5/23/15 5/23/15

Movies and Writer's Cafe

Pakistan’s first animated film, “3 Bahadur”

In the morning, I went down, hung out for a few hours then went back to the hostel.Pakistan’s first animated movie “3 Bahadur” had come out the day before. I checked and there was a theater in Hyderabad where it was playing. I sent another mass text to see if anyone else wanted to join. We settled on the evening.Abdullah and I went into town, but it was sold out. We would have to wait until later to even be able to get tickets for Monday as I was busy Sunday. We stopped by a writer’s cafe by the Sindh museum which is an effort to create a space for thinking and writing. Afterwards, we had some fresh fruit smoothies (one of my favorite things here), then head back to Jamshoro. We had dinner at his place back on the roof in the dark and then I went to the hostel.

5/22/15 5/22/15

Rooftop respite

glimpse of the moon. darkness all around with no electricity and the cool Jamshoro breeze at night.

My friend Javed picked me up from the hostel and we went to Abdullah’s place. After a nice dinner and hanging out, I ended up sleeping on the roof, where it was nice and cool once again. This time, I just stayed the night.

5/20/15 5/20/15

Puppet clothes shopping

I went back to Hyderabad to mail out the ajrak, hat and clothes to the puppet maker in Delhi via DHL. Once I got there, the weight was 0.7 kg which would be rounded up and charged as 1 kg. I decided to go to the cloth markets in the area and see if I could find cloth suitable for any other puppets I needed.I walked all over, looking at many different fabrics. I found some closer by, then walked all the way to Resham gali to search for some fancier cloth for the Raja Rai Diyach puppet. I grabbed an apple soda along the way, and wondered what I was doing in the midst of this heat.On the way back, I asked a rickshaw driver for directions. He was carrying cargo in the back. He told me which way to go, then told me to hop in the front with him and gave me a ride. He refused to take any payment once I got there. He was just trying to be helpful, on a hot day as he was taking cargo in that direction.I went back to DHL, weighed everything and it was exactly 1 kg, so I sent it off. Then I walked all the way to Hyder Chowk to see my friend Abdul Majeed Soomro. I ran into Azam Bugti, from the Hala Design College as well as Saqib, a talented designer. We chatted for a while, then left. I rode with Saqib as he was headed in the same direction. We stopped for a fresh fruit smoothy on the way. Papaya and pineapple was great on such a hot day.At night, my friend Abdullah came to get me just after dinner. We went back to his place and sat up on the roof. The wind is nice and cool at night in Jamshoro. The electricity was gone, so a few of us just sat or lay on a mat with some pillows. It was a nice change from my hot hostel room. Afterwards, I head back to the hostel.

5/19/15 5/19/15

Sindhi Hat

I need to keep this script moving forward, so I went through all the notes and corrections again, filling in whatever I could, even typing Sindhi verses letter by letter.I went into the city with Danish to look for a Sindhi hat. I need one for a puppet and wanted one for myself and my niece. We went to an old bazaar, riding a motorcycle through streets barely fit for walking through.We looked at a few shops there, then head to the Pakka Qilla (Fort) where there are some shops I had seen before. I looked at a few shops, then picked out the hats I wanted. Afterwards, I picked up some cloth for another puppet’s clothes. Then we grabbed some food at a place called Mirchi. I had a Chinese thali which had a variety of Pakistani Chinese food, certainly enough for two meals. The small joys.

5/18/15 5/18/15

Script work and Society

I went for my second session with Abdul Hafeez Qureshi. We worked on the last two Surs, once again making notes and corrections. Afterwards, I learned a bit about his writing and interesting research on Shah Latif regarding mention of history and culture in his poetry.Again, I spent the rest of the day in the heat, typing up corrections to the scripts based on our meeting. Once the sun started going down a bit, I head over to the Society, where there are shops and residence. I texted several friends who live there to see who might come and join. Saqib joined me as I got some things printed and picked up some cleaning supplies. It was fun to talk about design and to see some of his beautiful work on display at several storefronts that he had designed in the area. My friend Hisam joined us at a little dhaba for a bit, before I head back to the hostel.

