Visiting more puppeteers

I called Sadar (Khurshid Ali) sahib, the leader and narrator of the group I organized for the show yesterday. We schedueled to meet at 3pm to visit some more puppeteers in the area. I spent time catching up on tasks and running a few errands before heading out to meet him.We head over to where I had met Jameel a couple of days ago. We walked through the tent community, greeted Jameel, then mentioned how I wanted to record him with his puppets for the puppeteer directory I am setting up. As a true performer, he insisted on putting together a small setup for a little performance. He put up the two charpoys with a bamboo rod between and then draped them with sheets and a beautiful cloth with windows cut out for the front.Children from the community were excitedly gathering around as I setup my camera. Jameel demonstrated two dancing puppets. It was interesting to see how some of the puppets had limbs cobbled from dolls and toys. The kids around really enjoyed the puppetry as well. Though this is their community, it was clear that they don’t see this often. Though these master artists are right there, with puppet collections stored in chests, the simple fact that they are not being called often for performances made for an environment whereI feel like I am coming in and getting them to dust of their art and show me the dying embers of their legacy. Yet from the performance yesterday at the design college and these displays in the tent community, it is clear that people have a natural love for this art form and that these performers have the skill to showcase it. Jameel showed me many other beautiful puppets from his collection, and though he said that they can make puppets, it was clear from what I was looking at that they did not. The puppets are old, with chipped paint, in need of a touch up, which they can certainly do once they get some more gigs.

I next met Mohammed Shafi, who at just over 80 is one of the older members of the community. He recalled days gone by when he performed in segments for films such as “Patay Khan” back in the 1950s. It took a bit of coaxing from Sadar sahib to get him to pull out a couple of puppets and showcase them. The children around clearly loved it and he too seemed to perk up a bit once the puppets were in his hands. He performed with a beautiful ball throwing puppet and a dancing puppet. At Jameel’s place, I was shooting the performance with a large cow tied to a stake in the ground, just a few feet behind me. Here, I perched the tripod on a charpoy with throngs of children all around.Next we visited a singer, who performs with her husband who is a puppeteer.. I took down her husbands information so that I could include it in the directory, though he is currently working in Lahore. Each of these groups were very sweet in offering and insisiting that we have a soda. Many of the challenges they face are clear before my eyes, while others are not really said. I don’t pry on these things, because I’m not here to probe about the difficulty of their lives, to write an article on their misery. Instead, I want to showcase their art, and try to connect them to new opportunities. They have no computer or internet access of knowledge. I want to try and be a bridge for them to leverage these tools for their promotion.I left Sadar at his place before it got dark, then head out to the Multan Art Gallery to see Afzaal sahib and meet a friend of his involved in puppetry. My navigation reference was a Pakistani Chinese restaurant, but once i got there, it turned out there are two branches in the area. Afzaal sahib picked me up on his motorcycle and took me to the right one. We sat and chatted oin his beautiful gallery. Since I had the gear on me, I recorded a little video of him and his gallery. I’ll edit and subtitle it to get on here soon.

Waqas Falak sahib joined us at the gallery. He shared some exciting work that he is doing with puppetry with his organization Neengar Society. The held a puppet festival last December and are planning a film festival this year. He is a puppeteer himself, with a focus on modern techniques.It was a lot of fun to compare notes and share experiences. Afterwards we grabbed some delicious Chinese food, then Waqas sahib graciously dropped me off. It is a lot of fun to meet all these people doing interesting artistic work.

Sadar and party puppet performance

Beautifil Bahauddin Zakariya University Campus

I felt a bit nervous and hoped that things would come together for Sadar and his party’s puppet performance. Azam Jamil sahib opened the doors to his college for the performance, and cleared some time in the students’ very busy schedules to attend. We picked up the the 4 person group then brought them back to the college.

Zohaib sahib and I grabbed two charpoys out of the guard room. The puppeteers stood them up with a bamboo pole suspended between them. They lay blankets and cushions around and the stage was set. We all drank some tea together, and each member of the group shared a bit about their work and the beautiful puppets.The students brought out cushions and made their way to the performance. I asked them to share a bit about their textile art with our puppeteer friends. They talked about the work, then brought out a few sample projects, which I thought was really cool. I asked Azam sahib to present the show, Sadar sahib to introduce the members and then the show began. I was recording using the various gear I had to get enough footage to put together a video to promote the group.Sadar came out and narrated. while the two female members of the group provided song and percussion. The fourth member performed with with the puppets, standing behind the stage. There were fantastic bits of comedy, curiosity, surprise and fun songs. Each puppet was introduced then performed their bit with Sadar providing the backdrop for each character’s entrance and performance via his narration. It was very satisfying to see everyone laughing, and enjoying familiar songs and just losing themselves in the performance. This was a very sort of modern crowd, worlds away from where these puppeteers are from, but their performance made an instant connection. By the end, the students were making musical requests for the musicians of the group. They too were laughing and I felt like all the struggles to get to this point finally started to amount to something more than mere ideas in my mind.We stopped the performance there, had a bit of a question and answer session, showed our deep appreciation for the artists, then started packing up. I took some more photos of puppets, then I walked with the group to a local dhaba where we enjoyed a delicious meal and come conversation. Afterwards, we walked back to the college to pick up their things. I recorded short introductions with each member. A few members seemed shy and one said he could not do a second take. I thought it might be because it has been while since they performed and so they feel naturally a bit awkward. They said a bit, but it is not really shyness.

