Is it the right time for the revival of Qawwali and the Sufi Music?

Nurturing Peace by means of Sufism

“Sufism is a form of Zikr, in the Sufi kalam we glorified our lord and this cleanses our soul, providing a soul and though cleanser, in a form of Qawwali and Sufi kalam, can help societies to get rid of violent extremism and world has existing examples of these societies.” - Nauman Ahmed Riyaz, Senior Executive Director FM 96 and an author highlighted the importance of Sufi kalam for promoting peace.

Have you ever wonder why there is so much aggression among our young generation? Why everyone started hating each other to a point that they become an enemy of one another? Have you ever thought what if this kept going on the where our next generation would end up? It’s time to get up and join hands together, let the great minds work on the betterment and the reduction of the arrogant behavior among our youngster. This not the question of who will do it? We all have to do it within our horizons and move forward and let people join you to bring the change and adapt the change. It’s not only about adapting the change it’s about wearing the cultural values that we have forget and left in somewhere in the those pathways that we have traveled so far where we are standing today. The values that year ago were once our pride and our identity, making us standing out most vivid nation out of many others. We have ruined all those values, cultural values that included our “music” as well.

Last Friday, Media Baithak organized a dialogue and performance session on the topic of “Promoting Peace through Qawwali: Tracing the Journey of Sufi Musical Practices and Traditions across the World”. The purpose of this event was to nurture the peace among the youngsters and help them learning the Sufi music and Qawwali by the experts, together providing them with the bunch of solution that will aid them in achieving their desired objectives.

Mr. Bedil Masroor, famous Sufi singer and musician had pointed out some of the root causes that could lead young generation towards peace via Qawwali.

“Sufism has become a fashion now and what is fashion it is commercial. The mystery of Sufism is, its tranquility and peace elements fade away as it reaches to commercial approach. Sufism is sacred and so is Qawwali, which helps people to refrain from violent behavior, it connects people with divine and once connected, no one can dare to surpass the divine peace”.

Moving ahead, the participants at the Dialogue highlighted that the government, art and media and the civil society all are needed to join the hands for the promotion of the Sufi Music for our next generation together with today’s youngsters. Apart from this, at the grass root level we need to rebuild this culture through small forums at educational level. This will help in combating the frustration, anxiety and depression among young generations that is spreading at a faster rate in Pakistan.

While expressing his thoughts and great concerns for the young generations, Masood Alam, Music Composer said;

 “Our educational institutions are continuously ignoring the positive impact of music on new generation. The elements of music i.e. Sur, la’ay and aesthetics bound anyone, who peruses music, to stay focused, it refrains from violent thoughts, and through music only peace prevails. I believe including music in curriculum has become a national immediate need.”

The Sufi music and Qawwali in its originality and true meaning has the essence to reduce the aggression from the society and bring one close to the nature and the creator of this universe. Not only this, it also taught and conveys the essential human values that includes; respect, sacrifice courage, discipline, ethics and solidarity among many others. Such values are precious gems and difficult to be find among people today especially the young blood. Qawwali and Sufi Music would turn to energy booster to bring the positive change. This music is the blend of all the faiths, cultures and languages and is considered as a mandatory tool for the peace building process. This Dialogue session was moderated by the senior journalist and anchor person Nadia Farooq.

At the Q & A session at the Dialogue, one of the major questions that are being asked is “How religion supports Qawwali?” Dr. Sher Mehrani, Scholar and Author replied, “Khuwaja Moinuddin a saint transformed the glorified words for the lord, which had been using by the people from centuries, into focused melodious which provokes and cultivates goodness and divine connection of peace, and this is also the soul of not only Islam but all existing religion in this world.”

Last but not the least, the most important part of the Dialogue was the Sufi Kalam performance that was presented by the “I.U. Musicians” at the Media Baithak’s performance hall. The audience encouraged the young talent for their dedication and hard work and the experts appreciated them for their efforts. They performed at some of the heart touching and soulful kalams of the Great Sufi and Qawwal musician.

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A magnificent fun-filled motivational session of “IUNC RATIOCINATION”

A magnificent fun-filled motivational session was organized by Iqra University - North Campus on Sunday, 14th Oct, ‘IUNC Ratiocination' where influential names of the Media & PR industry joined Mr. Owais Rabbani, Miss Aaniya Jabbar, Mr. Rizwan Choudhry, and Mr. Usman Mazhar shared their ultimate experiences to help out students for their future career challenges. FM91 was the Radio Partner as their broadcast media.

