Can't find the profile name option in your Facebook account? No problem.
Just log into your account and then visit this url:
http://www.facebook.com/username
You will see the username options Facebook suggests for you.
Click on 'More' and you can then type in your desired profile name.
Best of luck!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Snow covers Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), UAE, mountain peak for the first time in history
Yesterday was the first time in recorded history that the residents of Ras Al Khaimah, an Emirate of the United Arab Emirates, saw snow covering the peak of Jebel Jais. This is in a country which is covered with desert sands and has temperatures rising up to 50 degree centigrade in the summer. A country where the local dialect doesn't even have a word for 'snow'!
The temperature reached -3 degrees C on Friday and remained at 1 degree on Saturday.
It is the 'winter' season here in the UAE, with showers and thunderstorms these days. We have seen hailstones during this season in previous years, and there has been one incident of snowfall in Ras Al Khaimah. But this weekend was the first time that anyone ever saw snow covering the mountain peak of Jebel Jais, and an area of 5 km around it.
Here's what a snowfall in the Arabian desert looks like:
Pictures are courtesy Gulf News (with due credit intended for the photographers) and WAM.
Want to read more about it? The story made front page news in most local newspapers:
The temperature reached -3 degrees C on Friday and remained at 1 degree on Saturday.
It is the 'winter' season here in the UAE, with showers and thunderstorms these days. We have seen hailstones during this season in previous years, and there has been one incident of snowfall in Ras Al Khaimah. But this weekend was the first time that anyone ever saw snow covering the mountain peak of Jebel Jais, and an area of 5 km around it.
Here's what a snowfall in the Arabian desert looks like:
Pictures are courtesy Gulf News (with due credit intended for the photographers) and WAM.What does this mean, snowfall in desert mountains? Meteorologists are talking about condensation and rain drops freezing due to cold air currents. Boring, isn't it?
A colleague of mine thinks this is all about climate change. Others are talking about the signs of the beginning of the end - hmm, that's intriguing.
Whatever it means, I just wish I could go and see this snow, here in our own UAE. Not the artificially created type of Snow we have in SkiDubai - but real, fresh-from-the-sky kind of snow in RAK.
Thanks to YouTube, here's another treat for you - a video of snow in neighbourhood:
Having lived most of my life in either the Indian plains or the Arabian coast, I have only seen snow once when I visited the foothills of the Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh (India) with my ad agency folks from New Delhi. What if it snows in Abu Dhabi or Dubai? Wouldn't that be fab?
Want to read more about it? The story made front page news in most local newspapers:
1. Anna Zacharias of The National reports the Ras Al Khaimah snowfall here
2. Nasouh Nazzal of Gulf News reports the snow covering Ras Al Khaimah
4. Even the BBC has picked it up the rare snow scoop in the UAE
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Dubai Lynx Awards winners images on my Copywriter blog
Being an advertising copywriter, I've had a very fruitful time attending the Dubai Lynx Awards - in the first edition last year and thsi year too, when the event grew into the 3 day Dubai International Advertising Festival.
I've been blogging the event - recent pictures of creative guys from different advertising agencies in the Middle East and North Africa region celebrating their wins have been posted here:
Pictures of Dubai Lynx winners.
Come have a look!
I've been blogging the event - recent pictures of creative guys from different advertising agencies in the Middle East and North Africa region celebrating their wins have been posted here:
Pictures of Dubai Lynx winners.
Come have a look!
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Dubai Lynx Awards and Dubai International Advertising Festival get underway in Dubai
The first International Advertising Festival and the 2nd Duabi Lynx Awards were inaugurated today at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre today. I'm blogging the event on my Copywriter Journalist blog.
Some of the posts so far are:
1. 2nd Dubai Lynx Awards entries cross the 2000 mark in 2008
2. Dubai Lynx shortlists, advertising seminars and workshops keep delegates busy on Day 1
3. Steve Harrison shares tips on pitching big advertising ideas to hesitant clients at Dubai Lynx
Some of the posts so far are:
1. 2nd Dubai Lynx Awards entries cross the 2000 mark in 2008
2. Dubai Lynx shortlists, advertising seminars and workshops keep delegates busy on Day 1
3. Steve Harrison shares tips on pitching big advertising ideas to hesitant clients at Dubai Lynx
Sunday, March 16, 2008
UAE consumer complaint toll free number to address consumer issues
[UPDATE: 26 January 2009: After receiving a comment from a blog reader saying the toll free number doesn't work anymore, I called 800 555, the toll free number for all Abu Dhabi government departments to ask them what's the new number for the Department of Consumer Protection. After a long, long wait as they searched, I was asked to call 181 instead because they didn't have the number I was looking for. However, on the website of the UAE's Ministry of Economy, the number for the Consumer Protection Department is 02-6267447. No response on that number either. This is on a Monday at around 10.30 am. So, if you've got a consumer complaint in Abu Dhabi, and manage to get through and have someone take action on the right number, please post me in.]
Have you been taken for granted as a consumer in the UAE? You can now dial a toll free number and report it. Authorities claim that they’d take action and address the issue.
The toll free number of UAE Ministry of Economy’s Department of Consumer Protection where you can register a consumer complaint in the UAE is 600522225. It could be about a sudden price increase that you feel needs to be reported. Or if you’ve been sold a defective product, you can report it on this number. Suppliers are also bound to return or replace a defective product according to the conditions laid down in the UAE Consumer Law.
Sellers found guilty under this law could end up paying fines from AED 1,000 for minor violations to over AED 10,000 for major violations like not alerting the consumer to the risks of using a product and the consumer facing damages because of it.
The UAE Consumer Law was enacted in 2006 and followed by the establishment of the Department of Consumer Protection. This department is responsible for, among other things, confronting unfair trade practices and taking action on consumer complaints.
I do hope that the authorities will deal with issues swiftly and minimise hassles for the consumer who wants to register a complaint. And I also hope that the identity of the consumer will be kept confidential to avoid any harassment from the seller in the future for registering a complaint against him.
I have faced many instances of pathetic customer service and even fraudulent business practices, if I think of all the years spent here seeing te UAE . From rude taxi drivers who refuse to go on routes they don't like, to sales staff who give little or wrong product information.
With useful measures like this toll free number from the government, I hope more protection is afforded to consumers and businesses that take consumers for granted are swiftly and sternly dealt with. As an advertising and marketing person, I believe good products and services deserve to be praised and talked about, but those taking advantage of consumers need to be exposed and legally reprimanded.
What has been your experience as regards consumer rights and sellers attitudes in the UAE?
Useful links:
1. Click here to view/download the UAE Consumer Law (PDF)
2. UAE Ministry of Economy website’s ‘Consumer’ section
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Copywriter in UAE blog is now at www.copywriterjournalist.com
Just a quick post to let readers know that my ad blog, one of the most popular advertising blogs in the UAE, is now at http://www.copywriterjournalist.com/
So, if you're interested in what's going on in UAE advertising, and read up what a copywriter in UAE has to say about it - welcome to the copywriter's blog!
So, if you're interested in what's going on in UAE advertising, and read up what a copywriter in UAE has to say about it - welcome to the copywriter's blog!
Friday, December 07, 2007
Should writers work for free or be paid like every other profession?
I've been writing ever since I can remember. And for money for around 10 years now - as an advertising copywriter and journalist.
But very early on in my career, I had decided that as a matter of principle, I would have nothing to do with people expecting freebies from writers. "It'll only take a few minutes of your time," they'd say.
Or in the case of advertising writing, "It's only a slogan," expecting I'd charge a pittance.
A slogan in advertising encapsulates all of a brand's personality. Like 'Just do it' of Nike. It isn't written for free. Or charged per word.
Here's a charged up and amazingly candid interview with Harlan Ellison, the prolific American writer of 'speculative fiction' like the Star Trek series. On why writers must be paid:
"They always want the writer to work for nothing." Harlan says. And as if people taking writers for granted isn't enough, writers working for free adds to the problem.
Writers should see themselves as professionals - and like every profession, charge for their efforts when others stand to profit from their writing. It's only fair.
Of course, there are exceptional cases where a writer might wish to waiver his or her fee for charity or a humanitarian cause. But where the writing is for commercial use, the writer deserves to be paid for the blood, sweat and tears. Even if it's 'just a slogan'.
Technorati Tags:
Writers, writing, freelance writer, freelancer, freelance writing, pay for writers, writing rates, scriptwriter, scriptwriting, pay the writer, writer fees
But very early on in my career, I had decided that as a matter of principle, I would have nothing to do with people expecting freebies from writers. "It'll only take a few minutes of your time," they'd say.
Or in the case of advertising writing, "It's only a slogan," expecting I'd charge a pittance.
A slogan in advertising encapsulates all of a brand's personality. Like 'Just do it' of Nike. It isn't written for free. Or charged per word.
Here's a charged up and amazingly candid interview with Harlan Ellison, the prolific American writer of 'speculative fiction' like the Star Trek series. On why writers must be paid:
"They always want the writer to work for nothing." Harlan says. And as if people taking writers for granted isn't enough, writers working for free adds to the problem.
Writers should see themselves as professionals - and like every profession, charge for their efforts when others stand to profit from their writing. It's only fair.
Of course, there are exceptional cases where a writer might wish to waiver his or her fee for charity or a humanitarian cause. But where the writing is for commercial use, the writer deserves to be paid for the blood, sweat and tears. Even if it's 'just a slogan'.
Technorati Tags:
Writers, writing, freelance writer, freelancer, freelance writing, pay for writers, writing rates, scriptwriter, scriptwriting, pay the writer, writer fees
Tips for writers - By the YouTube Ninja
The Ninja from YouTube gives some hard core tips to writers to get what they want, in light of the Writers' Guild strike.
Really funny tips if you are a writers' group anywhere in the world. Or a writer.
Technorati Tags:
Writers, writing, freelance writer, freelancer, freelance writing, pay for writers, writing rates, scriptwriter, scriptwriting, pay the writer, writer fees
Really funny tips if you are a writers' group anywhere in the world. Or a writer.
Technorati Tags:
Writers, writing, freelance writer, freelancer, freelance writing, pay for writers, writing rates, scriptwriter, scriptwriting, pay the writer, writer fees
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
YouTube videos just stopped working. How to fix it!
