Knight Returns

Just a heads up to the knight readers out there, more stuff is on its way. I have a few unpublished articles to post on the blog, which I am currently reviewing. I know I have been way for some time because of personal commitments that took me away from regularly writing on the blog. I am also a contributing writer at suite101.com and have an article published there. I will be writing more articles for both the blog and suite101.com soon.Thanks for the patronage. Hope you like the upcoming stuff on this blog as well. Thanks!

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Knight Memories

I remember I was only ten years old when the 1992 World Cup was on. I remember everyone being glued to their television sets. This was going to be skipper Imran Khan's last world cup. He wanted to go out with a bang. This was the tournament that gave our team of eleven future national heroes the "cornered tigers". Imran Khan was known to lead from the front. He had the intelligence, charisma and leadership to take his men to the top. It was his vision and determination that would take us to the final. I remember watching the semi final against New Zealand and the classic final against England. We all had goosebumps. My mom was praying so hard for our victory. before that day, I did not know what it meant to be Pakistani. There was a time in the final, when we thought the English were going strong, until a trailblazer came in the form of the great sultan of swing, Wasim Akram. Akram took out Lamb and Lewis in quick succession. It was Imran's brilliant captaincy that made the decision to bring Akram at this time.It seemed like he knew it all along. It was when Ramiz Raja took that catch which sealed the deal, I was all green and white. The entire nation rejoiced, it was possibly one of the biggest moments of my life. I remember jumping on the bed, when we won the cup. My mother had tears of joy. Imran Khan's smile just said it: he knew his destiny all along. The cornered tigers roared and destroyed the union jacks. It was that day my country was on top of the world. In front of 87000 people, we won the cricket world cup. If that does not make you feel proud of your country, I wonder what does. It is unfortunate, that until today this is the one and only time we came on top of the world. We got very close in 1999 under Wasim Akram's leadership. It was Akram's dream to emulate the lion Imran Khan. We lost a poorly contested final, but we realized there will be another day.

Even though we have won the 20/20 world cup in recent years, and that brought back memories of 1992, that day can never be replaced in history. Imran's cornered tigers are a symbol of determination of the spirit of Pakistan and its citizens to have courage in the face of any challenge, big or small. With good leadership and teamwork, the cornered tiger, our country Pakistan, will rise to be one of the greatest nations in the world Godwilling one day. Back to cricket, that day in 1992 is perhaps one of my greatest childhood memories ever, and it will be remembered forever by all Pakistani cricket fans alike who witnessed that day and rejoiced in celebration and we still do celebrate the memory of that day every time the new world cup rolls around, 1992 will always be special for the cornered tigers, the crystal trophy, the heroics of Wasim, Inzi and company and the brilliant leadership of Imran Khan. I hope that next year, we can try to relive the greatness of 1992 once again or at least try to. Here's to the future: game on!

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A Good Knight's Work

My blog gets its first recognition in Pakistan's  newspaper Dawn. The post "Day turns into Knight" is published in Dawn's letters to editor (http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/letters-to-the-editor/power-outages-a-blessing-730) as "Power outages a blessing?" on March 7. I am planning to get more interesting write ups  soon, so keep a look out as your favorite knight writer comes back with more excellent food for thought. I am hoping to chose some of my best posts and send them to newspapers in Pakistan. Feel free to post suggestions and comments on the posts and I am always glad to look at constructive criticism. Stay tuned to the Knight Writer!

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Lost Knight- my two cents on identity crisis

