| December 04, 2006 | Monday | Ziqa'ad 12, 1427 |
Monumental contributions
Were Mohammed Yusuf to remain a Christian, and had he not become a Muslim, would it affect the quality of his superb batting? Would he still have broken Vivian Richard's amazing record of highest number of test centuries in a calendar year? It seems like an absurd question to ask, particularly since Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Hindus, the predominant cricket-playing communities across the world, all hold incredible records in the game.
If there is no obvious link between religion and sports (or of race as Jesse Owens proved to Adolf Hitler, if any proof was ever needed) then what did the old lady in Lucknow, in her 70s in 1992, mean when she made a pithy observation about the mob that razed the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya that year? She had said disparagingly: "People who cannot win a single medal in Barcelona will increasingly be doing this." The reference was to the Barcelona Olympics of July, 1992, that had preceded the Ayodhya fiasco of December 6 that year. In that outing India had drawn a blank in the medals tally, not an unusual feature for the country despite its impressive mosaic of culture and talent.
According to the genial old lady, now in her 90s, the Hindutva hordes who tore down the mosque would perhaps be more agreeably engaged if their country was doing as well as they were taught to believe it could.
The other day they attacked Mohammad Kaif's house in Allahabad because he was not hitting the ball well in South Africa. Kaif's father now wants to migrate to Delhi, as if that is going to bring him relief. Of course Kolkata mobs are notorious for disrupting cricket matches, mostly when India is about to lose a game. And to prove that we both share a common DNA the Pakistani mob finds itself at par if not far worse than the Indian counterpart when it comes to dealing with their own sportsmen who dare to return home without the trophy. Similarly, soccer louts and racism are a burning issue in much of the football-playing world, most of all in Europe. The worst xenophobia and racial slur is monopolised by fans representing the losing side.
We also know that El Salvador and Honduras went to war ostensibly over a badly played soccer match, which begs the question whether loutish behaviour is just an admixture of bad upbringing and rage. Were it so nation states would not be involved in sustaining this display of physical violence and verbal abuse. The Gulf Cooperation Council that brings together six oil-rich countries in the southern Gulf almost broke up a year before Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990. Lest we forget the showdown took place between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, both GCC members, during a soccer match. Before Saddam's troops drove into Kuwait, the sheikhdom was regarded by its other neighbours as an upstart and arrogant country. Apparently Kuwaiti fans responded to this slur by hoisting a symbolic flag that showed the Ottoman domination of Saudi Arabia, seen as an insult to Arab pride. Had the Iraqis not pre-empted the break-up of the GCC with their own misadventure in Kuwait, the incident with Saudi Arabia was poised to flare into a major row. GCC’s then secretary-general Abdullah Bishara shuttled for days between the two countries to avert a collapse of the council. Had he failed it would not be Iraq but Saudi Arabia that was going to invade Kuwait.
The Central American war was akin to the situation that exists in India and on which the Hindutva forces feast. The Honduras was facing an economic trap not dissimilar to India's. We could say Salvador was the Bangladesh in this equation. As the political situation deteriorated, the Honduran government came increasingly to place blame for the nation's economic problems on the approximately 300,000 undocumented Salvadoran immigrants in Honduras, which got the Hondurans to begin to associate Salvadoran immigrants with illegal land invasions. In April 1969, the Honduras announced that it would begin to expel from their lands those who had acquired property without fulfilling the legal requirement that they be Honduran by birth. The press of both nations contributed to a climate of near-hysteria, and on June 27, 1969, Honduras broke diplomatic relations with El Salvador.
