Radio Pakistan and curiosity

Long time before, I was very fond of radio, like my father, he still keeps radio near to his bed. Baba always used to tune Radio Pakistan Hyderabad.

 I had many curious questions regarding the radio. How they broadcast? Imagining the building and machinery of broadcasting, how people would be there? And so on…

As time passes it takes way some curiosities and questions too. I don’t know my sudden decision of doing internship in Radio Pakistan would recall the childhood questions and that chance of learning will become the chance to get the answers.

A building I have seen a lot times but nothing happened to go inside. But just 3 days before radio Pakistan’s gate was open like the arm, waiting for embracing me!

Pacing few steps just inside the station I saw an inaugurating marble just outside the studios and office building. “Field Marshall Ayub Khan” was very gently carved on it and year was 1962.

An old building has old time switches, the old paintings in the committee hall and a series of studios, centrally air conditioned. Old console, Ampex recording machines and old tapes, records and amplifier all were attracting and were placing there.

I was feeling that I have been in 70’s while observing the stuff around me there but some desktops computers in the studios were bringing me back in presence.    

I saw old aged technicians who were seen very expert with their tapes and old recording machine.

I saw studios where programs are recorded by the producers and the main studio of live streaming where voice on airs and recorded programs too goes on air, operator was an old aged thin man.         

Media learning is no doubt a joyful job. Media works is not like the boring jobs but electronic media itself an enjoyment if person has interest. Fortunately I have vast interest in the media.

  So I am enjoying the radio! And I have gotten the questions of my childhood!

 

     

my letter published in DAWN

my poetry

Vote is the power of an individual : Taj Baloch By: Ayaz Ahmed Laghari

Vote is the power of an individual : Taj Baloch

By: Ayaz Ahmed Laghari

Taj Baloch is a renowned personality of Mirpurkhas. Taj has been doing great work of rights activism since student times. Nowadays he is working for an NGO named SINDH GRADUATES ASSOCIATION (SGA) at Mirpurkhas in which he is working on education network in Sindh. Taj's specialty is self involvement as voluntary in social projects which distinguish him as unique from other prominently personalities of the Mirpurkhas Taj Baloch also involved in student politics when he experienced he saw lots of ups and downs of Sindh's politics. Specialty of Taj Baloch is determination for doing efforts for his homeland. Let see what more I going to know about him during interview.

Q: Sir who is Taj Baloch in your own words?

A: In my own words, I would say I am activist for human development and as a professional I am retired entomologist in the Health department in Mirpurkhas. Right now I am working with SGA Sindh Graduate Association Mirpurkhas district, a social organization for betterment of the society. 

Q: would you like to throw some light on your student life and socio-political scenario of that time and your participation?

A: I was good orator and I won almost all debate competitions. In my all speeches my views were just reflector of masses particularly the peasants because I had keenly observed the problems of peasants and poor people. As far as social conditions concerned, I must say it was very different, in old times communication was very slow and people has no awareness about their rights and laws. Due to giant network of media made easy communication and media is helping for awareness in the masses today. It is other fact, people of my time were small in quantity but we were very loving and caring. I think love has vanished from the earth or at least from my society. In this global village I cannot find my native village where I had found peace, no bomb attacks no assassinations, inflation and many social evils as yet we have in our society. Since my studentship I used politics to make a good democratic society therefore I joint Sindh Student Union of Mirpurkhas chapter where I and many other student did struggle for better education and better governance in the country. I still remember when Sindhi Boli bill was approved by Sindh assembly then some students waved black flags at college building then we waved red colored flag to show the celebrations. In university times I was also part of Labour Movement then joint Hari tehreek under the leadership of Hyder Baksh Jatoi at Hyderabad in which I was active in protests, demonstrations and marches for rights of farmers and peasants.

Q: What you have done for your society and briefly tell us about your successful projects?

A: Unfortunately since creation of the country our education system is useless. I use SGA as my medium for spreading the network of education in every city of Sindh.

School system named Roshan Tara associated with SGA helping the students to get better education. My village in which water was the major problem so TVO named organization financially helped us but due to big project money became less for the project then my villagers in my leadership collected money for completing the project. I think not only the villagers but whole country should be united then we can remove every hurdle.