Thankfully, I have been blessed to see more of the world outside Pakistan. In my travels overseas, especially during my stay in the US as a college student, I have noticed a case of identity crisis amongst us Pakistanis. Now I want to state a disclaimer: this is my point of view, do not take it as fact. This is based on observations during my visit and stay overseas. I have noticed as soon as we walk on the Jetway at the Jinnah Terminal after bidding our loved ones goodbye, we leave our identity behind. Its like we are embarrassed of our own culture and identity. We decide to blend in when we reach university, thinking we would be mocked and ridiculed, worse yet feel left out. First of all, we think its embarrassing to speak in our native tongue! I have noticed the Chinese students, they are never afraid to talk in their own tongue amongst themselves. However, I know many groups of Pakistani students who had no issues with Urdu at all, when conversing amongst each other. Besides language, we seem to loose our values. I used to be very upset seeing a low turnout at the Friday congregation. It was always some excuse: classes, lunch, this and that. We feel pressured to party hard and get intoxicated, because if we cant beat them, might as well join them. I don't see the point in this at all. We dump our values and morality right there. We just can not seem to establish our own identity at all. We feel like we have to be Americanized. It has to start with the accent, and then the slang, and then the crazy partying. My partying friends tell me that there is no better feeling than getting wasted or blacked out. I beg to differ. I think I would like to keep my self respect intact instead of passing out in my own filth! What's so great about having a hangover? There are better ways to have fun and enjoy the nightlife. Who says you cant party? There is something called moderation. I am not preaching any fundos here. We all have our weaknesses, but why cant we be Pakistanis overseas?

Some readers may argue that regular cricket matches, culture shows, and eid dinners are examples of displaying our culture. That is all wonderful. Kudos to everyone who organizes these activities and actively participates in them. My question is why leave this only for special occasions? We should be showing off our culture on a daily basis, to identify us as Pakistanis, to show our foreign friends that we are truly proud of our culture. Just playing cricket and speaking in Urdu is not enough. There should be more and more activities showcasing our culture, and our identity. Establishing regular congregational prayer activities, Iftar events in Ramadan, weekly screenings of films and documentaries from Pakistan are some examples of what more we can do. When I speak of films, I do not talk of Lollywood. We have had many art films directed by talented film makers from our part of the world. Mehreen Jabbar and Shoaib Mansoor are prime examples. In fact, Hasina Moin's Urdu language plays have been so successful, that television channels across the border also broadcasted them. Pakistan has an ever growing music industry, possibly the biggest in South Asia. We can show highlights of classic cricket matches featuring our country. We can invite luminaries from Pakistan who are currently in the US, such as Salman Ahmed of Junoon fame who frequently visits universities to showcase his documentaries and play sets of his hits with his live band.

The whole purpose of my post is to create awareness of our own culture, and that we should not shy away from it. We, as Pakistanis, have a responsibility to promote and safeguard our rich culture. This is the only way we can erase stereotypes the Western media has of us. Even though I myself am away from home, I miss it a lot, but because I miss it, I am never afraid to talk about my culture. It is our duty to show the rest of the world, we are far from the portrayals of popular media. This has to come from within. Until and unless we do not realize our potential and the richness of our culture and embrace it, we will always be lost knights, victims of an identity crisis. Why should we bite the hand that feeds us? Why should we take our nation, and our culture for granted. Admitted, our country is not perfect, and our problems are never ending, but they will never end, unless we get out of this identity crisis.

Change comes from the grassroots level. It was in our country, we got the best of education that allowed us to go overseas, we should never forget that. We feel cool embracing western culture, but imagine how cool would it be for the West to embrace ours. That can only happen if we allow it to. If we hide under a shell, and never break out of the cocoon, we will be followers , not trendsetters. If even one of us decides to proudly display our culture to the rest of the world, others will follow suit. I have always believed that one man can make a difference, and that one person has to be amongst us.

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4 Idiots!

Bollywood recently released the hit comedy blockbuster 3 Idiots. Apparently, us Pakistanis beat them to it, not by having 3 but 4 idiots. I am talking about the 4 delightfully entertaining men who grace television sets in Pakistan and are also a hit on Youtube. These guys arent really idiots at all but they together are a band of 4 merry men, who call themselves the "4 Man show". My last blog post was on comedians in Pakistan, and I thought to myself, how could I miss these guys out. These guys are probably the most daring comedians I have ever seen in the country. These guys honestly have portrayed political figures, sports figures, celebrities, religious and political analysts better than anyone else I have seen. They even have done comic portrayals of Shahrukh Khan and Big B Amithabh Bachan himself. Its hilarious how they portrayed Jawed Miandad and former cricket captain Inzimam. I do not have to say more beyond this. I am sure many of you have already seen their episodes on TV, and Youtube, and if you have not, go to youtube now and search for 4 man show and see how they make your day. Comedy is alive and well in good hands in Pakistan and lets hope these 4 idiots continue to make us laugh and inspire a new generation of comedians to come.