Till the time of writing India had won two bronze medals for shooting in the Asian Games that opened in Doha on Saturday. Need we compare this with China that started by sweeping all six gold medals up for grabs in the shooting event? When Beijing hosts the 2008 Olympics, Delhi will be getting ready for a much smaller show – the Commonwealth games in 2010. Going by newspaper accounts the focus as of now is on government contracts to build spanking new venues for the games but hardly any on how to bring up a new crop of athletes and assorted sports talent. The entire campaign that the Indian capital is witnessing currently against the forced closure of shops and factories in residential areas of the city is rooted in the sprucing up needed for 2010. It is a huge challenge no doubt and there are signs that roads are going to be less congested and public places will be given a makeover. But that is only a part of the responsibility. The real challenge will be to fill up the stadiums with Indian winners. But here the political parties that were leading the protests for Delhi's shopkeepers don’t seem to be too interested. Instead they were seeking communal mileage as usual. "Hang the traders, free Afzal," they mocked the government. Not a word was uttered in the process about the sports-related challenges that were relevant to the issue at hand.
If this is the worldview of the country's premier opposition party, the BJP, can we expect any better from the disgruntled youth who look up to it for guidance? Every day at scores of traffic lights little boys and girls are seen performing intricate acrobatics, earning money for their older relatives who exploit them. This despite a much tom-tommed campaign to banish child labour. These children are so deft at performing the feats, which includes an impeccable walk on a makeshift tight-rope that there is no reason to believe a Nadia Comaneci is not waiting among them to be discovered. But that is unlikely to happen. These children mostly come from Dalit groups or are from tribal families of gypsies on the move who do not readily make the grade in the caste heap of the Indian system.
This is the state of play. And so, when the mob goes berserk the next time in Ayodhya, or Gujarat, or Karnataka, it would be useful to check the medals tally India got in its last outing. If the showing was poor, the violence is likely to be more intense. Such is the inexplicable link between Barcelona and Ayodhya.The Delhi-based Urdu daily Hindustan Express says in a banner headline that the Jamaat-i-Islami has in a significant policy shift decided to contest elections from now on. The paper writes that they have "formed a four-member political forum" with the idea of intervening directly in the political process. The Jamaat-i-Islami had been debating whether to contest elections in India at all (as, according to them, it did not exactly come under the definition of Dar-ul-Islam) but now, it appears after pressure from cadres, the debate has been clinched and "the forthcoming elections in UP would be the starting point."
With the rich scrambling to grab the poor nation’s wealth with both (rather numerous) hands, it is reassuring to see a tiny minority of them spend their honestly earned money on public welfare. The latest example is the establishment of the Latif Ebrahim Jamal National Science Information Centre on the Karachi University campus.
It really amazes one that how rich this country’s upper class is that it relinquishes lucrative jobs in multinationals abroad to dabble in politics here. Not all of them are driven by an urge to serve the people. If they were, the scandals of misappropriation of public money would not pop up so often. It further amazes one that how they escape paying taxes, how they acquire loans and have them written off and how they get top government positions for their relatives. They want to rule this country saying that they are the most patriotic individuals and the people’s staunchest friends. They preach to the gullible to stay in Pakistan as this country has a great destiny, but keep their own swelling bank accounts abroad.
When President Genral Pervez Musharraf arrived in the city on Nov 27 to inaugurate the centre, once again long snarls-up were seen in many areas. But if he could be forgiven for causing inconvenience to so many Karachiites, this was the occasion. He was here to inaugurate the Latif Ebrahim Jamal National Science Information Centre, which is part of the Husein Ebrahim Jamal Research Institute of Chemistry (International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi). The research institute was set up in the late seventies and its first head was the legendary scientist,Dr Saleemuzzaman Siddiqui. Latif Ebrahim Jamal, on behalf of the Husein Jamal Foundation, had contributed Rs500 million to it - a substantial sum in those days. The institute has since produced many distinguished scientists and served the nation immensely.
The centre inaugurated by the president last week is dedicated to the memory of Latif Ebrahim Jamal. It is equipped with latest information technology to benefit the present and future generations pursuing knowledge through research. It is open to all from 8.30am to 8pm.
Politicians, bureaucrats and generals all have their hands tainted with corruption. When Gen Musharraf wrested the reins of power from Nawaz Sharif, he soon declared his assets, which stood at a cool 50 million rupees. He promised that his colleagues would follow suit. But none did and instead, he was cautioned against doing so again.
