Delhi Diary

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Enjoyed your article. Let me read more of your pieces. Sitting here in Toronto (New Dubai) I can see the senselessness of the Pakistan-India enmity. Let`s see what the new president and your prez come up with.

Moeen Faruqi

you`ve obviously never tasted the chapli kababs of Takhti Bhai near Mardan - the best in the world

Dear V. Malik,

Keep on enjoying your kababs, but if you have little

time to get out from your one sided approach. I am sending

one news cutting, try to waste little time on this also.

Our Kababs are not so good , Happy ? but we will (Inshallah)

TAINTED BLOOD SENT TO INDIA : W.H.O.

London - Blood contaminated with the HIV virus and

Hepatitis has been shipped to India and China via Britain

From South Africa for 20 years, an investigation by the

World Health Organisations has revealed.

Britain`s Sunday Times said a Multi Million - dollar

Racket had been exposed in a WHO report, which

Said the blood, coming from Aids stricken South

Africa, was often labeled as `` animal plasma`` to

Avoid checks designed to ensure that only healthy blood

Gets through. Investigations so far show that the blood

Has mainly been moved to India. Atleast two British

Companies, one based in Guernsey and the other

In Berkshire, have been investigated by Austrian

Detectives. --- DPA

Khaleej Times - Dt.26/08/2000.

re: farheenu#83

I did not say any Pakistani cause...I specifically said Pakistani support of militants in Kashmir. You call them freedom fighters, we call them terrorists...that is a matter of perspective...but the fact remains that Pakistani contribution of money to these freedom fighters/terrorists is against India`s interest. Last year, I received an email from a certain Vibha Gulati at Rutgers urging Indians to help support the cause of female graduates at Fatima Jinnah University in Karachi, I think, I am not sure about the University. I asked her why she was working for women in Pakistan, when there were more Indian women who could do with her help. Charity as they say, starts at home or some such. She replied that she was active in many programs in India and she was working for Pakistani causes as well.

So you see Farheenu, it is not `some Pakistani cause` that Indians might be apprehensive supporting, it is specific Pakistani causes that we have a problem with. Don`t accuse us of being patriotic....`cause if you do, most people in the world would be guilty of that `crime`.

As for the grunting of other chronic India-hating pigs on Chowk board, I`ll leave them to their constipated misery. Sorry for the language.

regards,

Kabuli

Rdesikan & Kabuliwalla:

The whole argument about the Indian and Pakistani film industry has nothing to do with this debate. As I had mentioned the concert was no huge affair with actual film artists performing, just Indian and Pakistani songs performed by a band residing in the USA.

But I have gotten my answer from Kabuliwalla`s explanation:

a) the Indians might be apprehensive to be supporting some Pakistani cause through ticket purchase

b) they may not want to spend $10 for a music event performed by not-so -well-known artists.

Thanks for helping figure out this problem.

Scout #77

Although Kabuliwallah has valid points, particularly how much Pakistani movie we see in our country. Except Sultan Rahi`s film in Punjabi and Anjuman`s dance (My latest encounter 10-15 years back) what is there in Pakistani film. (Exclude Aina from it).

But also the thing is not as rosy as Kabuliwallah is presenting. The digging of pitch in cricket match between Srilanka and India. Threat to Pakistani cricketers by Bal Thackeray etc are indication of a political disease called fascism.

(with support of large segment of society).

As Tauqeer Zia rightly pointed out, that India can use Pakistani hockey sticks to play in olympics, but will not play in Sahara cup due to ---- KASHMIR ))::

While agreeing with Rdesikan, let me give more reasons.

The Indian movie and entertainment has a pre-partition history and is well recognized. It doesn`t need to prove itself (though it should not take the audience for granted, which it more often than not does). That is why Pakistanis don`t have a problem with watching Indian movies and enjoying Indian entertainment in general because it is, if you pardon my choice of words, original and authentic, a brand name. The Pakistani movie industry on the other hand, had to be painstakingly built after partition, primarily, in Lahore. Many artists did not migrate with Pakistan, they chose to stay back in India. So, from its inception (though I know that movies were made in Lahore, pre-partition also, though not on the scale of Bombay), the Pakistani movie and entertainment industry has suffered under the shadow of the much better financed and artitistically endowed Bombay entertainment industry. The Pakistani industry thus has an image problem vis-a-vis the Indian industry. However I should say, that Pakistanis make very good TV serials, which are very popular among North Indians, ex: Tanhayiyan (my favourite), Kasak etc. Another problem Indians face with Pakistani performing arts is that the langugage is too heavy with Persian, Arabic and Turkish words. On the other hand, Indian movies are usually in Hindustani which is easy to understand for both Indians and Pakistanis and is thus light on the mind. Inspite of all these handicaps, there are some Pakistani based artists who have garnered a fan following in India and whose work is very popular (Chandi Raatein by Noor Jehan being a personal favourite of mine) like Junoon and Ali Haider, and more recently Adnan Sami Khan.

