3/16/15 3/16/15

Mini Reunion

I had a mini reunion with some friends that helped me with recordings for another film I am working on. It has been almost five years since I have seen them. We used to play pith gol garam. A few of these young ones are married. The littlest one is being tutored by one of my cousins. They are all so full of life and personality. Each had a story, with challenges, and fun and lots of excitement through it all. It was really sweet to see them.

3/15/15 3/15/15

Joy then tragedy, a day in Lahore

I woke up early this morning, got ready and walked out the hostel gate. I heard qawwali music by Nusrat playing and sure enough it was coming from the first rickshaw I saw. I hopped in and asked the driver to keep it playing and we were off. We ended up going a sort of round about way which seems to happen a lot these days. There is an incredible amount of construction all over. This leads to road closures and traffic congestion. Due to this, people use alternate routes all the time.

The rickshaw was bumping along, when smoke began to come out of the engine, which was between me and the driver. He pulled over, I stepped out and he began to examine it. I stood for a few minutes, then thanked him, paid the fare, wished him well and walked about a block to my destination; Lohari Gate. Lahore is one of the gates to the Walled City of Lahore. I have been so focused on my work, that I had not made it to my favorite part of Lahore.

cute brother and sister wanted their photo taken

I was meeting my friend Imran and a photographer friend of his for a morning photography walk. I arrived first and felt joy immediately. The place is not clean or perfect in any way, but there is a real beauty to the people and place that goes beyond cleanliness. I sat on a bench to wait for my friend.I watched people coming and going, catching conversations, and just soaking in the morning. My friend arrived with his photographer friend and we set off. Exploring the Old City is always fun, but I feel the mornings are when you really get to speak to people. People are friendly, curious and joke around a lot. Sometimes people want their picture taken, or want you to take one of someone else around as a joke. People invite you for chai or share information about buildings. It is a truly special place.

Afterwards, I head to Alhamra for their weekly puppet show. I had met a friendly member of the group earlier in the week. The hand puppets were fun. The stories were nice and it was really fantastic to see the kids get into the audience participation portions of the show. I enjoyed meeting the artists afterwards.

Alhamra Puppet Theater Lahore from Adnan Hussain on Vimeo.

(In the video, the kids are yelling "Khala", calling auntie, because the rabbit is back to eat up her vegetable garden. The rabbit is saying eat this and that vegetable, become strong etc)From there Suffi sahib took me to a nice book store called Readings. We were looking at books, when his wife called him to check on him. That’s how we found out about the blasts. We knew the general area where they had occurred, but that was all. These incidents keep happening, but the news is always horribly sad. We grabbed some food afterwards, then started driving towards Peeru’s Cafe, where they have a weekly string puppet show. As we got closer, traffic came to a halt, and vehicles were turning around. We heard there was some rioting ahead and learned some more details of what had happened.

The blast had occurred at a Church. We turned off through some unpaved side streets. We felt horrible for another set of victims of the violence gripping Pakistan. I also felt bad for my kind friend Suffi, who was out here because of me. We tried getting back to the hostel, but more roads were blocked. Suffi sahib dropped me at my cousin’s place, where I had planned to go, then he head home.It was good to see my aunt, cousins and nephews. I checked email, read details of the Taliban attack and just sat feeling helpless. I have seen the walls raised and fitted with blockades and barbed wire on buildings over the years. There is generally security at the entrance to every place you go. People are generally nice about it, and do their best to live their lives as normal. When it comes to losing loved ones in attacks, everyone has suffered too much.I see the sense of hopelessness creep in, but people keep going, not knowing what else to do. I sat down to write and my nephew dropped by. It was great to hear him share his dreams and goals. He sees the problems around him. He has grown up in this and seen nothing else, just like the students I have been teaching. Their formative years are being spent in a very difficult time for everyone in Pakistan.The issues faced by minorities and even the majority groups in Pakistan have been deeply on my mind for years and it is tough to think how best to do my part to make things better. All I know, is that I cherish the enthusiasm and desire to do things that I see in Sheryar and the students I have had the privilege to share with on this journey so far. My prayers are with all the victims of bigotry and violence, and certainly with these young people who are doing what they can to make a better life in the future.

3/14/15 3/14/15

Metro Bus and Holy Vegas

Metrobus and Holy Vegas

I had a free day, so I decided to try the new Lahore Metro Bus to get across town. The bus was full, but in a normal way, rather than the clown car stuffing that goes on in other buses and vans. For 20 rupees, I hopped on and the bus took me far across town. I hopped off at Qalma Chowk and walked around for a bit, then hopped back on and went back a stop to Qaddafi Stadium. I checked out the Punjab Art Museum, which had some beautiful Punjabi arts and handicrafts. From there, I stopped by a book store, then walked over to Hafeez Center, a huge building devoted to computer and cell phone shops. This place has grown a lot over the years.

