It is also repeat telecast later that night. It is such a strong experience - that I do wonder why other TV channels don't opt to telecast it - atleast once. I do not intend to go into the details of that impressive parade. By focusing on the day's significance, the viewers were once again compelled to wonder on the state of the nation.
Indeed these national holidays are reminders that citizens need to reflect on the journey that the country has so far undertaken, and the value of the mileage recorded. There is more to national holidays than the national songs - though some of the songs have poetry that evokes nostalgia of how we have fared.
Now for all the cynicism and skepticism that we have as a people and howsoever disappointed we may be at the quality of life and the quality of our governance, there is the hard fact that Pakistan Day brings to viewers the ceremonies that are held for the presentation of civil and military awards to distinguished men and women from all walks of life. There was a time when these ceremonies were reported in the newspapers, either by lists of recipients or by photographs of some of them.
The more official newspapers (like the former National Press Trust dailies) carried more photographs than their competitors. Now the PTV carries these detailed reports from Islamabad, and the provincial capitals, in which are telecast the official ceremonies of how provincial governors give away the awards and the medals for Pride of Performance.
It was perhaps the first time that I saw the ceremonies on the television - all of them. I saw almost each and every participant walk up to receive their medal or award, and it had me reflecting on many issues that relate to Pakistani society.
For instance, a recurring thought was about the commitment and the excellence of the recipients and why at all Pakistani society is in the mess that is so easily seen around us. For all the awards and medals that have been distributed in the sixty years, why does one still get the feeling that in particular, the educated people, the affluent people, and the decision makers have let down the Pakistan people?
As one saw the award ceremony from each of the provincial capitals, I found myself becoming somewhat grim. It was good to know that there is so much talent and dedication in this country, and that there is recognition and appreciation also. But what does one do with the nagging thought, the lingering feeling, that not enough has been done by the upper strata of society for the lower classes.
For the common man, which made me wonder whether these award distribution ceremonies are popular with a majority of the viewers. That I personally end up seeing such telecasts and spend solitary time with them, contemplating the ifs and buts of this, is something that I have learnt to live with. Whether most people would watch these telecasts or not, it is always worth seeing award recipients, some of whom one sees for the first time. And perhaps the last time. Some award recipients go into oblivion? That too has been our experience.
I think in course of time TV viewers will realise that the 23rd of March also brings the birthday of Aaj TV. The channel is now two years old. And so on Pakistan Day there was a special Late Night Show with Begum Nawazish Ali, which focused on the channel itself. She was naughtily revealing in the sari (or rather the blouse!) that she wore - but she was also sharing with viewers home truths about some of the men and women who work in visible positions in the TV channel.
She had a buoyant Shahab Zuberi, Chief Operating Officer Aaj TV, as her first guest that night. That was a pleasant surprise indeed. For those who haven't seen him for long, it was so welcome, and happily, the two years of the stress and challenge of Aaj TV were not showing on him. He handled the Begum's flirtatious attitudes and advances very professionally (!!) and it was good to hear him give all the credit to his wife Nasira Zuberi(poet and journalist herself) for the domestic bliss, the children's upbringing and the backstage anchor that she has been. And for all that the buxom Begum said to him, he didn't blush the slightest!!
When asked about the personality and the individuality of two year old Aaj TV in the context of over 40 channels that the country has today, it was heartening to see that he was realistic when he mentioned the names of TV channels Geo and ARY One World - and said that Aaj TV had created its own personality-bordering on balance and moderation. Indeed.
In the slot that Shahab Zuberi came was also the impressive young Islamabad based anchorwoman Aaliya, who does the morning show. Her casual conversational style is indeed a plus and I am sure Aaj TV viewers must have found her presence in the late night show absorbing.
That night Begum Nawazish had more than two guests - for that was a very special night. There was also a birthday cake and that added the festive touch to the channel's birthday. The other guests that night included news casters Farid Rais, Shaista Iqbal, and Imran Sultan, and it was quite natural to see that Begum Nawazish was treating them as being much too younger than her and quite enjoyed the way the two young men interacted with the experienced lady.
