Dastoor – Main Naheen Maanta

Dastoor, the theatrical debut of Justuju Productions, kicked off on the 3rd of July at the Arts Council, Karachi.

The play is, quote, ‘about a young man’s struggle to adhere to the truth.‘

I was able to finally catch a performance today and have returned with decidedly mixed feelings. I walked into a nearly empty auditorium and the play began with an audience of under 50 by my estimate. I was later relieved to hear that this is the worst turnout this production has had so far, and this might be because of the scheduling – a total of 7 shows split over the first two weekends of July is a recipe for confusion. Generally, if plays have multiple performances, the shows are on consecutive days. Capturing weekends was a good idea but as far as the audience is concerned it’s difficult to communicate the disparate dates.

For a first time production, and with several debutant actors, it was pretty decent, I felt. I had no real complaints with the acting, considering their inexperience – the performances were largely smooth and the delivery was good. Excellent work by the vocal trainer on the newbies – the voices were clear and even complex vocabulary was clearly articulated. Body language was average. There were a few stiff moments, though, and I noticed several times that the rest of the characters seemed to freeze while others were speaking.

The music of the play was absolutely brilliant – with an original score, the play featured several tracks with excellent vocals and acoustics. Dastoor was a good musical with lyrics telling half the story – Jaffer Zaidi and Rahat Ali did a great job with the songs and their performances. Two thumbs up! Here’s a sample clip:

The sets, designed by Moiz Kazmi, were functional but well designed – I loved the simple graveyard set at the end, of which I have no picture unfortunately. There was a nice subtle touch which had wall fixtures tilted out of position after things went awry for the protagonists.

The major disappointment for me centered around the story and the writing. It was cliched and predictable – nothing new. There was more than an echo of Rang De Basanti in the monologue by Imran (which was very well delivered by Adnan Haroon, by the way). The dialogues were a cacaphony of high-class Urdu, but largely trite and witless – flowery language more than anything else. In addition, the writer’s admiration for Iqbal was quite obvious in the opening sequence.

Clearly, it was meant to be a stirring play, but the words used were too stale for any excitement and there was no action at all – in the sense that the play mostly consisted of the audience being informed of what had happened, instead of any actual events being portrayed. This formula depended on extremely powerful dialogue and a heart-rending story, but both were – you guessed it – formulaic.

All in all, a commendable effort by an inexperienced team, and a cause worth supporting – I strongly feel Karachi needs more theater. Pakistanis are entertainment starved, which has helped sensationalist journalism flourish and encouraged the rise of news channels (far and away the most popular media in Pakistan). For our diseased society, sports and arts are the perfect medicine – one builds health in the body, one in the soul. Looking forward to the next Justuju production!

Cast:

Adnan Haroon as Imran Mirza
Asif Raza as Mirza Hatim Ali Baig
Samia Azmi as Saima
Shahid Mahmud as Ahmed Alvi

The Evian Live Young Campaign

Evian, the bottled mineral water company from France, has come up with a very catchy and strong advertisement. Maybe you’ve seen it, maybe you haven’t. In either case, watch it right here so you get into the right mindset.

Fantastic commercial, in my opinion, because it really builds a strong position in the mind – very clear, very direct. Evian stands for origin, health, and youth. They’re clearly trying to own the word -’youth’ – the tag line is ‘Live Young’. Beautiful.

A simple message communicated in a very funky and likable manner (I somehow doubt I’ll find ANYONE who genuinely dislikes the visuals). That’s important because it builds brand equity across the board – for example, I’m not the target market, but I have a positive image of Evian now.

They even have a great website developed exclusively around this campaign and a little search revealed teasers as well. Here’s one. It’s meant to be viral, but it’s so obviously brand driven that it probably won’t get the viral treatment – it’s just a funky ad for most people.

From the official press release:

The new ad campaign personifies the “Live YoungTM” message in a humorous and entertaining fashion with a pop-culture slant. Directed by Michael Gracey (part of the creative circle behind Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo and Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge”), 96 babies were filmed for the spots, which feature roller break-dancing routines set to a Rapper’s Delight remix by Dan the Automator. The famed California hip-hop producer’s remix will be available as an MP3 from all major international digital download sites, just one way Evian is placing the Web at the heart of this campaign.

“The campaign is an enthusiastic modern-day musical production, involving the sharpest contemporary artists like Dan the Automator and Michael Gracey,” stated Remi Babinet, the founder of BETC Euro RSCG and global creative director of the Euro RSCG network. “It makes use of a number of platforms: music, film, internet and design and reinforces Evian’s position as an influential, contemporary worldwide brand.”