From there, I crossed the street, and checked out a small, dusty book shop. I said hello to the ancient owner, and asked how he was doing. He said, terrible. I sit here all day with nothing to do. Business was obviously pretty rough. He offered to help me find anything I might be looking for, but I didn’t have anything in mind. I just looked through the books. Eventually, I found a couple of books of poetry that had some good things, such as meanings of difficult words at the end of each piece. That is very helpful to me and I was glad to find something I could lend a bit of support to the shop with. I wished him well and he smiled a bit as I left. The life of a book store owner is pretty rough.A friend from my high school days in Lahore; Usman, picked me up from there and we had a delicious meal courtesy of his wife. It was fun to catch up and see him in a good place. His wife shared some really interesting things about Urdu literature, as that is her passion and was her major in college. Her Uncle has an Urdu literary magazine, I look forward to checking out.Afterwards, my friend dropped me off at the hostel. A short while later, my friend Imran called to see if I wanted to grab a bite to eat. I wasn’t really hungry, but we met up at a little spot across the street from me. The food was good. I had an aloo paratha and finally had a lassi. I felt like I had been in Lahore for too long without having a lassi. One thing that struck me about the place, was that it was decorated in large images of Las Vegas. The funniest part was the Casino with Quranic passages added on top. You could even see the word casino in a little sign in the photo.

3/13/15 3/13/15

Silver Lining

Silver lining

I called a few contacts in the morning and got a hold of a member of a group of puppeteers that performs at Alhamra. He was at a bank in the area, and would wait 10 minutes for me to drop by and talk.I rushed over and met. I’m glad I did. While his puppetry is more hand puppets, rather than the more traditional marionettes I seek, it was still great to meet. I shared more of what I was trying to do, and he was very supportive. He gave me the number for a puppeteer that I have been trying to reach, but once again his number was off when I tried it. Still, after some of the recent conversations I really appreciated the warmth and desire to help my efforts.I gave a presentation to some multimedia thesis students on my work and process. Afterwards, I met an old class mate for lunch at the Pak Tea house, which has been renovated since I last visited. It is a historical landmark, where many great minds of Pakistan have sat, and I’m sure smoked up a storm.I received a call from a member of the Multan Lok Ras Party I had met in my first few days in Karachi. He had been looking for a puppeteer for me. He did manage to find some women from the family who are singers, referred to as Garrwis, I think for the small pots they use in their music. He had given them my number and his own for the puppeteers to contacts us.I taught my class, then received a call from a puppeteer. With two contacts in Multan, I knew where I had to make plans to head next.

3/12/15 3/12/15

Looking for Solutions

I followed up with a theater related lead to see if that contact knew any puppeteers. On the phone, he said that he did not and that what he did was to get oppressed people to tell their own stories through theater. This sounded pretty good to me. I said great. Then I asked that if I find any puppeteers, if they would be interested in giving them a short training as they too are theater artists who could benefit from their experience. I tried to finish this one sentence about three times, but was cut off each time by an insistent repeat of “what we do is…” I said ok and hung up, then scratched that name off my list until the page ripped.This is how these puppeteers fell through the cracks. No one cared enough to provide new resources and training. Those who receive funding and are in a position to do so, could not care about anything beyond what gets them funding. I thought to myself, I’m not a puppeteer, but regardless of what I am not, I hope not to be like some of the people I have encountered either.During my search thus far, I have encountered many friendly people who had not thought about doing work with these puppeteers before, but once I brought it up, were interested in seeing how they could be brought to different institutions for performances which could benefit them. Unfortunately, I have also run into people who asked me blankly, why I would even want to work with them, or others still who narrow the scope of their art to “helping” people that they can eat foreign funding on.It is these very people who make it difficult for our culture to survive. They are gatekeepers to culture, who swallow all that they can on the basis of this culture, while giving a pittance or completely cutting out the real practitioners of these art forms. This search is challenging and often feels unrewarding, but I do think that it is important. I don’t know exactly what I will find and to what degree the skills are intact once I reach these puppeteers, but the anger I feel at the apathy of these “gatekeepers” is only helping to push me that much harder to do this.In the evening, Suffi sahib and I visited a friend who is doing some good work running a school for children in the area. Invariably, there are ideas and often leads for me to follow up on that come up in these conversations with different people. We went for a meal afterwards, and I enjoyed these little slippers with fish eyes and the toy store next to it.

3/11/15 3/11/15

NCA and Jinnah Bagh

Jinnah Bagh

More teaching at NCA and updating blog posts. I try to write the text for these posts even when I do not have internet access. Then when I do get access, I upload several posts at a time and and set them to post one a day. It takes a bunch of steps to sort it all out, but since I do not always have internet access, it allows me to try and keep a steady stream of updates coming through. Here are a few shots from around NCA campus.

After class, I ended up at Jinnah Bagh. I remember being part of a concert here back in high school. We were the kid band that the other bands in the underground rock scene at the time gave a chance to come up and do a few songs.

