The white house on Margallah Road was buzzing with Saturday night fever. The influx of teenagers and young adults was a sure-fire sign of a party in the making.
Sounds of J Lo’s “On the Floor” emanated out of Kuch Khaas (KK) as ushers led guests in, stamping logos on their hands. The red carpet at the entrance bore an insignia of what was soon to become the talk of the evening.
So what’s was the hoopla, you ask? It was the launching ceremony of a monthly web-magazine for the teenage generation by the local, coming-of-age teens and twenty-somethings of Islamabad.
A press kit issued by the team said, “Why Text, you ask? Text because everyone’s doing it. Text is a body. It’s a phone. It’s a laptop. We’re reclaiming the word to fit local youth culture that, let’s face it, never got a chance to see the light of day. We lack a definitive voice and it’s time to bring that out.”
The magazine mainly targets teenagers and what the teenagers think is hot or matters. The e-zine does not restrict itself to just lifestyle, but aims to “cover it all, from fashion to education to social issues that reverberate with our youth to spotlighting local achievers/celebrities- all with a distinct voice, and our biting wit.”
The set seemed right out of a retro Hollywood film. Hot pink fairy lights formed a net atop tables adorned by the logo-inscribed accessories- lamps, bookmarks, flyers and more. A huge silver, disco ball reflected the colours of the outfits of girls mostly in black tights, splashy tops and platforms and boys in their regular jeans, tees and converse. Waiters served hors d’oeuvres and finger food with tiny flags of the magazine’s logo, hoisted within. Spotlights flickered amid fog machines.
The brains behind the e-mag, Editor-in-Chief Osman Khalid Butt and Art Director Sana Hassan, gave a multimedia presentation of what Osman dubbed, “an essentially two-person project, with the backing of the rest of Kuch Khaas-ians.”
He added, “It’s an anti-thesis to all your online gossip-y/lifestyle forums. We talk teen issues in their speak, from the city that always sleeps…and dreams.”
A prelude to the presentation, the promo trailer of the ‘zine was an instant hit. Directed by Usman Mukhtar, it portrayed a fresh and funky take on the regular, urban teenager.
High on the merriment, Insolent Knights, KK’s home-grown entertainment troupe enacted contemporary pop culture into a parody show of sorts. They poked fun at entertainment icons with improvisations like Capital Shock, Lady Tata, Black & White Swan, the vampire chronicles from Twilight and more- with ample doses of slapstick humour.
The night ended with Uzair Jaswal’s performance on popular western covers of all-time hits like ‘Summer of ’69′ by Bryan Adams.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 25th, 2011.
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