I was invited by Hamza J. Sheikh to attend “IUNC RATIOCINATION” and give blog coverage to the entire event, for which I am honored to be part of such a great event organized where I myself learned different parameters of PR and marketing being a digital marketer and blogger. Plus, this event has given me a huge motivation that what I am doing and how I am doing is right and I should follow my path. Sooner or later, with constant dedication, I will get to the destination. The event began with the welcome note of Hamza J.Sheikh and then followed by speaker’s sessions.

Mr. Rizwan Choudhry

Mr. Rizwan Choudhry the phenomenal leading real-life counselor and master speaker shared his experiences how difficult life was and how he combats the difficult ties to get at this stage. One of his best sayings was, “make your vision clear what you want to do and what you are doing”? He gave so many real-life experiences examples how to make life simple. The best one of these is “start giving favor you will be amazed to see the results it gives you.” “You will start receiving the favors too”.  Moving ahead, he further shed some light on how we could utilize the content and produce some fruitful results, out the available content. We have so much work to do in the market that us beyond our imagination, only we have to utilize our skills efficiently and effectively to our niche, he added while giving tips and tricks to media sciences students as carrier advice.

Mr. Usman Mazhar

Mr. Usman Mazhar an actor and a standup comedian started off his speech from a very energetic activity to bring some energy back among the students and guests. At the end, of the activity when everyone was charged enough he gave a quick professional introduction, which followed his real-life early childhood activities to the date he became a great actor. He shared boldly and bluntly how innocent he was when he was young and shared his adorable naughtiness. He shared how he got fascinated with those cartoon characters and old Hindi songs played on VCR. Coming back to getting associated with media science he said, “It was pretty difficult to convince family especially the father who is a little bit dicey, and brothers had a different opinion since all of them were associated with corporate jobs. Since I have done my graduation in computer science and then did MBA, so everyone in the family thinks that I should be more looking towards the corporate sector. But, frankly, I had no interest in the corporate job. In fact, I tried but I wasn’t satisfied. So I left and followed and listen to my heart voice and get into the field of acting”.  He further said that was the turning point for him and his entire career because finally, he chooses the right path.

In addition, Mr. Usman Mazhar also shared with us how he started his career by simply giving tuitions to students. Later, adopted it as a profession for a small period of time since he enjoys teaching but his ultimate goal is to be an actor. For which, he had been through many ups and downs yet he didn’t step back keep on moving. He said, there was a single thing that stopped me from achieving my goal, and the reason is, I have confined “Passion” for it, he added. Like, Mr. Rizwan Choudhry, Mr. Usman Mazhar also stressed on one point that, we need to find out what we want and how eagerly we want it? And, to get the answer for this, we need to discover ourselves”- Self Exploration. But, remember self-exploration will never end, it will continue every time we will come to know about a new thing hidden inside us. Again, he said, one thing needed to be kept in mind, “whatsoever we do, it must reflect the passion we have for it”. Then, only we will be able to feel the great pleasure of winning the battle in the ground.

Besides, he shared some of his great experience when he entered stepped into the theatre. Usman, at this point, shared how hard it was for him to prove his directors that he is the chosen one and that how passionate he is for acting. Nevertheless, he is said to be the great inspiration for all of us especially for the students who are seeking their career as a acting, anchor or in any form in media.

Mr. Owais Rabbani

Mr. Owais Rabbani a renowned TV host and great motivational speaker, he started off his speech by praising Allah Almighty and P.B.U.H and then appreciates to all the speakers for what they said. In his words, he said, “I heard all the speakers and what they said, is true and spoken their directly from the heart, for which I salute them”. Since he was running out of time, he quickly came back to the topic and shared how this universe and its mechanism is running under the guided supervision of the creator our master “ALLAH”. He then linked that to our daily lives and the way it is connected to it. He then gave the example of Thomas Edison, that one positive approach of his mother changed his entire life and he became scientists from a school dropped out kid. If at that very point, his mother wouldn’t have taken that decision and instead she yelled on him, shouted or showed him what in reality his school teachers have given remarks about he would have definitely failed and shattered. Another example he gave is of Shahid Afridi, how he became the great cricketer and what leads to his fall.

With this, the best advice that Mr. Owais Rabbani gave, “choose the right path, the right mentor, take the right decision at the right time and never afraid of failure. It is that failure, which is the next the step of our success. There is no one who doesn’t fail in his life, everyone fails but some learn some just let it go and again get failed.” Another advice that he gave to us, “choose one idol for yourself and follow his footsteps, you will end up achieving your goal easily. You know why? The reason is that now you have the clear vision, a set target and defined a set of rules to be followed.” Before, taking questions, he also shared some real-life examples of Jinnah the great leader and the founder of our nation as he himself inspired by the Jinnah and his life’s struggle.