5/17/15 5/17/15

Script work in Jamshoro

Back in Jamshoro, I met with Abdul Hafeez Quraishi, who spent time with me in the geography department, going over the Sindhi and Urdu scripts for “Risalo”. I noted many corrections and rearrangements for the text.I spent the rest of the day typing up changes, even typing Sindhi where needed to make all the changes on the Surs we had tackled.

5/16/15 5/16/15

Hawk's Bay Beach

We took a break at Hawk’s Bay beach. It was time for me to get going, but Haider Ali and Mumtaz bhai took me and a few of the kids to the beach. The water was cool, which was a relief in this heat. It was a lot of fun to just hang out, watch Haider Ali’s older son cry for his mother every time we took him in the water and watch Mumtaz bhai’s youngest run into the water without fear.

Zulqernain, afraid of water, but far enough to smile.

Afterwards, we came back and rested. It was time for me to get going. I had a contact to follow up with regarding the Sindhi script for "Risalo", and while I was in Karachi, none of my friends had been able to check the existing script, so I needed to get back in order to make any progress. This thing is ridiculous. I never thought that this would be the step that killed the project, but it is taking everything I have to keep that from happening.I took a bus back to Jamshoro, messed up and ended up in Hyderabad, then took a shared rickshaw back. There's no joy in coming back to this. Haider and Mumtaz along with their families really felt like home to me. I would much rather spend time there than back in the isolation and weirdness of Jamshoro right now, but this is where I have to be if I have any hope of getting this project going.

5/15/15 5/15/15

Karachi Zoo

We checked out the local zoo. It was fun, if sad for the animals.Afterwards we head out to follow a lead on the last traditional puppet maker that I have been able to find so far. He is working at a recycling center in Lalu Khaith, so we went there to visit, with another truck artist who lives there. After a bit of asking around, we met his sons. They were eager to take an order for their father to create a puppet. I did not manage to meet the father who is now 70+ and pushing a push cart through neighborhoods to collect recyclable materials. It is a very difficult and harsh existence. Yet, at the same time, I am not sure how I can help. The sons are not young either, but they are not really connected to puppetry, and who can blame them, when they can not earn a living from it. Even if I get the father to make a puppet, which will be difficult, I don’t think anything changes in this case.

5/14/15 5/14/15

Student Truck Art

On the last day of the workshops at Indus Valley, the Phool Patti team got to see the finished works the students had created based on their lessons. It was great to see the sense of satisfaction in each team member, after the hard work they had put in with the students and likewise the excitement and appreciation of the students.There were a lot of fun pieces featuring students’ take on truck art culture in Pakistan.

5/13/15 5/13/15

Twins

The morning started with another comedy hour, courtesy of my favorite year and a half twins.

Thank you twins, for brightening my day. Until the next show.

Twins from Adnan Hussain on Vimeo.

5/13/15 5/13/15

Swiss Consulate and Indus Valley Presentation

Dekh Magar Pyar Sai (Look, but with love)

Swiss Pakistan friendship mural by Phool Patti

I went to the Swiss Consulate with the Phool Patti team. There was a press conference unveiling of some fiberglass swiss cows that had been painted in truck art style, with spots for signatures. These would be placed in the Karachi domestic and international airport terminals.

It was fun to be part of this event and to see the work up close. I took behind the scenes photos of the event. Afterwards, we head over to Indus Valley, where I gave my presentation to students. It is always fun to share.

5/12/15 5/12/15

Trucks and funny kids

Sometimes before class, Haider Ali and I or Mumtaz bhai and I stop by one of several truck stands where work is done. It’s fun to take photos of the variety of art on display, from painted designs, to intricate wood work and all kinds of ornamentation.The nice folks at Indus Valley put up a little poster for a presentation I plan to give on Wednesday about my work. After the workshops, we head back to Haider Ali’s place. It is a long ride, along bumpy roads, congested traffic and at times powerful smells. It is always a relief to get home, and I’m just a passenger, so I can only imagine how tired Haider must be.

Ali Salman Anchan had sent some goody bags for the kids. It was pretty adorable to see them put on the masks, play with things and eat candy. These moments do wonders to pull me out of the doldrums of waiting and struggling.

5/11/15 5/11/15

Indus Valley and an artist visit

Phool Patti team presenting at Indus Valley

Group photo with Phool Patti teal amd Indus Valley faculty

The Phool Patti team began their second week of workshops at Indus Valley with a presentation for this weeks batches of students. Afterwards we head to Sea View, the beach in Clifton for a bit. I called up a few friends I had met at my friend Najib Rashdi’s gallery show when I arrived in Karachi.We went to visit Hameed Magsi at his office. He shared a really cool music video and several other video and animation projects that were very inspiring. It was a lot of fun to just share each other’s art. His paintings are also really beautiful.Music video Magsi sahib shared with us:

Meda Ishq Vi Toon Remix Version by Palvasha Hassan from Cybo Entertainment on Vimeo.

A few other folks dropped by the studio and we ended up having a pretty good time just talking about each other’s work.

5/10/15 5/10/15

Table and pick me up!

Once again, the kids came to visit. I love how little Fatima just looks up at you with this little pleading look, arms raised, fingers moving for you to pick her up. Who could say no?I also took a photo of one of Haider Ali’s beautifully designed and intricately hand painted tables. This is why I brought a whole section of my film to Phool Patti, to create a collaboration. Their work is excellent.It was another day of working on drawings and blog entries. I’m glad to have a break from the hostel in Jamshoro, and to be with my friend Haider Ali and his family.

5/9/15 5/9/15

Little picker uppers

The little ones came by to visit in the morning. They love to rearrange their father’s work. This time it was the beautiful tea sets painted by Haider Ali and Mumtaz bhai. They come up the stairs, peek around the corner a few times, then walk around all happy. They make their way to the things they are not supposed to touch, then pause, look at me, then go pick things up. Both are so silly. They just love picking things up from one place, depositing them someplace else, including in my hands and then repeating.Other than that, I worked on some drawings I needed to finish up to hand off to Haider Ali. He also spent the day catching up on work that his workshops at Indus Valley did not allow time for during the week.

5/7/15 5/7/15

A day in Sadar

A Karim Solangi's beautiful work — A Karim Solangi’s beautiful work

Breakfast the next morning with my uncle was great. Meanwhile, my cousin’s little one was hopping around gleefully, watching Kung Fu Panda, which was sweet.We head out, dropped my cousin at his office, then Anwar sahib, his driver, graciously dropped me off in Sadar, at the Culture Department. I was hoping to see my friend Fatah sahib and also pick up a hard to find book that they had published. The book store was locked up and no one knew where the shopkeeper was. My friend was busy in endless meetings, but I managed to say hello.I did not mind sitting in the air conditioned room. I met a new friend named Momin. He also happens to be adapting Shah Latif’s work on Sur Sorath for stage. It was very interesting to discuss how each of us was interpreting the same story and poetry. We ended up going out in search of the shopkeeper. It turned out, he was at the arts council down the street, setting up a stall for a Sindhi culture event. Information really gets lost here.The event was in the evening, but I got to see most of the stalls. I picked up a few ajraks for puppet clothes, and a book of Sindhi poetry by Sachal Sarmast translated into Urdu. Afterwards we hung out for a while, then went back to Fatah sahib at the culture department. I head out to explore some more of Sadar after that.I walked around for hours, checking things out, searching for some books shops on my list. I managed to visit all but one, grab some lunch, sweat profusely and get very tired over the course of several hours. I picked up a few interesting books related to cultures I have not explored literature from yet in Pakistan. It does pay off to visit each of these stores.

I also picked up some lace for a puppet dress. Some of these things, I felt I need to pick out myself and send to the puppet makers, as ajrak is an important symbol of Sindh, so needed to choose the right pattern and I wanted to make sure the lace looked good with it. It was nice to buy the ajrak from the actual artist who made it.I walked back to the culture department, enjoyed the air conditioning and talked to other people waiting there. There are a lot of fascinating people that come there. I made a few calls related to my film. Eventually, my friends Haider Ali and Mumtaz bhai joined me and we sat down with Fatah sahib for a while, before heading out.

We ate some cholay chaat on the way home, which is dangerous for my unaccustomed stomach. I risked it, but avoided the watermelon drink. All of us were tired from a long day of working as we discussed plans and possibilities.

