Culture of urdu speakers in pakistan karachi
In , the now year-old Pakistani-American developed a keyboard app you could use on iOS devices; within two years, it had been downloaded over , times. But even with an Urdu-language keyboard, the characters appeared on the screen in an entirely different font. Spoken by nearly million people in South Asia and the South Asian diaspora, Urdu is written in an alphabet derived from Arabic. To communicate in Urdu, you either had to type in naskh or spell words phonetically in Latin script. One of the earliest apps Azeemi developed, even before the keyboard, was for nursery rhymes in Urdu. He remained determined.
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Accent and history
If there is a country whose culture is starkly contrasted by its international image, it has to be Pakistan. Pakistanis all over the world often face the dilemma of explaining what their culture really entails, thanks to years of news-media exaggeration and agenda setting. There are over 15 major ethnic groups in Pakistan, which differ in physical features, historical bloodlines, customs, dress, food and music.
Other than ancient ethnic elements, the religious influence of Islam has also strongly shaped Pakistani culture since it first came to the region in AD The official number of languages actively spoken in Pakistan is between 73 and The most popular languages, however, belong to the largest ethnic groups with their own modern and ancient literature.
Most languages in Pakistan belong to the Indo-Iranian language group, including Urdu, the national language. Due to Islamic and tribal influences, non-urban regions of Pakistan have varying levels of gender segregation, while big cities too have conservative expectations in terms of interactions between men and women. Regardless of that, the people of Pakistan are helpful, friendly, approachable and humble. Diverse culture has exposed Pakistani musicians to many different poetic forms and styles, along with languages and literature.
Building on that, Pakistani TV shows, like Coke Studio , have amassed millions of fans internationally and locally, from non-Pakistanis to non-Urdu speakers.
The nation has also produced legendary singers, like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and poets like Faiz Ahmed Faiz, who have left a tremendous influence on the culture and the collective conscience of the people.
Contemporary musicians too play with modern styles and develop fusions in the Urdu language, of blues, funk, rock and jazz. Family comes first in Pakistan due to religious, cultural, economic and societal values.
Pakistani society is not led by individualism but rather by collectivism, where family and other relationships stand strong. Pakistani truck art is not the only world-famous example of craftsmanship.
Passed down through generations, Pakistani craft includes a plethora of styles, materials and aesthetics. Calligraphy in Arabic is one of the most prominent skills found in many local buildings and sites and wall hangings, like copper work, paintings and carved wood.
Pottery, especially blue pottery, typical of Sindh and Multan, is loved all over the world for its look. Naqashi, or the art-making of camel-skin lamps, is another example of local craft, along with colourful tile work, which is a Mughal legacy. Mainstream Islam and Islamic mysticism are both prevalent in Pakistan, but often, hard-line clerics, who follow the Wahhabi school of thought, reject the tradition of mysticism or Sufism that has added great beauty to the already unique Islamic flavour of the country.
Sufis show their devotion through many means like dance, poetry, whirling, meditation, etc. The hard-liners may try to isolate them, but the population cannot help but be entranced by them.
Chai is everywhere in Pakistan, probably in a similar sense to how beer is in alcohol-consuming countries. In fact, Pakistan is the third-largest importer of tea, although some tea is grown locally too. Pakistanis make their tea strong and sweet in either milk or diluted milk depending on their preference.
Sometimes cardamom and other spices are added to tea on special occasions. Black tea was introduced to the country by the English during the colonial years, but green tea has been a part of the local culture for thousands of years.
Tea time is such an important time of day that many people enjoy high tea in five-star hotels, which basically include a buffet of teas and all the complimentary snacks that go with it. Guests, tourists and visitors, whether domestic or international, are always welcomed with open arms. Even the poorest labourers go out of their way to help new visitors. Cultural and religious beliefs encourage Pakistanis to show love and respect towards guests. In Islam especially, a guest is a blessing from God, and it is taught that they must be given the best treatment possible.
Other sports, like hockey, squash and badminton, are also widely played and appreciated. Polo has a special place in northern Pakistan too, with one of the highest polo grounds in the world situated here. Terrorist attacks and misgovernment have also led to terrible consequences. The people of Pakistan would soar high if they got the sincere political effort and leadership they deserve.
Pakistani weddings epitomise the richness of the culture. A single wedding will introduce you to the many elements of these local traditions. Pakistani weddings are laden with a multitude of colours, beautifully embroidered flowing fabrics in silks and chiffon, tantalizing food, traditionally decorated stages and a lot of music and dance.
Weddings in Pakistan are a serious deal, with preparations starting months before. After all, most local weddings last anywhere from three to six days. The celebrations usually start with a day dedicated to henna application, followed by a musical night and a night of traditional rituals to bless the couple.
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Sign Up. Travel Guides. Videos Beyond Hollywood Hungerlust Pioneers of love. Noreen Gulwani. Pakistani culture is very diverse. Pakistan, Chitral, Rumbur Valley, Kailash women dancing at annual harvest festival. Many different languages are spoken in Pakistan. The people are friendly, but gender segregation still exists. Pakistanis love listening to — and making — music. Family bonds are strong in Pakistan. Pakistani culture includes excellent craftsmanship. Sufism has given birth to beautiful poetry and music.
Pakistanis love chai a little too much. Pakistanis are very hospitable. Boy takes a photo of his friend while on visit to Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta Sindh, which was a gift to people of Thatta by Shah for their hospitality. Pakistanis love sports, especially cricket. Pakistan cricket fans. Pakistanis are resilient and hard-working.