Ms. Aaniya Jabbar

Ms. Aaniya Jabbar is a PR and Marketing Specialist started off her speech by a brief introduction of her own. Ms. Aaniya shared how she entered in this field and became RJ/DJ and finally marketing/PR specialists. She shared how difficult it was for her to get out of the comfort zone and get into the market and deal with the people. She shared how tough it was for her to convince her family that she wanted to pursue her career in this field. Yet, she remained confined on her goal and keep on moving, having firm believe on Allah that she will get what she wants. Despite facing retaliation she still manages to reach on events to be covered and ensure she complies her duty no matter how tough the situations are. Being associated with FM91, she said, “it was never easy for me to switch from RJ to marketing head, yet I managed to do so. I faced so many challenges and the biggest one is that I wasn’t familiar with computer operations; I learned everything on my job. The only thing that made me stick to my work is my own willingness and courage, which is the most essential especially for girls and I will say like me all of you can do what you want to do, but only if you are eagerly willing.” Before ending she shared some tips and tricks with students seeking their career in PR and marketing.

Here we come to an end of speaker’s sessions, which is then followed by a small question and answers session. The event ended with a thank you note of the Dean of University and followed by refreshment and networking session.

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TV One brings Special Muharram Transmission

At this auspicious month of Muharram TV One is proud to Host favorite morning show on Muharram with Sahir Lodhi, and guests will be aired on 9th and 10th Muharram ul Haram. The entire transmission is based on Spiritual and soulful thoughts and talks presented by Sahir Lodhi with Ulemas and Naat Khwans explaining the biggest Islamic historic event Karbala at 9 am on TvOne.

The program is then continued with a special presentation by Shabbir Abu Talib and renown Ulemas “Paikar -e- Sabar o Raza” a special Muharram transmission to be aired on 9 & 10 Muharram on TVOne.

The transmission is hosted by Shabbir Abu Talib Pakar e Sabar o Raza will enlighten viewers will sufficient knowledge about “Karbala” and significance Ashura in Islam. Famous religious scholars along with Naat Khuwans will grace the special transmission with their mighty religious knowledge and soulful recitations.

Promo Link:

Bloggers Meet Up - TPL Life Insurance

TPL Life Insurance pride is being the “easiest company to deal with” offering diverse range of health and life insurance products together with the state of the art customer service, ensuring easy and secure Life for its customers and along with helping them preparing for any unforeseen events that might incur in the future.

TPL Life is a fully fledged life & health insurance provider and offers a various insurance solutions catering to the needs of Individuals & Corp orates. Our Insurance solutions consist of various plans some of which can easily be purchased online that are not previously offered end to end user:

•       Savings and Investment based Insurance Plans
•        Health Insurance Plans
•        Instant Insurance Plans
•        Digital Insurance Plans

Savings & Investments Based Insurance Plans consist of a Unit Linked Savings & Insurance Plans allowing its customers to enjoy Product Features that are never offered before together with the plans for their respective families and long term future. These Plans ranged from Short to Long Term i.e. with Plan tenures ranging from 1 year to 25 years or more and can be availed as a savings and security avenue for attaining financial goals and also securing the future of loved ones.

Instant Insurance take account of a range of exceptionally designed scratch card based Instant Insurance Products that are both lucrative for the customers, short term and highly affordable. These plans have been introduced to ensure that quality protection is provided to all Pakistanis – that too at an affordable price. These products offer various protection and financial assistance features for the customers – which include, daily cash assistance of PKR 10,000/5,000, lump sum payment of PKR 500,000 to surviving family and Cashless Medical Assistance up to PKR 50,000 in case of accidents.

Digital Productsincludes a range of Health Insurance & Instant Insurance Products that can be bought end to end digitally via TPL Life’s Mobile App and Website.

Additionally, to Instant Insurance Products stated above, other exclusive products included insurance plans that offered Financial Assistance in case of Mosquito & Water Borne Illnesses, a major need of the hour and for the people this country due to prevailing water based epidemics and mosquito borne viruses.

The TPL Life Lounge is an exclusive flagship and healthcare service at OMI and Ziauddin Hospital (Clifton) for its customers. This incorporates:

• 24/7 access to facilitation by the TPL Life Attendant,
• Appointment alerts and a concierge service for refreshments.
• Information regarding health,
• Quality insurance advisory services through the company’s insurance expert and
• Savings and life insurance plans.

TPL Life OPD Sahulat is a platform allowing it’s an Insured Customer to enjoy the benefits of the Out-Patient (OPD) facility via a robust digital progression that incorporates:

• A complete control of one’s medical records all in one place.
• Cashless access to Consultants & Doctors via online video,
• Home delivery of prescribed medicines and
• Lab tests.

