elections
Roll reversal

Statistical anomalies mark the electoral lists at the 45,000 display centres throughout the country

By Adnan Adil
Nearly 35 million adults -- most of them young adults and women -- are feared to lose their right to vote if they are not enrolled before the general elections.

concert
Musical vocabulary

Tafu Khan has dared to encroach on areas of sound which break the shackles that tradition has bound the tabla in
By Sarwat Ali

Altaf Hussain alias Tafu Khan gave a sterling display of his virtuosity as a tabla player at the Alhamra last week.

A creative response
It seems that our visual artists are not keen to take up certain themes but the carnage in Karachi might change that
By Quddus Mirza
Two years ago the northern part of Pakistan was hit by the worst earthquake in the history of the region disrupting the lives of everyone in that area. The calamity had a deep effect on the consciousness of our public. Playing their role the artists also donated their works for exhibitions and auctions held to generate funds.

Green living
Dear all,

Twenty-first century Britain is now highly eco conscious. We are all 'going green' here, as terminology like sustainable, recyclable and 'carbon footprint' is becoming quite mainstream.

Nearly 35 million adults -- most of them young adults and women -- are feared to lose their right to vote if they are not enrolled before the general elections.

Last week, the Election Commission of Pakistan displayed the newly prepared draft electoral rolls at the display centres across the country. For the first time, the commission has prepared voters' lists by door-to-door enumeration instead of updating the previous rolls, which was a standard practice henceforth.

In Sindh alone, there is a reduction of 4.5 million voters as compared to previous general elections in 2002. In Lahore, 2.2 million voters have been struck off in the draft rolls.

If census projections are to be believed there are more than 88 million adults above the age of 18 in the country whereas the election commission has registered nearly 53 million voters in its new electoral rolls.

This is in contrast to nearly 71 million registered voters in the previous rolls in 2002 when the adult population was 77 million -- thus representing over 90 per cent of the adult population was registered as voters, something unbelievable for those who keep a watch on the electoral process.

According to Secretary Election Commission Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad, a computerised system, based on the state-of-the-art technology was implemented to manage the country-wide electoral rolls. Globally respected International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), working on behalf of USAID, assisted the Election Commission in this project. Sources say foreign donors, from the United States and the European Union, gave more than one billion rupees to the commission to complete this task.

Soon after the schedule for house count and preparation of electoral lists was announced complaints of manipulation had started pouring in from different parts of the country. The opposition and civil society organisations are pointing fingers at the draft rolls doubting their accuracy.

Sarwar Bari, director Free and Fair Election Network, a conglomerate of civil society organisations that keeps watch on the electoral process, says initial surveys show more than 20 per cent of the registration forms distributed by the election commission were not returned to it, and the lists that have been prepared have nearly half a million wrong entries because the commission did not clean and scrutinise the application forms before the enrollment.

One major flaw of the draft rolls seems to be a huge gap between the male and female registration numbers. Bari says the number of registered women is less than that of males by 11.1 million whereas population statistics put the gender gap at no more than 3.36 million.

In these circumstances, Sarwar Bari says, there was no justification for preparing fresh lists. Instead of preparing fresh list the previous voters' list should have been updated and computerised as the law requires.

According to the relevant laws governing the electoral rolls, the Election Commission was supposed to update the voters list every year. He said that at present two voters' lists were available. One was prepared in 2001 for local government elections and the other for the 2002 general elections.

Naghma Imdad, sociologist and a consultant on the electoral rolls working for an NGO South Asia Partnership, agrees that previous lists should have been updated but in true sense of the word. She says that neither previous lists nor new draft rolls are accurate. She says both the lists seem to have bogus entries. She says in the past new entries were made in the voters' lists but the names of the dead and migrated were not taken off.

According to the PPP Sindh President Qaim Ali Shah, in Karachi's district west, voters belonging to other areas were included in the constituencies that are traditionally dominated by the PPP supporters. It is alleged that several other areas and houses have been deliberately left out from the count. Apart from Karachi similar complaints were received from Larkana, Mirpur Khas, Nawab Shah, Khairpur, Ghotki, Sanghar, Kashmore and Hyderabad.

The registration process in Sindh was also adversely affected by the untimely action of the provincial education department to ban teachers' associations. The decision was taken when the work had just started. The teachers' associations boycotted electoral duties and some political groups got the opportunity to get the registration work done by their sympathisers employed in other government departments.