3/9/15 3/9/15

Rest

This whole travel business has taken its toll on me. The weather extremes, the odd places and just the overall challenges of doing things. The water is dirty, the electricity is always going out and I worked at NCA in the morning, taught a class in the afternoon,and then slept for about 10-11 hours at the hostel. I didn't take any pictures of the day.Along the way, I try to create other relevant projects, and generally make myself useful by teaching. Today, I just finished editing a video on my friends from Phool Patti in Karachi. Communication is one of the key gifts I can share with these artists. I've been working on it bit by bit for weeks now. I'll upload it later in the week once my Vimeo account limit resets.I've done a lot of fun and interesting things in these grueling few weeks. Some contacts are coming in, and it looks like I will get to meet some puppeteers soon. That's it. That's the best I can do right now.

3/9/15 3/9/15

Alhamra

Suffi sahib was feeling a bit better when he picked me up in the morning. We went to college, and he was teaching a class. I did some follow up research to get info on different organizations that could help me with my puppet search.

After Suffi’s class, I head out, suggesting that he should rest. Food poisoning takes a horrible toll on you. I went over to one of my favorite bookshops, Sang-e-Meel. They publish many amazing books on Lahore, as well as several Punjabi short stories, plays and novels. I take forever looking at stuff in stores like that. You never know what you will find. I found a followup book to a book on stories of Lahore that I picked up last time, so I bought that. I still have books I have not finished reading from my last trip, so I didn’t get anything else, but it is still great to see what new subjects there are books about. I visited a few other books stores and a gallery afterwards.I decided to walk from there, all the way on Mall Road, to Alhamra. I encountered a protest of some kind along the way, but it seemed peaceful enough. I steered more or less clear just in case. There was a nice exhibition of paintings up in the Alhamra gallery. I took some photos of some of the pieces that really stood out to me.I learned about a weekly puppet show they have there and got the number for the leader of the group. I sat in the courtyard and made a whole bunch of calls, following up on leads from the past couple of days.I walked all the way back, exploring and getting a little lost. I went through the Suffow wala Cholk (Pages Crossing) so called for all the publishers shops there, though I feel like there are fewer each time. I took my time looking through them and even grabbed a delicious meal. I didn’t end up picking up any more books, but I did think about it a few times. I just don’t need anything. There are a few translations I would like to pickup of books from other parts of the country to get a feel for some of the other cultures and the writings in them, but that is about it. This was more for the sake of seeing what stuff had come out. I feel like there are more illustrated children’s books actually illustrated in Pakistan than I have seen in the past, which is really cool.I made my way back, pretty tired from walking. The rain messed up my internet and took out most of the lights in my room yesterday. A few people came to take a look, but we’ll have to wait for the real electrician to figure this one out. It’s not too bad though. I have my usb internet, and the circuit that the heater and computer are plugged into both work.

3/8/15 3/8/15

Walking around Lahore on a Sunday

Suffi sahib got hit by a bad case of food poisoning. He called to let me know in the morning and I felt bad for him. I’ve been there and I could hear the suffering in his voice. I wished him a speedy recovery and told him to rest, poor guy. I wish I could have done more. Luckily, he is with his family.

a winning combination (Baba Bulleh Shah Kulfi)

I did some work in the hostel room, then walked outside. I walked around, and saw lots of people playing cricket matches all over. Pakistan beat South Africa the day before. Mall Road is very busy all week, but on Sunday morning, most things are closed and things are very calm. People were coming out of the many churches all around. I made my way to a spot on Mall Road where they have used book sellers on sundays. You can find all sorts of interesting, out of print books there. I walked up and down the lane, looking through stacks of dusty books. I ended up just picking up one children’s book that had some nice watercolor illustrations, for a mere Rs. 20.

Afterwords, I head over to see my friend Imran Siddique. He is a man of theatre, photography and one who really enjoys life with all its challenges. While many people I have met are doing excellent things, several have a deeply negative outlook on things, which is understandable, but overwhelming when it goes on for hours on end. Imran is very different in this regard. He faces huge challenges in all that he does as well, but sitting and spending time with him was really refreshing.We, ok he, made some chicken, rice and vegetables (I just chopped a few veggies). It was really fun to catch up and learn about some of the exciting things he has been up to. It started raining during my visit and the view from his open apartment was beautiful. He was getting ready for the wedding of two friends to each other, and it was sweet to see how happy he was for them. It’s a warm, contagious kind of feeling.

I left his place and walked around some more, as he had suggested taking a right turn, then a left then keep repeating until you are close to home and ask for directions for an interesting walk. He was right about his neighborhood being a fascinating place. It was wet and dark, but there was a real beauty to the lanes of delicious, open food shops. I could smell fresh naan and all those great meat dishes. I wasn’t really hungry, but it was fun to just walk and see what I saw. I didn’t even end up needing to ask for directions. I happened to walk back to a street I knew and made my way back to the hostel from there.

