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attack feature
A natural player End of an
era
The ground assault by the US forces in Pakistan on Sept 3 is an indication of the alarming shift in US foreign policy By Arif Azad On Sept 17, while Admiral
Mike Mullen , the chief of the US forces, was meeting a cross-section of
top-drawer The chain of events leading to the Sept 3 ground assault can be pieced together now. According to a report published in The New York Times, President George Bush had okayed cross-border incursions some time in July 2008. This change of policy was followed by a meeting between US defence officials and General Kayani. According to the Sept 13 issue of Newsweek, in the meeting, US officials showed grave concern over the inability of Pakistan troops to rein in the Taliban operating from within Pakistan. Another top-level meeting on the same issue was soon to follow. On Aug 26, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, redeployed earlier in view of mounting attacks on foreign troops, General Kayani met the chief of the US forces Admiral Mike Mullen and other top officials (Associated Press, Aug 28). General Kayani was told during this testy meeting that the US troops reserved the right to enter Pakistani border towns in pursuit of militants if the need arose. This intimation was the first clear cut indication of the new strategy signed off by President Bush in July. This change in strategy -- involving both Pakistan and Afghanistan -- was publicly unveiled by Admiral Mike Mullen before the armed forces committee . Previously a tacit understanding existed between the two countries whereby the US could target suspected Taliban hideouts inside Pakistan's border provided that Pakistan could deny such violations of its airspace with a 'no comments' policy observed by the US (the reported agreement limited pursuit to six miles within Pakistani territory). The result has been an exponential increase in drone-operated assaults on the Pakistan territory in recent months. The frequency of these attacks reached a new height on Sept 3, when US Navy Seals landed in the Pakistan village of Angoor Adda , killing more than twenty-four people whom the US alleges to be connected to the Siraj Haqqani group. While the Sept 3 ground assault drew instant condemnation from Pakistan, the drone-operated attacks have continued nevertheless. This new situation poses a grave challenge for both the US and Pakistan Like the multi-tangled war on terror, the future picture is likely to get muddied if efforts at honest resolutions are not undertaken immediately. What has caused a shift in the US policy? The shift has come in the wake of some semblance of calm in Iraq. This has re-focused the US mind on Afghanistan. With increasing losses of foreign troops in Afghanistan and mounting Taliban activity, the US has adopted a more aggressive stance on Afghanistan (the US has lost the highest number of soldiers in one year during 2008). The new policy involves three components: the Bush administration signing off a new policy of authorising US to cross the Pakistani border in pursuit of suspected militants; two, seeking broader consensus for this policy with other NATO member involved militarily in Afghanistan; and three, beefing up existing US troops in Afghanistan in a replay of troops surge executed in Iraq (4500 troops are be sent to Afghanistan). More significantly, both presidential candidates, Obama and McCain, are singing from the same hymn sheet of aggression as far as the Afghanistan policy is concerned. This across-the-party consensus must have played some role in Bush's decision to authorise troops deployment in the Pakistani border areas in July. As a first step towards engaging NATO members in the new US strategy, President Bush is seeking British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's support for his new strategy. More worrying for the Pakistani state managers is the lumping together of Afghanistan and Pakistan in the US narrative. "Afghanistan cannot be discussed without reference to Pakistan," Admiral Mike Mullen reportedly told the US armed forces committee. Increasingly, Pakistan is being singled out as the source of further attacks on US targets which should send shivers down our Afghan policy spine. Within Pakistan, the Sept 3 incident has suddenly jolted every one into frenzied patriotic fervour. The first to take lead was the COAS General Kayani who issued a stern denial that the US could not enter Pakistani territory under the current rules of engagement and that Pakistan army reserved the right to hit back at the intruders. This sabre-rattling continued with largely unconfirmed accounts of Pakistan's airforce increasing its patrol of Pakistan skies in order to ward off US incursions. The first duty of defusing the situation, of course, lies with the army leadership as it should assess the situation calmly rather than jumping on the bandwagon of hyped up patriotic sentiments -- which are justified upto a point. This over-patriotic mode may land the army in trouble given its historic closeness to the US. It has to be remembered that General Ayub Khan was the first military ruler who authorised US bases to be sited in Pakistan. Afterwards, General Zia cast Pakistan's lot with the US -- without consulting the nation -- during the Afghan war. This policy continued in an enhanced form by General Musharraf who granted US carte blanche in conducting raids across the border -- the policy whose logical extension was Sept 3. Against this sorry backdrop, it is incumbent upon the army high command to work closely with the civilian government in framing a credible policy on the war on terror which commands the consent of the society. The current policy of continuing with the US policy in private, while opposing it in public could be the source of untold domestic complications.