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The 'Pakistan Zindabad' Series
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With
over three hundred hours of footage shot on SP BetaCam for the Pakistan
Zindabad series alone, Serendip has the unique advantage of access to
what is probably one of the most diverse archives of video footage on
Pakistan- its people, culture and landscapes. But more importantly,
Serendip has documented and continues to document various facets of
the issues that face Pakistan as a developing country- issues on health,
labour, education, gender, conservation and environment.
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The
Pakistan Zindabad Programmes
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| Programme One (25 minutes) | Programme
Two (25 minutes) |
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The
first programme traces the history of the Independence movement in British
India. Using rare archive footage of M. A. Jinnah- the founder of Pakistan-
and drawing on the memories of intellectuals including Professor Karrar
Hussain and political activists such as the feisty Princess Abida Sultan,
the programme reflects on the struggle that led to the birth of a new
country.
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Painter
Mehmood Qureshi recreates his home city of Islamabad on canvass while
politician Wasim Sajjad muses on the state of Pakistan. Folk artisans
in Saidpur mould traditional pottery out of clay; Sikh pilgrims come
to the town of Hasan Abdal to pay homage to their spiritual leader,
Guru Nanak; and a young school girl talks about what it means to be
a Pakistani, as she wanders through the Buddhist ruins at Taxila.
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| Programme Three (25 minutes) | Programme Four (25 minutes) | |||||||||
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It was the Sufi saints who preached peace and equality to their devotees
during the 11th century- today their followers still congregate at their
shrines in the city of Multan. Meanwhile, two young art students in
Lahore explore their Mughal heritage for inspiration; and the Nawab
of Bahawalpur unfolds the grandeur of his ancestral home.
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A determined young woman travels many miles into the Thar desert every
week to provide health care to young mothers; fashion designer Neelofar
Shahid talks about her intricate design work; and in the Northern valley
of Shandur, polo teams lock horns in a grim battle on the highest playing
field in the world.
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| Programme Five (25 minutes) | Programme Six (25 minutes) | |||||||||
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Philanthropist
Nisar Effendi visits a village where women stitch the 'rallis' that
the Thar desert is famous for; the couple who run Lahore's most famous
Chinese restaurant explain why they chose to settle in Pakistan; the
ancient city of Mohenjodaro is resurrected and seen to live on in the
fisher-folk of Manchar lake, and pilgrims travel to pay homage to Sindh's
most famous saint, Shahbaz Qalander.
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The
legendary valley of Hunza wakes up to sunrise over Rakaposhi mountain,
as Shireen Walji, Pakistan's most well known tourism entrepreneur, watches
from the balcony of the mediaeval Baltit fort. Begum Abida Hussain,
feudal daughter turned political leader, strolls through her stables;
a group of Jhang folk dancers put on a fiery display, and a young urban
woman explains her unlikely passion for organic farming.
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| Programme Seven (25 minutes) | Programme Eight (25 minutes) | |||||||||
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Allan
Fakir, one of the last symbols of traditional Sindhi folk music, performs
in the open air of the Sindh desert, while the ancient heritage of an
entire region is uncovered in the Hyderabad Museum. Families flock to
the shrine of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai on the eve of his birth aniversary;
painter Salima Hashmi opens the doors to her studio in Lahore and sculpture
students at the National College of Arts portray the meaning of gender.
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One
of Pakistan's most well known community development activists, Shoaib
Sultan Khan takes part in a community meeting in Hunza; a family in
Ahmedabad prepares for the season of apricot drying; and historian Rubina
Qizalbash explores the rich history of Mohalla Sethian, one of the oldest
ancestral houses in the city of Peshwar.
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