The CPL has developed into a cricket spectacular that highlights the Caribbean region’s rich cricket history and draws some of the best players in the globe. With teams from different Caribbean countries, the league’s structure emphasizes teamwork among players while also kindling fierce rivalries. The CPL has become into a yearly extravaganza that draws viewers from all around the world.
A Cricketing Extravaganza
Both seasoned and up-and-coming Caribbean cricketers may use the league as a forum to display their talents on a global scale. The CPL’s focus on developing local talent has helped a number of players rise to prominence and represent their countries and make noteworthy contributions to the world of cricket. Speaking about this feature, a CPL representative said, “We are proud to provide a platform for the Caribbean’s cricketing talent to shine.”
A Cricketing Extravaganza
The CPL, which highlights local talent, also draws a number of international cricket players, which heightens its appeal. Joining the league’s teams are well-known athletes from throughout the globe who bring their experience and knowledge to the Caribbean fields. Fans from many continents are drawn to the dynamic atmosphere created by the blending of regional and international talent.
Beyond Cricket: Entertainment and Fan Engagement
The CPL stands out from other T20 competitions thanks to its distinctive fusion of cricket and entertainment. Fans may anticipate spectacular performances, musical acts, and interactive activities that appeal to a wide audience in addition to high-caliber contests. An enthusiastic fan of cricket echoed their enthusiasm when they said, “Attending a CPL match is not just about watching cricket; it’s a complete entertainment package.”
A Thriving Cricket Ecosystem
The CPL’s influence goes beyond the competition itself. It promotes a cricket environment that supports the growth and development of the sport in the Caribbean. The league’s commitment in coaching initiatives, infrastructure upgrades, and grassroots cricket programs helps ensure the long-term viability of cricket in the region. An expert for cricket stated that “the CPL’s holistic approach benefits the sport at all levels.”
The Adrenaline-Packed Saga of WWE’s Flagship Friday Night Show
The pinnacle of sports programming is WWE Friday Night Smackdown, which captivates viewers with a compelling blend of athleticism, drama, and charismatic Superstars. Smackdown, one of WWE’s most adored flagship programs, provides the WWE Universe with an exhilarating experience that leaves them wanting more. The spectacular story that takes place on Friday evenings, fusing the finest of wrestling and entertainment, is examined in this essay.
Unleashing the WWE Superstars: Larger-Than-Life Icons Take Center Stage
The WWE Superstars, whose larger-than-life personality and breathtaking athleticism drive Friday Night Smackdown’s ferocity, are the show’s driving force. The Smackdown roster has a wide range of talent, each competing for title glory and the admiration of the WWE Universe, from superstars like John Cena and The Rock to current fan favorites like Roman Reigns and Becky Lynch.
Spectacular Matches, Unforgettable Moments: Wrestling at Its Fines
Friday Night Smackdown is a showcase for the best in professional wrestling, including an astounding range of bout styles and priceless moments. Fans are on the edge of their seats as Smackdown’s in-ring action features thrilling tag team matches, nasty cage fights, and high-octane singles matchups. WWE history is filled with iconic events like unexpected comebacks, startling betrayals, and gravity-defying moves.
The Art of Storytelling: Drama, Rivalries, and Plot Twists
The storytelling skills of WWE are well known, and Friday Night Smackdown is a masterpiece at developing gripping stories. The WWE Universe remains interested week after week because to compelling rivalries, unexpected alliances, and surprising narrative twists. In order to make the trip to championship glory an emotionally charged rollercoaster for both Superstars and viewers, the show’s creative staff spins tales of victory and heartbreak.
The Prestige of Championships: Battles for Glory
Friday Night Smackdown gains an exciting new dimension thanks to the quest of championship gold. Superstars compete for honor and recognition in events like the esteemed Smackdown Women’s Championship and the distinguished Universal Championship. The stakes of championship bouts, which take place on Smackdown’s large stage, are at their highest during fierce contests of talent and will.
Thousands of youth, adults and children are consuming tons of animations and the consumption is only going up. Muskan Fatima reports the trend and the factors pushing the new fad
Two Kashmir animated characters – Meem Laaleh (L) and Kashir Shinchan (R). While the former has gone into oblivion, the latter is still in circulation.
