Exclusive Interview with Austin Sayre from the movie, Khua Kay Liye [In the Name of God]

Exclusive Interview with Austin Sayre from the movie, Khua Kay Liye [In the Name of God]

http://www.ink-on-the-web.com/2009/01/all-the-world%e2%80%99s-a-stage/

Dancing with the sea

Started on 26-11-08... Completed 27-11-08
Dancing with the sea (by Ahmad Babar):

As I dance to the tunes of life

How I wish things were different

But the more I try, the more it hurts

Why is pain the only thing consistent?

Life was a beautiful melody once

Now it's nothing but a house of clay

Tonight even the stars laugh at me

I am finally out of words to say

Can't take in more hurt

Why can't I have some luck?

I want to move on

But my life is stuck

I have given it all I had

All to no avail

My ship wrecked and sunk

Just as I set to sail

I tried to hang on to the life buoy

Searching for a shore to reach

My feet paddled as the waves pushed me back

Further and further away from the beach

The life house beam shows me light

But no one can see me

I try shouting for help

But my voice is drowned by the sea

Slowly I lose conscience

Only to be woken by a hand

The sun blazes in my eyes

As I lay sprawled on the sand

There are people gathered all around

Their worried whispers are all I can hear

They are wondering to whom my body belongs

As the truth hits me, its not something I can bear

Thoughts

24-11-2008
Thoughts (by Ahmad Babar):

As I sit here, in seclusion with nothing but walking bodies around me, I wonder where life has brought us all. There used to be a time when every breeze brought laughter with it, when every rattling leaf used to inspire smiles.

People walk by me pretending as if I don’t exist, in fact, pretending as if no one else exists until or unless a remote possibility of their being useful churns up out of thin air. Their handshakes are the best give-ins, they are cold, lose and some even reluctant. As the hands embrace each other, the eyes look elsewhere as if they are trying to hide the sea of secrets and doubts that hide deep within.

The most “interesting” part is that everyone seems to be afraid of every other person they see. Whether the fear is that the person will blow themselves up along with everyone around them, the person will turn out to be someone we hadn’t expected them to be or for that matter, the person will take whatever they have. Hence, it won’t be wrong to conclude that we all think of each other as monsters and in essence, we are a society of Zombies.

As I try to listen to silence, all I feel is restlessness. No one seems to be happy any more. The funny part is that half of the problems people are stressed about aren’t even their own, they are what they hear on the media. Come to think of it, if people stop worrying about every random thing they hear/read in the media and channelize their efforts on solving their own issues, the world would be a much better place. It is said, “Charity begins at home” and this very well also applies to problem solving. Start by solving your own issues first and once you know how to solve problems, then go out to save the world!

Just last night I was talking with a foreigner friend whom I invited to visit Pakistan and the reply I got was, “maybe one day when the war is over in Pakistan, I will come visit. I don’t want to get killed or kidnapped”. Hearing this hurt me deep, deep inside. Is this really how we want to project ourselves to the rest of the world? Why it is that it’s either this war-zone image or the completely care-free image of “enlightened moderation” that we are always portraying to the rest of the world? Where has the “PAKISTANI” image gone? What happened to out centuries old, extremely rich and beautiful culture? What in the world happened to our values? Why have we turned into a society that neither knows what it’s own cultural and moral values are nor does it remember what it’s most practiced religion preaches?

Are these really questions without answers to them? No, I don’t believe so. I am not saying that I am the perfect Pakistani but I do take pride in the fact that I try to be. Why can’t we all stop complaining and start putting in a little more effort to make things better a step at a time? Wouldn’t it be great if all the Zombies around us turned into beautiful human beings they once were? I hope they do.

Come let’s pray together for the betterment of our lives, our society, our people, our county and this world as a whole. Let’s hope for a time when peace and serenity would prevail above all.

Allah, Grant us the Serenity to Accept the things we Cannot change, the Courage to change the things we Can and the Wisdom to know the Difference.

22nd Birthday...

Unlike every year this time around I am not writing either a poem or a memoir on my birthday but I want to say a prayer, for me and for all of us:

Allah Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference...... [Amen]

Me & My Friend

Me & My Friend (by Ahmad Babar):

I don't know but it just seems

I am living someone else's dreams

My wings are cut, can't even fly

My eyes dried out now that I want to cry

I look for a shoulder to lean on

A hand to hold as I try to move on

Arms to give me warmth in this cold

A person with whom to grow old

A friend who will be my umbrella in this rain

The one who won't leave me stranded again

As I look out of my window

I am not sure where I should go

Should I forget everything and just fly away

Or should I ponder about whether I should stay

I want my friend to help me decide

On how I should face this tide

So I call out to you my friend

Come let's together walk towards the end

We will march on hand in hand

Against every storm we will stand

Win or lose we will move on

Our legend will prevail long after we are gone

I am back

I am back people :D ... hope to stay on...