Micro Insurance Products The company has also partnered with some of Pakistan’s major micro finance banks to offer exclusively tailor made micro insurance products for the micro segment of the economy.

TPL Life E-Bazaar a first of its kind Insurance E-Bazaar that enables customers to purchase a diversified range of Insurance Products online.

TPL Life mobile app TPL Life has introduced a user friendly mobile app through which its customers can securely access their account at their ease to follow policy details, find discount offered and much more, while they can also lodge claims via Whats-app.

TPL Life Muavin is a one of its kind virtual agent portal giving an opportunity to Pakistani’s to create for themselves an alternate way of income. It’s an online facility allowing people to learn from the comfort of their homes, within their own timings and space and become a certified TPL Life Muavin. TPL Life Muavin is not gender specific, is open for everyone and anyone can walk in and become a TPL Life Muavin, learn for free and earn. However, this platform is ideal for:

• Students,
• Homemakers and housewives,
• Currently employed individuals and
• Businessmen and entrepreneurs

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Dr. Muhammad Adnan Qadir , Head of operations answering questions at the bloggers meet up!

Blog Coverage- Ishq Ramazan Highlights Day 5

I was glad to be Invited for the blog coverage for Ishq Ramzan Transmission by TvOne. One of the pioneer in serving the best programs whether its related to religious, cultural, entertainment or from any other walk of life. It was my first experience to cover any event at large live on such a huge level. The host of the show is none other than, the very talented Sahir Lodhi, who doesn't need any introduction. He is the simple, down to earth and holds so much empathy towards mankind, that I came to know after meeting him in person. May be there are many people, who might don't disagree to me but, what I have seen and felt I have much respect for him. It's far easy to criticize someone, yet its far difficult to praise and search for what that person has done good for many others. As, sat down for a round table meeting, we were shocked to hear, when he gave us some of the harsh reality checks about the society.

His words, aap ko kya pata ek bike say kitnay log ek ghar may faida uthatay ha. Aap ko kya pata us ek bike say, pura ek ghar chalta" and so on... 

About the Event

Sehar Transmission

Prominent religious scholar and host of the Isha Ramzan Transmission Shabbir Abu Talib had welcomed the audience by spreading meaningful and intellectual knowledge of Islam. He then introduced some of the special guests that were presented at the Fifth Sehar Transmission on the sets of Ishq Ramazan.

Mufti Muhammad Shahid Madni recited a few verses from Quran and enlightened the audience with the abundant knowledge of Quran. Moving on in the transmission, Dr Farooq Sattar presence enticed the Ishq Ramazan Sehri transmission and shared their vast cultured thoughts on various areas.

Rohani Guldashtah Segment

Dr Syed Ashraf Jilani had described the significance of Quranic verses and their positive effect on one's life. He also presented Wazifa to be protected from the evil eye. Lastly, Ishq Ramzan sehar transmission was graced by the the Zulfiqar Hussaini and renown reciter, Yousuf Memon, who were called by Shabbir Abu Talib to shower the flowers of adoration in respect of Prophet PBUH. The Sehar Transmission was concluded by performing Namaz-e-Fajar, which was performed by Faseeh -Uddin-Shoarwardi on request by Shabbir.

Iftar transmission

Dr. Mehmood Madni recited few verses from Quran in his soulful voice to being the Fifth Iftar transmission of Ishq Ramazan.  The most loved host Sahir Lodhi warmly welcomed the audience in the fifth Iftar transmission by sharing a small thought for the day. Sahir who is known for his intellect intelligence and who also promised in delivering a new message, a new resolution and determination to compel the procedures of the Holy Month of Ramazan. With this, Sahir introduced the panelists, experts and Naat Khwans for the day, a central part of the TvOne Ishq Ramazan transmission. 

Kitchen segment

Chef Warda prepared Chicken Koila Karhai, and at the Jam-e-Shreen kitchen Chef, Ehtesham prepared delicious Red Queen Mocktail. 

Remedy segment

Farah presented the remedy for suntan and skin tightening pack. Hakim Shah Nazeer presented the miracle weight loss pack through which viewers can lose up to 4 kgs in 24 days. Moving ahead in the transmission, the twin brothers Shami & Kami along with Aqsa and other respectable reciters, recited the most popular Naat Kalam Tala-al-badru alayna in their heartfelt voice.

Debate segment

Sahir Lodhi deliberately welcomed the youngest debater in the Ishq Ramazan transmission. Sahir began with Andaz-e-Bayan segment with an intriguing topic and welcomed four contestants from yesterday’s transmission for yet another chance to showcase their talent. Furthermore, two out four contestants proceed to the next level in the competition.