Here’s the ‘Making Of’ video – another fun piece of communication that builds the brand.

Like Coke Studio, I like this because it’s a great example of integrated marketing – the website, the teasers, the ad, everything connects very strongly with the Evian brand and results in a strong positioning statement. In addition, BevNet reports that it’s going to be a 100% digital advertising campaign, with the internet and social media at its heart. That shows Evian is seeking to leverage Web 2.0 instead of splashing millions of dollars on traditional TV advertising (partially prompted by the recession, perhaps?) Slick move, methinks. Pull people to the ad instead of pushing it to them, which, according to some, is a dying method. In fact, advertising is failing.

Eric Clemons has written a very thought-provoking and intelligent post, but I am not convinced that advertising is dead. The dynamics of the industry have certainly changed, and will continue to do so, I believe. I think advertising IS still necessary, but the nature and form of it will have to change. For example, I’m pretty sure that ads pushing detailed product attributes will die out. This LG ad is something that I believe will become a thing of the past as people in Pakistan migrate to the internet and everyone uses it as a source of information (as is happening in America now). And as someone who’s hoping to work in the advertising industry soon, I’m obviously biased towards it’s prosperity .

The Wall Street Journal beat me by just 5 hours

My line!

So, what do you think?

…Lahore, Rome and prickliness

DAWN.COM | National | Of Lahore, Rome and prickliness.

Hahaha. Fantastic news item by a DAWN Staff Reporter. Only in Pakistan, eh? Or is it a subcontinental curse to have excessively emotional, ignorant, and amazingly dimwitted leaders? I trust not every politician in a position of authority is as…oh well.

A few days old, but I just needed to highlight this rather amusing incident. The story deserves to be reproduced in full here.

LAHORE, June 27: Sheikh Ala-ud-Din of PML-Q Forward Bloc on Saturday must have made history in the Punjab Assembly when he walked out of the house in protest against something that was never said. The ire of the Sheikh, a member from Kasur (PP-181) fell on Mohsin Leghari (PP-245, DG Khan) of the PML-Q when Mr Leghari, while accentuating his southern roots, read a few lines from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

Mr Leghari, delivering his budget speech, maintained the finance bill was more of an urban document, which excluded rural development. Speaking on the neglect of southern Punjab, he said though he loved Lahore – a city where he was educated, got his first employment and still resides in – he has not forgotten his ancestral land. Explaining his predicament, he quoted from the last scene of the Julius Caesar, where Brutus explains his killing of Caesar by saying: “It’s not that I loved Caesar less, but I loved Rome more.”

Provoked either by his lack of understanding or knowledge, Mr Ala-ud-Din immediately stood on a point of order and started grilling Mr Leghari for insulting Lahore, which gave him education, employment and residence, and thundered: “This Lahore bashing must end, especially by those who have benefited immensely from the city.” Both Speaker Rana Iqbal and Mr Mohsin tried to convince their colleague that no insulting remark had been passed against Lahore, but to no avail.

After making an emotional speech, Sheikh Ala-ud-Din walked out of the house in protest against “insult to Lahore”. He was later brought back by Education Minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rahman on speaker’s request, and the minister also lectured the house on avoiding hurting each others’ territorial feelings.

As if all this was not enough, Dr Asad Ashraf of the PML-N found a new dimension to the innocent quote and stunned everyone in the house. On next point of order, he took off by saying: “Since Mr Mohsin has called himself Caesar, he must know how Caesar was born. It was his difficult birth, which gave birth to Caesarian Operation (C-Section). How bad Caesar proved for his mother.”

On both occasions, Leghari defended himself that he has neither insulted Lahore nor called himself Caesar, but the die was cast.

Victory for Pakistan

This is for Misbah ul Haq, and tragedy in the 2007 T20 World Cup Final.

This is for Abdul Razzaq and all he’s copped over the last ten years – spinach, THAT drop off Tendulkar in ‘03, ‘99, so much more.

This is for Younis Khan, the comeback king from Mardan.

This is for Shahid Afridi and the pain of Lord’s ‘99 and Johannesburg ‘07.

This is for Umar Gul and his strength in leading our attack after a potentially career-ending injury.

This is for Kamran Akmal, subject of much criticism, ridicule and abuse over the past few years.

This is for Inzamam ul-Haq, who patiently and steadfastly led this team through many trials to many successes.

