by LAUREN FRAYER
Shehzad Roy, one of Pakistan’s most popular signers, rocketed to fame in the 1990s singing sweet songs about love. He was a favorite among Pakistani elites who like to dance to secular tunes but don’t otherwise rock the boat.
So those fans might be slightly shocked by the Roy of today, who has traded candy-coated pop for fiercely political songs.
In the song “Khatta Meetha,” Roy says government promises of free speech, clean water and ample electricity are nothing but “bull- – – -t” — also the song’s English name.
“If you had the chance, you’d sell off the entire country — to line your own pockets,” he sings to politicians.
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On a recent day, Roy belts out that same sarcastic tune, “Laga Reh,” in the corridors of a once-dilapidated school for 2,100 girls in one of Karachi’s poorest districts. Roy took over management of the school from the Karachi government in 2007. He describes an early request from one of the teachers.
“She said, ‘Shehzad, can you do me a favor?’ And I said, ‘Yes, sure.’ And she said, ‘Can you get rid of the dogs please?’ ” the singer recalls. “And I said, ‘What?’ I thought maybe she was saying metaphorically that there were some bad people. And then she said, ‘No, no, we literally have dogs here.’ ”
Hungry stray dogs used to roam the classrooms. A former principal ran an illegal side business renting out the schoolyard for weddings. Leftovers and trash attracted rodents and wild dogs. Rubble piled up in the place of desks. Raw sewage ran in the drinking fountains.
Alia Amirali, an analyst at Pakistan’s National Students Federation, says local politicians probably had no idea about the state of their government schools, until Roy came along.
“It’s certainly never been a state priority. So the English, upper-middle-class education system is working fine,” Amirali says. “That, the government pays attention to, ironically, because the government’s priorities are always extremely class-biased. Because their kids have never been to these schools.”
NPR for more
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JecRIjQJsRg&feature=fvst