Regarding very few Indian artists performing in Pakistan, there might be a visa problem, and for this only Pakistan can be held accountable and not India. India has always welcomed artists from Pakistan and they become very popular, and rich, once setting foot on Indian soil. Indian artists, on the other hand, if I`m not mistaken, do not make much profit in Pakistan due to piracy. I could be wrong in this regard.

Regarding Indians not attending Pakistani events in the USA, there is a fear among Indians, me included, that the funds collected during the events might be donated to the Pakistani campaign in Kashmir. It is a well known fact that the militant campaign in Kashmir, to a significant extent, is fed on donations/chanda from Pakistanis in Pakistan and abroad. On the other hand, the Indian army is not financed by civilian donations but through government funds. I`ll give, as an example, something that happened with me. I once had doubts attending an AMA concert at Rutgers because of the issue mentioned above. So I asked the organizer, a very good friend of mine and a Pakistani, where the collections would go. He informed me that they would be used to build a school in Kashmir. It was then that I gave my contribution. I could not attend because on the same day, the Rutgers Indian Graduate Students Association was screening Kaho Na Pyar Hai, which by the way was attended by Pakistanis also because, they informed me, the band at the AMA event was quite bad.


And in the USA, it is not just the Indians who might not attend Pakistani events. It happens the other way round too. In Rutgers for example, every year, a South Asian Unity Show is held (this apart from the HSC, RUSikh, BSA functions held individually) which HSC, RUSikh, BSA organize together. But every year, PSA refuses to participate in this show and very few if any Pakistanis attend the event.

If I`m not mistaken, Pakistanis themselves despise their movie industry...so it is really unfair for Pakistanis to blame Indians for not watching Pakistani movies and enjoying their filmi songs citing reasons of arrogance and snobbery. Pakistani music artists and music brands suffer from poor marketing and presentation. In this day and age where the packaging and image is everything, Komal Rizvi makes a tacky and unappealing Baujee video. But those of them, like Junoon and Ali Haider, who have been able to overcome these obstacles, are quite popular with Indians. If anyone goes to Raaga on Oak Tree Road in Edison, there is a whole section of Pakistani music, with artists represented such as Nur Jehan, Abida Parveen, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Junoon, Ali Haider, Vital Signs etcetera, etcetera. It is not a question of open mindedness or close mindedness. The art has to appeal, thats what counts.

And this is for scout chachi,

the Seinfeld episode you mentioned, Babu does make it a Pakistani restaurant, but if I`m not mistaken, the original restaurant offered some kind of mediterranean cuisine. But you are right when you say that Pakistani restaurants have not gotten the chance. Pakistani food too suffers from an image problem. Pakistan is mentioned in the USA for all the wrong reasons. So I`m guessing Americans get turned off by Pakistani cuisine. It would have helped Pakistani restaurants if India was called Hindustan and India a term that could be used interchangeably for both Hindustan and Pakistan. But due to the strategic brilliance of India`s founding fathers, Hindustan is called India and thus subcontinental cuisine is hijacked by `Indian` cuisine. Unfair? Yes. Beneficial to Indians? Yes.

regards,

Kabuli

PS In an ER episode, the head of the surgery department asks either Eric Lasalle or Noah Wyle, I`m not sure which, if he was upto some Pakistani cuisine (read spicy)? So maybe Pakistani food is catching up :)

Re Farheenu

Boy did you overgeneralize. Here are some reasons as to why your show did not attract a bigger Indian participation:

One could be the lack of true social interaction between first-generation Indian and Pakistani immigrants who tend to carry over their idealogical baggage. Not the superficial ones many confuse for contact, like these chowk forums.

Two, as others like Kabuli pointed out--the lack of brand-name/appeal of the Paki acts. Indian performers tend to be bigger names whereas other than the most prominent of your performers, the others just get lost in the shuffle. Besides, how many Indians get to watch Paki movies? Not too many, I`m afraid and if you had a show that featured some of these performers, why would some one want to risk a few bucks on an unknown commodity? You might have gotten a better response if you marketed it better, by highlighting the familiar songs, etc.

Three, the distaste of politics and the need to avoid further political controversy--as it happened in quite a few Indian parades with disruptions by certain misguided Paki youth. As much as it may surprise many Pakistanis, most Indians do not give that much importance to the Kashmir issue. Not that it is not discussed, but there are so many other things to discuss.

Four, has it ever occured to you that the Indians who did not come may have been from other parts of India and were not too familiar with the style/kind of music your show offered? I`m from Madras and my knowledge of Hindi is barely minimal. Heck, I missed a 100 in Hindi in my ICSE by a whopping 70%. And my understanding of Kannada, Telugu or Malayalam is even worse. Now, if I were to live in a small town, why on earth would I attend a Kannada or Hindi event?

