Humsafer
Withered Rose….
Hira A. Siddiqi
Good old days were those when Pakistan Television Industry was blooming with the Drama Serials/Plays like Dhuaan, Tanhayiaan, Alpha Bravo Charlie, Anghan Tera; and best days were they when Moin Akhter, Zeba Bakhtiar, Bushra Ansari, Mahnoor Baloch, Ashir Azeem, Nazli Nasr were the historic icons for the drama lovers. William Penn has said rightly about the passing phase that “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst. In late 90s we have ruined our drama industry which needed the intense comeback otherwise we have lost the integrity in entertainment world.
In mid of first decade (2000) we have lost the quality by so many production houses and television channels which were just popped out somewhere from the planet and had made their networks by making this industry as part of their business which not only affected the credibility of dramas but also the artist portfolio. All of the sudden when no actor want quality but a drama working on screen and seeing themselves as celebrity no matter what audience are thinking about their performance.
When all channels lost their audience then they made Indian content as their priority to attract audience in form of dramas, singing shows, reality shows and dance/ stage shows. Which no doubt gained the public attention because as always we Pakistanis found similarity in Indian content which just looked glamorous covering all the social issues. But see what we got in result, we start loving the Indian production instead of improving ours. And till to date we can still see the Indian Broadcast in National Television, forgetting what? How Shiv Senha treated Atif Aslam concert in India? Or by banning the screening of WAAR movie in India? There are as many issues as we can rise but the main still remains. Has Barrack Obama made sense by saying that and slamming all who think the “others” have ownership to change our culture, what he said actually is, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
We have seen the change in the air by Humsafer, Maat, Meri Zaat Zara e Benishaan, Mtae Jaan, Dil e Muzter, Pyaray Afzal & Sadqaey Tumhare and then there are many names which not only contributed with their stories but also the artists like Sanam Jung, Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Adnan Malik, Hamza Abbasi Ali; lest we do not forget the directors too, working behind the scene as an actual team leaders.
In exchange to all Indian content we dealt with Indian local channel and broadcasted few known dramas for Indian audience too which were appraised by the Indian viewers. Yes a proud moment for Pakistan Drama Industry until unless we feel it was all suffice but it wasn’t because we allowed another breeze in the air in form of Turkish Drama Industry.. Ishq e Mamnu? Feriha? Mera Sultan? Ishq? And then every channel launched a separate channel for such foreign content. Lets all confuse the Pakistanis or let’s make it business in the name of cultural exchange by ruining our own norms, values and traditions. And Allama Iqbal words may have another meaning but these words quoting for all above mentioned:
O withered rose! How can I still call you a rose?
How can I call you the longing of nightingale’s heart?Once the zephyr’s movement was your rocking cradle
In the garden’s expanse joyous rose was your name…
Career Moves; Be Strategic About Your Future
This article is originally published in Humsafer July August 2015 edition (A PIA Magazine); available online & can be accessed at http://piac.com.pk/humsafar/
Hira A. Siddiqi
Dig the Well before you are Thirsty, a Chinese proverb opinionating that planning and struggle at one’s best is required when in need of something and it shows the determination of that person toward his goal and aims. It is quite relevant to the career goals of life as well where one person is already in the track of professionalism or seeking to choose one, for both it is as important as water for the thirsty person.
RIASEC is a Holland code which fits for this topic and stands for Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. What Are They? … They are Six Work Environment types. And if one personality type works with another which is same of their nature then the productivity of the working atmosphere is higher comparatively. And every personality type searches the environment either of their interest or to their proportional. A good career match means compatibility with consent and harmony. Understanding this Theory can help one to make better choices. This theory was founded and then named by same person John Holland who is an American scientist and Psychology Professor at the University of Michigan.
There are four stages of choosing any career, Self Awareness, Opportunity Awareness, Decision Making and Taking Action. Most of us start deciding about our career when very young, that’s not very easy and decisive at such age instead of working and struggling to get that position, broaden the professional approach towards your field or expertise. For example a pre medical student of intermediate should not aim to do only Medicine or Surgery in future, he can keep the safe margins for similar disciplines which are also important in the market and job world like Micro Biology, Bio Technology, Virology, Dentistry, Physio Therapy, Radiology and Pharmacy etc. And when you choose a path, then at that point you start working on your strength. That’s the time when your chosen career becomes your expertise and strengthens your vocation.
Don’t forget to socialize wherever one is working at, it’s a second home where they start socializing with people of different intellect and backgrounds. Everyone can take advices from different experts and professionals of similar career they have or from dissimilar ones as well; parents and siblings are also most supportive in these cases by giving a favorable decision to you because they know you inside out since your childhood but ultimately do what is your choice, choose what matches you most, work where your comfort level is higher than any of the advices you had for this.
If one find opportunity at their desired career, then he should not missed that and volunteer to work at their interested job, and in volunteering your work is priceless and more appreciating then the paid jobs. This strategy is for freshers because those who are bread runners of their family can’t go for volunteering whether it’s of their choice or not, they have to earn six figure salaries for their family especially in Pakistan.
Commonly, people change their careers in their life span some are dissatisfied with their current jobs while others are not at the right place they actually qualified for. Few are underpaid not survival in their current salary structure, then there are those as well who are fond of new experiences but by gaining them, it only add up the knowledge and flexibility to work with different cultures and people of altered behaviors, but it ends with the confused career and inconsistency is a drawback when one have not solid logic behind such experiences.
Change in life is the only thing which is constant but it doesn’t means one should not switch the career rather upgrade or enhance the existing career. If one person is optimistic enough then do the puzzle game with oneself and follow what Steve Jobs once said about same thing, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
Decisions of your life should not be make on money because temporary things never gives you permanent place anywhere, one cannot change anything in the company making a difference is a separate thing but change is a long term and takes more than decades. Family is always and must be the preference than anyone else; don’t ruin your true relations for the sake of maintaining so called professionalism in front of your social circle. Be Yourself !! And don’t forget the real You inside yourself, if you analyze yourself better then there won’t be any need of making vague moves in choices.
In Pakistan best career paths are Business whether big or small enterprises depend upon the market demand of that particular town or area, then medical have scope too. Majority of Pakistanis love sport and have interest to become athlete but it needs guts and confidence to build up oneself for this profession. Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence are emerging career pathways in Pakistan for those who have interest in computer sciences. Pakistan have one of the best fashion industry so to those who wants to be an artist can join this, Media will be perk for them if they get chance there too.
Chartered Accountancy in Pakistan is considered as crème profession which starts with lowers income but get higher in very short span of time if qualified. Engineering never lost its space for any other profession in Pakistan, now there are more than 20 fields in Engineering in Pakistan and Scope of career can only be created by choosing the right space for it. Civil and Military jobs are competitive and only adequate and refined group of people selected for these jobs where one not have any chance for further scrutiny. In recent couple of decades Engineering and Medical were the only professions students struggles for, but now there are diversifications in Science, Technology, Art, Humanities, and Management Studies. Every profession in Pakistan have its own grace it all depends upon the chooser or applicant that rather he make bridge from the stones he felt as obstacles in his way or make wall to not allowing those hurdles by fear of facing them; one Chinese proverb well explained this impression in a way that, “When a wind of change blows, one build walls, while other builds windmills.”
Chinese proverb well explained this impression in a way that, “When a wind of change blows, one build walls, while other builds windmills.”
Carved Diary 