Once I walked in, I greeted the security and staff. Asim Hussain and Ajmal are two of the people there. Ajmal has asked me to sit and have some tea a couple of times, so I took him up on his offer that night. People are so gracious. I enjoyed a cup of chai and learned a bit about each of them, but more from their conversations with each other than with me.

It was nice to sit for a bit, but I was pretty tired, so I thanked them and head inside as Ajmal’s shift ended. I had planned to go see puppets at the Rafi Peer Theater, but decided not to deal with the buses in the rain.

3/7/15 3/7/15

Tollinton to THAAP

We spent the morning with the class, encouraging them to draw their ideas and develop them more coherently. Ideas are great, but with out execution they don’t amount to much. I look forward to seeing what they come up with in each session. I also happened upon a little thesis booklet form 2010 in the lab. I saw my students from 2010 with their thesis projects, which was fun.

After class, we walked a block over to Tollinton, which was hosting a handicrafts fair. I learned about several interesting projects, including an Ajrak (block printing) project that I did not get a chance to visit in Bhit Shah.Suffi sahib and I visited a couple of bookshops afterwards. I had heard the terrible news that Ferozson’s Book Store had burned down in an electrical fire. Thankfully, they have a small shop in part of their original shop, which is an institution. It looks like they are rebuilding the damaged portion and I hope to see it all come back some day. Part of each trip here is spent scouring for interesting books on art, literature etc at all these different publishers’ book stores.

Next we head to Gulberg for a THAAP event. There were some really cool paper dolls on the way in, from Multan. The event was focused on a group of people here in Punjab, referred to as Jhanglis. It was an interesting talk with a lot of people who are heavily involved in writing and preserving culture, including Mubarak Ali of whom I have several books, Mushtaq Soofi of Sachal Orchestra fame and many more. I enjoyed the talk by Dr. Saeed Bhutta and the discussion that followed. I got a bit of help in asking about regarding traditional puppets, and was given several possible leads. I really appreciate Suffi sahib going to such lengths to try and bring me to places he can think of where I might find leads to puppeteers.

3/6/15 3/6/15

Horse and Cattle Show Lahore

I woke up, washed my bucket of dirty clothes, then went out to pick up some groceries. The hostel room is great, as it has a fridge on the generator, and all kinds of kitchen stuff. I picked up a few things so I can make breakfast, have some fruit etc. I looked to see if a sherbet shop I used to go to was still there, but I think it my have been replaced by a little dairy shop. That place was the best. Things have changed quite a bit. There is still lots of traffic, but the open sewer has been covered, and the air is so much better than Hyderabad. I really like Hyderabad, but it really needs a lot of sanitation and traffic related work.

Suffi sahib took me to NCA. I enjoyed seeing small posters for different student thesis projects in the multimedia department. I visited Ustad Zafar Iqbal in the music department. He shared some clips of performances with his group in Moracco at the Fez Sufi festival, then invited me to sit in during his class. It was actually really nice to see these students get a chance to work on their music skills.After lunch, I was part of a class where students have just started developing ideas for video game projects. It is fun to see them share their thoughts and to try and be a positive force in helping them to realize their visions.

Later, Suffi and I head out to check out the Horse and Cattle show at Fortress Stadium. It is rather bizarre. It was a huge event, and there were cars all over. Suffi sahib managed to park the car and we walked in the darkness with others to the entrance of the stadium. As part of the once annual (now first time in 11 years) Horse and Cattle show, there was a night performance. We stayed for a while. There was a reenactment of the brutal murder of school children in Peshawar last December in a sort of song to raise a spirit of defiance. It apparently included some siblings of children lost in the attack. These children are incredibly brave, but the jingoistic tone gave me uneasy flashbacks of Zia’s time.Afterwards the Pakistan Rangers put on a display of torch wielding acrobatics which was impressive. The stadium was virtually dark except for the flames of the torches bobbing in the night, which made for an impressive site. It is great to see so many people out, enjoying things as best as they can, despite all that is going on. Then we head out, grabbed some dinner and called it a night.

Horse and Cattle Show Rangers Torch display from Adnan Hussain on Vimeo.

3/5/15 3/5/15

Lahore at last

It was fun to wake up to views of villages on either side of us. At night, it had been pitch dark out. Some areas we passed were covered in trash and filth, most noticeably plastic bags. Other areas were very simple in means, with straw homes or mud walled ones with livestock all around. These were some of the most beautiful spots we passed, in addition to lush green fields of wheat, fruit trees and more.

The train was fine, but my head hurt and I felt pretty out of it and a bit depressed. That made the hours creep by very slowly. There was a lot of complaining about the slowness of the train and corruption of the railway system, from other passengers. I played carom on my phone and read a bit from an Urdu translation of Sindhi folk stories that I picked up in Hyderabad.After what seemed like forever, we reached Lahore. I grabbed by bags and hobbled my way toward the sea of madness that was the exit. Suffi sahib was there with a friend. They helped me squeeze my way out. Suffi sahib had a porter grab one heavy bag which the man put on his head. I was dragging the other bag. The porter kept asking me to put that second bag on his head. I felt like it was too much. He kept insisting, saying that this was his job. He wasn’t saying this to make more money. Of course he was going to be paid as he was carrying a bag. I know people like to say that everyone is dishonest and corrupt here. While that is the reason for such widespread problems, I think it’s important to recognize all the people that are not like that. I gave him the bag after a bit, and we put everything in Suffi’s car and head out.