This is for Bob Woolmer, who gave everything he had to Team Pakistan – the first real coach we have had in decades.

This is for Wasim Akram, the miracle protege who did EVERYTHING BUT emulate his mentor and lift the World Cup as captain.

This is for every player in every sport who has lost, lost, and lost….and then won.

This is for every Pakistani player at Lord’s on June 20, 1999.

This is for every Pakistani fan who watched the team with rising hope and pride throughout World Cup ‘99, for every fan who broke down after the collapse and wept as we crumbled against one of the best teams of all time.

This is for every Pakistani player at the Wanderers on September 24, 2007.

This is for every fan who rode the rollercoaster of emotions that day as Pakistan bounced back, looking to win, but slipped.

This is for every disappointed die-hard, every loyalist who was taunted mercilessly as Team Pakistan stumbled repeatedly.

This is for the policemen killed in Lahore in the attack on the Sri Lankans.

This is for every bomb that has gone off across the country – from Sindh to Swat.

This is for every soldier who died battling the militants.

This is for every family driven out of their homes in the war.

This is for every innocent Pakistani who has suffered as a result of the ongoing struggle.

This is for every Pakistani who is tired of waking up every morning to more bad news – for every patriot who has despaired of ever finding joy in anything patriotic again – for everyone on the street weighted by innumerable woes.

Thank you, Team Pakistan.

Thank you for giving us joy, relief, respite, smiles, togetherness, and laughter.

Posted by TAMOOR.QURESHI on (June 22 2009, 02:43 AM GMT)

A great victory for Pakistan over Srilanka which will be remembered for a long time. Tigers of Pakistan just set up a great show for us and play their role to bring smile back on Pakistani Nation. After their win response from Pakistani streets was amazing I have never seen any thing like that before in my life. Noise of people in crackers was really some thing that awaiting such win from quite a time. I congratulate Pakistani team especially Captain, Younis Khan and alrounder, Shahid Afridi for giving nation a great and unbelievable gift. I will never forget this moment in my whole life. This World T20 Cup win take Pakistani team as the favorites for any form of Cricket. I hope Pakistani Team will continue this form in Champions trophy too. Pakistan and its team Zindabad

Posted by Koushik_Biswas on (June 22 2009, 02:48 AM GMT)

Congrats on behalf of all Indians. From the bottom of my heart, where the flame of pride that was almost extinguished by the dismal Indian team has been re-kindled by my embattled brothers. I am sure there are Indians who are feeling jealous – can’t do anything about the rotten eggs in the basket mate – but the warm contented feeling that rests so peacefully in my soul now is surely shared by most Indians. Let cricket be the medium that we use to send out the right signals – just like you have used cricket to send a message to coward terrorists – a message that says we do not care how much you try to break us, we will win. Let us use the same platform to tell you no matter how much our ancestors have wronged each other, India and Pakistan have the same roots, and there is no good reason to continue the hate. Thank you for retaining the cup close to home.

Posted by mongo2vini on (June 22 2009, 03:42 AM GMT)

@Koushik You comments reflect your character mate. What a lovely reply you gave. Thank you so much. It takes a big heart to say what you said. And let me thank you back on behalf of all Pakistanis. We also want to share our happiness with rest of the world not war. I wish a day comes that there is peace in the region and world understand that Pakistan is suffering the most and needs help, not isolation….beyond cricket. I know India’s performance in this tournament does not reflect their potential and talent. I can say this as we ourselves has gone through the similar time. But rest assured there will be better days. Cheers!

–
“Pakistan? Turmoil in its national politics, turmoil in its cricket politics; no chance to prepare properly, no players in the IPL; a captain who didn’t seem to care early in the tournament, no domestic cricket structure worthy of the name. If they didn’t have talent, they’d have nothing. Of course, they do have talent, and so – sod Moneyball – they have everything.”

