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Showing posts from October, 2019

Sindh Health Department Announces New Midwifery Plan

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Health Minister of Sindh  inaugurated first 6 of 55 Government Dispensaries (GDs) in order to address Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), Neonatal, Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Family Planning (FP) targets, stunting, Nutrition support issues in a more holistic way. The Mother Neonatal Child Healthcare (MNCH) program was initiated by international donor agencies years back. The idea was that a community midwife (CMW) with matriculation qualification would be selected and trained for two years to provide prenatal, postnatal care and help in skilled-delivery of baby.  These midwives would be provided birthing stations to be established in the community so that the women of the community could avail a skilled birth attendant in their vicinity. Various academic research papers and health indicators show that little benefit was accrued from the program due to various concept flaws and typical social milieu in Pakistan; however the program did provide some hard lessons to be learnt if we want

Columns: A Must Read Book By Amar Jaleel

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Amar Jaleel is one of the widely read authors of Sindhi language, who can be undoubtedly called a trend-setter and torch-bearer in Sindhi prose. Mystic by nature Amar pin-points most horrifying issues with his tremendous sense of humour. Probably the only Sindhi writer, who is now writing continuously since six decades. Though his specialty is short-story, but he has given a new way of expression especially in Sindhi journalism through his creative columns.     Over years only seven to eight books penned by Jaleel were marketed including: “Dil Jee Duniya” (Collection of Short Stories), “Jeedhan Maan Naa Hundoos” (Collection of Short Stories), “Sindhu Muhanjee Saah Main” (Collection of Columns), “Ranikot Jo Khazanoo” (Collection of Short Stories), “Tareekh Jo Kafan” (Collection of Short Stories), “Muhanjo Dus Asamanan Khan Puchjo” (Collection of Short Stories), “Tiyoon Wajood” (Collection of Short Stories), and “Neth Gungay Ghalayo” (A Novel).       Later on it was Mukhtiar Mall

YAC Demands Justice For Saira Taheem: Sindhoo Nawaz Ghanghro

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The activists of Youth Action Committee (YAC) led by chairperson Sindhoo Nawaz Ghanghro, Sohail Bhutto, Hamz Ali Chandio and others had a token hunger strike on Saturday outside Hyderabad Press Club demanding justice for Saira Taheem. In a statement YCA chairperson Sindhoo Nawaz Ghanghro stated that injustice has been done with Saira Taheem, since there were no student unions at universities, the students were facing harassment in different forms from the administrations. The cases of harassment especially with females at educational institutions were increasing by every passing day. "The education of females is being effected by such harassment, till student unions are not restored at educational institutes students would continue to face such injustice. YAC demands immediate restoration of student unions at educational institutes across the country, while it is also demanded to give immediate justice to Saira Taheem and her culprits should be arrested," Ms. Sindhoo

To Say Shaikh Ayaz Is Just Progressive Poet Would Not Be Correct: Ali Akash

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Poet and thinker Ali Akash in a lecture conducted at Cafe Khanabadosh, Hyderabad on topic Shaikh Ayaz: A Progressive Poet claimed that progressive writing was ideological movement having its roots in the October 1917 Red Revolution. Though Marx and Engel were of the opinion that Marxism could be implemented in those states where there was a conflict between industrialists and workers, but Lenin implemented Marxism in Russia keeping in view the local conditions, it became a worldwide phenomena, that revolution had an impact on politics, ideology as well as on literature. The basic aim of progressive movement was to bring out people from traditional thinking and look at things with modern approach, its aim was to bring out people from old trends, traditions and superstitions and lead them towards new path of reason and enlightenment, he said. The second important point of that movement was social realism in literature, prior to the revolution only Pushkin was one writer who coul

Margert Atwood And Bernardine Evaristo To Share Booker Prize

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Canadian writer Margaret Atwood and British author Bernardine Evaristo split the Booker Prize, after the judging panel ripped up the rulebook and refused to name one winner for the prestigious fiction trophy. Chairman Peter Florence said the five judges simply couldn’t choose between Atwood’s dystopian thriller  The Testaments  and Evaristo’s kaleidoscope of black women’s stories,  Girl, Woman, Other. Partly inspired by the environmental protesters of Extinction Rebellion, who were demonstrating near the prize ceremony’s venue in London’s financial district, Florence said the judges refused to back down when told the rules prohibit more than one winner. “Our consensus was that it was our decision to flout the rules,” he said. “I think laws are inviolable and rules are adaptable to the circumstance.” Prize organisers didn’t see it that way. Gaby Wood, literary director of the Booker Prize Foundation, said prize trustees repeatedly told the judges they couldn’t have two winne

Marjan Arbab: Pakistan's Most Popular Female Blogger

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A female in this era of technological advancement dominating in the field of blogging is a motivation for females especially in Pakistan to chase their dreams. There are a lot of females who want to be become bloggers but need a reason and motivation to work even if they are not allowed to do it outside, a lot of them can do it from it heir homes.   Marjan Arbab is an example for such girls.  Marjan Arbab belongs to Quetta but now she has settled at Karachi. She is a graduate from Buitems University Quetta in Economics.  Marjan is one of the famous female bloggers from Pakistan with huge popularity in the audience. She also conducts seminars and is a professional content writer.  She owns a website “flavorsinlife.com” where she guides and gives tips to the newbies who want to start blogging.We wish her a lot success for future and prays for better health. She also gives tips of proper blog writing and offers many courses to learn blogging and earn through digital space, one

