A women speak her mind: Khushbakht Shujaat
, Posted by ADMIN at 3:26 AM
K.K: Would you like to tell our readers about the early days of your life and how you started your career?
KS: Actually, whatever I am today was not my choice and you can say that I came accidentally into the media. There was no television when I was at school and during those days, we used to listen to the only available radio channel (Radio Pakistan). In the year 1965 when I was in college, television came to our lives and this was also the time when I was about to choose my career.
At that time I decided to become a doctor so I took admission in Chittagong Medical College in East Pakistan, where I started my medical studies and lived in a hostel. But after six months of my studies, riots triggered in East Pakistan so my father decided to call me back and I was unable to continue my medical studies. I always wanted to become a doctor and it was a serious setback for me.
KS: Actually, whatever I am today was not my choice and you can say that I came accidentally into the media. There was no television when I was at school and during those days, we used to listen to the only available radio channel (Radio Pakistan). In the year 1965 when I was in college, television came to our lives and this was also the time when I was about to choose my career.
At that time I decided to become a doctor so I took admission in Chittagong Medical College in East Pakistan, where I started my medical studies and lived in a hostel. But after six months of my studies, riots triggered in East Pakistan so my father decided to call me back and I was unable to continue my medical studies. I always wanted to become a doctor and it was a serious setback for me.
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However, I then decided to go for my second priority, which was to choose Journalism as my career. I took admission in the University of Karachi's Mass Communication Department and restarted my studies. Dr. Sharif-ul-Mujahid, Head of Mass Communication Department at that time, after reviewing my performance, said that after an interval of three consecutive years, Khushbakht has attained first division. I got first position in Bachelor of Arts Studies and also received top position in my psychology papers at Karachi University.
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I wanted to become a journalist and fortunately, I got the opportunity to work for television. I can say that my dream of becoming a journalist became a reality when I joined television.
K.K: Please tell us something about the nature of your involvement in the art and cultural activities?
KS: My involvement in the cultural activities were gifted to me by my family. Love of culture cannot be taught by anyone as this develops naturally in a person's soul. My father and mother belonged to different Riyasats (States) in India so our home depicted a mix of cultures. We were brought up in an environment in which we always respected our elders, loved our youngsters, and were taught to be soft-spoken in all circumstances. My mother was a very cultured woman as she never received any formal education but learned a number of Persian diwans and poetries of Allama Iqbal by heart. My father was not only a very vocal debator in the Aligarh University but was also fond of music.
I opened my eyes in a cultural environment. I have always followed the standards and values of my parents and have considered them as role models. It is useless to teach cultural norms to a child as this would never give positive results however, a child can learn these norms if you become a role model by implementing the same on yourself.
K.K: You have served as the first woman vice president of Arts Council of Pakistan for three consecutive tenures; tell us about your experience?
KS: It was a wonderful experience of my life. Becoming the first woman Vice President was my lifetime achievement which gave me a boost as this took me to places where people have failed to reach even after a long struggle. It was really an honor for me to become the first woman elected vice president.
Before I took charge of Arts Council of Pakistan, it was a lackluster institution but we worked hard for the restoration of cultural colors at the Arts Council of Pakistan. The reason for lack of motivation was that it had been dominated and governed by men but I am of the opinion that a woman representation is a must to restore the true colors of Arts, which proved correct when I was elected its Vice President.
I must appreciate the members of Arts Council for reposing confidence in me by electing me as Vice President for three consecutive years. During my tenure at Arts Council, sometimes I was a bit worried as the members trusted me and gave me the responsibility and I felt I should come up to their expectations. Overall, it was a wonderful experience of my life.
K.K: Do you think that the Arts Council is doing enough to promote the culture of Pakistan, if not, can you please give us your opinion on what needs to be done and what is missing?
KS: Definitely not, as there is a need for doing a lot more to promote the cultural and entertainment activities at the Arts Council. During my tenure, we started a project titled 'Koocha-e-Saqafat' and the paperwork of the project was presented to the Governor Sindh for which Dr. Ishrat ul Ebad approved seed money of Rs0.5m. But the work done under the project is not satisfactory, which needs attention as no development work has been carried out under the project. There is also room for setting up Arts Galleries at the council. We started this project but it is still incomplete while the standards of programs staged at the Arts Council need improvement and there is a dire need to implement incentives offered to the artists. Events in the Arts Council are taking place but there is a need to improve the standards of these programs.
K.K: Do you think that women have today succeeded in attaining a position for themselves? If not, what hurdles do you see and what measures would you recommend to bring about positive changes in our society?
