Zeest
Encyclopedia
Zeest is a Pakistani
rock band
. Zeest is a Persian
word meaning life & existence, while synonymously it can be used as hope, faith, light etc.
The band was formed in Karachi
, Pakistan
in 2003 by Saqib Abdullah a.k.a Skip, who is the singer, songwriter
& composer
.
On 29 January 2009, the band released their second song, 100 Rupai on the Internet
.
also known as a Smoker’s Anthem
, is a pop rock
oriented acoustic
song. It is the first super hit Urdu
song that includes swear
and slang words. The mastermind behind the entire song is Skip (Saqib) who wrote the catchy lyrics and transformed them into a song.
B.C. Sutta is all about the journey in an average guy’s life, starting from his mid teens when his dad catches him smoking with his friends. Later on, when he joins college and has a girlfriend, she asks him to quit smoking. Frustrated, he roams the streets before getting married, but there too, he misses his cigarette
. Sutta actually means cigarette in Urdu
and Punjabi
slang
Doston mein baitha main sutta pee raha (With friends, I was sitting and having a smoke)
Abba ne mujhe sutta peete dekh liya (Dad saw me while I was smoking…)
Ghar jab main pahuncha mera danda ho gaya… (When I reached home I got a pasting)
BC sutta, sutta na mila! ( I didn’t get a smoke!)
At a literal level, it does glorify the forbidden pleasure of smoking. But substitute sutta with anything else you have been denied in life and it works equally well!
Mid-day
afternoon daily, a Mumbai
-based tabloid conducted an interview titled "No Sutta Without Fire" on 15 January 2006. Skip claims:
In an interview with Dance With Shadows, an online Indian magazine:
A series of articles were published critically acclaiming the song in southeast-Asia’s media. Some critics, especially Rashmi Bansal
the founder-editor of youth magazine JAM claim that it might be the turning point in South Asian media. Within no time,B.C. Sutta became one of the most discussed songs in forums and web logs.
, but instead of publishing the whole interview it was only published as a small column titled as "Songs Mom Won’t Listen To." Later the STAR News
Delhi
conducted a telephonic interview of Skip, and Skip provided them a video clip for the live jam session of performing B.C. Sutta. Both of them were planned to be telecast on 30 minute show, but they were censored.
The song contains zero abusive words.They offered a special thanks to Sushubh Mittal for his assistance on their blog.
Music of Pakistan
The music of Pakistan includes diverse elements ranging from music from various parts of South Asia as well as Central Asian, Persian, Turkish, Arabic and modern day Western popular music influences...
rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
. Zeest is a Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
word meaning life & existence, while synonymously it can be used as hope, faith, light etc.
The band was formed in 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...
, 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...
in 2003 by Saqib Abdullah a.k.a Skip, who is the singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
& composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
On 29 January 2009, the band released their second song, 100 Rupai on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.
B.C. Sutta
B.C. Suttaalso known as a Smoker’s Anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
, is a pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
oriented acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
song. It is the first super hit Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
song that includes swear
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
and slang words. The mastermind behind the entire song is Skip (Saqib) who wrote the catchy lyrics and transformed them into a song.
B.C. Sutta is all about the journey in an average guy’s life, starting from his mid teens when his dad catches him smoking with his friends. Later on, when he joins college and has a girlfriend, she asks him to quit smoking. Frustrated, he roams the streets before getting married, but there too, he misses his cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
. Sutta actually means cigarette in Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
Doston mein baitha main sutta pee raha (With friends, I was sitting and having a smoke)
Abba ne mujhe sutta peete dekh liya (Dad saw me while I was smoking…)
Ghar jab main pahuncha mera danda ho gaya… (When I reached home I got a pasting)
BC sutta, sutta na mila! ( I didn’t get a smoke!)
At a literal level, it does glorify the forbidden pleasure of smoking. But substitute sutta with anything else you have been denied in life and it works equally well!
Recording and launching of B.C. Sutta
Skip was invited for a live jam session in Zeeshan Hayat’s Feedback studio (formerly known as DRB Studios) in the early days of April 2005. At the end of the session, he was encouraged to record his satirical song, “B.C. Sutta”, live. Skip had previously played the song only at parties and informal gatherings among friends. After some rehearsals and a few takes, the song was recorded live. Zeeshan edited the song while Skip launched it on the Internet so people could download it for free.The Legend
Mid-day
Mid Day is an afternoon daily Indian compact newspaper. Editions in various languages are published in Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Pune .-Establishment:...
afternoon daily, a Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
-based tabloid conducted an interview titled "No Sutta Without Fire" on 15 January 2006. Skip claims:
In an interview with Dance With Shadows, an online Indian magazine:
A series of articles were published critically acclaiming the song in southeast-Asia’s media. Some critics, especially Rashmi Bansal
Rashmi Bansal
Rashmi Bansal is a writer, entrepreneur and a self-proclaimed youth expert. She is the author of two bestselling books on entrepreneurship - Stay Hungry Stay Foolish and Connect the Dots....
the founder-editor of youth magazine JAM claim that it might be the turning point in South Asian media. Within no time,B.C. Sutta became one of the most discussed songs in forums and web logs.
Censorship in India
Skip was interviewed by India’s leading newspaper Hindustan TimesHindustan Times
Hindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the Indian independence movement of the period ....
, but instead of publishing the whole interview it was only published as a small column titled as "Songs Mom Won’t Listen To." Later the STAR News
STAR News
STAR News is the Hindi language news channel of STAR TV based in Mumbai. The channel is a co-production of STAR Group and ABP Pvt. Ltd...
Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
conducted a telephonic interview of Skip, and Skip provided them a video clip for the live jam session of performing B.C. Sutta. Both of them were planned to be telecast on 30 minute show, but they were censored.
100 Rupai
On 29th january 2009 Zeest officially released a demo version of their new song titled "100 Rupai" which they made available for download on their official website.According to their blog post the song is "A Treat for the Current Global RecessionThe song is a story of a financially frustrated Indo-Pak’s youth life.At these financial hard times throughout the world, we pray to have an economic prosperity & growth throughout South Asia."The song contains zero abusive words.They offered a special thanks to Sushubh Mittal for his assistance on their blog.