In 2019 fall, when Meem Laaleh, a Kashmiri comic feminine character appeared on social media with impressive social messages, it was a huge sensation. Operating with a tagline – Balai Lagai, Yuth Ni Mushkil Gaczvev (Forgive me, do not take it otherwise), the caricature was a hit with its brief satire on social issues that its creator termed ‘sit down comedy’. Almost on a daily basis people would wait for Meem Laaleh to take potshots on the life Kashmir was living. By early 2021, Meem Laaleh went silent, perhaps forever.
This inspired many others to follow suit. A young boy launched Keashir Shinchan in June 2019. It is a young Kashmir lady telling interesting tales about the people around, making fun of things and using puns to send the message around.
Tragically, however, neither Meem Laaleh nor Keashir Shinchan is part of the estimated US $28.61 billion that the animation industry cloaked in 2022. Anime is primarily Japanese animation characterized by colourfully vibrant graphics and action-filled plots that more than 100 million people watch globally. Right now more than 6000 anime shows exist and the majority of them are made in Japan.
= While the new generation has skipped looking at the sector as content creators, they are huge consumers of animation. In most of the homes, kids require animation shows at breakfast, lunch and dinner and now even parents are addicted to these shows. Asks anybody in nursery or kindergarten, they are well aware of Pokemon, Naruto, Dragon Ball Z and Shin-chan. It is their butter if not the bread. Off late, even adults like the animation. In Kashmir, Doraeman was virtually in politics for years.
Hyder, an MBA from the University of Kashmir has been watching anime for a while. He fell in love with Naruto in 2017 when the comic character somehow popped up on his timeline.
“It was a blessing in disguise I would say,” Hyder admitted. “I was doing a lot of binge-watching as I lacked focus. Suddenly Naruto popped up so I thought I should give it a go and the way it kept me inclined towards itself was mind-blowing.”
It is not just the plot and the graphics that connect people to Anime. Some people say they feel a personal connection with the characters and they can relate to the emotions portrayed by them.
Hyder said that watching the animation has helped being become responsible because most of the shows convey a message “I suddenly used to care about everyone no matter how bad they seemed. This was a thing I gathered from Naruto,” Hyder said. “It taught me nobody is a villain. Another anime Haikyuu teaches you that if you are passionate about something it does not matter whether you have the skills or not. Hard work is the key. I would say anime made me a better person.”
A ‘Misconception’
Anime is linked to stereotypes. People see them as merely cartoons and caricatures, not essentially meant for grown-ups. That may not be necessarily true. anime and cartoons differ from each other in target audience and themes. Unlike cartoons, anime touches upon more serious themes with teenagers and adults as the target audiences.
“I made no difference between anime and cartoon till I watched Death Note,” Haroon Riyaz, a student with a keen interest in anime’s, said. “The plot twists, suspense and mystery factor of this anime were really appealing to me. Now I believe anime is a slice of life and portrays life issues and emotions that are mostly meant for the mature audiences, unlike cartoons.”
Animation watchers are so drawn towards the anime culture that many of them go out of their way to get anime merchandise, learn Japanese slang and dress up like anime characters. In recent years Japanese pop culture including anime and video games gained immense popularity worldwide due to global media exposure. Despite the language barrier people have resorted to subtitles to understand the storyline.
Mother Culture
This is something new in Kashmir. The elder generations did not grow up surrounded by this wave of anime culture and most of them are barely familiar with the term anime. Even after TV’s entry into Kashmir, Doordarshan, till recently was the only source of entertainment.
Then, people used to read books, comics, listen to radio and just play around with friends. Now, the newer generations avoid books and prefer watching things on the cell phone, TV or computer. “Youth watch movies based on novels and then claim they have read it not knowing that films are adaptations of the text, not the exact novel,” a parent said. “It is the fashion now that students prefer pdf of books rather than the book.”
Binge Watching
Globally, the use of motion pictures in educating the new generation is a preferred choice of educators. However, a huge section of the younger generation binge-watches anime shows. Some see it as addiction and many think it is an escape route.
The content creators are aware of this human weakness. So they push their characters to survive for a long time link India TV soap operas. One Piece is an anime based on the Manga by Eiichiro Oda and as of March 2023, it has more than 1000 episodes. Anybody wishing to watch it would require more than 400 hours. Data available in the public domain suggest that an average person spends 6.58 hours every day on screens connected to the internet. This is impacting the health of a generation.