KS: Sixty years of independence have passed but we still ask this question from each other, which clearly shows that the Pakistani women have certainly not succeeded in attaining a deserving position for themselves. There are sill a number of hurdles, but I must say that Pakistani woman is not in that particular position anymore where she stood some sixty years ago as the situation has improved. I can only appreciate women themselves, who continued their struggle in all circumstances and fought for their rights. The governments, from time to time, have failed to provide sufficient support to Pakistani women. The present government has enhanced representation of women at the provincial and national assemblies but this would be useless, if there was no say of women at various decision-making levels.
I must mention the self-proclaimed, clerics, Aalims and Feudals who have played a leading role in creating hurdles in way of women and have always deprived women from her basic rights, which have been granted by our religion. Women have made untiring efforts in their fight for their rights in this male dominated society.
K.K: Have you ever faced any difficulty or tough time while offering your skills for the showbiz world?
KS: Never, as I always received support from my respected family members including my father, brothers, husband and sons. I must salute and pay glowing tribute to those women who were not being supported by their families, these women succeeded inspite of all odds to achieve a special place in the society.
K.K: How has your experience been working for the media? Can you please tell us of some of your talk shows and which one of them is your favorite?
KS: It was a wonderful experience to work for television for a period of 35 years. I started my career in the showbiz world from Radio Pakistan by discharging my services for a program titled 'Buzm-e-Talba'. I was supported by my elder brother and Yawar Mehdi, who introduced me to the showbiz world. I always consider television and radio as part of my family. I really had a splendid time working for television and radio.
With the passage of time things have changed drastically at PTV. There was a time when PTV always considered talent and seniority but nowadays, due to the ongoing race amongst TV channels, PTV is not bothered about the seniority or talent of artists, as they are also busy in accumulating financial gains. If proper respect is not given to an artist, he would never give you the needed performance. I must put this on record that in the past three to four years, a number of unscrupulous elements have taken charge of PTV and have completely destroyed the image of PTV. These elements do not know how to respect the senior artists, who have been associated with PTV since its inception. PTV was the only TV channel which was worth-viewing with all members of the family but it has alas lost its glory.
Amongst all the shows that I hosted my favorite ones are 'Chehray' and 'Meena Bazar'.
K.K: Although you have been associated with TV and radio for a number of years but we have never seen you as an actress. Why was the acting department left out?
KS: I received a number of offers on various occasions to act in TV dramas and even, Fatima Surraiya Bajia offered me to act in her drama in which Bajia said that she would also cast Shujaat Ali Baig as an actor, if I was not being permitted by my family to act in the drama. But I never expressed my interest to work as an actress as this was against our family's norms. I only enjoy watching dramas and movies.
K.K: How would you define your life? Are you satisfied from what you have achieved or you want to do more? What zeal keeps you on the move all the time?
KS: My life was very challenging as it underwent various changes. These changes can be gauged from a number of reasons as initially, I was planning to become a doctor but became a media woman. This is not all as the challenges continued to strike my life when the Arts Council of Pakistan came to my life and I became its first woman Vice President and recently I have also joined Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which is yet another challenging task of my life. I have always accepted these challenges of life with a smile on my face and have always worked hard with all my dedication to ensure perfection in my work. I have never left any of my work unfinished.
Nobody can claim that they have lived a satisfactory life as there are always new tasks waiting for you. It has always been my intention to take out my own newspaper and establish a women institute, where girls should get training on our traditional and cultural norms. Inshallah, I will be establishing this institute in the future. I also wanted to give free schooling facility to the underprivileged and needy children of the society and this will Inshallah become a reality within this year. My intentions for future are now very clear as I want to dedicate the rest of my life in serving humanity.
K.K: You have become a fine example for Pakistani women to follow. Can you share the secret of your life that gives you the confidence to deal with different situations?
KS: Politeness, sweet attitude and capability to convince people through words and actions are the secrets to move forward and confidently face people. A woman should have one thing in her mind that she is not being recognized because of her position and stern attitude but she should be known for her soft and polite nature. Women must also ensure that they are not being misused by any one for gaining political or any other benefit.
K.K: Where do you see our women in the next five to ten years?
KS: Our women have succeeded in enhancing their representation in the parliament but I am of the opinion that the elected women representatives at assemblies should be highly competent, well versed and well aware of the cultural and political events of the country so that their say at the parliament becomes more effective and suggestions receive consideration. Enhancing number of seats to women at the parliament will not be effective until they become wise enough to raise their voice and give concrete suggestions on national issues.
K.K: You have recently joined a political party, how did that come about?