(the days when General Aslam Beg could instigate pro-Saddam demonstration while despatching Pakistan troops to Saudi Arabia are long gone now). Now the situation is radically different with an almost full-scale war looming on our border. The next big question is about the competence of our new political leadership at this crucial juncture when the potentially destructive product of the great game and strategic depth faces us. In this context, President Zardari has a hell of a job in steering a tightrope walk between Pakistan's national interests (defined after striking a fine institutional balance with the country) and strategic demands the war on terror has placed on us. Moreover, the question of reorienting Pakistan-Afghan relationship is closely bound up with this. For President Zardari to be seen too close to either Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president (as pointed out by Ayaz Amir in the pages of this newspaper) or cosying up too much to the US could be politically costly. The sooner President Zardari wisens up to this fact the better for the PPP government and the democratic set-up as a whole . At the same time, the need for fine tuning a unified policy ,which involves the consent of all stakeholders, has never been this urgent. The army, for it part, should let the politicians decide things and refrain from undermining the current set-up by overplaying the patriotic card which can boomerang any time. Only by bringing all institutions under the umbrella of a unified Afghan policy can we speak with one voice and act with a singular will. As for the US, its hawkish policy, if executed in the current aggressive mode, would only beef up the ranks of the Taliban, undermine the nascent civilian set-up, and puff up the already widespread anti-American feelings in Pakistan. Arif
Azad is a policy analyst and commentator
Believe it or not but an 11-member band from New York, called Brooklyn Qawwali Party, performs jazz only on Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's music. Here's how they began... By Madhu Bhatia Jha Renowned worldwide as one
of the greatest sufi singers and musicians of all times, Ustad Nusrat Fateh
Ali Khan is Brooklyn Qawwali party is an 11-member band from New York that performs jazz only on Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's music. But what is so extraordinary in this? There are many bands that perform on one kind of music. So, what is it that makes Brooklyn Qawwali party special? Consider this. All the 11 members in the band, performing South Asian sufi music, are Caucasians. Yes, all the 11 Americans in the band perform jazz on Ustad Nusrat's sufi music. The lead member of the band is percussionist Brook Martinez, who brought together the lovers of Nusrat's music under one banner. A typical teenager during his formative years, Brook was hooked to hip-hop. He had never even heard of sufi music. Then, one evening, he saw Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on VH1 Awards ceremony."I heard Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan for the first time then and my first reaction was 'who is this large Pakistani guy?' That performance completely bowled me over." Unfortunately, in a few years, Ustad Nusrat passed away and Brook always regrets not having had the opportunity to meet him in person. Brook went on to study jazz
and contemporary music from New York University. He spent hours in the
library The decisive moment that led to the formation of Brooklyn Qawwali party came after Brook heard Nusrat's interview on some channel. "Nusrat said qawwali is like jazz. That immediately caught my attention. Nusrat himself said that he improvises his music, and that's when I got the idea to play and popularise Nusrat's qawwali music through the medium I know best -- jazz," remembers Brook. Brook picked up some of Nusrat's songs, transcribed the music and started rehearsing with some musician friends who were huge fans of Nusrat. The band was finally formed in the year 2003, under the temporary name Brook's Qawwali party. The first gig was in the month of June at a friend's apartment in Red Hook in Brooklyn, New York. The response in that small apartment was huge. It was only when Brook Martinez had to go away for five months in 2006 that the band changed its name from Brook's Qawwali party to Brooklyn Qawwali party. True lovers and researchers of qawwali music will know that though qawwali dates back to more than 700 years, the form itself is a mix of various elements. The songs which constitute the qawwali repertoire are mostly in Urdu and Punjabi. Plus, there are many songs in Persian, Bengali and the Central Indian language Brajbhasha, which closely resembles Hindi. The same improvisation can be seen in Brooklyn Qawwali party. It is a young band and slowly and steadily they are learning how to play Nusrat's music to their specific instruments. Adapting the qawwali style to their instruments works well because the spirit definitely comes through. Adds Tony Barba, a saxophone player in the band, "I am trained in jazz and find a lot of similarity in sufi music and jazz. Both improvise while being performed live; have solos and repetition of themes." Brooks explains, "Nusrat also introduces Hindustani classical while singing qawwali. We follow the main components of qawwali, meaning we repeat the melody in jazz and then one person goes solo. We have designated clappers as well. It's the same in qawwali." Playing in public was not that easy for these fans though. The first time they performed in public was in September 2003 at the Tea Lounge in Brooklyn. Remembers Brook, "I was really scared. I did have thoughts like who am I to play this music? I am neither sufi, nor Pakistani or even South Asian. I wasn't sure how the audience would receive us." Thought not many people were present for their first show, the band's reputation grew by word of mouth. Repeated performances saw many South Asians amongst the audience and there was instant appreciation and support. There are times when the audience appreciate their performance immensely but are highly confused