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We have crushed our culture due to intolerance, says writer Noor ul Huda Shah

We have crushed our culture due to intolerance, says writer Noor ul Huda Shah

She was speaking at a panel discussion about the media's role in promoting a soft image of Pakistan
Updated 21 Apr, 2019

“We have tried our best to crush our culture in the past 70 years,” said dramatist and former minister Noorul Huda Shah during a panel discussion about the electronic media and the role it plays in promoting the softer image of Pakistan.

The event was organised by the Arts Council in collaboration with the Electronic Media & Aesthetic Committee in Karachi on Friday.

“We see culture only in those school fancy dress shows now where one child is dressed in Sindhi attire and one in the respective dresses of the other provinces,” she said.

“See how the people in neighbouring India own their culture, and see how they export it through their films because they are proud of it unlike here where we have just crushed our culture due to our own intolerance. People here know about the culture of Lucknow, Hyderabad Deccan or Agra but they may not know the culture of Sindh so well,” she said.

“When writers like myself started highlighting issues of Sindhi society, people here started mistaking it with Sindh’s culture. They would say that karo kari is part of Sindh’s culture or getting girls married to the Quran was part of our culture, which discouraged writers to write about such issues,” she said.

Speaking about art and culture and its coverage by the electronic media, senior journalist and managing director of Geo, Azhar Abbas, said that news channels do cover art and culture, for example literature festivals and conferences such as the Urdu conference.

“But if you see how art and culture is covered by news websites, you’ll see that even though they are covering too, there are far fewer hits there when compared to something sensational like some celebrities divorcing,” he said.

“Still in difficult or frustrating times it is art, which comes out as resistance,” he said.

Jahanzaib Haque, editor Dawn.com, said that traditional media was not as important or big than what was currently happening online. “Social media is a level playing field where a big news website such as Dawn.com can be as big as an independent Instagram account or YouTube channel which can have over a million subscribers,” he said.

Former information minister Javed Jabbar said that just because it didn’t get 500,000 hits did not mean that art was any less important. “So please don’t look at numbers when talking about art and culture,” he said.

“State policy towards art and culture is not what it should have been, but Pakistan Television and Radio Pakistan have played a role in uplifting both. Yes, the buck stops with the people but that does not invalidate the art,” he said.

“Also the word ‘flop’ is misleading. Because some of the best movies have turned out to be flops at the box office. So art is viable, art is a very tough process. It means struggle and sacrifice,” he concluded.


