Karachi Literature Festival 2011: Not Impressed

Perhaps I arrived late, or perhaps I just didn't happen across anything that exciting, but I did not enjoy my time there today. I stepped into one room where there were a few people on stage discussing things in Urdu. I couldn't understand it, but that's only my weak grasp of Urdu to blame.

I stepped out into the Carlton's tea garden area, an area I have always thought was beautiful, where there were books on display. There were stalls to provide snacks, and of course tea (unfortunately I didn't have any). The books seemed colourful, but I'm talking about their covers. While there were a number of subjects and sections, there just wasn't enough... not to warrant the word 'festival'. A festival in my view should be open to all sorts of people, organisations and groups to display their knowledge and their wares. Regardless of what the knowledge and the wares are. Instead, there were a select few genres and some unnecessarily expensive hardback books with pictures celebrating the history of our people in some way or form.

I do not believe books should be expensive, and am highly amazed at the prices of books in relation to what that sort of money could buy here. I understand that if you translate Western currency to Pakistani money, that it will seem high, but surely a book can't cost as much four meals in a moderately-high priced restaurant in Zam-Zama?

Other issues:

Karen Armstrong wasn't there, either, but she will be there tomorrow, or so I was told.

The entire thing seemed to be based on selling books at what I'm pretty sure is a marked up price of standard Liberty Books' prices.

Also: A lot of advertising, but that's understandable.

I don't think it was that much fun, nor informative. I didn't feel welcome to take part in anything, again the layout was a little unprepared in my opinion. By the time I'd made a couple of rounds, I was done and was just exhausted and wanted to go home.

That said, I am glad that there are literature festivals, and that there is some sort of promotion of reading. It is unfortunate that our youth doesn't enjoy reading enough. I think it has something to do with our schooling techniques. More on that later.

Karachi Literature Festival 2011

Ah cool, a Literature Festival... I think I'll go. Here's the facebook page (picture) as well as the text from a blog that mentions the matter (yes, this is how things go):

Karachi Literature Festival 2011

The Second Karachi Literary Festival would be held on Feb 5 and 6 at the Carlton Hotel in Karachi. The event provides a platform for Global writers, authors and poets to showcase their talent and win hearts of millions around the city of Karachi.

“The objective of the event is to pay tribute to our writers, poets, playwrights and authors and to develop people`s interest in reading books,” said Managing Director of Oxford University Press Ameena Saiyid.

This year's event would feature Karen Armstrong who would soak up her words of wisdom and mingle with the who’s who of Pakistani literature. Other participants include Fahmida Riaz, Zahida Hina and Ali Sethi who will be talking about ‘Literature in the Age of Extremism’. Kamila Shamsie, Ishrat Lindblad, Zulfikar Ghose, Feryal Gauhar, Madeeha Gauhar, Intizar Hussain and Asif Farrukhi would also be taking part in the discussions. Bina Shah and Sunil Sethi will be launching new books. There will be story telling for children, musings on art and performance and hard talk between Khaled Ahmed and Ahmed Rashid. 

There is no entry fee and events will run all day long from 9:30 am to 9 pm.

Yay! Let's go... Carlton tomorrow it is. :D

Wasting Time When Training: Why???

I have a history of both teaching in schools as well as training in organisations, and I have found that people really, really like to waste time. Teachers generally get paid regardless, but trainers often get paid by the hour. The more time wasted, the less work they are paid to do.

I was recently asked by a student why I just dove into the subject matter after a brief but informative introduction  "Usually trainers give an introductory session" smirk. I suppose the fine line between a teacher and trainer will always be cause for a comment or two, and this is due to the fact that teachers aren't given as much importance as a trainer.

Now, before I tell you how I answered, let me explain what I think draws the line between a teacher and a trainer, in Pakistan at least. A trainer will most likely have a respectable amount of experience in a business setting behind them. A teacher will most probably have a respectable amount kids behind them (usually her). Forgetting the history of the battle of the genders in Pakistan (a whole new series of blogs that one...) and its influence on how the popularly viewed feminine profession of teaching is seen (and another whole new series about blogs that, too...), a teacher will almost always try to make sure that their student has learnt the material.

Take Business English TEFL teachers. They, too, come in contact with business professionals. A TEFL teacher, however, will always wade through their students' mind sets, personalities, environment and lives to at the very least try to get the message embedded and then help them to use that knowledge.

A trainer will on the other hand, act like a university lecturer, I remember a brilliant lecturer who once in the middle of a lecture on symbolism, pointed at a student who had her hand raised and said "This is NOT a discussion, this is a lecture". Needless to say, I thought it was a little unkind. That said, it wasn't a discussion.

While things aren't that extreme with trainers, I mean they do allow for and in fact prefer a more interactive approach, a trainer will give their ideas, discuss it shortly with the session or the class, and then leave. Maybe this practice began because when you train, you're most likely speaking to professionals who have some sort of education behind them (which could be helpful). Also, you can expect them to make the effort and try to learn and read up on the knowledge you are attempting to transfer. It would be the professional thing to.

Unfortunately, finding professionalism is rare, in fact the most professional places that I have found are multinationals that set up factories in the middle of nowhere, rather than inside main city limits. And they're societies unto themselves. Of course, this holds true for Pakistan, and also very expensive multinationals with good 'core values' whatever that means.

To conclude - teachers will hammer a concept into a student's mind, whether or not he is ten years old or manages the finance department. While this is helpful, and ultimately desirable, a trainer's way of expecting, or rather, assuming that a student will go home and work or atleast bend his more polished mind to the concepts taught is more respectful and that goes far in trying to teach people.

I believe a mixture of both forms of educating. Teaching and training, using the best of both worlds.

Oh and I responded with "Would you like me to waste your time?" Perhaps that wasn't the best answer I could give.

Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan

Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan