When Brummies Met Sindhis
Encyclopedia
When Brummies Met Sindhis is a documentary film
made by Pakistan
i documentary filmmaker, Azfar Rizvi.
schoolteachers from Birmingham, England in their journey to Pakistan
as part of a British Council Pakistan project, commonly known as Connecting Classrooms. The plethora of inter-cultural dialogue that ensues as the two cultures disclose both tradition and practice under the umbrella of education, transforms a simple visit to Bhit Shah
, Sindh
into a mutually beneficent exchange.
. Heather Hepworth and Sheila Holden are Assistant Head and Deputy Head teachers respectively at the Calthorpe Special School. The film records the experiences and the change in perception of these five schoolteachers that have come to Pakistan as part of Connecting Classrooms – a British Council Pakistan project that facilitates inter-cultural dialogue, and especially, an understanding of the different teaching styles employed in the UK and that of other countries.
Not knowing what to expect, the British schoolteachers are at first most excited about learning from and working with each other, as under no other circumstances would the three schools be able to come together and exchange ideas. Finding the same hustle bustle at 4 in the morning at the Jinnah International Airport
as the plane lands in Karachi that they would at 8 pm in Birmingham kick-starts the series of experiences and discoveries that this documentary explores. The traditions and customs
of Sindh serve as the contextual framework to what they learn about education in Pakistan
, how they interact with its peoples
, and the many ways in which they embrace its culture
.
Following an introductory meeting with the Office of District Government Matiari, the British schoolteachers visit several public schools in the vicinity, including one for children with mental disabilities. They discover that teaching styles are more direct in Pakistan, with an ‘I talk, you listen’ approach as opposed to ‘let us do it together’ that is used in the UK. One look at the children’s report cards, however, ascertains the effectiveness of this approach in the results that appear to be just as good. An emphasis on discipline surfaces as a common feature in all the individual opinions expressed, when inquired about the school visits.
The documentary segregates the experiences of these teachers into two major categories. The first category can be characterized as the material artifacts such as ceramic
wares, Ajrak
– a special kind of blockprinted shawl
that serves as a symbol, woodwork, and bangle
s that represent Sindh’s outer surface. This also includes rides on a Bullock cart
, an Auto rikshaw, and the public bus which is world-famous for ornamental art on the outside as well as the inside. Rebecca Bailey volunteers to try everything from making and painting intricate pottery
to taking a ride on a public bus that is crowded enough to burst at the seams.
The second category can be characterized as general culture and the value system that exhibits the land’s deep-rooted core. Generosity - especially the manner in which gifts are exchanged, a sense of community found almost everywhere, the significance of keeping tradition alive, being one with nature, a fusion of both Hindu and Muslim religions – illustrated in the shrine at Dera Lal, marketplaces that never sleep are just some of the aspects highlighted upon by the British schoolteachers.
There is greater substance in this film than just a cultural exchange. When Brummies Met Sindhis taps into the human being’s ability to connect with another human being, irrespective of race, creed
, religion
, profession
, or location
even.
. Established in 1948, the Council has services available in Islamabad
, Karachi
, Lahore
, Peshawar
, Faisalabad
, Multan
, and Quetta
.
Its efforts have borne fruit at the individual level, in the form of building relationships between both people and institutions, as well as at state level by improving the relationship between the two countries. Learning
, professional networking
, and youth-based special activities are just some of the ways in which this is achieved.
program, partner schools in the UK and Pakistan collaborate on curriculum
tasks. Their school leaders and teachers are given professional development. These schools are also eligible to undertake measures that will provide them with an International School Award
accreditation. Teachers can participate in global networking with other teachers through online communities.
in Pakistan
, today the province
of Sindh
it also has large number of Urdu-speaking population. The independence of Pakistan
gave way to the Muslim
culture into this land, as the Muslim refugees started to settle here. Celebrated for giving rise to the Indus Valley Civilization
, Sindh has a rich cultural heritage encompassing varied eras of influence by the Persian Achaemenid Empire
, Alexander the Great, the Seleucid rule, the Mauryan Empire, the Sunga Dynasty, the Greek rule, the Indo-Greek Kingdom
, Scythian tribes, the Tocharian
Kushan Empire
, the Sassanid Empire
of Persia, Kidarites
, the Hephthalite
tribes, the Rai Dynasty
, the Umayyad Caliphate, the Soomra Dynasty
, the Samma Dynasty, the Mughal Empire
, and finally, the British Raj
. All these empires have left their mark somewhere in Sindhi traditions and customs.
the film received positive review by renowned Pakistani journalist and writer Bina Shah
in the Pakistani newspaper Dawn
, where Shah called it "a fantastic documentary".
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
made by Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i documentary filmmaker, Azfar Rizvi.
Synopsis
The film follows five BritishBritish people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
schoolteachers from Birmingham, England in their journey to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
as part of a British Council Pakistan project, commonly known as Connecting Classrooms. The plethora of inter-cultural dialogue that ensues as the two cultures disclose both tradition and practice under the umbrella of education, transforms a simple visit to Bhit Shah
Bhit Shah
Bhit Shah may refer to:* Bhit , in Sindh, Pakistan, is the town where the shrine of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, the patron saint of Sindh, is located.* Bhit Shah Island is located near Kiamari Town in Karachi, Sindh....
, Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
into a mutually beneficent exchange.
The Film
Rebecca Bailey is a schoolteacher at the Hill West Primary School. Kamal Hanif and Ian Healey are the Head and Assistant Head teachers respectively at the Waverley School, West MidlandsWaverley School, West Midlands
-Admissions:Waverley is a boys and girls school for pupils age 11 - 19.It is situated just south of Bordesley Green's Heartlands Hospital, between Hob Moor Road and Kingscliff Road....
. Heather Hepworth and Sheila Holden are Assistant Head and Deputy Head teachers respectively at the Calthorpe Special School. The film records the experiences and the change in perception of these five schoolteachers that have come to Pakistan as part of Connecting Classrooms – a British Council Pakistan project that facilitates inter-cultural dialogue, and especially, an understanding of the different teaching styles employed in the UK and that of other countries.
Not knowing what to expect, the British schoolteachers are at first most excited about learning from and working with each other, as under no other circumstances would the three schools be able to come together and exchange ideas. Finding the same hustle bustle at 4 in the morning at the Jinnah International Airport
Jinnah International Airport
Jinnah International Airport is Pakistan's largest international and domestic airport. It is located in Karachi, Pakistan, and its passenger terminal is also commonly known as the جناح ٹرمینل Jinnah Terminal...
as the plane lands in Karachi that they would at 8 pm in Birmingham kick-starts the series of experiences and discoveries that this documentary explores. The traditions and customs
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
of Sindh serve as the contextual framework to what they learn about education in Pakistan
Education in Pakistan
Education in Pakistan is overseen by the government Ministry of Education and the provincial governments, whereas the federal government mostly assists in curriculum development, accreditation and some financing of research....
, how they interact with its peoples
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
, and the many ways in which they embrace its culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
.
Following an introductory meeting with the Office of District Government Matiari, the British schoolteachers visit several public schools in the vicinity, including one for children with mental disabilities. They discover that teaching styles are more direct in Pakistan, with an ‘I talk, you listen’ approach as opposed to ‘let us do it together’ that is used in the UK. One look at the children’s report cards, however, ascertains the effectiveness of this approach in the results that appear to be just as good. An emphasis on discipline surfaces as a common feature in all the individual opinions expressed, when inquired about the school visits.
The documentary segregates the experiences of these teachers into two major categories. The first category can be characterized as the material artifacts such as ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
wares, Ajrak
Ajrak
]Ajrak is a name given to a unique form of blockprinted shawls and tiles found in Sindh, Pakistan. Ajraks are also worn by the Seraiki people of Southern Punjab and Kutch. These shawls display special designs and patterns made using block printing by stamps. Common colours used while making these...
– a special kind of blockprinted shawl
Shawl
A shawl is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, that is often folded to make a triangle but can also be triangular in shape...
that serves as a symbol, woodwork, and bangle
Bangle
Bangles or churi are traditional ornaments worn mostly by South Asian women in India and Bangladesh, especially Hindus. It is tradition that the bride will try to wear as many small glass bangles as possible at her wedding and the honeymoon will end when the last bangle breaks...
s that represent Sindh’s outer surface. This also includes rides on a Bullock cart
Bullock cart
A bullock cart or ox cart is a two-wheeled vehicle pulled by oxen . It is a means of transportation used since ancient times in many parts of the world. They are still used today where modern vehicles are too expensive or the infrastructure does not favor them.Used especially for carrying goods,...
, an Auto rikshaw, and the public bus which is world-famous for ornamental art on the outside as well as the inside. Rebecca Bailey volunteers to try everything from making and painting intricate pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
to taking a ride on a public bus that is crowded enough to burst at the seams.
The second category can be characterized as general culture and the value system that exhibits the land’s deep-rooted core. Generosity - especially the manner in which gifts are exchanged, a sense of community found almost everywhere, the significance of keeping tradition alive, being one with nature, a fusion of both Hindu and Muslim religions – illustrated in the shrine at Dera Lal, marketplaces that never sleep are just some of the aspects highlighted upon by the British schoolteachers.
There is greater substance in this film than just a cultural exchange. When Brummies Met Sindhis taps into the human being’s ability to connect with another human being, irrespective of race, creed
Creed
A creed is a statement of belief—usually a statement of faith that describes the beliefs shared by a religious community—and is often recited as part of a religious service. When the statement of faith is longer and polemical, as well as didactic, it is not called a creed but a Confession of faith...
, religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, profession
Profession
A profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain....
, or location
Location (geography)
The terms location and place in geography are used to identify a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere. The term 'location' generally implies a higher degree of can certainty than "place" which often has an ambiguous boundary relying more on human/social attributes of place identity...
even.
The British Council Pakistan
The British Council Pakistan's primary objective is to facilitate educational and cultural relations between the UK and PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Established in 1948, the Council has services available in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
, Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, Faisalabad
Faisalabad
Faisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has...
, Multan
Multan
Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
, and Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
.