Lahore changes so much each time I get there. There’s some crazy overhead busway that towers above the streets I remember. The hostel and college walls have been practically doubled in height and there is so much more security now, after the Peshawar school attacks. People often look at news of attacks in Pakistan and look upon the people as some wretched, horrible creatures, that hate their children and are out to kill the world, without seeing how it is the people of Pakistan who suffer the most through all of this. These people are the biggest victims of all the extremists.Even from the train, I saw so many young girls and boys walking to school in the early morning hours, in small muddy towns, trying to get a decent education. My fellow passenger on the train, on his way to Peshawar talked about how much he was trying to invest in the education of his three girls and one boy. It was sweet to listen to how he described each of his children with so much love and how he valued each of their educations above all else. This is a man who did not have the benefit of a formal education, but worked very hard in business all his life. He wants to make sure that his kids get the best that he can provide, like most parents. That’s not to say that there are not narrow minded people, or that there are not very real and serious issues that need addressing, but it is interesting to see the variety of people and their thoughts and how they try to get by.I dropped off my things at the hostel and Suffi sahib took me to the college. He ordered some food, and I felt much better after a meal. Right away he asked some colleagues to ask around about puppeteers, and we all began coming up with names and numbers of possible leads. I spoke to the one puppeteer I have contacted in Multan. I am hoping to get a few more contacts before I head out there for a bit to meet them all. Suffi sahib and I worked on a plan to get that information, and that made me feel a lot better. This is the way that each project I have done here goes. It is never easy, and it would never be possible without the help of so many people.

That night, I met a friend of Suffi’s who is in production. We went to the Jashn-e-Bahar (Spring Celebration) festival at Racecourse. It was really fun. There were all kinds of booths with handicrafts and food. I had some great conversations with people working with artisans for social upliftment. I also got to see some great work from the Naqsh school students and faculty. This art college in the walled city has some fantastic output. I really respect the work these kids and faculty are doing. This is why, I walked over and requested to share some work with the students last time I came. I will see if I can make some time to do that once again. I have heard a lot of people talk about the complete loss of many of the skills I see in these kids. I think it is time to make some connections.We had some amazing Balochi food, and delicious Punjabi makki di rotis. One plain and one sweet. We also tasted a really interesting red colored bread with different kinds of spices and seeds.

At the end of the night, I found no puppets, but I did find a couple from Multan who make paper dolls. I asked if they knew any puppeteers and they mentioned there was one and that they would try to find his phone number.

3/4/15 3/4/15

Leaving Hyderabad

I went to visit Sayed Mangi, who has been graciously looking out for me in every way possible while I have been here. I look forward to returning to work on the music portion of the film, once the puppetry has been completed.Shehzad sahib dropped my at the phattak and put me on a bus to Hyderabad. I reached Abdul Majeed Soomro, who is always busy with his publishing work, dealing with many challenges, and yet he manages to smile and laugh through it all. We had some delicious biryani, and he helped me run a few errands. I dropped off Girnari Jogi Group CDs for each group member at Radio Pakistan, Hyderabad, where Ustad Amb Jogi works. In addition, I picked registered a USB internet device I picked up the day before in Jamshoro. I had to jump through several hoops to register it, and could not have done it without Soomro sahib despite trying to be self sufficient.That evening Soomro sahib helped me get my things together and head out via train for Lahore. The train was fine. My fellow passengers were very friendly. One was a quiet student on his way to transfer to a different college. Another was a WAPDA (power company) employee from Multan on his way home, while the last was a man from a smaller village just past Peshawar, who owned land and a trucking business, also on his way home. We ended up purchasing food on the train. I had picked up a large bottle of water in Hyderabad, but the food options were all covered in flies and filth, so I avoided that. The food on the train was actually quite good. We ended up sharing three meals among us, and even that was more than enough. The train was slow, and as I don’t feel completely well, and am a bit down regarding my lack of progress thus far, it was a difficult.I managed to sleep well enough, and I certainly appreciated the interesting company.