5/6/15 5/6/15

Mohatta Palace Reunion

Mohatta Palace Reuinion

I had Haider Ali sahib drop me off at Mohatta Palace on his way to work. It’s a beautiful, privately owned museum that I had visited 11 years ago, when I was in Karachi before. There was a beautiful exhibit on the history of map making. One of the staff members recognized me, as we had met back in 2008, when he was studying in Jamshoro. He had seen a facebook photo of me at Najib sahib’s exhibition the night before and recognized me. That changed the whole visit. He gave such a rich inside look at the pieces and process of putting the show together. It was fascinating and I really appreciate the immense effort and value in the work that the team did.I also picked up Abida Parveen’s CD set of Shah Jo Risalo. Afterwards, I walked around Clifton, then grabbed a rickshaw over to Sadar, which is an older part of the city. I started looking for some older bookstores there, and looked at one. By that time, the car my cousin had sent to pick me up had arrived, and I travelled in comfort from Sadar. I’m not used to such luxury, after these months on this trip.We made a little stop at the National Book Foundation as it was on my list of places to go to. It was funny following the signs into the building, that lead to a sign that said the book shop had moved. It was not clear where, so I asked around. Walked out a back gate, down an alley, past a building and found it. I was hoping to find books from different languages and provinces of Pakistan, translated into Urdu. I didn’t really find anything that wasn’t already easy to find. A bit disappointed I head out, got back in the car and head on my way to see my cousin.It was fun to catch and I ended up spending the night there as he lives a bit further out of town. Since I last saw him years ago, he has added a few little additions to his family. Dinner was amazing.

5/5/15 5/5/15

Indus Valley

We road through all kinds of crazy streets to get to one of the spots where the Phool Patti team was painting a truck. Mumtaz bhai and Gulraiz were hard at work in the sun. After that, we went to the Indus Valley College of Art and Design. I joined Haider Ali for the day and got to meet lecturers there and see the work of students. I got to take a fun tour of the college. The main buildings were deconstructed piece by piece and rebuilt at their present location to preserve them from being demolished. What an amazing feat. The rest of the buildings were built to compliment those main buildings.

I also worked on some more drawings to hand off to Haider Ali, for his portion of my film “Risalo”. It will be interesting to see how this collaboration works. After a day of teaching, Haider Ali took me over to Mumtaz bhai and Gulraiz, still hard at work on the truck form the morning. That is a long and exhausting day of work in the sun.We sat down afterwords in a room close by. We had some snacks and biryani. The heat is pretty tough. Afterwards, we zipped through insane traffic to get home.

5/4/15 5/4/15

Back to Karachi

Time to go to Karachi. I spent the morning packing and prepping to go to Karachi. My friend Najib sahib had a gallery opening as well. I would either take the bus or ride down with Najib sahib if he had space in his car. He pulled up after his class and invited me to join him, which really made things easier and more comfortable and fun for me.It had been a long time since I had sat in an air conditioned car, and the luxury was much appreciated. We picked up another artist friend from CEAD and head out no the road. We grabbed some food along the way, enjoyed some beautiful landscapes, then visited another artist in Karachi, before going to the show at the Canvas gallery in Clifton.

My friends Haider Ali and the Phool Patti team joined us there too and it was great to see them. The show was a lot of fun, featuring four artists. Najib sahib is a fantastic artist and it was great to see his work in a show, though he has so much more beautiful art hidden away in his home. I hope to see more of it in gallery shows soon!Afterwards, I head out with Haider Ali sahib, just like back in February. He was teaching a 2 week long workshop at the Indus Valley School of Art and Design. We went back to his home, enjoyed some food and catching up. It was great to see his family again too.

5/3/15 5/3/15

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Kristeen!

Javed and Muhib sahib, giving their time and effort to put together the Sindhi script. — Javed sahib and Muhib sahib, giving their time and effort to put together the Sindhi script.

It was my wife’s birthday, across the border. Well, at least I sent her a little animated birthday card I made.I spent the day working on drawings, then towards the evening my friend Javed came by and we went over to Shahid’s place and worked on the Sindhi script. After a few hours, Muhib sahib joined us as well. They are both very busy, with so much going on, so it was a big help and I can’t appreciate them enough. This was a much needed push.Afterwards, I caught up a bit with my wife on Skype and then stayed up until about 3am just putting together the formatting etc for the script to prep it for a final double check. I decided I would head down to Karachi and get the Phool Patti artists started on sur Karayal paintings, and work out the finalization of scripts while I was away. I just need to do whatever I can during the time I have despite a myriad of obstacles and shifting plans beyond my control.

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