and the other dressed in a black nikaab and abaaya, brandishing a book about terrorism.

Why would you NOT be singled out and scrutinized when it is this very description that has been the cause of so many suicide bombings in the country? And she really does it in her closing statements by saying:

On the way out, my friend whipped out her phone and started making a video of the hotel. From their posts at the gate, the security people stared uneasily. But what could the poor dears do, after all? My friend and I laughed all the way home.

Do grow up child and respect the effort that has been put in to keep you and your friends safe from blowing in to a million pieces. Such irresponsible yap and that too at a place such as Islamabad Metroblogs that has made a name of itself due to its blunt yet honest journalism only goes to spoil its image.

Not only that but it is indeed sad to see how some of us are so naive so as to not appreciate the importance of such efforts done to our own advantage. Making fun of the evident panic that is caused by such stupid behavior as wearing a niqab and filming the hotel is not a joke. You really need to learn what is happening in our country.

NOTE: This post has recently been ‘toned down’.

Harbhajan You Spoil Sport!

image courtesy of www.bhavane.com

In the world of cricket, getting ’smacked’, ‘hammered’, or ’slapped’ around for boundries is often heard of. What is NOT heard of that often is LITERALLY crossing over the ethical boundries and norms of professional behaviour to an extent that you ACTUALLY slap another player!

Indian’s hot-headed Harbhajan Singh, commonly known as ‘Turbanator’ has recently done just that. No big surprises there really. The guy has been known well for his out-bursts and flaring temper ESPECIALLY when he is on the losing end. This is one guy who would whine, groan, abuse, and do any thing else under the sky to vent out his frustrations. HOWEVER, the fact that the guy who got slapped was none other than his fellow team mate from the Indian National Team, the paceman S. Sreesanth, is plain disgusting!

Mr Singh’s hot headed actions have really dented the spirit of the Indian Premier League considering that the sponsors and the captains alike boasted of the so called ‘Spirit of the game’ and to follow the ‘Code of Condct’ by heart!

Not only has his image as a captain has been tarnished but ALSO the image India wanted to portray to the world through IPL has received a big blow! He has made Zidane’s famous head-butt to the Italian in the  most recent football world cup final look like child’s play with his antics.

Harbajan has been suspended for his behavior and might face up to a ban of 10 matches as well.

His parents kept up a very tight-lipped approach when probed around my the media which was a clear indication that some kind of settlement was on the way. While many argue that Harbajan is at fault for over-reacting, there is an equally vocal group that sides with him and accuses Sreesanth of biting more than he could chew by verbally challenging a senior player.

image courtesy of bp3.blogger.com

Still one can not rule out that Harbajan has been flirting with controversies for quite some time now. His stand-off against Australian Andrew Symonds only two months back over racial remarks put him in hot waters when he called the Australian a ‘big monkey’. Later when Harbajan came back from the Australian tour, he said that the former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist was not a ’saint’, which irked Cricket Australia. Such controversies have been with him ever since he debuted to be honest. He got entangled in war-of-words with Ricky Ponting on his debut ODI back in 1998 for which he was also fined. Add to that his drop from the national team over a suspected bowling action. Then in 2000 he was thrown out of the National Cricket Academy for avoiding workouts and not following the academy’s objectives.

The inquiry into the incident at Mohali in the game between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians will now take place at the Maurya Sheraton, New Delhi on April 28th 2008. A final verdict would be announced by the adjudicator Farookh Engineer post hearing at New Delh

Hold your breath for THE DARK KNIGHT

image from themovieblog

Megan Fox: FHM’s sexiest woman on Earth 2008

The sultry siren and Transformers co-star, Megan Fox, has recently been declared the Sexiest Women of 2008 by FHM readers.

The 21-year-old model-actress beat out the likes of Angelina Jolie (No. 12), Rihanna (No. 14), Kim Kardashian (No. 17), Paris Hilton (No. 77) and last year’s champion, Jessica Alba (No. 3).

Megan debuted on the annual list in 2006 at No. 68 and ranked at No. 65 in 2007. Joining her in the top 10 this year are — in descending order — Jessica Biel, Alba, Elisha Cuthbert, Scarlett Johansson, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Hilary Duff, Tricia Helfer, Blake Lively and Kate Beckinsale. Britney Spears came in last place at No. 100. FHM said nearly 9 million votes were cast for the 14th edition of the annual poll.

Although Megan’s performance in Transformers was largely overshadowed by the likes of Megatron and Optimus Prime, she is set to star in three upcoming titles namely:  How To Lose Friends And Alienate People, Jennifer’s Body and WHORE that would really tell us if she is ‘more than just a pretty face’

Maharashtra joins Afridi’s Cause

Up until yesterday, I had the feeling that Afridi was a lone ranger out in India having shouted out loud against the ‘unnecessary’ inclusion cheerleaders in the ongoing Indian Premier League and deeming it ‘distracting’. But not any more.

It seems like the Maharashtra government has indirectly joined the ‘Afridi-cause’ by condemning the ‘vulgar’ acts on display by the cheerleaders with “bulging breasts and gyrating bellies” and have been dubbed as “worse than bar dancers who were making mockery of cricket!”

Actor-turned-politician, Shatrughan Sinha also seemed irked by the presence of cheerleaders and went on to say:

If you are so interested in deploying these girls who dance after hits of fours and sixes, it is better to give chance to the bar girls who have been rendered unemployed after Maharashtra government put a ban on dance in bars!