Before the break young NaatKhwans panel presented Qaseeda Burda Shareef along with Asr Azan by Faseeh-Uddin- Soharwardi.

Quiz Competition

Right after the break, Sahir introduced the first set of quizzes in the quiz competition.  Competition heat is on now, still it's just the fifth day of the ongoing competitions and we have a month to set the winners.

As we moved on, within the transmission, the Reciter Hasan Bin Khursheed presented a heartfelt Kalam in Ishq Ramazan Iftar transmission leaving the audience teary-eyed. Jamsheed Sabri Brothers presented a spellbinding Kalam

Ulemas and NaatKhwans were welcomed by Sahir Lodhi perform 5th Roza Iftar together with a message of peace and harmony at the end of the fifth Iftar transmission.

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Get Ready for the Biggest "Max Your View" Experience!

About the Event

A launch of Smartphone series under the brand name HONOR Pakistan, alongside with the INOVI Technologies held at Pearl Continental Hotel on 24^th February 2018, yesterday, here in Karachi. Honor was previously, associated with renowned Chinese brand Huawei Group. The company has launched its HONOR 7X and HONOR Lite 9 series in Pakistan.

The launching event was hosted by Hina Altaf one of the rising female star. Hina started off with an introduction about the Honor and entire event. A small video is played for the guests and media, to show them what the HONOR Pakistan is all about. The Vice President of Honor in the Middle East and Africa, during the launch event, Mr. Chris Sun said, “Pakistan has immense potential since it is one of the fastest growing markets in the region. The good thing about this market is that 70% of the population is under 30 years of age and a true representation of Honor.” This was followed by Mr. Zeeshan, CEO of Inovi technologies said, “We have worked with Huawei in the past and this time we are excited to work with such a young and energetic brand. We are positive and hopeful as the product lineup is promising.”

The event proceeds with a small display of a cricket campaign for Honor, in which Muhammad Hafeez, Shadaab Khan, and Rumman Raees were casted as ambassadors. This was then followed by a brief of  Mr. Denis, who is the Country head of Honor Pakistan, said, that “the company will work more with the local talent in order to be closer to the heart of their consumers.” He further added, that, “This will also open up the opportunity to put our contribution in the local media and advertising industry. Our approach is aggressive and we are very clear with the roadmap which we have decided with our local partners and hopefully, we will have good results from this market.”

The contract signing between the two great friend Honor Pakistan from China and INOVI Technologies from Pakistan. 

Contract signing between Honor Pakistan and INOVI Technologies 

About The Brand

Honor is a top Smartphone e-brand in the name of Huawei Group. In line with its slogan, “For the Brave”, the brand was originally created to meet the requirements of digital natives by internet-optimized products offering superior user experiences, foster creativity, inspire action and empowering the next generation in achieving their dreams. To get the set target, Honor has itself engaged in showcasing its bravery by means of getting equipped with advanced technology and innovation for its loyal customers.

Key Features of the Phones:

Honor 7x

·        8:9 screen provides more real estate than a traditional 16:9 screen

·        A 5.93-inch screen in an incredibly sleek, compact body.

·        Dual-lens 16MP + 2MP rear camera captures life’s magical moments.

·        fast focus time with 4GB RAM, 2.36GHz Octa-core Kirin 659, and EMUI5.1

·        PDAF tech and newly updated algorithm, the Honor 7X offers ultra

·        The curved frame makes it a comfortable fit for your hand.

·        The Honor 7X comes in Blue, gold and Black finishes

Honor 9 Lite

·        13MP + 2MP dual-lens system Quad Camera.

·        2160×1080 FHD+ and 18:9 bezel-less display

·        659 Octa-core processor, 2.36GHz and 3GB of high-speed memory

·        86 hours offline music listening* or 13 hours offline video watching

·        EMUI 8.0 is equipped with the latest AI technology

·        Fourth-generation fingerprint identification technology

·        Honor 9 Lite can recognize facial contours and features and then customize beauty effects by gender

These two sets will be hitting the shelves and daraz.pk on 1^st March 2018 nationwide. Stay tuned for the updates of their availability in the market.  

The Grand Selfie Moment

Grand Selfie Moment from the Event

Photo Gallery 

Honor 7X and Honor 9 Lite Display 

Highlights From the Launching Event of Honor 7X and Honor 9 Lite 

From Left to Right: Sonia Nazir, Omer Shahzad and Misbah Mumtaz

From Left to Right: Sumbul Iqbal, Nida Yasir, Sarah Khan, and Kompal Iqbal