YouTube videos just stopped working on my laptop today.
The YouTube website is opening up fine, embedded videos on blogs are working okay.
But when I click on a video on YouTube website, the video just wouldn't run.
This is the error message the site gave me:
"Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player."
Then, I started Googling for ways to turn on Javascript, and download the latest Flash Player version. But none of that worked.
I have found a temporary solution on a messageboard on Adobe.com. Here's the thread.
What you have to do is turn OFF 'Ad Blocking' on your computer. How do you do that?
Open up Norton Antivirus. Click on Norton Internet Security. Turn off the Ad Blocking feature in it.
Now, go back to the YouTube site. Your videos should work now!
The YouTube website is opening up fine, embedded videos on blogs are working okay.
But when I click on a video on YouTube website, the video just wouldn't run.
This is the error message the site gave me:
"Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player."
Then, I started Googling for ways to turn on Javascript, and download the latest Flash Player version. But none of that worked.
I have found a temporary solution on a messageboard on Adobe.com. Here's the thread.
What you have to do is turn OFF 'Ad Blocking' on your computer. How do you do that?
Open up Norton Antivirus. Click on Norton Internet Security. Turn off the Ad Blocking feature in it.
Now, go back to the YouTube site. Your videos should work now!
Saturday, April 21, 2007
The world's tallest building to be: Burj Dubai - 10 interesting things about it
Burj Dubai, the building in progress that you see in the picture I took of it recently, is rapidly on its way to become the world's tallest building. It already has broken the world record for having the highest number of floors in the world - 120 and going strong...
Here are 10 interesting things that will go into the making of Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building to be:
You can check out more about Burj Dubai on its website at http://www.burjdubai.com/
Or, if you are visiting the UAE some time, maybe we could check out one of the coffee shops in it together :-)
Technorati Tags:Dubai, UAE, United Arab Emirates, Burj Dubai, World Tallest Building
Here are 10 interesting things that will go into the making of Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building to be:
- The estimated building cost is US$ 1 billion
- The first Armani hotel in the world will open its doors to patrons in Burj Dubai
- The concrete used (excluding foundation) would be equal to the weight of 100,000 elephants
- The observatory elevators in the building will move at a stunning speed of 18 metres per second (40 mph) - fastest in the world
- The building service/fireman's elevator will have a capacity of 5500 kg
- The tip of the spire will be visible from 60 miles away (will be an easy to locate address, I guess)
- The highest publicly accessible observatory more than 400 metres above ground will give visitors a bird's eye view from Burj Dubai
- Burj Dubai will house 30,000 homes
- And... 800 private apartments... (hmmm)
- Peak electricity demand of the tower is estimated to be similar to 360,000 bulbs of 100 watt each... hoping that there would be some environmentally friendly way of generating all that power.
You can check out more about Burj Dubai on its website at http://www.burjdubai.com/
Or, if you are visiting the UAE some time, maybe we could check out one of the coffee shops in it together :-)
Technorati Tags:Dubai, UAE, United Arab Emirates, Burj Dubai, World Tallest Building
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Information sharing - an inspiring quote
People charge you for information. But on the internet, there are people and companies sharing a lot of valuable information through case studies, white papers and research for free. Why are they doing this when they can make money selling this useful information?
Michael Walters, a seasoned marketing consultant who heads True Integrated Marketing, quoted something in a recent conversation when I asked him what he thought about sharing case studies and marketing best practices freely in a world where some businesses like to keep their stats in their vaults. He said...
I have pinned the saying he quoted to my wall and look at it often.
Michael Walters, a seasoned marketing consultant who heads True Integrated Marketing, quoted something in a recent conversation when I asked him what he thought about sharing case studies and marketing best practices freely in a world where some businesses like to keep their stats in their vaults. He said...
A rising tide lifts all ships.
I have pinned the saying he quoted to my wall and look at it often.
Why do people give things out for free?
"Why are you doing this?" is a common question I am asked. "What will you get out of this?" is the next one that surely follows. People only understand instant gratification, I presume.
On my copywriter and journalist in the UAE blog, I try and respond to all the reader comments and give tips when they ask for how to get a job in advertising, how to go about looking for copywriting opportunities in the UAE, etc. This is done without asking for anything in return. Many times, writing work I get is passed on to other writer friends, again, without taking for a cut. Is this odd behaviour in the dog-eat-dog world? Am I the crazy dog, then?
My friend Maliha Raza who is a fiction writer, poet and psychologist calls this behaviour the law of abundance. It is when people believe that there is enough in this world to go around for all of us. People who believe in this freely share what they have with others.
As a reader of this blog, you know I am moved more by spiritual stuff, so here's something I have found in my Bible study on this.
This is in contrast to some people's belief in the law of scarcity which must have some ancient link to Darwin's 'theories' like the one about survival of the fittest. These scarcity-believers grab on to what they have, always fearful that others will take their share and they'll be left with little or nothing. They are secretive, don't like to share their best practices with others, and think that helping others without getting anything in return is stupidity.
In the world of computers, these two types of people can be seen as ones who are into open source sharing and ones who would monopolise every application in the world if they had their way. Even in the blogging world, there are bloggers who share with others how their blogs get traffic and what works for them. There are others who would never want you to know.
I personally have seen this proved in my life that the more you give away, the more it comes back to you manifold. Of course, the intention to begin with is not to give to get, but to give because you believe that you would not get poorer by doing so but could make someone a little richer.
So well put, in so few words. You can read his Willie's full reply in the comment section.
Which one are you, dear reader? The one who won't share his loaf of bread or the one that would, even it means going a little hungry for a while, taking pleasure in feeding another hungry soul?
Technorati Tags: Giving, Open Source, Case Studies, White Papers, Best Practices, Islam, Muslims, Quran, Charity, Law of Abundance, Maliha Raza, Farrukh Naeem, Blogging, Sharing, Spirituality
On my copywriter and journalist in the UAE blog, I try and respond to all the reader comments and give tips when they ask for how to get a job in advertising, how to go about looking for copywriting opportunities in the UAE, etc. This is done without asking for anything in return. Many times, writing work I get is passed on to other writer friends, again, without taking for a cut. Is this odd behaviour in the dog-eat-dog world? Am I the crazy dog, then?
My friend Maliha Raza who is a fiction writer, poet and psychologist calls this behaviour the law of abundance. It is when people believe that there is enough in this world to go around for all of us. People who believe in this freely share what they have with others.
As a reader of this blog, you know I am moved more by spiritual stuff, so here's something I have found in my Bible study on this.
"“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”
Matthew 6:19-21
The Bible
This is in contrast to some people's belief in the law of scarcity which must have some ancient link to Darwin's 'theories' like the one about survival of the fittest. These scarcity-believers grab on to what they have, always fearful that others will take their share and they'll be left with little or nothing. They are secretive, don't like to share their best practices with others, and think that helping others without getting anything in return is stupidity.
In the world of computers, these two types of people can be seen as ones who are into open source sharing and ones who would monopolise every application in the world if they had their way. Even in the blogging world, there are bloggers who share with others how their blogs get traffic and what works for them. There are others who would never want you to know.
I personally have seen this proved in my life that the more you give away, the more it comes back to you manifold. Of course, the intention to begin with is not to give to get, but to give because you believe that you would not get poorer by doing so but could make someone a little richer.
While networking on Xing, I asked my friend Willie Zhang, the AbundanceCoach, what his perspective is and he said: "In China, we have a very old saying, an antique-like philosophy described in two words. "舍得", give to receive."“By no means shall you attain righteousness, unless you give of that which you love.”
Chapter 3, Verse 92
The Holy Qur'an
So well put, in so few words. You can read his Willie's full reply in the comment section.
Which one are you, dear reader? The one who won't share his loaf of bread or the one that would, even it means going a little hungry for a while, taking pleasure in feeding another hungry soul?
Technorati Tags: Giving, Open Source, Case Studies, White Papers, Best Practices, Islam, Muslims, Quran, Charity, Law of Abundance, Maliha Raza, Farrukh Naeem, Blogging, Sharing, Spirituality
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Blogging in Hindi? This is amazing!
Blogger enables one to post in Hindi - अब हम हिंदी में बलोगिंग कर सकते हैं सिर्फ एक बटन दबा कर. Of all the languages in the world, the first one available on Blogger.com after English is Hindi. Makes me happy, proud and eager to try the feature.
अब हम हिन्दी में ब्लौगिंग कर सकते हैं - और वह भी इंग्लिश में टाईप कर के - कमाल है ना!
अब हम हिन्दी में ब्लौगिंग कर सकते हैं - और वह भी इंग्लिश में टाईप कर के - कमाल है ना!
An excellent and descriptive post on how you can type in Hindi on your computer, using both online and offline tools is by Shrish of ePundit here:
Hindi bloggers - अब आएगा मज़ा...
Technorati Tags: Blogging in Hindi, Hindi Blogs, Hindi, Blogger in Hindi
Technorati Tags: Blogging in Hindi, Hindi Blogs, Hindi, Blogger in Hindi
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Creative Majlis invites creative professionals and community service enthusiasts in Dubai, UAE
Creative Majlis - a global network of creative professionals and community service enthusiasts pooling in their skills and talents for social causes - is celebrating its first anniversary.
In one year, we have grown from two founding members - Farrukh Naeem and Mayura Sandeep, both advertising professionals determined to use their skills for community service - to more than 300 members across the USA, the UK, Canada, Germany, Russia, Belgium, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, India, Pakistan, Hungary and of course - our home ground - the United Arab Emirates.
Creative Majlis members now include advertising professionals, copywriters, art directors, creative directors, film makers, doctors, psychologists, journalists, event managers, entrepreneurs, finance professionals, web designers, cartoonists - basically anyone who would like to volunteer time and ability and work together for humanitarian and social development efforts.
