5-28-03
Dear Mr. Ashraf Azim,
I wanted to sincerely thank you for giving me the
opportunity of speaking to you at your office in PTV.
It was very kind of you to allow me so much of your
extremely valueable time.
I thoroughly enjoyed talking to you, also because the
topic of what's happening with Pakistani's and Muslims
in America is very dear to my heart. I try to be
honest yet pleasant, and I hope if I said anything
which you found objectionable, I hope kaha suna maaf
kar deejyay ga
: o )
Though people like me have lived outside the country
for several years, we still identify ourselves as
Pakistanis. Perhaps there is a spectrum of the genre
of Pakistanis?
: o )
A person living in Anarkali is also a Pakistani, and a
person who has membership to the Gymkhana is also a
pakistani with a slightly different experience. A
person living in Defense Karachi or the one in
Islamabad are also one of the colors of the Pakistani
(linear) spectrum. A Pakistani working (or living) in
the middle-east is in a Muslim county. And people like
me are Pakistanis living in a non-Muslim country. All
the different types of us Pakistanis share major
things in common, like most of our culture, language
and religion. This is why almost all of my band's
music is in Urdu and is deeply connected to Pakistani
values.
I have tremendous respect for Urdu poets and writers.
I love them and look up to them as my teachers. Many
years ago I started writing in English because it was
the language necessary to communicate with most
American born Pakistanis, with various immigrant and
minority groups and with the American majority.
You seem like a person who is living his purpose as
you make a positive difference in the lives of
millions of people every day. I'd guess that the
purpose of your articles in Khabrain is also to help
others. My brother-in-law Waseem Sheikh's true calling
is community services. And mine is also. Thus I think
you would relate as I honestly share with you that my
general purpose is to educate and entertain through
music and poetry, while being truthful.
Upon my return to Los Angeles next week, I will keep
you abreast of what's happening in our local Pakistani
and Muslim communities of southern california as I
frequently volunteer with a couple of grass roots
community organizations. I would like to also send you
a copy of the letter I wrote to the minister of
Education and to Imran Khan, regarding some of the
recent developments in satellite television in the
U.S. Perhaps some of the programming and ideas will of
of use to PTV. If there is anything I could do for
you, please let me know. Pakistani artists in America
are often thinking about Pakistan's well being and how
we can help.
The following link is the comprehensive poem I had
mentioned in our meeting today:
There are about 30 articles and 100 poems on my
website, it's address is:
Information and pictures of our Pakistani American
band "Kashmir" are at:
and some of the alternative sources and writers and
professors I listen to, for a balance are at:
Take care,
And thanks again for the opportunity and for your
time,
Sincerely,
Fazeel Azeez Chauhan