3/3/15 3/3/15

Where to now? Lahooti and the Sketches

I felt a bit better after some rest, but knew I needed to take it easy. I was waiting on word of some puppeteers in Umerkot. They are wanderers, who head out on “sair” without any way of contacting them. This is their way. They could come back in a few days or a couple of weeks. Thankfully, friends are there to check in and can send me photos when they return.I don’t feel like I can wait around here though. While I had done many interesting things during this last month, I have not been able to reach any possible puppeteer collaborators yet. I feel it is time to go to Punjab and investigate the state of puppetry there. I have spoken to one puppeteer on the phone who lives in Multan, and have researched several who are on that side of the country. Now it is matter of obtaining their contact info and meeting them to get to know their work and personalities. It is a very disheartening process. So many people are helping me, and yet, it is still a huge undertaking to try and find something that has all but vanished and then hope that it is in a state that can be salvaged.Since I was in Jamshoro again, I took care of a few things that needed to be done. Met up with Zulfikar Ali Gopang, who was the recording engineer who did such a fantastic job on “Gul” and the Girnari Jogi Group album. It was great to catch up and I really appreciate the willingness to do something positive for these musicians who are the living embodiment of our cultural heritage.

I contacted Saif Samejo of the band the Sketches and Lahooti which are two fantastic projects that I have been following for a while. Samina Panwhar had connected us via facebook a few days ago and Umair Jaffer had mentioned that I should talk to him before my trip as well. He called me back and sent his car to pick me up as he is in Jamshoro, but a but inside of a residential area, which would have been difficult for me to get to. It was really great to connect and learn more about his work. I have already been a fan of the work he is doing, but to meet him and share a bit of my efforts as well was really great. He is creating a beautiful space for music and creativity. I look forward to seeing his future projects.I took it easy that night. Hisam let me crash at his faculty dorm. I got some much needed rest.

3/2/15 3/2/15

Hala to Hyderabad

Group photo with some of the Hala students.

I woke up, got ready and had breakfast as usual. I worked on uploading a few blog posts, and made plans for leaving Hala. During the time I had been at the design school in Hala, I was around those students who lived there. The rest of the students came back today, and I gave a presentation on some of my professional and personal projects in animation. I showed my reel and my short film “Gul”.Screening “Gul” was a lot of fun due to the discussion afterwards. It is always fun to dodge the question of what it is about and encourage viewers to create their own version, based on what they see or feel. As is often the case, some struggle with this, while others allow their imaginations to flow freely and share really interesting insights. Afterwards, we had lunch, and I left with Azam and Noor via bus to Hyderabad. With my bags, the trip was a bit tight as I sat hunched over, with one arm on my bags to keep them from falling on people. Eventually, we reached Hyderabad, and hopped on a rickshaw the rest of the way. Azam and Noor head off to Jamshoro for a class, while I continued to my friend Majeed Soomro sahib’s office.We lugged the bags upstairs, then spent some time hanging out. Hyderabad is a horrible, disgusting city. It doesn’t need to be, but with traffic, pollution, trash and overflowing gutters, it has been made that way. It has much to offer as a city, but it is so filthy and nasty.Soomro sahib and I went out to meet a puppeteer; Mudaser, I had heard about. Unfortunately, he does more the hand puppet style puppets, but was a very friendly person. He got into puppetry inspired by Farooq Qaiser, a legendary figure in Pakistan who brought sarcastic wit and social commentary to the nation with his fantastic work puppets featuring characters like Uncle Sargam.

Afterwards, we went to a dinner thrown by talented artist Nadir Ali Jamili sahib. He hosted a dinner in celebration of his very successful gallery show of sculptural works in Karachi. It was a huge achievement; a culmination of some 15 or 20 years of work. I appreciate being able to join in such a beautiful celebration with so many amazing artists and delicious food. I was very exhausted from the previous week of running around, teaching and researching. I felt like I had pushed myself a bit too much. Nadir Ali Jamali sahib drove Hisam and I back to the faculty dorm in Jamshoro, where I crashed for the night.

3/1/15 3/1/15

Nasarpur

I went to Nasirpur with Azam to see innovations in ceramics work. We hired a car to get there, as it is out in a much more rural area, away from bus routes.

I went to Nasarpur with Azam to see innovations in ceramics work. We hired a car to get there, as it is out in a much more rural area, away from bus routes.

There was a lot of beautiful farm land along the way. Once we got there, they shared their process, innovations, career, goals and life story. In addition Poto sahib took us to a govt. funded site, with better facilities for similar work, that is in disrepair due to disuse of the machinery and what seems like a general disinterest in doing work. I see a lot of this when I travel. People share all the things that are decaying and all but destroyed and lost in this country. These things are real, but it sure is depressing. I also see people making very real efforts to make things better.

It can be difficult to have all the miseries of every aspect of life around you dumped on you each place you go. I need to figure out how to politely end those conversations. I’m here to do something, and while much of what is shared is real, it is less relevant than what each of us is doing on a daily basis. All that negativity makes it very difficult to maintain the energy you need to do things that are difficult. It is certainly challenging to do work in Pakistan, but I am fortunate to be able to spend time with students and artists working to do something positive despite some very formidable odds.

2/28/15 2/28/15

Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai Museum

Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai Museum and Hala crafts

I woke up and did some more blogging. A few of us went to visit the workshops of local ceramics, pottery and ajrak (an ancient and beautiful form of block printing). The work is beautiful, though far undervalued, which makes it difficult for these artists to make a living on their hard work. They were all so generous in sharing their process and allowing me to take photos and ask questions.