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Pakistanis can be funny too!

So, you think we can't be funny? The past few months or so, I have been checking out many comedians from the land of the pure and honestly speaking, this new generation of comedians are awesome. These guys have boldly gone where no comedian has gone before. These guys have cracked me up so much, that I think if every one of us start being as funny, Pakistan would become Funny-istan, meaning land of the funnies. There is no doubt that the past few decades, Pakistan has produced many comedians, whose sharp tongue and wit have scored laughs by generations of Pakistanis home and abroad. Honorable mentions go out to Anwar Maqsoon, Moin Akhtar, Bushra Ansari, Hanif Raja and incomparable Omer Sharif. Moin Akhtar and Anwar Maqsood, since the 80s have been the funniest pair on television I have ever seen. Long before Loose Talk, they parodied serious talk shows, with Anwar Maqsood playing the serious host, while Moin would parody politicians, cricketers, Mullahs, and sterotypes of various ethnicities. Moin Akhtar himself played a great role of a man dressed up as a woman, trying to emulate Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, and did it so well. That show was known as Rosie.

My latest post is on the latest generation of comedians in Pakistan. These guys have used the latest technologies of Youtube and made their way to homes all over the world. Some of the best comedians I have come across are Saad Haroon and his partner in crime Danish Ali, of Real News and Black Fish fame. Black Fish was the first ever improvisational comedy troupe started by Saad Haroon, who is also my namesake. The Real News was the Pakistani version of John Stewart's Daily Show, parodying a Pakistani news show, focusing on satirical views on the latest news in the world and issues touching every Pakistani. Another person I have been lately impressed with is Sami Shah. I knew Sami back when I was a student at Foundation Public School. He was a few years senior to me, and since then he had the knack for intelligent comedy. He later became famous as the host of News Weakly on Pakistan's Dawn News channel, and has been doing many stand up routines all over Pakistan. His blog is on my blog list as well. I give kudos to these guys for being bold and brave to talk about today's issues in a comedic fashion, and doing it very well. Here's the hope that these guys carry on the good work, and keep the laughs coming, because as we all know, we all need a smile once a while in our chaotic world. Honestly, more than an apple, a smile a day keeps the doctor away. No wonder why it has been said that laughter is the best medicine.

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I want my MTV- back!

Yes folks. You heard it from the Knight Writer. I want my MTV back. MTV stands for Music Television, and for many years, that's what it was. In the past 10 or 15 years or so, it has become just another network featuring mostly reality TV shows. MTV was once a global phenomenon playing music from all over the world 24/7. Back in the day, MTV revolutionized music videos, and this prompted many rock bands of the 80s and 90s making artistic music videos. Duran Duran, for example, was very famous for their music videos. From Hungry like the Wolf to Wild Boys, every video was unique and fun to watch. Michael Jackson, in 1983, with Thriller made some of the best music videos of that time, especially the award winning Thriller. This is when MTV noticed and took on MJ, as he was at the time the first black artist to be featured on their network. The whole point of this is that the network stands for Music Television, but why does their content today has nothing to do with music videos. Now they have MTV2, and MTVU, and other spin-offs, that show music videos. For my Pakistani readers, I do not know if you guys knew this. Junoon and Strings were the first Pakistani rock acts to be featured on MTV Asia. Back in the early 90s, this was a big achievement. Junoon's ground breaking "Talaash" and String's magnum opus "Sar Kiye" were the first videos from our homeland to air on MTV. Today, Pakistan is blessed to have MTV Pakistan, which is a rebranded version of Indus Music. Either way, its cool to have MTV in Pakistan that actually focuses on music in Pakistan and serves as a platform for new bands to launch themselves in the country's growing rock scene.

