The Sketches’ new music video is balm on our bruises

‘Meri Dunya’ instills a search for peace as we recover from one ‘hell’ of a week

KARACHI: Social media went crazy when the kid on the banana cart was looted last week. Some called it shocking, others found it cruel, but all in all it was a reflection of the changes we are undergoing as a society; a reflection which is quite hard to brave.  You slam the laptop and throw away the phone to step out, but the air reeks of burnt rubber and perpetual chaos. Where does an ordinary person like you and me go from here? Nowhere! We are bruised and bleeding and denial really seems like a river in Egypt.

The extraordinary kind however always has a boat to sail through, a message they leave in a bottle or a reason for the show to go on. As much as Plato would disagree, the extraordinary are the artists; the usually small but significant faction of the society that weaves magic out of circumstances.

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

Social unrest has been the muse for Pakistani musicians for a while, but usually they have responded with anger, reform or satire. The Sketches’ answer to the past ‘hell’ of a week is a prayer that is not preachy. The band released their OST Meri Dunya from Cake as a separate music video on Friday night after the government struck a deal with Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan and the news of Maulana Samiul-Haq’s assassination started running across news channels. “Everyone is talking about politics and people are under stress. We must give our fans some melodies to stay easy,” the band’s frontman, Saif Samejo wrote on Facebook before releasing the video.

The Sketches collaborate with Mai Dhai

Although the song had earlier been released as part of Cake, the events of the past few days gave it a new meaning altogether. It is a plea to the Watchman of this world, that not only glorifies the grandeur of the Watchman but also indulges in His essence. But there’s also pain, as if the indulgence so far has gone futile and only more indulgence will save us from ourselves. The key word here is indulgence and that shouldn’t be confused with submission. It’s almost as if a Bhajan is being recited by a Marxist; he is both worried about suffering of the people and wants to delve in a higher power at the same time.

PHOTO: THE SKETCHES FACEBOOK PAGE

Meri Dunya has a rather ambient beginning. Mohan veena kicks in with some magnificent yet melancholic parts; Roshan Sharma really knows how to slide through your heartache. He exposes the wounds that the harmonies try to heal, almost making the song sound like a hymn. Samejo’s folk-pop vocals get enough empty spaces to stand out as the voice of the kid who couldn’t make it to school against the foot-tapping semi acoustic arrangement that continues like our daily lives.

Wise men and women might argue that music is no answer to problems so deeply ingrained in our social fabric. Songs like Meri Dunya however, serve like a balm on our bruises. They help us recuperate as we prepare for the next episode in the life of an average Pakistani.

Watch it here:


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