Adil Najam

I am breaking a lot of my own rules with this post.

First, part of this could easily have been a comment on an earlier post; but I thought it deserved its own space. Second, part of this is not exactly about Pakistan; but it is very relevant to Pakistan. Third, I am putting in three video clips with this, which is excessive, but hopefully justified in this case.

Let me first say something about the two less important videos, which are really by way of an update to the earlier ATP post on Bulleh Shah, Rabbi Shergill and Junoon.

• For those who may not have heard the Junoon version of Ki Janaan Mein Koun (or want to hear it again, I am placing a copy here. Tanvir and Habib, since you were seeking the ‘Rock Star’ depiction of Bulleh Shah with long hair, et al., you will find that here. The debate now going on between Nasser and MSK on the original Bulleh Shah post is a very interesting one and I hope others will also join in.
• For Bhupinder, who did not like the video in Rabbi’s version, here is a new and longer version of Rabbi Shergill’s rendition, with a slightly different video and including some missing verses. I like the previous (shorter) version better and do not think he does justice to the Moosa/Pharon verse in particular.
• By the way, it seems that Rabbi and Ali Azmat are quite OK with each other’s versions; and so shoudl we. Rabbi’s recent visit to Pakistan was reportedly a great success, and included a joint concert with Ali Azmat in Lahore.
• Plus, the debate on the previous Bulleh Shah post is still going on with the comments, so it makes sense to talk more on this.

Now, for the real inspiration for this post. The third video. This is also by Rabbi Shergill and is based on the traditional Punjabi poetry form of the Jugni. I am a fan of teh ‘Jugni’ genre and I that is how I got to this.

Adil Najam

With Bilal Zuberi writing about the donkey cart race in Karachi and Shirazi mentioning the horse and cattle shows in his last post about the Potohar, I was reminded of the wonderful photographic art of Umair Ghani which I have been meaning to feature on ATP for some time.

By Owais Mughal

While Lahore is getting known for its underpasses, Karachi takes its pride from an ever burgeoning infrastructure of flyovers.

But since 2005, when Karachi took a go at underpasses, it seems to fail miserably. First of all there is not enough plannig done for water drainage out of the underpasses. Second, underpasses are not easy to expand for future demands. While Karachi roads go through regular expansion every few years, these 2-lane underpasses are bound to become a bottle-neck.

Thus in my opinion Flyovers are the answer for Karachi’s traffic problems and not the underpasses.

Underpasses have only one advantage over flyovers and that is aesthetics. Since they do not climb out in the air 40-50 feet therefore they are not an eyesore, do not block light and do not add to the noise level. Karachi now has a fully built (Clifton) and two under construction (Ghareebabad and Nazimabad) underpasses. Few months ago I heard that planning should be done for drainage before the monsoon season starts this year. Monsoon season has started and within two days, all three underpasses now look like lakes with water level anywhere from 14-18 feet in them.