If you wish to join hands with people around the world and make a difference by contributing your skill and talent (we do not raise or ask for any funds or money - just your skills), we invite you to our anniversary celebrations:
The North Ballroom
Four Points Sheraton
Bur Dubai
on
17 February 2007
from 6.00 pm onwards
Four Points Sheraton
Bur Dubai
on
17 February 2007
from 6.00 pm onwards
Entry is free for everyone but prior RSVP is essential, which you can do by calling or SMS-ing your RSVP (incuding number of attendees) to Farrukh Naeem, the co-founder of Creative Majlis on 050-7151722, or adding your 'Yes' at the event details page at the following link:
http://www.ryze.com/ed.a?eid=33448
http://www.ryze.com/ed.a?eid=33448
For more information on Creative Majlis and our projects, please visit www.creativemajlis.com
Saturday, December 02, 2006
United Arab Emirates (UAE) celebrates its 35th National Day today
The UAE is celebrating its 35th National Day today. Our prayers and best wishes to a country that is home to more than a 100 nationalities. A country that welcomes people from all cultures and communities. A country where people come to make their dreams come true, and do.
As the UAE prepares to move further with its electoral process and a million other progressive things, we wish the best for its people, both local and expats, and hope to see things getting better and better for everybody in the time to come.
It's great to be in the UAE!
Farrukh Naeem
Copywriter, journalist and advertising blogger in the UAE
[Crossposted on: The UAE Community blog]
Technorati Tags:UAE, UAE National Day, Emirates, Emirati, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, UAE Photos, UAE Images
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Click for Freedom: Reporters Without Borders organises demo for internet freedom
If you care for the freedom of people to express their thoughts on the internet, this news is of use.
Peter Griffin of Caferati, a writers group having more than 2,000 members worldwide and a Dubai chapter too, posted me in on it today.
Reporters Without Borders has organised an international cyber demo to support freedom of speech on the internet.
All you have to do to support their campaign against internet censorship is to visit the Reporters Without Borders website (www.rsf.org) between 2 pm on Tuesday, 7 November, and 2 pm on Wednesday, 8 November.
They have also launched the Arabic version of their website coinciding with this campaign today.
Once you are there, you could also vote for the campaign on a live world map.
According to their website:
Read more about it here:
Reporters without borders organises 24-hour online demo against Internet censorship
farrukh
Copywriter & Journalist in the UAE
[Crossposted on: UAE Community]
Peter Griffin of Caferati, a writers group having more than 2,000 members worldwide and a Dubai chapter too, posted me in on it today.
Reporters Without Borders has organised an international cyber demo to support freedom of speech on the internet.
All you have to do to support their campaign against internet censorship is to visit the Reporters Without Borders website (www.rsf.org) between 2 pm on Tuesday, 7 November, and 2 pm on Wednesday, 8 November.
They have also launched the Arabic version of their website coinciding with this campaign today.
Once you are there, you could also vote for the campaign on a live world map.
According to their website:
"Each click will help to change the “Internet Black Holes” map and help to
combat censorship. As many people as possible must participate so that this
operation can be a success and have an impact on those governments that try to
seal off what is meant to be a space where people can express themselves
freely."
Read more about it here:
Reporters without borders organises 24-hour online demo against Internet censorship
farrukh
Copywriter & Journalist in the UAE
[Crossposted on: UAE Community]
Monday, October 02, 2006
Remembering Gandhi Ji - the father of our nation
Today is 2 October - Gandhi Jayanti - the birthdate of Mahatma Gandhi - the man the world remembers for bringing down a powerful empire through non-violence. The man the world needs most in these warring times.
The man we Indians fondly call "Bapu" - or father.
Here's why I admire Gandhi Ji, and this is not just because I have watched the recent movie "Lage Raho Munna Bhai" that has made Gandhigiri (Gandhihood) hot again.
6 reasons why I think Gandhi Ji was really cool:
1. He was fearless: "No one can escape death. Then why be afraid of it," he said in his speech on All India Radio on January 15, 1948. "In fact death is a friend who brings deliverance from suffering," he continued before he broke down and cried.
2. He taught people that they could agree to disagree: For example, in his prayer meetings, he would have scriptures of various religious read aloud. It would be asked if anyone disagreed. A few did. They were asked if they were willing to keep quiet while the reading was done. They agreed. The readings continued.
(P-181, Gandhi - His Life and Message for the World by Louis Fischer)
3. He sought no political office or power: Gandhi Ji held no government post in Independent India, although he was the one man who the entire nation listened to and followed. He became more than any politician ever did - the father of a nation - remembered by millions even today not just in India but around the world.
4. He won the respect even of those adversely affected by his freedom campaigns: Gandhi Ji's movement in India to wear homespun clothes and boycott foreign goods meant loss of jobs for textile mill workers in Britain. When he met them on his visit to the country, one of the British workers said: "I am one of the unemployed, but if I was in India I would say the same thing that Mr Gandhi is saying."
5. He had a sense of humour: Gandhi Ji's simple and minimal khadi dress was mocked at by many. Winston Churchill had called Gandhi Ji a "seditious fakir, striding half naked". After his meeting with the King of England, a reporter asked Gandhi Ji whether he had enough clothes on for the meeting. "The King," he quipped, "had enough on for both of us."
6. His favourite passage in the Bible was the Sermon on the Mount: So is mine!
Crossposted at UAE Community, Caferati
Gandhi
The man we Indians fondly call "Bapu" - or father.
Here's why I admire Gandhi Ji, and this is not just because I have watched the recent movie "Lage Raho Munna Bhai" that has made Gandhigiri (Gandhihood) hot again.
6 reasons why I think Gandhi Ji was really cool:
1. He was fearless: "No one can escape death. Then why be afraid of it," he said in his speech on All India Radio on January 15, 1948. "In fact death is a friend who brings deliverance from suffering," he continued before he broke down and cried.
2. He taught people that they could agree to disagree: For example, in his prayer meetings, he would have scriptures of various religious read aloud. It would be asked if anyone disagreed. A few did. They were asked if they were willing to keep quiet while the reading was done. They agreed. The readings continued.
(P-181, Gandhi - His Life and Message for the World by Louis Fischer)
3. He sought no political office or power: Gandhi Ji held no government post in Independent India, although he was the one man who the entire nation listened to and followed. He became more than any politician ever did - the father of a nation - remembered by millions even today not just in India but around the world.
4. He won the respect even of those adversely affected by his freedom campaigns: Gandhi Ji's movement in India to wear homespun clothes and boycott foreign goods meant loss of jobs for textile mill workers in Britain. When he met them on his visit to the country, one of the British workers said: "I am one of the unemployed, but if I was in India I would say the same thing that Mr Gandhi is saying."
5. He had a sense of humour: Gandhi Ji's simple and minimal khadi dress was mocked at by many. Winston Churchill had called Gandhi Ji a "seditious fakir, striding half naked". After his meeting with the King of England, a reporter asked Gandhi Ji whether he had enough clothes on for the meeting. "The King," he quipped, "had enough on for both of us."
6. His favourite passage in the Bible was the Sermon on the Mount: So is mine!
Crossposted at UAE Community, Caferati
Gandhi
Thursday, September 21, 2006
What writers do in times of war
War does different things to different people.
It rings the cash registers of arms manufacturers and defence contractors. Oil companies rub their hands in anticipation. Terrorists rejoice at the emotions they can now whip up to recruit for their evil causes.
News networks work overtime, enflaming passions further, rather than calming people down - if it bleeds, it leads. Viewership ratings soar.
Armchair experts on the clash of civilisations make their windfalls on talk shows, stressing why everyone has always hated everyone else. Governments are quick to pass newer laws to spy on people's lives and muffle dissent before it surfaces, under the guise of security. Politicians make fiery speeches - pointing fingers at everyone but themselves. Mosques, temples, churches, synagogues welcome back their lost sheep. Death reminds most of us of God.
A few of us, not content with the state of affairs, decide that we want to get involved. We pick up our cameras and note pads and head to the war zone to report the truth - the world must know. We enrol in the Peace Corps. We rush in with the Red Cross, MSF - Doctors Without Borders, to help the war affected. We give a part of our salary to the relief efforts, donate our clothes, volunteer for organising aid. Our children empty their piggy banks for the children of war. Some of us who have little to give, give too - we pray with tears streaming down our face, for the victims of war.
What do writers do? We write.
Of all the writing on war I have seen so far, a poem on Dan Husain's blog really moved me. I would like to share it with you, with his permission, of course.
It rings the cash registers of arms manufacturers and defence contractors. Oil companies rub their hands in anticipation. Terrorists rejoice at the emotions they can now whip up to recruit for their evil causes.
News networks work overtime, enflaming passions further, rather than calming people down - if it bleeds, it leads. Viewership ratings soar.
Armchair experts on the clash of civilisations make their windfalls on talk shows, stressing why everyone has always hated everyone else. Governments are quick to pass newer laws to spy on people's lives and muffle dissent before it surfaces, under the guise of security. Politicians make fiery speeches - pointing fingers at everyone but themselves. Mosques, temples, churches, synagogues welcome back their lost sheep. Death reminds most of us of God.
A few of us, not content with the state of affairs, decide that we want to get involved. We pick up our cameras and note pads and head to the war zone to report the truth - the world must know. We enrol in the Peace Corps. We rush in with the Red Cross, MSF - Doctors Without Borders, to help the war affected. We give a part of our salary to the relief efforts, donate our clothes, volunteer for organising aid. Our children empty their piggy banks for the children of war. Some of us who have little to give, give too - we pray with tears streaming down our face, for the victims of war.
What do writers do? We write.
Of all the writing on war I have seen so far, a poem on Dan Husain's blog really moved me. I would like to share it with you, with his permission, of course.
Coffee in Times of War...
Just the other day a friend asked
Have you ever tried war poetry?
War, I said, I haven’t seen one.
I was only born in seventy-one.
I’ve often seen pictures –
Oh why pictures! Even a painting
in a restaurant once –
of a Sikh General
making the Pakistanis
sign the surrender.
And then I grew up
reading lessons, history
about World War One and World War Two,
Plassey, Panipat, Waterloo,
War & Peace, The Day of Armistice,
the ancient tales of the Mahabharata,
the Muharram majlises, Karbala.
But then who needs textbooks these days?
Television brings Beirut live, like irrelevant foreplay.
And if this isn’t enough there are movies –
A Bridge too Far, Platoon, Killing Fields.
But no, I have never seen a war.
I don’t know what it means
to sit through blackouts, power outages,
to hold my breath and wait
for a bomb to detonate.