When I watched the footage later on, I realized how emotional it was, after all they have suffered, to be appreciated practicing their art. It was difficult for them to even say their names and what they did in the party, I think because that core aspect of their identity has been such an intense struggle. I can barely even begin to imagine that pain. I have seen the smallest bit of that in the rapid decline of work conditions and work availability in the animation industry which has been very difficult, but that is nothing compared to the hardships and indignities suffered by these fantastic artists.I spent the evening with Azam, his family and a couple of additional artists. We enjoyed some snacks at night, but my mind was in a daze, thinking of my next steps to do the work I have come for as well as the joy of having been able to get this far with so much generous help.Days later, after many hours of work, I put together this video of the performance.

Puppeteers in Multan!!!

I had set two meetings with puppeteers. I would have taken a rickshaw, but Azam sahib rightly suggested that Zohaib sahib could take me on his motorcycle. Zohaib sahib picked me up in the morning and we were off to meet the first puppeteer.

We reached the dhaba (roadside hole in the wall restaurant) that Sadar (Khursheed Ali) had told me to call him from. I could not reach him on the phone, so we asked the dhaba folks about puppeteers and he pointed us down the road. After several more calls and asking around, we reached a spot in a back alley. Sadar sahib came and met us there. He generously bought Zohaib and a couple of sodas from the shop we were in front of. He shared the beauty and challenges of his art. He knows many of the puppeteer families in the area and having understood that I am trying to make a directory of them, was quite willing to share that information.

Khurshid “Sadar” Ali, puppeteer

Like the other families of puppeteers scattered about the area, his family migrated from Rajasthan during the partition of India and creation of Pakistan. They had continued their art of puppetry, but the last 30 years in particular saw a serious decline due to television and a lack of support from the public and government.He showed me a script from the Health Department of the Pakistan government. It was a modified version of the script for his show which included a few lines of health awareness thrown into the mix. These artists then travelled to remote villages and performed. This brought the villagers out, providing entertainment and a bit of much needed education regarding health. What a fantastic idea! This project helped promote health awareness as well as supporting the puppetry artists. Certainly, this is something that can be continued.After several generations in the area, he was finally able to buy a small piece of land, but lacking further funds, he lives in a small makeshift hut on the land. The recent rains washed sewage into their lanes and home. They are suffering terribly, and not for a lack of skills or initiative. Just a bit of support and they can continue this art and benefit others.He told me about one elderly puppet maker who is currently in Karachi, working as a laborer to work off a debt. These are fantastic artists and performers, who yearn for audiences to share these traditions handed down by his account for a good 300 years. Their puppets are not mere dolls to be bought and sold, but honored performers, handed down generation to generation. He did not have puppets with him, but agreed to arrange a group for a performance. Now I just needed to arrange for a space, and I could hire the group for a show. I felt that this would be the best way to get a feel for their work.

Jameel Akhtar, puppeteer

After this, we head over to meet another puppeteer named Jameel, who had been referred to me by an NCA filmmaking student named Hamza (referred to me by Suffi sahib) who had hired him for a segment of his short film. Hamza had generously provided me with lots of helpful information regarding his experiences as well as Jameel’s number. We met at another dhaba near the main bus stop; Laria Adda.We sat and spoke for a while. I explained about the need for a directory of puppeteers to cut out greedy middle men who restrict access to these performers as well as funding. This way, people could contact them for work and hire them directly. We had spoken about this on the phone. He didn’t offer up any other contacts, but he brought a book with letters thanking him for performances at schools around the country and other venues where he had performed. This was quite a good resume, showing his past experiences. He had a book of photos as with information as well. He kindly brought a dancing puppet and gave me a little demonstration. I could clearly see his that he was skilled, and with more regular performances, he could shine again.Much of the conversation revolved around the very real issues being faced by these traditional puppeteers. He wondered why with all the arts organizations in Pakistan, that traditional puppetry had not figured into the equation regarding support and funding. I agreed with him. I did not ask a lot of questions. Much of it was just listening. At the end, I requested to take a few photos. I did not carry much money and had paid an advance for the puppet show to Sadar sahib, so I did not have money to give Jameel sahib. This is why I did not pull out my camera to record the performance he gave. I don’t think he would have stopped me from recording, but I feel like we have to understand and respect the situation these artists find themselves in. When we make recording, we should certainly pay something where possible and make a point that when we put that on facebook etc, that there should be contact information for the artists so that they can be hired and known. I plan to return for that. We had some tea. These puppeteers were very generous. They insisted on us having tea etc. James sahib even wanted to buy us dinner and entreated that we not shame him by not accepting.

