Sangam playlist for March 29, 2008

Here is the playlist for the 29 March, 2008, Sangam program.

You can listen to the live audiostream here: http://kfai.org/smil/kfailive.ram

The archived audiostream will be available for two weeks after 7:00 pm US Central Time (24:00 UTC), 29 March, here: http://helix.kfai.org/ramgen/replay/Sangam/Sangam(2008-03-29).rm

I'll be interviewing the award-winning mystery writer Sujata Massey in the second hour of the show: More information is available here:
http://ahmedn8.blogspot.com/2008/03/sujata-massey-on-sangam-march-29-2008.html


Also, note that the KFAI pledge drive will start next week. Please contribute to keeping KFAI and Sangam on the air.

My next program will be on April 5 during the pledge drive. Please call me during the show on the studio line at 612-341-0980 and make a donation pledge.



Thanks.

Track Title	Artist	Album	Track No.
Tujhe pyar karte karte	Naheed Akhtar	Memories 2, Agar Tum Mil Jao	3
Tujhe apne dil se main	Ahmed Rushdi	Yaaden	3
Zindagi shart hai	Tina Sani	Teri Yaad	8
Chal rein de	Sajjad Ali	Chal Rein De	1
Faithless love	Najma Akhtar	Atish	7
Gardish	Karavan	Gardish	6
Main na manoon haar	Awaz	Shola - Jadoo Ka Chiragh	5
Haniyan	Shazia Manzoor	Ishq Sohna	6
Wan kutia	Abrar ul Haq	Mein Gaddi Aap Chalwan Ga	6
Dil na lagey	Faakhir	Aatish	5
Na asey shehzade	Shehzad Roy	Rab Janey	8
Nindiya	Evolution	Shake Your Body	4
Track 1	Shahzad Hameed	Songs from the Nowhere Land	1
Dam mast qalandar	Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan	Rough Guide to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan	8
Mustt mustt	Brooklyn Qawwali Party	BQP	1
Nit khair mangan	Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan	Top Hits of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan	3
Flight IC 408	State of Bengal	Visual Audio	1
Sun	Loop Guru	Amrita	7
PD7	Anoushka Shankar, Karsh Kale	Breathing Under Water	6
Temple gates	James Asher, Jon Crosse	Tigers of the Remix	10

Sujata Massey on Sangam, March 29, 2008

I'll be interviewing the award-winning mystery writer Sujata Massey on Sangam on March 29, 2008.

We will talk about her about-to-be released novel "Shimura Trouble", emigration, diasporas, and the breaking and making of connections across generations. Sujata will share her own experience of mixed heritage and give some ideas about what parents can do to help their children feel good about their heritage without pestering them.

Sujata will also give you a sneak peak at her next novel wich will be of close interest to many of you. And - we will play some of Sujata's favorite music!

Please note also that a book signing/talk for "Shimura Trouble" will be held at 7 pm, Wednesday April 16, at Once Upon a Crime, 604 W. 26th at Lyndale. You can sign up for information about Sujata's mystery novels here: http://interbridge.com/sujata/

Join Sujata and me for a stimulating conversation on March 29 on Sangam.

Sangam is aired on Saturdays on KFAI, 90.3 FM in Minneapolis, 106.7 FM in St. Paul, from 5:00-7:00 pm Central Time (2400-0200 UTC). You can listen to it live at:
http://kfai.org/smil/kfailive.ram

You can listen to a recorded version of the broadcast with Sujata Massey, after the show, here:
http://helix.kfai.org/ramgen/replay/Sangam/Sangam(2008-03-29).rm

Fawzia's music videos

Here is a set of music videos that Fawzia Afzal-Khan produced in Pakistan last year.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=c80WgGG5Jzo&feature=related

http://youtube.com/watch?v=K0YzOfG_7c0

http://youtube.com/watch?v=z4SrSic8WXA&feature=related


The multi-talented Fawzia also teaches, is a well-regarded writer and speaker on political/activist issues, and is a performance artist with several shows presented in the US and abroad. Some of her work is quite edgy and intended to disturb the status quo.

Sangam playlist for March 15, 2008

Here is the Sangam playlist for today, March 15, 2008.

We will have a special guest today. Tee-M will talk about his music and we will a play a few tracks from his CD "Earthiotic". How did he come up with that name?

You can listen to the live audiostream here: http://kfai.org/smil/kfailive.ram from 5:00-7:00 pm Central Time (22:00-24:00 UTC). Or tune in to 90.3 FM in Minneapolis and 106.7 FM in St. Paul.