I don't know what it means
to have splinters of plastic and tin
pierce through my clothes, skin.
I don't know what it means
to lose an eye, to lose a limb.
I haven’t seen my child without her head.
I don’t know what it means
when a mother grieves for her dead.
The closest I have seen a man’s guts
split wide open was from a scene
in a movie called Saving Private Ryan.
I don’t know what it means
to run from desk to desk
in a dank office corridor
asking for compensation
for a son dead in a war.
I don’t know…
My words trailed in the wispy heat
of Delhi’s August afternoon street.
I am afraid I am not qualified enough
to write a poem on war. I am
only a struggling actor running
from one audition to another
wondering when will I
get my big break.
My friend cursed himself
for bringing this topic up,
dunked his biscuit in his coffee,
as I waved to the waiter,
May we have more of these, please!
© Dan Husain
August 23, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
Not in God's name...
People have, in the course of history, committed heinous crimes in God's name and continue to do so - most of us are just too lazy or ignorant to challenge their distortions and lies.
Does any religion teach imperialism, greed and aggression? Or are the teachings of religions being twisted by the power hungry for material gains?
Jesus (peace be upon him) taught that you should turn the other cheek when someone hits you, and that you should love your enemies. Why don't the war-mongers ever quote this? Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught that killing one innocent human being is like killing all humanity. He prayed for those who stoned him till he bled from head to toe. Why don't the terrorists emulate this? I am sure Buddha, Sri Rama, Zarasthura must have taught tolerance and forgiveness too. Why aren't these teachings ever quoted by politicians and terrorists and war-mongers and the hate brigade?
Do religions support imperialism and political conquests? Should we take this answer from modern day conquerors, politicians and terrorists or should we go back to the teachers' lives?
Jesus (peace be upon him) did not have a roof over his head when he walked on this earth. Moses (peace be upon him) wandered homeless with his people for ages. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) left Makkah, his home city, fleeing the persecution of polytheists. His household used to starve for months on end, and they did not even have enough means to light a lamp the day he passed away. Sri Rama from India lived for 14 years in a forest, giving up his kingdom for his principles. Buddha renounced his kingdom in search of the truth.
If we lived like these people, taking little, giving much, would we dropping bombs on each other, occupying foreign landsfor greed, destroying each other? I don't think so.
To people who say that religion is a cause of conflict, I say it is not. The ignorance of religion is.
If all of us understood the true teachings of religions, there would be no one left to support those who attack humanity in God's name.
Islam Christianity Interfaith Dialogue Peace God
Does any religion teach imperialism, greed and aggression? Or are the teachings of religions being twisted by the power hungry for material gains?
Jesus (peace be upon him) taught that you should turn the other cheek when someone hits you, and that you should love your enemies. Why don't the war-mongers ever quote this? Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught that killing one innocent human being is like killing all humanity. He prayed for those who stoned him till he bled from head to toe. Why don't the terrorists emulate this? I am sure Buddha, Sri Rama, Zarasthura must have taught tolerance and forgiveness too. Why aren't these teachings ever quoted by politicians and terrorists and war-mongers and the hate brigade?
Do religions support imperialism and political conquests? Should we take this answer from modern day conquerors, politicians and terrorists or should we go back to the teachers' lives?
Jesus (peace be upon him) did not have a roof over his head when he walked on this earth. Moses (peace be upon him) wandered homeless with his people for ages. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) left Makkah, his home city, fleeing the persecution of polytheists. His household used to starve for months on end, and they did not even have enough means to light a lamp the day he passed away. Sri Rama from India lived for 14 years in a forest, giving up his kingdom for his principles. Buddha renounced his kingdom in search of the truth.
If we lived like these people, taking little, giving much, would we dropping bombs on each other, occupying foreign landsfor greed, destroying each other? I don't think so.
To people who say that religion is a cause of conflict, I say it is not. The ignorance of religion is.
If all of us understood the true teachings of religions, there would be no one left to support those who attack humanity in God's name.
Islam Christianity Interfaith Dialogue Peace God
Monday, August 14, 2006
When will the wars stop?
The wars won't stop till we have a 'we-they' mentality. The hate won't stop as long as we are pointing fingers at each other.
I admire Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence as a means to put one's point across.
A beautiful story that I want to share is shown in the movie 'Gandhi'.
A man whose small child was killed in riots came to Gandhi and said they killed my son, now I am going to kill them. Gandhiji said - I'd suggest that you find from them a child like yours whose parents have been killed in the riots. Bring him up like you would have, your child.
Now, that to me is the way people should be thinking today.
It's a choice all of us are making every day.
Some of us are going to be feeding our kids by selling wars, arms and ammunition. And some of us are going to earn our daily bread by going to the front lines - not to fight but to rescue the wounded and provide relief to the refugees.
Some of us are going to stand up and say - I don't just want to help the war-affected, I want to STOP the war, any war that is unjust, that murders innocent people.
I wish there are lots of us who want to do that.
Coming back to where I started, wars will not stop till we stop pointing fingers at each other.
We need to reach across to people like us around the world, to establish personal relations, to have cultural exchanges, student exchanges, tours and visits - let the soldiers on either side see where their bombs have fallen and how many children have been blown to bits just thanks to a few triggers they clicked from the cockpit.
We need to stop seeing each other as East, West, Muslim, Christian - we need to see each other as human beings, as sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, or if one is a Darwinist, then as products of a common gene pool.
Then, things will change and borders will melt.
To make this happen, we have our thoughts, we have our words, we have the internet. That's enough material to begin with...
God bless us all humans, and give us the wisdom to come through all of this together - as one race and nation. Amen.
farrukh
I admire Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence as a means to put one's point across.
A beautiful story that I want to share is shown in the movie 'Gandhi'.
A man whose small child was killed in riots came to Gandhi and said they killed my son, now I am going to kill them. Gandhiji said - I'd suggest that you find from them a child like yours whose parents have been killed in the riots. Bring him up like you would have, your child.
Now, that to me is the way people should be thinking today.
It's a choice all of us are making every day.
Some of us are going to be feeding our kids by selling wars, arms and ammunition. And some of us are going to earn our daily bread by going to the front lines - not to fight but to rescue the wounded and provide relief to the refugees.
Some of us are going to stand up and say - I don't just want to help the war-affected, I want to STOP the war, any war that is unjust, that murders innocent people.
I wish there are lots of us who want to do that.
Coming back to where I started, wars will not stop till we stop pointing fingers at each other.
We need to reach across to people like us around the world, to establish personal relations, to have cultural exchanges, student exchanges, tours and visits - let the soldiers on either side see where their bombs have fallen and how many children have been blown to bits just thanks to a few triggers they clicked from the cockpit.
We need to stop seeing each other as East, West, Muslim, Christian - we need to see each other as human beings, as sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, or if one is a Darwinist, then as products of a common gene pool.
Then, things will change and borders will melt.
To make this happen, we have our thoughts, we have our words, we have the internet. That's enough material to begin with...
God bless us all humans, and give us the wisdom to come through all of this together - as one race and nation. Amen.
farrukh
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Using creativity for social change through Creative Majlis
There comes a time in everyone's life when they look at what they do, day after day, and wonder if it has any meaning - if it makes life better for anyone other than themselves. That's when we start wishing that we want to do something meaningful.
Most of us would like to make a difference to the world we live in, but how? Now there's a great way to get together and pool in skills and talents for social change, right here in the UAE as well as around the world - through Creative Majlis.
Creative Majlis is a global network of professionals who wish to volunteer their skills and knowledge, their talent and experience, to make a difference to the world around us, creatively.
The Majlis was founded by me and Mayura Sandeep, a fellow author and copywriter, to bring together people who wanted to use their talent for social change.
We recently had a meeting and openhouse session to explore various community projects we can take up with our members around the world. Here's how it went...
Event: Creative Majlis meeting and open space session
Date & Location: 5 June 2006, Dubai
Participants: Dr Abdul Gafoor, Adnan Arif, Aman Wallia, Atul Panase, Farrukh Naeem, Fouad Marzouk, Kandarp Baxi, Kapil Verma, Maliha Raza, Mayura Sandeep, Mufaddal Bootwala, Mukta Verma, Peeyush Aras, Pradeep Ullal, Pradnya Pandit, Purvi Shah, Dr Rajini Abdul Gafoor, Ramesh Iyer, Sandeep Ramanujam, Vikas Bhargava
The colourful and hospitable venue chosen for the Creative Majlis event is ‘The Grind’ in Al Manazel Building on Mankhool Road, Dubai.
Representatives of the organisations that Creative Majlis is currently working with grace the occasion with their presence. (L to R: Purvi Shah and Mukta Verma from Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs interact with Dr Rajini Abdul Gafoor of The Kinderhut Foundation.)
Maliha Raza, core member and organisational development consultant for Creative Majlis starts off her engaging presentation on volunteering with a few examples of volunteers who made an impact on the world - Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and so on.
We have a full house with attendees wishing to explore various ways in which they can impact the world around them with their skills and talent.
While Maliha polls each member for potential projects Creative Majlis can take up, Mayura Sandeep keys in each idea into a presentation slide - and we now have as many creative ideas as there are participants.
The open space session, wherein participants are split into random groups to devise execution strategies for chosen projects, progresses in full steam.
The Creative Majlis meeting and open space session generate lots of workable and powerful project ideas on how to make a difference to the world around us, locally and globally, as a team.
We’re now looking at ways to launch these creative projects by pooling in the skills, talents and resources of our members, current and potential. To join Creative Majlis and be a part of a global group of creative volunteers pooling in their skills and talents for social change, visit Creative Majlis on Ryze.
Credits:
Event Planning: Mayura Sandeep, Farrukh Naeem, Maliha Raza
Organisation & Logistics: Mayura Sandeep
Volunteering Opportunities Presentation & Open Space Session: Maliha Raza
Projector courtesy: Ramesh Iyer
Stationery courtesy: Sandeep Ramanujam
Venue suggestion by: Kandarp Baxi & Aman Wallia
Hospitality and complimentary cookies by: The wonderful people at The Grind
Report and photographs by: Farrukh Naeem
The fun and action in the report and photographs by: Creative Majlis members and participants
Most of us would like to make a difference to the world we live in, but how? Now there's a great way to get together and pool in skills and talents for social change, right here in the UAE as well as around the world - through Creative Majlis.