as well! Especially the South Asians who recognise the songs and then wonder if their hearing is fine. Brook says, "There are tentative smiles and whispers amongst the audience when they realise that we are all white Americans playing their music. The response though is extremely positive in the end." Language turned out to be a definite problem for the band members. The words were unfamiliar to them, as was the accent and pronunciation. So, the show has just basic chorus words to give the effect, like Dum Mast Kalandar and Allah Hu. Santos Kumar is a huge fan of BQP. He tries not to miss any of their shows. Shridhar says, "The main thing about BQP is it transcends all the borders and barriers of language, religion, countries and race. It actually shows the power of music. It's a unique experience listening to Allah Hu from a jazz ensemble." Zoya Hameed is another fan of BQP. She says, "I am extremely impressed. It is something very different and unique. For me, watching Caucasians performing it in a jazz form -- this format itself intrigues me!" Tony had listened to a lot of world music through friends and developed an interest in it. But the first time he heard Nusrat, even he was struck by his voice and melody. Tony remembers, "I had never been exposed to any qawwali before and when I heard him, I was awe-struck. In fact, I know people who don't know anything about qawwali or what kind of music it is, but if you mention Nusrat's name, they know who he is!" The central theme of qawwali remains spiritual, exemplifying the devotion and love of man for the Divine. The same spiritual devotion is evident on the faces of members of the Brooklyn Qawwali Party. Shawn says, "Most music tends to have a direct connection with the creator. Nusrat's voice seems to have a direct connection with the universe. I had heard sufi music in Morocco but Nusrat went further than his own vision." It is evident that the band members approach Nusrat's music with a lot of respect, humbleness and gratitude that they are able to play this. And, in the end, isn't it all about sharing and spreading world music in this day and age? Bhai Naamdar, who died in Lahore last week, was one of the leading violinists of the country By Sarwat Ali Bhai Naamdar died unsung
and unacknowledged because violin as a solo instrument never caught on in the Violin, initially, was played in the orchestras that were imitations of the western ones. And usually these were either affiliated with government departments like the Army, Rangers, Railways or were associated with the clubs. These bands or orchestras played either every day, on some designated day of the week or on state occasions and dinner parties. In some of the leading hotels and clubs, too, these orchestras played the standards western tunes and those popular on the day, and more or less stayed in the shadows to be heard only and not to be seen. It was left to musicians like Bhai Naamdar to make the switchover from the western intonation to that of local music. The most likely place for that to happen was the film for, in the great laboratory of film music, all kinds of experiments were taking place by placing tradition on the backburner, and the popular and the sprightly in front. The film music was primarily vocal but the orchestra played its part, and more so in the background score which had assumed great significance as the films became more and more technologically sophisticated. Bhai Naamdar was born in Patiala in the second decade of the twentieth century and started to learn the violin at a very young age. He was fascinated by one Peer Sahib who played the violin very well. Peer Sahib was the shagird of Sardar Khan. Bhai Naamdar also learnt from Ghafoor Khan. One Mr. Buchner had set up a violin school in Patiala and at an early age Bhai Naamdar showed enough promise to be inducted as the second and then first violinist. In about the middle of the 1930s, he came to Lahore and joined the film industry and got Rs100 for each song. When the film producers reduced the rates, as the industry was going through some crises, he played solo at the Needo Hotel and the Lahore Gymkhana. He then joined the Police Band at a monthly salary of Rs25 and rose to the rank of the hawaldar and then Assistant Sub Inspector when his salary was enhanced to Rs45. He played the violin solo while his friends Peter, Menzek, Riaz, Shamsher Khan and Islam made up the batch. The standard tuning of the violin is Natural but here three types of tunings are used -- Natural, B Flat and A Flat. The Natural tuning is on D string but if the violinist finds his style cramped, he tunes it a semi tone higher on E Flat or a semi tone lower on C Sharp. All this may appear to be a deviation from the standard practice of playing the violin but these creative innovations have been made by the likes of Bhai Naamdar to bridge the gap between western music and our music and musicians who are trained in a totally different tradition. Violin, as an instrument, has been used in the subcontinent for quite sometime. In the Carnatic Music, violin is an indispensable part of the classical orchestra. The vocalist is almost always accompanied by a violinist who plays the same role that a sarangi player does or did in the vocal rendition of kheyal. The history of the violin is a bit chequered. It is said it originated in the Middle East in the ancient world and then spread to various parts of the civilised world. It became a very important instrument in the western musical system as the classical traditions took root. Along with piano, it became the defining instrument in the west and many a violin concertos were written and composed by some of the leading composers of the West. Probably, it was known in the subcontinent as well and according to one theory it was invented by Ravan but it should be conceded that the present version of this string instrument was introduced to the Indian subcontinent with the onset of colonial rule. As a rule it is easier for the