Nisar Khuro, the opposition leader in Sindh Assembly, says that in the draft lists the number of registered voters in Sindh is less by 4.5 million as compared to the previous lists. He says the number of registered voters has risen in urban areas whereas in rural Sindh the number of registered voters has steeply declined.

According to National Data and Registration Authoirty, NADRA, it has issued identity cards to more than 60 million adults all over the country. From this perspective, too, almost seven million adults with ID cards could not get enrolled in voters' lists.

The Election Commissioner in Sindh says that the registered voters have declined because duplication of votes have been fixed and that some people could not get registered for not having national identity cards, a mandatory condition for registration. It may be noted that almost one-third of the people in remote areas of the province do not possess computerised identity cards.

PPP leader Nisar Khuro asks if these are the only reasons behind a reduction in the number of registered voters, why this has happened only in rural areas and not in cities.

The election commission says that these lists are provisional and have been displayed precisely for seeking public feedback and fixing errors and missing entries. Civil society representative Sarwar Bari, however, says in the initial days there is lack of public interest at display centres because the commission did not launch awareness campaign the way it should have done.

He says the non-availability of identity cards is said to be a major reason behind the non-registration, and this issue cannot be resolved before the general elections because NADRA, the cards' issuing authority, has a capacity of issuing only 64,000 cards a month. Thus, in next six months it cannot issue more than 400,000 cards much less than what is required.

At the moment it seems the draft electoral lists have further compounded the issue of accurate voters' register instead of resolving it. The election commission has not also positively responded to the demands of the political parties and the civil society that they should be provided the draft voters lists. In India, the commission provides CDs of electoral rolls to political parties for their scrutiny.

In this situation, one possible solution could be that the Election Commission accepts multiple identities, such as electricity bill, telephone bill, driving licence, property documents etc, to get new voters listed as is the practice in many other countries in the world. Although poor sections of the population may still find it hard to produce any verifiable official identity, it may increase the area of population covered and reduce the number of people feared to be left out of voting process.


concert
Musical vocabulary
Tafu Khan has dared to encroach on areas of sound which break the shackles that tradition has bound the tabla in

By Sarwat Ali

Altaf Hussain alias Tafu Khan gave a sterling display of his virtuosity as a tabla player at the Alhamra last week.

Tafu Khan is primarily a soloist and plays the tabla as if the instrument was only meant to be played solo. By using all the ten fingers he has expanded the range of the tabla sounds and has dared to encroach on areas of sound which otherwise do not fall strictly under the vocabulary that tradition has endowed tabla with.

Tafu's long association with film music may be one of the reasons for stretching the sound of the tabla to make it more consonant with a situation. If tabla is not necessarily to be played as an accompanying instrument, but as solo, it can break the shackles that tradition has bound it in to express itself like any other instrument.

In our tradition the rhythmic instruments were primarily meant to accompany instruments. The most important place was given to a vocalist who needed the tabla accompaniment and even when other instruments which played the melodic line started to become more independent and asserted their significance by being played solo, the tabla, pakhawaj, mirdang and naqqara were primarily seen as accompanying instruments not meant to be played exclusively solo.

It is difficult to say when the instrumental music became as important as to be played solo. The evidence of the last 100 years demonstrates that most of the instruments like the sitar, shahnai, sarod, santoor, clarinet and violin can trace their ascendance from being either accompaniments or as minor instruments to dominating the world of classical music. According to some musicologist this was primarily due to the colonial influence because following western music where instrumental music played a dominant role, the instruments here too started being played solo. The instrumental music also liberated the sur from the word. The understanding of the bols and the strangeness of a foreign language could also be avoided.

Tabla as the basic instrument of rhythm has been an organic part of our music but not many tabla players have either been written about or eulogised. Their contributions likewise have not really been recorded. In any case, since music had more to do with listening, not enough attention was paid to its documentation, the living tradition was considered sufficient and a reason unto itself. While the living tradition has travelled down to us, the documented forms and the analyses have lagged far behind.

It is a considered assumption that the evolution of the Punjab baaj owes a lot to the method in which pakhawaj was played. To some the basic peculiarity of the Punjab baaj is the direct consequence of its organic relationship with the pakhawaj. Most of the famous tabla players of the Punjab take pride in establishing some kind of link with Mian Qadir Buksh Pakhawaji. Bhai Naseera from a Rababi family too was a shagird of the family of Qadir Buksh. Bhai Santo Pakhawaji from the Rababi clan was the shagird of the Bhai Bagh, who was related to Qadir Buksh. Ustad Allah Rakha and Ustad Shaukat Hussain were also shagirds of the famous Ustad. Tafu's father Faqir Buksh Doomagaliwale was the shagird of Mian Qadir Buksh. Tafu initially learnt the art of playing the tabla from his father and in the 1960s formally became the shagird of Mian Qadir Buksh.