Gary Naylor

Worth Reading –>

• The Edge: it would be wonderful if Pakistan won the World Twenty20 – Simon Wilde (June 11)
• World Twenty20 final will be a chance to heal – Simon Wilde
• Journey a triumph of human spirit – Andrew Miller’s Preview
• Cricinfo looks at the important numbers ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 final – S Rajesh
• Men with je ne sais quoi – Osman Samiuddin
• To Pakistani fans – Imran Yusuf
• Go Pakistan – Kamran Abbasi
• No losers in a match that’s bigger than the game – Sambit Bal
• A time to laugh, a time to heal – Osman Samiuddin
• Ian Chappell and Sanjay Manjrekar discuss Pakistan’s win and why the World Twenty20 has been a resounding success
• Sangakkara rises above the sting of battle – Alex Brown
• A shot in the arm for Pakistan – Rishad Mehmood
• A shaft of light bursting through storm clouds – Kamran Abbasi
• Beyond the realm of victory – Dileep Premachandran
• Cornered tigers roar once again – Andrew Miller
• Comeback kings – Tom Fordyce
• Phoenix From the Ashes – Jarrar Shah

Image credits: BBC – Pak vs Lanka, Pakistan celebrates

Saazish!

Hasan Nisar on GEO’s Pachaas Minute

Have been seeing this posted in several places around the internet..and it is, indeed, worth listening to. I don’t completely agree with everything he says, and I don’t know the history well enough to critique this. I think the Muslims and Pakistanis have indeed given much to the world. But I fully agree with him in that we need to stop with the damn conspiracy theories and start fixing ourselves for a better future. For example, too many people simply blame America or India for the Taliban insurgency and destabilization – and what I HATE is that these were the same people who were cheering on the militants when they destroyed the World Trade Center and defending the Taliban before they attacked Pakistan.

Pakistanis and the Muslims around the world need to realize that WE must move with the times and adapt, improve, in order to succeed. it’s not that we’ve been cheated out of anything, it’s that we’ve cheated ourselves and each other out of it in a circle of self-deception, lies, and hpyocrisy. Our moral compass is so awry we can’t tell right from wrong, we can’t differentiate between lies and truth. We’re the 46th most corrupt country in the world.

That’s an improvement over being the second-most corrupt country in the world, which we were some years ago I believe.

But we still blame India for corrupting our youth!

(I realize that ‘moral corruption’ is differentiated from the kind of corruption described by DAWN above; but my point is that we have to stop blaming others and focus on ourselves.)

Check out this contribution on the message board:

“…Indian filthy Kama Sutra Bollywoord movies, pop music and filthy pornography videos are corrupting Pakistani society and in particualr secular middle class and their children. It is a conspiracy to corrupt Pakistan youth and ruin the country so that it becomes another colony of India.”

My take on that? If pop music and porn are enough to sway the majority of our nation, then we don’t deserve to claim any kind of superiority anyway. Gorillas would be more successful at focusing on what needs to be done, prioritizing, and working hard.

And if the Indians were so bad, why have they outperformed us? Why hasn’t their ’social decay’ trickled into their ethics and values? Because, as DAWN reports from the 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index:

“Presenting a comparative look on Pakistan and India, the CPI of last ten years indicated that ‘lower corruption better is the economy’. The difference in corruption ranking between Pakistan and India has increased from five in 1998 to 49 in 2008.

The present economic status of the two countries confirms that the economic growth is inversely proportional to corruption. In 1998, the foreign exchange reserves of Pakistan and India were 1.6 billion dollars and 237 billion dollars respectively, and in the last ten years the gap in foreign exchange reserves of the two countries increased from 16 times in 1998 to 26 times in 2008.”

National Corruption Perception Survey 2009

Check out Transparency International’s roundup of the news.

Police, power, and health are our most corrupt sectors. That seems to fit the reality. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been directly asked for bribes by traffic police. I don’t think many Karachiites will forget the night of 17th June 2009 anytime soon. And the reports of fake medicines, a bustling organ market, and corrupt doctors are equally rampant. I am fortunate in that my family is blessed with several physicians (including my father) and hearing stories of how their esteemed colleagues cheat patients is common place. Diagnosing life-threatening diseases where aspirin and bed rest would do the trick, recommending amputations and charging exorbitant fees..it’s a long list.

And the most improved areas are customs, tax, and the judiciary. I’m not sure how long term or real the improvement in the judiciary is (i think the perceptions might be influenced by the lawyer’s movement and Chief Justice Chaudhry Iftikhar’s stand, which was partly political anyway).

Anyway. Watch Hasan Nisar on the Mani Azfar show too, he has some good thoughts to share.

Finally!

One word sums it all up. It’s been a long time coming. It was fully deserved. No lucky breaks, no divine aid. It was pure class – and the victory at the end of the day was sweet, sweeter than one would have imagined.

FC IBA United won its first ever tournament last Monday.

A little background.