The archived audiostream will be available for two weeks after 7:00 pm US Central Time (24:00 UTC), 15 March, here: http://helix.kfai.org/ramgen/replay/Sangam/Sangam(2008-03-15).rm

Call me during the show on the studio line at 612-341-0980.

I will be on the air next on March 29 when I fill in for another host. And, we will have mystery guest. Be sure to tune in for intriguing interview and a related local event.

Regards.

Track Title	Artist	Album	Track No.
Bana ke mera nashaiman	Saleem Raza	Best of Saleem Raza	2
Tez hui dil ki dharkan	Roona Laila	Best of Roona Laila	14
Aap ki nazron ne samjha	Bally Sagoo	The Rough Guide to Indian Lounge	5
Yeh nahin	Kiran Ahluwalia	Kiran Ahluwalia	2
Tadbeer se bugri hui taqdeer	Geeta Dutt	Streets of Bollywood and Beyond	2
Bar bar dekho	Saleem Javed	A Tribute to Muhammad Rafi	8
Aag	Nazia Hassan	Best of Nazia Hassan, Album 2	5
Dil nai lagda	Aman Hayer	The Rough Guide to Bhangra Dance	4
Patlo	Abrar ul Haq	Naraa Sada Ishq Aey	6
Khwaab	Niraj Chag	The Rough Guide to Indian Lounge	7
Kabhi kabhi	Rage	Deewana	9
Gulabi	Evolution	Shake Your Body	2
Aao, aao, aao	Tee-M	Earthiotic	7
Disappeared	Tee-M	Earthiotic	3
Thinkin' 'bout James Brown	Tee-M	Sampler	2
Saman hay yeh mustana	Jawad Ahmad	Ucchayan Majajan Vaali	10
Wanjhi waleria	Rabi Pirzada	Mujhay Ishq hai	4
Hari om hari	TS Soundz (Chicago Mix)	Kick Back 2	7
	Anoushka Shankar	Breathing Under Water	2
Sayanji	Ustad Sultan Khan & Joe Clausell	Rare Elements	7
Lament	Earthtribe	Star Rise	8

Khuda Kay Liye

Had a chance to watch Khuda Kay Liye tonight at a screening conducted by the local PSA. You may recall that I have played several songs from this film on Sangam. There was a discussion after the movie on the questions and issues raised by it (basically issues of "Muslimness", culture, and identity) but sadly I didn’t have time to stay for it (other duties called).

This is more of a reaction to the film rather than a proper review but I thought I would share it with you in case you were interested. Information about the movie can be found on its official site: http://www.inthenameofgod.com/

The story is enjoyable though no novel themes are explored. Some parts were insufficiently motivated, for instance no convincing context was provided for why one of the main characters (Sarmad, the younger brother) had a resurgence of religiosity. That also highlights an issue with the pacing of the film. It did not allow sufficient time to develop a theme or a certain scene and yet seemed to drag on. Perhaps it would have been better to explore fewer ideas; though I suspect that a more expert director and editor probably could have packed things together more effectively.

The acting is rather mediocre; quite amateurish from some of the actors. You have seen better on TV dramas. Some of that could have been due to the script where both phrasing and the switch between Urdu and English for some of the lines seems quite forced. The language used by the older brother when speaking to his younger brother sounded like Bollywoodese Hindi rather than what one would expect given their family backgrounds. Finally, some ends were left dangling at the conclusion of the movie. What happened to some of the supporting characters? It is within the prerogative of the storywriter and director not to account for those but, still, it felt a little awkward.

Some portions of the film did move me but I suspect that was because they triggered emotions associated with specific elements of my cultural and religious background rather than eliciting universal human reactions due to the excellence of film craft. Someone walking into the movie with a different background could be left totally unmoved.

All in all, I enjoyed the movie and would suggest that you watch it but modulate your expectations appropriately. It is neither a Hollywood blockbuster nor Masterpiece Theater. Good effort. It is nice that Shoaib Mansoor made the film and that there is interest in developing Pakistani cinema into something artistic and professional. However this movie is definitely a product at the beginning of that process and quite a bit of work remains to be done before something competitive strictly on film-making merit is produced.

Some of the music from the movie, though, is very nice and I’ll play certain tracks again on Sangam. Stay tuned.

It is interesting that Pakistani music is highly competitive globally. Some of the music videos, even, compete every effectively with the best productions from other countries. Pakistani film though has a ways to go. I think if the number of productions increases and more new directors, actors, and producers get involved, film quality will improve quickly.