Rahat Fateh Ali Khan unites Bollywood and Qawwali in UK shows

Singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, known for both Bollywood hits and Qawwali, Sufi devotional music that dates back more than 700 years, is taking the two genres to Britain in August for three concerts.

Khan, who performed at last year's Nobel Peace Prize awards, said his brief British tour would include classical music from Pakistan as well as popular songs from Indian movies, including the recent film "Sultan".

In one of his first interviews with international media, Khan spoke about the challenges faced by the Pakistani music industry and his efforts to promote the musical legacy of his uncle, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a Qawwali master who died in 1997. 

Q: What can people expect from your concerts in London, Manchester and Coventry?

A: "We'll be performing three segments for viewers and listeners. The first one is the music they've been listening to for many years. The other segment we'll perform is what they miss, and that's the 'unplugged' version. And the third segment, which is the most important (one) that they miss, is Qawwali. We'll perform all three segments over more than three hours."

Q: What is it like to be part of an acclaimed musical family?

A: "I think that our family is very fortunate, very lucky, that on their own merit, from themselves, using whatever means necessary, singing Qawwali, in all corners and areas, in every place, singing in villages, they've promoted it. Its reputation, its respect, they've increased this for the listeners. It's not a bad thing to have done. It gives birth to spirituality and brings peace to life that everyone would have experienced, whoever is a Qawwali listener, they would see how calm they are."

Q: If there was anyone in the world you could collaborate with on a song, who would it be?

A: "He is no longer in this world. Michael Jackson. I'm a fan of his, a very big fan. Unfortunately, it did not happen. After him, the next person I liked was Whitney (Houston). And even she ... I think I'm so much late." 

Q: What is the future of the music industry in Pakistan?

A: "In Pakistan, there's the unfortunate situation that there is no music label there to promote music like there used to be ... (But) Pakistani artists are still recognized. This is their greatness. I will say that the pride within them, the frustration, the power, it is this which takes them forward." 

Q: What's the main difference between working in the Pakistani and Indian film industries?

A: "The difference in working in Pakistan is that in the past 40 years, Pakistan's music has not been accepted by the masses. It's only in the last 10 years that people in the industry have taken it into their hearts, or started to think about it. It's only been 10 years. Before that, the circumstances were really bad. People didn't even want their children to learn. But in the Indian film industry, from the moment a child is born, he is taught music, he is taken for classical classes." 

Q: What's next for Rahat Fateh Ali Khan?

A: "My upcoming projects are quite different, in which there is also international collaboration ... we'll launch this in 2017. And then there's "Jag Ghoomeya" (a song from the movie "Sultan"), which has just been released. People have liked it quite quickly and its had millions of hits just within days. It's a great song, very soulful tune, very Bollywood. And let me tell you that people are listening to Bollywood a lot. So for me, it's necessary to give importance to Bollywood. Because this way, then people will listen to my music. And when they listen, then I will sing whatever I wish, whatever's right, to the audience, and they will listen to it." 

Q: You were taught the Qawwali form by your uncle. Are you passing on this tradition? Who are you teaching, who is your prodigy?

A: "My brother, Wajahat Ali Khan, and my son, Shazman Ali Khan. My son, Shazman Ali Khan, he's 12 years old. Today, he's producing the kind of work that people who are around 36 years old usually produce ... He creates the music himself. He's started by himself to start playing the harmonium and he can even pick out my faults because he loves to listen to his grandfather, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. In today's world, where there's Justin (Bieber), this generation he's in, as a 12-year-old child, should listen to Justin. But at this age, he's listening to maestro Nusrate Fateh Ali Khan. He doesn't even listen to me." 

Q: Where do you get your inspiration from?

A: "I always think that for each day of my life, the tune of that day is particular to that day. Each day brings a different tune and I follow whatever it is."

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Rahat Fateh Ali Khan unites Bollywood and Qawwali in UK shows

Singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, known for both Bollywood hits and Qawwali, Sufi devotional music that dates back more than 700 years, is taking the two genres to Britain in August for three concerts.

Khan, who performed at last year's Nobel Peace Prize awards, said his brief British tour would include classical music from Pakistan as well as popular songs from Indian movies, including the recent film "Sultan".

In one of his first interviews with international media, Khan spoke about the challenges faced by the Pakistani music industry and his efforts to promote the musical legacy of his uncle, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a Qawwali master who died in 1997. 

Q: What can people expect from your concerts in London, Manchester and Coventry?

A: "We'll be performing three segments for viewers and listeners. The first one is the music they've been listening to for many years. The other segment we'll perform is what they miss, and that's the 'unplugged' version. And the third segment, which is the most important (one) that they miss, is Qawwali. We'll perform all three segments over more than three hours."

Q: What is it like to be part of an acclaimed musical family?

A: "I think that our family is very fortunate, very lucky, that on their own merit, from themselves, using whatever means necessary, singing Qawwali, in all corners and areas, in every place, singing in villages, they've promoted it. Its reputation, its respect, they've increased this for the listeners. It's not a bad thing to have done. It gives birth to spirituality and brings peace to life that everyone would have experienced, whoever is a Qawwali listener, they would see how calm they are."