KS: Politics has always been in my life, as I served on various political positions during my college days and I also contested in the Arts Council's election. When I met the MQM leader, Altaf Hussain, I became conscious on how a massive population has suffered from time to time but continued to struggle for their democratic rights. I must appreciate the sacrifices made by MQM leaders, who have fought for the cause of the common man. The most impressive thing to note here is that all MQM leaders have emerged from middle class or lower class families and they do not come from a political family. They did not receive political acumen from their fathers or grandfather but were self-made politicians, who have attained special positions and truly raise their voice for the common man. After seeing all this, I felt that I should join MQM which was the true representative of the people. However, I must mention here that I made the decision of joining MQM after taking permission from Shujaat Ali Baig as I have never taken any decision of my life without his permission.
K.K: You started from showbiz and now you are in education. How did this transformation happen?
KS: During my showbiz career, most of my programs were based on educational issues and in my first appearance at PTV; I was introduced as a student of Karachi University representing the young Pakistani women, which was really an honor for me. So I can say that I have been associated with the field of education since past 35 years as majority of my programs were pertaining to the educational sector. It had always been Shujaat's and my intention to open up a schooling facility but due to some domestic constraints, we were unable to do so but as soon as our kids became independent, we thought this was the right time to open a school, which we did. I am really enjoying myself in moulding the future of Pakistan at my school by providing quality education to children.
K.K: Kids University caters to the well to do. Don't you feel that some brilliant students, who cannot afford expensive schooling, should be provided an opportunity to get subsidized education at Kids University?
KS: At the Kids University, I give special discounts to children whose parents cannot afford to pay fee charged by the school. This discount deal is only between the school and parents whereas it is kept secret in front of the child so that the child should not become victim of inferiority complex, which can sabotage a child's intelligence. The discount quota is defined annually at Kids University. It has been my observations that in a number of instances, I found well to do families taking discounts from my school by declaring that they cannot afford our fee but on the other hand, they are taking expensive dinners at places like Pizza Hut every night, which is highly unfair as the discount granted to these students deprive a deserving student from this facility. To give free education to underprivileged children, I have decided to utilize all resources available at our school to give free education, books and uniforms to the poor children. The education will voluntarily be given by the teachers of Kids University and the project would commence from June/July in which classes will be given in the afternoon.
K.K: Who would you hold responsible for your successful and exemplary life? Tell us about the support you have been given by your husband, Shujaat Ali Baig?
KS: Shujaat has always cooperated with me and guided me at each and every step of my life. He also supported all my dreams till they became a realty. Shujaat Ali Baig always encouraged me when I was working for TV, contesting Arts Council's Elections, setting up school, and joining the MQM. I can hold my elder brother, father and mother responsible for my early grooming, which proved very fruitful after my marriage and credit for a successful life after marriage goes to Shujaat, who always appreciated and encouraged me.
K.K: In the end, would you like to say anything or give any message to our readers, particularly women readers?
KS: In the end, my message to Pakistani women is that they should develop and enhance their skills while efforts should be undertaken at all levels to remove hurdles in way of Pakistani women. Working woman should live a balanced life and she should efficiently deal with her professional and domestic affairs through balanced approach. A woman should act like a woman and avoid becoming a man through her politeness and soft-spoken nature, which is her real beauty.
K.K: Please tell us something about the nature of your involvement in the art and cultural activities?
KS: My involvement in the cultural activities were gifted to me by my family. Love of culture cannot be taught by anyone as this develops naturally in a person's soul. My father and mother belonged to different Riyasats (States) in India so our home depicted a mix of cultures. We were brought up in an environment in which we always respected our elders, loved our youngsters, and were taught to be soft-spoken in all circumstances. My mother was a very cultured woman as she never received any formal education but learned a number of Persian diwans and poetries of Allama Iqbal by heart. My father was not only a very vocal debator in the Aligarh University but was also fond of music.
I opened my eyes in a cultural environment. I have always followed the standards and values of my parents and have considered them as role models. It is useless to teach cultural norms to a child as this would never give positive results however, a child can learn these norms if you become a role model by implementing the same on yourself.
K.K: You have served as the first woman vice president of Arts Council of Pakistan for three consecutive tenures; tell us about your experience?
KS: It was a wonderful experience of my life. Becoming the first woman Vice President was my lifetime achievement which gave me a boost as this took me to places where people have failed to reach even after a long struggle. It was really an honor for me to become the first woman elected vice president.
Before I took charge of Arts Council of Pakistan, it was a lackluster institution but we worked hard for the restoration of cultural colors at the Arts Council of Pakistan. The reason for lack of motivation was that it had been dominated and governed by men but I am of the opinion that a woman representation is a must to restore the true colors of Arts, which proved correct when I was elected its Vice President.