Farhana Wani is pursuing her BSc (Nanoscience) in Srinagar. Her journey towards anime started when, one day, she came across a reel on social media about how Itachi, a character from Naruto sacrificed everything and how he killed his entire clan, his parents, and his love just to save the leaf village but was not able to kill his brother. That made her curious about the character and she wanted to know the whole story.
While Farhana loves anime she recognizes that it had a negative impact on her as well.
“As much as I hate to admit it, anime has become an escape route from reality for many people especially students,” Farhana said. “I sometimes also feel like I am addicted to it and that instead of studying I prefer to watch anime because it gives you that dopamine rush for a short period of time.”
German Psychologist Erich Fromm in his book, To Have or to Be? writes: “Pleasure and thrill are conducive to sadness after the so-called peak has been reached; for the thrill has been experienced, but the vessel has not grown. One’s inner powers have not increased. One has made the attempt to break through the boredom of unproductive activity and for a moment has unified one’s energies-except reason and love. One has attempted to become superhuman, without being human. One seems to have succeeded to the moment of triumph, but the triumph is followed by deep sadness; because nothing has changed within oneself.”
The Flip Side
This is the other side of anime binge-watching. People say they live in a world of joyless pleasures where it is hard to draw a line between the two.
Pleasure usually does not lead to an intrinsically adequate solution to the human condition and does not lead to greater human growth or bring an individual closer to their authentic self. Joy, on the other side, is what people experience in the process of growing nearer to the goal of becoming oneself. The lack of joy is what makes seeking pleasure necessary. People may say watching anime brings them joy but often it is pleasure they refer to.
A legitimate question remains: why Kashmiri youth are drawn towards anime? Japan, after all, has a different language and culture.
Wasim Kakroo, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the Centre for Mental Health Services at Rambagh Srinagar has his views about the psychology behind it.
“It can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, anime offers an escape from the realities of everyday life, providing a unique and immersive world of fiction and fantasy that can be engaging and entertaining, especially for youth who lack guidance. Anime often contains themes and motifs that resonate with young people, identity struggles, and social commentary. This helps them connect with the characters and storylines. Its easy availability may be another contributor,” Kakroo said. “The psychological reasons behind this transition can be attributed to the fact that young people are seeking new forms of entertainment that offer a sense of escapism, social connection, and cultural identity. Anime provides a combination of these elements, making it an attractive option for many young people.” At the same time, anime addiction is part of the globalisation that permits individuals to make their choices.
Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s latest release ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’ is currently running in theatres and is receiving a mixed response from audiences and critics alike. While some viewers have praised the cast’s performances, others believe that Salman should take the movie response as a wake-up call for the actor to focus on quality over quantity.
Despite the mixed reviews, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan has managed to generate a decent box office collection in its opening weekend, thanks to Bhaijaan’s loyal fan base. Amid this, a tweet by a film critic and member of the overseas censor board Umair Sandhu, claiming that Salman Khan has been banned by Zee Entertainment, is going viral on social media.
The viral tweet, which has since garnered significant attention among social media users, claims that the production house decided to ban Salman due to his back to back failures at box office. “Breaking news : After Back to Back Disasters & Loss #Radhe & #KisiKaBhaiKisiKiJaan, Zee entertainment will not do any collaboration with #SalmanKhan anymore. They BANNED him,” the tweet read.
This news comes as a shock to many, as Salman Khan is known for his immense popularity and box office success. However, there is no official confirmation on this yet.
Salman Khan is currently working on several highly anticipated project ‘Tiger 3’. Fans of the actor are eagerly awaiting the release of this film and are hopeful that it be a big hit.
With the internet offering people the superhighway of information and knowledge, youth living in the pre-digital periphery are getting virtually cosmopolitan by watching their choice of global content, reports Babra Wani
Boys Over Flowers, the Korean sensation that is basically a romantic comedy involving a poor girl and four brats
In 2014, Saba’s cousin showed her a Korean drama Boys Over Flowers. She enjoyed it to the last second of the episode. Owing to no access to the internet back home, she could watch the series. She lacked a laptop and a smartphone. Time passed normally, but Saba could not forget that episode.
“Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was hooked on that drama,” Saba said, almost a decade later. “I wanted to watch every episode of it.”
When Covid19 confined people to the four walls of their homes, Saba suddenly became a time-surplus person, who now was fortunate enough to have high-speed internet and a personal laptop too.