Its efforts have borne fruit at the individual level, in the form of building relationships between both people and institutions, as well as at state level by improving the relationship between the two countries. Learning
Learning
Learning is acquiring new or modifying existing knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types of information. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals and some machines. Progress over time tends to follow learning curves.Human learning...
, professional networking
Business networking
Business networking is a socioeconomic activity by which groups of like-minded businesspeople recognize, create, or act upon business opportunities. A business network is a type of social network whose reason for existing is business activity...
, and youth-based special activities are just some of the ways in which this is achieved.
Connecting Classrooms
Connecting Classrooms is one such endeavour. Under this globalGlobalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
program, partner schools in the UK and Pakistan collaborate on curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
tasks. Their school leaders and teachers are given professional development. These schools are also eligible to undertake measures that will provide them with an International School Award
International School Award
The International School Award is a British Council accreditation scheme rewarding schools with a notable global element in their curriculum.The scheme began in 1999 and since then, over 1000 International School Awards have been granted....
accreditation. Teachers can participate in global networking with other teachers through online communities.
Sindh
A traditional home to the SindhisSindhi people
Sindhis are a Sindhi speaking socio-ethnic group of people originating from Sindh, a province Formerly of British India, now in Pakistan. Today Sindhis that live in Pakistan belong to various religious denominations including Islam, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Christianity...
in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, today the province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
it also has large number of Urdu-speaking population. The independence of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
gave way to the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
culture into this land, as the Muslim refugees started to settle here. Celebrated for giving rise to the Indus Valley Civilization
Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that was located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, consisting of what is now mainly modern-day Pakistan and northwest India...
, Sindh has a rich cultural heritage encompassing varied eras of influence by the Persian Achaemenid Empire
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
, Alexander the Great, the Seleucid rule, the Mauryan Empire, the Sunga Dynasty, the Greek rule, the Indo-Greek Kingdom
Indo-Greek Kingdom
The Indo-Greek Kingdom or Graeco-Indian Kingdom covered various parts of the northwest regions of the Indian subcontinent during the last two centuries BC, and was ruled by more than 30 Hellenistic kings, often in conflict with each other...
, Scythian tribes, the Tocharian
Tocharian
Tocharian may refer to:* Tocharians, an ancient people who inhabited the Tarim Basin in Central Asia* Tocharian languages, two Indo-European languages spoken by those people...
Kushan Empire
Kushan Empire
The Kushan Empire originally formed in the early 1st century AD under Kujula Kadphises in the territories of ancient Bactria on either side of the middle course of the Oxus in what is now northern Afghanistan, Pakistan, and southern Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.During the 1st and early 2nd centuries...
, the Sassanid Empire
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
of Persia, Kidarites
Kidarites
The Kidarite were a dynasty of the "Ki" clan, probably originating from the Uar people. They were part of the complex of tribes known collectively as Xionites or "Hunas"....
, the Hephthalite
Hephthalite
The Hephthalites or Hephthalite is a pre-Islamic Greek term for local Abdali Afghans, who's famous ruler was Nazak Abdali . Hephthalites were a Central Asian nomadic confederation of the AD 5th-6th centuries whose precise origins and composition remain obscure...
tribes, the Rai Dynasty
Rai Dynasty
The Rai Dynasty was an Aryan dynasty of Sindh, from c. 489–690 AD. The influence of the Rai empire extended from Kashmir in the east, Makran and Debal port in the west, Surat port in south, Kandahar, Sistan, Suleyman, Ferdan and Kikanan hills in the north, ruling an area of over 600,000...
, the Umayyad Caliphate, the Soomra Dynasty
Soomra Dynasty
The Sumra dynasty , was established by Rajput Soomro tribe of Sindh. They were the first Emirs and ruled Sindh from their vibrant capital Mansura. Mansura was the largest and most wealthiest inhabited city of its time...
, the Samma Dynasty, the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
, and finally, the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. All these empires have left their mark somewhere in Sindhi traditions and customs.
Reception
As a multiple, first-person narrativeFirst-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
the film received positive review by renowned Pakistani journalist and writer Bina Shah
Bina Shah
-Early life and Education:The eldest of three children, Shah was born in Karachi to a Sindhi family. She obtained a B.A. in Psychology from Wellesley College, USA and a M.Ed in Educational Technology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, USA....
in the Pakistani newspaper Dawn
Dawn (newspaper)
Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. One of the country's two largest English-language dailies, it is the flagship of the Dawn Group of Newspapers, published by Pakistan Herald Publications, which also owns the Herald, a magazine, the evening paper The Star and...
, where Shah called it "a fantastic documentary".
External links
- When Brummies Met Sindhis - Official Site
- Central South Asia Connecting Classrooms
- Connecting classrooms to connect cultures, Dawn Newspaper
- Government of Sindh, Official WebPortal
- 'Inspirational Fair' for students by the British council
- Institute of SindhologyInstitute of SindhologyInstitute of Sindhology is one of the major resource on history of Sindh. It was the first research institution of its discipline that brought Sindhology to the forefront of international research. Sindhology is referred to as the knowledge about Sindh...
- Respecting Sindh, Dawn Newspaper
- When Brummies Met Sindhis, Chris Swift