This time spent traveling is really enriching for me. I am filled with fresh ideas and new contacts with which to create potential collaborations in the future. These art forms are certainly in danger, but there are some fledgling efforts to raise awareness and support them before it is too late.

After that, we came back and had some lunch. The students have been eager to learn Zbrush, since I told them how cool the software is, so once the electricity came back, we rushed to the computer lab and I went over it for about 45 minutes. After that, it was time for me to meet Ismail Faqir for a trip to the Shah Latif Museum in Bhitshah. Azam and I hopped on a Suzuki daba (pickup), and met him there. The museum is small, but there are beautiful displays depicting several of the folk tales in Latin’s poetry. In addition, there is a large auditorium for concerts during the annual Urs celebration, as well as a new research library in the works. Afterwards, we head back to his place where Ismail Faqir graciously shared many of his experiences and his knowledge with us. He and his family members took us to an event at the Bhitai College, where there was some really interesting Sindhi poetry on contemporary issues (I managed to pick up the main points of several pieces. It was great to see Mangi and Naimat sahib with their kids as well. There was a play on religious tolerance with a strong commentary on current issues in Pakistan. Though it was in Sindhi, I was able to pick out a good portion of what was being said.

We had early morning plans, so we decided to to head back to Hala on a Qing Qi which was blasting some beautiful Sufi music by Abida Parveen. We made it back for dinner, and then walked back to campus.

2/27/15 2/27/15

Hala

I was working on some blog posts in an office at the design school in Hala, when I heard all of these voices saying “Assalam u Alaikum sir!” one after another. I looked up from my laptop and saw a whole bunch of my students from Sindh University. They knew I would be here, and I knew they were coming on a field trip to visit. It was really fun to see them and get a presentation on ceramics and pottery with the amazing faculty here. I got to meet the principal before the students arrived, and he is also very inspiring in the efforts he is making to revive and revitalize the ceramics and pottery industries here by supporting the artisans and working with them to create new innovations using modern technology.

It was fun to see the students and Naimat sahib. Afterwards, I went around Hala a bit with Azam. We walked through some of the old markets and visited a beautiful dargah just down the street. It is a small town, but relatively peaceful compared to Hyderabad, Jamshoro or Karachi. At night, I put together an on the spot workshop for the students who are living on campus on UV mapping and polygon modeling in 3ds max. It was a bit tricky, as the software was 5 years old and did not have a lot of features I have come to rely on in newer versions, but hopefully they were able to gain something.

2/26/15 2/26/15

Bhit Shah

Arriving at Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai's dargah in Bhit Shah at last.

I woke up for the final session of my series of workshops with the third year communications students in the fine arts department at the University of Sindh. I said thanks and goodbye to the hostel staff as we put my luggage in the car. Sheryar sahib brought me to the campus and I rushed over to my class.The students had photographed their storyboarding assignments and most were ready to bring the work into premiere. I spend a lot of time between lectures, sitting down with each student and helping them to apply the lessons to their particular stories. The students are very sweet and appreciative. For the most part, this group was good about completing their assignments, and putting some care into them. They are not the fastest illustrators though, as it can take a whole class to knock out a few sketches. It is a lot of fun to see the students improve over the course of the class.

food for me? and someones birthday. thanks :)

farewell to a sweet group of students. may they achieve all their dreams.

There are many computer problems. From computers filled with viruses, to student computers being slow or incompatible with software. Only about 1/3 of the students had laptops, but they are generous in sharing with one another. We managed to get most of the students’ work on a timeline in premiere. At lunch, the kids threw a party for my, which was combined with a birthday celebration for one of the students. It was very sweet. They brought biryani, sandwiches, cutlets, noodles, custard, french toast etc and we had a nice meal together.The students invited me to join them for many rounds of photos, and made me feel very appreciated. I see a real desire to learn and do something. These young women and men are fun loving and hopeful for the future. They don’t have the option of just picking up and going somewhere else, so they look to working at jobs where they can stretch their creativity and do something.

After class, I had to rush out with my luggage, along with Sadiq who works at the department. We hopped on a rickshaw to the “point”, where buses leave from campus. We hopped on a bus that took us around campus, then down to Hala. The bus stopped right in front of the sign for the College of Design Hala Constitute College of Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design Lahore. We hopped out with our luggage and made our way to a little campus. I met my friend Azam Bugti, who teaches there with a small group of faculty. I got to see some of the beautiful ceramic and pottery art by the talented students. It is a very grassroots level effort, and an excellent example of what can be done with limited resources in the hands of a committed staff and group of students.