string and the wing instruments to adapt than the key instruments, so violin and the clarinet in the hands of master musicians were creatively adapted to sound almost like our instruments. There have been great players of the violin in the subcontinent and it seeped into the classical tradition as raags with all their intricacies were played on it. The most outstanding exponent of the violin had been V.V Jog who was able to play an extended raag in all the registers, using the subtleties of the microtones in all the various tempos that the raag is usually played in. With Jog, violin was placed among instruments like the clarinet on which the full range of the raag could be played. Bhai Naamdar was very talented and skillful but he spent his entire life playing interval pieces and western tunes. For decades, he was almost out of work as the film industry in Pakistan took a nose-dive. The wholesale acceptance of the keyboard may have already signalled the end of the individual virtuosos. Dear all, I have been musing on the
life and times of the Urdu scholar Ralph Russell who passed away last weekend
in Ralph Russell was a communist and a scholar. He made a point of describing and defining himself as a communist, and the principles of this ideology seem to have been a guiding force throughout his life. Ralph Russell was born in 1918 and he became a communist at the age of 16. He studied Classics and Geography at St John's College, Cambridge, and then in 1940 -- during the second world war -- joined the British army. From 1942 to 1945, he was on attachment with the Indian army and this was when his association with Urdu began. Of this period he recalls that he learnt the "everyday" version of the language in order to communicate with the sepoys, and he did this largely so he could enlighten them about communism and help them develop "a political consciousness." He writes that, by the end of his time with the Indian army, he had a group of men who had read communist literature and would contribute from their very meagre pay to the British army. He learnt the Urdu script and, through reading Urdu translations of Marxist Leninist works, gained some knowledge of formal or literary Urdu. But it was after the war that his scholarly career took off when he studied Urdu and Sanskrit at London University's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). He began a teaching career at SOAS and spent a great deal of time in both India and Pakistan. During this period, he and Professor Khurshid ul Islam worked together on books on Mughal poetry and Mirza Ghalib's Life and Letters. Although Ralph Russell
headed the Urdu Department for many years, he described his relationship with
the Ralph Russell did not restrict his knowledge of Urdu to the elitism of literary studies, he also developed a curriculum and method of teaching Urdu to Britain's immigrant communities. He started this work in 1974 and the main purpose was to develop fluency in Urdu usage through a system of Roman transcription, followed by a study of the actual script. In teaching the script, he eschewed the traditional method of learning letters, and developed an easier "learn as you need" system. The decades his life spanned were eventful. He describes them in his autobigraphy, the third volume of which was due to have been published by the end of this year. My thoughts at the death of Ralph Russell are, I must confess, entirely selfish. I am filled with regret that I did not know more about his work for teaching Urdu in the community and that although I lived in the same city and had many common acquaintances, I did not seek him out for his expertise and his experience. I regret not having appreciated him more when he was alive. But as I reflect a little on what I know of his life, I realise he achieved what so many of us only strive to -- he lived by his principles, he left behind a legacy of thought, learning and scholarship and he tried to make the world a better and more just place. Best Wishes Umber Khairi
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political and military elite in Islamabad to soothe Pakistan's domestic
political sensitivities, US launched yet another drone strike in the area
near Agnoor Ada reportedly with the knowledge of the Pakistan authorities.
This indicates a firmed-up US resolve in dealing with the growing militancy
without reference to complicated political gameplay in Islamabad.
not just essentially South Asian in spirit; he holds a special place in the
hearts of New Yorkers. Ask New-York based Brook Martinez. For Brook, Ustad
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is the spirit that gave birth to his 11-member music
band called Brooklyn Qawwali Party (BQP).
listening to Nusrat's CDs and watching his music videos. After finishing NYU,
Brook got connected with the World Music Institute (WMI). World Music
Institute is a not-for-profit concert presenting organisation dedicated to
the presentation of the finest in traditional and contemporary music and
dance from around the world. They would bring Nusrat over a lot when he was
alive. When Brook got connected with WMI, he immediately noticed a stark
difference between Nusrat and other musicians. At WMI, Nusrat has a whole
shelf to himself. Brook says, "At WMI, shelves are devoted to countries,
not persons. But Nusrat is the only one who commands the most space, more
than any other musician or country! Now, who wouldn't be impressed by
that?"
country. It was played as one of the instruments in the orchestra and Bhai
Naamdar was one master who made that possible. He devised some kind of staff
notation which could suit the local conditions and then was able to make it
acceptable to other musicians who were trained exclusively in the oral
tradition.
London. It seems to have been a full and interesting life, encompassing the
most part of a very eventful century.
'university establishment' as troubled, and says he was "waging
battle" with them up until his retirement in 1981.