From the 70's to the Present Day Pakistan

'Mēñ tō dēkhūngā' by Strings is a reflection of the contemporary public opinion that prevails in the Pakistani society. The lyrics 'ēk parcham mēñ ghul jāyēngē' reflects the fact that there has been a change in the ethnic and social dynamics of the society. Whereas in the 70's we see that there was no mention of minorities in 'Jīvē Jīvē Pākistān' and 'Sōhni Dhartī', as a direct contrast to this, in 'Mēñ tō dēkhūngā' we witness the fact that it calls for ethnic harmony and to bring marginalized minorities in the mainstream. This call for harmony is because of the fact that a certain brand of Sunni Islam was propagated by the Zia regime as a result of which seeds of intolerance were sown in the society.
'Bachē mulk pē rāj karēñ aur schūl mēñ bethē hoñ siyāsatdān.' This line resonates with the story in 'Tōbā Tēk Singh' in which the mad men are actually saner than the politicians. Similarly it is implied here that the children, since they are innocent, might actually be able to govern better than our politicians.

Mein Tou Dekhoon Ga

“Mein Tou Dekhoon Ga” begins with the singers and the children collecting in a barren place. This land is devoid of any markers of identity. It is thus a place of possibility, where these people can create a better place to live. The video has a lot of mobility as they move across the stream and by the end of the video end up in a meadow full of flowers. Thus the promise “Mein tou dekhoon ga, Tum bhi dekho gay” is to a certain degree full filled. The children at the end hold up takhtis with pictures of butterflies and flowers. This signifies that it is through these children that a change has taken place. The class at numerous points discussed how these singers’ portray themselves as the beacon of hope. I disagree, the song asserts the hope that whatever change comes about will be seen by all and will not benefit a certain class, religion or ethnicity. It says “I will see, and you will see” a better country and never “I shall show you” a better Pakistan. 

Mein tou dekhoonga (I will see)

There is an element of faith in the very title of the song. It is hope translated into faith. At the start of the video, Bilal and Faisal appear weary but restless with the setting of the sun. A child approaches them and they cheer up. Pretty soon, they are crowded with children. In one of the scenes when the two are sitting in a boat, they look away from the setting sun with wistful eyes, seeking a new dawn. The backdrop is barren, the present is bleak, but the camera shifts and suddenly the world is new and fresh, with fields of green. This is the future, a depiction of the world of children, which is bright and prosperous. The two singers tell the children that all hope is not lost, though they are tired themselves. The music video is meant to motivate, but, surprisingly, is free of most self-delusions found in that category of music. The lyrics are strong and improbable, some may claim, but the video demonstrates a subtlety of emotions, at once encouraging and sad. The message is this: we have to believe in something to make it happen, however improbable it may sound or the case may be. 

Laga Reh

Shehzad Roy’s song “Laga Reh” deals with the inability of the people of Pakistan to correct their situation and how they have been unable to deal with their problems. The starting of the video has the singer (dressed as a newscaster) saying " Main jab dus saal ka tha tto maine 9 O'Clock news pe suna ki Pakistan taareekh kay ek naazuk mod se guzar raha hai. He again reiterates this point by saying HeHjdkfd;fk"Main phir 20 saal ka hua, maine phir 9 O'Clock news pe suna ki Pakistan taareekh ke ek naazuk mod say guzar raha hai." This stagnation of Pakistan and its people is portrayed by the “buzurgh” who dresses in a Quaid-e-Azam sherwaani, alluding towards their inability to leave the past. These people who were responsible for making something out of Pakistan have failed, leaving everything upon God, but still question the youth about the betterment of the country and in doing so diverting all responsibility upon them.

 

Feathers in the Wind

There are lots of points that I would like to make so I'm not going to label this as one homogenous post.

1. In the PTV video of the national anthem what surprises me is that though "Allah" is thrust upon us and the Quran appears at the word "Nizaam" towards the end the deliberate showing of the Badshahi Mosque right before the zooming in of the Minar-e-Pakistan seems to imply that nationhood is more important/ imperative for being a devout Muslim. In this video, religion is an augmentation of success not a prerequisite as one would like to believe.

