Now that former army chief Pervez Musharraf has a show called “Pakistan First”, someone suggested that perhaps Hussain Haqqani should also get a show called “Memo to Pakistan.”
Would make for interesting viewing, specially in the aftermath of his recent controversial article that has the PPP running for cover. The only problem: there isn’t a channel in Pakistan that would be willing to put oh such a show for fear of Those Who Must Not Be Named. Or Sparingly Named. Or, you know, Named Occasionally If One Were So Disposed.
Boy, do we in the sub-continent like a good show when one of our own gets hitched! Marriage season is in full swing these days and the wedding industry is going bullish.
Much is spent on the days preceding the actual day. Gone are the debates over whether the day of the marriage is the baraat or thewaleema. The song and dance bits preceding these events are the new where-its-at of weddings.
There is much merrymaking and mashroob-e-Scotland–wa-Roos flows like water.
In addition to supporting the wedding industry itself, these functions are also supporting some (only relatively) down on their luck singers. Case in point: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Can’t go to India where he could command hefty fees as a playback singer, but can still make ends meet like nobody’s business by singing at weddings, where he reportedly charges thirty five lakhs per function.
In some cases amongst the elite, even a death in the family doesn’t stop any of the festivities, a far cry from the slightly earlier era where a bereavement, even in the neighbourhood, was reason enough to be somber at weddings.