Creative Majlis is a global network of professionals who wish to volunteer their skills and knowledge, their talent and experience, to make a difference to the world around us, creatively.
The Majlis was founded by me and Mayura Sandeep, a fellow author and copywriter, to bring together people who wanted to use their talent for social change.
We recently had a meeting and openhouse session to explore various community projects we can take up with our members around the world. Here's how it went...
Event: Creative Majlis meeting and open space session
Date & Location: 5 June 2006, Dubai
Participants: Dr Abdul Gafoor, Adnan Arif, Aman Wallia, Atul Panase, Farrukh Naeem, Fouad Marzouk, Kandarp Baxi, Kapil Verma, Maliha Raza, Mayura Sandeep, Mufaddal Bootwala, Mukta Verma, Peeyush Aras, Pradeep Ullal, Pradnya Pandit, Purvi Shah, Dr Rajini Abdul Gafoor, Ramesh Iyer, Sandeep Ramanujam, Vikas Bhargava
The colourful and hospitable venue chosen for the Creative Majlis event is ‘The Grind’ in Al Manazel Building on Mankhool Road, Dubai.
Representatives of the organisations that Creative Majlis is currently working with grace the occasion with their presence. (L to R: Purvi Shah and Mukta Verma from Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs interact with Dr Rajini Abdul Gafoor of The Kinderhut Foundation.)
Maliha Raza, core member and organisational development consultant for Creative Majlis starts off her engaging presentation on volunteering with a few examples of volunteers who made an impact on the world - Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and so on.
We have a full house with attendees wishing to explore various ways in which they can impact the world around them with their skills and talent.
While Maliha polls each member for potential projects Creative Majlis can take up, Mayura Sandeep keys in each idea into a presentation slide - and we now have as many creative ideas as there are participants.
The open space session, wherein participants are split into random groups to devise execution strategies for chosen projects, progresses in full steam.
The Creative Majlis meeting and open space session generate lots of workable and powerful project ideas on how to make a difference to the world around us, locally and globally, as a team.
We’re now looking at ways to launch these creative projects by pooling in the skills, talents and resources of our members, current and potential. To join Creative Majlis and be a part of a global group of creative volunteers pooling in their skills and talents for social change, visit Creative Majlis on Ryze.
Credits:
Event Planning: Mayura Sandeep, Farrukh Naeem, Maliha Raza
Organisation & Logistics: Mayura Sandeep
Volunteering Opportunities Presentation & Open Space Session: Maliha Raza
Projector courtesy: Ramesh Iyer
Stationery courtesy: Sandeep Ramanujam
Venue suggestion by: Kandarp Baxi & Aman Wallia
Hospitality and complimentary cookies by: The wonderful people at The Grind
Report and photographs by: Farrukh Naeem
The fun and action in the report and photographs by: Creative Majlis members and participants
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Writers meet in Dubai at the Caferati Read Meet
Dubai has a new forum for writers who like to share their work and network with other writers for peer review. The past few months, I had been working hard to start the Dubai chapter of Caferati - an international writers' forum with more than 1,500 writer members worldwide.
Early this month, Caferati Dubai had its first Read Meet - and boy, did we have our hands full with great writing to be shared.
Thursday evening. BurJuman. Writers. Coffee. Heaven!
(The venue: Columbus Cafe, BurJuman, for the first Caferati Read Meet for writers in Dubai)
This is how the event goes...
Members have been kind enough to mail me what they plan to read. I also have printouts of work sent in by members who can not attend but want their work read. We decide that we'll all introduce ourselves as our turn to read comes. Many writers exhibit the coyness that comes with first times - for some it is the first time ever to read to a gathering of writers.
Rajesh Menon breaks the ice and volunteers to go first. And here's a bite from how Rajesh has launched himself:
Rajesh reads two of his 55-ers (55-word stories to the uninitiated). One is 'Butcher' and the other 'Friend'. 'Butcher' can send a steely shiver down the listener's spine. Kate remembers a French movie in which the protagonist is a butcher. The name of the movie sounds delicious - it starts with 'Delicatessen...". And somehow Anthony Hopkins comes to my mind right now... and lambs.
(MeeA reads her blog entry as Rajesh, me, Archana, Kate, Maliha, Mayura and Don listen)
MeeA Parkins, my good friend from South Africa, who has just arrived at the venue is ready to jump right in, introduce herself and read her stuff. This is how MeeA describes herself and why she joined Caferati:
MeeA reads an untitled blog entry from her blog in which she describes one of the many beautiful moments she shares with her family "as a result of my mental instability". Her views as a wife, mother, writer come through quite well in her post about Bruce, the shark. The punchline, the climax of the post, is a hilarious picture. What fun!
We discuss how it's a creative way to have pictures to go with your writing. And Rajesh points out that it's also creative if "In the beginning was a... picture" and we write from there. Good idea, we agree, for a writing exercise.
Donald Nigli comes next. He has been writing for 20 years now. After five books of poems, the first draft of a book of short stories "awaits a sabbatical and a rewrite". In the mean time, "a novel has also been knocking on the door". He has lived in 10 towns and cities three countries, and changed 19 houses. Donald's here at the Read Meet "to talk shop", and shares with us something he wrote when he happened to eavesdrop on a woman 'selling'. His poem "The Whore" is about the "thin line between love and lust" as he puts it. In this poem, Donald has used a technique where the last word of a verse can be read also as the first word of the next verse. He's got us intrigued as we examine the printed poem.
Donald tells us he has "discovered" three of his books on Amazon. He says even he wouldn't pay 13 Pounds for a book of his, the price that his book seems to be selling for, online. We laugh.
The spotlight now moves to Maliha Raza. Here's how Maliha likes to introduce herself:
Maliha has a published book of poetry to her name - also discovered on the internet by her long after she had written it at age 14. She's half way through her science fiction book of short stories.
Maliha reads the poem that has captured a lot of attention on the Caferati messageboard. Listening to the fiery poem read out by Maliha is a treat - the emotion is all there to feel. She also reads the poem "The Song of Job" - and we discuss the chant like rhythm in it, and the theological background of Job's story.
(Kate shares her opinion with Rajesh, Archana, Mayura and Don)
While some of us are particular about technique, some also feel that their poetry is too personal to be subjected to such analysis. I share how in advertising, writers are taught to "kill their babies" i.e. not to get too attached to our creative concepts - there is always for improvement. Donald later suggested to me that perhaps each writer could specify the kind of feedback they want before they read their piece. Made sense.
Mayura Sandeep is the next to read. Mayura is a published author and an advertising copywriter. She has a good experience of organising book club meetings in Dubai and also has taken the initiative to get discounts for writers in Dubai in libraries. She shares two of her poems with us: "Beware! They are everywhere" on street harassment of women and a poem called "The Right Match".
Most of the members can empathise with Mayura's thoughts on the issue of street harassment. "A slight stench of that filth will go with you" is the line that most of the members agree conveys the feeling of being teased by men on the street.
(Mayura reads our her poem to Kate, Maliha, Don and Sabiha)
Almost all the members at the Read Meet have read some of their writing. Archana Menon was reluctant to share her poem and has left by now but she suggested a venue called "Shakespeare & Co." which she says is quieter than this one. It also sounds like a good venue for writers. Kate Godfrey tells us her office is in that building. Now, Kate shared with us the good news that her first book (non-fiction) has just been released and is on Amazon. Kate belongs to a family of writers and we just can't wait to get a taste of her writing - for which we'll have to wait for the next meet. Sabiha Majgaonkar arrived towards the end - she was not aware of this Read Meet and so looks forward to sharing her writing in the next one.
There are a few minutes for me, Farrukh, to read some stuff. I don't want to keep people waiting too long because it is, after all, everyone's weekend, so I quickly read my 100-word piece called "Never The Elevator", which you can read in my earlier posts on this blog of mine.
The somber reading casts a gloomy spell and my writing is described as "haunting". Not a good parting note for the Read Meet, I feel. So I pull out a humorous article sent in by my travel writer friend Anjali, about her first horse ride. And we laugh and smile, rounding up the Read Meet by exchanging numbers and promises.
My apologies to our friends Duaa, Mazhar, Maya and Max - who had sent us fascinating work that we unfortunately did not get a chance to read. Duaa, who has published two books, had sent a gripping short story called "The Wrong Place". Mazhar, who is a veteran journalist working for one of the top news organisations here, had sent us the epilogue from the novel he is working on. Max had sent one of his adventure tales from Chennai titled "Looking At The Positive Side". We hope to have more writers and more readings in our next meet. Maya, one of the most active bloggers I know, is not well - we hope she gets well soon.
(Attendees of the first international Caferati Read Meet hosted in Dubai: (L to R) Farrukh Naeem (Dubai Chapter Coordinator), Donald Nigli, Rajesh Menon, MeeA Parkins, Kate Godfrey, Maliha Raza, Mayura Sandeep and Sabiha Majgaonkar.)
If you are in Dubai, and you write, and you still haven't joined us - what are you waiting for? A sign from God? This is probably it.
Mail me at farrukh_copywriter@yahoo.com or call me on 050-7151722 and I'd be happy to enlist you in our friendly and committed group of writers and wannabe writers. Trust me, we won't bite you - unless you like it ;-)
Suggestions, comments, feedback and publishing contracts for our members are welcome. Coffee invites will be entertained with open arms.
Early this month, Caferati Dubai had its first Read Meet - and boy, did we have our hands full with great writing to be shared.
Thursday evening. BurJuman. Writers. Coffee. Heaven!
(The venue: Columbus Cafe, BurJuman, for the first Caferati Read Meet for writers in Dubai)
This is how the event goes...
Members have been kind enough to mail me what they plan to read. I also have printouts of work sent in by members who can not attend but want their work read. We decide that we'll all introduce ourselves as our turn to read comes. Many writers exhibit the coyness that comes with first times - for some it is the first time ever to read to a gathering of writers.
