Same thing but for different purposes

Image Credit: Daily Jang

A group which calls itself Women and Family Commission has put up some banners on the streets of Karachi. The message is subversive and it calls for women to NOT work and stay at home.

See them for yourself.

Employment is not the answer to all the problems of women

I request the City Government of Karachi in general and Naib Nazima (Deputy Mayor) who is a working woman, in particular to get these banners removed as soon as possible.

I personally have been a fan of Sheema Kermani and Tehrik-e-Niswan’s work. Celebrating their 30 years, a festival with the name TLISM has been launched. Please see the poster by clicking the thumbnail image.

Information about the plays:

• March 7: – ANJI: (With the original cast of 1985 – Sheema Kermani, Khalid Ahmad, Imran Aslam, Anjum Ayaz, Akber Subhani, Zakia Sarwar, Ehteshamuddin), a witty and hilarious modern “Nautanki” with live musicians, about the comic and tragic aspects of Anji’s search for a husband. This acclaimed production has had many successful repeat performances not only in Karachi but also in Lahore and Islamabad. It has been one of the most popular plays of Tehrik.

• March 8: – RAQS KARO: To celebrate International Women’s Day, a multi-media musical extravaganza, incorporating dance, music, poetry and video projections, based on the poetry and writings of Fahmida Riaz, depicting the changing position of woman in society over the ages- vocals by Gulshanara Syed and Tina Sani, performed by Sheema Kermani and her dance troupe.

• March 10 & 11: – BIRJEES QADAR KA KUNBA: Originally performed in 1988 as CHADAR AUR CHARDIWARI) – Adapted from Garcia Lorca’s ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’, this is an uncanny but faithful portrayal of the lives of a vast majority of unmarried girls living under the yoke of brutally repressive feudal male values in a world dominated by twisted notions of honour, tradition and social oppression. The all women cast includes Shehnaz Ismail, Mahvash Faruqi, Asma Mundrawala, Shama Askari, Shireen Naqvi and others.

March 12: – JINNAY LAHORE NAHIN VEKHYA: (Performed originally in 1992). Based on a true incident of 1947 set in Lahore, about a family that migrates from Lucknow and an old Hindu woman left behind in an abandoned Haveli. With the poetry of Nasir Kazmi sung live. The cast includes Salim Meraj, Mahvash Faruqi, Saife Hasan, Adnan Tipu Shah, Asma Mundrawala, Hafeez Ali and others. The play was remounted in August 2007 and has had many successful performances in India.

March 13: – ISMAT KI DOU KAHANIYAN: Based on two famous short stories of Ismat Chughtai, KAAFIR and AMAR BEL, one about a Muslim girl marrying a Hindu boy and the other about the marriage of a young woman to a much older man. Cast – Asma Mundrawala, Mahvash Faruqi, Salim Meraj, Saife Hasan, Sheema Kermani.

• March 14 & 15: -USS BEWAFA KAY SHEHR MAIN: (First performed in 1999). An adaptation in Minglish, of Somerset Maugham’s ‘The Constant Wife’, this witty and hilarious comedy brings to life the story of a seemingly docile housewife who decides to pay back her philandering husband…in kind! The cast includes Dr Mervyn Hosain, Arjumand Rahim, Shehnaz Ismail, Aamir Masood, Sheema Kermani and others.

• March 27 to 29: – EK HAZAR AUR EK THI RATEIN: (With the original cast of 1998) A musical play taken from the stories of “A Thousand and One Nights” that brings to the surface the problems related to the position of women. This play has toured all over Pakistan and India and participated at many festivals.

Be there to support, be there to enjoy.

Like my friend who forwarded it i am also wondering if this reward is on performance or what as we know the “facilities” pretext is an eyewash. SC judges are the most rewarded in terms of facilities and we know their 50 year record. 168 SM cars (168 x 450000  = 75600000) is not an ordinary amount. Also the CM doesn’t tell in paper as to what GOOD actually they have done to deserve this so none could say ki kaam toh takkey ka nai or ye ayyashi ?. Iftikhar Ch. got the cases just above 10k from 18k in 3 years we know and we also know the “REWARD” by the dictator.

Has it to do anything with coming Lawyers March? Any stats, records, or figures to tell us exactly how EFFICIENTLY they did their work? .  Full Story

Personally, I feel this as very dangerous but I am not sure whether their parents are aware or not about this kind of stylish riding. Who should be responsible in case of any disaster? Parents, Rickshaw driver, or children?

Power generation is definitly required for the lights to come back in KHI, there is no argument on it but that is not the only reason why we were without electricity at times in this mosam-e-sarma. Ummat reports that its not actually the production, its actually the profit and the BIG digits that keep Karachi in darkness. (more…)