Tabla became an object of interest and then fascination with the popularity of the duo of Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Allah Rakha. As they became popular and more than curiosities in the West, the emphasis gradually shifted from tabla merely being an accompanying instrument to that which had a greater role within the equation. It became a norm that Ustad Allah Rakha created, within the rhythmic span, many variations which were at one time seen only as the preserve of a soloist. Gradually it so happened that he was also allowed time to display his virtuosity while Ravi Shankar merely provided the accompaniment on the sitar.

For Ustad Shaukat Hussain, the art of accompaniment and the virtuosity of a soloist involved different approaches. He resisted any attempt at mixing the two. It has been seen that many soloists become oblivious to the restraint and consistency essential for accompaniment and badly jumble up these two different approaches. As an accompanist Shaukat Hussain had few peers and while he performed as a soloist, he kept within the discipline which regulates the expansion of a taal. He was well aware that the potential of the tabla was immense but it should be not violate the essential rules that have been laid down. The scope of improvisation lay within these methodical parameters. 

This understanding and restraint served him well as one has seen the potential of the tabla been exploited to the extent where it only becomes an instrument for creating sound effects. When the discipline is disregarded the end result is not always innovation or experimentation but gimmickry.   

The vast vocabulary of the tabla bols, the complicated gats, parans and relas testify to the fact that tabla had crafted a place for itself other than being an accompanying instrument and had some kind of an independent stature. Tafu's association with the films and his ability to play a number of instruments like the dholak, naal, Spanish Guitar, keyboard, and harmonium has enhanced his understanding of the tabla sound and he probably uses it now as part of some orchestral scheme. As one of the most successful film composers he has an acute sense of sound's dramatic impact.

Probably this is his contribution to the art of tabla playing. It is no longer limited to being an accompanying instrument but one which has the capacity to be played solo for its sound effect and pure dramatic impact. Perhaps he can take it a step ahead by making all these sounds part of the strict scheme of tabla vocabulary while being played as an accompanying instrument so that it does not appear to be obtrusive. 


 
A creative response
It seems that our visual artists are not keen to take up certain themes but the carnage in Karachi might change that

By Quddus Mirza

Two years ago the northern part of Pakistan was hit by the worst earthquake in the history of the region disrupting the lives of everyone in that area. The calamity had a deep effect on the consciousness of our public. Playing their role the artists also donated their works for exhibitions and auctions held to generate funds.

The recent carnage in Karachi, too, has not only stained the city, but has also had a deep impact on the general public. Citizens from various sections of society have denounced the barbaric act.

Visual artists also feel the same way, but in addition to words, they have a special means to reflect their emotions: their art. One is not aware if an artist of considerable merit has worked on the theme of earthquake; or more appropriately if the earthquake has had affected the way art is practised. Yet one cannot expect our visual artists to take this theme as a subject and start producing works based on the theme. It will lead to a superficial and literal approach, not much different from other efforts that have created works based on some issues.

The killing in Karachi may well pass unnoticed in the history of our art. Majority of artists are busy in producing their usual stuff in which there is no space for such kind of diversions -- as you can not ask or expect from a painter to take this event and through the magic of art making transform it into a personal vision. They are not eager to do this, nor are collectors prepared for that kind of excesses.

So there arise several questions: which artists would concentrate on the carnage of Karachi and what type of visual language may be devised and used for expressing their responses, and how necessary is it after all? Probably in comparison to the carnage, the quake was an easy issue to respond to, because apart from the amount of affectees, what happened was caused by the force of nature, so reacting to that was humane and an apolitical act.

On the other hand, response to the Karachi carnage is a different matter and a difficult task since what took place was the result of human intervention. So despite feeling strongly against it, one has to be careful about the way one reacts -- without annoying the house of power.

In this situation artists may have a role to recognise: That of retaining the collective and unpleasant memory of the society, by responding to it through their art practices. But there are a couple of ways to react. One is the usual method of 'political' art, in which the visuals from media are drawn or painted to portray the anger and anguish of the artists. This technique, often employed by our artists has transformed into a means of domesticating the difficult subject. Usually the temptation of taking the political theme turns into a taming tactic, in which the painful imagery is presented (unintentionally) in a beautiful manner on painterly surfaces.