Indian Social Activist, Swami Agnivesh outrightly rejected the cheerleading concept and said it is degrading Indian culture:

It is the height of vulgarity and it should be stopped. People in the age group of 10 to 70 years come to see matches with their families. In a country like India, the public representation of obscenity will not be tolerated!

It seems like the idea of importing the cheerleader-effect from the United States has had severe implications for the IPL. While there are many including Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shahrukh Khan who believe that there is nothing wrong with bringing this element of entertainment to the world of cricket, the protests against cheerleaders and their routines is growing day by day.

Time will tell how the cookie crumbles.

The ‘blunders’ of a ‘peace deal’: Abdul Aziz to be freed

So the spanking new government is turning a new leaf in the way Pakistan functions. A so called series of ’peace negotiations’ have been underway behind closed doors for quite some time now. The current government is showing a softer side by letting go of top taliban and militant leaders who have been involved in suicide bombings and attacks on the state and its people and now, there are talks of the infamous burqa-clad-(so called) maulvi abdul aziz getting a free ticket as well! Yes, the very same Abdul Aziz who tried to sneak out of the Red Mosque clad in a burqa and was caught with his pants down!

What is this stupid government thinking is beyond me. Releasing such a cunning and dangerous man who had been an active force in not only brain washing thousands of men and children to take up arms and the law in their hands across the capital but also was behind the blasphemous sermons that echoed from the Red Mosque and resulted in the los of 100s of lives on either side. They are going to let the plague free and guess who is behind all these efforts: Fazlur Rehman, the leader of the hard-line Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam! 

One might wonder what miracle is the government hoping for by doing all this? Do they actually think they will be able to quell the Taliban movement by freeing a bunch of rats? Such a move is going to further encourage them to demand more and more from a weak government who seems to be literally bent over to please the hardliners.

A summary of this agreement between the government and the taliban factions is as under:

• The Taliban will expel “foreign militants” within one month

• The Taliban will ensure that terrorist activities will not occur inside Pakistan

• The Taliban will not allow their lands to be used for anti-state activities

• The Taliban will not target the government or security forces

• The Taliban will not damage equipment or property belonging to the government and the military

• The Taliban will not kidnap military or government officials

• The Taliban will not attack foreign or local workers participating in aid projects

• The Frontier Corps will maintain access to roadways

• The Taliban will not create a shadow government or institutions

• The Taliban will not interfere with development and humanitarian projects

• The political administration will verify any violations of the agreement

• Problems will be resolved through the local political administration

• The government maintains the right to act if the agreement is violated

• Both sides will exchange hostages and prisoners after the agreement is signed

• The Pakistani Army will be withdrawn from the region.

When Not In Form, Blame The Cheerleaders!

Shahid Afridi has done it again! He has made a name for himself in the ongoing Indian Premier League but in the wrong books! The dynamic ‘boom boom Afridi’ from Pakistan who is playing for the Deccan Chargers has called for the removal of cheerleaders from the IPL tournament saying that they cause too much of a “distraction”!

Speaking to The NEWS he said: “The girls in skimpy dresses should be removed from the ground as this is distracting the batsman.”

Afridi… Afridi… what are we to say to you now?

Why is it that you are the ONLY person in the ENTIRE IPL who seems to be visibly distracted by the girls dancing outside the boundries?

Are they popping in front of the sight-screen or is it just you who simply can’t keep your eyes off them?

How come such a news never made the stands back in South Africa when the Twenty20 World Cup took place last year?

Is it because you were eager to smash around and had your eyes set on McCullum’s 158 in the first match of the IPL clashes but failed to score even in double figures?

Really… which one is it Afridi?

Tragedy at LUMS: Hashir Munawer

The general mood at the Lahore University of Management Sciences has been that of shock and sadness ever since the news of one of its final year student’s suicide went public. Hashir Munawer, a 4th year economics major hailing from DHA Karachi committed suicide on Tuesday (April 22) by hanging himself from the ceiling fan in his hostel room.

His friends and mentors described him as average in his studies but a good volley-ball player. He had recently been put on probation by the administration owing to his low CGPA. The deceased was found by his younger brother Aqib (a student himself at LUMS) and hostel warden who entered his room with the spare keys when they found it locked and no response came from inside.

It is still being argued as to whether the cause of this tragic incident was indeed because he came under immense stress after being put on probation and was facing pressure from his parents as well. However, a friend of his by the name of Sana recently posted on the naitazi website dismissing these media rumors as mere ‘misinformation’.  

One of the Lahore Metroblogs author, lah_hareem has blamed the system for Hashir’s sad demise. Stating that there have been 4 (unconfirmed though) suicide attempts at LUMS, the post quotes:

Changing policies at the drop of a hat and then implementing them on graduating classes and not the next new intake, the insensitivities of a “perfect” world. Does this not happen everywhere? Students get kicked out of schools in their final years for O and A levels only because they are not performing “up to the mark”? Who defines success? Who defines this mark? Have we lost our values and basic regard for humans around us in this vicious cycle? a fourth grader taking as many tuitions as there are subjects. Is “winning” everything and “living” does not measure up?

Read the full post here

Whatever the reasons may be, a life has been lost. Hashir Munawaer is no longer among us and the void he has left might never be filled. May Allah forgive him for his sins and grant him peace (Amen).

Hashir’s image courtesy of Lahore Metroblogs