Dawood Ibrahim
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- May 25, 2016
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M Muaaz Saqib
THE recent season of Coke Studio has once again charmed the nation with its unique blend of music. It is a widely accepted opinion that Coke Studio made Pakistani music industry suffering, at time, from a period of stagnation and anonymity into an internationally recognized powerhouse of music, and creating an entirely new genre of music in the process. However, achievements of Coke Studio aren’t just limited to the music that it has created. Coke Studio is also symbolic representation of Pakistan; not of Pakistan as we all know it, but one Pakistan could’ve been as envisioned by Jinnah. Now, before I’m declared a “Kaffir” or traitor by keyboard warriors, who seem to have an issue with almost everything, there are several reasons for this statement as listed below:
It’s no secret that Jinnah wanted us to put behind our differences in language and culture for the betterment of the nation; and while all the successive govt have failed to unite the different provinces for the advancement of the nation, and indeed most of them have actually exploited such differences for their personal gains, Coke Studio has done a much better job of achieving provincial/cultural harmony. For Coke Studio it is entirely part of the norm to fuse together songs of different languages and cultural backgrounds to form hybrid songs so unique and exquisite that they’re loved by people who don’t even speak those languages.
Pakistan was made under the two-nation theory, as our founding fathers didn’t believe that Muslims would be allowed to prosper in a Hindu majority India, as is evident from the current state of minorities in Modi’s India. However, the founding fathers, which includes Jinnah, never wanted the minorities in Pakistan to be oppressed or prevented from holding offices in the state. As Jinnah once famously said, “You are free; you are free to go to your temples.
You are free to go to your mosques or to any other places of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion, caste or creed—that has nothing to do with the business of the state.” While this statement has largely been ignored by the lawmaker of Pakistan, the producers of Coke Studio seem to have taken this statement quite seriously.
This is why irrespective of religious ideology Coke Studio will provide a platform to any person who can sing well. Furthermore, the show has been known to send out powerful messages to tackle religious intolerance, whether that be in the form of appropriate lyrics, or by showcasing the powerful voice of Amjad Sabri from beyond the grave. While contemporary Pakistan has to arrange reserved seats for women, just so that they can reach Parliament, it’s founder was a man who was a staunch supporter of gender equality.
Jinnah wanted his newly created state to be free of the concept of nepotism; however, more than seven decades later advancement in this country largely relies on your acquaintances, rather than merit. Whether it be the national cricket team, politics, or admission in a government university, it is imperative that one must have the relevant contacts, or otherwise the struggle to the top would be a vertical one, rather than just uphill. However, in Coke Studio it isn’t uncommon to see relatively unknown artists giving strong breakout performances besides famous ones.
Whether it be in the form of Momina Mustehsan singing beside Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, or Mai Dai singing with Atif Aslam, and giving a more powerful performance than the famous pop singer, Coke Studio has shown time and time again that giving opportunities to new talent, while risky, can lead to marvelous results, and nepotism causes nothing but stagnation.
Furthermore, let’s not forget that well-known singers such as Sara Haider, Zoe Viccaji, and her sister Rachel Viccaji, all started out as backing vocalists on Coke Studio, and were able to spread their wings because they were given the opportunity to do so. This is why whether you like Coke Studio or not, it can’t be denied that Coke Studio has made an impact on the nation that goes well beyond its music, and has emerged as one of the stable positive things in the country marred by so much negativity.
— The author is a practicing lawyer in Karachi.
http://pakobserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/favico.png
THE recent season of Coke Studio has once again charmed the nation with its unique blend of music. It is a widely accepted opinion that Coke Studio made Pakistani music industry suffering, at time, from a period of stagnation and anonymity into an internationally recognized powerhouse of music, and creating an entirely new genre of music in the process. However, achievements of Coke Studio aren’t just limited to the music that it has created. Coke Studio is also symbolic representation of Pakistan; not of Pakistan as we all know it, but one Pakistan could’ve been as envisioned by Jinnah. Now, before I’m declared a “Kaffir” or traitor by keyboard warriors, who seem to have an issue with almost everything, there are several reasons for this statement as listed below:
It’s no secret that Jinnah wanted us to put behind our differences in language and culture for the betterment of the nation; and while all the successive govt have failed to unite the different provinces for the advancement of the nation, and indeed most of them have actually exploited such differences for their personal gains, Coke Studio has done a much better job of achieving provincial/cultural harmony. For Coke Studio it is entirely part of the norm to fuse together songs of different languages and cultural backgrounds to form hybrid songs so unique and exquisite that they’re loved by people who don’t even speak those languages.
Pakistan was made under the two-nation theory, as our founding fathers didn’t believe that Muslims would be allowed to prosper in a Hindu majority India, as is evident from the current state of minorities in Modi’s India. However, the founding fathers, which includes Jinnah, never wanted the minorities in Pakistan to be oppressed or prevented from holding offices in the state. As Jinnah once famously said, “You are free; you are free to go to your temples.
You are free to go to your mosques or to any other places of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion, caste or creed—that has nothing to do with the business of the state.” While this statement has largely been ignored by the lawmaker of Pakistan, the producers of Coke Studio seem to have taken this statement quite seriously.
This is why irrespective of religious ideology Coke Studio will provide a platform to any person who can sing well. Furthermore, the show has been known to send out powerful messages to tackle religious intolerance, whether that be in the form of appropriate lyrics, or by showcasing the powerful voice of Amjad Sabri from beyond the grave. While contemporary Pakistan has to arrange reserved seats for women, just so that they can reach Parliament, it’s founder was a man who was a staunch supporter of gender equality.
Jinnah wanted his newly created state to be free of the concept of nepotism; however, more than seven decades later advancement in this country largely relies on your acquaintances, rather than merit. Whether it be the national cricket team, politics, or admission in a government university, it is imperative that one must have the relevant contacts, or otherwise the struggle to the top would be a vertical one, rather than just uphill. However, in Coke Studio it isn’t uncommon to see relatively unknown artists giving strong breakout performances besides famous ones.
Whether it be in the form of Momina Mustehsan singing beside Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, or Mai Dai singing with Atif Aslam, and giving a more powerful performance than the famous pop singer, Coke Studio has shown time and time again that giving opportunities to new talent, while risky, can lead to marvelous results, and nepotism causes nothing but stagnation.
Furthermore, let’s not forget that well-known singers such as Sara Haider, Zoe Viccaji, and her sister Rachel Viccaji, all started out as backing vocalists on Coke Studio, and were able to spread their wings because they were given the opportunity to do so. This is why whether you like Coke Studio or not, it can’t be denied that Coke Studio has made an impact on the nation that goes well beyond its music, and has emerged as one of the stable positive things in the country marred by so much negativity.
— The author is a practicing lawyer in Karachi.
http://pakobserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/favico.png