IBA United has been lauded by many observers over the years for its strong midfield play. That was always the strength – good passing and movement by a four-man midfield. However, a lack of consistency (discipline in the defense and finishing from the attackers) has dogged IBA Utd since I have been part of it (August 2006). We have had some great defenders and strikers, but never consistently brilliant. In fact we have rarely had the same starting XI two weeks in a row.

Despite that, IBA United has been pinpointed as one of the favorites to win every tournament we have played since 2006. In the KU Football Tournament Spring 2006, IBA was touted as one of the leading candidates to win, but were knocked out in the semifinal against the Pharmacy Dept, a thrilling game that ended 4-2 as we failed to keep pace with the Africans. In the Ramadan Night Tournament at the KMC ground in October 2007, we were knocked out again in the semifinal by the eventual winners, St. Patrick’s, in a close contest that eventually ended 3-1. Come June 2008 and we were fighting in the Aga Khan Inter-University Football Tournament with a depleted squad (most of the first team was out of Karachi due to the holidays). A great run of three unbeaten matches saw us into the semifinal where IBA United came back from a goal down not once, but three times to draw the game 3-3 and force penalties, where we were sadly knocked out. The next tournament was the LUMS Invitational in December 2008, where we won three matches in three days to reach the final (for a change) but were thrashed 4-0 against the hosts (whom we had beaten 1-0 just two days ago). Most recently IBA United suffered another penalty shootout heartbreak, this time against CBM, in the quarterfinal of the AKU Tournament (April 2009). After a scrappy 0-0 affair, IBA United initially took the lead in the penalties but two consecutive misses saw us knocked out again.

We all thought that would be the last competition of the season.

Enter Korangi Football Club and the first-ever CFC Inter University Football Tournament. It was initially a pretty haphazard affair – no one seemed to know where the ground was, or who was playing in the tournament! IBA United had several first team members missing throughout the tournament as well. Despite the depleted line up, we started off well against Ziauddin with a 2-0 victory, Omr Mukhtar and Fauzan Naeem scoring a goal in each half. Owing to the security situation in Korangi our game against NED was delayed – and eventually we realized that due to some teams pulling out it had evolved into a four-team contest, and the second fixture was actually the semifinal! IBA United fought hard against a quality NED side, marked by an outstanding defensive performance from Saad Warraich, and when Daniyal Alvi supplied a great assist for Athar Khan in the second half, the game was signed, sealed, and delivered. On the same day, Ziauddin were defeated by CBM on penalties and so the final was set: IBA United vs IoBM.

Revenge? I don’t know. But we definitely had a debt to repay to our supporters at IBA (especially those who watched us get knocked out at the AKU Tournament two years in a row), a point to prove against the many critics and naysayers, a score to settle against the boys in maroon from CBM.

15th June 2009. We reached the ground over an hour in advance to discuss strategy and knock the ball around a bit, practice taking penalties – time well spent!! Midfielder Athar Khan was missing as he was out of the country, prompting a change in the usual formation. IBA United lined up 4-4-2, with Muhammad Shaharyar between the sticks, Sameer Zafar playing at right back, Saad Mustafa ‘Warrioraich’ and Bijar Khan in the center, and Ali Mohsin in the left back position. Omr Mukhtar slotted into right wing as usual, but on the left wing it was Omar Hasan Khan taking the place of Athar Khan. Daniyal Alvi moved back to fill the empty position in central midfield alongside Osman Iqbal, while Fauzan Naeem, as support striker, took his place slightly behind Asad Saeed, leading the line as target man.

The game started off with IBA United attacking strongly as Omr Mukhtar sprinted down the right wing but failed to deliver a good cross for Asad. IBA United pushed up and made life difficult for CBM, who were on the back foot initially. We won two or three corner kicks but were unable to convert them. A few minutes later Daniyal Alvi broke free and skipped past two opponents to fire over the bar. However, our rivals responded strongly with sustained pressure and for a period IBA was finding it hard to face the music as CBM took over the midfield and repeatedly attacked down the wings. Their speedy left winger Junejo was a real handful for Sameer with his deft touches, although Mr. Zafar handled him extremely well and limited him to just one swerving, dipping shot. The defenders had a real job on their hands coping with pace down the wings and counterattacks down the middle. They were able to handle CBM’s attacks, but were also slightly lax with clearances, preferring to take a risk and dribble or pass the ball out of the danger zone. It was only a matter of time, and as feared, the bad guys took the lead midway through the first half. An unnecessarily prolonged clearance led to CBM possession on the right wing – the cross was deflected and the defenders were unable to handle the loose ball; the chance was gleefully accepted by the CBM striker lurking in the box and Sherry, left wide open, was beaten to his left.

