Dear Sonu Nigam and Rahat Fateh Ali
Dear Sonu Nigum ji and Rahat ji,
First of all, I want you to know that I love your programme, 'Chote Ustaad'. From the obvious care, time and effort that have gone into identifying these talented miracles, to the pairing of Indian and Pakistani children into teams, to your reactions and interventions as judges, it is all delightfully heartening. Congratulations.
As a child psychiatrist and as someone who not only deeply desires peace and harmony for and between our countries but also wishes for a more humane, tolerant and joyful future for our children, I would like to share some concerns and suggestions.
The competitive and judgmental aspect of the program design where teams work to win and others are eliminated creates, in my view, an unpleasant and unnecessary tension for the participants, their families and perhaps even within the team itself. This in what could otherwise be a wonderfully, enjoyable learning environment for all.
I realize that this design is fairly a standard by now and has been followed successfully, as far as ratings go, by many different programmes both in our countries and in the West. But is that necessarily a good model for our children? Would it not be better to teach this young group a different way of being together, of enjoying and learning for the sake of enjoying and learning - not for winning and defeating others?
You have before you a chance to do things differently. After all the goals you have set for yourselves of strengthening the bonds of friendship and solidarity between the two countries as well as guiding these children to become better singers are also different.
I am sure there can be many innovative ways to do this. Here is one suggestion. Make the Chote Ustaads part of the judges' teams. Divide the group into two or three smaller groups and let each team be led by one of you as the experts. Then guide them through the process of evaluating and critiquing each other's performances.
As you guide them, I would think you would deepen not only their knowledge of music/ singing/ performing, but it would be educational for the audience as well. In addition it would teach them to give and receive feedback in healthy ways - a skill often lacking in the best of us. You could even let them rate each other on some basic criteria - but it would all be done with the purpose of supporting and encouraging each other to improve. Thus, these twelve weeks could be a positive journey of growth for all the participants and their families.
If you are concerned about the audience's reaction, I for one can tell you that this change would make your program even more entertaining and special for me.
The writer is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist in Islamabad
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
First of all, I want you to know that I love your programme, 'Chote Ustaad'. From the obvious care, time and effort that have gone into identifying these talented miracles, to the pairing of Indian and Pakistani children into teams, to your reactions and interventions as judges, it is all delightfully heartening. Congratulations.
As a child psychiatrist and as someone who not only deeply desires peace and harmony for and between our countries but also wishes for a more humane, tolerant and joyful future for our children, I would like to share some concerns and suggestions.
The competitive and judgmental aspect of the program design where teams work to win and others are eliminated creates, in my view, an unpleasant and unnecessary tension for the participants, their families and perhaps even within the team itself. This in what could otherwise be a wonderfully, enjoyable learning environment for all.
I realize that this design is fairly a standard by now and has been followed successfully, as far as ratings go, by many different programmes both in our countries and in the West. But is that necessarily a good model for our children? Would it not be better to teach this young group a different way of being together, of enjoying and learning for the sake of enjoying and learning - not for winning and defeating others?
You have before you a chance to do things differently. After all the goals you have set for yourselves of strengthening the bonds of friendship and solidarity between the two countries as well as guiding these children to become better singers are also different.
I am sure there can be many innovative ways to do this. Here is one suggestion. Make the Chote Ustaads part of the judges' teams. Divide the group into two or three smaller groups and let each team be led by one of you as the experts. Then guide them through the process of evaluating and critiquing each other's performances.
As you guide them, I would think you would deepen not only their knowledge of music/ singing/ performing, but it would be educational for the audience as well. In addition it would teach them to give and receive feedback in healthy ways - a skill often lacking in the best of us. You could even let them rate each other on some basic criteria - but it would all be done with the purpose of supporting and encouraging each other to improve. Thus, these twelve weeks could be a positive journey of growth for all the participants and their families.
If you are concerned about the audience's reaction, I for one can tell you that this change would make your program even more entertaining and special for me.
The writer is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist in Islamabad
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Indian activists urge govt to return Pakistani prisoner’s body
Beena Sarwar
Karachi
Indian activists are pressuring their government to promptly release the body of Nawaz Ali Jat, the 32-year old Pakistani fisherman prisoner wh .....more
Beena SarwarKarachi
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Karachi too resonates with 'Bappa Morya'
Bharati Dubey, TNN
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New Pak-India visa policy by month end: Indian High Commissioner
LAHORE: Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal said Tuesday there was a revised visa agreement between Pakistan and India agreed to by the countries Interior Ministrie
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Politicians hail Pak-India economic moot
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Firdous Ashiq Awan hailing the Aman Ki Asha initiative launched jointly by Jang Group of Pakistan and Time o
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Two-day Indo-Pak Economic Conference begins today
Jawwad Rizvi & Khalid Khattak
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Page 118 of 175
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The News on Sunday Special Report: India Pakistan prisoners
We probably didn't need to do this Special Report. Newspaper stories don't matter when it comes to Indians in Pakistani jails and vice versa. In fact, 'vice versa' sums it up. We do to them what they do to us.
Except when the two countries decide to begin talking, yet again! This time a little before the foreign secretary level talks, some Pakistani prisoners were released by India (and vice versa must have happened) and some more were release....read more
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For the past 2 years the Jang Group and Geo have been working on a project of great national interest; one that we hope will help usher in an era of peace and prosperity in the country and indeed, in the region. And one that hopefully all Pakistanis can be proud of.
The Jang Group has entered into an agreement with the Times of India Group, the largest media group of India, to campaign for peace betw
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