A lot of people around me ask me almost every time I bring up writing in conversation. And given that it takes a considerable amount of my time, apart from teaching, writing do comes up a lot. People ask me all the time,  How do you write? How can you write? How do you find the time? What motivates you to write? How do you stay even focused with children hammering doors and throwing toys around? Don't you think you can do something better? You are an engineer, why do you bother with writing reviews and bullshit like this? To fully answer all the questions is a tad bit difficult because it is no small feat. The topic is too important, vast and extremely close to my heart. I really do not want to cram information into a single post that makes no sense. Instead, I planned to make it a series of posts that we can all relate to, and the first question in the series I decided to discuss is "How do I write?" Writing is NOT easy To be honest there is no re...

Produced and Directed by Strings Music Directors: Shuja Haider, Shani Arshad, Sajjad Ali On-air date: September 21, 2017 Baanware by Shuja Haider and Aima Baig This season CS has discovered a gem that shines so bright, it has dimmed many. Aima Baig has such a beautiful and yet powerful voice and texture is too surreal. Banware is penned and composed by Shuja Haider. His voice complements the music, mood, and lyrics perfectly. The track moves like a morning breeze. Hear the track here and let us know what do you think of it? Listen OR Download MP3 here! Maula Tera Noor by Shafqat Amanat Ali The Kalam tells the story of a spiritual journey and track has been set beautifully by Shani Arshad. Penned down by Zafar Sabri, Maula Tera Noor, has been complemented by Shafqat Amanat Ali's soulful voice. The track is beautiful, soulful and majestic. Hear the track here and let us know what do you think of it? Listen OR Download MP3 here! Tera Naam by Sajjad Ali ...

Writing is a practice, nearly as old as the time itself. The man adopted writing to preserve the history, knowledge, and experiences of all the time.  The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.  Albert Camus Over the time writing has evolved. Printing and publishing emerged as a giant market. Blogging brought something more to the table, a chance to self-publish. Writers are sharing their ideas openly and blogs are the best place to start your journey. Today we are going to discuss the steps to write a blog post for beginners, what to do and what not to do. 1.        Pick your subject line When you intend to write a blog post or anything, the first thing to consider is “What do you want to write?”. Now the topic of a post is something you need to work on. It needs to be simple, yet powerful enough to grab the attention of your reader at a glance. The Internet is packed with information of all sorts, so your...

Produce and Directed by Strings Music Directors: Shuja Haider, Ali Hamza, Salman Ahmed On air date: September 15, 2017 Dam Mast Qalandar by Umair Jaswal & Jabar Abbas Originally composed by Farrukh Fateh Ali, Lyrics by Bari Nizami, Sung by Nusret Fateh Ali Khan I have been looking forward to what Umair Jaswal was bringing to the table this year.The guy has been an absolute delight to hear and watch too. And my! I have not been disappointed. To recreate "Dam Mast Qalandar" is no easy task, mostly because of the legend of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sb.  To say that nobody can match his level is cent percent true. But Coke Studio as always has been quite successful in recreating our most favorite melodies as usual.  Shuja Haider has done a bang up job and both singers have done justice to the Kalam. The percussions are loud, the bass is off the charts, and rhythms are catchy that you can't stop listening to. The lush voice of Jabar Abbas to...

Blog writing is an absolute delight to many of my kith and kin out there. Have you ever heard of it? I am sure you have. Do you have any idea of the value of a blog? Do you know the pros and cons of it? Have you ever thought about blogging online? If you want to know more on the subject, you have come to the right place fellas. In this post, I will try my best to highlight what blogging really is and what are the benefits of it. Blogging is a big market out there. It is an advanced way to expand businesses, control information centers and create a hub for information sharing. A writer or even a common person can use it to further his hobbies. People share real-life experiences, professional opinions and a lot of people pay good money to pick a person’s brain for expertise. The blog is a source of passive income. No doubt people are earning a lot from blogging but you should know this beforehand that the income phase is too far in the line. Building a subs...

Have you ever thought you can write? I did and then I got out and when I did write, people said and I quote, "This is shit." The problem isn't that you can't write, the problem is the fact you can't get over the rejections. No great writer came and conquered the audience. Writing is a practice that is developed over time. It is a wine that gets better with age. And sometimes it is just plain and simply too much of an effort.  “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”   Maya Angelou Here I quote some of the great sayings of all times by the writers we all love and adore. Hope you get inspired.  There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.  Ernest Hemingway    If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.  Stephen King   One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.  Jack Kerouac   And by the way, e...

Produced and Directed by Strings Music Directors: Shani Arshad, Shuja Haider, Sahir Ali Bagga, Jaffer Zaidi On air date: September 9, 2017 Bol by Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan The poetry of Faiz is itself an inspiration, and to top it off, CS has magically transformed this writing something so much more than it's original self. Listen OR Download MP3 here Sab Maya Hai by Attaullah Esakhelvi & Sanwal Esakhelvi The start of the track is haunting, beautiful and lynches off a dust of the desert that seems to emit from every  song with the voice of Attaullah. It does feel like Sanwal Esakhelvi was holding back his range. It would have been too much if he had just let go of reservations and gone with the flow. Listen OR Download MP3 here Rangrez by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan The duo of Sahir Ali Bagga and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan created another subtle Sufi track that carries all the maigical flares that we need and crave. Listen OR Download MP3 here Ujaa...

Produced and Directed by Strings Music Directors: Shani Arshad, Ali Hamza, Jaffer Zaidi On air date: September 1, 2017 Dekh Tera Kya/Latthay Di Chaadar by QB and Farhan Saeed Lathay Di Chaddar is a traditional wedding melody, which has been mashed up with perfectly with 80's flavor "Dekh Tera Kya". Both the songs have the potential to be extraordinary as demand true energy. Now taking two "Dance-inspiring" tracks and creating a flavor of their own is what makes this special. The calm and breezy touch is just too good. The best part is the intro by QB, I can feel every hair on my body standing. QB is bringing new meaning to traditional wedding tracks. First with "Sami Meri War" and now this, it's too much too fast. The way everybody is enjoying the track, speaks volume. To not mention Farhan and QB dancing to the beat would be a crime, so yeah! once again you rocked. Listen to the track and let us know, how you feel about the track....