Q: How can an individual play his/her role for the society?

A: every individual has an impact on society, every individual has right of vote through which he or she can make a good leadership for the country. Individuals should make a new better mindset, they should promise with themselves of not doing corruption and do not run for greed. And in last, with such promises we will see a better society.

Q: Any message for students of the university?

A: I am feeling glad that I am giving my message to my youth. Youth is the name of courage and we are included in the country where youth are in excessive amount, unfortunately huge amount of our youth have forgotten their way which was given by our national leaders. I want to say students, pay full attention on education and learn about their laws and rights and keep away from social evils and try to build a new and better leadership. Support our province and learn about our resources and their utilization for the country.

Tale of two Marches By Ayaz Ahmed Laghari

Unfortunately Pakistan has seen many dark periods of dictatorship. History tells us that mostly the country under ruled in autocratic system. Many times, people rose against dictatorship and raised their voice against dictator, they were beaten and whipped but never went back from their ideologies.

Ayub Khan was the first dictator of this country and he ruled over ten years. He took all measures to save the One Unit, which was repealed by the assembly and supported to continue in his dark era of dictatorship. One unit scheme was very harmful for the small provinces in general and Sindh in particular. 

Ayub Khan made commissioners powerful like kings. They took over almost all institutions even educational institutions were not spared. Commissioners were made member of syndicate of the universities at that time.

University of Sindh was deliberately targeted by then Commissioner Hyderabad, Masroor Hassan who had to fight long battle of words with the then Vice Chancellor Hassan Ali Abdul Rehman. Masrooor himself wanted to be vice chancellor of the university. But Hassan Ali Abdul Rehman was against the intervention of the bureaucracy in the university.

Abdul Reman was a strong supporter of Sindhi language which was being targeted by the commissioner. Students of the university realized the threat to their land, culture and language.

Student Union launched a peaceful movement against the commissioner and One Unit. They raised slogans in front of commissioner office Hyderabad.

Yousif Laghari led the student union along with prominent students like Jam Saqi, Nawab Yousif Talpur, Masud Noorani, Kamil Rajpar many others students. The commissioner could not bear the movement anymore so he ordered police to teach lesson to them by beating and arresting them. On March 4, 1967, students were badly beaten by police at Hyderabad-Jamshoro road, when they were getting back after peaceful protest. Some 207 students were arrested and many injured.

After this incident the spark turned into fire, everyone in Sindh condemned the incident, Editorials were written in newspapers condemning this brutality against the innocent students.

The incident shocked the people of Sindh and they took to streets for protesting the cruelty The incident also motivated poets and writers to write against this injustice.

The month of March is considered as month of awakening of the people but this year March proved to be unfortunate for University of Sindh. On 7th March 2012, a student was assassinated in a clash between two groups at the campus in bright daylight.

Double hai! Double hai! By: Aayaz Ahmed Laghari

In our routine life we often overlook many common things but those common things are really special for some common people and their lives. Local transport is one of such things; we see public transport vehicles running on the roads, to drop people at their nearby destinations.

It is special for drivers and owners as well as the cleaners of  public transport. It sometime looks dented but still drivers do dusting and mop the mirrors of their vehicles pleasantly.

In the city of Hyderabad, some busses, suzukies and small taxies run locally on certain routes of the city. Middle class and lower class working men and women, students and labours are the passengers of these local public transports.

I have experienced lot of times in the local transport. You can find varied nature of people in the cage of Suzuki or can observe the lives of different people on seats of the buses.

 Sometimes local transport presents glimpses of a talk show of any television because passengers discuss on various topics concerned with society or the politics.

Drivers or owners of the local transports have emotional bond with their vehicles. "It is not only vehicle but our rozee (livelihood) and we also respect it.

 Once a boy took his feet on the dashboard of my bus, I got him out from my bus" told one of the drivers of A1 bus services in Hyderabad.

Drivers become anger on politicians who call for strikes because it affects their daily wages.

Many drivers have craze of decoration for their vehicles. Beautiful beat works which they hang inside the bus and certain signs of fortune also sometimes welcome you while entering the buses.