23/07/2008
I am Back (by Ahmad Babar):
Today I feel so right
After ages I slept last night
Today the stars are in a full bloom
Maybe I will meet her soon
Today the grass is a lovely green
Unlike anything I have ever seen
Out there is a slow breeze
I can do everything with such ease
The birds are chirping in the sky
I know tonight I won't cry
Since morning I have been smiling
In my heart I am singing
Today everything is beautiful
Even the world doesn't seem to be cruel
Maybe today it will rain
And I will be "me" again
I won't ever have to use this knife
From today onwards I will live life
I will live it the way I should
I will do all that I once could
As the rain starts to pour
I no longer feel sour
I thank one and all
I have risen once again after another fall

On the wrong side of glass

25/04/08
On the wrong side of glass (by Ahmad Babar):
Being burnt by the sun rays
Only been a few miles but I have lost my way
Every corner leads to a dead end
Every turn has the same bend
i fall down on my knees looking for some support
Trying to figure out the words I once wrote
There's not a single cloud in sight
And no signs of a forthcoming cold night
My feet have boils, my knees scraped
To slice my throat I long for a blade
A voice inside of me tells me to have faith
And to leave the rest to fate
Laying on the ground I stare at the sun
Wondering what more is to come
My body's been reduced to a pile of bones and skin
And I have lost "me" deep within
I close my eyes and see lush green grass
But I am stuck on the wrong side of the glass
It is just a few inches thick
But more torturous then a wall of bricks
I can see all that I long for on the other side
But I am stuck here, even though I tried
Opening my eyes I see light
An urge comes up to once again fight
What will now happen is another story
Will I turn to dust or bask in glory?

Candles

Ahmad's "Candles"

03-04-08
Candles (by Ahmad Babar):
Candles are like life
So beautiful when they burn
In a room full of darkness
The perfect substitute for sun
But like all of us die
They die the way they live, they burn....

A Wish

I AM BACK
31-03-08
A Wish (by Ahmad Babar):
Walking around drenched in rain
Finally feeling immune to pain
There's nothing left for me to lose
Only the right path to chose
I am going to walk alone
Doing it all on my own
Living life as I should
Doing all that I never thought I could
Leaving my footsteps behind
For others of my kind
Hoping someday I will meet
Someone to add to my fleet
To have someone's hands to hold
Someone to embrace when life goes cold
Together to play life's game
To share our 15 seconds of fame
To find the difference between correct and right
To be the stars that lighten up other's nights
Till that person I meet I wait
Hoping that they are not too late

Interview of "The Rising" band...

http://www.thepost.com.pk/ent_red.aspx

Published on 23-Feb-2008

:: The Rising ::

By Ahmad Babar

The Rising is a relatively new band with loads of talent and potential. The band comprises Faizan Zaidi on vocals, Arafat Mazhar on compositions, keyboards and lyrics, Junaid Syed on guitars and Sohail Qureshi on bass. All band members are in their early 20s and bring their own unique flavor to the band. Each has his own taste in music and it all blends beautifully. While Faizan and Junaid are pursuing their studies, Arafat is running his own business and Sohail is working in a reputed multinational.

The band first appeared on the underground scene with their single titled Jhoot in August 2005. The song was well received and the band followed it up with their next track Mein Aaj Uroon in 2006 which was produced by Xulfi. The song is about everything and everyone and basically speaks of freedom. It is a soft melody and takes the listener into the depths of thought and desires.

The band’s first video, of Mein Aaj Uroon hit the TV channels in October 2007. The video was directed by Xulfi and presented a subtle theme was sort of a performance based video. Though I am personally of the opinion that the band could have done much more with the video especially given the quality of the song, nonetheless it provided them with a safe launch pad.

The band has interesting views on different issues currently prevalent in the music industry. Following is what they have to say:

On bands/artists going to India:
The band as a whole was of the belief that there is no harm in discovering new markets and that they themselves have a long way to go and a lot more to learn, before they will venture into markets such as India.

On the Underground Music scene:
“It’s not what it used to be.’

—- In fact that seems to be the general belief all around.

Artists/bands appearing in advertisements:
Given that the industry doesn’t pay very well, the band told us that it was sort of necessary for them to do ads in order to earn money, but it should be done without the corporations dictating terms.

Music Piracy:
“A great toll if used properly.”

Music Labels:
Things are improving but the main concentration is on the big names; more support needs to be given to young talent.

On bands breaking up:
According to the band, the main reasons for bands breaking up were weak roots and the dynamics of the band, coupled with problems in coping with fame.

On role of female models in videos:
The boys remarked, “In its current form it’s silly. It takes away the whole point of the video.”

Talking about their future plans, the band is working hard on their album which is being self-produced and self-financed by the band members at their own studio. Currently the band is experimenting with different things in order to give the best possible feel to the video.

There is no doubt that the band has a very promising future and will InshAllah will be making headway in the music industry.