Originally published in Dawn, April 20th, 2019

Comments

Zak Apr 20, 2019 10:20am
Beautiful original Punjabi culture was also brutally murdered.
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iftikhar Apr 20, 2019 11:56am
tolerance is directly proportional to economic prosperity and religious values of the society, unfortunately 95% of the society is tense due to economic pressure, traffic jams, load shedding &.............. this frustration leads to intolerance in society- a general principal dear writer
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Babu Apr 20, 2019 12:11pm
One of the few sane voice in Pakistan, a lady who has the courage to speak the truth as she loves her country.
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Welcome Apr 20, 2019 12:18pm
Everyone thought once Pakistan was created, it’s culture will flourish, without anything contaminating it from outside.
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Abdul Ghaffar Apr 20, 2019 01:33pm
very well said...
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Right Voice Apr 20, 2019 01:47pm
Punjabi culture has been retained by Indian punjab however Sindhi culture has suffered total neglect. Sindh is an ancient land full of mystery, it's unfortunate it finds no voice anywhere.
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Welcome Apr 20, 2019 02:05pm
The only culture survived is agriculture!
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Pakistan Lover Apr 20, 2019 02:07pm
Dear Noor ul Huda Shah, Sindhi Dramas are also equally responsible for tarnishing the image of culture of Sindh. Though Sindhi people have some issue like others, but why Sofiasm, tolerance, hospitality, peacefulness, respect for diversity has never been highlighted through the mode of mass media to let people know how peace loving the Sindhi people are.
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M. Emad Apr 20, 2019 02:31pm
Agri-culture --- Pakistan's culture.
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AZAM AKBAR Apr 20, 2019 04:13pm
@Pakistan Lover Mr. Pakistan Lover, You are right. But the majority of Sindhis has been definetely left less-educated, less-literate and backward by the political parties to achieve its goal. The true culture of Sindh is harmony and love.
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Vikram Sharma Apr 20, 2019 06:03pm
Blaming others rather than any introspection also counts for intollerence
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Nasir Apr 20, 2019 07:13pm
The writer, Noor ul Huda Shah has said well about Pakistan's culture is not being exported to via television and films. I think most writers should focus on cultural positives, even when they are highlighting taboos in society. Whether you write about the victimization of women, children or oppressed communities (which hasn't been shown in Pakistan so far), one must show constructive solution. It seems that most writers can write good screenplay or story but they don't have or they don't focus on how the victim is protecting or rising against injustice. You can write about the cultural influence but you also must first understand or thoroughly study the culture before you write anything about it.
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Jehengir khan Apr 20, 2019 09:55pm
She is right that india has destroyed pakistan's culture even though indian tv shows are banned in pakistan.... ..pakistan must ban everything from India.......otherwise very soon pakistani kids will talk, wear and behave like Indians.. ..this is very bad.... wake up pakistan.....
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Ahsan Gul Apr 21, 2019 01:04am
Totally rubbish that we had a softer culture. I have never seen the softer side of people in Pakistan! We are no different than the next door Hindus who are so intolerant of their minorities and among each other. Yes, one thing I do agree with the writer and That We are very good in concealing and covering anomalies in our characters. Why we are going through so much turmoil and dissatisfaction in our lives Has anybody thought about it!
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Gopi Chari Apr 21, 2019 06:34am
Time to correct now! Never too late!!!
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Dr. Ajeet Sharma Apr 21, 2019 07:36am
@Jehengir khan it's this mindset displayed by you that she is talking against! India is your mother / father and you all were Indians and most importantly Hindus before being forcefully converted to Islam. Unless you identify your roots and adhere to it, you would not be able to export culture what she is talking about. All dooms started when after independence you started distancing yourself from India and aligning with Middle East. Read history (written by outsiders and not Pakistanis) and you would understand what's your culture.
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Une Apr 21, 2019 08:27am
@iftikhar nope, economic situation does not matter. It depends on how open the society is to differences.
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k p rao Apr 21, 2019 08:57am
Too little too late.
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Anuj Apr 21, 2019 09:24am
To outsiders like me, Pakistan seems to be a Punjabi culture dominated society . Is that not true? This culture definitely seems to get a lot of publicity and a lot of Pakistanis abroad seem to accept Punjabi cultural influences in their lives there . Others seem to be a minority, so.maybe not so prevalent.
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joe Apr 21, 2019 10:04am
@Right Voice Sindh is an ancient land full of mystery, it's unfortunate it finds no voice anywhere."" Mulla's are the main reason for Sindh culture to reach where it is today. Imposing Arabic traditions in naming a child, education,dress, language,marriage customs to name a few have ruined Sindhi culture.
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Meesaq Zaidi Apr 21, 2019 10:10am
Cabinet Ministers don’t appreciate the role of Radio Pakistan and PTV.
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KALY Apr 21, 2019 11:03am
Pakistanis now a days thinks they are more arabs then anything else, that is the main reason.
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Abid Ali Shah Apr 21, 2019 08:29pm
@KALY have you met any Pakistani who thinks they are more like Arabs ? or its just figment of your imagination. BTW i am 32 year old and haven't met any Pakistani who thinks like this except those people who has Arab ancestry.
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Laila Apr 25, 2019 02:58pm
@Jehengir khan Ummm.....that is not what she said. She said Indians own their culture and proudly show it in and out of bollywood. So we should also be proud of culture and show it. We dont. You cant ban your way out of problems. You think Bollywood is an issue, I think internet is the largest gateway to evil. So lets ban internet too. No internet, wifi or satelites. Oh foreign books too, right? And Music. Done. What you have a left is a bubble, isolation, and no room for evolving. I dont even like Bollywood but Pakistan is the biggest market for it outside India. Just deal with it.
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Laila Apr 25, 2019 03:12pm
She is right about our lack of tolerance and how we have destroyed our culture. That said our culture is largely derived from the Indian culture of which we were a part before the partition. Nothing wrong with that. However, culture is not monolith. It must and will change with time. Inevitable. For better or worse. Pakistan even 15 years ago is not the Pakistan today. But I would like it if we can be more tolerant of each other and more openminded.
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