Q: If there was anyone in the world you could collaborate with on a song, who would it be?

A: "He is no longer in this world. Michael Jackson. I'm a fan of his, a very big fan. Unfortunately, it did not happen. After him, the next person I liked was Whitney (Houston). And even she ... I think I'm so much late." 

Q: What is the future of the music industry in Pakistan?

A: "In Pakistan, there's the unfortunate situation that there is no music label there to promote music like there used to be ... (But) Pakistani artists are still recognized. This is their greatness. I will say that the pride within them, the frustration, the power, it is this which takes them forward." 

Q: What's the main difference between working in the Pakistani and Indian film industries?

A: "The difference in working in Pakistan is that in the past 40 years, Pakistan's music has not been accepted by the masses. It's only in the last 10 years that people in the industry have taken it into their hearts, or started to think about it. It's only been 10 years. Before that, the circumstances were really bad. People didn't even want their children to learn. But in the Indian film industry, from the moment a child is born, he is taught music, he is taken for classical classes." 

Q: What's next for Rahat Fateh Ali Khan?

A: "My upcoming projects are quite different, in which there is also international collaboration ... we'll launch this in 2017. And then there's "Jag Ghoomeya" (a song from the movie "Sultan"), which has just been released. People have liked it quite quickly and its had millions of hits just within days. It's a great song, very soulful tune, very Bollywood. And let me tell you that people are listening to Bollywood a lot. So for me, it's necessary to give importance to Bollywood. Because this way, then people will listen to my music. And when they listen, then I will sing whatever I wish, whatever's right, to the audience, and they will listen to it." 

Q: You were taught the Qawwali form by your uncle. Are you passing on this tradition? Who are you teaching, who is your prodigy?

A: "My brother, Wajahat Ali Khan, and my son, Shazman Ali Khan. My son, Shazman Ali Khan, he's 12 years old. Today, he's producing the kind of work that people who are around 36 years old usually produce ... He creates the music himself. He's started by himself to start playing the harmonium and he can even pick out my faults because he loves to listen to his grandfather, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. In today's world, where there's Justin (Bieber), this generation he's in, as a 12-year-old child, should listen to Justin. But at this age, he's listening to maestro Nusrate Fateh Ali Khan. He doesn't even listen to me." 

Q: Where do you get your inspiration from?

A: "I always think that for each day of my life, the tune of that day is particular to that day. Each day brings a different tune and I follow whatever it is."

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Obama praises Muslim contribution towards America in White House Eid Milan

President Barack Obama recognized the efforts, contributions and achievements of American Muslims and called for tolerance in the American society in his speech made at the White House Eid celebration.

?You?re the doctors we trust with our health, the entrepreneurs who create jobs, artists who inspire us and activists for social justice who are on the front line in the fight for equality; you are the athletes that we cheer for,? said the president to a number of Muslim attendees.

Obama spoke of the role that Muslims have played in building the American society, as artists, architects, doctors, police personnel and members of the army who risk their lives to keep America?s freedom intact.

The Muslim war veterans present at the event were cheered for by the president and the people in attendance.

Speaking further about the role of Muslims that keep people safe, the president mentioned Malik Aziz, deputy police chief of Dallas in his role at helping uplift the city still shakes by the recent attacks o law enforcement.

The president?s speech was met with loud cheers as he continued to speak highly of American Muslims and emphasized on tolerance and respect toward them.

?No, no, no, Michelle is gonna come down and scold me,? he jokes as chants of ?4 more years? rang loud during his speech.

?Muslim Americans are as patriotic, as integrated as American as any other members of the American family and whether your family has been here for generations or you?re a new arrival you?re an essential part of the fabric of our country,? added Obama, and urged them to reject hatred and discrimination, reiterating the need for Muslim Americans and "all Americans" to stand together and "look out for one another."

 

 

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Girl attacked with acid for refusing marriage proposal in Karachi

KARACHI: A teenage girl was reported to have received 50 percent burn wounds after a man threw acid at her for daring to reject his marriage proposal, insider her residence located in Khwaja Ajmer Nagri, on Thursday.

Sixteen-year-old Sana, daughter of Abdul Ghafoor, was attacked by her landlord’s son, Usman.

Arrested by the Sir Syed Town police following the incident, the boy had been released from jail only three days ago where he was sent last month after the girl had complained of his misbehaviour.

The girl was taken to the Civil Hospital by her parents in a critical condition where the medico-legal officer confirmed that 50 percent of her chest and face were burnt. She was currently being treated at the hospital’s Burns Ward.

With lax laws and even shoddier implementation affording perpetrators freedom to operate, gender-based violence remains rampant in Pakistan and females bear the brunt of what truly is a matter of national shame.

In 2015, as monitored by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), 939 women became victims of sexual violence, 279 of domestic violence, 143 women were attacked with acid or were set on fire, 833 women were kidnapped, and 987 cases of honour crimes occurred in which a staggering majority of victims were women.