The other reaction is to become oblivious to the event: one feels above such temporary happenings, and the human calamities do not attract a painter who's more interested in the issues of aesthetics. The artist is aware that since art is beyond ephemeral matters, so it does not attract the maker of images. The prime example of this attitude was observed in the comments of Shakir Ali. When asked about the choice of his subject matter during the war in September1965, he declared that he paints flowers, which grow on both sides of the border and moon that shines on both nations.

That comment, a critique of nationalist fervour and patriotic pretensions, also reflects the artist's aloofness and distance from his society. If on one hand it rejects the illustrative inclination, it also divorces the real and immediate issues from the sacred temple of art. Probably the matter of time (also important in literature) does not hold any importance for visual artists. Because, with the passage of time, everything that happened in the past is forgotten in our visual arts (unless it is attempted in laboriously illustrative paintings, engineered to decorate government houses and offices).

Therefore, it seems that our visual artists are not keen to take up themes which are significant in the history of our country. But it does not mean that they are insensitive or selfish beings, busy in churning beautiful art works. Probably we are still trying to find a visual vocabulary to deal with issues of that kind. Something, which is not sentimental, nor illustrative, or decorative, but is a way of amalgamating what happens outside with the inner self of the creative person, in a seamless scheme.

So unless this mode of expression is made, found or developed, the incidents in our surroundings will pass unnoticed in our visual arts. But probably the carnage in Karachi is a blessing in disguise and may help in extracting some form of creative response from our visual artists. Something that has never happened before -- like a lot of other things which are taking place for the first time in our history!

 


Green living
Dear all,

Twenty-first century Britain is now highly eco conscious. We are all 'going green' here, as terminology like sustainable, recyclable and 'carbon footprint' is becoming quite mainstream.

The awareness of a 'carbon footprint' i.e the way something impacts on the earth in terms of carbon dioxide emissions is something that is growing. There is now a debate on whether or not taking cheap airline flights and embarking on long distance travel is something that can be undertaken in good conscience. Of course people haven't stopped taking long distance holidays but now they have some sort of awareness of the fact that their choices will have an impact on the globe, and the future of their environment as well.

I have to say, the media has finally managed to humanise the issue after years of rather dry technical coverage of these issues. The BBC news programme 'Newsnight' for example got one of their reporters to try living an 'ethical man' existence for a whole year. The reporter Justin Rowlatt sold off the family car and generally subjected his wife and children to green and energy efficient way of life. His reports were terrifically entertaining but pretty enlightening as well, and it wasn't a case of just preaching to the converted, my 13-year old developed a great interest in the ethical man reports because they were so funny!

Britain's most progressive and opinionated daily 'The Guardian' has made environmental issues a top priority as well. But what I love about their approach is that, they don't just address issues of emissions and energy, they link the inefficiencies in these areas to the way we live and our attitudes. Consumerism is discouraged, recycling is encouraged. In a recent special supplement they published, I found out about such useful websites as Freecycle where people post items they do not need but might not want to discard as they might be of use to somebody else. You post the item, the interested person emails you to say they are interested, then if you want to get rid of the item, the person will come and collect.

The same supplement also suggested 'swap parties' which are not, of course anything to do with swinging or spouse swapping, but are get-togethers in which everybody brings along a few items for which they no longer have any use (clothes, shoes, board games, toys, music, whatever), and trade these in for any items they find of their own interest. I particularly liked this approach because it curbs the extent to which we become diseased by the consumer motive and subjected to a compulsive desire to spend money and acquire new things. It is particularly helpful to kabarri types like me who can't bear to throw away anything, and store it away "in case it can be useful some day".

So I might not like it very much when I hear that the local authorities might have less frequent rubbish collections to discourage us from generating so much waste, but I understand the rationale. We are now expected to sort our rubbish: recyclable into recycling, food waste into the compost heap etc. etc. Wastefulness is discouraged, thoughtfulness is encouraged. The whole notion of 'new is better' and 'buy buy buy' is devalued, and the simple message is "act responsibly, your future is on the line". I may grumble about the totalitarianism, but truly I appreciate the idea of collective good. It is the same thinking that has resulted in the law that now public places will be smoke free from first July: no more smoking in restaurants and pubs. Hurrah! Three cheers for that.

Hope my virtuous 'green' tone has caused no offence.

Best Wishes,

Umber Khairi

 

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