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I recently met up with the Islamabad-based talk show host, scriptwriter and compere, Shamoon Hashmi, to inquire why one sees so little of him on screen these days. He says it is because his job in the government now consumes all of his free time. He adds that it is how he can effectively make a difference and play out his dream which he has been advocating on television.
“I have always been concerned about women’s rights in Pakistan, and my current work status allows me to conduct research, read about and finally understand a lot of things about the social sector. As my family has always had a progressive and politically conscious outlook, it’s been natural for me to work for women’s rights while dealing in research and policy-making.”
He says the nature of his job gives him the opportunity to sit with policy-makers and help them hammer out a state policy regarding the women of Pakistan. “Working with Parliamentarians and civil society has raised my awareness about these issues tremendously.
“With the information boom there has been a transition of ideas and philosophy which last longer as you leave an impact on people not with your work but with your ideas,” says Shamoon. “I have reached the point in my career when things take shape in front of me. I have been to more than two dozen countries over the past three years and witnessed international societies and cultures, helping me in making comparisons.
“In Pakistan women’s issues are non issues as we think that they don’t merit our attention. The root cause of the little that we do is more because of international pressure and civil society donor-funded projects, and because it is very much ‘in’ these days hence we like to talk about it.
“In our social gatherings electricity and water are issues frequently talked about but not the woman who is brutally beaten up on the street.
Here people take to the streets due to gas shortage but how many do so when a girl is raped? For us it is not an issue. The police considers domestic disturbance a family’s private, internal matter. How many times do neighbours call the rescue service when there is a domestic disturbance in a neighbourhood home? How many mothers-in-law have gone behind bars, like in India, when their domestic violence is reported? It is never the case in Pakistan. Eve-teasing here is fun time. We have not taught our young generating that this is not the way to behave. Our young generation is not taught human rights in their curriculum so for them women’s issues are nothing to be concerned about.”
Shamoon says that celebrating March 8 (International Women’s Day) in face of such atrocities is akin to playing a cruel joke on women. “To add insult to injury, television transmission on March 8 is sponsored by a brand of fairness cream that goes against everything it stands for.
The masses in Pakistan are obsessed with the fact that at age 15 a boy should get enrolled in a professional college while a girl of the same age should start using a good shampoo to make her hair thick and luxurious. It all boils down to “tum kya kar rahe ho aur tum kaisi lag rahi ho.” We have a long way to go before we can start taking our women seriously.”
On Veena Malik
“The women of Thar who wear bangles up to their arms in order to cover them up, make dung cakes to light the kitchen fire and walk for miles to fetch water, or the Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa girl who climbs treacherous mountainsides to cut a few blades of grass for her flock are the ones who portray the real women of Pakistan, not Veena Malik.”
Media as a mirror to society
“The fallacy is that dramas will only sell when women are shown as either prostitutes, nek parveens, battered housewives or trouble-making busybodies. Don’t women play any constructive roles in our society apart from these stereotypes? Doesn’t our society have other social issues to focus on? Does every Pakistani household have links with the Red Light district because every third scene in Pakistani dramas focuses on kotha culture. Even in our emerging professions women are not gender-sensitised and remain extensions of a clichéd society. Neither are our police stations and courts, and administrative rules such as hiring, firing policies are not either as legislations cannot be filtered down to the people no matter how many are passed.
“Most women anchors on television are not on air because of their knowledge base or their potential as journalists but because of the fact that they are chatterboxes or great to look at. The dictatorial mindset and oppressive nature of the state leaves no margin for rights in Pakistan, be it human rights or women’s rights. The picture of our democracy has always been nothing beyond the ballot box or the voter’s lines. Till the time democracy mean rights’ movement then parameters will be set. Is it the necessities that drive us as a nation or rights?”
Shamoon says that it’s strange that the people of Pakistan seek entertainment in news and current affairs. “Somebody asked me once what in my opinion is the difference between entertainment and current affairs to which my answer was that ‘Reema is entertainment and news of her marriage is current affairs’.”
No room for ethics
“With theatre, radio and then television, media in the olden days was considered an extension of Literature (adab aur jamaliati husn) and had an innate sense of self-censorship. Even when it touched upon sensitive issues the message delivered was for the overall betterment of humanity. All the masterpieces that were created were, at the end of the day, for the good of humanity. Now, all of a sudden, this notion is becoming scarce. More than creativity, now it’s about cleavage, cheap commercialisation and TRPs. It’s about whose show is being watched most and the hosts who give vent to quarrels and disputes on their shows.
“As an artiste I am now scared of the media to the extent that while visiting the studios, I don’t interact with my female colleagues or make unnecessary gestures out of fear of being caught off guard and on camera, and then have the video clip posted on Facebook or YouTube.
There is no Studio Dhai, Shosha, Zia Mohyeddin Show, etc, these days. We live in times when we are witnessing the decay of various genres of the performing arts. Compering used to be a dedicated field but these days any upcoming model with a good figure or biceps can become one irrespective of whether he/she can even talk. Or even for that matter, a good actor. It’s no more about content and script. We don’t like to read as we are not a book-keeping or book-loving society. Ours is a Google-search society. We don’t discuss concepts or ideas, we discuss people and gossip on Twitter. We, as a society, like to discuss people rather than ideas.”
An outsider looking in
“I feel that I am no longer needed on television as my co-comperes end up complaining about my difficult Urdu. I, for my part, don’t know how to interact with them. This is the reason why I have scaled down on my work for television. The problem is that I am called whenever a special day transmission has to honour our national heroes and leaders. Now, morning shows host mass weddings and where evening shows conduct dance competitions on C-grade chirpy Indian filmi numbers. There is no Kathak or classical music anymore.
“I cannot recall and I’m sure neither can you when was the last time that a ghazal was recorded for radio or TV. It’s all about songs that are more about rhythm and less about melody. I believe that we need to introduce a unified code of syllabus in schools across Pakistan. Pakistan needs a balanced syllabus in its schools. The world over, governments are not interested in what’s been taught in universities and colleges, but what’s being taught by close family members and on a school-level to the kids. Till the time art and culture are made a part of the syllabus, there can be no creativity. In its place there will only be regression.”
On moving forward
“We have come a long way from the days of Al-Qaeda and Taliban. Pakistani society is realising that we have to move forward. Change will happen but the wheels are turning and it will take time. Marvi Sarmad, Khawaja Najmul Hasan, Athtar Viqar Azeem, Moneeza Hashmi are all part of a larger think-tank. There are good tings happening like the formation of Faiz Ghar in Lahore. I admire and appreciate all that Adeel Hashmi has done in this regard.”