To their credit, IBA United did not let their enthusiasm drop and after kickoff seized control of the game, building up good combination play and asserting midfield dominance. Osman Iqbal and Daniyal Alvi really got stuck in, Sameer ran further up field to help out Omr Mukhtar down the right wing, and Fauzan and Asad did their best to give the CBM defenders a headache. Omar Hasan Khan was in good positions on the left but nothing came of them, for either the delivery to him was poor or he was unable to gain control of the through balls from Alvi and Fauzan. IBA United then won a free kick in a dangerous position close to the D, on the right side. Alvi took the dead ball but was unable to hit the target. Near the end of the first half a great opportunity fell IBA’s way as Asad, Omr Mukhtar, Sameer, and Daniyal Alvi wove together a great series of passes culminating in a cross to Osman Iqbal, who was unable to volley home from the edge of the box. We thus ended the first half on a high.

During the half time break there was intense discussion amongst the team as to how the formation could be reconfigured to add a cutting edge – with a goal down and 25-minute halves, there wasn’t enough time to stick to a system that had failed to offer the strikers with genuine chances. Initially we played with the idea of switching Fauzan to the left wing, moving Daniyal Alvi up front, and bringing Omar Khan to the middle where he belongs. Then it was decided that more radical changes were needed – Omr Mukhtar moved went up the pitch as striker, Sameer slotted in as right midfielder, Ali Mohsin switched sides, and Omar Hasan Khan filled the gap at left midfield. Fauzan was moved to the left wing and the ‘core’ of the team (central defenders and midfielders) remained as they were.

The system paid dividends as Omr Mukhtar, with his extreme pace, had the CBM defenders worried. As Sameer and Fauzan both used the width of the field well to create opportunities, gaps opened up in the center of the field which Osman exploited to the fullest and lofted a few balls through for Asad and Omr. Asad was caught offside once, but a few minutes later Omr was in the clear but could not control the high ball and the CBM keeper got to the ball first. The game gradually developed into an open contest as both teams struggled to score the all-important second goal. With just ten minutes left, a substitution helped spark life into IBA United. Omar Hasan Khan, suffering from a stiff thigh, was substituted for Kamil Mustafa, a natural left back. The fresh legs definitely added to the threat on the left wing and Fauzan benefited from the added support. With the attentions of the CBM side now towards the left, Sameer was able to break through and gain a free kick near the corner post. His eventual ball was cleared out to the edge of the D where Alvi controlled it with ease and shifted past one defender before he was fouled by the center back. The resultant free kick was around the same position from where he had missed in the first half. This time he lofted the ball in and Omr Mukhtar did a wonderful Pippo Inzaghi impersonation to steal in behind the befuddled CBM defenders and fire home. Cue exuberant celebrations – it was a great fight back, for the match was drawing to a close and IBA had not been able to break through. In fact there were only 5 minutes left and CBM attacked like wounded animals, only to be repelled by Bijar’s calm headers and then Sherry made a brilliant save at his near post to a dipping volley that was headed for the top corner.

The organizers then announced (to the surprise of the IBA United team) that extra time would NOT be played and the final would be decided on penalties. As the team sat down for a well-deserved rest and water break, Daniyal Alvi launched into a pep talk on confidence in penalty situations.

“Listen to me because I’m only going to say this once. Repeat after me: CONFIDENCE.  Say it a hundred times in your head, until you take the kick, and nothing will go wrong. It’s all in the head…”

The practice session before the match paid off as there was no confusion this time about who was going to take penalties – it had been decided previously that Osman, Daniyal, Fauzan, Ali Mohsin, and Kamil would take the kicks. Osman and Daniyal converted their penalties with ease, and then the second CBM kick hit the crossbar. Fauzan could have given IBA the lead, but he mishit the ball and it rolled wide of the right hand post. The next IBA penalty taker was Kamil, who curled in a beautiful shot. Finally Ali Mohsin side footed it past the static CBM goalie. Sherry had been making some great guesses all through and each CBM penalty went in off his gloves. In any case,it was 4-4 and sudden death was underway. Sameer, who had missed the target in the AKU quarterfinal shootout, made no mistake this time and IBA had the lead. Destiny was on our side, and the next CBM kick rolled wide to spark wild celebrations by the IBA United squad!