During campaigns for the last general election, it was heard that Shaukat Aziz had more money in Swiss banks than Chaudhry Shujaat had in Punjab’s banks or the total worth of his farms and mills. And the taxes Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif paid here were ridiculously low.
People wonder that why can’t our rich leaders be content with the riches they already have. Although he is no more, Latif Ebrahim Jamal lives on in his charitable work as a rare benefactor of this nation. His family is among a handful which are serving the nation in the truest sense of the word. May there be many more like them.
Local potters
The Kumhar Mela, held on the sidelines of the two-week Asna Clay Exhibition, dispelled doubts about the creativity of Pakistani potters. In fact, their hand-brain coordination was better than the urban artists. What many artists at the Mela admitted was that the work of some potters had shocked them pleasantly. “They have imagination and skill but what they need is training to promote their skill to the level of urban artists,” said Indonesian clay artist D.R. Ponimin, who himself had once mesmerised visitors with his work at the same venue.
He was particularly impressed with the work of Mohammad Nawaz of Sahiwal, who is recreating ancient history with his bare hands. Nawaz lives near Harappa and chooses primarily to recreate the artwork resembling the ones created by artisans 5,000 years ago.
“He is great at his work, but he should also use his skill to create his own work instead of mere replicas,” Ponmin said. But Nawaz said he was satisfied with what he was doing. “Harappa’s pottery and artwork fascinate me. I think it is what I am born for.”
He said his work had a great demand in the country and abroad, but it was not he but the ones who exported his work to western countries who earned more profits. “But I can still earn ample money to live a respectable life,” said Nawaz.
Similar was the case with Kaura Khan, who hails from another ancient city, Mahergarh in Balochistan, and prides on association with the craftsmanship of centuries. “Our family has been engaged in this business for more than 700 years,” he said. He pointed to his son Fazal Ahmed and said the tradition would continue.
The organisers said the public response to the two-day exhibition was encouraging and expressed a hope to organise
Such events in future. According to Meher Afroz, an organiser, the event aimed at providing a platform for ceramic artists and explore common ground between traditional clay crafts and contemporary ceramics.
A majority of the ceramists belonged to Pakistan, but the presence of Canadian artist Sheherezade enhanced the event’s credentials. Sheherezade Alam said: “Clay chose me so that the earth dances in my hands. I learned through this process everything that is important to know in life; from nothing to something a pot evolves.”
Motifs on the wall
Athar Jamal is one of the finest water colourists of the country but the work that is catching everyone’s attention, particularly those who use the KPT Underpass in Clifton, is the design that appears on the two walls measuring around 460 metres each. But the beauty of the design is that you don’t have to stand still to appreciate it, you do so while driving or being driven in a vehicle.
He was among the many artists who had submitted designs for the underpass and whose design was ultimately approved. Though not fully completed, one can foresee the shape of the things to come. He had suggested the use of yellow stone from Gadap on the outskirts of Karachi and the approval of the material came with the approval of the design by the Karachi Port Trust, which has built the underpass.
The motifs on the wall are borrowed from the motifs from three different sources - Chawkandi Tombs, Moenjodaro and Octogons common in Islamic Architecture. The two pillars at each end of the underpass are in keeping with the design at Jehangir Kothari Parade, hardly a kilometre away.
How does he counter the nefarious designs of the graffitists is a point everyone asks Athar Jamal because one morning you see the graffiti and the same evening you find that it has vanished. “It’s easy. We just have to use a grinder or rub sandpaper on the wall and the graffiti is gone. However, it can ruin the motifs but I have placed them high enough to be beyond the reach of the graffitists, who operate on a hit-and-run strategy. They have no time to bring a ladder for they would be caught and punished.
Athar Jamal, who graduated from the Karachi School of Art in 1985, teaches drawing in the Fine Arts, Textile and Ceramics Departments of the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. His wife Amar Jamal, who was his contemporary at the art school, is a painter in her own right.
— Karachian
Email: naseer.awan@dawn.com