Five, you`ve based your opinion on a very, very small sample. So how can you generalize broadly?

Re: Kabuliwalla

I think you have given some very relevant arguments against my statement. But this is not an experience that I have witnessed in Pakistan nor is it anything that I believe happens in India. However, where I live in the USA, I have interracted with the Indians and have experienced this. Actually I myself arranged a concert in which a Pakistani band was performing. They were actually going to sing more Indian songs (as these are popular generally), and we advertised this event in the whole South Asian community. Now mine is a small city and desi concerts are rare, so I presumed I`d get a good response. Well , what happened was that the whole Pakistani community turned up, and only 4 Indians attended!

I was told that Indians don`t like to go to Pakistani events, I was very surprised!

As far as I am concerned, I really enjoy Indian movies.

Re: aaker patel

``on the whole, i find north indians (and i`m sure most pakistanis -- especially punjabis -- would be included here though i`m afraid i have no personal knowledge) to be uncouth, their language crude and their food excessive.``

I tend to agree with this even though I am a northie myself. But I`ll still never give up my ``excessive food`` for idli sambar, which, as good as it is, simply isn`t oily, rich, or spicy enough for me :)

Also, I find it more than a mere coincidence that most of the brightest scientists in India are from the South...one of the few places on Earth with near 100% literacy - Kerala - is also in the south. What`s wrong with us northies?

Kabulliwallay,

Of course there are exceptions and other open minded young Indians such as yourself, but in general, I`ve noticed what farheenu did.

Junoon became popular for their talent amongst Indians ONLY when they came to India. Had they not, I doubt they`d be as famous.

I`m a fan of Indian music, even though most of the singers haven`t visited Pakistan. And there are countless Pakistanis like me who embrace Indian talent and culture. But I don`t see the same open mindedness in Indians.

It really doesn`t matter to me, but I brought it up after reading your post.

As for Pakistani restaurants not being ``up to snuff,`` they haven`t really gotten the chance.

Do you remember the Seinfeld episode where Jerry tells a Pakistani restaurant owner to change his restaurant`s name from an Indian name to a Pakistani name (if I remember correctly). He lost all his customers, and sued Jerry. An interesting parody of what happens in real life.

sorry, it should have read the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has a huge following in India.

Kabuli

re: farheenu and scout

tsk, tsk, tsk, generalizations.

Indians not going to Pakistani concerts? If I`m not mistaken, it is in India that Pakistani artists make the real profits. No wonder they all come to India. Pakistanis themselves have told me that Junoon was huge in Pakistan. But they completley blew up once they came to India. Maybe its because of the huge market in India. My own favourite song is Bulleya by Junoon. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan too has a huge following in India. Before he died, he did a whole series of music direction for Bollywood flicks, which was their only redeeming factor. Ali Haider, the late Nazia Hassan, come on, the list goes on.

As for Pakistani restaurants, there are many reasons.

Some people are afraid that Pakistani restaurants might use utensils interchangeably for beef and non-beef dishes. But that is a minority.

Some might be vegetarian and Pakistani cuisine is not exactly famous for its vegetarian cuisine.

Most Pakistani restaurants, at least where I was living in New Jersey, are of the cheaper variety. So affluent Indians might not go there or other cheap Indian restaurants for the sole reason that they don`t come upto their standards.

But the statement that Indians don`t go to Pakistani restaurants is not true at all. Students especially, favour Pakistani restaurants because their buffet is cheap and the food is ok. I used to frequent The Taj Mahal on Oak Tree Road in Edison, on Fridays, because thats when they have Biryani. Though the other dishes are extremely greasy, ylh and I would go there most Fridays because it was one of the few places we could afford, being students and all.

There might still be some Indians who don`t go to Pakistani restaurants for reasons of patriotism.

And by the way, these so called Indian restaurants are more often than not owned by Sylheti Bangladeshis anyways. And people have varied opinions about their cooking, more often in the negative.

regards,

Kabuli.

Farheenu & scout,

I dont know which Indians are refering to. As far as I`m concerned, I had told my Pakistani friends here, that if they invite me to their house for dinner--I`ll publicly concede that the Pakistani position on Kashmir is right! Alas, so far, not too many takers. But thats OK, my muslim sis-in-law has migrated to the US with my brother & I get my regular fill of muslim cooking.

farheenu #71, ``From my experience from interacting with Indians in my own city, they will not touch food from a Pakistani restaurant or go to a Pakistani concert etc.. Why?``

Good question. I`ve noticed this as well. Maybe they`re afraid of enjoying themselves or they think we will poison their food when they come in.

Or maybe they are just ethnocentric......

I wish you asked this question beforehand ;)

What could have been......