Saqib picked me up in the morning and we head over to Qasimabad to check out Sindh TV. Ustad Anb Jogi had invited me to the tv channel as he was performing for some recordings. That was all I knew. After a little looking around, we found it in a neighborhood.Ustad sahib met us at the gate and in we went. There was a nice room setup with some large backdrops for a program on Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai. How perfect! It was a Sindhi language program, where they would be discussing the poetry of the poet whose work I am adapting into a puppet film. There were a number of musicians there and technicians preparing for the show taping. Ustad sahib had brought some juice for me, which was pretty nice. He introduced me to Razzak sahib, who was running the show. It was a labor of love, showcasing the most beloved poet of Sindh. We spoke a bit about what I was up to and we inquired about recording. Razzak sahib graciously offered to do anything he could to help. Unfortunately, the setup was like other sound setups I have seen here. The separate tracks coming in from each mic to a mixing board and are recorded only as a single mixed track.I really need multiple tracks so I can control the mix. Sindhology has been the perfect setup for that. Not only do I get a multitrack recording, but I also get video which is great for promoting the musicians and putting together DVDs for their music albums. Still, other options in various cities were offered as well, and all I can say, is that I am humbled by the support people have offered with big hearts, to help promote a project on Shah Latif’s poetry. Every bit of encouragement helps me along my way.The program started and though the discussion was in Sindhi, I felt like I understood at least 60% to 80% of it. It was mostly general discussion of themes in Shah Latif’s poetry, citing specific examples. It was a primer of sorts on Latif. It was nice to sit back and watch the process. During one of the longer breaks, Razzak sahib introduced me to the Gaddi Nashin of Shah Latif. He was very kind and appreciative of what I was trying to do. Waqar Hussain Shah sahib felt deeply about the responsibility of conveying the message of Shah Latif to the world.The electricity would go out at times, and the generator would be switched on and then off once it returned. The discussion seemed longer than necessary. Hopefully they will edit it down some and intercut the music. We were all pretty sleepy by the time the discussion ended. The musicians requested more tea to get them started again. It is pretty fantastic that non commercial programs like this one are being made. The musicians performed several beautiful pieces of Latif’s poetry with guidance from a music director.A sitar player who had bailed on a recording session without telling me came and introduced himself to me towards the end. I knew who he was. He is very talented, but professionalism and reliability is pretty important too, if not more important than sheer skill or talent. I greeted him nicely and did not mention anything about what had happened, as I had called him during that session and expressed myself on the situation already. He apologized for bailing, and I complimented his performance. While there are many musicians, it is still a small circle of professionals.I spoke to Ustad Sodho Jogi who I have met thanks to Ustad Anb Jogi at the radio station several times. I heard him sing during a proper performance, for the first time that day. Anb and I were planning on asking him to sing one of the chapters for the film, as the singer I had been talking too was really bad about answering the phone, and talking about the actual work. I really could not afford to spend more money on this project without getting work accomplished. The project has a very tight budget and I am likely to be close to broke by the end. It is a huge risk, but also an opportunity to try and do something I care about, while I still can.Anb and I visited a female singer I hope to record soon. She had been rehearsing and the material was out of her comfort zone, so we were certainly concerned about getting her ready. While she does not have the same command of this material as other singers who are accustomed to singing Shah Latif’s poetry, she has a great voice and clearly she was much smoother with the material than previously. With some effort, it could even be possible to pull the music together. I only have faith that this could happen, because Anb Jogi is there.Anb insisted on feeding me before I head back to Jamshoro, after we left the singer’s home. We sat down at a dhaba and discussed all the many pieces of the music I need for this project. We worked out a bunch of logistics. Ustad sahib had suggested that I should record some tracks with a singer from the eastern side of Sindh, out in the desert. This would be an album in addition to the work on the film. I am trying, where possible, to record additional material that can showcase the diverse music of Sindh in some small way and support these musicians. Of course, it helps promote the project as a whole as well, but most importantly it puts these artists on the map in a deliberate way to promote them.Getting back to Jamshoro proved more challenging at 10pm. There were lots of people and vehicles all around, so it was safe enough. I hopped on a little vehicle that is a cross between a suzuki pickup and an auto rickshaw. For 10 cents, you get a bumpy ride through crater filled streets, often filled in with sewage. I took that to where I usually get the bus back, but after a while it was clear there were no buses coming.I took another 10 cent ride and eventually made my way to a spot from where I walked half a mile to another intersection and waited for a bus back to Jamshoro. It took a while, but a bus finally came and it was packed with people hanging out the side. I squeezed in and managed to be on the inside with elbows at my head and other armpits near my face. After all that waiting, I was really glad to be on a bus, with all its bumps and being squished.It was tiring standing there. Eventually we got to the railway tracks (phaattak). I hopped off and searched out a shared rickshaw. The problem was, that because it was late, it was taking forever for passengers to fill up. It was just me and another guy waiting for what seemed like forever as the driver tried to call over more customers. The shared ride is cheap, so they try to fill up the whole vehicle before leaving. That can take time, but there was no one coming over.Eventually, I got tired of sitting there in the dark, and walked to the rickshaw behind me and paid him to just take me all the way home. What a tiring day! I felt good though. There was potential to get a good deal of recording done next week. I got back to the room and sat down to check my email and see what my wife had sent me regarding puppets in Udaipur.Najib sahib brought by the firewire cable and adapters that Hameed Magsi sahib had so kindly sought out for me in Karachi and then delivered while I was at Sindh TV. I looked over at the DV deck courtesy of Shahid and Tariq sahib, in the comfortable room and started digitizing some tapes.