Cheap Girl Toys: Muzik Against Terrorism

“If your time to you Is worth savin’ Then you better start swimmin’ Or you’ll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin’ “-Bob Dylan, 1963

Â Last Saturday 20th September a small sms shattered me; my mother had another severe heart attack. Can not focus anymore on my paper as still thinking what’s happening to my ailing mother. She is dying and everyday doctors prescribing news tests and medicines. I wish I could fly back and could do something for her.

Working seven years with the radio changed my life as got so much love whom I never saw or met. Being a celebrity has its own pleasure getting so much fan mail and prayers. My program coordinator or I should say my mentor Asghar Sahib having paan in his mouth always call me an invisible celebrity, people only hear my voice and I can feel happiness and smiles. I never called myself a Radio Jockey but an Emotional Jockey as I have the power to make my listeners laugh, cry and sing with me. This bond of love is so strong as if I am a part of every family with whom I am connected. I share their sadness and happiness.

I am looking for HOPE even though Mr Obama not only talks about Hope but also Change. But so much has happened that I am lost and feeling alone. It’s really hard to think as what will happen next after Islamabad tragedy. It’s a mental trauma watching the same place burning where you spent time. I was at Marriott, Islamabad for a week to attend some meetings. Still memories flash back having informal conversations with the barber at the hair saloon, chef, front desk officer and the security guards. They all had their personal stories sharing their worries but always had a hope that good time will come in their lives. These thoughts bring tears in my eyes because death was not their destiny. She wanted to be a doctor but will the dream of this kindergarten school girl be fulfilled as her father is not coming home this evening. I should stop putting birthdays to remember on my planner because every day marks an event in history with so many death anniversaries.

My mother is 61 years old, still so beautiful after so many wrinkles, diseases all because of wrong diagnoses. I know these wrinkles are not because of her age but we her children have given her so much pain and sorrow. But one great thing about mothers are that they forget and forgive.

During my radio show I was reviewing a suspense/thriller movie. It was a must watch movie as so many things happening simultaneously. But the same thing is happening in Pakistan since 2007 removal of judges, Red Mosque issue, Warfare in tribal areas, State of emergency, Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, Resignation of Pervaiz Musharraf, Selection of Zardari as President, US attacks on Pakistani soil, and uncountable innocent deaths due to terrorism within Pakistan. This movie is a box office hit as so many views and reviews from international actors. All these events are historic as changing the way people think about the place they are living. The last song of my show was Yeh hum Nahi a multi star production featuring the vocal talents of Haroon, Ali Haider, Ali Zafar, Shufqat, Strings, Shuja Haider and Hadiqa Kiani. The song is not only thought provoking but very focused in delivering its message. This is a step towards a musical movement. Shahzad Roy’s Qismat apne haath mein is another protest song which was earlier banned. Adeel Salman another rock star from Pakistan is sending the same message in his song Nazuk Khawab. One of the reasons of our success against India were the patriot songs of Noor Jehan which rose the Morales of every soul in Pakistan.

Music and history have a lot of things common. Both are recorded, have a number of controversial periods and have the power to enrage us or pacify us. According to Adeel of Anesthezia Band, history and music are interpretive endeavors and therefore mean different things to different people. We have seen how music, literature, poetry has played an important role in history, perhaps the most fortuitous crossing of musical and historical paths occurred in the United States during the turbulent counterculture era of the 1960′s. Once Beatles were asked that why they had not recorded any anti-war songs, John Lennon responded, “All our songs are anti-war.” His statement suggested that through their messages of peace, love and understanding, the Beatles are taking a stand against war in more general terms, which is much more appealing to mainstream culture.

Â Protest music has deep roots in response to specific historical events or circumstances and generally written for or about the common man. During great depression, displaced musicians wandered from town to town hitching rides on railcars. These revolutionary musicians catalogued the suffering, the injustice, and the maltreatment of the less fortunate members in society and translated them into music. Mahatma Gandhi’s words are so true even today that you must be the change you wish to see in the world. We saw change gurus Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs Judy Collins, Beatels, Joan Baez, Allama Iqbal, Noor Jehan, Ahmad Faraz, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Ijaz ul Hassan and many more during Vietnam war, Civil Rights movement and Indo Pak movement.

Life moves on so as music but lets fight the war against terrorism through music. We need more people like Waseem Mahmood, Junoon, Adeel Salman and Shahzad Roy. This is a small step towards a bigger revolution. There is a space between the life and death of my mother with only a ventilator in-between. Can’t see her dying but still have the hope that she will be on her feet. Farrukh Khan Pitafi following Allama Iqbal’s Shikva writes a letter to God and said “please give me a chance to believe in you again”. Asghar Sahib called me that I have to fill this weekend show for another radio jockey. Im trying to sustain my hope and still believe that I can bring smile on my listeners face. Every artist in Pakistan has an untapped potential to create ripples through his painting, music, documentary, poetry and songs. Let’s hold each other rather pushing to a limit that we loose all our hope and faith.