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Demographics of Pakistan
They are also known as Urdu speakers, on account of Urdu being their native language. The Muhajirs are concentrated in urban areas of Sindh. The conversion of natives to Islam and the migration of Muslims from the Muslim World coalesced to form the Urdu Muslim community which was referred to as Hindustani Musalmans , East Punjab. Early settlement of Northern Muslims was due to the migrations and then establishment of Turkish Sultanate.
13 Things You Should Know About Pakistani Culture
Welcome to our helpful guide for Pakistan. Should you be looking to travel, live, relocate or do business in Pakistan, we will give you a helpful head start on understanding the country and its cultures. It is bordered by Afghanistan on the north and west. Iran makes up its southwest boarder. China makes up part of its northeast border while Kashmir makes up the rest. Pakistan has three seasons: winter November to March is warm and cooled by sea breezes on the coast; summer April to July has extreme temperatures and the monsoon season July to September has the highest rainfall on the hills. Pakistan came into existence to provide its people with a way of life-based on Islam.
Herald Magazine
If there is a country whose culture is starkly contrasted by its international image, it has to be Pakistan. Pakistanis all over the world often face the dilemma of explaining what their culture really entails, thanks to years of news-media exaggeration and agenda setting. There are over 15 major ethnic groups in Pakistan, which differ in physical features, historical bloodlines, customs, dress, food and music. Other than ancient ethnic elements, the religious influence of Islam has also strongly shaped Pakistani culture since it first came to the region in AD
Linguistic Diversity in Pakistan
This course will be taught by an experienced Pakistani tutor living in Pakistan via Skype. Students will cover basic grammar and gain a working vocabulary and is open to beginner and intermediate Urdu speakers. The language is presented in an economic, historical and cultural context so that learners are able to appreciate such things as appropriateness, linguistic etiquette, and the legacy of relations between Britain and Pakistan. What is the course? Taught in English and Urdu, the course covers speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students will cover basic grammar and gain a working vocabulary.
Karachi as an ethnic challenge
A patriotic song blares through speakers placed on either side of the stage. The audience, a chirpy mix of men, women and children, is gathered for the Qaumi Nifaz-e-Urdu Conference. The atmosphere within the venue is gregarious. Outside, it is oppressively hot and humid even though it rained the previous night and drizzled the same morning. It is also the language of Islam, most argue. At one point, a female teacher rises from the audience and says that Arabic should be compulsory in schools. While some speakers, too, advocate making Arabic the medium of instruction, others skirt around the topic.
Sometimes, the term is used broadly to also include Muslim Biharis whose mother tongue is not Urdu but one of the Bihari languages such as Magahi, Bhojpuri, Maithili and Muslim Gujaratis whose mother tongue is Gujarati who also speak Urdu beside their mother tongue. Thus, the terms 'Muhajir' or 'Urdu-speaking' do not exactly define an ethnic group as such, since many of these people came from diverse ethnicities as they migrated from various parts of Northern and Central South Asia at independence. The Muhajirs are a multi-ethnic community who are partly descended from Arabs, Persians, Afghans and Turks. The Muslims of Middle East and Central Asia have historically, travelled to South Asia as technocrats, bureaucrats, soldiers, traders, scientists, architects, teachers, theologians and Sufis during the Islamic Sultanates and Mughal Empire and settled permanently.
At the same time, the prevalence of Urdu among Pakistani elites has always been challenged by English, which assumed greater influence initially with the onset of colonialism in the subcontinent but continues to retain importance among certain Pakistani populations due to the global relevance of the English language. Despite the prominence of English and Urdu in Pakistan, the languages of Panjabi, Sindhi, Pashto and Balochi also remain well known due to their large number of speakers divided across provinces that are roughly identified by their ethnic affiliations. Lesser known is the fact that approximately 80 languages are spoken across Pakistan, with many of them concentrated in the Northern Areas. Due to the mountainous terrain of the Northern Areas, the local inhabitants became geographically isolated much more easily, diversifying the languages of this area at an incredibly fast rate. While most of the provincial languages belong to the Indo-Aryan group of the Indo-European language family, many smaller languages belong to the Iranic and Dardic groups, while some, such as Burushaski, are language isolates languages that are not connected to any other language. The communities speaking these lesser known languages, many of which are endangered, face a variety of obstacles in preserving their culture, ranging from a lack of governmental funding for native-language education to the dearth of awareness of linguistic diversity among the Pakistani public.
Reza spent his early years in what was then East-Pakistan and what is today a different country, Bangladesh. However, when West- Pakistan lost the war and had to withdraw from East-Pakistan, now Bangladesh, they abandoned the Biharis, and to this day an estimated number of , Biharis live as stateless persons without citizenship rights in refugee camps in Bangladesh. When he was four, Reza witnessed his uncle being killed for being a Bihari — in the eyes of many Bangladeshis, an exponent of Pakistani domination. In Bangladesh, Urdu-speakers such as the Biharis were living symbols of Pakistani domination. In Pakistan, their Bihari-accented Urdu marked them as unwelcome refugees from the East.
Urdu, presently the national language of Pakistan and the identity symbol of Indian Muslims, is associated with Islam in South Asia. This association was forged during British colonial rule. The British replaced Persian, the official language of Mughal rule, with Urdu at the lower level and English at the higher one in parts of North India and present-day Pakistan.
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