Found in a class work copy of a (class 5) school student.

What’s surprises me is that none of the local news channels are reporting any of it.

DR. Jurgen Wasim Frembgen, Dr S. Mehdi Raza Shah Subzwari, Dr Marcus Litz and Ameena Saiyid addressing the audience.

Yesterday, 12 of November, 2008 Oxford University Press Launched “Journey To God” a book written by DR. Jurgen Wasim Frembgen. The book is a revised English translation from the original German edition by Jane Ripken. The book surveys the whole Muslim world with special emphasis on Pakistan and India to understand the Sufi Islam as being embedded in wider and social and cultural context focusing on it’s concrete, practiced and live forms, showing how popular Sufism developed into almost ubiquitous mass movement, present in all levels of the Muslim society as a dynamic force until modern times. The book tries to synthesize the perspective and approaches of ethnography, history and Islamic studies to explore the different facets of Sufism which sets this book apart from various other introductory books available on the topic. The book not only address to the Sufi and Dervish traditions as a spiritual path following mystical teachings but also focuses on it’s popular manifestations as a ritualized, performance - oriented part of the local everyday religion.

Journey To God

DR. Jurgen Wasim Frembgen is the chief Curator of the Oriental department of the Museum of Ethnology in Munich as well as Private Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Munich.  He has been a visiting professor at the Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad and at the National College of Arts in Lahore. Frembgen has also been conducting ethnographic fieldwork in Pakistan on an annual basis since 1981. He has written extensively on Islam and Sufi traditions and curated numerous exhibitions dealing with the cultures of Muslim world and has several publications to his credit including The Friends of GOD, a book on Popular (Sufi) Poster Art from Pakistan Published By OUP , Karachi back in 2006.

At the launch Ameena Saiyid, the managing director presented a copy if the book to the chief guest of the ceremony, Dr S. Mehdi Raza Shah Subzwari, the Sajjada Nashin, Qalander Lal Shahbaz, Sehwan Sharif. In her short address to the guests at the launch Ameena Saiyid, after introducing the author and the book also gave a brief introduction on some of the forthcoming titles by Oxford University Press, some well researched titles with the context to our region and it’s history and culture.

Journey To God is available at all OUP outlets and retail shops around the country for a price of Rs.499/=.

The paintings exhibited by the artist portray women of the Thar Desert and the issues they deal with on the daily bases. One is sure to spot a “Matka”, an earthen vessel used to store drinking water, in almost all his paintings pointing to the major and much talked issue of availability of drinking water for there people. Poverty is also quite clearly addressed along with children who are shown standing idle with their mothers or young girls walking with a matka. The artists says his works comes from heart, and he has well addressed much talked issues of the people through portraying these women because he feels these women suffer the most due to these issues yet they battle for survival and raise their children with a bold stance.  

Artist Rafique Soomro At KUNJ Art Gallery.

What I feel lacked in the artists work were issues which are not much talked about but are equally serious when it comes to the women folks. In his work all the women are portrayed colorfully with a certain contentment and with a feel of complete command, but infect the status of women in these areas is very oppressed. Also hygiene, child care and women health issues are also some of the major issues these women face, but sadly none of his work touched any of these issues.

 On the whole the exhibition is a brilliant display of art, his intelligent choice of keeping the colors and compositions well balanced, and skillfully presenting his subject in it’s true details and essence is simply marvelous. And He has indeed done a great job of brilliantly portraying  the true women of Thar.   

The exhibition for any art enthusiast will surely be totally inspiring and a pleasure to visit.

The exhibition will remain open till 8th of December 2008, At the KUNJ Art Gallery, Karachi

KUNJ Art Gallery:

  20-A Muhammad Ali Housing Society,

  Main Fatima Jinnah Road, Karachi.

  Tel: (92-21) 4312481, 4526028.   

This October 2008, 60 museums and art spaces around the world are showcasing Pedro Meyer’s Heresies Exhibition around the world. Karachi’s The Second Floor is the venue for Pakistan to be exhibiting this fabulous exhibition, a retrospective comprising of four decades of groundbreaking work by one of the world’s most innovative photographer.

” Mexican photographer Pedro Meyer is as renowned for his powerful and provocative photographs as he is for his pioneering work with digital imaging. Meyer’s photographs consistently test the limits of truth, fiction and reality. With the advent of digital photography in the early 1990s, Meyer evolved from a documentary photographer who created so-called “straight photographs” into a digital-documentarian who often combines photographic elements from disparate times and places to arrive at a different or higher truth.