A few of us hopped on a qing qi (frankenstiened motorcycle with seats in the back) to visit Bhit Shah, the home of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai’s dargah (tomb). I have been studying and adapting his poetry for months. To finally come to a place that is so focused on his study and a celebration of his life and works was truly inspiring. The tile work on the tomb is beautiful as is the variety of musicians scattered about. My friend Fatah sahib had connected me to Ismail Faqir, who is a Shah Jo Ragi who practices Shah Latin’s style of singing and plays his instrument, the tambura. We met with him and he took us to the living quarters of Latif, that have been apparently preserved from his time. We sat back there with the Shah Jo Ragis and their beautiful instruments. I asked a few questions regarding context and meaning of a few verses I am adapting, and we had some interesting conversations.

Ismail Faqir was very generous with his time and knowledge. He humbly introduced us to several people, including a faqir, who seemed as much comedian as ascetic. We spent a good deal of time sitting and listening to groups of musicians that were spread about the courtyard of the tomb.Hala back from Adnan Hussain on Vimeo.Afterwards, we watched the thursday night performance of the Shah Jo Ragis after which we caught a freezing cold qing qi ride back to Hala, for a delicious meal at a complete dive of a restaurant, before we head back to the college. There’s a museum that Ismail Faqir sahib mentioned, which I hope to return to soon.

2/25/15 2/25/15

Sewan

Sewan, visiting Lal Shahbaz Qalandar's dargah.

After another class at the university, I ate some delicious food thanks to the hostel staff, then hopped in a car with Shehzad sahib with his son and Naimatullah sahib’s nephew Sayed Lakho, whose a talented artist as well. Thanks to Mangi sahib, who arranged this trip at my request, I had the best company possible. Shehzad sahib and his son are both deeply connected to the personal stories and respect of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, the sufi saint and various other respected people in the area. People all over the sub continent and around the world have heard the famous song on Jhule Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, and here, I was finally going to visit his darga in Sewan, Sindh.

Along the way we passed farmland and arid desert landscapes with pockets of mud homes, livestock and people living, I imagine, quite close to the way they have for hundreds of years. The homes are beautifully made with mud walls and thatched roofs. There’s a sort of romantic quality to it all, when you look at the beautiful fields, homes and kids playing, while men and women work. It’s kind of amazing to see it all. At the same time, it’s really heart breaking to see these same people struggling to survive, without basic facilities or education. There is a beauty in what is old and traditional, but not when people have no choice but to live on meager means and subsist on so very little. These are not people without a government, just a people without one that cares.

The driving on this two lane highway is insane. People are constantly passing each other by driving into the opposing lane. Moving away from the city, there is a great deal of beauty in each unique landscape.We stopped by one beautiful dargah along the way with golden domes and intricate glass inlaid interiors. Though I have seen several similar dargahs in Punjab, each one has something unique and beautiful in its design and decoration.

There are caves with fabled paths to Iran, through to Iraq where legends says that those whose belief was truly strong would crawl through tight packed rocks to reach the other side. We had some tea at the entrance to this place.

The sun was setting as we reach Sewan, to pay a visit to Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, a sufi saint who fought for the rights of the local people against an abusive ruler. This dargah is famous for its dhamal (an ecstatic sufi dance). The faithful, and less faithful flock to this beautiful shrine which I heard has benefit from a massive artistic overhaul, with beautiful brand new tile work. The space is beautiful, as is the music. There are all kinds of people. Those desperate for a prayer on their behalf because God seems to have forgotten them. Others are deeply devoted to Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, while others prey upon those in need.

Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Dhamal, Sewan, Sindh, Pakistan from Adnan Hussain on Vimeo.

The dhamaal itself is something to see. You squeeze through a mass of bodies in the center of the main open area. Drums are beating, and men dance ecstatically to one side and women on the other. Apparently, some of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s first devotees were the “wild” women of the area. It is interesting to see people on their knees, waving their hair around, or dancing with fervor. It is a chaotic scene, but there is also something peaceful when you squeeze through to other side and find a spot to sit and take it in. Kids recite entreaties for alms, wishing spiritual rewards for you and yours. Some kids try to tie a little string bracelet on your wrists. While these things can be annoying, it’s also part of the acceptance of all people in this dargah. The floors are not particularly clean, though they are being swept constantly. The tile work is beautiful and the sound of music and the variety of people around is something powerful.

Afterwards, we walked through the market to another dargah, that of one of Lal Shahbaz’s most devoted mureeds (students). It was a lot more calm. We looked at the beautiful glass work in the ceiling, then sat down to enjoy a lone musician in the courtyard, playing an ektara. This space was a lot more calm and peaceful. I recorded a bit of his devotional music. At one point the electricity went out. Everything went dark, but he kept playing and I looked up at the stars and moon. That was perhaps the most beautiful part of the whole evening.

My friends who brought me there were equally appreciative and moved by all that we did and saw, which made me feel good. It’s no fun to drag someone to these things when they really have no interest. Shehzad sahib and his son share many interesting stories about these respected elders, that made it all that much rich of an experience. We drove back on the same treacherous way we had come. Traffic is crazy, as on coming trucks and cars veer back into their lanes at the last moment, to inch ahead of one another. We made it back somehow.

Sewan Fakir from Adnan Hussain on Vimeo.

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