Rajesh Menon breaks the ice and volunteers to go first. And here's a bite from how Rajesh has launched himself:
Perennial fly-on-the-wall. Bang in the middle of the statistic i.e. 30s, married, male, 1.43 cars, 4.7 gadgets, slightly right-of-center, rootless, liberal, professional, OK. I work for a living. Not that I like to. Groan. Right now, I manage sales in a large multinational. And been doing something similar all my working life. Old enough in this City: Can go without water for days. And I think I have a hump too...
Rajesh reads two of his 55-ers (55-word stories to the uninitiated). One is 'Butcher' and the other 'Friend'. 'Butcher' can send a steely shiver down the listener's spine. Kate remembers a French movie in which the protagonist is a butcher. The name of the movie sounds delicious - it starts with 'Delicatessen...". And somehow Anthony Hopkins comes to my mind right now... and lambs.
(MeeA reads her blog entry as Rajesh, me, Archana, Kate, Maliha, Mayura and Don listen)
MeeA Parkins, my good friend from South Africa, who has just arrived at the venue is ready to jump right in, introduce herself and read her stuff. This is how MeeA describes herself and why she joined Caferati:
I'm a woman, a wife, a mother, a student and, sometimes, I remember that I'm a daughter, too. I'm a skeptic, a romantic, a mass of contradictions, a ball of insecurities, a fighter, a survivor, unfettered by any of these labels, yet chained to each in some way or another. Most of all, I am me and I am a writer, in my soul if not by experience. I joined Caferati because I recently decided to push the insecurities aside and allow myself to make the most of what is probably the closest thing I have to talent. And because I was invited to.
MeeA reads an untitled blog entry from her blog in which she describes one of the many beautiful moments she shares with her family "as a result of my mental instability". Her views as a wife, mother, writer come through quite well in her post about Bruce, the shark. The punchline, the climax of the post, is a hilarious picture. What fun!
We discuss how it's a creative way to have pictures to go with your writing. And Rajesh points out that it's also creative if "In the beginning was a... picture" and we write from there. Good idea, we agree, for a writing exercise.
Donald Nigli comes next. He has been writing for 20 years now. After five books of poems, the first draft of a book of short stories "awaits a sabbatical and a rewrite". In the mean time, "a novel has also been knocking on the door". He has lived in 10 towns and cities three countries, and changed 19 houses. Donald's here at the Read Meet "to talk shop", and shares with us something he wrote when he happened to eavesdrop on a woman 'selling'. His poem "The Whore" is about the "thin line between love and lust" as he puts it. In this poem, Donald has used a technique where the last word of a verse can be read also as the first word of the next verse. He's got us intrigued as we examine the printed poem.
Donald tells us he has "discovered" three of his books on Amazon. He says even he wouldn't pay 13 Pounds for a book of his, the price that his book seems to be selling for, online. We laugh.
The spotlight now moves to Maliha Raza. Here's how Maliha likes to introduce herself:
I write autistic poetry for the listening ear - which in English means that I often write stuff which nobody understands. Been writing since I was about nine, mostly poetry, but 'graduated' to prose when i was around 16. I mainly write science fiction and macabre (Poesian style stuff). I also dabble in philosophy, humour and sometimes also academic writing which gets posted in journals with long names that end in a volume number.
Maliha has a published book of poetry to her name - also discovered on the internet by her long after she had written it at age 14. She's half way through her science fiction book of short stories.
Maliha reads the poem that has captured a lot of attention on the Caferati messageboard. Listening to the fiery poem read out by Maliha is a treat - the emotion is all there to feel. She also reads the poem "The Song of Job" - and we discuss the chant like rhythm in it, and the theological background of Job's story.
(Kate shares her opinion with Rajesh, Archana, Mayura and Don)
While some of us are particular about technique, some also feel that their poetry is too personal to be subjected to such analysis. I share how in advertising, writers are taught to "kill their babies" i.e. not to get too attached to our creative concepts - there is always for improvement. Donald later suggested to me that perhaps each writer could specify the kind of feedback they want before they read their piece. Made sense.
Mayura Sandeep is the next to read. Mayura is a published author and an advertising copywriter. She has a good experience of organising book club meetings in Dubai and also has taken the initiative to get discounts for writers in Dubai in libraries. She shares two of her poems with us: "Beware! They are everywhere" on street harassment of women and a poem called "The Right Match".
Most of the members can empathise with Mayura's thoughts on the issue of street harassment. "A slight stench of that filth will go with you" is the line that most of the members agree conveys the feeling of being teased by men on the street.
(Mayura reads our her poem to Kate, Maliha, Don and Sabiha)
Almost all the members at the Read Meet have read some of their writing. Archana Menon was reluctant to share her poem and has left by now but she suggested a venue called "Shakespeare & Co." which she says is quieter than this one. It also sounds like a good venue for writers. Kate Godfrey tells us her office is in that building. Now, Kate shared with us the good news that her first book (non-fiction) has just been released and is on Amazon. Kate belongs to a family of writers and we just can't wait to get a taste of her writing - for which we'll have to wait for the next meet. Sabiha Majgaonkar arrived towards the end - she was not aware of this Read Meet and so looks forward to sharing her writing in the next one.
There are a few minutes for me, Farrukh, to read some stuff. I don't want to keep people waiting too long because it is, after all, everyone's weekend, so I quickly read my 100-word piece called "Never The Elevator", which you can read in my earlier posts on this blog of mine.
The somber reading casts a gloomy spell and my writing is described as "haunting". Not a good parting note for the Read Meet, I feel. So I pull out a humorous article sent in by my travel writer friend Anjali, about her first horse ride. And we laugh and smile, rounding up the Read Meet by exchanging numbers and promises.
My apologies to our friends Duaa, Mazhar, Maya and Max - who had sent us fascinating work that we unfortunately did not get a chance to read. Duaa, who has published two books, had sent a gripping short story called "The Wrong Place". Mazhar, who is a veteran journalist working for one of the top news organisations here, had sent us the epilogue from the novel he is working on. Max had sent one of his adventure tales from Chennai titled "Looking At The Positive Side". We hope to have more writers and more readings in our next meet. Maya, one of the most active bloggers I know, is not well - we hope she gets well soon.
(Attendees of the first international Caferati Read Meet hosted in Dubai: (L to R) Farrukh Naeem (Dubai Chapter Coordinator), Donald Nigli, Rajesh Menon, MeeA Parkins, Kate Godfrey, Maliha Raza, Mayura Sandeep and Sabiha Majgaonkar.)
If you are in Dubai, and you write, and you still haven't joined us - what are you waiting for? A sign from God? This is probably it.
Mail me at farrukh_copywriter@yahoo.com or call me on 050-7151722 and I'd be happy to enlist you in our friendly and committed group of writers and wannabe writers. Trust me, we won't bite you - unless you like it ;-)
Suggestions, comments, feedback and publishing contracts for our members are welcome. Coffee invites will be entertained with open arms.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
How do I fix a broken heart?
On my visit to India, I was given a CD recording of a young Islamic scholar's speech on 'Islam and social service'. Now this Sheikh is a passout from Al Azhar University so the lecture was laced with quotes and references from the Holy Quran and hadith.
A story from that recording stayed with me about a saintly Muslim teacher who was asked by an old and poor non-Muslim woman to pray to God for her lost child.
The pious man prayed to God and and his prayer was answered. The old woman's lost son was found.
Now the old woman had thought to herself that she would make 'halwa' (traditional sweet) and feed it to the saintly man if her son was to be found. So, to share her happiness when her son was found, she visited the old man who was sitting with his disciples and taking the 'halwa' in her hand offered it to the teacher.
The teacher was in a dilemma and his students sensed it. That day, he was fasting. And Muslims don't eat or drink while fasting. The old woman who was not a Muslim apparently did not know about the teacher's fast and its conditions.
For a moment the teacher thought and then opened his mouth and let the poor woman share her joy with him by eating the halwa she had lovingly prepared for him.
After she was gone, the students were quick to quiz him on this. "Why, teacher, did you break your fast like this?"
The teacher replied: "I know I can mend a broken fast with another one, but I do not know how to mend a broken heart."
(I understand this was a voluntary fast (nafil) and this story made an impact on me. Did you like it?)
A story from that recording stayed with me about a saintly Muslim teacher who was asked by an old and poor non-Muslim woman to pray to God for her lost child.
The pious man prayed to God and and his prayer was answered. The old woman's lost son was found.
Now the old woman had thought to herself that she would make 'halwa' (traditional sweet) and feed it to the saintly man if her son was to be found. So, to share her happiness when her son was found, she visited the old man who was sitting with his disciples and taking the 'halwa' in her hand offered it to the teacher.
The teacher was in a dilemma and his students sensed it. That day, he was fasting. And Muslims don't eat or drink while fasting. The old woman who was not a Muslim apparently did not know about the teacher's fast and its conditions.
For a moment the teacher thought and then opened his mouth and let the poor woman share her joy with him by eating the halwa she had lovingly prepared for him.
After she was gone, the students were quick to quiz him on this. "Why, teacher, did you break your fast like this?"
The teacher replied: "I know I can mend a broken fast with another one, but I do not know how to mend a broken heart."
(I understand this was a voluntary fast (nafil) and this story made an impact on me. Did you like it?)
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Emigration Clearance Not Required
The officer at the emigration counter was young, and talkative.
As I stood in the queue waiting for my turn, I could see that he was making small talk with most passengers.
Some passengers replied to him smiling. Some grimaced. Some looked the other way as he spoke.
Was he cross-questioning them? Or just making small talk?
It was my turn.
"Are you Indian?" the officer asked as he trained his eyes on me. He was holding my Indian passport.
"Shuddh Bhartiya!*" I replied, matter of factly.
"But you look like a foreigner," he insisted.
Is it my beard that is bringing this line of questioning, I wondered. Kept quiet.
"What do you do?" he asked
"I'm a writer," I said.
"Written a book?" he asked.
"Not yet. Perhaps when I have a few grey hair in my beard," I said to him, getting bolder.
"Yeah, then your writing will have more weight." He seemed to get it.
"Absolutely," I said.
"Write a book like Satanic Verses. You know, the one Salman Rushdie wrote," he said with a sly smile as his hand reached for the exit stamp to be put on my passport.
"I'll write a refutation to it," I said.