Sirmed-e-Gethi: A Play Based On Poem Of Haleem Baghi

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Characters: Sirmed (A thirty year old young revolutionary, who's fighting for self-determination of his motherland has been abducted by forces, his entire body is wounded and is bleeding and sweating, he has beard on face, he's weak and pale, his eye balls have turned red in the torture cell) Major Aftan (A thrity five year old major of Deep State Army, he has board chest, muscular, 6'2in in height, he is in his uniform, anger in his eyes, having red mustache on face) Few soldiers (accompanied with Major Aftan) The Executioner (A fat and ugly man) Crowd (including men, women and children, they seem to be helpless, endless pain and regret could be seen from their faces) Angel of Death (In black costume and huge black wings) Angel of Life (In white costume and huge white wings) Other characters like a girl, an army burning city, a dead body, dancers would appear at different intervals. Act One, Scene One The door of small and dark torture cell opens w

Why It Is Always The Last Of Bloodline In Thrillers Like The Protector

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 I have just finished an amazing series named The Protector available on biggest digital platform Netflix, that took me back to the history of great Ottoman Empire, and while I was watching the streets of Istanbul and the life in that wonderful city (obviously on screen) I was feeling at home. The Protector is based upon Turkish novel A Strange Story of Charcoal and a Young Man by Kara Kalem and the first Turkish Netflix Original, it is a story of a young man named Hakan, who owns an antique shop in six hundred years old bazaar of Istanbul, but he has big dreams as he wants to be just like Faysel Erdem, a business tycoon of Istanbul. Our hero Hakan eventually finds a job in Faysel's company as a member of security crew. But his destiny is to kill the last immortal as Hakan happens to be the last bloodline of the protector, for whom the Loyal Ones are waiting with patience. In the very first episode of the series a lady named Suzan Bayraktar comes to Hakan's shop looking

Polish Author Olga Tokarczuk Wins Nobel Prize For Literature Of 2018-19

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The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018 is awarded to the Polish author Olga Tokarczuk “for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life.” The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2019 is awarded to the Austrian author Peter Handke “for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience.” Olga Tokarczuk was born 1962 in Sulechów in Poland, and today lives in Wrocław. Her parents were teachers and her father also functioned as school librarian. In the library she read pretty much everything she could get hold of and it was here that she developed her literary appetite. After studies in psychology at the University of Warsaw she made her debut as a fiction writer 1993 with ‘Podróz ludzi Księgi’ (‘The Journey of the Book-People’). Her real breakthrough came with her third novel ‘Prawiek i inne czasy’ 1996 (‘Primeval and Other Times’, 2010).  The novel is an

The Adventures Of Merlin: Enter The World of Magic

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Merlin is a British fantasy-adventure drama television programme created by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Julian Murphy, and Johnny Capps, starring Bradley James as King Arthur and Colin Morgan as Merlin. It was broadcast on BBC One from 20 September 2008 to 24 December 2012 for a total of 65 episodes.  The show is loosely based on the Arthurian legends of the young wizard Merlin and his extremely close relationship with King Arthur, but it differs from traditional versions. The show was influenced by the US drama series Smallville about the early years of Superman and was produced by independent production company Shine Limited. Merlin is a reimagining of the legend in which the future King Arthur and Merlin are young contemporaries. Arthur's father Uther Pendragon has banned magic in Camelot. Its use is punishable by death, forcing Merlin to keep his magical powers secret from everyone in Camelot other than his mentor Gaius.  Arthur grows from a young, self-absorbed boy to

Lack Of Criticism In Urdu Literature Of Pakistan

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A few days back I posted a post on social media regarding Urdu Literature being created in Pakistan, saying: “Pakistani Urdu literature being created nowadays is like that tobacco paan that one spits out immediately without a second thought.” Some of my social media friends accused me of hate speech, while some others called it a sweeping statement, while some asked: “why to criticize Urdu literature only?” According to me this is neither hate speech, nor a sweeping statement, it has firm grounds, firstly, I came to this conclusion by reading Urdu novels and short stories that have been published in recent past, secondly even the scholars of Urdu literature have mentioned this in their research works. In answer to why only Urdu literature; as a writer and reader I am free to give my opinion on literature of every language, secondly Urdu literature has more readers in Sindh as compared to rest of Pakistan. In this regards I had a discussion with an employee of Ficti

The World of Fairy Tales: Two Irish Tales

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                                                                The Fairies                              William Allingham Up the airy mountain, Down the rushy glen, We daren't go a-hunting For fear of little men; Wee folk, good folk, Trooping all together; Green jacket, red cap, And white owl's feather! Down along the rocky shore Some make their home, They live on crispy pancakes Of yellow tide-foam; Some in the reeds Of the black mountain lake, With frogs for their watch-dogs All night awake. High on the hill-top The old King sits; He is now so old and gray He's nigh lost his wits. With a bridge of white mist Columbkill he crosses, On his stately journeys From Slieveleague to Rosses; Or going up with music On cold starry nights, To sup with the Queen Of the gay Northern Lights. They stole little Bridget For seven years long; When she came down again Her friends were all gone. They took her lightly back, Between the night and morrow, They thought that she was