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    Man and Muppet: Farooq Qaiser and Uncle Sargam

    Written by: Haroon Shuaib
    Posted on: December 28, 2020 | | 中文

    Uncle Sargam and Maasi Museebte

    In 1970, Farooq Qaiser graduated from National College of Arts (NCA) with a degree in Textile Design. While he was unsuccessful in immediately finding a job, his teachers Salima and Shoaib Hashmi had already recognized his creative potential. The couple, along with some other pioneers of the first television station in the country, Pakistan Television, were putting together Akkar Bakkar. This was to be Pakistan’s version of the iconic Sesame Street, an entertainment and educational show involving muppets (a cross between a ‘marionette’ and ‘puppet’) for children.

    Qaiser’s first assignment was to make a desi (local) version of the legendry Big Bird. Without any prior knowledge of how to develop muppets, after 4 days Farooq was at the studio with a life sized duck suite made of sticks, hard board, and lots of yellow paper. This was the beginning of a lifelong affair with muppets, as he kept producing new and more complex characters for Akkar Bakkar.

    Uncle Sargam and Rolo

    Puppetry as an art is diverse in shapes, forms and techniques across cultures. From a simple finger, a glove, human arm puppets and the carnival or body muppets, there are over two dozen different types of puppetry techniques. Play of light is often used in shadow puppets, black light puppets, and light curtain puppetry. “Puppetry has been practiced in many culture, some of which for over 5000 years, such as in Far Eastern countries of China, Malaysia, and Philippines. In our part of the world, the art of Kuthputli (a type of string puppetry) by families of wandering artists was prevalent in Rajisthan, Thar, and the Punjab. This was a kind of mobile theatre for common folks, telling fascinating stories of court and nobility. The puppeteers would put up a charpai (a wooden cot), manipulate the string puppets while hiding behind it, and the villagers would come out in droves enjoy the show. Unfortunately, the kuthputli tradition is almost extinct in our country,” Farooq shares.

    Qaiser’s love affairs with muppets, which started from Akkar Bakkar, never left him. He went on to receive a master's degree in Graphic Arts from Romania where he also trained in puppetry. As soon as he returned, he started Kaliyan (Sprouts), his own puppet show on Pakistan Television.

    Qaiser with His Puppet Mr. Bonga Bakheel in 1989

    Kaliyan became an instantly popular hit, and marked the birth of the now iconic Uncle Sargam, the inimitable Haiga and the curious Maasi Museebte. He created the character of 'Uncle Sargam' with a resemblance to his teacher Mohan Lal from Romania, and has been lending his own voice to Uncle. “Uncle Sargam symbolizes your typical Pakistani. He has the same strengths, weaknesses and personality traits that all of us in Pakistan share. He may always be dressed in a suite with a tie trying hard to fit in, but he has the same insecurities and fears of every middleclass Pakistani. That is perhaps the reason for the popularity of Uncle Sargam, and the goodwill that he has enjoyed for decades with young and old alike. He could say things that a common man wanted to express but could not say. This was only possible through the medium of puppetry,” Qaiser remarked.

    Along the way, Farooq received another master's degree in Mass Communication from the United States and also became a reputable newspaper columnist, TV show script writer and director, comic book writer, and voice actor. His puppet characters kept growing along the way, incorporating more popular oddballs to the ensemble, such as Rola, Bonga Bakheel, Sharmeeli and Gora Saab, becoming household names through series such as Daak Time (1993), Sargam Sargam (1995), Siyasi Kaliyan (2010) and Sargam Back Home (2016). In 1993 Farooq Qaiser was honored with the President’s Pride of Performance Award, Pakistan’s highest civil award for his contribution to the field of literature, art, sports, science and education.

    Qaiser in his Home (photo credits to the writer)

    Qaiser reflects, “The popularity of Uncle Sargam and his friends kept growing as new viewers kept getting introduced to them. We added music, poetry, celebrity guests and social commentary in our shows. From a hand muppet, Uncle became a full body muppet who always unconditionally loved his people and his country. We now take the show to all parts of the country to spread messages of health, education, and other issues of social relevance. It is so heartening to see our resilient communities always being receptive to him. I recently went to Sukkur for a show, and the children from the neighborhood turned up to meet Uncle Sargam the same day. I told them that Uncle will come for the show tomorrow only if they wore neat clothes and shoes. I also told them that Uncle Sargam was upset to see the litter on the streets. To my surprise, I learned that the kids not only cleaned their street overnight but they also showed up wearing neat clean clothes and shoes. That is the magic of a muppet figure like Uncle Sargam.”

    In the age of life-like animation and increasingly sophisticated computer graphics, some believe that puppetry is no longer a viable form of entertainment. When asked if puppetry still has relevance to modern day, Qaiser made a valid rebuttal, “Walt Disney is considered a pioneer of animation and holds the record for most Academy Awards, having won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations. Yet, he also started his career with full body muppets of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Pluto. This gave the characters a life beyond years and dimensions, and even the best animation technology has not been able to make the use of muppets irrelevant.”

    A Museum Diorama of Uncle Sargam at Lok Virsa Museum, Islamabad

    Puppetry remains important to the arts not only because it is an ancient and highly technical tradition of storytelling, but also because it has the ability to tell the stories of our lives through a lens of wonder and fun. If there is one thing that has ensured the popularity and longevity of both Qaiser and his alter ego Uncle Sargam, it is the commitment with which the muppet and the man serve Pakistan and its people.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021