It was a great, come-from-behind win by the boys in black. Despite the absence of several first team members, they performed brilliantly and beat all three of their opponents in the tournament to secure the first of many more trophies to come for IBA United.

If you can’t see the pictures in this post, visit Saad Warraich’s album.

And there’s a video too!

!!oidutS ekoC

I am pumped.

I am happy.

I was impressed before.

I am simply exultant now.

Coke Studio, Season One, was a huge success. Great publicity, FANTASTIC content (people still rave about the Ali Azmat-Rahat Fateh Ali Khan rendition of Garaj Baras, for example), excellent marketing and response.

I just watched Atif Aslam’s Jal Pari rendition in Episode One of Season Two – and I was blown away. I expected a great vocal performance, but the production quality of Coke Studio is right up there – among the best in the world. Makes me proud to be a Pakistani. More of this! More of this!

And you know what got to me?

The quality of EVERYTHING is excellent.

From the design of the website to the use of social marketing tools like Twitter and Facebook (they were web-savvy enough to snaffle a personalized url on Facebook two days ago and the links have been updated everywhere on the website – no, I don’t EXPECT that in Pakistan, but I will now)…to the obviously careful thought that has gone into the recording sessions, choosing the artists, even naming the episodes individually…it’s absolutely fantastic. It’s even prompted blog posts by the likes of Ali Noor and Ali Zafar about it – which signals their enthusiasm for it.

Yes, a lot of it is because Coke has pumped in tons of moolah – but here it’s the little things that are standing out and this speaks volume of the effort, dedication, and commitment of Rohail Hyatt (the producer) and the whole team. I cannot thank this team enough for giving me and Pakistan some real VALUE on television.

A little background on that: I don’t watch television as a rule. Just sports matches, the news, and movies. Not interested in analysts and their bullshit, and I have even less regard for the trash sitcoms and drama serials and whatnot. If I feel like watching something mindless I can go to Youtube and spend my time far more effectively. If I want to watch a Pakistani drama I can watch Aangan Terha or Alif Noon on Youtube. (I’ve seen Alpha Bravo Charlie too many times already).

So I rarely find something I like on the tube. Faisal Qureshi’s Ankahi is usually good value for time spent, as is some of the content on Dawn News. That’s about it really. But Coke Studio and Rohail Hyatt have given me a reason to look forward to watching television – and the people who are responsible need to be commended:

Team Pakistan?

So..a few thoughts have been brewing in my head over the past few days.

I want your opinion – what’s the best Pakistan XI for this tournament?

In the aftermath of the defeat to England, one criticism of Pakistan was repeated over and over again. No, not their lack of spirit and desire – it was the lack of any semblance of planning or ‘combination’. Not surprising as Younis Khan proudly declared that the only plan was to ‘have fun’. No, seriously.

These are his exact words:

“The planning is simple: play your role and have fun.”

Pundits on Pakistani TV channels kept repeating – ‘koi combination nazar nahin aa rahi hai’. So what do you guys think is Pakistan’s best combination?

Schedule:

Fri Jun 12 – Pakistan v Sri Lanka
Lord’s, London

Sat Jun 13 – New Zealand v Pakistan (D/N)
Kennington Oval, London

Mon Jun 15 – Ireland v Pakistan
Kennington Oval, London

Squad: Younis,Razzaq,(Ahmed) Shehzad,Fawad,Rao Ifti,Akmal,Misbah,Aamer,Ajmal,Butt,Afridi,(Shahzaib) Hasan,Malik,Tanvir,Gul

My pick: Butt, Akmal, Younis, Misbah, Malik/Razzaq, Afridi, Fawad, Tanvir, Gul, Ajmal, Aamer

I think this lineup provides the best mix – you have a very deep batting lineup with Tanvir (a domestic all-rounder) coming in at No. 8 and a great mix of bowling with three good pacers and three good spinners. That doesn’t include the Malik/Razzaq wildcard – because I’m not counting on either of them to really make it happen for Pakistan. Razzaq has been out for so long, doubts over his ability to perform on the international arena are completely appropriate. He may or may not be able to contribute effectively with either bat or ball. I don’t think domestic success is any reasonable indicator. Malik has been really really disappointing for me so far – I celebrated both times he got out, he seems to have come into a Twenty20 tournament with a Test mindset. His bowling was fairly atrocious against Netherlands except for a few deliveries where he seemed to out-think the Dutch batsman – which is nothing to write home about for the former captain.

