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The Grand Finale of Obhartay Sitaray 2018, was a treat to the ears with the young, soulful voices echoing through the hall. In the new season of Obhartay Sitaray, more than 75,000 household from 138 school campuses in Karachi participated in the fundraising efforts while over 862 students (206 teams) competed in the school level singing rounds. For the Team’s Final, 134 singers and the Voices Final 150 singers from Primary, Secondary, Senior, & College levels participated in the competition.

Obhartay Sitaray is an annual inter-school singing competition that provides students a platform to prove their singing talent and also raise funds for education of the less-privileged children of TCF. The notable as well as veteran musicians that graced the event on the judges panel included Tina Sani, Afshan Ahmed, Salman Alvi, Shahid Hamid, Z H Fahim, Sultan Arshad Khan and Zoe Viccaji.

Speaking on the occasion, CEO of TCF, Syed Asaad Ayub Ahmad said, “TCF remains committed to the cause of education and believes in enabling a holistic learning for the less privileged children. Obhartay Sitaray provides a fantastic ground for the aspiring young singers. It is heartening to see TCF students and the students of the leading private schools of Karachi share the same stage; this is a true reflection of TCF’s mission of removing the barriers of class and privilege. We are humbled to have more schools as part of Obhartay Sitaray each year, this ever growing TCF family marks the victory of education over illiteracy and deprivation.”

‘Obhartay Sitaray’ which was initiated in 2012, has now become a signature event of TCF in the course of five years. It is managed by a ladies volunteer group called Supporters of The Citizens Foundation (STCF). The group actively puts in time, effort, expertise and resources to arrange a vast array of fundraising events to support the cause of an educated and enlightened Pakistan.

“We are grateful to all the schools that participated in Obhartay Sitaray competition this time around. The number of participating schools and students continues to grow in every competition and is a testament to the continuous success of the event. A big thank you to all the students for tirelessly raising funds for the TCF children just like them and giving them a chance to get education as well. Obhartay Sitaray has earned the spotlight by becoming a hotbed for future young musicians – some students from last year even got selected for the Coke Studio,” said Mrs. Biba Baseer, Project Lead.

The Citizens Foundation (TCF) is a professionally managed, non-profit organization set up in 1995 by a group of citizens who wanted to bring about positive social change through education. 23 years later, TCF is now one of Pakistan’s leading organizations in the field of education for the less privileged. The TCF model focuses on providing quality education through 1,482 purpose-built school units located in the heart of Pakistan’s urban slums and rural communities, educating more than 220,000 children. The organization ensures that girls represent nearly 50% of overall student enrollment.

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Komal Rizvi raising donations for strips for glucometers

Posted on November 8, 2018

By Editorial Team

Pakistan’s leading female rock-pop vocalist, in keeping with her desire to give back to her country and continue her social services behind the screen, took a day tour of the diabetes ward in National Institute of Child Health (NICH) recently.

Moved by what she saw and learnt, Rizvi vowed to help the children suffering from diabetes, in every way she can. She has announced on social media, “There are about 300-400 children that come to NICH every month with undiagnosed diabetes. Some have lost an eye already (as personally witnessed) and some have severe liver issues. Each one of them goes home with a glucometer in order to be able to monitor their sugar levels themselves — which is being subsidized by the government. But, these families can’t even afford the testing strips that are needed to check their sugar levels at least once daily, for each strip costs between Rs 20-30. Since they are unable to buy the strips, they are unable to monitor their sugar and land up suffering from a plethora of other diseases too. One 50 strip bottle costs Rs 1150 (subsidized rates) and I would like to raise rupees 10 lacs worth of bottles which I will personally give to Dr Mohsina who heads the Children’s Diabetes ward at NICH to make sure it goes to the most deserving families. I will only give in kind to the hospital, and not be handing over any money to them. Also, I will personally be in constant contact with the doctors that head and/or run this ward. Please help me raise these funds”.

It may be noted, NICH is a 500-bed hospital which is currently under the administrative control of Health Department Government of Sindh. It is the first children’s hospital of the country and presently one of the largest and the only children’s hospital of the province of Sindh. It provides tertiary care services for almost all types of pediatric diseases and is equipped with latest diagnostic gadgetries. Its highly qualified faculty provides teaching and training facilities both at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. It is a prime institution of the country recognized nationally and internationally.

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Renowned Indian Screenwriting teacher Ashwini Malik conducts Screenwriting Workshop in Karachi

Posted on November 7, 2018

By Editorial Team

Pakistan International Film Festival under the banner of Karachi Film Society organized a hands-on intensive screen writing workshops here in the metropolitan city for aspiring writers. The four-day workshop which started from November 4, 2018 is being conducted by the renowned Indian screenwriting teacher, screenwriter, script consultant and an independent filmmaker Ashwini Malik.

Film is a highly collaborative medium and undoubtedly the most vital part of a film is the screenplay, which is the key to any film’s box office success. Globally, screenwriter’s role in film making is considered as important as that of the director. Keeping in mind the dire need to develop and train local screenwriting resources, KFS has developed this intensive screenwriting workshops. The workshop for fresh writers is developed in two stages. The first stage is to impart the essential principles of the art and craft of screenwriting to the participants, and later they will be tasked to develop a screenplay under mentorship during the workshop.

The workshops also discussed the uniqueness of storytelling in the subcontinent and how Indian and Pakistani films are different in their approach from the Western models.

