Almost every time one watches television via the satellite, there is a chance of getting carried away into the domain of marvel and philosophy as well. Marvel at the way the television is changing our lives thanks to technology, and the threat that it holds out for society, generally speaking. And the more vulnerable the society the deeper the impact. Then one is also amazed at the extent to which man is dependent on television for his daily living. This can happen without one realising it.
Television one may not have realised caters for such a baffling variety of human moods, and the reason is somewhat obvious. Television seeks to come so close to life that it perhaps seeks to fulfil in large (?) measure an alternative to human conversation. Almost like a friend it talks to you, holding you as a captive listener, as you watch in some kind of breathless excitement almost like a friend of some kind, always there. That's the best part of it, in a way. Honestly, now that one watches TV and writes this column, there is so much to say. If anything I am, after all is said and done, a protagonist of the TV medium and there is so much to say for it, about it, and which I will in course of time.
Each time I switch onto a channel, even though the options I have in my residential area are not as sweeping as compared to the cable options that others appear to have, I am motivated to pick up that particular story ,or play or current affairs show or even a TV commercial as the number one item for the column. There is perhaps that much of potential in it.
Having said this ,and even though there are so many grim and grave themes that have dominated the TV channels that I have watched in varying measure during the week, and there is much that has happened globally, and at home, and not all of it depressing or a cause for any fresh despair, one proposes to begin with a repeat telecast musical programme that went on air on one of the Indus channels, on Tuesday night. This was a tribute to the legendary Melody Queen Noor Jehan, which I was able to see ,though not all of it unfortunately. Herein lies the wisdom and the pragmatism of repeat telecasts. It is inherent in the TV medium that viewers not see the best of programmes, or breaking news, the very first time. It takes time for people to realise the need to have repeat telecasts. Some programmes have a repeat run value for life, for that matter.
So one saw this programme, this glowing musical tribute to Noor Jehan and even though it is futile and frustrating to try and encompass the phenomenon , the programme stood out for the manner in which her noted daughter, Zile Huma, a singer who often sings her mother's melodious songs, handled the show .She gave to the tribute the authenticity that was required. The dignity, and the human touch that enriched the whole show. She said that while she was honoured to be Noor Jehan's daughter, she regretted that she could not sing like her. In the end Zile Huma invited her small family, as she put it on stage to express the family's gratitude for the tribute that Indus had paid to her mother, the Melody Queen. So on stage came her husband, her sons, her sisters, and her nephews and so on. and they all looked humble and well knit.
For those who revel in Noor Jehan's songs, especially those from yesteryears the programme was an exercise in nostalgia, and the warmth and magic of going down memory lane was comforting, even inspiring. One got an opportunity to hear Noor Jehan's hits from the past all over again, rendered by singers of today, including Zile Huma. I particularly liked Sadaf Munir singing "lath uljhi suljha ja rey balam" and that immortal "Chand Hanse Duniya Basey, "from that unforgettable film of the sixties Intezar. Or was it the fifties? Pardon me. There were some comments from Zeba Bakhtiar which I thought reflected well the impact that Noor Jehan had as a person on people. There is so much to say about Noor Jehan, really. But there are other themes waiting for focus.
One must, however, mention that the night before the same Indus channel had a tribute to another legendary singer, Shamshad Begum and hearing that one too transported me into another world. That world has little to do with the world that channels like CNN, BBC and Geo and ARY can create for you. Any way it was good to hear on Tuesday night after the Noor Jehan programme that the Indus channel has many more programmes in the pipeline that will pay tribute to such legends and stars like Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Nargis, Meena Kumari, Naushad, Shabnam, and Firdausi Begum. That was good news.
Whoever said that corruption would not be discussed freely and candidly on a Pakistani TV channel? That is what was happening on a Pakistan TV channel (PTV World perhaps), during the week, and besides the audience that was invited, there were some authentic panelists, comprising people like Daniyal Aziz, the Inspector General of police, Islamabad, a Lahore from Lahore, a writer Asghar Nadeem Syed, and others. A strength that the programme had was that it was discussed openly and with an abundance of realism. A point to mention here is that it was not the first time that we have seen the scourge of corruption in Pakistan being on our local channels, Geo and ARY and Indus have also picked up this relevant subject, and in the long march to fight and reduce corruption from our lives, from some specific departments in particular, these open discussions are bound to be of great help.. Which makes it pertinent to mention here that there is a hard hitting stance that many current programmes have when they focus on social problems or civic handicaps and frustrations that citizens face. That reflects well on the steady increase in the freedom of expression that is perceptible in society. And the perception that one gets of media in this country in the future is that a lot more of freedom is coming. Responsible or not, waits to be discovered. This is not yet a society that places a high enough premium on efficiency, and good governance. So the media that we will have a level of efficiency and effectiveness that is in proportion to everything else in society.
Karachi is once again in the news for the terrorism that has taken place during April and it was significant to hear of a bomb blast in the posh Defence Housing Society, near a n elitist club where an Indian singer Sonu Nigam was performing, via the ARY One channel on Saturday night around 10.45pm.And ARY One kept viewers informed of the developments in the blast, there after. Once again the breaking news phenomenon. The newspaper on Sunday was only a follow-up, and not the best option. Later on Sunday afternoon, the ARY One channel had a detailed focus on the Karachi factor or the fresh wave of violence, crime and terrorism in the Sindh capital. There was a useful input from the Sindh police chief, plus the Karachi bureau chief of the channel, and the president of the Karachi Union of Journalists, Mazhar Abbas. Once again let me take this opportunity to underline the candour and realism that characterised the comments, opinions and information that came from these and other persons.
On Tuesday, the Geo TV in its regular talk show Capital Talk which is hosted by the experienced journalist Hamid Mir had a panel comprising Tehmina Durrani,Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Babar Ghouri and Raza Hayat Hiraj, a state minister for parliamentary affairs. Viewers who are somewhat naïve, and idealistic and do not understand politics as is practised In Pakistan may have wondered what was happening when more than one person was talking at the same time. I read during the week a TV review wherein it was stated that often women panelists speak all at the same time. But here was a show with men in a majority and they were arguing as informally as if they were in a private drawing room. The subject was a grim and grave one, of our national politics, and the animated and argumentative programme ended on a note which said that there was a need for a national reconciliation given the nature of the political divide that exists today across the land.
Some questions that were repeatedly asked and answered were whether Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and Altaf Hussain would return to Pakistan. I and there were light-hearted comments as well, with a reference to Tehmina Durrani which she handled with a maturity that was impressive.
And finally while there were channels like CNN and ARY One and ARY focusing on the 9/11 investigations that were telecast live, and many of us having heard Condoleeza Rice, national security advisor,USA thought about the extent to which the world developments are brought into our lives as they happen, keep in mind how there is repeated, forceful emphasis on the Islamic theme. And there is huge interest in it too.
On Sunday evening, there was a three hour live question-answer programme on Islam in our Times in which the learned Dr Zakir Naik was answering questions with Dr Shahid Masood being the compare. Both speakers are noted and both are medical doctors, a point that most people do not know. But that is besides the point.
The amazing and impressive aspect of such live phone-in programmes is the reflection of a vibrant healthy interest that people allover the world have in Islamic programmes, and they want to know more about how Islam is relevant and practicable in their daily lives. Things are changing it seems.
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