Pakistan has a fairly easy ride to the semis, I think. Sri Lanka have always been somehow easy to beat for Pakistan (although I think we’ll lose within 24 hours) and New Zealand have similarly also failed to really trouble Pakistan over the years. They were fantastic against one of the best teams around (and my pick for winner), South Africa, but STILL lost. Wish I could say the same for Pakistan though

As for justifying the lineup, I think Akmal, Younis, Misbah, Afridi, Tanvir, Gul, and Ajmal are no-brainers. That leaves four positions – potentially you could replace Aamer (but I think he’s done a good job so far), Butt, Fawad, and Malik. Malik comes in because he has experience and ability (although he’s doing his best to hide it – what happened to the Sialkot Stallions captain who seemed to be born for Twenty20?!). Fawad comes in because he’s a Karachi boy. No, okay, that was a joke. He comes in because he’s a great fielder, an energetic and very able batsman, and a decent spinner too. Butt is our only ESTABLISHED opener and hasn’t been too horrible with the bat, so I would back him.

Waiting for the responses now – what do you think is our best lineup?

Extraordinaire!

Man on Wire is an exhilarating, soaring, uplifting, wonderful work of art. It is the kind of film that inspires one to achieve their dreams –and what makes it so special is the same thing that makes sport so special to me – it’s real. It happened. It’s not a Hollywood production, it was produced by BBC and Discovery. It’s a compelling mixture of interviews, archival footage, and historical re-enactments. For a change those re-enactments are actually true to life because the same men who are being portrayed are narrating their stories! There is little creative license that the director (James Marsh, who did a fantastic job!) could take with a scene where Philippe and his friend were hiding from the police underneath a tarpaulin – camera angle and lighting at most!

Testimony of Sgt. Charles Daniels, one of the first policemen at the top of the Twin Towers:

“I observed the tightrope ‘dancer’—because you couldn’t call him a ‘walker’—approximately halfway between the two towers. And upon seeing us he started to smile and laugh and he started going into a dancing routine on the high wire….And when he got to the building we asked him to get off the high wire but instead he turned around and ran back out into the middle….He was bouncing up and down. His feet were actually leaving the wire and then he would resettle back on the wire again….Unbelievable really…”

This is about the triumph of the human spirit – about achieving the impossible. And I credit none other than Philippe Petit himself for that. What a man. He narrated most of his story himself and he told it with such vigor, such elan, such joie de vivre, such energy, that one could not help but be spellbound by this sparkling man’s sheer charisma. He had a dream, and despite his knowledge that it was impossible, he went for it. He was not afraid of failure, and refused to be tied down, quite literally. He has immense confidence in his own abilities and he exploited his God-given talents to the fullest in his incredible feat – practically defining self-actualization. I have never seen anyone who fits that description more perfectly. We’ve read about such people, we’ve seen them in movies – this man has lived in that state, and continues to do so.

And it is his spirit that has inspired me to rewrite this post from scratch after a Firefox crash wiped out all of it – because this story can help people reach great heights – and this is why you should watch this.

“What a beautiful death to die in the arms of your passion.” – Philippe Petit

The Big Bad Word in Presentations

What’s the most common gaffe made by public speakers nowadays?

Using the word ’stuff’.

This is for you, Omar Khan. (Of course, the whole point of the article is that too many people do it for their own good, but Omar sprang to mind as I read this.)

Patricia Fripp, an executive speech coach, is spot-on with her takedown of people’s carelessness – and that’s what I think it is. It’s just too easy to say ’stuff’, ‘etcetera’, or ‘and so on’ because they give the impression that the speaker knows more than he/she really does (which is, more often than not, wrong). More importantly, people are convinced by solid facts and figures, by tangibles, not by ‘impressions’.

The worst thing about “stuff” is that it is not specific! As my associate David Palmer, PhD has programmed me to think, “Specificity builds credibility.”

So it’s simply a waste of breath AND time to just say ’stuff’ in a formal setting. Breath because you could say something but you really said NOTHING, and time because you would probably have to explain again.

Yes, I know this sounds anal retentive, but I am referring to language in specific situations – for example job interviews. We’ve just graduated from IBA, one of the best business institutions in the country, and if our speech consists of mostly ‘um’ and ‘you know’ and ‘etcetera’, that’s not going to help us get jobs. Having a good vocabulary is an asset. Exploit it. Using good language is not ’stiff’, ‘formal’, ‘nerdy’ – it is simply the sign of good education.

I confess I have been making this mistake lately, but like any other change, a little self-discipline should take care of it.