Multan Design College presentation

It doesn’t take much to give another human being the respect that they are due. I hope that I can do that for these artists. Zohaib sahib and I could not stay for a meal, so we bid farewell and head back to the Multan Design College where I gave a short presentation on my animation work to the students who are busy with exams. The textile students were very appreciative. Besides my demo reel, I show students my short film “Gul” and show them footage of the Girnari Jogi Group who created the score for it. I try to instill in students a sense of using this cultural wealth in new ways to stand apart from the pack and while doing so, to make efforts to support and sustain the practitioners of it.

Afterwards, Azam sahib took me to a beautiful hilltop shrine in the old city. There is a really cool handicrafts shop, called the Multan Craft Council there where I got to meet several excellent artisans/artists. I got some ideas on how I could leverage and incorporate some of these works into “Risalo” as well. Azam sahib, his wife Zareen and little son Shahzain have really helped make this leg of the project a lot easier and more fun.

As if all of that was not enough to make for an amazing day, we visited the Multan Art Gallery afterwards and I got to meet Afzaal sahib, the owner of a gallery of beautiful art. He has started an art scene here and it is great.

Multan Arrival

The Daewoo bus was way more comfortable than the train. I head out in the morning with my cousin Faiza baji. There was a little bit of confusion regarding the departure, so she stood in front of the bus as I scrambled aboard, keeping it from leaving. That was pretty hilarious.I ate some snacks, and sandwiches that my cousin packed for me. Seriously, my cousins are incredibly sweet. They really look out for me. Faiza baji has also been instrumental in helping me with language skills for my Punjabi comic and another, as yet unannounced project I have been working on over the years.

I saw some interesting art at the rest stop along the way.

We made it to Multan a few minutes early, and I have to say it was a much better experience than the train. I contacted Azam Jamali sahib and grabbed a rickshaw to meet him. He picked me up from the University and took me to the Design College of Multan, which focuses on textiles. The building has a lot of beautiful wood carving work.Later, he graciously took me out with his wife and little son. He drove me around the campus a bit and then around the city, giving me some great insights into the layout of Multan. It’s kind of like a mini Lahore, with of course a rich culture of its own. His son is a cute little ball of energy, who seems on the verge of learning to talk.

This travel is made so much easier thanks to all these talented artists and arts institutions that I meet along the way. I really love meeting so many artists with passion and creativity, who share fantastic insights and take time out of their busy schedules to generously spend with me.

Rest in Lahore

I rested. I slept a bit extra, and just relaxed. Sometimes you have to slow down for a bit. I spent the day sleeping, watching crows and falcons from the roof and talking to my relatives.Besides that, I thought about “Risalo”. Each step of the way, I have to reevaluate the process to accommodate all kinds of variables. I have two contacts of puppeteers in Multan whom I plan to meet. From all that I have researched thus far, it seems that the art of making puppets is more or less finished in Pakistan. I need to meet as many puppeteers as possible, assess their skill level and try and figure out how to get all the parts of this film shot and recorded. I think I will focus on meeting puppeteers, then move on to recording while I wait for some of the puppets to be made. By whom, I’m not sure, but we’ll see, once I have met all the puppeteers I can find.I find it challenging to work this way, but in many ways, these challenges are why the work needs to be done. It is hard to find these artists and it is difficult for them to sustain themselves, so I hope by taking the time to seek them out and figure out the best process to work with them, we can make something interesting.

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.

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.

Lohari Gate

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.

photographer friends

nap time

roadside barber

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.

my breakfast, jalebis in hot milk.

audience participation, puppet show

Puppeteers at Alhambra

Puppet Theater at Alhambra

art at Alhambra

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.

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.

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.

NCA and 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.

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.

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.

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 good sign

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.

Tollinton to THAAP

NCA College

NCA courtyard

NCA class room

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.

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.

NCA student projects

music class with Ustad Zafar Iqbal.

students learning music

Suffi being Suffi.

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.

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.

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.

Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai Museum

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.

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.

Bhit Shah

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 :)

food!

foooood

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.