Meet the man bringing folk wisdom to social media

Don't be surprised if you see a nomad sharing pearls on your timeline thats renowned playwright Zafar Mairaj

KARACHI: The nature of indigenous ethos is such that it is bound to be misrepresented in any modern nation-state. Folk sensibilities, more so than often, fall victim to cherry-picking in order to fit into a pre-determined political narrative that justifies otherwise arbitrary boundaries.

In the West, particularly the academically developed countries, there has been a conscious effort to limit the extent of this misrepresentation in the last decade or so. Much of that primarily has to do with increasing multiculturalism as a result of which there has been a drastic change of attitude towards the study of anthropology.



In the case of Pakistan, while urban perception towards folk cultures hasn't been regressed as such, it has definitely witnessed a perversion of sorts over the years. With all it's drawbacks, back when entertainment was largely dominated by state-run apparatuses the catalog of folk repertoire was much broader compared to today. By no means does it signify that their vision was altruistic. '

Having realised the limits of television today, critically-acclaimed playwright Zafar Mairaj who is known for delivering a plethora of works exploring folk sensibilities on Television has now moved to social media.



In a new web series titled Khanabadosh, the writer is tackling common issues through the lens of 'folks'. "I believe that a lot of existential queries that riddle us today can be answered if we dig deeper into our own soil," Mairaj tells The Express Tribune.

The format of the series is conversation based, addressing a certain common issue through folk mannerism in each episode. One episode sees Mairaj playing a nomad in his home-province of rural Balochistan as he talks about how the concept of a 'cultural day' is essentially cultural appropriation. In the episode, he adds how the true way to celebrate a folk culture is by living it and embodying the set of values it offers.



Mairaj's character also goes on to talk about the definition of culture, which in his words is actually more of a mindset than a set of arbitrary customs.

"I myself have grown up in a nomadic lifestyle and am also exposed to the attitudes of Urban life. What I 've learned is that most issues across are very much the same at the root level," says Mairaj.

With Khanabadosh, the aim is to raise the bar intellectually by leveraging on stories and ideas present in the region for generations. "Today you see women in Pakistan becoming more vocal about their grievances with society. And why wouldn't they?" he asks. "If you look at the mainstream narrative you will find no characters and stories that they can relate to. In television, the characters are made through a certain corporate attitude which at its very core is hollow. But if you explore indigenous narratives and stories you'll see a liberated woman."

Mairaj believes that with corporations and private channels coming into the picture, mainstream television has lost the little connection it had with it's actual demographic and geography. "The stories being told on screen are not from this region and when you import ideas you need to find a reason to do so.  Religion as a trope or a basis of argument really helps with the justification," he says rather cryptically.

Contrary to how it may seen, the series doesn't follow a certain script. Mairaj pointed out that while he does prepare certain notes before every shoot, the delivery is largely improvised.



"Me and  Qaiser Ali used to sit together , a bethak where we used to talk about such things. Ali who manages Nashpati, one day suggested to talk about these things in front of the camera. That's what the series essentially is, a bethak," he said.

For someone who has for the major part of his career been associated with television, writing over 50 Tv serials and various accolades under his belt including Lux Style Award nominations and National drama awards, one would think that he would be reluctant to jump on a new medium.

"Storytelling is something that is constantly changing its shape. If you have the skill you can mold yourself to any medium. On a different note, if I had taken this concept to a TV channel, it would've been surely rejected."

Being selective when it comes to giving space to different cultures has always been imperative at state institutions. However with corporate entities taking the charge, the folk expression has been boxed and entirely stripped of its ethos making it 'digestible' for the urban lot i.e the customer base in question.

Perhaps someone with an indigenous upbringing like Mairaj himself can prove to be the ideal vessel between the fishermen and amazon.

Watch the video here



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