In July last year, a teenage girl's ex-fiancé, a policeman, threw acid on her, her brother and a child following her family’s refusal of his marriage proposal. Raheela, 19, was returning home from a beauty parlour when police constable Zeeshan alias Ali, who was posted at the Boat Basin police station, threw acid on her, her brother Jan Muhammad and nephew Hadi in Metroville II, Abul Hassan Ispahani Road.

Acid attacks are made possible by the easy availability of acid as a cheap cleaning fluid, or for use in the cotton industry. Laws introduced last year set a minimum sentence of 14 years and a maximum of life for acid attacks, but owing to the dysfunctional legal system just 10 percent of cases make it to the courts.Unless and until the issue is taken and considered seriously on the part of the rulers, governments, law department, prosecutors and courts the heinous crime of throwing acid on the faces and bodies of the people, particularly women, cannot be controlled.

Acid throwers are going unchecked due to one reason or the other and a number of such cases are pending with different courts for disposal.

Though the laws dealing with such offences have now been made stricter, there is a dire need for timely disposal of such trials so that the victim families could get justice and the acid throwers the punishment for their crime.

In an incident, four men facing trial for the heinous crime of acid-throwing had managed to slip away from the City Courts premises after a sessions judge rejected their bail applications.

- Originally appeared in The News

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Trump sharpens attack on Clinton, vows law and order if elected

CLEVELAND: Donald Trump accused Democratic rival Hillary Clinton of a legacy of "death, destruction, terrorism and weakness" as US secretary of state and declared himself a friend of the working class in a speech on Thursday accepting the Republican presidential nomination.

Trump´s speech was designed to set the tone for the general election campaign against Clinton, an answer to Republicans who say the best way he can unify the divided party is to detail why the Democrat should not be elected on Nov 8.

As the crowd roared: "Lock her up," Trump waved them off and said: "Let´s defeat her in November.

"The remarks by Trump, 70, closed out a four-day convention that underscored his struggle to heal fissures in the Republican Party over his anti-illegal-immigrant rhetoric and concerns about his temperament.

The event was boycotted by many big-name establishment Republicans, such as 2012 nominee Mitt Romney and members of the Bush family that gave the party its last two presidents.

Illegal immigrants, Trump said, "are being released by the tens of thousands into our communities," where he said they were straining resources, taking jobs away from American citizens and in some cases, committing crimes.

In his speech, Trump offered little in the way of details about his policies but rather portrayed himself as a fresh alternative to traditional politicians, willing to consider new approaches to vexing problems and help working-class people who may feel abandoned.

Laying out his case against Clinton, he denounced nation-building policies that were actually put in place to some extent by George W. Bush, without mentioning by name the Republican president who launched wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Trump said nation-building pursued by Clinton in Iraq, Libya, Egypt and Syria had made a bad situation worse.

He blamed her for the rise of Daesh (Islamic State) militants and blasted her willingness to accept thousands of Syrian refugees.

"After 15 years of wars in the Middle East, after trillions of dollars spent and thousands of lives lost, the situation is worse than it has ever been before.
This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: death, destruction, terrorism and weakness," Trump said.
 

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Teenage domestic worker beaten to death in Malir Cantt

KARACHI: A young boy lost his life to the barbaric temper of his employer at a house in Phase I of the Malir Cantonment on Thursday.

Sixteen-year-old Anas, son of Abdullah, breathed his last at the Jinnah Hospital where he was brought in a critical condition. He was severely beaten up by his employer, Aneela, with a stick.

The woman was reported to have lost her temper after her son was hurt while playing a game with Anas. 

The boy, according to police, hailed from Jacobabad and had been working at the woman?s house for the past 10 years.

The police had registered a case but no arrests had been made so far, particularly since the woman hails from an influential family. 

Human rights experts say the data on violence against children working as domestic workers is one of the hardest to collect. Cases of violence surface at the worst possible situations, when a child is brought to the hospital after being severely beaten or when the employer fears that the victim might die, says Memon, who is the coordinator for Sindh with the movement ? a consortium of NGOs working for child rights in the country. ?The daily abuses are conveniently shoved under the rug and hundreds of thousands are living a miserable life.?

- Originally appeared in The News

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Teenage domestic worker beaten to death in Malir Cantt

KARACHI: A young boy lost his life to the barbaric temper of his employer at a house in Phase I of the Malir Cantonment on Thursday.

Sixteen-year-old Anas, son of Abdullah, breathed his last at the Jinnah Hospital where he was brought in a critical condition. He was severely beaten up by his employer, Aneela, with a stick.

The woman was reported to have lost her temper after her son was hurt while playing a game with Anas. 

The boy, according to police, hailed from Jacobabad and had been working at the woman’s house for the past 10 years.

The police had registered a case but no arrests had been made so far, particularly since the woman hails from an influential family. 

Human rights experts say the data on violence against children working as domestic workers is one of the hardest to collect. Cases of violence surface at the worst possible situations, when a child is brought to the hospital after being severely beaten or when the employer fears that the victim might die, says Memon, who is the coordinator for Sindh with the movement â€" a consortium of NGOs working for child rights in the country. “The daily abuses are conveniently shoved under the rug and hundreds of thousands are living a miserable life.”

- Originally appeared in The News

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