The Pakistan Experience

Kapil Dev is a human rights activist from Pakistan, Kapil Dev comes back on The Pakistan Experience to discuss the recent rise in the attacks on temples, Hinduphobia and the Government's role in fuelling hate in the country.  Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience  And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience  The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.   https://www.facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ https://twitter.com/shehzad89 https://instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh  Chapters: 0:00 Rising  Hinduphobia  5:00 Comparing India and Pakistan 12:00 Tauheen kaun kar raha hay? 17:00 The Government's disappointing reaction 30:00 Hindu hatred being taught to people 35:30 Is it lack of empathy or fear of extremism? 45:00 Creating the east-west binary 52:00 Inspiring hate 58:00 Bhai yaad aatay hain 1:04:30 Catching up with Kapil Dev

Thank you for being a part of the journey <3

Dr Madhavi Menon comes on the podcast to discuss how the Anglo-American conception of identity does not apply to South Asia.

On this deep dive podcast, we discuss how British prudish laws went against how Indians saw identity, gender and sexual fluidity, we discuss gender fluidity in Sufi culture, specifically Sufi poetry, we also get into discussions of consent, the agent of consent, gender performativity, desire, judgment, and our love for the Masala culture of Bollywood.  Madhavi Menon is Professor of English at Ashoka University. She earned her Bachelors and Masters in English from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, where she stood first in College in her BA, and was a University gold-medalist in her M.A.

She completed her PhD from Tufts University. Prior to joining Ashoka, she taught at Ithaca College and American University.

Her current book project is titled The Law of Desire (forthcoming with Speaking Tiger, 2021).

Please consider supporting us on Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience

And Please stay in touch:

https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1

https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience

https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience

The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.

https://www.facebook.com/Shehzadghias/

https://twitter.com/shehzad89

https://instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh

Chapters: 0:00 Introduction

1:30 Fluidity of Identity

8:50 Gender Fluidity vs Sexuality Fluidity

12:30 The Bathroom debate and the state categorizing you

20:30 Fluidity in Sufi Culture

28:30 Section 377: Inclusion, Exclusion and Fighting for the narrative

34:00 Identity Politics: Cis and Trans terminology

44:50 Victimhood and racial identities

53:45 Consent

1:00:30 The Age of Consent

1:10:00 Performing Gender in South Asia on stage

1:14:00 Obviously I will bring up Psychedelics

1:21:00 Desire and Judgment: Pedophilia and Incest

1:29:00 The Hadiya case: Love Jihad and infantilizing women

1:31:00 The British categorization of 'Hindus' and 'Muslims'

1:36:30 Misuse of our history for their ideology and weaponizing victimhood

1:41:20 The masala culture of Bollywood

1:51:30 Pratap's resignation

1:54:30 Violence against women in South Asia

Syed Nomanul Haq  is a Pakistani scholar and intellectual historian noted especially for his contributions to the fields of Islamic history and Islamic philosophy. Noman ul Haq is currently the Dean of Liberal Arts at UMT, he has previously taught at Harvard, Brown, UPenn, LUMS, IBA and Habib University. In his career spanning twenty years, Haq has gained widespread repute for his teaching, publications and editorial and research work on the history and philosophy of science, postmodern philosophy, history of religion, history of art and history of literature, for which he has won multiple prizes and awards.  Dr Noman ul Haq comes on the podcast to discuss why Liberal studies are important, why we have an anti-intellectual culture where we think of people like Hasan Nisar as intellectuals, the need to know our Islamic History, Erturgul and Batameez Dil.  On this deep dive podcast I ask him if the Ottoman Empire was brought down because of the printing press, what we need to do to expand the Muslim Mind, the reassertion of the Muslim identity and why LUMS is better than IBA and Habib.  Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakista nexperience  And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience  The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.  https://www.facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ https://twitter.com/shehzad89 https://instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh  Chapters: 0:00 LUMS, IBA, Habib 3:30 Why are Liberal studies important 7:50 The Nationalization project 10:30 The East West binary 18:00 Academic gatekeeping of history 23:23 Losing languages and politicizing the language issue 28:50 Ertugrul and the panIslamic zeal 31:00 Cruelty to Animals in Islam 36:30 Reassertion of the Muslim Identity as backlash 52:56 History, mythology and psychedelics 57:30 Love for man in Sufi thought 1:06:00 The Muslim mind 1:11:48 Did the printing press end the Ottoman Empire? 1:17:30 Batameez Dil

Urvashi Butalia comes on The Pakistan Experience to discuss why it is important to tell feminist histories,  challenging his story,  and the current state of publishing.  On this deep dive episode, we get into a discussion around the fluidity of identity, stories of partition survivors, and having empathy of the other.  Urvashi Butalia  is an Indian feminist writer, publisher and activist. She is known for her work in the women's movement of India, as well as for authoring books such as The Other Side of Silence: Voices from and the Partition of India and Speaking Peace: Women's Voices from Kashmir.  Along with Ritu Menon, she co-founded Kali for Women, India's first feminist publishing house, in 1984. In 2003, she founded Zubaan Books, an imprint of Kali for Women.  In 2011, Butalia and Menon were jointly awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, for their work in Literature and Education.  Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.  https://www.facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ https://twitter.com/shehzad89 https://instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:00 History vs herstory: Erasure of women from History 10:06 Womens bodies become the targets 20:30 Sona Chaman kee kahani 24:50 Hum Hindu ya Musalman nahee, hum Dalit hain 30:50 Identity and violence 37:00 Flexibity and fluidity in Identity 51:00 Reassertion of Identity during times of crisis 1:00:00 Grappling with Partition and your history 1:06:45 Does Pakistan's triumphant narrative about 1947 leave space for grief? 1:20:00 Empathy of the other 1:23:00 You cant compare traditional history vs peoples history 1:36:20 Can you write about something that is not your identity?  1:42:20 What is the ethos of a feminist publishing house? 1:48:00 Publishing is not commercially viable 1:54:30 Audience Q&As

Sarah Belal comes on the podcast to discuss the Death Penalty, criminalizing torture and the Criminal Justice System.