Having nothing better to do, she logged in to her laptop and started streaming the Korean drama online.
“The content is very addictive”, said Saba as she recalled herself binge-watching the entire series, episode after episode. Currently pursuing her master’s at the University of Kashmir, Saba recalled how she used to recharge add-ons internet packs for extra data to watch dramas. Watching the series that is credited for creating the Korean Wavein Asia triggered an insatiable desire in Saba to keep exploring and watching other Korean dramas and web series. “In a period of a few months, I have completed more than a hundred Korean dramas, movies, and web series.”
Globalised Content
For decades, the only source of entertainment in Kashmir used to be the state-run Doordrashan. Generations grew up consuming the hilarious content of Nazir Joshs and Shaadi Lal Kouls. They have a fervent following in the senior generation to this date.
As the decades progressed, the Joshs and Kouls were slowly replaced by the Western star casts. Millennials began dictating the production and consumption of content. Even if the language barrier was there, subtitles provided an easy route to understanding different linguistic realms. Characters like The Professor from the popular Spanish series, The Money Heist and Player 456 from The Squid Game found global acceptance. They became symbols of globalization.
Shadi Lal Koul (L) on the sets of a TV serial. Koul, a popular Kashmiri actor, died July 2020 after fighting a serious disease for a long time.
Rakshanda Altaf, an agriculture student, is also an avid fan of Korean content. Off late, she is enchanted with Japanese and Chinese dramas.
“I actually began watching Korean dramas during Covid19 lockdown and then I shifted to Japanese and Chinese content,” she said, “I love how their dramas and the content is concise and you know maximum a series will last is for some 50 episodes, unlike Indian dramas which are spread across generations.”
For Mahek, a student at the University of Kashmir, the introduction to the world of K-dramas was through her peers. In 2017, when she was in school, she started watching Cinderella and the Four Knights – a drama with four handsome leads. She said her friends found themselves attracted to the series.
Downloading the series in her pen drive from her friend’s laptop, marked the new normality. An avid consumer of Indian soap operas, Mahek changed. The Korean content lacked a match with what she was consuming earlier. “I gave up on watching Indian serials.” For Mahek, it was the storyline, the content and the cast of the series which attracted her interest. Slowly, she started watching Chinese and Thai content as well.
The Hallyu Craze
Not only that, Mahek also began downloading Korean language learning apps to learn the language and tried making Korean friends as well. “I have downloaded tons of apps to learn more about Korean culture. I know a few words as well, like oppa, which means older brother, or Saranghae. which means I love you. Every K-drama watcher will be familiar with these words,” Mahek said. For her and many other Hallyu fans the Korean culture, language and everything related to Korea looks intriguing and exciting.
For the unversed, Hallyu is a popular China-origin term used for the Korean wave, when in the 1990s people outside Korea first learned about Korean content. Then slowly it was in 2012 when Psy’s (a Korean singer) Gangnam Style became a worldwide hit and then with the emergence of BTS, which holds the title of the world’s biggest boy band and Blackpink, an all-girls group, the Korean entertainment industry became a worldwide phenomenon.
Not Just Korean
The profile of consumers of such content ranges from teenagers to adults in their late twenties and early thirties. Hafsoah Ahmed, who is currently pursuing her doctorate degree, started off by watching the famous American series, Friends. From there, she digressed towards anime.
“It was the quality and the quantity of the content that first attracted me towards the series. The acting, the direction, the presentation, everything is A1 in the international series,” Ahmed said. “I like how the information and the content of the message of the series are put across. How it is presented and addressed.”
Hafsoah thinks she is an introvert and not so “outdoorsy” so she just spent all her time watching these international series.
Dramas like Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Gray’s Anatomy became quite popular among Kashmir youth at the beginning of the year 2020. However, it was not just in 2020 back in 2019 as well when the internet was shut down in Kashmir, people especially youth relied on foreign series and movies to keep themselves entertained.
The Ertugrul Era
In 2020, the Turkish series Ertugrul became a massive hit among Kashmiris across all age groups. It is a period drama detailing the struggle of Turkish herdsmen to have their own state against the interests of the crusaders, Mongols and Seljuks. At one point in time, this series was the sole big factor behind the mass sale of hard drives and storage devices.