I am sure that viewers must have found it informative to hear the newscasters talk of the tension there is in their job, and that the fact that it is a live telecast is something that enhances the pressure they encounter. In particular the breaking news factor is an intense experience-keeping them on their toes all the time.
And in all this newscasters naturally make mistakes, and there are funny experiences also. But newscaster Farid Rais was discreet when it came to talking of mistakes on record, and said that they are able to cover up the mistakes, and ensure that viewers do not get to know of them.
After this trio came the four young men who do the 4Man show. They were happy to be invited to the Begum Nawazish's drawing room, and she was curious and delighted that the young team was spending time with her. Of course there had to be the flirting factor in the meeting, but it was very interesting for viewers to hear of how Murtaza Chaudhry and his team mates had begun the show, which has now come to reflect generously the freedom of expression there is on the channels.
That we are able to laugh with this show, and that its hilarious characters are very effective in their wordy punches is something that should reflect well on the media canvas of this society. And the four boys were obviously very elated when they emphasised that President Pervez Musharraf and Shaikh Rashid were among the many people who enjoyed the show.
All in all, Aaj TV is two years old and I get the feeling that it celebrated its birthday with a balance that appears to be a value it believes in.
After a very long time I ended sitting through almost an entire long play on PTV during the weekend. Of course I saw some of the serious current affairs programmes on the Pakistani channels, but channel surfing made me stop and see this play called "Dil Ki Dehleez Par" which had Firdaus Jamal and Saima Qureshi playing the leading roles. Love story it was, but it was different - And I believe a good love story is always different for the way it is told - in the areas of emphasis and the emotional tones and shades that are introduced by the script writer and the producer.
Story-wise, it was about the love and faithfulness of a woman for a man, whom she marries and then she dies after becoming the mother of a son. The point of emphasis in the man-woman romance was that while she was intensely in love with him, he was not. And at one point in their marriage, later, she does tell him very confidently that he will actually begin to love her when she is no more. And that is what actually happens. And that is what the play was about like the presentation - there was something old fashioned about it. The use of flashbacks that haunt the husband played very impressively by the seasoned Firdaus Jamal, and Saima Qureshi who played the woman in love did so with confidence, and effortless ease.
There was a lot of sadness in the story, but it was not a depressing play. In fact it was a rather philosophical production, that had viewers driven to contemplate once again the mysteries of love, and the ways in which men and women get caught in a bondage that only gets more complicated with time, at times. The writer of this play employed some conventional techniques to keep the story going-but even then it was an absorbing play, which one could watch from beginning to end.
I must also share with readers the fact that I was able to see a large part of the popular Indian film 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna', which had Shahrukh Khan, Abhishek Bachan, Preity Zinta and another leading actress (sorry for the name being missed out here) Indian films are popular on TV channels, especially the Indian channels that some cable operators are showing merrily. That is another aspect of the way in which Pakistani cinema world is in trouble. Cinema production is low, and cinema houses are being pulled down to make way for far more commercial propositions, and deals.
I enjoyed the movie - and once again I noticed that it was a story of how extra marital affairs, between married couples take place. Cinema in south Asia has come a long way from the days of Dilip Kumar and Kamini Kaushal.
While I did watch this movie happily, unmindful of the serious issues and themes that are dominating our national scene, I did feel somewhat uneasy that I was missing out on the development in the Bob Woolmer murder case or the many aspects to the Supreme Judicial Council that is under sustained focus. Justice Rana Bhagwandas has been sworn in as the Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and viewers were very keen to se what he looked like, how he spoke, and what he said. On TV, he came through as a firm, humble man.
Obviously as this is election year, there is a political touch to almost anything and everything that is happening in all walks of life. The resignations, including those of the PIA chief Tariq Kirmani, have surprised many of us. Not for us the realism, the dignity, and the courage of resignations, generally speaking. We will speak of this another time, dear readers.