Thap. Thap. He stamped my passport and got ready to talk to the next passenger leaving India.
I moved on to the boarding gate, taking my country's parting memory with me.
A bitter one.
[*'Shudh Bhartiya' means pure Indian in Hindi, India's national language]
As I stood in the queue waiting for my turn, I could see that he was making small talk with most passengers.
Some passengers replied to him smiling. Some grimaced. Some looked the other way as he spoke.
Was he cross-questioning them? Or just making small talk?
It was my turn.
"Are you Indian?" the officer asked as he trained his eyes on me. He was holding my Indian passport.
"Shuddh Bhartiya!*" I replied, matter of factly.
"But you look like a foreigner," he insisted.
Is it my beard that is bringing this line of questioning, I wondered. Kept quiet.
"What do you do?" he asked
"I'm a writer," I said.
"Written a book?" he asked.
"Not yet. Perhaps when I have a few grey hair in my beard," I said to him, getting bolder.
"Yeah, then your writing will have more weight." He seemed to get it.
"Absolutely," I said.
"Write a book like Satanic Verses. You know, the one Salman Rushdie wrote," he said with a sly smile as his hand reached for the exit stamp to be put on my passport.
"I'll write a refutation to it," I said.
Thap. Thap. He stamped my passport and got ready to talk to the next passenger leaving India.
I moved on to the boarding gate, taking my country's parting memory with me.
A bitter one.
[*'Shudh Bhartiya' means pure Indian in Hindi, India's national language]
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Becoming a foreigner in my motherland
I have just returned to the UAE from India - and this trip made me a certified NRI (Non-Resident Indian). How, you ask?
My tummy crashed.
The way it does for foreigners who visit India and can't take the spicy food.
I felt ridiculous carrying a mineral water bottle around, like the firangi backpackers you see in India whose tummies can't take our desi water.
The street side stalls called out to the real Bhartiya (Indian) in me. Ah... the paneer-pakoras, the chaat-paaprees, the spicy, oily, mouthwatering stuff that I used to savour without reservation when I lived in India beckoned. And I, with my digestive system in a sorry state, stayed put.
I'm back in the UAE, and my tummy is still trying to get a foothold on slippery ground.
Can't wait to get the system going and then get back to the brown khubz and the shawarmas - oh how I missed thee, ya UAE!
My tummy crashed.
The way it does for foreigners who visit India and can't take the spicy food.
I felt ridiculous carrying a mineral water bottle around, like the firangi backpackers you see in India whose tummies can't take our desi water.
The street side stalls called out to the real Bhartiya (Indian) in me. Ah... the paneer-pakoras, the chaat-paaprees, the spicy, oily, mouthwatering stuff that I used to savour without reservation when I lived in India beckoned. And I, with my digestive system in a sorry state, stayed put.
I'm back in the UAE, and my tummy is still trying to get a foothold on slippery ground.
Can't wait to get the system going and then get back to the brown khubz and the shawarmas - oh how I missed thee, ya UAE!
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Blogging about the IAA World Congress on my Advertising & Marketing blog
For my blogger friends, I have been out of the action for a while. But the blogging has been going on my Wordpress blog - with midnight passion.
I am busy writing about the world's largest Congress of the International Advertising Association in the world's fastest growing city - Dubai.
Here's where you can catch my posts on the IAA World Congress in Dubai.
You can read these posts, most with pictures as well, taken by me:
1. The IAA World Congress in Dubai - Intro
2. The IAA World Congress - My initial impressions
3. The IAA World Congress - The Opening Session
4. The IAA World Congress - Advertising Agency Exhibition Stalls
One of the best talks at the Congress was by the founder of Coffee Republic - and I want to blog about that too. Got to get back to work now. Watch this space.
Advertising
IAA World Congress
Dubai
Saturday, March 25, 2006
The 40th IAA World Congress in Dubai - The reason for my flooded inbox
The International Advertising Association's (IAA) 40th World Congress came to a conclusion in Dubai yesterday evening. For three days, from 21 to 23 March, I was rubbing shoulders and having coffee, lunch and dinner, and sharing stories and gyan with the who's who of the advertising world.Not one, not two, but 2,000 professionals from over 60 countries attended. What else would you expect but superlative figures when you talk about Dubai!
I shall be blogging about my adventures and flirtations in this event on my advertising and marketing blog - with pictures and juicy details.
My creative readers might want to have a look at it. Hai na?
And during this time, my mailbox was feeling very. very neglected.As you can see in the screenshot on the left.
Now, I have one day before the week begins at my agency.
And more than a hundred mails to take care of.
Now you know why I post stuff at 3 in the night sometimes.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
My humble 200 word offering to the great Blank Noise project
Can you guess who I am?
I dress modestly. I don’t wear flashy make up.
I am not the kind of a lady one would mistake for a call girl or prostitute.
Yet, when I step out of my home, male eyes follow my every move – I often get asked "How much?"
I can feel that no matter what I am wearing, many of these eyes see me as though I was wearing nothing.
As I move about on the streets, the stares turn to whistles, thrusting pelvic moves in a queue, groping hands in a crowded bus.
I am not a caged canary but a human who has to step outside the four walls of her home – for meeting my neighbours, for buying my daily needs, for fresh air.
Yet, it is never easy.
Have you guessed who I am? Have you seen me on the street?
You must have.
I am the mother who bore you. The sister you feel duty-bound to ‘protect’. The girl you fell in love with.
I am the daughter you are one day going to have.
Will you let me be treated this way forever?
Or will you do something about it, today?
(A second offering, this time of 200 words, by Farrukh Naeem, dedicated to the blanknoiseproject.blogspot.com. The first 100-word offering is the post below...)
I dress modestly. I don’t wear flashy make up.
I am not the kind of a lady one would mistake for a call girl or prostitute.
Yet, when I step out of my home, male eyes follow my every move – I often get asked "How much?"
I can feel that no matter what I am wearing, many of these eyes see me as though I was wearing nothing.
As I move about on the streets, the stares turn to whistles, thrusting pelvic moves in a queue, groping hands in a crowded bus.
I am not a caged canary but a human who has to step outside the four walls of her home – for meeting my neighbours, for buying my daily needs, for fresh air.
Yet, it is never easy.
Have you guessed who I am? Have you seen me on the street?
You must have.
I am the mother who bore you. The sister you feel duty-bound to ‘protect’. The girl you fell in love with.
I am the daughter you are one day going to have.
Will you let me be treated this way forever?
Or will you do something about it, today?
(A second offering, this time of 200 words, by Farrukh Naeem, dedicated to the blanknoiseproject.blogspot.com. The first 100-word offering is the post below...)
100 words for the Blank Noise project
Never the elevator.
Elevators scare me. Always have.
It has been fifty-five years since I last stepped into an elevator.
It’s hard to always use the stairs. But it’s harder to think of taking the elevator.
Can you understand how helpless a lonely child can be when confronted by a molester inside an elevator with soundproof, cold walls?
No one to help. No one to see. No one to listen. No one to save an innocent childhood. Till the lift door opens again.
Can you see the elevator taking you back to your childhood, a painful, scarred childhood?
I can.
**** An offering of short fiction by Farrukh Naeem, dedicated to the Blank Noise project ****
Elevators scare me. Always have.
It has been fifty-five years since I last stepped into an elevator.
It’s hard to always use the stairs. But it’s harder to think of taking the elevator.
Can you understand how helpless a lonely child can be when confronted by a molester inside an elevator with soundproof, cold walls?
No one to help. No one to see. No one to listen. No one to save an innocent childhood. Till the lift door opens again.
Can you see the elevator taking you back to your childhood, a painful, scarred childhood?
I can.
**** An offering of short fiction by Farrukh Naeem, dedicated to the Blank Noise project ****
Monday, March 06, 2006
I got tagged - My secrets are out
I have been tagged by Sushi with this list. Will give it a try.
Four jobs I've had:
Scriptwriter in a TV commercials production company
Copywriter in one of the world's top integrated marketing companies
Agency editor for more than 20 corporate newsletters, including one of UNFPA
Journalist specialised in marketing and advertising features
Four movies I can watch all over again:
Al Risala (Arabic)
The Passion Of Christ (Hebrew, Aramaic, etc)
Control Room (English)
Swades (Indian)
Four TV shows I love:
Hard Talk by Tim Sebastian - long time since I caught that on the Beeb
Dexter on Cartoon Network
Kaal Kapaal Mahakaal - India's very own version of X-files
Anything on Discovery Channel or National Geographic
Four favourite dishes:
Half-boiled eggs (how creative!)
Qeema (minced meat - Indian style)
Lassi (sweet buttermilk)
Tuna with pasta
Four sites I visit daily:
My writing blog
Creative Majlis - a group of creative people united for a cause
Yahoo Mail
Google
Four places I'd rather be right now:
Iraq, as a journalist
USA, as a documentary film maker or an academic
Makkah, as a pilgrim
In bed, peacefully asleep (it's 2 in the morning!)
Four books I read this year:
Who Will Cry When You Die by Robin Sharma (No, it's not about being a suicide bomber)
Gandhi - His Life & Message for the World by Louis Fischer
Silent No More by Paul Findley
Handbook for Bloggers & Cyber Dissidents by Reporters Without Borders
Four Bloggers I am tagging:
Kaya
Maya
Shaykhspeara Sha'ira
Slogan Murugan
Four jobs I've had:
Scriptwriter in a TV commercials production company
Copywriter in one of the world's top integrated marketing companies
Agency editor for more than 20 corporate newsletters, including one of UNFPA
Journalist specialised in marketing and advertising features
Four movies I can watch all over again:
Al Risala (Arabic)
The Passion Of Christ (Hebrew, Aramaic, etc)
Control Room (English)
Swades (Indian)
Four TV shows I love:
Hard Talk by Tim Sebastian - long time since I caught that on the Beeb
Dexter on Cartoon Network
Kaal Kapaal Mahakaal - India's very own version of X-files
Anything on Discovery Channel or National Geographic
Four favourite dishes:
Half-boiled eggs (how creative!)