A scene from Diriliz Urtugrul, the popular Turkish period drama showing the main charceters – Urtugrul, Haleema and Hayme Hatun
Soon, the Ertugrul’sKayiTribe-inspired skull caps were flooding the market. The fame of Ertugrul also resulted in an increase in the viewership of some other Turkish dramas and series. Kurulus Osman, a spin-off of the Ertugual series also saw an overwhelming response from the Kashmiri audiences. People still continue to watch the Ertugrul series. A Kayi tribe theme-based restaurant was also opened in one of the areas in Srinagar’s Shehr-e-Khas.
Perhaps the Turk entertainment sector barely knew the potential for their content in Urdu and Hindi speaking belt in South Asia. With Ertugrulcreating new milestones, now every Turkish drama has a must Urdu edition.
Pakistani Drama Fans
In Kashmir, Pakistani dramas always had a bigger audience. While the millennials comprise the majority of the audience for Korean, Chinese and other dramas, Pakistani dramas owing to the use of the Urdu language have a bigger demographic as their consumers. Pakistani dramas enjoy a lot of fondness and popularity amongst the population of Kashmir. For many people, watching family soap operas is one way of helping kids pick up Urdu speaking.
Shabnam, a woman in her mid-forties began watching Pakistani dramas and series in 2016 when her daughter got access to the internet and a mobile phone for the first time. “My daughter showed me a Pakistani movie and then we began watching a drama and then we saw another drama and then another and that is how we began consuming Pakistani series,” she said.
Earlier it used to be the state-owned TV in Islamabad to telecast the dramas. Now there are scores of channels and a lot of internet space that is consuming Pakistan content, especially the drama.
The popularity of Pakistani suits and clothing among Kashmiri women can be attributed to Pakistani shows. Several Kashmiris also pick Pakistani names of their favourite characters for their children.
The Psychology Behind
Why do Kashmiri people prefer watching foreign web or TV series over domestic serials? Wasim Kakroo, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the Centre for Mental Health Services at Rambagh Srinagar said it has its own psychology.
“Foreign content can offer a sense of novelty and excitement that may be lacking in domestic serials. When young people are exposed to new and different cultures, they may feel a sense of intrigue and curiosity that motivates them to explore further. This desire for novelty and exploration is a fundamental human trait, and it can be particularly pronounced during adolescence when young people are seeking to establish their identity and place in the world,” Kakroo said
“Foreign content may provide a sense of escapism from their stresses. Since Kashmiri youth feel frustrated by the political turmoil and unemployment, they feel overwhelmed or stressed. Watching characters who live in different countries, speak different languages, and have different customs can transport viewers to a different world, allowing them to temporarily forget about their own problems.”
The OTT Factor
The rise of over-the-top (OTT) and streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, Asiaflix, Viki Rakuten, and MX Player also made it completely easy for the distribution of worldwide content in Kashmir. Its popularity is an outcome of the high-speed internet. India has access to the cheapest internet prices in the world. This is a huge enabler.
An Allied Market Research report suggests the OTT industry was valued at US $ 97.43 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach US $ 332.52 billion by 2025.
The OTT platforms have a huge basket from SciFi to romantic comedies (romcom) to action to horror to period dramas. They are democratic as they cater to different needs of people and consumers regardless of gender, age, ethnicity and nationality.
The emergence of OTT has resulted in cultural exchange as audiences become more and more interested in foreign cultures. “Consuming content from across the world is not only passing time but also exposing one to different cultures and places around the world,” Hafsoah said. “The cultural exchanges and the globalization of media has also resulted in cultural homogenization and heterogenization.”
Riyadh: The Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) on Sunday, announced the launch of the tourism and entertainment licensing and permit portal, local media reported.
This came in order to facilitate the provision of services in the AlUla, develop the governorate’s operations and automate procedures.
After Cabinet approval, RCU can issue licenses for travel and tourism agencies, accommodation, tours and facilities management.
The RCU thanked the government for its support to display the culture, art and history of the nation in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
The RCU affirms its commitment to the highest standards of excellence and international best practices.
It has called on everyone to visit the e-services portal to submit requests for tourism and entertainment permits.
سعياً لتطوير القطاع السياحي والترفيهي في #العلا، أتاحت @RCU_SA عدداً من الخدمات والتراخيص للأفراد والمؤسسات، ويمكن الاستفادة من الخدمات عبر البوابة الإلكترونية الموحدة.
