Pakistan, oh Pakistan

Most sane Indians don’t hate Pakistan. And vice versa. They like each other and the others’ nations. This is especially true in social media.

I have some Twitter friends from Pakistan who seem to be so different from the stereotypical image being portrayed on various platforms about Pakistan and it’s citizens. They, in turn, accept those from India.

I have always believed that if a group of Pakistanis and Indians were locked together in a room, they will come to terms with each other just like any other random samples of population would.

The Pakistani authorities, however, seem to be trying tarnish their own country’s image. For example, the recent news about a new telecom regulation banning ‘offensive’ words and phrases in SMS messages.

Although, I have read somewhere that the rule is not going to be implemented, the stereotypes will in be further strengthened.

Those who are sane, however, will still continue to ridicule such ‘crazy’ rules hampering freedom of speech/expression.

The right to having creative variety

People have asked me many times how and why a musician can perform in more than one band at the same time. Of course, we are talking about professional musicians here, and only those who aren't freelancers. I myself consider to be a professional musician who also freelances if an profitable opportunity comes my way. But otherwise, purely for the purposes of artistic creativity, pleasure, and satisfaction, you should have just one band - or so the world thinks.

Such comparisons are probabably drawn from other fields like regular employment, professional sport etc. I consider music, especially that in a band, as a radically different field primarily because of the possibilities of collaboration, collation, and calibration of different ideas of a variety of forms, such as musical, lyrical, presentational, and performance related and many more.

Different individuals and personalities with varying ideas operate at multiple levels during the process of writing, arranging, and performing a song. The process itself creates environments that could be so different between apparently 'similar' bands (to an observer, that is) so as to provide a refreshing experience for the musicians involved. Ah, the wonders of creative freedom and liberty.

This is why I enjoy what I do - play with two different bands, jamming with a set of musicians to possibly form another band, sing in a choir, write my own songs and perform etc etc. This liberation keeps my spirit alive and presents opportunities for the occurence of moments to cherish. I adore this and I would never want to not be deprived of my freedom for creative variety!