2.  The Strings song "Mein tou dekhoonga" and Shehzad Roy's "Laga Re" both promote the idea of comically foolish "qaum" while the singers themselves are beacons of hope and intellect. While this may not be inherently problematic, artists shown as the harbingers of change would work if the general public is not made fun of which I find slightly insulting.

3. We discussed Indian patriotic songs and how it would be interesting to contrast them to Pakistani songs. I'm posting a link to the depiction of Vande Matram in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. I think it makes for a very interesting comparison to Dil Dil Pakistan where the foreign is so instilled that it seems natural to wear suits, hold guitars and play Casio pianos while in Vande Matram, Hrithik Roshan is shown as 'conquering' the west and owning the streets with beautiful white chicks (idea of women as national markers?) decked out in Indian clothes and colors of the national flag. Very clearly shows the mentalities of the two ridiculously similar nations.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xho1e_vande-mataram_music

If we look at the transition of these Pakistani nationalistic music, we can feel what the actual masses are feeling at these moments. Soni dharti  and jeevay jeevay are from very long ago - a different era all together.  There was hope for the common man (“qadam qadam aabaad”), there was pride in the land(“ Soni dharti”) and there was a sense of unity, of nationhood(“ jeevay jeevay jeevay Pakistan”).  In opposition to these very uplifting, very optimistic and rejuvenating songs, the songs that we saw by Shehzad roy and Ali azmat (laga re and bomb phatta) are both very different. From their lyrics to their imagery and their message, we see the opposite of the hope and optimism in the earlier songs. There is no longer a single woman in the video singing about freedom and representing the motherhood of the nation, or the children as the hope of the future. Instead there is chaos and destruction; there is a divide between who is ruling and who is being ruled. In bomb phatta the politicians have been painted as huge beast-like figures as opposed to the midgets in the awaam almost as if they’re the reason that the people of the masses are so stunted since they’ve trampled all over them. There is no actual bomb blast in the video of bomb phatta but it refers to some kind of terrorist activity and through the video it seems as if the actual terrorist activities are being carried out by those who promise to protect us- the leaders themselves. In Laga re the politicians come across as mere entertainers who are just good at keeping up a façade, they are shown as people who are working with their own agenda - (“inkou mat jagao, yeh zaroori kaam say sou rhi hai”).  The “laga- re” also comes across with a very pessimistic undertone almost as if shehzad roy is making fun of the masses. In these later videos the picture that they paint of Pakistan is as if they’re trying to show how self-destructive we are. By bringing these harsh realities to light are they trying to move the people into taking some action – “is qaum ko jaganay ka waqt agya hai”.

"Jeevay jeevay", "Sohni Dharti" and "Dil dil Pakistan"

The lyrics of the three songs “Sohni Dharti”, “Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan” and “Dil dil Pakistan”, at the time of their release, were reflective of the broader socio-political situation in Pakistan and the surrounding region. Both, “Sohni Dhari” and “Jeevai Jeevai” were released in the 70s, soon after Pakistan had faced two major wars with its neighbor and had lost its eastern wing. Both these songs thus, impart the message of solidarity, unity and patriotism. In “Jeevay jeevay Pakistan”, the lyricist refers to the partition and reminds the listener of the sacrifices made in the name of this country when he writes, “bikhray howoon ko bichray howoon ko , ik markaz pay laya”. By doing so, the lyricist tries to answer the long standing question of the purpose of Pakistan and of whether India should have been partitioned at all. 

 “Sohni Dharti” was written in a similar vein, the lyrics reading as a prayer for the nation. The lines “jab tuk hai yeh dunya baaqi hum dakhain aazaad tujhay, sohni darti Allah rakhay qadam qadam aabaad tujhay” are a reaction to not only the wars with India that Pakistan had just gone through but also to the existential crises Pakistan faced immediately after partition, a crises which it had not completely put behind itself. The line “tera har ik zarrah hum ko apni jaan se pyara” tries to inculcate the idea of sacrifice of the individual for the good of the nation in the listener, an idea which was very pertinent during that time.

In contrast to both of these songs, “Dil dil Pakistan” was released after a period of relative peace in the region and its lyrics are reflective of that. This song, released in 1989, during the early stages of the global revolution which had brought a new wave of globalization to Pakistan’s shores, featured 4 young men dressed in western clothes, playing western musical instruments, making music heavily influenced by western pop.