The Pakistani Spectator

I’m 20. A business student in Karachi. My personal blog is Sid’s Sphere and I’ve also been writing for the Karachi Metroblog since December 2006.

Could you tell us what made you decide to blog, and what was the inspiration behind it?
I have been blogging since April 2005. That was when I had first read Anne Frank’s Diary. I was fascinated by the idea of keeping a record of almost everyday of my life so that some day in the future someone may go through it and know who I was. I wanted to be a part of history.

What do you think sets Your blog apart from other blogs?
What sets my blog apart is the uninhibited writing. On Karachi Metroblog, eg, I’ve written about AIDS and child sexual abuse and people peeing on streets; subjects that most other people would shy away from. My personal blog is a chronological history of the last 3 years of my life, my state of mind, even academic history. I can always browse through a particular month and almost relive everything that happened at that point in time.

Do you feel that you continue to grow in your writing the longer you write? Why is that important to you?
I do feel that I’ve matured immensely ever since I first started writing. I’ve moved on from maundering about everyday life, matters of little consequence to other important subjects. Reviewing books and movies and their imapct on me remains my favourite subject. Plus, when I write for the Metroblog, the pieces have to be well researched and backed by a credible source. That is something that I have also learned to do for my personal blog. And not only have my writing skills improved, but I’ve also learned to deal with diverse people and handling criticism through writing on Metroblog. That, I believe, has been a very crucial experience.

What do you do in order to keep up your communication with other bloggers?
The list of communication media these days are just endless. Most of the bloggers I read are on my Facebook. A lot of them are on my Google Talk. Some, I meet from time to time.

If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success in life, what would it be?
Believing in myself.

What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?
The happiest moment of my life was scoring 4 As in my A-Levels a few days after getting into IBA. The gloomiest moment was a year later in the summer of 2006. Let’s just say I was going through a bad patch. And in a way my blog kept me sane. There was so much support coming forth from people I didn’t even know. That helped me bounce back.

Urdu Blogs have got huge potential, when do you think they will really take on the online horizon in Pakistan?
When they invent Urdu Keyboards. And when the youth takes Urdu literature more seriously.

If you could pick a travel destination, anywhere in the world, with no worries about how it’s paid for - what would your top 3 choices be?

1. The pyramids.
2. Pompeii, Greece
3. Pakistan tour

What is your favorite book and why?
I have no favorite book. I have a favorite genre, though and that’s biographies(auto and otherwise). I like to read about the lives of great people who’ve changed the course of history.

What is your favorite meal, dress, and sport?
Favorite Meal: Pizza
Favorite Dress: Pjs
I have no favorite sport. I used to play basketball and netball in school but no one played these at IBA. The guys played soccer so I’m learning that nowadays. I don’t follow any sports religiously.

What’s the first thing you notice about a person (whether you know them or not)?
I’m not sure. Maybe their accents.

Whose Future is more bright in Pakistan; English blogs or Urdu Blogs?
English blogs. Sometimes I feel Urdu itself has a very bleak future in Pakistan.

How Pakistani bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?
If the corporate world takes blogging seriously as a PR and Customer Relations tool then experienced bloggers have a lot to gain. Individual bloggers and blogs such as this one is already using advertisements as a source of revenue. Media buying houses in Pakistan should start paying attention to the burgeoning media.

Do you think Pakistani bloggers tend to remain somewhat self-centered and really don’t go out of their shells? Is it the oriental style of blogging, or they are still unsure about it?
I don’t think so. If you visit bloggers.pk, Pakistan’s first blog aggregator, one finds blog posts on a wide variety of topics ranging from politics to entertainment to sports to technology. Business oriented blogs such as Green & White are a welcome addition to the Pakistani blogosphere. Pakistani bloggers have come a long way.

Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?
I disagree again. All Things Pakistan is run by people such as Adil Najam who have many responsibilities. Teeth Maestro, again, is also a full time dentist. The list of busy students and professionals who are also successful bloggers is endless.

What do you think where the Pakistani blogosphere is right now?
It’s come a long way but there’s still a long way to go. Blogs aren’t as popular in Pakistan as they are other parts of the world and blogging is yet to become a full time profession in the country.

Who are your top five favourite bloggers in Pakistan?

1. Adil Najam of All Things Pakistan
2. Ramla A
3. All co-bloggers from Karachi Metroblogs
4. kAy
5. Raza Rumi

Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger in Pakistani blogosphere?
Yes. Quite a few. The list above are some of these people. Adil Najam has always been an inspiration, even in times of adversity. Ramla, again, is a person whose attitude I try to emulate in my personal life. kAy amazes me with not just her photography skills but also her commentary. Her friend khizzy’s blog is the most fun blog I’ve seen and her sister Jammie’s blog was quite a sensation when she was getting married. I can go on forever with this…

What is the future of blogging in Pakistan?
To say everyone will have their own blog will be an exaggeration, but yes, as internet penetration will grow in Pakistan, blogging will take off as well. Blogging gives every entity(businesses and individuals) their own voice where they can write anything they want which is a privilege that many people will take up once awareness about this medium increases.

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?
In a lot of ways. People who read my blogs have come to become my bet friends. Readers, some of whom I know and some of whom I don’t, have at times given advice that’s proven to be very fruitful. As a business student, there have been a number of times, I’ve used my blog as a research tool.

What are your future plans?
Changing the world…

Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?
Be happy, be grateful, be positive and ‘be the change’.

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