I must appreciate the members of Arts Council for reposing confidence in me by electing me as Vice President for three consecutive years. During my tenure at Arts Council, sometimes I was a bit worried as the members trusted me and gave me the responsibility and I felt I should come up to their expectations. Overall, it was a wonderful experience of my life.
K.K: Do you think that the Arts Council is doing enough to promote the culture of Pakistan, if not, can you please give us your opinion on what needs to be done and what is missing?
KS: Definitely not, as there is a need for doing a lot more to promote the cultural and entertainment activities at the Arts Council. During my tenure, we started a project titled 'Koocha-e-Saqafat' and the paperwork of the project was presented to the Governor Sindh for which Dr. Ishrat ul Ebad approved seed money of Rs0.5m. But the work done under the project is not satisfactory, which needs attention as no development work has been carried out under the project. There is also room for setting up Arts Galleries at the council. We started this project but it is still incomplete while the standards of programs staged at the Arts Council need improvement and there is a dire need to implement incentives offered to the artists. Events in the Arts Council are taking place but there is a need to improve the standards of these programs.
K.K: Do you think that women have today succeeded in attaining a position for themselves? If not, what hurdles do you see and what measures would you recommend to bring about positive changes in our society?
KS: Sixty years of independence have passed but we still ask this question from each other, which clearly shows that the Pakistani women have certainly not succeeded in attaining a deserving position for themselves. There are sill a number of hurdles, but I must say that Pakistani woman is not in that particular position anymore where she stood some sixty years ago as the situation has improved. I can only appreciate women themselves, who continued their struggle in all circumstances and fought for their rights. The governments, from time to time, have failed to provide sufficient support to Pakistani women. The present government has enhanced representation of women at the provincial and national assemblies but this would be useless, if there was no say of women at various decision-making levels.
I must mention the self-proclaimed, clerics, Aalims and Feudals who have played a leading role in creating hurdles in way of women and have always deprived women from her basic rights, which have been granted by our religion. Women have made untiring efforts in their fight for their rights in this male dominated society.
K.K: Have you ever faced any difficulty or tough time while offering your skills for the showbiz world?
KS: Never, as I always received support from my respected family members including my father, brothers, husband and sons. I must salute and pay glowing tribute to those women who were not being supported by their families, these women succeeded inspite of all odds to achieve a special place in the society.
K.K: How has your experience been working for the media? Can you please tell us of some of your talk shows and which one of them is your favorite?
KS: It was a wonderful experience to work for television for a period of 35 years. I started my career in the showbiz world from Radio Pakistan by discharging my services for a program titled 'Buzm-e-Talba'. I was supported by my elder brother and Yawar Mehdi, who introduced me to the showbiz world. I always consider television and radio as part of my family. I really had a splendid time working for television and radio.
With the passage of time things have changed drastically at PTV. There was a time when PTV always considered talent and seniority but nowadays, due to the ongoing race amongst TV channels, PTV is not bothered about the seniority or talent of artists, as they are also busy in accumulating financial gains. If proper respect is not given to an artist, he would never give you the needed performance. I must put this on record that in the past three to four years, a number of unscrupulous elements have taken charge of PTV and have completely destroyed the image of PTV. These elements do not know how to respect the senior artists, who have been associated with PTV since its inception. PTV was the only TV channel which was worth-viewing with all members of the family but it has alas lost its glory.
Amongst all the shows that I hosted my favorite ones are 'Chehray' and 'Meena Bazar'.
K.K: Although you have been associated with TV and radio for a number of years but we have never seen you as an actress. Why was the acting department left out?
KS: I received a number of offers on various occasions to act in TV dramas and even, Fatima Surraiya Bajia offered me to act in her drama in which Bajia said that she would also cast Shujaat Ali Baig as an actor, if I was not being permitted by my family to act in the drama. But I never expressed my interest to work as an actress as this was against our family's norms. I only enjoy watching dramas and movies.
K.K: How would you define your life? Are you satisfied from what you have achieved or you want to do more? What zeal keeps you on the move all the time?
KS: My life was very challenging as it underwent various changes. These changes can be gauged from a number of reasons as initially, I was planning to become a doctor but became a media woman. This is not all as the challenges continued to strike my life when the Arts Council of Pakistan came to my life and I became its first woman Vice President and recently I have also joined Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which is yet another challenging task of my life. I have always accepted these challenges of life with a smile on my face and have always worked hard with all my dedication to ensure perfection in my work. I have never left any of my work unfinished.