Mariam Shafqat Goraya, Amna Shafqat Goraya, Preh Memon, Sajeer Shaikh, Ekta Shaikh and Laiba Zainab join us to discuss their lived experiences and the experience of living as a woman in Pakistan.

1947 and 1971 are the two most pivotal moments in Pakistan's history yet they remain largely unknown. What we know about them depends on what the state wants us to know; your perception of events will be clouded by what side of the border you were born in.  The most important aspect of the story is often left untold by the state narratives: the people, the lived experiences of millions. The recording of oral histories sheds light on those experiences. Through a peoples history you can piece together the experience of 1947 and 1971.  Anam Zakaria comes on the podcast this week to discuss how to tell a peoples history, and why it is important.   Was Bangladesh inevitable? How do state narratives differ in India and Pakistan? Should an author put themselves into the work? Is there such a thing as 'objective history'? How to deal with trauma memories?  Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience.  Anam Zakaria is the author of three books - 1971: A People's History from Bangladesh,  Pakistan and India (2019), Between the Great Divide: A Journey into Pakistan-administered Kashmir (2018);  and The Footprints of Partition: Narratives of Four Generations of Pakistanis and Indians (2015), which won her the 2017 KLF-German Peace Prize.    Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience    And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience    The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.                 https://www.facebook.com/Shehzadgs/ https://twitter.com/shehzad89 https://instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh    Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 0:45 Are we getting more radicalized 3:50 Oral histories and history at the margins 10:30 Putting yourself into your wrok 16:00 The process of recording Oral histories 23:00 Dealing with trauma memories 31:00 Wars fought on Womens bodies 36:30 The Reckoning for Partition 42:20 State narratives of 1947 in India and Pakistan 57:00 The Nationalization project after 1971 1:04:00 When it is labelled a genocide is political 1:09:00 Are displaced people ever home? 1:12:00 Was Bangladesh inevitable? 1:21:50 The equation of violence 1:29:00 Notions of identity 1:35:00 The politics of language 1:38:40 Pakistan's apology to Bangladesh 1:42:30 Is there more hate in urban centers or rural areas? 1:47:00 Visiting India 1:49:00 Conclusion and what's next 1:54:00 Is there any hope?

Faheem Azam is a writer, director, comedian, actor and content creator. Faheem Azam was the original head of Content at 'Teeli' and has worked on films like 'Paray Hut Love'.  

On this week's episode, we get into a discussion on the Taliban, changing narratives, motay jism, Nikkahnamas, actors being cast based on looks, performing, making films, Teeli, relationships and the colonial mind.  Why are good films not being made in Pakistan?   Do Pakistan like size zero models?   Did legends do below the belt comedy?  

Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience.   

Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience  

And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience 

 The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.         https://www.facebook.com/Shehzadgs/ https://twitter.com/shehzad89 https://instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh  

Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:00 Are Taliban our guardians? 12;00 Nikkahnama is a contract 17:00 Kaun log jism mota karna chahtay hain? 19:30 Size 0 models western idea hay 23:30 Actors are now cast based on looks 30:30 Personal libraries 34:30 Faheem Azam's journey: How he got here 45:30 Legends like Moin Akhtar and Umer Shareef never did below the belt comedy? 48:30 Performers need to reinvent themselves 57:30 The Colonial Mind 1:07:00 Back to Faheem Azam's journey to be a filmmaker 1:11:00 Why aren't great films being made in Pakistan? 1:27:30 Are audiences in Pakistan and India different? 1:37:00 What films work commercially in Pakistan?  1:47:30 Teeli 2:01:00 Artists in relationships 2:14:00 Faheem's Web Series

Dr. Taimur Rahman is a PhD and a Professor at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. He is also the General Secretary of the Mazdoor Kissan Party and a political activist.  

Dr. Shahram Azhar is a PhD and a Professor at Bucknell University. He is also a classically trained musician and singer.  Taimur and Shahram join us for in depth discussion on Marxism, Identity Politics and the state of the Left in Pakistan. 

We get into a debate about the efficacy of Identity Politics, New Marxism vs Old Marxism, China, and the Uighur Muslims. 

 Are we robots?  Will Pakistan give US bases?  Is the Budget pro poor?  Is Global Capitalism failing?  Is Laal reuniting?  Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience.

Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience 

And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience 

The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.     https://www.facebook.com/Shehzadgs/ https://twitter.com/shehzad89 https://instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

4:00 R*pist ya Robot

12:00 Giving US bases

15:00 Budget 2021

32:00 Global Capitalism

47:00 Child abuse and culture

52:36 Identity Poltics

1:39:00 New Marxism vs Old Marxism

2:32:30 Is China State Capitalism?

2:38:00 Why are personal freedoms compromised in communism?

2:45:00 Uighur Muslims and China

3:09:00 Is Laal reuniting?