Cluster of Disparate Writings

Compiling a compendium of essays is tantamount to composing a symphony wherein every section is harmoniously arranged to create a memorable musical composition.

Writer and public intellectual Javed Jabbar seems familiar with the pressing need for harmony in an anthology. In Streams: Selected Writings 2016-2023 on Media, South Asia, Development, and Personalities, he stitches together his recent newspaper articles into a cohesive whole—a symphony of words, as it were. Such anthologies cannot be arbitrarily structured, and some degree of careful consideration is required to produce an impressive, erudite compilation.

Jabbar is also no stranger to the creative alchemy needed to undertake such a monumental task. Streams is the author’s tenth anthology, and he is no novice in the business of arranging a cluster of disparate writings into a harmonious composition. In a succinct preface, Jabbar reminds us how such compilations need to be produced in a methodical manner. He writes: “The unrivalled merit of an anthology is that it enables both the reader -- and the writer -- to refer to a single reference source to appraise how perceptions have been expressed over a period of years, of where, and if and how and why perceptions have changed.”

In his first anthology, titled A Man in the Queue, Jabbar offered insights and observations on the media landscape and Pakistan’s cultural fabric. Over 50 years after this compilation was published, the author’s abiding interest in the country’s media and cultural dynamics have transcended boundaries and conquered new terrain. With its emphasis on the author’s recent newspaper articles, Streams has a distinctly contemporary focus and benefits from a welcome freshness of perspective. Mercifully, the ideas expressed in these essays aren’t time-sensitive commentaries that reflect the zeitgeist of a particular phase in the country’s recent history. Instead, they possess a rare versatility and prowess and come through as valuable socio-historical documents.

Jabbar’s articles aren’t devoid of context. This quality lends a uniquely readable quality to the compilation and prevents it from becoming a product of its time. In ‘Testing Boundaries’, the author reminds readers how the 2016 Cyril Almeida imbróglio is “only the latest Pakistan-specific manifestation of a historic, global change…between state-related information and independent media.” In another piece, Jabbar writes about the “parallel relationships’’ individuals have with culture and media.

The author’s ability to contextualize issues and present them in a palatable manner reaches new heights in a detailed note on the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority’s ban on TikTok. Jabbar penned this informative piece when he was appointed as amicus curiae (friend of the court) by the Islamabad High Court in a petition regarding the ban. Fuelled by the desire to uphold the principle of free speech, the note reflects the author’s commitment to social justice and transparency.

Streams also includes a rich panoply of tributes to esteemed media personalities, such as Zuhra Karim and Aslam Azhar. These articles are, by turns, fact-driven eulogies as well as deeply personal accounts of friendship.

Jabbar’s articles aren’t prisoners to a specific theme. Each piece opens a portal into a different issue that attracts the author’s interest. As a result, the compilation covers a diverse spectrum of concerns, including ecology, public policy, and the injustices meted out to vulnerable segments of society.

Written with flair and unflinching honesty, Streams provides a glimpse into Pakistan’s contemporary realities. Students of history, politics, media studies, and the social sciences will benefit from Jabbar’s profound observations.