Qeema (minced meat - Indian style)
Lassi (sweet buttermilk)
Tuna with pasta
Four sites I visit daily:
My writing blog
Creative Majlis - a group of creative people united for a cause
Yahoo Mail
Four places I'd rather be right now:
Iraq, as a journalist
USA, as a documentary film maker or an academic
Makkah, as a pilgrim
In bed, peacefully asleep (it's 2 in the morning!)
Four books I read this year:
Who Will Cry When You Die by Robin Sharma (No, it's not about being a suicide bomber)
Gandhi - His Life & Message for the World by Louis Fischer
Silent No More by Paul Findley
Handbook for Bloggers & Cyber Dissidents by Reporters Without Borders
Four Bloggers I am tagging:
Kaya
Maya
Shaykhspeara Sha'ira
Slogan Murugan
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Blog for a cause: Street Harassment & Eve Teasing
For bloggers who want to volunteer for a cause - here's a worthy one. Speak up against street harassment and eve-teasing. Blog about it.
The Blank Noise Project is addressing this issue with the help of bloggers. A blogathon is being organised on 7 March in which bloggers who want to pitch in for the cause will write about this issue on their blogs.
Join in and support the Blank Noise project here.
Hindustan Times, a national daily in India reported a shocking fact - offendors caught during the anti street harassment Operation Street Patrol included educated professionals like doctors and engineers. Read that report here.
While the Blank Noise project has its roots in India, the problem of street harassment is global.
Here in the UAE, a man who pinched a female shopper got the treatment he truly deserved, as reported by Gulf News on 27 May, 2005:
This is the treatment I would like to see street perverts getting, everytime they even think about casting a dirty glance at someone.
The Blank Noise Project is addressing this issue with the help of bloggers. A blogathon is being organised on 7 March in which bloggers who want to pitch in for the cause will write about this issue on their blogs.
Join in and support the Blank Noise project here.
Hindustan Times, a national daily in India reported a shocking fact - offendors caught during the anti street harassment Operation Street Patrol included educated professionals like doctors and engineers. Read that report here.
While the Blank Noise project has its roots in India, the problem of street harassment is global.
Here in the UAE, a man who pinched a female shopper got the treatment he truly deserved, as reported by Gulf News on 27 May, 2005:
The women beat up the man with their nails cutting into his face, at which the onlookers tried to intervene and end the fiasco....
Even the mall's security guards, who had rushed to the scene, could not control the angry women.
The guards then called police patrols, who arrived on the spot after a while. After much exertion, the patrols were able to wrest the man out of the furious women's grip, and arrested him.
This is the treatment I would like to see street perverts getting, everytime they even think about casting a dirty glance at someone.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Kate Adie Of The BBC On Being A News Correspondent
28 February, Dubai: Kate Adie, one of the most well known correspondents on the BBC, was a good choice to deliver a talk titled "So you want to be a... news correspondent". This is the first one in a series of such talks being organised in the UAE, by Jim Davidson, the hilarious British comedian.
Knowing how quickly good shows get fully booked here in Dubai, I reached Madinat Jumeirah's box office an hour early. In a few minutes, I was happily clutching a Dhs 150 ticket for an audience with a lady who knows no fear. Being a war correspondent has always been in my "100 things to do before I die" list. Kate Adie is someone who's been there and done that. So, I had to attend even if meant losing half my night's sleep travelling back to Abu Dhabi.
Where am I?
The Madinat theatre was packed to capacity. I was among a handful of Asians in the theatre. The entire British population of the UAE was duly attending it seemed to me as I looked around at the predominantly Western/British crowd around me (doesn't anyone else watch BBC? I do.).
What was that again, me lad?
I realised the cultural dislocation of my funny bone when Jim Davidson's comedy routine moved from the UAE traffic warm-up jokes to British humour - I didn't get much of it. But he must have been saying very funny things because the audience just wouldn't stop laughing. This was happening as we waited for Kate to arrive on the scene.
Most of Jim's stories were about his visits to cheer up the British forces on duty. It's said that an army marches on its stomach but according to Jim, the British army marches on its sense of humour.
Watching Kate in action
After Jim's amazing and slick routine, the serious bit for which we had all gathered started. Clips of Kate Adie on her various assignments sobered us down. There were images of her live reporting from Iran, Libya, Kuwait, Bosnia, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Iraq. In one scene, Kate was talking to the camera beside an open door of a room in which lay the body a woman presumably killed in cold blood. This story was about the "wholesale killing of civilians" in Vitez, Bosnia. The dead woman seemed to be wearing a scarf like Muslims do. I was shaken by that image.
As the clips ended, Kate Adie was welcomed on stage. And the show began. Which wasn't really a show but a very seasoned journalist standing in the middle of an empty stage, talking about the challenges of being a correspondent, one that always gets to go to the most dangerous places. I wished they had kept a chair on that stage for her. But everyone was listening to her words. Anyway, in the second part of the talk, the speakers had sofas to sit on.
How did it all begin?
All she had wanted was a job, Kate reminisced about the start of her career. Her degree in Swedish and Ancient Icelandic wasn't helping much. She started out with the weather forecast on local radio and it was a fairly easy job. It involved her looking outside the window and checking the weather. Her initial days as a new recruit involved "feeding the cat" - these were the days women were rarely seen covering war zones.
So how did she end up being one of the most well-known faces in broadcast journalism, covering highly volatile regions, and winning herself the OBE, the Richard Dimbleby Award from BAFTA, and honorary degrees from six universities?
"By an extraordinary series of accidents and mistakes by the BBC," she quipped. But of course, she was being humble rather than honest here.
"Journalism is all about going there and finding the facts - you really don't get them till you go there," she said. And that, I felt, is the remarkable thing about Kate - she rushes into places and situations people are desperate to escape from. While Kate tried to make her career graph look like a series of random lucky strikes, her words gave her determination away.
"Don't sit on the fence. Train as a nurse or become an air worker - go and do it," was the advice she offered to people who want to get involved and help in a critical situation. And that surely must be the inner voice that has kept her going all this while, despite her having a knife pointed at her throat by a mad man, getting lost in the desert at the time of war, being shot at point blank range and losing a part of her collar bone!
Nobody's child
The courageous life she has lived, the historical moments she has documented, the number of times she has looked death in the face, have provided Kate not just hours of rare live footage to the world but inspired her to author three books so far. There's her autobiographical The Kindness of Strangers, there's Corsets to Camouflage: Women and War and the latest - Nobody's Child on the problems of adoption and questions of identity. Kate is an adopted child herself and talks from her heart about this topic.
"I didn't have a next of kin," she said she had realised when she was asked to fill in a form before being embedded with the British troops as a war correspondent. Perhaps, I think, it might have been easier for her not having someone telling her to not risk her life every time she embarked on a another perilous assignment. Kate found her biological mother later and now has a large family loving her which she would like to call a "tribe". This part of the talk touched me and gave a glimpse of the soft side of the tough reporter.
"It's a fairly grotty job"
On being a correspondent, Kate cautioned that being a correspodent is not the first-class world travelling kind of a job people imagine it to be. Most of the times, the airlines going to war zones are not the most reputed ones. Sometimes, correspondents have to hitch rides with aid planes or the military. You can only carry the baggage "you can run fast with". You could be living for days on end without electricity, water, the normal luxuries of modern living. "It's a fairly grotty job," she admitted. And for the women correspondent wannabes in the audience she added, "you don't get to wash your hair much."
"Why do I do it?"
On the positive side of being a correspondent, Kate said, "I think it is one of the most terrific jobs." She mentioned how people are eager to help, how a young Chinese man led her to a hospital which was paced with casualties, an inside view any correspondent would give an arm and leg for. Nameless people, just collaborating so that the truth reaches out to the world. After all, getting the facts and getting them out to the world is what journalism is all about. "If I do that well, other people might realise what is going on... might do something about it," Kate said. "People are incredibly good to you," she noted, excluding the occasional tyrant and looter of course. "You get to hear fascinating stories". You meet "wonderful people in the worst of circumstances."
Ask and ye shall be answered
There was a question and answer session after a short break.
People asked about the ethics of journalists not getting involved with the story they are covering (eg feeding a poverty stricken child), someone wanted to know what 'fear' means to Kate, the gentleman next to me asked if Kate would sign her book the couple had bought.
The most interesting question, however, was by a beautiful young lady who was planning an Irish wedding in Libya and wanted advice on social skills from Kate. She sounded quite frightened, what with Kate's stories about Libya and getting shot at point blank range.
Kate reassured her that normal citizens in Libya are friendly people, just like anywhere else in the world. They might be seen on TV shouting fiery slogans but when one goes and talks to them, they are just normal people doing that just as a routine thing, not really meaning any harm to anyone.
Jim Davidson had a different kind of advice for the bride to be: "Marry someone from Dubai - have your honeymoon on Sheikh Zayed Road," he said.
You can read more about Kate Adie here:
BBC
Wikipedia
The Lady
Your comments and feedback are most welcome.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Analysing The Muslim Response To Controversy
The American University in Dubai's Islamic Awareness Club has organised a lecture by Dr. Abdelrahman Thakir discussing the Muslim reaction to the Danish controversy.
Lecture Title: 'Why do we act and react the way we do'
Date: Saturday, 25th of Feb. 2006 - that's tomorrow!
Venue: Auditorium of the American University in Dubai
Time: Doors open at 6:30 pm.
Looks interesting. The last public lecture I attended there was by Sheikh Hamza Yousuf of Zaytuna Institute on trhe contribution of Arabs to civilisation - very informative. It was amazing to see an American speaking such 'fus-ha' Arabic - brother Yusuf spent 10 years learning Arabic and Islamic teachings around the world.
This one should be good too, at least it is timely. May post the proceedings if I attend.
Insha Allah.
Lecture Title: 'Why do we act and react the way we do'
Date: Saturday, 25th of Feb. 2006 - that's tomorrow!
Venue: Auditorium of the American University in Dubai
Time: Doors open at 6:30 pm.
Looks interesting. The last public lecture I attended there was by Sheikh Hamza Yousuf of Zaytuna Institute on trhe contribution of Arabs to civilisation - very informative. It was amazing to see an American speaking such 'fus-ha' Arabic - brother Yusuf spent 10 years learning Arabic and Islamic teachings around the world.
This one should be good too, at least it is timely. May post the proceedings if I attend.
Insha Allah.
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