Nobody can claim that they have lived a satisfactory life as there are always new tasks waiting for you. It has always been my intention to take out my own newspaper and establish a women institute, where girls should get training on our traditional and cultural norms. Inshallah, I will be establishing this institute in the future. I also wanted to give free schooling facility to the underprivileged and needy children of the society and this will Inshallah become a reality within this year. My intentions for future are now very clear as I want to dedicate the rest of my life in serving humanity.
K.K: You have become a fine example for Pakistani women to follow. Can you share the secret of your life that gives you the confidence to deal with different situations?
KS: Politeness, sweet attitude and capability to convince people through words and actions are the secrets to move forward and confidently face people. A woman should have one thing in her mind that she is not being recognized because of her position and stern attitude but she should be known for her soft and polite nature. Women must also ensure that they are not being misused by any one for gaining political or any other benefit.
K.K: Where do you see our women in the next five to ten years?
KS: Our women have succeeded in enhancing their representation in the parliament but I am of the opinion that the elected women representatives at assemblies should be highly competent, well versed and well aware of the cultural and political events of the country so that their say at the parliament becomes more effective and suggestions receive consideration. Enhancing number of seats to women at the parliament will not be effective until they become wise enough to raise their voice and give concrete suggestions on national issues.
K.K: You have recently joined a political party, how did that come about?
KS: Politics has always been in my life, as I served on various political positions during my college days and I also contested in the Arts Council's election. When I met the MQM leader, Altaf Hussain, I became conscious on how a massive population has suffered from time to time but continued to struggle for their democratic rights. I must appreciate the sacrifices made by MQM leaders, who have fought for the cause of the common man. The most impressive thing to note here is that all MQM leaders have emerged from middle class or lower class families and they do not come from a political family. They did not receive political acumen from their fathers or grandfather but were self-made politicians, who have attained special positions and truly raise their voice for the common man. After seeing all this, I felt that I should join MQM which was the true representative of the people. However, I must mention here that I made the decision of joining MQM after taking permission from Shujaat Ali Baig as I have never taken any decision of my life without his permission.
K.K: You started from showbiz and now you are in education. How did this transformation happen?
KS: During my showbiz career, most of my programs were based on educational issues and in my first appearance at PTV; I was introduced as a student of Karachi University representing the young Pakistani women, which was really an honor for me. So I can say that I have been associated with the field of education since past 35 years as majority of my programs were pertaining to the educational sector. It had always been Shujaat's and my intention to open up a schooling facility but due to some domestic constraints, we were unable to do so but as soon as our kids became independent, we thought this was the right time to open a school, which we did. I am really enjoying myself in moulding the future of Pakistan at my school by providing quality education to children.
K.K: Kids University caters to the well to do. Don't you feel that some brilliant students, who cannot afford expensive schooling, should be provided an opportunity to get subsidized education at Kids University?
KS: At the Kids University, I give special discounts to children whose parents cannot afford to pay fee charged by the school. This discount deal is only between the school and parents whereas it is kept secret in front of the child so that the child should not become victim of inferiority complex, which can sabotage a child's intelligence. The discount quota is defined annually at Kids University. It has been my observations that in a number of instances, I found well to do families taking discounts from my school by declaring that they cannot afford our fee but on the other hand, they are taking expensive dinners at places like Pizza Hut every night, which is highly unfair as the discount granted to these students deprive a deserving student from this facility. To give free education to underprivileged children, I have decided to utilize all resources available at our school to give free education, books and uniforms to the poor children. The education will voluntarily be given by the teachers of Kids University and the project would commence from June/July in which classes will be given in the afternoon.
K.K: Who would you hold responsible for your successful and exemplary life? Tell us about the support you have been given by your husband, Shujaat Ali Baig?
KS: Shujaat has always cooperated with me and guided me at each and every step of my life. He also supported all my dreams till they became a realty. Shujaat Ali Baig always encouraged me when I was working for TV, contesting Arts Council's Elections, setting up school, and joining the MQM. I can hold my elder brother, father and mother responsible for my early grooming, which proved very fruitful after my marriage and credit for a successful life after marriage goes to Shujaat, who always appreciated and encouraged me.
K.K: In the end, would you like to say anything or give any message to our readers, particularly women readers?
KS: In the end, my message to Pakistani women is that they should develop and enhance their skills while efforts should be undertaken at all levels to remove hurdles in way of Pakistani women. Working woman should live a balanced life and she should efficiently deal with her professional and domestic affairs through balanced approach. A woman should act like a woman and avoid becoming a man through her politeness and soft-spoken nature, which is her real beauty.
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