 Meyer’s oft- expressed contention that all photographs — digitally manipulated or not — are equally “true” and “untrue” has been labeled “heretical” in the orthodox documentary photography community. Hence the title Heresies. ”

Starting October 21, the Heresies Exhibition at the second Floor will continue for six weeks. The photographs on display will be changes every two weeks for the duration of the exhibition while a 40″ LCD display will be running a slideshow of Pedro Meyer photographs.

Also in the duration of these six weeks a series of workshops and panel discussions featuring Pakistan leading photographers including Amean J, Farah Mahbub and other photographers and journalists, the details of which are here will be the part of the whole even.

The exhibition is a blessing for photographers and specially for people studying communication designs, fine arts or advertising and a must to visit for every art and photography enthusiast.

For further details and directions to the venue please visit http://www.t2f.biz/

So it looks like we are quickly forgetting our own language, aren’t we ?

 The kitchen is buzzing with activity, filled with delicious aromas and soothing sounds of laughter as we exchange jokes, pass comments while working and enjoying in a festive mood. The only person who is totally mute, and has remained completely ignored, as if never existed, surrounded by a deafening silence, is Haseena.

 But her silence breaks when my five year old niece, enters the kitchen and pipes up at the old maid, “App nay Eid ka shopping kerlee ?” ( ” Have you done your shopping for Eid ? ” ). Haseena sighs, the activities is the room insensitively continue, traces of tears appear in her eyes, with a weary smile she says “Yes my dear child, I have”. “What did you buy for your grand daughter Nazoo ?” My niece asked her another question, but this time she couldn’t keep herself contained anymore, removing the last few pakoras out of the fryer she bursts involuntarily into tears, and collapses right there on the floor. My knives stops halfway into the expensive baby carrots, soon everyone is trying to console her while she narrates the misery she is going through.

 The old maid had only one daughter, she married her off some seven years back at the age of 19. In in the years her daughter produced four children (all girls), they were living a happy couple until a year and a half back her husband married another younger women, her daughter sill wanted to compromise but the little earnings the man brought home were not enough for everyone and soon his new wife was expecting, the expenses increased and when his new baby was born her husband decided to let go of his older wife. Haseena’s daughter was divorced and sent back to her mothers home along with her four children.

 But the story doesn’t end here, it was soon discovered that Haseena’s daughter was expecting again, Her daughter was beaten up badly, and was raped by her husband the night before she received her divorce. Now Haseena’s daughter is due is a few months.

 Although her daughters medical expenses are taken care of by a gynecologist the old mother works for but still by the end of the day there are four children and an expecting mother to provide food and take care of and it is often that there is not much for all of them to share.

 Haseena worries how her daughter will manage to take care of her five children alone, She is already wearing of old age, she definitely won’t be able to contribute to the family for much longer. She says she will try marring her daughter to another man yet again if luck is on her side.

 Moments after her story ends, the red baby carrots and green little olives are again getting sliced and chopped under my swift knife, the kitchen soon resumes to its lively activities, the festivities continue the only issue at hand is to get a pair of sandals for my five year old niece from Tariq road.

 Haseena’s story has changed nothing in the world. Haseena has always been there in our lives, doing our dirty laundries, helping us in the kitchen, assisting our children at shopping malls and parties, Haseena has always been telling her story but yet she goes always unnoticed unheard of. She does not exist, she never did.

An Exhibition titled “mien” by Dr. Altamash Kamal, of portraits evoking a vast spectrum of emotions, sentiments and thoughts, celebrating delicate bonds and shedding light on the grim realities of life opened on the 18 of September, 2008 at the Canvas Art Gallery in Karachi.  

The magnificent portraits featured at the exhibition comprise of noted personalities of the country who have made a vibrant impact on our society, some near and dear ones of to the artist who have touched his soul so to become a vital part of his personality, people who almost remain unnoticed but play a vital role to define us for who we are and people who are suffering just because we have failed to look upon them and recognize them as fellow beings.

The artwork on display is sure to engage anyone with an eye for depth, in dialogs overwhelming with emotions and sentiments, giving the word life and it’s connection with them and with “mien” (me) a totally different meaning.

The exhibition will remain open till 30th of September, 2008, Daily from 5 - 8 pm at the Canvas Gallery.

Location: Canvas Art Gallery,

            A-3 Hassan Homes,

            Block 5, Clifton

Phone:  021-5838563

Image Credits: Dr. Altamash Kamal