Basically, in the US, if the original MTV channel tries to go back to its roots, it will recapture lot of its lost audience who originally tuned to see the latest rock videos from all around the world. I am sure my Pakistani readers remember how MTV Asia back in the 90s was replaced by Star TV with their own Channel V, which at the time was a very cool name for a music channel. Their programming was very similar to that of MTV Asia and retained many of their VJs. V was to MTV what Indus Music was to MTV Pakistan. I remember VJ Nonie and Trey who hosted Asian Top 20 and By Demand respectively. My other favorite show was Rewind which featured classic videos from the 80s. Asian Top 20 was my show to keep updated with the latest international music as I watched it religiously after coming from school. I usually catch V on my trips to Karachi, but lately I do not even watch MTV because MTV is not MTV anymore. This is why I want my MTV back!

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Introducing the Mc-Chola

I love globalization! dont you? its really a McDonalds world out there. It is surprising not to see a McDonalds sign at any airport. Like it or not, the world loves its Big Mac! The world is "lovin it". McDonalds in Pakistan has truly devoured the desi culture. In the USA,McDonalds is at every street corner and frankly no one cares if another one will open in another part of the city. In Pakistan, McDonalds is like the Queen of England coming in town. Its amazing how people actually dress up to go to McDonalds and many times I have actually been served! talk about fast food and self service. What can I say? Us Pakistanis love being spoilt. McDonalds is very much Pakistani now, with the invent of Mc Kofta gyros, and even our own desi style drive thru at the Sea View. I remember when it first started there were no radios, just guys waiting to take your order. It was a revolution! Also the most amazing phenomenon is that when McDonalds launched their first branch in Nazimabad, Karachi in the late 90s, there were about 3000 people standing in line to have their first ever Big Mac! I have never seen such crowds at a new opening anywhere in the USA. I had an idea with friends that I joked about,and it was introducing the best Pakistani snack delight Mickey Ds style. I introduce you to McChola. (For my non- desi friends, cholas are chickpeas served with spices and gravy, and its available at all places that serve chaat, which is like a mixed broth of chickpeas and other tasty delights). Its better than your local thela wala cholas or the one you have at Gazebo in Karachi! why you ask? Because it is by the golden arched M, which says "I'm lovin it", which means we all love it, or have to, since we love everything starting with a Mc! Imagine how popular Mc Cholas would be internationally. You could be at an airport in Frankfurt and ordering Mc Cholas. Yummy! So, keep a look out. The Mc Chola may be coming to a Mickey Ds near you or on your next international trip!

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Day turns into Knight

Being a resident of Karachi most of my life, one thing that has always been a highlight is loadshedding. It is a phenomenon that is very much a part of Karachi. The reason I say this is that after going to Islamabad, and spending time there, electricity only goes out for an hour. In fact if there is a day there is no loadshedding, it seems like there is something wrong. Karachi is quite ironically nicknamed the city of lights. I would say its the city of nights!

However, those of us not blessed with generators, can continue to enjoy the immense pleasure loadshedding gives us. It actually gives us bonding time with family and friends under candle light! and what a great time to give your special someone a candle light dinner. Also, its an awesome excuse to venture out of the house and check out the bright lights of the big city, if there are any not affected by the loadshedding. The best part is, one can vent their frustrations to the KESC engineers. Loadshedding is a blessing in disguise, no wonder the city government does not want to solve the power problems. Being in the US at the moment, I always look forward to loadshedding when I visit Karachi. I miss it in the US. I was surprised to see the power go out during a snow storm in DC, and I felt I was teleported Star Trek style to Karachi!

On a serious note, I feel that the KESC has been trying hard to improve the power issues. Hey you thought I was not serious above :) haha. I could be wrong but my friends in Karachi can enlighten me of the situation. I would say the gas generator should be every Karachi-ite's best friend, and why not get into that business when one is there. As long as there is loadshedding, its a profitable venture. I am sure there is some lobbying going on in KESC by generator providers! Will we miss loadshedding when the power problem is solved? I hope not!