ABOUT ASHWINI MALIK:

Ashwini Malik is a screenwriting teacher, screenwriter, script consultant and an independent filmmaker. After graduating from Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune in 1994, he began his career by writing and directing TV shows. He has been teaching screenwriting since 2004, at FTII, Pune and Whistling Woods International, Mumbai. He regularly conducts workshops in India and abroad, and has been a mentor at several script labs including New Voices Fellowship for Screenwriters (Asia Society), Mumbai Mantra CineRise Screenwriting Programme, the MAISHA film labs in East Africa, NFDC’s script development workshop and the Indo-German Screenwriting programme. His screenwriting credits include I Am, Road, Movie and Sorry Bhai.

About KFS

Karachi Film Society is a nonprofit organization and parent body of Pakistan International Film Festival (PIFF) founded by Ms. Sultana Siddiqui, founder and president of HUM Network Ltd and recipient of President’s Pride of Performance Award. The founding members of KFS include Dr Ishrat Husain (former Governor State Bank of Pakistan), Ms Ameena Saiyid (CEO OUP), Senator (r) Javed Jabbar (writer/producer, former Information Minister), Mr Sirajuddin Aziz (CEO Habib Metropolitan Bank), Mr Jamil Baig (CEO Nueplex Cinemas), Ms Ronak Lakhani (Chairperson SOP), Ms Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy (Oscar winning director/producer) and Ms. Sayeeda Leghari (Managing Director/Chairperson, Pepsi Sukkur Beverages (Pvt Ltd.). The primary goal of Karachi Film Society is to improve access of the people in innovation and excellence in different categories and genres of cinema and films to highlight the unique scope of this mass medium.

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The Fundraisers are back with Bargain Basement Sale 2018!

Posted on November 5, 2018

By Editorial Team

The Fundraisers are bringing their most exciting Bargain Basement Sale of the year on Sunday 11^th of November 2018, from 12PM to 5PM at the Gulberg Galleria Mall, Lahore. This year’s annual sale is bringing you hundreds of the best Pakistani fashion and lifestyle brands all of whom have generously donated items to be sold at the event at heavily discounted prices.

Clothing items range from high-end couture, bridals, semi-formal and prêt-à-porter along with beautiful jewellery pieces, art, furniture and home accessories from over 200 brands. The BBS Vintage Section always pulls in a big crowd and this year’s sale promises to be equally fabulous filled with brand new, or pre-loved and gently worn designer items that can be purchased for charity along with furniture pieces. Those who have a love for international designers need to check out this section where exquisite pieces by Fendi, Bulgari, Manolo Blahnik, Gianni Versace, Gucci, Valentino, Tory Burch, Victoria Beckham, Christian Dior and Coach, but to name a few.

The BBS grand raffle is additionally on form with several extraordinary prizes including flights to Dubai and weekend night stays at the best hotels in Lahore, Chitral and Hunza up for grabs. Raffle prizes also include meal vouchers at Lahore’s finest eateries, treatments at the best of salons, free cakes by the best of bakeries and a whole lot more. An annual auction will also be held, where high-end items will be available for bidding. These include stunning works of art from Pakistan’s leading contemporary artists: Nazia Ejaz, Shazly Khan, Farhan Manto and Hussain Chandio which is great news as everyone has a chance to bid and take home a beautiful piece of art.

This year all the proceeds from the sale will benefit six charities working for education and healthcare. These include 1) Pink Ribbon Pakistan for building the first breast cancer hospital in Pakistan; 2) Rising Stars Foundation (RSF) for schools in Swat and Uch Sharif for the underprivileged; 3) Lahore Hospital Welfare Society, for the Shams Shahabuddin Convalescent Home; 4) Door of Awareness, for education of street children in Lahore;5)The Giving Tree for providing cancer comfort totes to chemotherapy patients, and 6) Sunbeams School System for the underprivileged in Punjab. The first tier sponsors of the event are Sapphire and Arif Sons. The second tier co-sponsors include Sabrosa, Interwood, Guard Filters and Gulberg Galleria with PR by Lotus and a radio media partnership with City FM 89. In addition, BBS has partnered with the following companies to provide logistical and technological support for this years sale: SimSim Pakistan, Easy Tickets, Autosoft Technology, Lumensoft Technology and Daewoo.

In 2017, the #fundraisersBBS raised a total of Rs.10.7 Million for the year and 100% of these monies were distributed amongst nine charities. This year they are looking forward to raise even more funds to support their chosen causes. Admission tickets can be bought in advance online via easytickets.pk, or they are available at the door on the day. Fundraisers Co-Founder, Nuria Rafique-Iqbal explains: “BBS is by the community for the community. This is our 13^th year of operations, and we are so happy to enjoy the continued support of designers, charities and the public at large. We have thousands of items on sale at great discounted prices so please come and shop on Sunday 11 November and help us make a difference in the lives of thousands. We try very hard to make the event better each time and we listen to our customers feedback so as to ensure that everyone has a great shopping experience with us. We are truly thankful to all the generous sponsors and brands for helping make this event happen and we look forward to welcoming the public at what promises to be a great event which is fun for all. Remember 100% goes to charity – it is first come, first served, no BBS members are allowed to purchase, so all you wonderful shoppers should come early to get the best deals! See you there on Sunday 11 Nov at Gulberg Galleria from 12-5pm when #fashiongivesback to support #6supercharities”

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