Non-verbal messages, painted on the vehicles, teach you many things. For example: (Agar ami ki daant se parhta tu aaj driver na hota) if I studied on saying of mother, I would not be a driver, many other sort of messages are seen too. Often poetry also reflect the feelings of drivers.

 Sometimes fare collector horrifies passengers by telling them Akhri! Akhri! (Last! Last!) Bus. They also argue on fare and make their ways in packed buses.

They usually have ghutka in their mouth; according to a driver it keeps their mind tension free.

Child labor is crime but you can easily find many children hanging on the edge of suzukies and collect fare dangerously, with abusive language and shout for calling passengers.

 I once asked driver "why do you hire children for such job?" The answer was simple "we do not, but they come to us!" Another driver has another answer "because they need less money!”

A boy told me that he was the only son of her widowed mother so he was trying to earn some money to run their lives. It is very hurting, while hearing the arguments over fares in the innocent voices.

Buses and suzukies extremely want more passengers in one round so they break certain rules of traffic resulting, paying charges.

But we all sure that the tap of double hai double hai would never stop!.

CHITTORI: Heights of buried By Ayaz Ahmed Laghari

Motherland, Sindh have seen lots of rulers. Every ruler built many monuments including mosques, forts, shrines and graveyards to mark the majesty of their lives for the history, during their ruling periods in Sindh.

Talpurs are one of the rulers who ruled over Sindh with majesty and well leadership. Talpurs also fabricated many monuments, shrines, and many public welfare places. Talpurs have unique kind of architecture works which really reveals their fond of majestic fantasy of their time.

Chittori is one of the places; ancestral graveyard of Mankani Talpurs. It is situated about 17 miles from Mirpurkhas town on Sindhri road. From distance, it seemed me a yellowish colored and square broken tombs and Chhatries (umbrella) over many graves of Mirs. Chittori name had derived due to carved stones.                                            

As I got closer to the place, I found a great piece of man work, especially stone carved work which was reflecting Sindh's architecture, inspiring with varied constructions styles which spoke the majestic creature of Mirs. The base is mostly stabilized by the baked bricks but then big slabs of sandstone are jointly plastered but after observing bottom to top, I found workers had greatly balance the slabs on one another.  There was a line of chhatries there, might those chhatries were paying homage to the graves under them .Both shrines and chhatries had triangular sandstone work in every corner on the top of supporting pillars. There were tenuous works of sandstone, particularly in the grille of one of the tombs. Writing in Persian is also written through stone carving works. Floral patterns, circles, triangles and geometrical designs really stopped me to see and to say, great!

Though Chittori has strong representation of Baloch tribe particularly on the graves where geometrical designs had been made. But if we come to square chhatries and cutting of stone and balancing of slabs ,these represents the Rajasthan architecture. Last but not the least, tombs and Mehrab designing over there reflects the soul of Islam. It is wonder to know that all varied arts were carved by Sindhi stone carve workers.

Last year's flood in Mirpurkhas and heavy rainfall helped more to ruin the graveyard. Many graves have lost their shapes, designed sandstone slabs have cracked due to long rainfall. Base of the tombs are badly affected by flood, ground of graveyard seems fissure.

I had a question related to the Chittori as why some of these graves have such nice tribute by constructing this monument. I got my answer from an old aged man over there named  Ghulam Chandio who told me that many great Mirs are buried in this graveyard and he dragged me towards an old grave and said this is first Mir who was buried in Chittori named Faqeer Mir Masu Talpur who had his will to be buried here.

Mir Fateh Talpur, who had played a vital role of sustaining Sindh and helped peasants of the state, is also buried in the Chittori. Mir Sher Muhammad Talpur, renowned as Lion of British soldiers who due to bravery got the name of Sher-e-Sindh (Lion of Sindh).

It is very sad to see that great monuments as well as Mirs buried there are unknown to citizens of Mirpurkhas. Now, many tombs have been broken and cleaned out instead of beautiful art works. Graves have lost designs and beauty and broken stones are piled up there due to ignorance of place. Therefore local authorities should take some steps to prevent the Chittori and the residents should also take care of their historical assets.