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The Hitman returns to WWE

Over the past two months or so, we have seen the return of the excellence of execution Bret "Hitman" Hart in the WWE branded squared circle. The Hitman has been back after 12 years to the WWE. Bret had lot of bitterness towards WWE after being screwed out of the WWE and his championship in the Montreal Survivor Series in 1997. This famous incident was not "kayfabe", and was a real life incident that happened in the WWE. Usually professional wrestling has its wrestlers take part in storylines resembling real life fueds, but they are mostly scripted and improvised. However, Bret's WWE exit in November 1997 was not scripted, but was set up by Vince McMahon, the owner and chairman of WWE. Back in those days, the Monday Night Wars were in full swing. WCW and WWE were in full battle with each other. In the mid 90s, we saw big WWE names like Lex Luger, Scott Hall/ Razor Ramon and Kevin Nash/ Diesel, as well as women's champion Alundra Blayze (Madusa) defect to the WCW. The WCW NWO storyline was a big hit and was helping WCW take over WWE in ratings. Bret was a huge superstar loyal to the WWE brand, and was offered at that time the biggest salary ever by WCW. Bret refused and stuck with WWE's long term contract at lesser money. Vince later realized Bret, no matter how valuable, was not feasible for him, so he allowed Bret to take the WCW contract. Bret was supposed to wrestle his last match against arch rival Shawn Michaels in his native Canada and did not want to lose the title there.

Vince feared he may see Bret go to WCW with the title, convinced him to drop the title in Montreal. Bret was very loyal and promised he will drop the title the next night and say goodbye to his fans. In what happened that night came to be known as the famous Montreal Screwjob. During a pivotal moment in the match, Shawn Michaels had Bret in his trademark finisher, the sharpshooter, and just as Bret was about to reverse, Vince forced the referee to ring the bell. Bret was shocked and disappointed as he looked towards Vince, who he had considered as a father figure. Bret spitted at Vince and then he went nuts destroying the tv monitors in rage. It is known that Bret later punched Vince backstage. All this and more is on the Bret Hart documentary Wrestling with Shadows.

However, Bret came back two months ago to bury the hatchet with Vince and Shawn. He was able to accomplish it with both of them. However, Vince had used the real life bittersweet history between them and offered Bret a 4 month contract in which there will be a scripted feud based on Montreal 1997, and resulting in a match at this year's Wrestlemania, wrestling's biggest PPV. Bret's return also coincided with Hulk Hogan's arrival in TNA, which is a different story. We have seen lot of excitement with Bret's return. It is hopeful, the Hitman continues his quest for excellence as he was always known as the best there was, the best there is and the best there ever will be. Bret was a personal favorite of mine and I hope that despite his 2002 stroke and recovery, he is able to deliver his best in the WWE and leave on a much higher note than he did 12 years ago in Montreal.

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Knightrocking

Rock n roll has always been a passion of mine. from growing up listening to MJ, Roxette and Def Leppard and graduating to alternate rock of the 90s, I have been exposed to all styles of music. However, some things just stick with you and the 80s have. I cant help it, but the music is timeless. some may beg to disagree, but i am ready to debate on it.

To put it to the test, a friend and I, both disc jockeys in college, did a special in which we put our favorite genres to battle. DJ De Marco, as he was known, chose 90s grunge/alternate rock, while I chose 80s metal ranging from Motley Crue, ACDC, Metallica to GNR and Skid Row. We put our tunes to the test. we had insane calls requesting all sorts of songs from both genres.I still remember, how my comment on Pearl Jam was taken personally by one caller. Interesting how music can become a part of someone. Anyways, in both our minds, we won, I would say that music is relative, as my friend Ali Shah always told me, so to each his own. In the end I would like to say rock on baby! till the next post, cya!

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Shadowy Flight

The Knight Writer invites you to read personal anecdotes and reflections on any thing that comes in my mind. Venture into a shadowy flight into the world of the Knight Writer. feel free to leave reflections as well, as the Knight Writer loves to hear feedback from his guests. happy reading.

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