An extension of Safa’s last business venture of customized Game of Throne mugs. PHOTOS: FILE
KARACHI:
“Urdu is a lashkari language,” had said Ramish Safa’s father while explaining his son the history of Urdu. Narrating this history, Safa said: “Many of us don’t even know the history of the language. It is a combination of many languages, such as Turkish, Hindi and Persian, and was created by the Mughal army as they needed a unified language for communication.”
A Business graduate and a Digital Artist, Safa is aiming to strike a perfect balance between his passion and profession through his latest project. In an interview with The Express Tribune, he said: “Have you ever read the Urdu Qaeda? It’s so boring. I mean who would want to read things like ‘Alif se Anaar’. There are also some words in the Qaeda that we don’t even know about like ‘Zoi se Zuroof’. People like you and I don’t even know what that means.”
“The best way to teach children would be through incorporating pop culture into teaching. For instance, there is a better chance of a child associating the word Shahid Afridi with the letter sheen than the word sher,” remarked the artist. According to Safa, Urdu language has changed drastically with time. It is not a single language anymore as words from other dialects, particularly English, are being incorporated into it.
“People don’t know the Urdu translation for words like boxer and dentist. They are being used in everyday language and have also become a part of the written text to a great extent. Words such as left, right and u-turn are used and understood by people who don’t know English,” said the digital artist.
Urdu 101 is an extension of Safa’s last business venture in which he released a customised line of Game of Throne mugs. It featured phrases like ‘Jeem say Jon Snow’ and ‘Laam say Lannister’ printed on them and became quite popular in demand. According to him, it was a sneak peek into what his Qaeda is going to look like.
Apart from these projects, Safa also manages the immensely popular digital comic Kachee Goliyan (KG) and The CariCature Shop, online. He acknowledged Kachee Goliyan for providing him with the expertise and knowledge to start another successful venture ‘The CariCature Shop’, where he draws digital caricatures for customers.
“I learnt a lot through my time with KG as it helped me understand the psyche of the audience and curate my content according to them,” remarked Safa.
The reason he left the world of digital comics was boredom and his wish to not succumb to the curse of bland mediocrity. He told: “I wanted to experience new stuff and avenue.”
When questioned about parent’s hesitation to teach their children from such a non-conformist book like Urdu 101, he answered: “My book has nothing vulgar or graphic about it. If a child fails to learn something by traditional methods of teaching, then naturally you would have to employ a new technique. Plus, the book is not only for children; it is for people of all ages and it has something in it for everyone as the whole family to enjoy.”
Published in The Express Tribune, February 27th, 2015.
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